What To Play If You Want To Get Into VideoGames

I don't remember a time in my life when I didn't love videogames, I remember when I was 5 years old and playing the original Need for speed with my dad on the PS1. I remember getting my first own gaming device, a gameboy colour. I remember getting my first gaming PC and having thousands of fun, amazing memories and stories when playing videogames both alone and with friends. This has also reflected on the friends I have with nearly all of them being gamers, however recently this has changed in a big way. I met someone a few months ago who is absolutely amazing. We started spending more and more time together and now I am the extremely lucky guy who gets to call her my girlfriend.


She is not a gamer and while she did very proudly say she has played a bit of GTA (then made some shooting sounds which were extremely adorable), she has not touched a video game in years. For me that is no problem and actually incredibly refreshing as we connected on lots of other different topics I don't often get to talk about. She does see how passionate and excited I get talking about video games though and wants to share that experience by trying to play something. This obviously excited me a lot but brought around one of the toughest questions a gamer can be asked by a non gamer....what game should they play. If you get it right they might find their new favourite obsession, if you get it wrong then you might ruin videogames for them forever.


So I decided to take on this great challenge of a question and choose a single game from a bunch of genres which I would recommend for people looking to get into gaming. Yes this is the kind of punishment I like to put myself through. Okay here we go.




Racing Game

Forza Horizon 5

Lets start with the option I chose for my gf. She loves cars, especially expensive ones like G Wagons and Lamboghinis so a racing game felt like the obvious option. While we are spoiled for choice when it comes to racing games nowadays there is only one I felt really is beginner friendly and fun for new gamers and that is Forza Horizon 5.


Forza Horizon 5 does the perfect blend of being an incredibly entertaining racing game as well as being a massive adventure playground for you to explore and cause chaos in. The customisation is also a big factor with you being able to fully customise your vehicle exactly how you would like it then taking it out on a joy ride around the beautiful Mexican landscape. For my gf this was the part that really hooked her as she instantly brought a G-Wagon (yes she is a Queen with expensive taste) and she spent the next hour making it perfect for her. After many decal adjustments it was perfect and she excitedly drove to the stadium on the map to do donuts in the car park, basically she loved it. That is the true beauty with Forza Horizon, it lets you play exactly how you want too and even rewards you for doing so. That mixed with generous difficulty settings and being able to get new cars as easily as eating a whole pack of haribos (very easily) means it probably is one of the most beginner friendly racing games out there.


The only downside is the menu can be quite confusing with all the wheelspins, car garage, and the very annoying microtransactions but I do think it is only a minor annoyance.


The main point why Forza Horizon 5 is a great choice is that my gf had so much fun with the game that I was the one who had to tell her that we needed to go to bed. Never thought I would be the one doing that.




Action Game

Spider-Man

I have to admit this one was a bit of a no-brainer to me as I honestly believe it is a great choice for someone's first videogame.


First of all its Spider-Man, everyone loves and knows him no matter what background you come from or age you are. He probably is the most famous superhero out there, so if you would tell them you play as Spider-Man I think they would be instantly interested.


The second and probably main reason I would recommend this game is that you want a game to grab your interest straight away, and that is where Spider-Man really shines thanks to the fact it has the best opening scene from any game ever......Fact. That intro of the camera panning over Peter's desk where you see this student lifestyle of leftover chinese food and the spidey mask, followed by you watching Peter looking at his phone in bed to see that police are raiding Fisk Tower. This leads to an epic montage with rock music playing and him jumping out of bed in his Spider-Man underwear and rushing to get dressed while trying to eat breakfast. Then just as the music hits hard he leaps out of the window of his apartment and it seamlessly transitions into gameplay as we webswing away. I mean come on how fucking cool is that!? I don't know a single person who wouldn't be grinning ear to ear at that moment. If you need to convince them, just show them that scene and they will end up playing the whole game.


This all builds to a really fun and surprisingly deep story about Peter Parker and his struggles of balancing his normal life with his superhero one. It is powerful, moving and you will be going from laughing out loud to needing tissues throughout the game. Plus that ending is just a chef kiss of perfection.


Mix all this together with great combat, a fun but simple rpg level up mechanics, and a really fun New York open world to swing around and find collectables and challenges means that Spider-Man is a perfect choice. I also think the platinum trophy in this game is one of the easiest so if they want to 100% it then it shouldn't be too hard.


I will say though that I do think the MJ stealth missions may cause some frustration for new gamers as even on the lowest difficulty it may cause some problems. But worst comes to worst you can quickly help them through and get them back to web swinging!




Adventure / Story Game

If you can convince them to play a 100+ hour Final Fantasy game (probably 7 Remake or 16 would be the best start)then that is an easy bet. However I am going under the idea that we want to give them a 10-20 hour experience so in that case.....

Last Of Us

You have no idea how badly I wanted to say Catherine and I do stand by it in some sense but as long as they have never seen the TV show then this is easily the best option.


The Last of us not only brought back the peak single player experience but it also gave us one of the best stories ever told in a video game. I will never forget that my dad wouldn't let me play it unless he was watching because he got so into the story, it really is that good but if you are a Gamer you know that already.


Not only is the story something special but also has great gameplay mechanics with stealth combat, crafting, and extremely satisfying shooting and combat. The easiest difficulty should allow a smooth experience for new gamers but again it may be best to sit and watch (which lets all be honest if it's our gf/bf playing then we will all be doing that anyway) and assist when needed.


However one of the main reasons to play this game is the absolute master class of voice acting. Obviously Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson were already extremely popular voice actors but this game brought them to super stardom level as their performances provided such true raw emotion that you felt like you were there with them instead of watching it on a screen. They honestly set a whole new level of voice acting performances with this game.


There is a reason why Last Of Us won absolutely everything it could win as a game, and then even more when it became a TV show. The game has one of the rawest and most beautiful, painful, and surprising real stories out there, if you want to show them storytelling at it's best then show them Last Of Us. However if they have seen the TV show then give them the ride of their life with Catherine!




RPG

Final Fantasy 16

Now if your partner/friend/whoever is ready to go off the rails, balls to the wall hard on their first gaming experience then we shouldn't stop from starting an epic 100+ hour adventure.


Originally I had Mass Effect and then Witcher 3 on this spot. Mass Effect is the best sci-fi experience I have ever had but the gameplay can be very janky and even in the legendary edition it doesn't look great. Witcher 3 is one of the best experiences I ever had in a videogame overall and I got completely lost in the world and story of the Witcher. It really makes you feel like you are Geralt and I would say it is the best RPG ever made (even if I do love Cyberpunk 2077 just very slightly more) but I do think it is too advance for a new gamer with all the stances, magic, potions, oils and tonics so I can't recommend it to a newbie.


However this may be time where one of my favourite Final Fantasy games can proudly stand tall and say play me as your first RPG game! That game is Final Fantasy 16. Final Fantasy 16 manages to do the impressive job of being a massive 100+ hour game that is actually not that complicated to play (although the story can be a bit confusing).


The combat and rpg mechanics are surprisingly simple with only a few upgrades to unlock which then can be triggered in combat with a simple command making it extremely beginner friendly. The areas to explore are more multiple small open areas instead of one extremely large one meaning it feels manageable instead of overwhelming when aiming to 100% all and it probably is the most ‘unmenuing’ (basically not spending hours in the menus configuring and upgrading your team) final fantasy game out of all of them.


Storywise like all final fantasy games it is a bit confusing at times but Square Enix did the completely masterful move of actually including a backlog story map in the game. This allows you to briefly skip back and forth during each major story event and tells you what took place and who took what kingdom from whom. This is extremely helpful and clever, especially if you step away from the game for a few days which normally is the worst thing you can do in a final fantasy game as you are suddenly wondering why you are fighting a giant eyeball and why is your whole team in different sections of the world. The story is a very good one as well with a game of thrones style epic fantasy that takes place over the span of multiple years.


The visual effects and cutscenes are also an absolute delight to the eyes. The boss fights in particular are just so visually stunning and impressive that sometimes you forget you are playing a game instead of watching a movie. Also the music is completely bonkers going from epic choir chants to EDM madness that you would hear at 4am in a Berlin club.


Overall Final Fantasy 16 is a fantastic experience and will take you on a journey that you won't want to leave. The ending is a bit weak but this is one of them classic ‘its about the journey, not the destination’ situation and in that case it really is a great ride.



Okay this is getting really long so lets do two more then wrap it up....




Horror Game

I have to admit this really isn't my area of expertise but it is almost halloween so it is only fitting....

Outlast

Again I was thinking maybe Until Dawn or something from the Dark Picture anthology but I don't think the quick time events would be that great for a new gamer. Plus if you want a horror game then why not a game that scares the crap out of you.


Outlast could be a great game for a horror fan looking to get into gaming as its gameplay mechanics are not really that complicated. You sneak, hide, look into your video camera, and pray that you will find batteries to keep it charged so you can see with the night vision mode. That's basically the game.


No combat or weapons mean it is absolutely terrifying as you are constantly getting chased through the pitch black mental asylum by disfigured, horrifying humans and having to rely on your stealth and nerve more than anything else.


The story falls apart a bit at the end but it is good enough to keep you interested in what's going on and most importantly it does scare the absolute crap out of you sometimes. That whole surgeon section still gives me the creeps.


I will say though that I am currently playing Alan Wake for the first time (review coming soon) and I do think I might have a new recommendation soon as that game is special.




Cozy Game

Coffee Talk

Now the obvious answer here is Stardew Valley and I highly recommend a new gamer to try it but for me it just doesn't hit for some reason. So for I will recommend one of the coziest games I have played and loved which is Coffee Talk.


The game is simple, you own a coffee shop and you make your customers coffee while listening to their stories. That's it and I absolutely love it.


It looks stunning and the stories that build as you play are so enjoyable to witness. You will watch a relationship form between two people who constantly visit, then you won't see them for weeks only for one of them to randomly turn up later who will suddenly be like they are getting married but they are nervous. Sometimes you don't find out the ending for a story or may just see the end of one and not the beginning. It is a true life of a barista and it is so cozy, pretty and entertaining that it really is the perfect sunday rainy day game.


Simple,beautiful, and a lot of fun. What more do you want?




Okay I think that is enough for the moment.....wow that was a lot.

Here are some honourable mentions as well:

- Kena: Bridge Of Spirits (so underrated as a game)


- Life Is Strange (A great newbie game, can play an episode a night)


- Skate 3 (for that partner who just wants to do dumb stuff)


- GTA 5 (look everyone has played this but if they haven't then they should give it a try, even if they just buy some clothes and play golf)


- Mario Odyssey (The perfect platform game, great intro to Mario)


- 1000xResist (One of the best stories ever and just a walking sim so super easy for new gamers)


 - Overcooked (If you want to show them the chaos of playing with your friends)

Well I hope you enjoyed this crazy post and let me know if there are any games you would recommend! If you are a new gamer then good luck on your gaming journey and I am always happy to give you more recommendations!

Cuppa