Weekend Debate: Giving the gift of gaming

Hmm this is hard but I’d actually probably give them a PS 3 with uncharted double pack and try and get them uncharted with it. T I’m going to say it’s a safe assumption they watch TV and movies and like them if I’m even bothering to try and get them to like gaming most people I know relative or not also tend to read books and enjoy storys. So really all I’m doing is giving them a brilliant gaming experience that is not too different from something they already know quite well. I always found Uncharted reaches a point (even on 2nd,3rd etc playthroughs) that it just reaches this point where just like with a good book you can’t stop playing you’re gripped by the action and the story, and it all feels so very cinematic. I think that however I do it they’d have to have the 1st game 1st because although dated now it is such a good game, and really brings you into the universe 2 and then 3 continue so well. They are also good games to launch them into other mainstream games like Assassins Creed etc. There’s no point giving them a mobile game or somethign to niche/hardcore as they’ll be like “[DELETED]?” for a 1st eperience so a PS£ and Uncharted 1/ Uncharted Double pack would go under the tree for them.

My post says it’s awaiting moderation but i can’t see what was rude about oh and I mean *PS3 not PS£

i would give an ps3 and uncharted 3 Drakes decepion

best game evar!

To a person that has never played a game or has demostrate to be reluctant about them i would buy:

system: PSvita – If there is one system easy to pick up and learn that is the PS vita, no other choices. It has all the type of controls that you can imagine (motion,touch,buttons)so if the person had problems with one type of control (like buttons for example) he can try others and find the better for him/her. Everyone is capable of play on touch because it’s so intuitive and as a plus the new user can learn to play other type of controls because they are all on the same system without switching.

Game: the psvita already have very interesting free games/application that are avaiable on the store that can show how gaming is fun,and Frobisher Says! is one of them, plus it’s free! It use all the psvita capabilities and it’s a very crazy and fun party game with friends.A perfect intro for newcomers! And by the way i’ve order today a Psvita so i will test this

For that crappy game, i will not even try and make a decent post. will i still win?

The perfect game for someone who never really cared about videogames is Heavy Rain. Firstly because it’s accessible for anyone (can even be played with a Move controller, which makes things even more intuitive), and secondly because the story the game tells us is fascinating for any kind of person, being younger or older. Games like Heavy Rain makes everyone who play it realize that videogames and movies are at least on par as far as entertainment refers, games can be thrilling, fun and touching as well. There’s absolutely no reason to have any prejudice against videogames and those who play them. Playing games is a nice hobby, more people should try it themselves.

So yeah, I’d go with a PS3 with a Move controller and Heavy Rain.

I would ideally give them Sega megadrive with sonic 2 with 2 pads as that was what got me into started into the wonderful life of gaming, so as we are now in the year 2012 may as well get them a PS3 and Sega megadrive ultimate collection that way they would have their fill of games enjoying all 40 that are on the disk. Then after they could go and choose anything that the PS could offer – the choices are limitless, so many great games it may drive Them insane and want to get all call of duty on me!

Hah! Easy. I’m currently introducing my nearly-3 year old son to gaming, and the platform of choice is the Vita. He abosolutely loves it, and is totally at ease with all the possibilities of interaction it offers. He doesn’t really use the controllers or buttons, but the touchscreen, sound input, gyroscope and back touchscreen are his default ways of interaction.

His principle game of choice is a very basic one: The Welcome Park, which in a playful way introduces him to all methods of play, in a way that is ideal for his age. His favorite: The ‘Numbers’, wher you have to press 1 to 5. He amazed me when he, without trouble, pressed both ’2′ numbers at once (multi finger ). Also, the flicking of cards, and popping up balls with pressing the back of the Vita, made him roar with laughter.

Next up serious game: Little Deviants. Lots of mini-games, perfectly tailored to young kids, again using all possibilities of the Vita.

Only danger: My son now won’t let me play my Vita any more! (Might have to get a second one )

This Christmas we are having my six-year old niece and her family around for Christmas Day.
I can’t wait to see her face light up when she sees Dragons flying over her head and casting spells with the Move controller on the game, Wonderbook: The Book of Spells (obviously on the TV and not for real LOL!), as she and her family have never played video games before. Strange I know, but true!
So Fred, to answer your question, it would have to be a PS3 with the Wonderbook: The Book of Spells Starter Kit. As this would bring me more joy than anything else this Christmas (apart from a PS4 that is….

i would give him a ps2 and star wars battlefront 2 to introduce him to gaming. because its an epic game that puts you into the battles of star wars. And to make it even better then i would tell him that its a ps2 and the ps3 is even better with hd graphics, blu-ray, better controller, online store and much more.

PS Move and Sport Champions, hands down. Everybody who played it, loved it.

A Vita with Persona 4 Golden (I know it is not out in EU until early next year, but there is always importing! Another great thing about Sony consoles, region free!) The vita is a wonderful piece of kit that can be played on the go with no sacrifice as far as quality of graphics and game play are concerned, it is like a portable home console! Not to mention its ability to play digital PSP games and PS1 classics! & as for Persona 4 Golden, well it is simply an amazing game packed with tons of content! One of the best RPGs ever created with loads of stuff to do besides the usual grinding through dungeons and such. E.g the many social interactions and goings on, day to day stuff at high school, going to after-school clubs, working part time jobs, flirting with the ladies, etc. Plus it’s packed with vita exclusive content and looks beautiful thanks to the vita simply being so awesome! =D

A PlayStation 3 with Little Big Planet 2 because you can create basically any type of game (Racing, adventure, Arcade etc) and you can create levels however you like, Because of the longevity of the game, it’s really the gift that keeps on giving.

At first I was considering a console from an older generation, due to the simplicity of gaming back then. I don’t mean that in a bad way, mind you, but I’m sure some would appreciate a console without updates, patches, network accounts and so on. Ultimately, though, I have to go with the PS3 and the original LittleBigPlanet. There’s just so much charm and warmth to the game that I’ve never understood someone not liking it, aside from the game’s genre not being their thing. The levels and music are stellar, and I think there’s a subtle genius to some of the characters involved. The story’s a lovely little tale, as well. Besides, who wouldn’t want a game where you can create your own level using a rocket-powered Cheetah-car?

Have a nice weekend, Fred!

Well, it should come as no surprise that many of us readers would choose a PS3, and I’m no different. The PS3, in my mind, has the most varied choice of games available on any console, so whichever genre my friend would end up preferring, you can probably get it on the PS3.

As for the game, I hope this isn’t cheating, but I would get my frind the Ratchet & Clank HD collection. I LOVED the games back on the PS2, and they still hold up greatly to todays standards, and the game has a combination of many different genres; the perfect introduction to gaming. I mean, it’s an action/adventure-platform-third-person-shooter, with RPG elements in it (And in my opinion it features the greatest arsenal of weapons in gaming history). It doesn’t get much more universal than that, and the collection has the 3 first games in the series, so my friend would have a lot of great content to play.

If the person has never turned a console on then you don’t want to give them something like Uncharted, Heavy Rain or any other game that requires quick actions and knowing the controller and icons inside and out, thats why the Wii was successful, simple look and easy buttons that anyone can use.

For me it would have to be a PS3 and Little Big Planet, platformers are one of the easiest types of games to play but are lots of fun, the cute look with bright colours won’t put them off when “everything just looks brown” in other games, the co-op allows you to play with them because every game is better with friends and you can help with the difficult bits.
Also it really only requires two buttons to play, jump and grab. simple.
The large ammount of community levels means they will never run out of fun levels and if they want to spend the time learning the tools they can even make their own levels to show everyone, no other game offers this.

Tetris!!

Not even a hard choice. You buy them a PlayStation 3 Console and go out of the way to buy the NICE LOOKING previous generation console (Don’t want to offend them on Christmas Day by buying them something ugly) and a £10 PSN voucher. Also provide them with direct instruction to buy the best ever PSN game, Journey by Thatgamecompany.
Everyone can relate to it, so beautifully artistic and emotional to play and it’s so simple anyone can pick up a controller and play it.

Id give them a PS3 and buy them Journey…

Almost everyone I know has a PS3, because gaming is simply tons of fun.

Yet a few people I know haven’t got one because they ” do not enjoy shooting, pillaging and murdering” as if gaming is all about violence and agression and guns and alcohol
Well,I would just hand them over a PS3 with that one game, Journey, and leave them be for a week or three untill they’ve played it to its full extent and invite me over to play one of the games they’ve bought ever since I left them standing there… on the border of the world of gaming.

My gaming gift would have to be where it all started for me.. The Amiga 500. Of course I’d accompany that with an external disk drive, along with the games “Cannon Fodder”, “Monkey Island”, “Chaos Engine” and of course.. “Dungeon Master”.

These are the games that opened my eyes to the wonderful world of gaming well over 20 years ago. I would give this gift in the hope it would do the same for the recipient too.

I’d buy an atari with Pong and Centipede, simple but effective gaming and not alot of sense needed to play , then gradually increase the content of gaming slowly till they get the hang of it, also it’s cheap to buy them and the games now and if anything goes wrong it’s easily affordable to replace.

For me, it would be a PS3 and Uncharted 2. I started playing it again this last week, and it’s just perfect. It’s a simple, boring answer compared to what some people have said, but I really bellieve it’s a game that anyone within any reasonable age-range and background can enjoy.

It’s pretty darn close to perfect.

PS3

DARK SOULS

Go hard or go home

Id give them the ps1 with GTA london as I think it would be best to start small but with its bright colours simple but addictive game play thats easy to get used to and not to many buttons to handle.Its has cars guns running round maps something for eveyone. It would get there iner gamer going ready for a PS3 . Happy Christmas all

A Sega Megadrive with Revenge of Shinobi, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Ghouls and Ghosts, Road Rash, Streets of Rage 2, Micro Machines, Mortal Kombat 2, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Kid Chameleon, Comix Zone, Ecco the Dolphin, Bonanza Bros

And more…

I would give them the PS1 with the original Rayman since both were my first console and game that I ever played, the game was simple and really fun for all ages and also has a very nice 2D art style to it with the catchy music. If it got me into gaming then I’m pretty sure it would get someone else into it, perfect way for them to join the Playstation Family

(Thinking about it I could just give them a PS3 instead and they could just download it from the PS store but it’s not the same thing!)

System: PS3
Game: Anything co-op. Probably Borderlands 2

I was going to say PS2 but then i thought to myself, ”Then again what about PS3”. I would say PS3 because it has free online unlike a certain other game console. It’s games look great. It has loads of great exclusives like Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, Jak & Daxter, Uncharted, inFamous, Resistance LBP, MGS 4. Also it has great HD collections like the Jak & Daxter Trilogy, Sly Triogy,Ratchet & Clank Trilogy,God of War trilogy etc. The games i might get for him would be Ratchet & Clank Tools of Destruction,R&C Quest for Booty, Ratchet & Clank A Crack In Time, I would get them because it has great gameplay and one of the best stories that’s on the PS3. I would get him inFamous 2 as it is one of my favorite PS3 games since it’s great to run around and use Cole’s powers around the city and the story is great and the game controls are very good. Also Little Big Planet 2 so he can be creative and make his own levels. I would also get the Sly Trilogy so he can play a good mix of platiforming and stealth.

I think the best choice would be a PS Vita, as it provides a multitude of options to interact with games and will, at the same time, seem more accessible than a typical home console to a person who hasn’t played a single game yet. As for the game, it would largely depend on the person the gift was intended for, but I think a safe bet would be LittleBigPlanet Vita, which oozes charm and is sure to fascinate everyone who lays hands on it!

Does a PS3 and a 1 year PS+ voucher count as a game? :p

If not…

I would give a PS3 with a PS Move set and Sports Champions 2. The game is very easy to get into for newcomers but can have challenge once you get good too, and the motion controls help a lot for newcomers. Plus it is great for playing with friends and everything is more fun when playing with friends.

I guess that would be Zelda 3 – A Link to the past, on the SNES. Good graphics without too bombastic effects. 2D is always easier for a beginner than 3D. Thus easy to use controls, with some easy to understand game mechanics. Sweet basic story that everyone can relate too.

Oh and of course it is lots and lots of addicting fun.

In case that I’d win, could I get all the DLC for Fight for Fortune instead of Drake’s Fortune? Because seriously … what would I want with another copy of Uncharted?

Lol, recognized now that DLC is already included. Well then how about 2x codes for Fight for Fortune?

Id give them Barbie island princess as punishment for not trying out gaming sooner!

My dad comes from an older generation, and has never at all been interested in my gaming.

If I was to introduce him to a game it would have to be The Saboteur (with a PlayStation 3). My dad grew up with tales from the War, and I think the game offers a unique and very enjoyable story that would really grasp his interest. Think my dad would really relate to the main character Sean Devlin too, bit of a cheeky Charlie, with a flat cap and a smoke! Aside from the story though, there’s many many hours of game life through the ambient free play missions, and lot of creativity restoring colour back to the streets of Paris. Add a dated, but cool soundtrack, and that’s right up my dad’s street as he hates all kinds of new pop stuff!

A personal downside would be lack of multi-player, but that would probably be more suited for my dad anyway. I know this isn’t the most recent of titles, but a great title nonetheless, and one that would most probably shine a new light on the gaming world for my dad.

I would give them a Wii with Wii Sports. Quite simply if you’ve never played a video game before, this sort of game is the best to rope them in.
Simple to pick up and play, and enjoyable for literally all members of the family of all ages!

The best system for a new gamer? A PS2, because of the huge selection of great games, from casual button mashers to hardcore challenges. And the perfect game would be Tekken 5, simple yet hard to master and provides loads of fun, alone and with friends.

I don’t want to be an Fanboy but if i want to introduce gaming to an non-gamer i would get them an Nintendo Wii. Why not an Ps3? For the same reason like the Xbox: Those 2 are gamer consoles. If i get them a Wii with a Game like mario Kart they have fun without knowing much about the game. If you buy them a Ps3 and well.. CoD: BO2 – Flaming Kiddies, Unbalancing and games like this are hard to learn.
But if i have to buy them a Sony-Console with a game i think it would be something like Heavy Rain. This Game is perfect to learn the controls of the Ps3.

Sorry for the bad english, here’s a potato *potato.jpg*

I would introduce them to the Wii first, it has the perfect games for new gamers such as Wii Fit, Wii Sports & Resort, Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart and Donkey Kong Country, which are a great games in the own right and can be enjoyed by almost anyone and also has the virtual console with some of the classic games for them to try. I also started on nintendo years ago before moving on to PS3, and my son still loves nintendo games. I would have suggested the Kinect but I could never get it to work properly, and I have not yet had a chance to try the wonderbook.

think it would have to go in stages (cause to be honest this is how I got my mum to be a gamer
first, some super Mario on snes (the one with all the different coloured yoshis)
then some crash on ps1, maybe a bit of spyro and tomb raider two for good measure. then straight into final fantasies til they’re hooked.
then I’d buy them a ps3, cause they’d be straight on psn to try out anything I recommended
true story.

i would give them border lands 1 or 2. because if they had never played a video game before they would most likely of heard about first person shooters and giving them cod or battlefield or moh etc would just make them question the stupidity of gamers everywhere so giving them borderlands would give them a fps that is actually really fun and enjoyable and show them that shooters are capable of being fun but companies like activision ruin the shooter name by releasing the same game with a few different visual effects and about enough gameplay to last an hour.

you can never go wrong with this one ..The Greatest Gift of all :

http://www.mediajocgaming.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=82&osCsid=defr1l85i37rtrr6h73jjgp2e0

^^on my list for 2013

Thats tough question and really depends on the interests and age of the recipient. Assuming PS+ isn’t an option and always PS3 for starters as portable gaming is available on mobile phones anyway.
For a younger person it would be Skylanders Giants. Plays great, co-op and huge variety of characters
For almost anyone it’d usually be Batman Arkham City (narrowly beating Uncharted 3 due to its more familiar cast), superb gameplay and probably the best title to demonstrate how good the current gen really is and also the brilliantly executed 3D option. If action/adventure isn’t their thing it would be FIFA 13 (sports fans), Burnout Paradise Ultimate Edition (racing, so much to do and excellent online community), Skyrim (adventurers, Dark Souls is too unforgiving for an introduction), Plants vs Zombies (strategists) Rock Band 3 (music fans, not everyone can sing for Singstar) and finally Black Ops 2 (shooter fans).
It really does depend on the individual

I say Journey. Simple controls but engaging gameplay, with an introduction to the playstation community online. With great graphics, and an emotional story. It really shows what games can be without alienating anyone.

I think I’d ease a non-gamer into the gaming world with some of my favourite games of all time, and the perfect system for that would be a PS2 (or an old 60GB PS3).

It might seem a bit cheap, but playing classic PS2 games like TimeSplitters, Dark Cloud, Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter, GTA Vice City & San Andreas before moving into the more modern games seems like a good tactic to me.

Also, if you introiduce them to one of the plethora of modern first person shooters, they might grow accustomed to them and ignore the brilliant, unique titles that gaming has to offer.

I’m already thinking about present for my girlfriend and i want to buy PS Vita and some games for her.
The main reason – i don’t think that she would be play at home, cause she preferd to do something else.
But PS Vita – it’s very good choice for her.
Firstly, she likes to play casual games on her mobile. Especially angry birds, and secondly her mobile a little bit old. (According to Vita with nice LED display)
About games – It should be casual games, cause she likes them very much.
So:
1. Sound shapes. Very good game and music. You can turn it on play for a 5 min and turn off. And it will be very nice
2. Motostorm RC. Very interesting racing games. And according to mobile – it’s easier to control. And also she can compete with me, cause a also have these games. And i think it will make her happy, we she can beat me and take bigger score then me
3. Disgae 3. From one side it’s real hardcore game and japanese stile, but she likes anime. And this game is very addictive. She can play it very long time =)

Im a scrooge when it comes to Christmas so an Atari system and a copy of ET mwhahahaha humbug.

I would suggest from current gen consoles the PS3. This is not only due to the library of games but its all round use as a media centre. From being able to play blu ray, stream and copy movies/music from PC/Mac, look at photos, Internet, watch instant tv and film channels (iplayer, lovefilm, etc), free online play and it has a great online shop for downloads of games and films. The PS3 also outputs 3D and HD audio codecs via HDMI. Amazing.

As for a game… I would say Rayman Origins or similar platformer. This is because the visuals and difficulty are top notch. If I knew the person was into something specific then I would tailor a choice accordingly. I would also suggest Move. The library of games is so varied I wouldn’t know where to start but if this person has never owned a console it would have to be a (fairly) simple game that reminded me of why I got into gaming in the first place during the C64/NES days – a platformer!

Oh forgot to mention PS+ which is incredible value!

The system of choice, obviouly has to be a PS3 as nothing else can surpass the quality in so many different aspects of home entertainment it provides.

And the game to go with it really depends on what your relative/friend is like. Something like little Big Planet would work great as an introduction to the world of gaming but on the otherhand they might be the sort that would prefer a gritty atmospheric experience such as an entry in the Killzone series.

The best standalone choice though like so many others agree with in their posts, would be Uncharted 3. I don’t think a summary of the game is neccessary, start it up and let it speak for itself I say. How could a newcomer not be enthralled?

Merry Christmas everyone!

I would go for a PS2 with God Of War.

I really want to introduce this friend/family member to gaming, so I don’t want to bother him or her (yet) with the more complicated stuff of a PS3: creating an account, browsing the XMB etc, no, just good old plug & play.

After simply inserting a disc and grabbing a controller, our friend/family member can discover God Of War, which will offer a lot of fun and satisfaction in many ways. Gameplay is smooth and easy, yet if you discover your skills, it becomes even cooler, like good games should. Graphics are beautiful and landscapes overwhelming, a good intro to the technical achievements you can discover in later games. Storytelling will show you that not all games are childish fun. Later you can delve into more games where storytelling becomes an actual art. Meanwhile, chances are high that you’ll have a lot of fun and excitement with this title. Hack, slash, platform & puzzle your way into gaming!

(Anyways, as soon as our friend/family member gets hooked to gaming, he should buy a PS3 asap But I don’t think the PS3 is the perfect console if you first touch one)