Help me make a gamer out of my wife!

[RepoMan]

So my wife is really into Puzzle Quest DS. She completed the game with her level 50 warrior, that did hundreds of points of damage with Deathbringer (my level 47 wizard can't compete!). Now she's replaying it with a knight, having decided the druid is too wimpy for her carnage-loving tastes :-)

Clearly she's got some more-than-purely-casual gamer in her. So I'm wanting to sink the hook deeper by getting her some kind of RPG for Christmas. Known constraints include:

must be turn-based; real-time stresses her out
must not be too complex (though clearly she's got some min-maxer in her)
Japanese weirdness is totally fine (she's a Japanophile)
must be on DS (she does most of her playing in bed before falling asleep)I've of course got my eye on Puzzle Kingdoms (http://www.gamesradar.com/ds/puzzle-kingdoms/preview/puzzle-kingdoms-is-super-hardcore/a-20080909134741237065/g-2008072916233635048), but I'm looking for other suggestions too. (Dragon Quest IV?)

Help me increase her gamerification! Thanks :-)

[Talisker]

Not an RPG, but Animal Crossing addicted my wife for months.

[Dean]

The World Ends with You (http://www.amazon.com/World-Ends-You-Nintendo-DS/dp/B00136MBHA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1223072288&sr=8-1)

[Tom Ohle]

Phoenix Wright got my wife hooked for awhile.

[RepoMan]

Come on, Dean, read my post, willya? I said no real-time. She would hate TWEWY. (I, on the other hand, got maybe 30% through it and then kind of burned out for reasons that would involve spoilers.)

I have Phoenix Wright but haven't been able to get it into her DS, Puzzle Quest is stuck there so deeply :-) Still, she's definitely interested, so that's a good one. Is Animal Crossing DS really all that?

[Horrible Oscar]

You've probably heard of these already, but have you tried Advance Wars (http://www.amazon.com/Advance-Wars-Days-Ruin-Nintendo-DS/dp/B000XJNTMY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1223075232&sr=1-1) or either of the GBA Fire (http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Emblem-Game-Boy-Advance/dp/B00009WAUL/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1223075260&sr=1-2) Emblems (http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Emblem-Sacred-Game-Boy-Advance/dp/B0007ZSHOY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1223075260&sr=1-4)? Both are very similar turn-based strategy games at the core, but Fire Emblem is definitely part RPG part TBS while Advance Wars qualifies more as a pure strategy game.

[Shadarr]

Is Animal Crossing DS really all that?
Yes, and a bag of chips. Can't say whether it's a good intro game or not as my ex was already a gamer by that time, but she played the hell out of it. Ditto Pikmin 2 and Lego Star Wars.

[Hans Lauring]

Viva Pinata is out for the DS and looks very nice.

Civ Revolution is turn based goodness. Ci Light, but in a good way (the Coca Cola Zero of Civ games, he said sipping his Zero knowing the analogy would only work for a person with his love for the beverage)

[theborbes]

I also recommend advance wars... though it might be a bit too complex.

[Fugitive]

The Final Fantasy Tactics games might fit the bill if she doesn't mind managing groups of people. Maybe Pokemon Mystery Dungeon as well. They're a bit more complex than Puzzle Quest, but not really hardcore. (edit: Was thinking of Etrian Odyssey as well, but it gets rather grindy and difficult)

[Lizard_King]

I can't stand most SRPGs, but Disgaea on the PS2 is one of my favorites. I'm sure the DS one is a little fiddly, but without playing the original you'd probably never know. It's a bottomless timesink, has an excellent J-story, and there really are few "wrong" ways to play it.

[Therlun]

World of Goo.

Neither turn based nor DS... but still.

[Brendan]

The latest HOMM, X-Com

Turn based and strategic.

[nabeel]

There isn't quite an X-Com for the DS, but there was Rebelstar: Tactical Command for the GBA by the same devs, which is pretty much just the turn-based tactical combat aspect of X-Com.

[Clay]

Perhaps one of the Golden Sun games? They're GBA but will work on the DS.

[wildpokerman]

The good harvest moon games would probably fit the bill.

[Robert Sharp]

How about DQ: Rocket Slime? It's not turn-based, but it's not really frantic either. It's more puzzly. And it's tons of fun and has a great sense of humor. I love it.

Etrian Odyssey might be too hard?

[Destarius]

Elite Beat Agent? Ouendan really kept me addicted and many of my female friends enjoyed it.

[RepoMan]

Well, thanks everyone very much for the suggestions. I actually already own Rocket Slime (probably too much real-time for her -- yes, I really meant NO real-time), Ouendan (real-time again, BZZZZT), and Advance Wars DS (a bit too militaristic -- she prefers fantasy).

So what about the Dragon Quest games?

I'll consider Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. And I'll probably pick up Disgaea DS for myself, and let her at it if she likes :-)

Keep 'em comin' if ya got more! Thanks!

[Dean]

Come on, Dean, read my post, willya? I said no real-time. She would hate TWEWY. (I, on the other hand, got maybe 30% through it and then kind of burned out for reasons that would involve spoilers.)

Sorry, I focused on the "weird Japanese" and "RPG" sections and forgot about the real time. The recommendations that are coming through seem more strategy games than RPGs. I liked Age of Empires DS-- as it's very like Advance Wars without the "helping little kids in some weird anime world" vibe.

There's Shiren the Wanderer, which is a roguelike, but it's brutal. I kept being somewhere without wifi and wanting a rescue. So instead of starting over, I'd put the cartridge away and play something else until I could get somewhere with wifi. Of course that meant I got involved in another game and eventually forgot Shiren.

And you should be careful what you wish for. I started to turn my wife into a gamer with Lego Star Wars. Now whenever I turn on the 360 to play whatever she comes running in wanting to play Lego Indiana Jones coop. It's annoying.

[porousnapkin]

I can't actually say I've played it, but the general consensus on these boards appears to be that DQIV is a fun, relatively easy JRPG with a good storyline. It's fantasy and turn-based with a heavy dosage of Japanese-ness to it. Honestly, it sounds like your best bet.

[jpinard]

Repoman, I wouldn't limit her to just the DS. My Mom and both my sister's LOVED the HOMM series, and if you have a low end computer she could play HOMM 3 or 4 and would enjoy it a lot. HOMM 5 would be fun for her with a decent computer. If I were pushing my wife into more gaming, that's definitely where I would start since all the other females in the family have enjoyed it so much.

Also, I'd bet money she'd become a Sims 2 addict if you had all the expansion stuff. When my nieces come over its like pulling teeth trying to get them off of it. My wife really got into it when I took exact dimensions of our house and re-created in the Sims. Sadly I moved the data somewhere and lost it... but I"m sure I'll redo it this winter. At any rate, she'd probably really enjoy it too.

Lastly, I'd recommend Titan Quest (with expansion). My Mom (67 & retired) tore through that game in about 2 weeks and played it for hours & hours a day. It has a nice slow pace that's easy to manage.

DS suggestions, personally I find long DS sessions murder on the hands and joints. But for the DS - I'd suggest Rune Factory over Animal Crossing (which has a literal clock built in which is annoying as its too easy to miss stuff), & a big zero on Harvest Moon. Harvest Moon DS is the pits. I'd also suggest not going with Advance Wars DS as it can get pretty frustrating fast as so many bouts end up as stalemates. As was mentioned, Fire Emblem and Golden Sun are both excellent candidates.

If she enjoys the HOMM series, then the next step up is King's Bounty. You can't go wrong there!

[Brendan]

There isn't quite an X-Com for the DS, but there was Rebelstar: Tactical Command for the GBA by the same devs, which is pretty much just the turn-based tactical combat aspect of X-Com.

Well, introducing RepoMan's wife to the PC as a platform is a great way for her to discover the joys of hardcore gaming.

Get her out of playing DS games in bed and into playing strategic PC games at other times.

[EFlannum]

If she would actually enjoy some Japanese wierdness and likes musicals what about Rhapsody for the DS? Also, I think as someone here mentioned Disgaea for the DS seems like it might work as well.

[shang]

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker might work too. It's got that whole monster collecting and breeding aspect that can be quite addicting.

[JamesP]

My wife did the progressive path to becoming pretty much a hardcore gamer these last 5 years starting simply enough with Diablo1.

I never expected her to be a Civilization 4 player, but it happened something like this: We snagged the XBX 360 demo of Civ:Rev. It was big and direct enough to clue her into the concepts of Civilization and she wanted to get the full game (I suspect she liked the big animated historical leaders and such). Instead, I pulled a chair for her up in front of Civ4 and let her noodle while I cooked dinner (role reversal much?) and, sure enough, when it came time to eat she was not at all interested. ONE MORE TURN!

Give that path a try as it worked better than I expected.

[Staff Sergeant]

Well, introducing RepoMan's wife to the PC as a platform is a great way for her to discover the joys of hardcore gaming.

Get her out of playing DS games in bed and into playing strategic PC games at other times.

I'm not sure X-COM is the best game to give to a new gamer that you want to hook. First of all it maxes at 640x480, second it looks pretty awful if you don't already know that it is awesome, and third it is pretty crazily hard for a first timer (or at least has the semblance of being hard if you play Fire Emblem and go into it expecting to be able to do perfect battles).

My first game on Beginner I got my ass handed to me, not sure I would have tried again if I wasn't already a seasoned gamer, I can see that being very frustrating.

[Ridah]

My theory about turning non-gamers to gamers is to find the right hardcore game to get them hooked on. The problem with casual, simplisitc games is that they are so easy to get into that they are just as easy to get out of, and I think when a person gets used to the utter simplicity of these casual games they create a barrier that keeps them from moving to something outside of that game type.

[Staff Sergeant]

OP might want to reconsider Titan Quest. If you have two computers that were considered good two years ago you can play with her, which might be enough to convince her to move to PC. And honestly, as long as one of you is a Conqueror (with semi decent equipment), the entire game is a complete joke, right up to end of Legendary, including Toxeus, so that negates the whole "real-time = too stressful" thing.

[Alan Au]

Yeah, I imagine FFT:A2 would fit the bill for turn-based fantasy.

If she's more into the puzzle-story stuff, you could try the Professor Layton game.

- Alan

[Indyls]

I second either of the two Fire Emblem games GBA), particularly as it seems you only dismissed Advance Wars due to its military story line. Play is similar, but the fantasy type storyline in FE is far better I think. I lost a huge amount of time to both of them and wasn't a fan of turn based strategy before playing them.

[nixon66]

Man, I've pretty much given up on my wife being more of a "gamer" beyond puzzle and platforming games.

She got into Puzzle Quest and beat it with 2 of the 4 characters, but she did it by sheer brute force, and was more in it for the bejeweled aspect. She didn't realize until she was close to the end of the game that she could switch out her skills, and her equipment, after I showed her.

She's a puzzle gamer though. Dr. Mario, she kicks my ass. I installed Zuma for her on our notebook for the first time in 3 years, and within a weekend of off and on playing she's already back in true form on level 12 with ease.

So I find her the puzzle games, and some of the modern platformers (she loved New Super Mario Bros.), but have given up on any other genre. "Too much talking", she just wants to play and not read a damn novel before she plays.

[RepoMan]

I'm necro'ing this thread as well, since I'm happy to say that in the last two years my wife has indeed become a true gamer :-)

She still enjoys puzzle and spatial games FAR more than any other, but crossover games are still her big favorite -- I think she may be about to go on a Puzzle Kingdoms binge.

We also have a lot of regular fun playing co-op on XBLA, especially Castle Crashers and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (it's disturbingly fun doing Scott/Ramona co-op with her!).

She also trolls the indie section looking for fun puzzlers, including one that actually supports two-player shared-screen, of course I can't remember the name of it now, it involves shooting colored 2D shapes at layouts of other shapes wherein only like-colored shapes knock each other loose, and you then need to catch the falling shapes in bins at the bottom. Sort of like an odd combo of Peggle and a block-catching game. Fun, though!

Our new house has a large rec room which she populated with some awesome beanbags after I put in our projector, so we have a cool pad to kick back and geek out in, too.

Yay for gamer spouses!!!

[seventimessix]

Have you tried the Lara Croft XBLA game yet? We've only played the first level so far but my wife really likes it, and it's quite a lot of fun in co-op.

[RepoMan]

I downloaded it and we will be trying that one shortly. I'm also hoping it's fun. Co-op is nice because it tolerates different skill levels very well. Hopefully it won't demand too much dexterity....

[darkurthe]

How many kids do you want? That is the only way I could make a gamer out of my wife. :)

[RepoMan]

Wow, that's... um... interesting :-) I didn't try very hard until after we'd already popped one tot.

[dfrandsen]

Puzzle Kingdoms? Some googling lets me see that it's apparently made by the some people that made Puzzle Quest. Puzzle Quest 2 really has me hooked right now.

Maybe try out Plants vs. Zombies on XBLA when it comes out? They're adding co-op and competitive play which means Popcap will once again get my money.

[RepoMan]

Ah nice, I haven't bought Plants vs. Zombies at all yet, but co-op = instant buy.

[RepoMan]

Wow, nice! My wife and I fired up Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light last night, and sure enough, we got hooked. Setting combat to easy and walking my wife through dual-stick mechanics (very confusing for her but she's improving rapidly) made it an easy intro, and the insistence on co-op play -- especially in the challenge / puzzle rooms, that are the highlight of the game so far for us -- really keeps the teamwork flowing nicely. And the zero death penalty is also AWESOME (maybe that's only in easy mode).

Seems like they really thought hard about how to make this fun for newbies, and it is going to pay off for them in one more sale :-)