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[Emaline]

So, I am weird, and can't beat one game, if I haven't found one to replace it once I finish it.

Right now, I am almost done with Half Life 2: Episode 2. I have pretty much loved this game, and everything else on the Orange Box. It has been great. I'm a lame ass fangirl for the whole thing now. But for the past few days/weeks I have not been able to play. I know I'm almost done with the game, and I don't want to beat it because I haven't found something to replace it.

I bought Bioshock, and The Darkness. I haven't played the Darkness yet, but watching other people play it, it just doesn't seem all that interesting. The story didn't seem very interesting to me, either.

Bioshock is a disappointment, and doesn't live up to the hype it received. A number of people have told me how great this game is, and it just isn't. I mean, it's ok. I like it alright. But it isn't going to replace Half Life.

I also have Katamari, Guitar Hero, and Viva Pinata. These games are all ok, and I like them a lot, but none of them are games that I can actually get into. I mean, they are ok for when I am bored and need something to do to kill time. They are ok for casual gaming. But I want an interesting story and not the same repetitive actions.

Mass Effect has been recommended to me a lot, and I am honestly looking into it, but I don't know. I'm not sure I'll like it, but I am going to try it.


tl;dr

I don't like war games, or anything that deals with war(Call of Duty, Gears of War, etc). Car games also bore me to tears. I like first person shooters, but not things like Doom. I like a story. I'm pretty perticular about my games set in medieval times(or things of that nature), so Oblivion is not interesting to me, but Fable was. 

Games I own, and aren't cutting it
Bioshock
The Darkness(though I haven't given it much of a chance)
Oblivion
Viva Pinata
Katamari

Games I don't own, but am moderately interested in, but also iffy
Mass Effect

Games I love, and would probably marry, if I could
The Orange Box(specifically, Half Life 2)

Any suggestions?



ETA: My work allows me to take home any game I want for free, so really, recommend away.
ETA: A lot of talking, and reading is also a draw back. I have never liked any of the Final Fantasy games because there is too much talking/story/reading, and not enough action. I like action, and I like story. I like a mixture of both. Mostly action, or mostly story isn't fun. I like to know why I am killing something, but I don't need to sit through long boring cut scenes, or read some long drawn out story.
Also, I never said that I really disliked any of the games I mentioned. They are all good/ok in their own right. They just can't replace Half Life.

[KvP]

If you like strong stories, but don't like Bioshock or Mass Effect, then I don't know what to tell you. It's possible that what you're looking for is good pacing, not narrative strength.

[Emaline]

This is true.


I like Bioshock. I am just dissappointed in it. It didn't live up to the hype. Everybody told me how great it was, but it is just ok. It's too much like System Shock 2 for me to like it as much as everybody says I should. I mean, it's a good game, it just isn't great. It isn't as orgasmic as everyone made it out to be. It's a good game, and I like it, but not enough to use it as a replacement.


As for Mass Effect, it seems like one of the big draws to it is the fact that you get to have sex at some point in it. Of course, I get most of my video game info from fanboys who don't get laid very often, so thats why I could be hearing this so much. Anyway, the story seems moderately interesting, apart from the whole "Yeah! Get laid!" part, and I am probably going to pick it up tomorrow. So again, it isn't that I don't like the game, I'm just not super interested in it, and don't see it replacing Half Life.

[ackblom12]

To be completely honest, there isn't a game to replace Half-Life for having a good mix of action and story. The Orange Box is about the best you'll ever find in that respect.

It's all downhill from here until Episode 3.

[Johnny C]

Mass Effect has a lot of talking but a lot of action. It's mostly just a lot of game!

If you're sitting on the fence, may I suggest playing through HL2's episodes with commentary to buy yourself some time?

[Storm Rider]

Bioshock is better than Half-Life 2. And I say that as somebody who loved Episode 2.

[ackblom12]

Comparing Bioshock to Half-Life isn't really fair though. They are both FPS, but that's where the similarities end.

Hell, they're almost entirely different genres.

[Storm Rider]

Fair enough. Still, Andrew Ryan's death scene is one of the most amazing moments in video game history and Half-Life 2 never approached that for me.

[Dimmukane]

Seconded.

[0bsessions]

My advice? Find a new hobby. You really don't sound like someone who'll be pleased by anything the 360 has to offer.

[OnewingedAngel]

Because she's picky about her video games, she shouldn't play? That's a bit unfair.

I would recommend Mass Effect having played through it twice, and enjoyed it more the second time than I did the first. The sex scene is whatever, I've seen worse on Fox sitcoms. I just find the story is well written and gripping, and you get to have all that hard work pay off by being able to continue your same character (and stats I would assume) over into the next game.

Devily May Cry 4 is coming out, or is out, I can't remember, but that series has always been fun. It's strictly a run and gun 3rd person shooter/fighter.

[ackblom12]

Fair enough. Still, Andrew Ryan's death scene is one of the most amazing moments in video game history and Half-Life 2 never approached that for me.

Certainly no denying that.

[RedLion]

Because she's picky about her video games, she shouldn't play? That's a bit unfair.

It's kind of true, though. Bioshock, COD4 and Oblivion are three of the best games out there for the 360. If she's not interested in them or doesn't like them, there's not all that many more Grade-A quality titles out there at the moment. Sure, there's Mass Effect, DMC4 just came out, and there's Halo (which I don't like myself), but there's not many other options for an absolutely amazing story-driven, action-packed game.

[0bsessions]

Pretty much. Bluntly speaking, if she can't find something she feels is worth playing out of everything she mentioned trying, then gaming on the 360 is clearly not her bag and she should... find a new hobby.

[Johnny C]

I bought Condemned today. Interested in seeing how that plays out.

[Emaline]

I NEVER SAID I HATED BIOSHOCK![/B]


I just said it was disappointing. I expected something else. It's not as amazingly orgasmic as everyone made it out to be. IT'S STILL A GOOD GAME THOUGH. I still like it. If I don't get around to buying Mass Effect, or Rez, I will probably finish Bioshock.



Anyway, you guys failed. I asked an old friend, who knows a lot about the 360, who I haven't spoken to in forever, what I should buy. Before I could even finish my sentence, he told me that I needed to download Rez, a game I've been moderately interested in, and now that it has his backing as well, I will probably do it.


But still recommend away! I like new game ideas, and since I am pretty much in the position to try out any game worry free now, I will probably play everything in this thread at least once.

[Johnny C]

Rez is a good pick.

To tell the truth, I'd suggest getting a casual game or two that has some replay value. Alternatively, go with a game in a different gnere. A game like Half-Life 2 is a very involving experience, especially if you go from start to finish in one big go. That's the way I did it, and I was kind of burnt out on first-person shooters. Mass Effect did wonders. as well as playing some Katamari and renting Crackdown (though that game disappointed me so much that, desperate for frills like characters and plot, I wound up tracking down and buying a copy of GTA: Vice City).

You just played a game you really loved and as such you are saying things like "I don't see [game] replacing Half-Life." I've been there and so have other people on this forum. The best thing is to not look for something to replace what you've internalized as an unmatchable experience. Just look for something fun to cleanse the palate.

[Emaline]

I'm not exactly looking for something to replace Half Life. I'm more looking for something to replace a game that I spent hours playing, and actually enjoying, and looking forward to playing again. Does that make any sense?


I have some casual games. I have Katamari, and Viva Pinata, and both of those, in my head at least are casual games. They can keep my attention for a bit, but are really nothing more than time wasters.

[Melodic]

And, what, video games in general aren't time-wasters? Bleh. Also, you can't beat Half-Life. Starting a sentence with "Game X wasn't as good as Half-Life 2" is like saying "Car X wasn't as fast as the Bugatti Veyron". I pretty much agree with Obsessions.

[Johnny C]

I'm not exactly looking for something to replace Half Life. I'm more looking for something to replace a game that I spent hours playing, and actually enjoying, and looking forward to playing again. Does that make any sense?

Yep. You're looking for something to replace Half-Life. If you'll do me the favour of reading my post over again, you and I are on the exact same page, I have been there before with multiple games running all the way back to the SNES, and I am saying that you just need to get into a headspace different from that where you played the game.

If you're going to be starry-eyed and resolute that nothing will top Half-Life 2 for you, always and forever, and that other games just feel like a waste of time, feel free to sell all your gaming stuff (at reduced cost directly to me). However, I'm going to guess that a lot of people who've watched Citizen Kane kept on watching movies well after the credits rolled on that picture. You'll manage, trust me.

[Jimmy the Squid]

Assassin's Creed is a whole lot of fun and has a reasonable amount of replay value, however it does have a whole lot of story that you can't skip. But the story is awesome! I honestly don't know why you would want to skip it.

[Johnny C]

Maybe because some of us like the stabby-stabby more than the yappy-yappy?

[MusicScribbles]

Rez is a good choice, you're right about that. If you're just going to download something off Live though, you might as well get Psychonauts too, because that is on the Xbox Originals now. I honestly can't recommend Mass Effect enough for story though. It isn't all about the alien sexings! It shouldn't be, because Mass Effect has so much more to offer than soap opera smoochings.
Also, to where have you played up to in Bioshock? Surely you have not gotten to Andrew Ryan's downfall?

[OnewingedAngel]

If you're looking for another casual game, there is always Aegis Wing off XBox live. It's free (or was when I dl'ed it) and it has a fairly high replay value.

[morbid79]

Nothing in the world will ever replace Soldier of Fortune 2 for me.  Ever.  I sunk probably 2000 hours into killing friends in that game.  Possibly more.  And yet, when the game became hacktastic and both EvenBalance/RavenSoft stopped supporting it, it was time to move on.  Call of Duty 1/2 weren't as good ("I'm shooting at his fucking head, and he won't die!  But he shot 10 metres to my left and got me in the head! WTF!!!") but were still enjoyable.  It is all about the moving on.  (BF2, BF2142, CoD4 were the continuation of the MP gaming.  Oh, and a massive addiction problem with EVE.)

I loved Bioshock.  Loved.  The story was great, the action was great, the ending not so much.  Half Life 2 - Episode 2?  It is installed.  I've played it for about 15 minutes.  I just don't care anymore.  I can only play the same setting so many times before i just don't care anymore.  The rest of the games?  Can't really speak for them; I still have not bothered to do much with a 360.  PC gaming is the only way to fly.

[mortideus]

Assassin's Creed is a whole lot of fun and has a reasonable amount of replay value, however it does have a whole lot of story that you can't skip. But the story is awesome! I honestly don't know why you would want to skip it.

I agree with JimmytheSquid.  Assassin's Creed is an amazing game.  Thats my vote

[Storm Rider]

Eh. Assassin's Creed is fine, but in my opinion there are many much better games on the 360.

[jeph]

Rez is fun, Catan is fun, Culdecept Saga is fun, Carcassonne is fun.

[morbid79]

Never managed to finish Psychonauts.  It is pretty rare that I finish games, apparently.  I am on the last level in Portal.  I'm somewhere in that annoying antlion maze in HL2E2.  I think I played ten minutes of GRAW2 before the fact that I couldn't make the squad DO what I wanted them to do annoyed me into quitting.

And yes, I killed my friends.  Virtually.  For 18 hours a day.

[Dimmukane]

Geometry Wars.  As cliche as it sounds, add magic mushrooms and you have a one-man/woman party.

[Scandanavian War Machine]

oh fuck he's right. i totally forgot about that.

[dennis]

Psychonauts.

Nobody gets to argue this.

Seconded. I've played through on my PC and I'm thinking of buying it for XBOX just because.

Also, definitely go through and try out any demos that seem fun. That's what Live is good for.

I also highly recommend Call of Duty 4. I prefer FPS on the PC, but if you can play HL2 on console, then you can handle COD4. The single-player is pretty damn fun, but the multiplayer is where it's at.

Also, Burnout Paradise is fun, but most of the fun is playing online with friends (not strangers). There's a demo available for free on Live, so try before you buy.

Rock Band has pretty much supplanted Guitar Hero for me. I really enjoy playing the drums and singing is fun, too. You need some friends to really get the full experience, and also to chip in, because it's $160.