Gaming experts, please give me some advice.

[ThomCat]

I spend more time gaming at home now because my disability is making me more homebound. I'm looking for more games. But, I'm a pain in the ass about the games I can play.

I do not like games where the point is just to kill, kill, kill. So first person shooters are out. I just can't sustain interest if the only point is to keep killing things over and over again.

One big concern is that I'm losing the use of my hands, so I can't do the fast movements that some games require. That means I can't physically play most first person shooters anyway, or any other game based on fast reflexes. I'm kind of limited to turn based games, or games with adjustable speeds, or games where speed isn't relevant.

I have completed Neverwinter Nights a bunch of times now. I've been playing Diablo, but that's just death and destruction so it gets boring, and I am having trouble playing it because of my hands. I've been playing Space Empires, but it's really repetative so a more interesting space game would be cool.

I would really love to hear about games you think I should check out.

[Forkboy]

1. Any of the Civilization games.

except Civ 3, which was sub par.

Any of the city building games like Caeser, Pharoah, Zues, etc. (they're like SimCity only with actual fun and personality)

Roller Coaster Tycoon is still a fun one (I just made a killer roller coaster that has people puking all over my park lol)

For space games Master Of Orion is an oldie but still the best.

For sports, Out Of The Park baseball is a text based sim that's just awesome.No button mashing or anything like a console sports game.

Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 are both really good RPGs.

That's it off the top of my head.If I think of more I'll be back. :)

[ThomCat]

2. Cool. I loved the original Masters of Orion.

I didn't know there was a new version out. :woohoo:

City building games sound very interesting, but you're right that SimCity gets boring.

I played Railroad Tycoon at a friend's place and that's an awesome game. I should pick that up.

If you think of other recommendations I would appreciate it. :)

[CabalPowered]

3. I'd steer clear of Masters of Orion 3

2 is much better. I've also been playing some Galactic Civ 2 that borrows a lot from MOO.

http://www.galciv2.com/

I also like and play Civ 4. I'd also recommend EU.

http://www.europauniversalis3.com/

Railroad Tycoon 3 is the best out of all the railroad games out there and I've tried them all. I was disappointed with the latest iteration, Sid's Railroads and went back to playing RT3. Rollercoaster Tycoon is fun but it bores me quickly.

I'd also recommend The Movies! and Sims 2 with University, NightLife and Open for Business expansions. There's nothing like watching your neighbor be eaten by a large Cow Plant and then be abducted by Aliens later that evening. :P

[ThomCat]

4. Question about Europa Universalis

I've heard that EU is a bear of a complex game to play with a steep learning curve. I've never actually seen or played it, but two people I know both said that there was so much to manage that it got in the way of playing the game.
:shrug:

Was that just the first edition? Or maybe could that be because they just really like simple first-person shooters? :shrug:

The idea of an historically based game is really cool. :)

[CabalPowered]

5. I'm still playing my first game

It does take a long, long time to play. I pick it up for an evening or two and then leave it for a month and come back. The learning curve isn't so steep, it's the bigger the country, the more to manage. Establishing a new colony takes a lot of time and resources.

I'm playing Portugal and had the intention of taking over Europe from the get-go. That didn't work out so well, so instead I took the Papal Council, with some work, and I'm currently establishing the East Coast of the U.S. with a small outpost in South America. Think of this as a long term chess game.

[YOY]

10. MOO 3...God what a horrible game...destroyed a legacy too.

Thomcat do not touch this one with a 10 foot pole!

[ThomCat]

11. Gotcha. I'll take that very seriously.

:)

[distantearlywarning]

22. Second this recommendation.

IMO, the Civ games are the best games EVER for PC. They are turn-based, don't require any particular physical skill, and are infinitely replayable and entertaining.

[BelgianMadCow]

6. I'd also consider the Sims, and X-Com

For The Sims, playing speed is adjustable, but even if you interact in a limited way, things move on independently.
Also, it is SO not about killing, and does pose interesting and funny challenges. My wife and I fought over it :-).

For a turnbased game, maybe try and get a copy of X-Com : Terror from the Deep. It is a combo of base building / research and (killing) missions, but it is turnbased so the fight becomes more of a chess game in a sense. The atmosphere is unparalleled.
It's a pretty old game, but that is not really the isue I think. There are also a number of similar, more recent games but the titles escape me atm.

If you have a state of the art computer, check out latest installment of The Settlers, citybuilding sim with a very nice atmosphere.

[ThomCat]

7. The X-Com games look interesting.

I did a quick search, and there's a lot out there on those games.

[EarlG]

8. Sid Meier's Pirates

Pretty good game - it does get a bit repetitive after a while, but it's fun, and it's the kind of game that you don't need to invest hours of play time to enjoy, you can pick it up, play for ten minutes, and then put it down again if you want. There's no fast-paced shooting, although there is a bit of simple sword-fighting. There are also turn-based elements and strategy to it.

Of course it helps if you like pirates...

[ThomCat]

12. Doesn't everybody like pirates?

[YOY]

9. Medieval :Total War 2

Hours of fun. There is violence and killing on a mass scale but it's not in your face and it's certainly not the only aspect of the game. It's got a nice pause in battle mode and is turn based in the world map mode. Your disability will not interfere here with your game play but a keen tactical mind will win out (you're OK there I hope ;) )

Hours of fun if not days!

[ThomCat]

13. Wow. That looks like something to sink your teeth into.

[YOY]

14. It's somewhat historically accurate too!

I'll never forget the time I killed King Richard the Lionhearted and his massive English army(in the expansion pack MTW2 Kingdoms) with a rag tag group of spearmen and a trio of cannons defending a castle.

They stormed the gates and broke them down and charged right in to the spearmen who would only hold for a moment. Just long enough to send a crap load of cannonballs down the towns main promenade into Brave Richard (an 8 star general...the very best). The moment that he fell his men who numbered at least 4 times mine with better equipment and far better armor turned tail and ran. We captured twice our number and ransomed them back to the English...but poor Richard was no more able to lead them into reconquering their Isle let alone sail across the sea into my Emerald Isle...MWA HA HA HA!!!

Post that moment the Irish (me) sorta took over everything from Wales to North Umbria and south on the British Isle...

Forget days...a good campaign can take you months....and battle is only one of the tactics you can use to expand your power. There's also subterfuge, assassination, diplomacy, arraigned marriages, economic domination and control of resources, manipulation of religion...

It's that kind of fun.

[rAVES]

15. Knights of the old republic, jade empire..

[ThomCat]

16. Question about the combat in those.

The site for Jade Empire says the combat is real time. How easy do you think that is to manage? What is the combat like in Knights of the old republic?

Both games sound like great concepts. They sound like good roleplaying games. I just wonder about my ability to manage the combat.

[rAVES]

17. Hmm, actually, Jade empire is difficult (I only have full use of 1 hand)

Knights of the old republic is more like World of Warcraft, you can use numbers to execute moves.

Jade is a button masher in comparison, but really has an awesome story.

[YOY]

18. Depends on the degree of your disability

If you're like my one bud with CP then I'd say no.

They are clicky mouse fests but they do have pauses in there. (Space bar.)

[ThomCat]

19. Thank you, Everyone!

I've got a list of some really good games to check out. I really appreciate this. :)

[Occulus]

20. Galactic Civilizations 2 is awesome

As people upthread said, Civilization 4 also rocks for turn-based strategy.

For you, I would also recommend the Myst series. There isn't any pressure, although one or two of the puzzles in the later games in the series are time-based. Many of the puzzles in the Myst series are hard, too. Keep that in mind...

SimCity 4 would be another good idea, and- depending on your ability to respond to random events- The Sims 2. You might possibly be able to handle Command & Conquer, a realtime strategy warfare series (it's overhead, not run-n-gun), but that can get fairly fast-paced and can require a lot of quick movements.

If you can move your thumbs easily and have or have access to a Playstation 2, the two Katamari games are a lot of fun (and in fact, the Katamari games just might be able to help you keep your thumbs working longer- you drive a ball, like a tank, through the entire game, using only the control sticks). The Final Fantasy series is also an option; the entire series, IIRC, allows you to set up all battles in turn mode, so you can take your time to make your move.

I would mention Portal, just because it's such a great game, but it sounds as if you wouldn't be able to play it very easily. Portal comes with the Orange Box, which includes four other shooters. While essentially a puzzle game, Portal requires precise, fast wrist movements, in some cases nearly perfect timing, and very accurate aim. I suppose if you need to have a setting in which you can exercise those skills, this game might be worth a try, but again, you'll have to buy the Orange Box, which contains four other traditional shooters.

I should note that some physical therapists have begun to utilize the Nintendo Wii as a tool to strengthen muscles via repetitive motion following surgery, or for recovery from other injuries. I don't much blame them; Wii Boxing made me sore... Maybe that would be an option for you, to help keep your motor skills sharp, or strengthen them....?

[ThomCat]

26. I'm hearing a lot about the Wii.

I have to check that out. Friends of mine have it. I'll playit there and see how well I can use it. :)

I'm definitely adding Galactic Civilization 2 and Civilizatin 4 to my list.

Thank you. :)

[BulletproofLandshark]

21. Puzzle Quest : Challenge Of The Warlords

It's a cross between the puzzle game Bejeweled and an RPG. Your character battles foes by matching gems on a puzzle board and casting spells against them. I've been playing for a week now and I'm totally hooked. Also, it's turn-based. Best of all,it's under $20.

Official site http://www.infinite-interactive.com/puzzlequest/index.php

[ThomCat]

27. I've heard about this game several times now.

I'm definitely going to have to download the demo. Thank you. :)

[TheBaldyMan]

23. 'The Movies' is a blast, although the only shooting is with a camera.

It is a great game for film buffs and quite entertaining when your stars go off the rails and you have to get them into rehab half way through production. Surprisingly addictive once you get a handle on the game-mechanics of movie making. Also the Oscars can be frustrating as rival studios sweep the boards. As an added bonus you have a film to watch as each movie rolls of the production line. You get as much out as you put in to the game. Many happy hours have been wasted as I tried to produce my first two-star rating picture.

It might be worth considering the Sims in its various incarnations. I haven't played it myself but it's a long-standing favourite with a few people I know.

[ThomCat]

28. That sounds like a total blast.

:)

I found the demo for The Movies. I'll definitely be checking this out.

[Zookeeper]

24. How about adventure games?

I've just started playing them and had fun with Ravenhurst, although it was a bit too easy except for the great door lock puzzles.

There is a weird little game I played a couple of years ago called, "Bad Mojo." It's a mystery set in a condemned bar building in San Francisco. It's a first person game, however, in this case, you are a cockroach.

http://www.badmojoredux.com/

(I see that is now called, "A cult classic." It's about time. ;) )

[ThomCat]

29. Hmmm.

There isn't much on that website for bad mojo. It would be nice to see some screen shots and a demo. :(

It looks like it might be worth the risk of checking out sight-unseen.

[Zookeeper]

30. Near the bottom of the screen there is a link to the trailer...

which is a mix of screen shots and cut scenes. Otherwise, there isn't a lot of information on that page.

Let me know if you end up playing it. I don't know anyone else who has and I'd love to hear what you think since I thought it was a wonderfully creepy game.

:hi:

[MedleyMisty]

25. Sims 2

Don't know if you're still checking this thread, but hey - someone else might.

If you're of a creative bent of mind and don't mind open ended sandbox type play, Sims is great. And although you can certainly kill Sims in a variety of interesting and amusing ways (and if you want you can bring them back just like they were or as a zombie), it's not the point of the game.

The next expansion pack is coming out at the end of this month - actually it'll probably be the last expansion for Sims 2 and Sims 3 will be next, but I'd go ahead and invest in Sims 2 and all its packs. Free Time, the next pack, is going to be incredible - secondary aspirations, hobbies like sewing your own clothes or pottery or restoring old cars or making teddy bears or ballet or playing musical instruments and weekly goals and the ability to grow up three of the Sim's friends when it's time for the Sim to age - so finally the townies can age along with your Sims.

I get a lot of fun out of breeding them for certain characteristics. The game's genetic system isn't all that deep, but it's still interesting. If your kids all look the same the first generation, you probably made their parents too similar. Plus of course if the parents have dominant genes that's all that'll be expressed in the first generation.

Plus, it does allow homosexual couples to get "joined" and you can get a hack to change it to married. There's also hacks so that they can have biological kids, but you can also adopt kids. And cats and dogs, or you can move in the strays.

It's a huge creative outlet - not only can you play the game however you want and make all kinds of crazy Sims and family situations and stuff, but if you download some tools and learn how you can design basically everything for the game and upload it for other people to download and enjoy in their games. And if you're more logically inclined there's hacking. And you can also make movies or write stories with the game - some people write blogs and just use pics from the game on the blog, but most people use the in-game story function of pictures with captions and upload it to the Sims 2 Exchange.

People come up with challenges, and actually one of the most popular story genres is legacies - there's an extremely popular Legacy challenge where the point is to play one family for ten generations, only marrying in townies and NPCs, and not cheating. People started uploading the stories of their legacy families, and now there's a whole legacy community.

Here's one of the best videos I've seen made with the game, so you can see what it's capable of.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NFiu-V7StQ

Be sure to click on About This Video for interesting links.

And yes, guys do play the game and it's not just a dress up dollhouse thing. :)

[Ohio Joe]

31. Alpha Centauri/Alien Crossfire

Turn based strategy from Sid Meier and designed by Brian Reynolds. Pretty much picks up where Civilization ends and goes into the future.

[LynneSin]

32. Try Nexus

http://www.nexustk.com

I've been playing it for years now. I'm just not that co-ordinated but I'm doing pretty well in there. I would suggest that you stay away from Poets or Mage because they take way more hand work than Rogues or Warrior.

And even if you suck at hunting, the role-play community is excellent. They have clans, ministries, subpaths, a justice system, all sorts of games and events.

The graphics are kinda ok, but it's really easy to play.

Everyone starts out in Tangun and you can play there as long as you like for free but can only go to level 50. After that it's $10 a month to play in the main kingdoms. If you do try it move to Nagnang, that's where I live