Three easy steps: What she should play first, what to play together, and how to disguise a game
So you want to spend your Saturday night like a ninja turtle, huh? You can imagine a box of pepperoni pizza stacked with extra cheese, and a greasy Xbox controller in your hand while playing Call of Duty until your eyes bleed.
But she was thinking more along the lines of a bottle of fine wine. Perhaps dinner — meat-free with veggies you’ve never heard of. Her ideal end to the evening would be to curl up on the love seat, cuddle the crap out of you, and watch some chick flick starring Hugh Grant or Sandra Bullock.
You can’t pawn her off to her friends for the evening, so how can you get your lady to go from a girly princess Peach to a gun-toting Lara Croft whose down for shooting pixilated bad guys with you? It’s all about the games you choose and how to go about it…
… As sneaky as a ninja.
1. Ease her in slowly:
Just like trying to teach a five-year-old calculus, introducing your mistress to an intricate video game is not going to hold her attention for long (and if it does, consider yourself lucky to have such a rare entity).
Try to disguise the video game from actually being, well, a typical video game by playing one that’s fully interactive. The latest gaming platforms have many games that cater to all ages and genders, so there is a lot of variety. The Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 Move, and the Xbox Kinect are great places to start. Though you probably wouldn’t admit it, we bet you’ll enjoy playing too.
Suggested Games to show her
Dance Central
Platform: Xbox (with use of Kinect)
Genre: Music
What young dreamer didn’t make choreographed dances at one point in her life? Get her groove on with Dance Central. The game tracks full body motions so she can throw down some serious dance moves. If you aren’t afraid to break something, join in!
Sing Star
Platform: PlayStation 3 (with use of PS3 move)
Genre: Music
Unleash her inner American Idol. This Karaoke game allows for singing and dancing – A great alternative to Dance Central if you don’t have an Xbox.
2. Co-op Mode… Two is Better than One:
So you broke her in and gave her a taste of the simple games, but now it’s time to step it up a notch. What about some games that you’re both going to really like? There’s nothing more boring than watching someone else play a game, so why don’t you both play one together — one that has some depth and a strong two-player mode?
LittleBigPlanet 1 or 2
Platform: PS3, PlayStation Portable
Genre: Adventure/action
Together in a world called LitleBigPlanet, your companion will love the adorable and playable sack characters that look like sock puppets. Run, Jump, and swing through immensely interactive and perilous terrain, and help each other survive!
(The new) Super Mario Bros.
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Action/Platform
It’s all about team work! Ditch the solo gaming and hit up fun two-player games with your gal.
Photo by: Dara Defreitas
3. Games That Seem Like Movies … Or Are Movies!
There are many intricate games that have in-depth and exciting story modes made to capture your attention for hours. Some games even seem to have more cut scenes than playable content! While some people cannot stand this, others thoroughly enjoy playing a game, and basically watching a movie at the same time. So familiarize her with these games:
Uncharted 1, 2, and 3
Platform: PS3
Genre: Third-person/Action/Adventure
There’s even a PS3 commercial with a guy playing Uncharted — a thrilling action/adventure game — and his girlfriend is watching, munching on popcorn thinking it’s a movie. So put the commercial to the test and the controller in her hand… Be warned, you may not get your PS3 back.
Final Fantasy XIII
Platform: Too many to specify
Genre: Role Play Game
There are loads of Final Fantasy games, so she has a lot to choose from. The most recent Final Fantasy game is 14 online. The online PC gaming may be a bit intricate for starters, so try Final Fantasy 13 for the PlayStation and Xbox. The game is long and full of visually stunning graphics. The story is compelling and enchanting, and the role-playing genre it falls under tends to be very popular amongst the ladies. Don’t be surprised (you may be, in the pants) if she dresses as the main character, Lightning, next Halloween.
ddefreitas@cjournal.ca