First games that come to mind

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

Xcom: Enemy Unknown
Trials Evolution
Minecraft

Those weren't technically the first three I thought of, but they were the three I recommended to a CoD clan member of mine when I was in pretty much the same situation last month. The first three I thought of were:

Skyrim
Trials Evolution
Fallout: New Vegas

And no, OP, it's not odd that your three games share a particular style. It's merely indicative of your preferences.

 

[suitepee7]

Fallout 3 - personally i prefer new vegas (could never get into the FO 1 and 2, despite trying several times) but 3 is more straightforward IMO, especially for someone new to RPGs.

GTA:SA - one of the greatest games ever, pure sandboxy fun

Resi4 - my favourite game ever, still shooting but so much more. decent storyline, fun as hell combat, and enough replay value to keep you going for hours.

 

[Keneth]

Minecraft
Skyrim
Civilization
Torchlight

Mainly because my brother is exactly the "Only Plays FPS's" kinda guy your friend seems to be, and he has played these games like a true addict since I recommended them.

 

[KissmahArceus]

1. Portal
2. Xcom: Enemy Unknown
3. Peggle

 

[K84]

1: What three games would be your first recommendations for your own hypothetical military shooter friend K84?

Well...

- Borderlands 2, more shooty, more fun, and it ties with your second question too! *win!*
- Fallout 3/New Vegas, Shootey Mchootey in post-apocalyptic setting, is tres awesome no?
- RAGE!, best FPS since ages, only people don't know it.....



2: is it odd that the three games that I thought of first were all non-realistic, stylized and cell shaded games?

Maybe you got fed up with the realistic aspect of CoD.
The Michael Bay über army realistic THAT is....

 

[Anthony Wells]

others games then these came to mind..but they were all first person shooters (bioshock, bioshock 2, killing floor, left 4 dead, and so on) so i decided to make a tiered system a close to home logical answer to an out of left field far from first person shooter as you can get. answer)



1 (logical answer). team fortress 2. (still a competitive multiplayer focused fps so within comfort zone.)

2 (hybrd fps/different mechanics answer). Skyrim. (a first or thrid person rpg with an easy to pick up and easy to play interface with lots of fun quests)

3 (out of left field answer). command and conquer red alert 2 and expansion yuri's revenge. (about as far from an fps as you can get stratagy and tactics wins out in this one. plus a great well told story that will last you many many hours)

 

[Spade Lead]

If he has a PS2, my first recommendation will always be Ace Combat Zero.

If he only has a PS3 or XBox 360:

The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition/The Force Unleashed 2 with DLC

Now, I know a lot of people hated those games, but if you are bored, or especially angry, there is nothing like picking a guy up and hurling him at his friends/ a giant robot that shoots fire/ a walking tank. I agree, the second one was short, but the $.99 DLC makes the whole game worthwhile, and I bought the collector's edition. In a bad mood? Grab an Ewok and kick them into space.

Ace Combat Assault Horizon/ H.A.W.X. 2

This is more of a preference choice. The gameplay was more geared towards awesome dogfights and amazing instances of "OH MY FUCKING GOD DID YOU JUST SEE THAT SHIT?!" in Ace Combat, whereas HAWX is more of a flight simulator, with all of the attendant sense of accomplishment that implies. Also, I got tired of never being able to find any non-helicopter matches in multiplayer, so I went back to HAWX for online play within a few days.


Gran Turismo 5

I am a huge car enthusiast. So much so that I have spent more on fixing my car up than most of you paid for your first car. Why? Because building it myself is half the fun. If you are like me, racing games like Need For Speed leave a lot to be desired in car customization. What kind of suspension do you want? Stiff, so I can go fast. What kind of body kit do you want? The one that looks the prettiest, since none of them offer any benefits besides that. How much torque or horsepower do you want? Stage 3, please!

I like to tune my cars to fit my driving style, and Gran Turismo is a driving simulator, giving me the options I like in a driving game to feel that my style counts towards helping me win a race. I remember in Undercover, my style was simple: Go fast, brake for the corner if you felt you needed to, which mostly you didn't, NOS out of the corner, then go full speed again.

That is fun for a little bit, but it gets boring after just a few minutes because there is no sense of accomplishment, other than, "Hey, I hit less traffic than you, I are teh bettar drivor than you!"

 

[KarlMonster]

I'm actually stunned by the number of people who are recommending either ancient games or games so utterly unrelated to the previous experience that they'd likely be rejected outright on that basis alone.

And there is no value to ancient black and white films either? Painstaking rendering doth not a good game make. Ancient games are being referenced because they got it right. Or at least better than many modern games.
See also: Brink

OP: There's nothing wrong with you randomly tossing out the names of the games that you liked. That's normal.

Out of the previous suggestions, I agree with Portal, Bioshock, Minecraft, and Amnesia. Those were all very unusual and different when they were released.

Civilization was mentioned. The Civ's are good, and can be addictive, but they also drag eventually. If you likes Civ, you could try some other historical strategy games. Europa Universalis III comes to mind. Your starting nation can be almost any province in the world. Caution; EU3 can eat your soul.

Now I really hate to add a game that requires a significant investment, but I suggest Day Z. That requires ArmA II, which is almost never on sale. BUT its better to wait until Day Z is released as a stand-alone game. Shouldn't be long now.

I can't help but say this: he may like PlanetSide 2. Its like an open-world Battlefield in space, if Battlefield was balanced. [And Battlefield never was.] You can take any tank or airship you want, they spawn instantly. Don't like this battle? Deploy somewhere else. Complete freedom of movement.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

And there is no value to ancient black and white films either? Painstaking rendering doth not a good game make. Ancient games are being referenced because they got it right. Or at least better than many modern games.

There is academic value in old games, sure. In a rare few cases, there is more to be had there. Tetris remains an excellent game to play today simply because the formula has never really been improved upon.

It isn't a question of graphical fidelity either but rather iteration of core mechanics. The best ancient games have had their mechanics taken and iterated upon by games that come after. This is a big part of the reason why you so constantly see the thread "Why do people think x game was so good" written by someone who digs up such a fossil and plays it. That game might be the source of some great innovation that you like but jumping back to the prototype after nearly exclusively playing what was made after is rarely a compelling experience. It is interesting from an academic standpoint.

To use an example, Planescape Torment is an excellent game with one of the best stories told in the medium. But the game also sports a draconian interface and a rule set chalk full of exploits, bugs, and a whole host of other gremlins. By contrast, Dragon Age: Origins features a less interesting story set in a a less interesting world full of less interesting people yet remains the easier game to recommend simply because the fundamental act of playing the game doesn't require memorizing a 200 page tome and frustrating trial and error. Torment is still an excellent game with an excellent story worth playing but it should not be the first game you recommend to a person who just grew tired of the corridor shooter of the L-Trigger, R-Trigger formula. This is like jumping from rudimentary algebra to differential calculus.

Now I really hate to add a game that requires a significant investment, but I suggest Day Z. That requires ArmA II, which is almost never on sale. BUT its better to wait until Day Z is released as a stand-alone game. Shouldn't be long now.

I would have suggested PC games but I didn't have any information that suggested it was a viable platform. There are lots of good strategy games on PC but few are available on the consoles. It occurs to me I didn't think of Civilization Revolutions which was a competent port of the PC game if lacking in detail.

 

[sextus the crazy]

1. Company of Heroes
2. Pokemon (series)
3. Fire Emblem (series)

and really anything else that I mention on my profile.

 

[krazykidd]

First three games that come to mind :

legend of legaia ,
final fantasy 6 ,
suikoden

If i had a miltary shooter friend ?

God of war 3
Skyrim
3D dot game heros

 

[The Wykydtron]

I'm actually stunned by the number of people who are recommending either ancient games or games so utterly unrelated to the previous experience that they'd likely be rejected outright on that basis alone. In spite of what people might think of Call of Duty, playing a game that informed it's design a decade ago is not a step up (Half-Life for example) and the worth of such things is almost entirely academic. And simply jumping to a type of game that is entirely different thematically, mechanically and graphically is silly to boot.

Oh you did not just indirectly insult my Persona 4. You did just indirectly insult my Persona 4. *****! He asked for different things, he's getting different things. People like pushing their favourite games so don't be surprised. What's wrong with old games anyway? There's a reason people get super pissy whenever Deus Ex is mentioned without the words BEST GAME EVER in the same sentence. It's silly to think old stuff is automatically not worth playing. I'm going to do something rare and state that as pure fact instead of just being an opinion.

Does the amazing mystery story, characters, art style and gameplay of Persona 4 become instantly worthless because it's now not HD enough? The story and intense gameplay of MGS3 now null and void? Is Tetris now not worth playing as a valuable hand-eye coordination/reflex testing tool?!


Btw I didn't like Deus Ex. It's boring and gives me no inspiration to keep playing it. HOW 'BOUT DAT SHIT?!

You are gonna get so, so spammed with quotes over this my friend... Sooooooo spammed. Calling it!

Ot: Annnnnnnyway, Persona 4. Go. Now. Buy. Amazon. Cheap. Transcends genre. Too good.

Also LoL, it's super fun (better with friends) with a load of badass characters. The learning curve is a ***** but hey at least it's not "lol we're gonna leave you at level 1 all game and deny you half the shops GLHF" DOTA 2 right?


Ace Attorney on the DS for story and fun melodramatic finger pointing, fuckin' Dark Souls if he wants to throw his console out the window. Perhaps UMVC3 AKA the hypest game in existance or BlazBlue if he wants to get into fighting games.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Oh you did not just indirectly insult my Persona 4. You did just indirectly insult my Persona 4. *****! He asked for different things, he's getting different things. People like pushing their favourite games so don't be surprised.

We were asked for games that are good for someone who played Call of Duty almost exclusively to branch out to. Suggesting a game for a console the guy probably doesn't have on hand that is old, ugly, and different in every possible way is not a good suggestion. Persona 4 may well be an excellent game. It's just not the sort of game you recommend to someone looking to branch out from the corridor shooter.

What's wrong with old games anyway?

Objectively? They tend to look worse. They tend to have a relative lack of refinement in any particular set of mechanics. They tend to be hard to find (Persona 4 gets a pass given the recent or imminent re-release). None of these are deal breakers obviously but as you start stacking up the negatives you rapidly arrive at the scenario that generates a threat titled "What makes Persona 4 so great?".

There's a reason people get super pissy whenever Deus Ex is mentioned without the words BEST GAME EVER in the same sentence.

Yes but it is important to remember that when judged alongside modern games the ancient version does not fair well unless you played it when it was a new thing. Citizen Kane is often considered the best American movie ever made but I challenge you to watch it in a vacuum and come to the same conclusion. Context is incredibly important when it comes to enjoying a thing.

It's silly to think old stuff is automatically not worth playing. I'm going to do something rare and state that as pure fact instead of just being an opinion.

Of course that would be silly. Playing old stuff still has academic value and there are a precious few games that still hold their own in one or more areas. I never claimed otherwise - my point was that recommending ancient games or games that widely diverge from the person's comfort zone isn't particularly useful.

To put it another way it is similar to having a friend that only likes Metallica but after years buying and listening to essentially the same album on an annual basis they decide they want to branch out. Then you suggest he listen to a compilation of gregorian chants.

Gregorian chants can be incredible pieces of music but based on what you know this friend liked in the past, recommending something that is different in every way possible within the medium is a rather silly move.

Btw I didn't like Deus Ex. It's boring and gives me no inspiration to keep playing it. HOW 'BOUT DAT SHIT?!

Did you play it when it was released twelve years ago? Just curious.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Oh you did not just indirectly insult my Persona 4. You did just indirectly insult my Persona 4. *****! He asked for different things, he's getting different things. People like pushing their favourite games so don't be surprised.

We were asked for games that are good for someone who played Call of Duty almost exclusively to branch out to. Suggesting a game for a console the guy probably doesn't have on hand that is old, ugly, and different in every possible way is not a good suggestion. Persona 4 may well be an excellent game. It's just not the sort of game you recommend to someone looking to branch out from the corridor shooter.

What's wrong with old games anyway?

Objectively? They tend to look worse. They tend to have a relative lack of refinement in any particular set of mechanics. They tend to be hard to find (Persona 4 gets a pass given the recent or imminent re-release). None of these are deal breakers obviously but as you start stacking up the negatives you rapidly arrive at the scenario that generates a threat titled "What makes Persona 4 so great?".

There's a reason people get super pissy whenever Deus Ex is mentioned without the words BEST GAME EVER in the same sentence.

Yes but it is important to remember that when judged alongside modern games the ancient version does not fair well unless you played it when it was a new thing. Citizen Kane is often considered the best American movie ever made but I challenge you to watch it in a vacuum and come to the same conclusion. Context is incredibly important when it comes to enjoying a thing.

It's silly to think old stuff is automatically not worth playing. I'm going to do something rare and state that as pure fact instead of just being an opinion.

Of course that would be silly. Playing old stuff still has academic value and there are a precious few games that still hold their own in one or more areas. I never claimed otherwise - my point was that recommending ancient games or games that widely diverge from the person's comfort zone isn't particularly useful.

To put it another way it is similar to having a friend that only likes Metallica but after years buying and listening to essentially the same album on an annual basis they decide they want to branch out. Then you suggest he listen to a compilation of gregorian chants.

Gregorian chants can be incredible pieces of music but based on what you know this friend liked in the past, recommending something that is different in every way possible within the medium is a rather silly move.

Btw I didn't like Deus Ex. It's boring and gives me no inspiration to keep playing it. HOW 'BOUT DAT SHIT?!

Did you play it when it was released twelve years ago? Just curious.

I picked it up from a Steam sale a while ago. It only fuels my theory that quite a few people who like it are nostalgia tripping all over the place. I'm sure the story is fine and all but it's just not inspiring me to keep going like P4 always did. Oh and I played Persona 4 for the first time about 2 years ago with zero prior knowledge about the game. So I can safely say that i'm nostalgia free when I go on about P4 being ridiculously awesome. I really need my PS2 (read: my friend's PS2) back so I can play it again. He has owed me £20 for about 3/4 years now. I'm entitled to at least half of his shit by now XD.

Plus proper Aesthetic design is important kids! Persona 4 on the PS2 looks a hell of a lot better than the latest HD gun metal grey military shooter. A good, well designed aesthetic theme makes something timeless graphically speaking as far as i'm concerned. Hell the Ace Attorney games are made up entirely of sprites! Sprites! They still look freaking good.

I never cared for JRPGs before I picked up Persona 4. I still don't actually. Persona 4 is just this one special fucking amazing gem of a game. It's fine if he doesn't play it I guess since I can keep my Hipster Glasses and say that random CoD only scrubs aren't allowed to touch my precious game. But seriously I don't care, everyone should at least try Persona 4. Just go and do it.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

I picked it up from a Steam sale a while ago. It only fuels my theory that quite a few people who like it are nostalgia tripping all over the place.

And there you see first hand why you don't recommend ancient games on a whim. It is honestly difficult to legitimately enjoy things so old that they informed a dozen generates of things after and you've only played the most recent.

By contrast, Persona 4 is relatively new - you played it a mere 2 years after it launched, a period of time small enough that only one generation of games may have been informed by the things it did right.

Plus proper Aesthetic design is important kids! Persona 4 on the PS2 looks a hell of a lot better than the latest HD gun metal grey military shooter. A good, well designed aesthetic theme makes something timeless graphically speaking as far as i'm concerned. Hell the Ace Attorney games are made up entirely of sprites! Sprites! They still look freaking good.

Sure, art direction is important. Poor art direction cannot be saved by technology alone but then good art direction can result in great things with better technology.

I never cared for JRPGs before I picked up Persona 4. I still don't actually. Persona 4 is just this one special fucking amazing gem of a game. It's fine if he doesn't play it I guess since I can keep my Hipster Glasses and say that random CoD only scrubs aren't allowed to touch my precious game. But seriously I don't care, everyone should at least try Persona 4. Just go and do it.

I've played it for a bit. I didn't care for it.

That I didn't like it isn't the reason I wouldn't recommend it however. It's because the game is so very different from the thing the guy previously liked. That isn't to say the best recommendation is Medal of Honor or some other CoD clone but rather that choosing entries that at least share familiar elements is the route to go. If someone only likes RPG's and you want to introduce them to the FPS, you don't point them to Serious Sam. You find a game that splits the difference like Fallout 3 or Mass Effect 2.

And as a rule it is never a good idea to pitch an ancient game when someone wants to branch out to a new genre. Much like Deus Ex, if they didn't play it when it was new, the odds of them actually enjoying the thing are relatively slim. Let people explore the classics if they feel like it. Foisting an old favorite upon them just leads to tears for all when you find they don't love it as much as you because they can't.

 

[CrazyJew]

1. Okami
2. Summonknight (on GBA if not applicable see 2.5)

You mean Summon Night. God, those 2 games were brilliant.

 

[Shinsei-J]

Dragons Dogma,
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword,
and Klonoa.

Though if they're up for it I might introduce them to Magic the Gathering and Pathfinder.

 

[Keoul]

You mean Summon Night. God, those 2 games were brilliant.

Whoops
I have no idea how I keep getting mixed up and adding a k at the front...

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

Realistically, the first three I'd mention would probably be...

1. Deus Ex
2. System Shock 2
3. Fallout 2

There are plenty I think would be well worth mentioning that aren't among my personal top-tier games, though. Lately I've been on kind of a strategy kick, replaying Company of Heroes, Homeworld, Jagged Alliance 2, and Valkyria Chronicles.