gaming with the girlfriend

[slarlath]

So here's the deal.
My girlfriend is not really a gamer. She does commonly steal my phone to play Angry Birds and I recently convinced her to try Portal which she did like. Since then she has been keen to try different games so we have something else we can spend our time doing together in our down time. (currently it's mostly ignoring DVDs.)
She is not one of those girly girls who hates action and she does like zombies, however an attempt at RE5 resulted in her freaking out because she could not comprehend the controls while being attacked. As such I am looking for a game, probably on the 360 but I have many systems and access to many more save maybe a PS3, that we can both enjoy. She seems to prefer simple easy games while i am more into large open games mostly RPG.

So basically I am looking for some good preferably co-op games that I can play with my girlfriend who is new to gaming. Any suggestions?

 

[the spud]

Demon's Soul's.

You may not realise it, but, when the time comes, you will thank me.

Or the legend of zelda: 4 swords on the gamecube. That's a good one.

 

[WaReloaded]

Halo 3, despite how overrated it is, it's a fairly easy game and it would be a great way to introduce your girlfriend to cooperative gaming.

 

[Rabish Bini]

The Portal 2 co-op?

 

[dcdude171]

Haha well me and my girlfreind like to play everything from cod to ............ littlebig planet well everything ! haha she was a gamer before she met me ............ but um left for dead ? thats one of our favzz

 

[the spud]

Demon's Soul's.

You may not realise it, but, when the time comes, you will thank me.

Or the legend of zelda: 4 swords on the gamecube. That's a good one.

...What?

OT: Castle Crashers?

I was trying to save him from the terrible downward spiral of life that is a relationship.

You just ruined it.

 

[Kahunaburger]

Minecraft - awesome co-op gameplay, esp. for people just getting into gaming.

 

[slarlath]

Some good ideas there. Thanks. Keep them coming if you can. The more I have to go on the better.

 

[Biosophilogical]

Mario Kart, clearly. Or Mario Party, or Super Mario Bros Wii! Or! Or or or:;World of Warcraft.

Okay, screw that last one, but for those who don't get what I was doing [http://www.cracked.com/article_18832_5-multiplayer-video-games-that-will-destroy-your-marriage.html], Mario Kart was a genuine suggestion, and the OP had already mentioned RE5.

OT: I think that RE5 is actually a great game to multiplayer, but maybe I'm taking the 'able to play under pressure' thing for granted, when I should be thinking "What would happen if someone asked me to run hurdles while attacking me with a cattle prod (or zombies,as the case may be)?"

But Mario Kart team race, because then it isn't competitive.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Mario Kart, clearly. Or Mario Party, or Super Mario Bros Wii!

Well I'd only recommend New Super Mario Bros Wii if you're going to go into it prepared to laugh at yourselves because you'll likely fail often, but if you don't take it seriously you can have a damn good time doing it.

 

[loc978]

If she likes iconic comic book characters at all (and especially if she saw and enjoyed The Dark Knight), try Batman: Arkham Asylum. on normal it's pretty easy to pick up, though some of the fights can be frustrating.
My girlfriend is slowly working her way through it, and she never had any interest in video games before she met me.

 

[Fai57]

FPS's are really hard for new gamers. Portal and Portal 2 are some of the best first time FPS games there are, in part because there is no real combat to stress new players out. Another good starter FPS might be Half-Life 2. There's good pacing in it, so you start with very easy enemies before working up to more challenging ones.

Also, watch this. Extra Credits knows what they're talking about. Most important thing I got out of this: you really should start her on solo, so she can get used to video games on her own. Co-op comes later.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/3662-Sharing-Our-Medium

EDIT:

If she likes iconic comic book characters at all (and especially if she saw and enjoyed The Dark Knight), try Batman: Arkham Asylum. on normal it's pretty easy to pick up, though some of the fights can be frustrating.
My girlfriend is slowly working her way through it, and she never had any interest in video games before she met me.

This is actually a pretty good idea. The fights can be tough at times, which is a problem, but the combat is excellent and makes you feel powerful, which will help her get into gaming.

 

[Cynimod]

left 4 dead (one or two)

 

[Homplok]

You described my gf pretty well there, zombies and all. If a PS3 somehow pops up, Little Big Planet hooked my girlfriend hard. Then Dead Nation. I find it's a lot easier to get into the RE5, and the fast paced old school arcade game feel is loads of fun. On the Wii, we played a lot of Mario Cart and New Super Mario Bros. Wii Sports was always entertaining, but I think that's a given by now. That's about all I can think of in the last 5 years of living together, but dammit she's getting there.

 

[Chibz]

That's the best thing about my boyfriend, I can play almost any game I enjoy with him. Chances are he enjoys it too.

[reliops/].struh daeh yM[reliops]

 

[LokiArchetype]

I'd shy away from any games where you have to coordinate movement with both analog sticks. My gf thought Bioshock and Mass Effect 2 both looked interesting, but when she tried to play them she had no ability to use the L and R sticks in unison. I think its easy to imagine how that ability would be hard for non-gamers, but its not something that really occurs to you until it happens.

Unfortunately I think that describes most games on consoles, which is I'd recommend portable systems first. Their controls are a lot simpler.

My gf has taken possession my DS and one of my Pokemon games as she enjoys them so much.

 

[Radelaide]

Your girlfriend hated RE5 because it's a terrible game. Try Red Dead Redemtion, Bioshock, Mirror's Edge, LA Nore (maybe when she's in to gaming a little more) or the Portal 2 co-op.

 

[Thaius]

If she likes easy games and you like open RPGs, play Fable II or III. That would be perfect.