Recommend 10 Games To Someone Who Has Never Played Games

[Moonface]

Thought this could be an interesting thing to try and compose a list for. So imagine you need to recommend no more than 10 games to someone who has never played a video game before. What games would you recommend to them and why?

I'm still trying to think of a game right now but wanted to post this thread so others can try and come up with some games.

[Karo]

Honestly I can think of a few if they never played a game it might take them a few minutes to get it, but they should be able to pick it up I think.

1. Final Fantasy XIV
Its an MMO the controls are pretty simple, but can have some really complexity to it with various system and there is a lot to do and the story and character customizations is a highlight!
2. Dead by Daylight
Its literally just freeze tag with a horror coat and some eldrich abomination lore!
3, Any Mario game
When it comes to gaming for anyone I feel like there is no game easier to pick up and play then a Mario game be it one of the many spin off, 3D, or 2D entries it bound to be a delight and a fun time though!
4. Splatoon
its a team based shooter for everyone and has lots of fun customizations option to create a look all your own!
5. Any pokemon game
Its Pokemon the classic RPG with an easy to understand rock paper scissor mechanic with tons of cute and cool collectable monsters and if you haven't played a Pokemon game before I think it'll be a really fun experience for someone after a few more times though you might lose interest as some of us seem to have too.

I'll probably have to come back to this one after these 5, but they instantly came to my mind.

[Moonface]

I think Mario Odyssey might be the best choice for a Mario game to give to someone new to games, at least out of all the 3D games. 64's camera is too chaotic and Sunshine has challenges that I think would be too much for a new player whereas Odyssey felt pretty well balanced.

I'd also suggest Mario Kart to a non-gamer as well because out of any racing game it seems the best suited to just pick up and go.

[Karo]

The funny thing is Mario 64 camera never bothered me oddly enough! But like I fresh up with it so Odyssey probably is the best mario game modern controls and lots of moons to collect!

[Moonface]

As someone who hasn't played much Mario, I found 64 to just not be great but also I came into it from a more polished experience like Odyssey. To someone new 64 might not be that bad but I also wouldn't use lack of experience as a reason to recommend an older experience over a more polished modern one.

[Karo]

I kinda feel like there is merit starting with an older more archaic experience. An example would be if you jump into a modern assassin creed game then play the first one you might not get over the older controls but if you play them in order you'll have a continuously improved experience.

[Kyng]

Hmmm... this is a tough one . My favourite games of all time are Crusader Kings II and the Civilization series; however, those are in no way suitable for somebody who's never played games! They're simply way too complicated - and our poor newbie will lose track of what's going on .

I'll start my list with Tetris and Pac-Man: two simple arcade classics whose appeal has endured for decades now. They're also quite short - so, if our newbie likes them, they can play again and again, but if they don't, then they can quickly move on to something else.

After that quick primer, I'll move them on to some more substantive titles. Minecraft is the grand-daddy of modern sandbox games, and it'll give them a chance to get their creative juices flowing (if that's the kind of person they are). Or, if they'd prefer an experience that's ready-made for them (rather than one they have to build for themselves), then The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will give them a beautiful world to explore - particularly with the Special Edition. And, while I'm not a fan of shooters, they're certainly a popular type of game, so I'd best include one on my list - and the one I'm going with is Team Fortress 2, since I think its cartoonish art and humour style will appeal to a lot of people (including many who aren't really into the more military-esque shooters).

Since I've come up with 5, and Yuri's come up with 5, and our lists don't overlap, I guess we've got a list of 10 between us!

[Dragon Lord]

Hmm. In no particular order:

1. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
2. Final Fantasy VII or IX
3. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky + Trails in the Sky: Second Chapter
4. Dark Souls
5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (great choice for people who are generally bad at video games)
6. Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World
7. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past or Ocarina of Time
8. 007 Goldeneye or Perfect Dark
9. Portal 2
10. Nekopara Vol 0 through 4 (Kappa)

[ShiraNoMai]

this bitch really put dark souls on his list of games for people who NEVER played games before to try...

Anyway, I like some of y'alls lists, but I can't help but notice a bit of bias towards your favorite games in all of them. Though, I guess it's hard to recommend games you don't already love yourself  I'm going to make a list of 10 but I'll highlight the top three must played in bold. The 10 are in no particular order.

1. Super Mario World
2. Tetris
3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
4. Half-Life (or Black Mesa)
5. Animal Crossing (OG or New Horizons, can't decide)
6. Doom (2016)
7. Microsoft Flight Simulator
8. Gran Turismo 3
9. Undertale
10. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo

[Dragon Lord]

I made my list with a mix of my personal favorites, but also games that really defined their genre at the time. Like 007 Goldeneye and Perfect Dark are two of the best early 3D shooters. I would definitely recommend them first for someone interested in shooters before they move on to more modern ones like Halo or something.

Super Mario RPG is probably the absolute best RPG on the SNES, combining the iconic Mario franchise with Final Fantasy-like gameplay and Square Soft's godly OST creating in the 90s. Difficulty is middling for the most part, so it's a great entry into the RPG genre, in my opinion.

Portal 2, while a game I enjoyed, but not any where near a favorite, is just a great 2-player puzzle game that I could see being fun for someone new to gaming to play with a family member or friend. Have fun with creative puzzle solving and enjoy the humorous dialogue.

Final Fantasy IX is definitely a personal favorite recommendation though, but FFVII is just because it's a huge cornerstone of the FF franchise. The two LoH games are for people who are into amazing stories with fantastic character development and world building.

Super Mario World just because who couldn't love SMW? But yeah, a lot of mine are geared towards old-school games, because anyone who has never gamed before should start with the golden age of gaming. If I were to ever have kids, they'd be starting out with NES/SNES just like I did, and slowly build there way up to modern consoles.