gamers.... my son is having a bday. his all time favorite game is oblivion

[seabeyond]

other favorites are guild II, mount & blade and he liked jedi knight series because of multi player.

can yawl suggest past or new games that would go along with these.

he likes more rpg games. (role playing).

he is a kid, 13. and though i am open on games i still have boundaries.

important, on edit.... they prefer, strongly, PC games but they have Xbox 360 too.

[msongs]

1. here's a cool game: turn off the computer and go outside and play in the yard nt

[DainBramaged]

3. What if it's raining. winter, 105 degrees???

:hi:

[seabeyond]

5. thank you for the tip on parenting with NO knowledge of my kids home life.....

my kids are in sports.... they are active, they are A students, they are up on current affairs...

they/we live a balanced life.

appreciate your advice.

[Arkana]

27. No, didn't you know? Vidya games make kids KILL PEOPLE!!!!!!1111

In all seriousness, sounds like what your kids like are called "sandbox RPGs"--that is, RPGs that have a million customization options, an open world with all points of it accessible at any time (unlike, say, JRPGs like the Final Fantasy series), and tons of sidequests and hidden items.

I mentioned Fallout 3 below, and if they liked Oblivion they will LOVE Fallout 3. If you get it for them get the Game of the Year version--it comes with all five expansion packs, one of which includes a level cap increase from 20 to 30 and the ability to continue playing after the end credits roll.

[seabeyond]

32. chatted about that below

but more good info. i will wait for xmas on this one after i see about the game, after it comes out. thanks for the tip though. i dont know any of this stuff. so i truly appreciate.

[11 Bravo]

50. Let it go. Sanctimonious assholes are as much a part of DU as they are of the rest of the world.

[Dappleganger]

49. Why don't you do the same?

[Dreamer Tatum]

58. At 19000 posts, I'd suggest you take your own advice. nt

[TexasObserver]

59. You make a good point. When outside, kids often role play.

It's not structured as a game, however. More free flow.

[DainBramaged]

2. What system???

:hi:

[seabeyond]

8. PC and it matters from what i hear. thanks. will put in OP. nt

[DainBramaged]

13. The newest games are requiring more memory and better video cards.

A suggestion.


I joined STEAM. (http://store.steampowered.com/). You can go there, download demos to see if they will play, and get a GREAT idea as to what is not only appropriate but what he may like.

[seabeyond]

14. hubby was telling me other night. kids have this. there are reason they prefer this BUT

it does not allow game to go from computer to computer. kids are good though, plapying computer musical chair when one wants to play a game on particular computer.

[DainBramaged]

17. Simple upgrades allow much better performance

but it depends on the age of the system too. Warcraft plays on just about anything, Guild Wars uh not so much, but it has been a GREAT game for 5 years.

[SoCalDem]

4. Wow..am I ever old.. I haven't heard of any of those

My boys were of the "Zelda" era:)

[DainBramaged]

7. Diablo III is coming, can't wait.

Just built my beautiful daughter a new quad-core system so we can again slay the bad guys on line, together like we did almost a decade ago!!!

[SoCalDem]

18. I was really good at "Invisible Invaders " & "Lolo"

:rofl:

Now I play Richochet & Luxor:)

[DainBramaged]

19. Adventures of LoLo?

:yourock:

[SoCalDem]

21. I LOVED that little game:)

and also an obscure one called "Kid Icarus".. I never really liked Super Mario, but my boys loved it:)

[and-justice-for-all]

60. That will not be out until sometime next year...

Blizzard is focused on WoW Cataclysm which comes out in December.

But I am looking forward to Diablo III.

[davidinalameda]

6. do the kids still play Pong

[Lyric]

9. My 10-year-old likes "Fate"

And it's rated "Everyone 10+" by the ESRB, so it's definitely age-appropriate.

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/fate/review.html

[Whisp]

10. I would suggest Diablo 3 but it won't be released for a while yet.

Blizzard is not announcing when release date is but guesses are it might be sometime next year.

Big anticipated game.

Maybe you can keep that in mind for his next bday or other special occassion.

[seabeyond]

11. thanks... will keep it in mind. nt

[DainBramaged]

16. Betya JUST in time for Christmas!!!!!

:hi:

[Whisp]

I hope so!

It looks so darned sweet. I'm so glad they are keeping it isometric.

I love the Artisan addition too!

*rubs hands together and wishes Archer is the secret 5th character.

[DainBramaged]

25. MANY a lost day and night playing Diablo II

But that was before I lost one eye so it's harder to play for extended periods now and also to concentrate on the action. No 3 D (wahhhhhhhhhhhh). Had uber kill characters. Then Guild Wars came out, and POOF I let my accounts expire. Apparently hundreds of thousands of people still play daily all over the world.


Been playing Civ5 last couple of weeks. Hope they patch it soon.

[Whisp]

36. it's still pretty crowded and popular, D2

I have it going on my old Mac and peek in once in a while.
so many wasted hours on that thing but juicy hours. haha

Drops seem to be a little skinnier now tho and I hear complaints about hacking a lot from others.
There is a newish option of resetting your skills and char points at certain stages. That's a blessed feature as you test out other specialties.

[DainBramaged]

39. Yes, but I don't consider them wasted hours

I probably would have been working LOLOL

[DainBramaged]

41. Diablo III channel on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/diablo

[LoZoccolo]

12. Surprise him and get him a go set!

http://senseis.xmp.net/

Some say it is the oldest surviving board game, and yet while computers can beat the best chess players, they still are not very good at go.

[TygrBright]

15. Well, I still think "Morrowind" is one of the most beautifully-designed, densely-layered RPGs...

Its graphics are a little old-school by now, but the play is rich and varied and you can really get lost in the setting. On the plus side, since it's an older game, it's not so processor-intensive so if he doesn't have an up-to-the-minute machine, he can still play at a high level.

helpfully,
Bright

[seabeyond]

20. thanks. will check it out. he doesnt have to have the hottest, newest.... he likes particular

types of games so old works too.

thanks.

[Arkana]

28. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is supposed to be going back to the Morrowind format...should be good.

[Ozymanithrax]

22. Never Winter Nights II was good.

Next year in December a Never Winter Nights II is slated t roll out.

[Arkana]

23. Hmmm...Two Worlds II would be good but that one's not out yet.

Fallout 3 and the soon-out Fallout New Vegas would be too--they're both by Bethesda, the same company that made Oblivion.

Also, I do hope your son is using mods to play Oblivion...vanilla Oblivion is just full of too many defects to make it fun.

[seabeyond]

31. son read. i know nothing. he says... oh ya, exactly. we use lots of mods... lol

so, there it is. as far as fallout, i dont like women portrayed as as prostitutes in every friggin game and guy movie. i understand fall out has lots of that going on. but it is hard to know if a game is beyond my boundaries or not. they rated oblivion for something that isnt even in the game. i didnt know that at first. i had to learn. so i will wait for fall out nv to come out and listen what people say is in the game before i give an ok. that was the game he had said he wanted. i told him why i am saying no to it right now... he is cool with it.

we have a weird kinda boundary in our house. since there is shit in about all games, i have to allow some, disallow other with both the violence and sex.

[Mudoria]

24. I've heard Dragon Age is pretty immersive

Oct 26 is the release date for the original with all the add ons. And Dragon Age 2 is set for release early next year.

http://dragonage.bioware.com/dao/

[DainBramaged]

26. Tedious, too much talking to characters within the game

takes way too too long to play even the simplest of scenarios.

[Arkana]

30. Yeah, but look me in the eye and tell me Sten and Oghren aren't two of the best-written

characters you've ever seen.

[DainBramaged]

34. Playability, not the back story, is my only concern

Bring back Transport Tycoon and I'll be happy...........

[Arkana]

29. Dragon Age is VERY immersive.

There are a MILLION conversation options for your companions--as well as several romance options.

Combat's a little stilted, though, compared to Mass Effect 2.

[seabeyond]

33. hubby has that. i have watched him play. my youngest wanted to play it

but tooo much for him just yet. probably let the older child play if he was interested, but had to say no to the younger.

there is a aprticular line we dont cross, .... it is hard balancing the violence and sex thing.

husband really enjoyed the game

[DainBramaged]

37. I picked up Bioshock and Bioshock2 as closeouts at Target recently

A lot of fun. Just got the Prima guides off EBay so I'll be enjoying them more. And yes, I am a little behind on them, but I paid less than $20 for both! Worth the wait. popped them in a Core I5 machine with a 250GTS card, plays nice.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

35. For multiplayer he might like League of Legends. It's pure pvp though.

For pure RPG single player maybe Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion or The Witcher if he hasn't played those.

[opiate69]

38. How soon is his birthday? Fable 3 apparently comes out the 26th

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/fableiii/index.html?tag=result%3Btitle%3B1

[seabeyond]

40. 22nd. but thank you

hubby liked fable. i cant remember the game, so cant remember if i said no or yes to the kids on that game. will have to chat with hubby. but he would enjoy 3. lol. playing the son role sounds good.

[scrinmaster]

42. Morrowind GOTY or Fallout 3 GOTY.

http://www.amazon.com/Elder-Scrolls-Morrowind-Game-Year-Pc/dp/B0000CNUUP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287246781&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Fallout-3-Game-Year-Pc/dp/B002BXKJA0/ref=sr_1_3?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1287246816&sr=1-3

[Poll_Blind]

43. I second the vote for Fallout 3 GOTY but it is VERY graphically violent.

You might be able to turn down the level of gore, though.

I am normally really against violent videogames for children but Fallout 3 is very well-written, voice-acted, has lots of moral choices. The game takes place in the radioactive wasteland of the Washington DC Area so, things are pretty bleak obviously.

But for a 13 year old I might consider it, especially if you were to spend time with the child while they're playing it. Use the various moral choices which come up as invitations to discuss the implications of them with your child.

For instance, there's a begger who's asking for water. You don't have much, the world's been destroyed. Do you give it to him?

Also, someone early on in the game offers you a lot of money to trick and kill a large number of innocent people. Is money worth taking human life?

Similar questions come up during the game, involving freeing of runaway slaves- or killing them/turning them into their master.

If you're not going to be with the child while they're playing, maybe Fallout 3 is just a little too rough.

PB

[seabeyond]

46. thanks for this assessment.... nt

[LonePirate]

44. Fallout New Vegas arrives in stores on Tuesday the 19th

http://www.amazon.com/Fallout-New-Vegas-Pc/dp/B002SU4QG4/ref=pd_ts_zgc_vg_229575_2?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&pf_rd_p=504587631&pf_rd_s=right-4&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=229575&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=09W0659TBA9ATYMCQGWD

[seabeyond]

47. son has marrow. my oldest said he really enjoyed it. will still play it.

though old. oldest sneered at graphics, really old, lol. but youngest (and this is who it is for) likes the game.

[Ohio Joe]

52. I would also vote for Fallout 3 GOTY - nt

[Odin2005]

45. Any Diablo game.

[obxhead]

48. The Fallout series.

Can go to any used game shop and probably get the first 2 fairly cheap. There is a new one coming soon.

They are much like the Morrowind/Oblivion series. Just more high tech weaponry/story line.

Disclaimer, the Fallout series does have explicit content and violence if you're concerned about that sort of thing.

edit:
(My "yours" seem to be broken today)

[davepc]

51. Dragon Age, Torchlight, The Witcher, S.T.A.L.K.E.R series

[seabeyond]

54. i havent heard three of the four. thanks. i will check the three out

age appropriate, lol....

[DainBramaged]

53. Love this thread! Gamers unite!

[seabeyond]

55. i like it, too. i have a tough time finding info i need as a parent on games, on the internet

especially with my very low interest in games. i saw from another game thread, lots of knowledge. i appreciate the info.

[Mudoria]

56. Another thought...

Lord of the Rings Online is now free to play. Pretty good game if you like RPG's. Not really something you could give him for his birthday though. Might be something he'd enjoy I would guess.

[seabeyond]

57. i havent heard of this

thanks. i will check it out.

[Twinguard]

61. I know they aren't RPGs,

but the Civilization franchise is a fantastic game. The new one (Civ 5) just came out for windows, and if it is as good as the last one(s), it should be a real winner. I've heard that it's fantastic, but I haven't played it yet to verify. They are turn-based strategy games, not RPGs, but if he is interested in branching out it's worth a look.

If you aren't sure that he would want to jump in with both feet, you could probably pick up Civ 4 for reasonably cheap since the new one is out. That way he can see if he would be interested before buying the more expensive newest version.

You said that you are open on games while still having boundaries. I'm guessing that you probably don't want to get something totally inappropriate for a 13 year old. Good news... the Civ games are family friendly. No blood, no cursing, no nudity, etc... Being a strategy game, there are multiple ways to play it. You could advance by building friendly coalitions, by trading resources, or even by building superior armies. While it's not going to give accurate history lessons, it could inspire your son to explore oh his own some points of history that relate to the game. I say that, because that's exactly what happened to me when I started playing Civ 2 over a decade ago. There are even scenarios that are a bit more historically significant. I remember having played some historical battles throughout Europe and Asia, with the Civilization twist, of course.

Personally, I prefer to play sports games and racing games that are multi player so that my wife can play along, and we can tune out reality for a short time in the evenings. I haven't really played RPGs for a while, so I can't comment on them from experience, but my brother recommended Dragon Age: Origins to me. I'm not sure if it is on pc or not, but I think he plays it on Xbox so you should be good.

[seabeyond]

65. excellent. thank you

i will look into the games. my oldest son is really into the time consuming strategy play. and christmas is coming.

and i appreciate you understand what i mean about open but boundaries.

[Swamp Rat]

62. Mahjongg

:D

Try installing the new Linux distro Ubuntu 10.10 on a disk partition. It has a LOT of free games, many of which are educational and non-violent, as well as lots of educational applications (math, science, etc.).

[seabeyond]

63. interesting swamp. i dont any of the stuff you are talking about, but the games

sound interesting.

appreciate

[seabeyond]

64. dupe

[Greyhound]

66. Check out Mass Effect/Mass Effect 2. I believe it fits your criteria, and it looks like the story

line is pretty good and the role playing component is not bad by today's standards. You kid will notice many similarities to the Star Wars KOTOR games, but with better FPS elements.

It's from 2007 and It does require a pretty high-end PC to run well.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1073668/fullcredits

Oh, and Martin Sheen and Claudia Black are in ME 2 (2010).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1540125/

[eggman67]

67. When you say

"he is a kid, 13. and though i am open on games i still have boundaries."

Are you referring to sexual content? If so, I'd just want to inform you that The Witcher and Dragon Age, while excellent games, have pretty adult sexual content.

[seabeyond]

68. thanks for that info

that and the violence. though the games are violence, i feel there are differing degrees in the games. and i am not here to be correct with all, it is what i feel... and how we evaluate.

like left for dead. isnt that the zombie one? neither kid allowed to play. gruesome violence. and no GTA.

but other shoot em ups i do.

mass effect i understand has sex scenes, but is more mutual and respectful.... (neither kid interested in mass, not sure why). where as the scene in red dead is fuck her and push aside... that mentality being fed to our kids bother me.

hubby played dragon age, and was a good game. son wanted to play it but both hubby and i decided the sexual content was not appropriate. appreciate the heads up on the witcher. that is what i am talking about.