Topic: Best games for a newcomer to gaming

Hello! Well my friend, who has been watching me play games for the past 3 years, has finally decided to get a PS4 of his own. He's in his mid-30s and has never used a controller before. Can you suggest a couple of games that would be best to help him learn the layout of the controller, and more importantly how to use to left/right stick to move and use the camera.

His favorite game is Bloodborne! But I won't have him try it until he's pefectly used to getting around, the game is challenging enough as it is.
Thanks.

Most games these days come with a difficulty option to allow new comers to play these games and get through them. They also teach the basics of their control scheme and a lot of games share the same basic controls - like left thumbstick to move, right to aim/view. The best games to encourage newcomers are the ones that interest the person. Not every game is Dark Souls' difficult that could put someone off. A lot of the narrative based games have a 'easy' option - often referred to as those more interested in the Story where 'hard' modes are for those more interested in the 'challenge'. Most games though still have a 'basic' tutorial in a 'prologue' mission - often the first goal is just 'moving' and then building it up to aiming, shooting, ducking etc and a lot offer button prompts - like press A to mantle at every obstacle.

By playing a game that they are interested in, the chances of them progressing without being put off is increased. Some of the easiest games as far as a controller goes are racing games - basically just left and right on a thumbstick to steer with R trigger to accelerate and L trigger to brake but if they are not interested in Racing games, its perhaps not the best starting point. Its best to know what that person is into and try and pick games with a scaleable difficulty and a tutorial mission at the start. If they grasp it quickly, you can often move up the difficulty to offer a bit more of a challenge.

honestly Racing and FPS games will get him to learn how a controller works pretty fast

I would consider getting him something that's a bit slower-paced and maybe narrative-driven, such as Life is Strange. (No idea if he would like that game, I just mean something in that vein might be a good place to start) As long as it's not incredibly complex and not very fast-paced, he should be okay. Then he can move on to something a bit faster.

TellTale games. That is how my Dad started and worked his way up from there.

Always found Journey to be an excellent starting point for someone who doesn't have much experience with playing games. Not sure if it'll be to your friend's tastes, but definitely worth a try. (Plus it's incredible.)

I remember the first twin stick console game I played was Half Life 1 on PS2. I got used to it fairly quickly but I remember trying to use the left stick for movement and the right for camera simultaneously was a real challenge at first. Considering I was already a pretty seasoned gamer by that point I can only imagine how hard it is for complete novices to get to grips with.

I would definitely recommend Horizon. I know it doesn't sound like an inspiring advice, but I think it's the best recommendation.

• It's got multiple difficulty settings, that you can change at anytime. Your friend can start with the Story option, and possibly change it to Easy or Medium later.
• It has got great action. Bloodborne is a different kind of game for sure, but it's a great looking game with a lot of action. So, it might be up his alley too.
• The game's combat focuses heavy on dodging too, like Bloodborne. So he can master this before going into that game.

I think it's always pretty cool when someone gets into games, even at later age. It might take some investment, getting used to controls et cetera, but once he's passed that, a world of great classics lies at his feet!

All good suggestions.
I was thinking something along the lines of Limbo (or Inside which I haven’t personally played yet but I assume is similar in its control scheme) that is not 3D, is a less complicated 2D game but yet really immersive. The controls aren’t all that complex, it’s more about timing and puzzle solving. Then progress toward 3D, dual stick usage with a 3D platformer like Tearaway. Crash Bandicoot would be another option. Another he could try is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, which would get him used to using the right analog, but in a innovative way before his brain is mapped to automatically thinking of it to control camera position. Or maybe that will just confuse him more and delay his catching on, I don’t know ... Are there any neurophysiologists in the house?

Most games these days have tutorials and are easy for most people to play once you get around the dual stick stuff Kyle aluded to above.

Depending on how that goes, car racing games are a good gateway to gaming. They tend to have toggles to turn on assists.

Some great suggestions from other but if anyone can work out how I can teach my wife to move AND look around in a basic First person game like Gone Home, please let me know. It was embarrassing for both of us.

My girlfriend is only interested in Gran Turismo nowadays, so maybe try that.

It's a pity because back when the Wii was in it's zeitgeist, she would play me at Wii Sports, Wii Play, Mario Kart, WarioWare, and all that good stuff. I honestly thought that was a new beginning for gaming, but it's all gone and we're back to the same old problems with dual stick controllers.

I'd say racers are a good point to jump into if someone is just starting out.

For games to play when your friend gets used to the controller, I'd personally recommend Ratchet & Clank and The Nathan Drake Collection. They're simple enough games, nothing complex, and enjoyable to play.

Wow thanks everyone for the input. What a lovely community! I will get back to you once we make progress. I got most of the games you suggested. I'm very excited for him! The past 3 years for me in gaming have been amazing, there are so many great experiences and I hope he'll enjoy it too.

@BAMozzy maybe I can have him try the tutorials of different games he's interested in and see where it goes. My collection includes all genres and all big exclusives.
@FullbringIchigo yea i got driveclub but I personally suck at racing games so won't be able to help him 😂😂
@JoeBlogs @KirbyTheVampire @Splat @ShogunRok yea good choices I got the walking dead, journey and everybodys gone to the rapture. The relaxed environment will help him get used to camera and movement while QTEs help him memorize buttons. Thanks great choices.
@kyleforrester87 yea exactly and I want his first experience to be smooth so he doesnt get frustrated.
@Kidfried what I like abt horizon is that it feels like an entry level RPG. It got crafting and weaknesses/strengths without too many complexities. But I worry that during combat he's gonna struggle to remember which button is which and end up feeling overwhelmed.
@Th3solution hahahah thats actually interesting. I want to try and get used to 3D game controls.
@themcnoisy yea exactly, once he gets used to dual analogs, he's got access to all games.
@Rudy_Manchego hahaha thats my point! My concern is mostly around movement and camera. I'll let you know which games helped him.
@Wesker interesting! I hope to get GT sport i'll have him try driveclub first to see if it interests him.
@DerMeister u know maybe uncharted 4 on easy mode, with full auto aim assist could work! Especially since encounters start small then gets bigger.

I suggest R&C and the Uncharted games too.
Worked fine with a friend of mine who shared a same story as yours.

@Jorjk GT is good because it can be really satisfying to just drive the car and work things out for yourself. My GF likes to play it with just X and Square then the left analog stick, but you can even use the d-pad or motion controls to steer.

Nothing better than a series designed specifically to teach you to git gud!! It really does ease in the difficulty. But, a more serious answer:

Diablo III. Great button mashy goodness, amazing game, and technically also an action rpg. It does a great job of scaling difficulty and online coop is amazing.

@0ld_boy cool thanks.
@Wesker ill tell him racing games can be easy, but I also want to introduce to dual stick movement, thanks.
@Mega-Gazz i love Bloodborne and it is because of that he also loves it. But I worry it will be too frustrating for him. Diablo 3 I haven't thought abt it, I can help him with classes/loot management since ive beaten the game. Nice idea thanks.

Yeah, Diablo 3 is a great pick. It was one of the first games my Dad played after a few TellTale games. I took care of the loot management and getting from point A to B and he just had to kill stuff.

He has played and beat it countless times on his own since getting the hang of it.

If he likes sports I highly suggest MLB: The Show 17. There are alot of options to make the game as simple or as advanced as you want which is great for new players. If he has a knowledge of baseball then rules and such would be fimilar to him which means he can concentrate on the game mechanics more then the rules and such.