Video Games for Gals

I love playing video games, but I’m picky about it. I don’t like a lot of bloodshed, and I don’t want to be overly challenged. Yeah, I know, but life is challenging enough. I don’t need to be stressed out by my leisure activities. I prefer city building games and simulations, but there are a few others that sneak into my favorites. Here are some of my favorite games that are fun and challenging, but not TOO much so.

Hubby and I finished the story plot in Lego Indiana Jones on the PS3. We were plodding along, but lately we’ve gotten a bit faster. Part of it is that I’ve gotten better with the controls! I guess I’m more of a PC gaming kind of gal. Anyway, we’ve now got to go back and see if we can unlock all the game secrets. Turns out that that might be even more fun. =} Any of the Lego games (we’ve also go the Star Wars versions) are good for new gamers. Although you can technically “die,” you’re just regenerated with more Lego pieces. There are some fun puzzles and I kind of hack and slash my way through the fighting scenes. Sometimes I end up stabbing Big Guy while I’m at it. Luckily, he’s a good sport. It’s a fun multi-player game.

My favorite PS game is We Love Katamari. It’s a quirky Japanese game where you roll around a ball (called a Katamari) and pick things up with it. For example, when you’re small, you can pick up postage stamps, matches, coins, etc. As you roll up more objects, you get bigger and pick up bigger things like cats, apples and frogs. You get bigger and bigger until you can roll up people, cars and even buildings. It sounds stupid, I know, but it’s got funky music and it’s actually kind of addictive. There was one level that I really struggled with (you’ve got a Katamari on fire and have to keep it burning by rolling things up – Big Guy finally did it for me because I was bored and annoyed).

My favorite PC game is one that’s a bit older at this point. It’s called Emperor and it’s a city building game. Your job is to build a series of cities in ancient China. You have to collect resources, appease the gods (called “Heroes”) and fend off hostile neighbors. Luckily, the fending-off is kept to a minimum and the game is more forgiving than some of the others in the same vein. I enjoy laying out my city and watching the people move in and upgrade their houses. It’s therapeutic in some way. Plus, the monuments you get to build are gorgeous and I enjoy creating luxury resources like silk and carved jade. There is a multi-player component, which allows you to be trade partners with your friends. I also enjoyed the Civilizations series, which is also a city-building game. Big Guy and I always struggled to play that as multi-player, because I always want to build up culture and ignore my army. I can’t play at the same difficulty level without being attacked!

If you have a favorite game that’s more strategic than bloody and more fun than furrowed brow, please share. Bonus points if it has a nice multi-player option!