Last week I started the conversation about the types of games non-gamers (specifically, wives and girlfriends) could enjoy or at least tolerate. After laying out some general principles and looking at some broad areas of gaming, this week I’ll be narrowing my focus and talking about some specific genres that might appeal to non-gamers. I’ve organized the games from most appealing to least, in general. As always, your mileage may vary, and I’d love to hear others’ ideas as well!

Mario Party put party games onto the map

Party Games
Everybody loves a good party game. Since Mario Party on Nintendo 64 (I’m sure there are other examples from before then), party games have been drawing in non-gamers in droves. There’s something about the competition involved, the inherent fun involved, that keeps people coming back for more. It’s like playing a board game on your television, quite literally sometimes.

In the current generation, the party game has evolved. Now we have music games, where you can get an entire band together, and up to six people can party at once. We have dance games – not only the bestseller Just Dance on the Wii, but upcoming games for Microsoft’s Kinect and tons of more games in the pipeline. Then there are sports games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit or EA Active, which manage to sell game systems to non-gamers.

These party games are the only type of games I can consistently get Mrs. cmfl3x to play. Whether it’s Wii Sports, Rock Band, or the like, these are the ONLY type of games where I can ask Mrs. cmfl3x “Do you want to play?” without getting a drink thrown in my face.

Party Games for Non-gamers
Wii Sports series
Mario Party series
Rock Band series
Guitar Hero series
Dance Dance Revolution Series
Any Karaoke Game

Despite spending most of his time running around with a school aged boy, Professor Layton has found his way into the hearts of many non-gamers.

Casual/Puzzle Games
I lumped casual and puzzle games together because they often go hand in hand. Whether it’s Bejeweled, Sudoku, or brain teasers, puzzle type games generally appeal to the casual audience. The Nintendo DS has practically cornered the market on old people who are trying to keep their brains fresh.

One standout and potential gateway drug game for non-gamers is the Professor Layton series. It has extremely simple gameplay: you just walk around and solve a bunch of brain teasers to ultimately solve a crime. However, it’s super addicting, and it’s also a very low barrier of entry for non-gamers. It’s the type of game that could potentially get somebody addicted to games, no mean feat.

Another game that deserves it’s own paragraph is Peggle. I’m not sure why it’s so darn addicting, but the combination of cute graphics, random but NOT random gameplay, and attainable goals makes it a big hit with non-gamers. Mrs. cmfl3x actually sat down and played Peggle for an hour one day – that is a minor miracle in and of itself. So keep an eye out for puzzle/casual games, and maybe you can find something to enjoy with that non-gamer in your life. But be careful, if the game is on your DS, you might not get it back.

Puzzle/Casual Games for Non-gamers
Peggle Series
Professor Layton Series
Puzzle Quest
Brain Age Series
Big Brain Academy
Crossword Puzzle Games on DS (there are tons out there)

You can never go wrong with pirates. Y’arr!

Adventure Games
Finally, a genre of gaming that combines story elements, graphical elements, and puzzle elements all into one is the adventure series genre which is making a comeback of late. Adventure games are basically story and puzzle games: you progress a narrative by solving various environmentally based puzzles. Adventure games aren’t for everyone, but Mrs. cmfl3x actually prefers when I play these types of games for a couple of reasons.

First of all, the graphics aren’t as edgy in adventure based games. Secondly, the dialogue is generally pretty funny, and thirdly, the stories involved are generally pretty interesting. Whether it’s Monkey Island, Wallace and Grommit, or Sam and Max, adventure games all seem like something more suited for kids. This helps to dispel “video games are too violent” myths and also helps to propel “video games can aid critical thinking” arguments. You may not ever need to use a rubber chicken with a pulley attached to it in real life, but it’s that kind of out of the box thinking that will help you (and your children!) go far in life.

The nice thing about adventure games is that you can play them together with your non-gaming friends. Only one person needs to be actually controlling the character, but both of you can give input on how to solve the environmental puzzles. And when one person gets tired of failing, the controller can always exchange hands. Regular readers of this site know I am a huge fan of adventure games – it also doesn’t hurt that Mrs. cmfl3x has a soft spot for them as well.

Adventure Games for Non-gamers
Monkey Island series
Sam and Max series
Wallace and Grommit series
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure
Homestar Runner series
Phoenix Wright series
Heavy Rain (mature audiences only)

Final Thoughts
In the end, I think video games are generally pretty hit or miss with non-gamers. It all comes down to personal preference, whether you catch them in the right mood, etc. etc. Hopefully, this little guide can give you some ideas if you’re looking for something to play with that non-gamer in your life. Remember, though – nothing beats REAL quality time. Of course, if you can pull off spending some of that time with controllers in your hands…there’s no harm in that either!

Any gamer who lives with a non-gamer (generally, the Mrs., but I don’t want to assume) knows the inherent tensions that can arise in the household. “Do the dishes!” (Five more minutes…) “It’s time for bed!” (Let me finish this level.) “We’re going to be late!” (I’m fighting a boss.) “I’m going into labor!” (Let me get to a save point!) These tensions exist in my marriage as much as they might in any other and are compounded by the fact that my wife dislikes glowing rectangles in general. Thus any game that Mrs. cmfl3x and I can find a common interest in is like pure gold.

In this two part feature, I’ll be looking for some of the general principles that a gamer can use to try to find a game that can be enjoyed with a non-gamer. Obviously, your mileage may vary, and each individual user knows their significant other the best, but since I have a particularly difficult to please spouse, I figure I’d share some of my experiences. In Part 1, I’ll be looking at some general guiding principles and some general types of games, while in Part 2 I’ll discuss some specific genres that might house these diamonds in the rough. With examples!

General Principles
There are a few general rules of thumb that I find work the majority of the time. There is a very strong correlation between Nintendo games and spousal approval, for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, most Nintendo characters are cute. Mario is iconic and speaks in a funny accent. Yoshi: cute. Polygonal Link (or Zelda, as he is known to many): adorable. Wario: His mustache is upside down, HILARIOUS. You get the point. Throw in the nostalgia factor, and you have a key to many non-gamers hearts.

The second reason why non-gamers tend to appreciate Nintendo games is because Nintendo has expanded the video game audience. Games like Wii Sports, Just Dance, Warioware, are all simple games that many people can enjoy, often together. Using a SAT analogy: Wii : Party Games :: Xbox 360 : FPSes. In general, non-gamers can get into party games, especially if it leads to quality time. If you’re going to spend quality time with your spouse, you might as well spend it in an area of strength, video games (albeit a poor version of it).

Another general rule of thumb is that portable games generally can garner more approval from an unhappy spouse, again for a couple of reasons. In this case, I find that portable games are less offensive to Mrs. cmfl3x because I generally am playing them when we have time to kill like on public transportation and stuff. Also, portable games don’t hijack the entire living room, which is a plus. Finally, portable games, especially on the DS, tend themselves more toward the “casual” side, plus there are a lot of puzzle games like Professor Layton that Mrs. cmfl3x can enjoy.

If there’s a game with one of these is involved, you can bet the house that Mrs. cmfl3x will hate it

The third and most important rule of thumb I can think of is a list of things that Mrs. cmfl3x HATES in video games. I’ve pared down the list and included it here:

Stuff Mrs. cmfl3x Hates in Video Games
- First person shooters, mainly due to copious amounts of gunfire
- Ugly or scary looking monsters
- Scary audio (whether it be creepy music or screaming or whatever)
- Any combination of the letters U, A, and V
- Swear words
- Scantily clad females OR males
- Headsets
- Sports games (they combine TWO things she hates, well, not sports itself, but my obsession with them)
- Repetitive music (mostly because of the 20+ hours of Doom 2 lately)
- Excessive screaming into headsets
- Excessive screaming into headsets coupled with excessive sweating
- Excessive screaming into headsets coupled with excessive sweating followed by controller throwing

Any game that contains any of the above features results in an immediate blacklist order from Mrs. cmfl3x. I’ll be allowed to play it, but she would never deign to try such a game. But there are some blanket things that Mrs. cmfl3x and other non-gamers DO generally appreciate in games, so I’ll spend the rest of Part 1 discussing two of them.

Story-Driven Games
Although this doesn’t draw in Mrs. cmfl3x too much, I’ve found that in general, non-gamers are drawn into epic, sweeping stories in games. Whether it be Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, or even something like Assassin’s Creed, sometimes non-gamers get wrapped up in video games as if they are a TV show. At worst, this results in less complaining when you are playing, at a medium level, that results in the non-gamer wanting to play the game themselves, and at best, it results in them telling you not to quit because they “want to see what happens”. Why is the non-gamer wanting to play the game themselves only a medium level? Because if they are playing you can’t! You knew that, of course.

Spiky hair and emo dialogue is often well received

The other nice thing about story based games is it gives you a common topic to discuss with your non-gaming spouse. “I still can’t believe Aerith died! That was so sad, I almost cried.” But like a great TV show, if a video game can give you something to talk about, that’s saying a lot. Sure, it’s trivial, but it can be a great positive for your relationship and can be a lot of fun. Not all story driven games will resonate with a non-gaming spouse, but when they do, it helps relieve the gamer/non-gamer tension. Here are some series that might be worth a shot:

Story Given Games that Might be Enjoyed by All
Final Fantasy Series
Metal Gear Solid Series
Assassin’s Creed Series
Mass Effect Series
Phoenix Wright Series
RPGs in General

“Pretty” Games
Ironically, I could care less about graphics. My wife, on the other hand, appreciates games with good aesthetics, and I think other non-gamers are the same way. That doesn’t mean that she likes cutting edge graphics, but she appreciates games that are pleasing to the eye. I think “pretty” games can be split up into a few different categories:

Cute Games
Throw anything made by Nintendo into this category. Games with cute graphics, fuzzy animals, etc. etc. have a large appeal for non-gamers. A lot of casual games have this cute aesthetic to them as well. Basically, any games that don’t have a hard edge to them or a lot of blood can be appealing. Back when we were dating, my wife borrowed my Gamecube and used to wake up at 7 AM to catch fish in Animal Crossing. I think half the reason she played that game was to buy funny hats and outfits for her character. True story.

Examples: Animal Crossing/Harvest Moon type games, anything made by Nintendo, Little Big Planet

Who doesn’t love Sackboy?

Games with a Strong Environment
If a game isn’t cute, it can still be appealing to a non-gamer, especially if the game’s environment is visually pleasing to the eye. These aren’t necessarily games that a non-gamer might want to try, but one that they won’t mind watching or seeing on the TV screen. Assassin’s Creed 2 is a perfect example of this, Italy is so faithfully recreated, it’s a pleasure to watch someone else play the game.

Examples: Anything with pretty backgrounds

Games with a Strong Art Style
Sometimes games have such a unique art style that they can’t help but catch the eye. Whether it’s Max Payne, No More Heroes, or even a game like Metroid Prime, games often rely on a unique art style that can appeal to non-gamers. The old-school Viewtiful Joe would qualify as well. This is the toughest type of game for me to make predictions on, since the art style that appeals to different people is so varied. But rest assured, if you find a game that your spouse likes the look of, you will get a lot more slack if you try to play that!

Final Thoughts
Next week I’ll be looking at some specific genres of games that generally appeal to non-gamers. In the meantime, hit up the comments with your answer to the following question: What games have your spouse/significant other/mom enjoyed watching you play, or wanted to try themselves? I’d love to get some fresh ideas!

Some of the already announced E3 2010 titles I’m looking forward to – can you guess what they are before the jump?

E3 2010 takes place this week starting tomorrow from June 15 through Thursday June 17, so there should be a lot of notable gaming news and announcements that we’ll be very excited to talk about. While most of the good stuff is probably under lockdown until E3 when they are announced, some publishers have already revealed their (partial) E3 2010 lineups. I’ve gone through and pulled out a few titles that I am definitely looking forward to hearing more info about in addition to any other crazy potential surprises!

The 3rd Birthday (PSP) – Square Enix
Surprisingly, there’s going to be a semi-sequel to the Parasite Eve series released on the PSP! I remember enjoying the first one on the PS1, so to go back to an action-RPG game with Aya Brea again sounds great. I just wish a Vagrant Story 2 would get announced…

X-COM (360/PS3/PC) – 2K
The X-Com series has a pretty loyal following on the PC and like another beloved PC series, Fallout, it’s getting a 3rd person-shooter style reboot in 2011. I never got a chance to play (and get hooked) on the original PC games, so I’m not as against the idea of this reboot as the more hardcore fans. After all, I thought Fallout 3 turned out pretty well! If X-Com ends up being as atmospheric as BioShock and Fallout 3, I’ll probably end up loving it.

Monster Tale (DS) – Majesco
Monster Tale comes from the lead developer and designer of Henry Hatsworth, the beloved action-adventure puzzle game from EA. What’s exciting about this title for fans of Henry Hatsworth (and classic NES games) is that Monster Tale will allow for raising a pet monster but have Castlevania/Metroid-style gameplay making it a potentially enjoyable game for gamers of all ages.

Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (360/PS3) – Capcom
I’m not a very good fighting game player at all and I’m ready to admit it. But even if Street Fighter IV kicks my butt, I’m still excited for Marvel vs Capcom 3. Something about seeing my favorite Capcom characters in a fighting game has my inner fanboy screaming out. Too bad most Capcom characters end up sucking eh? The newest reveal on the Capcom side is Dante, from Devil May Cry, which almost made me faint. What Capcom characters will be revealed next?!

Dead Space 2 (360/PS3/PC) – EA
Dead Space was one of my favorite new IPs in 2008, so I’m glad to see the survival horror game is getting a sequel. I even played Dead Space: Extraction on the Wii! I’m definitely a fan of the series and am interested to see where it will go next.

Metal Gear Solid: Rising (360/PS3/PC) – Konami
All of you probably know by now how much of a Metal Gear Solid fan I am. Last E3, Konami announced that they would be bringing Metal Gear to the 360 with Metal Gear Solid Rising, starring Raiden. After Metal Gear Solid 2, I didn’t really care for Raiden much at all, but he was kind of a badass in Metal Gear Solid 4 so I wouldn’t mind seeing what Rising is all about. Now if only Konami can provide us with more details at E3 2010…

The Last Guardian (PS3) – Sony
I never got a chance to play Team Ico’s first two games, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, but I’m definitely not going to miss out on their next title. What’s even more exciting for me is that there are rumors of an HD remake of both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus coming out for PS3, which will allow me to experience all three of Team Ico’s beloved games.

This is my short list of titles to expect for now – but who knows what the publishers reveal. Let’s see what happens!

This past weekend, my wife gave me the permission to buy the PSP Big Boss Bundle! Good thing too, since I had already secretly pre-ordered it last weekend (was worried they would stop the pre-orders too close to release date). Originally I thought I would hide it from her, but that’s no fun – I don’t want to play my PSP in secret…so I made some strong arguments: told her that my commute to and from work every day is basically an hour long on the subway, and I’ll probably be on this commute for the the rest of my working career and I need as much stuff as I can do on the train. Plus, Gamestop is having various trade-in deals (50% bonus trade-in credit on anything through the end of this week) so I was able to trade in some older 360 games I’m no longer playing to minimize the cost of my new PSP. That and she got a new job, so I was able to ride off her happiness by sneaking in a request for this purchase.

Now that I’m going to be a PSP owner tomorrow, I’ve sat down and put together a list of games I plan to pick up for it. And like the DS and its classic franchises: Advance Wars, Phoenix Wright, and Professor Layton, the PSP also some excellent titles. Read on to see what titles I am finding noteworthy enough to start tracking down…

I’ve sat down and combed through the PSP library, and decided that the games I’ve listed here are the first ones I want to pick up.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
No brainer, as it’s the game that comes included with my Big Boss bundle and the primary reason I’m purchasing the PSP. Originally titled Metal Gear Solid 5, it’s the real deal and it follows Naked Snake’s exploits after Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Unfortunately, part of me is annoyed that the game that comes with the system doesn’t even come in its own case – just a cardboard sleeve. Ghetto!

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
One of the sucky things about buying Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is that I can’t play it right away. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops was produced by Kojima, but not directed by him so he didn’t play much of a role in its storyline or game. But, it still takes place between Metal Gear Solid 3 and Metal Gear Solid 5, so I have to somehow find this game and play through it first before I can start on Peace Walker.

Metal Gear Ac!d 1 & 2
I think when these games came out, Metal Gear fans weren’t too pleased since these Metal Gear games were not action games, but instead some sort of card based game. I’m sort of a fan of card-based games (used to play Magic with my brother a lot when we were kids), so the combination of Metal Gear and card-based strategy gameplay seems to be up my alley.

Patapon 1 & 2
I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Patapon games – they seem to be some combination of rhythm and God game as you control an army of creatures to a beat. Very unique and I’m interested to see how the gameplay works.

DJ Max Fever
I never really thought about this game until after I read in several forums that this was a recommended game to get for new PSP owners. I looked into it, and it looks like it’s a Korean developed music game that is not unlike the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. The music seems techno-y, and you have to hit various PSP buttons in time with the beat of the game. And since the music is techno, the beat can get pretty fast!

Jeanne D’Arc
Level 5 used to be one of my favorite developers since they created the Dark Cloud games on the PS2. Then they moved onto Dragon Quest and I hadn’t really played any of their games since then as I’m not a huge fan of Dragon Quest. But Jeanne D’Arc is a turn-based strategy game, so I’m definitely keen on checking this one out.

PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe
PixelJunk Monsters is a tower defense game that released on PSN for the PS3. It’s pretty popular, but I didn’t buy it since I felt I would rather spend my PS3 time playing something more significant. But now that the complete version of PixelJunk Monsters is playable on the PSP for only $10, I have to pick it up.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
The original Final Fantasy Tactics on the PS1 is the best Final Fantasy Tactics ever. I still don’t understand why all of the newer Final Fantasy Tactics games are all kiddy and stuff. The FFT remake on the PSP actually has new enhancements like cutscenes and voicework. I would have been happy playing just the original game, since I haven’t played it in probably 12 years or so.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Seems like PSP is home to various Japanese role playing games, and most notably, it has some Final Fantasy games that no other system does. Crisis Core is more of an action game though, but supposedly it’s pretty good so I might as well give it a shot.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Surprisingly, Dissidia: Final Fantasy looks to be a 1v1 fighting game with some RPG elements. The last Square-Enix fighting game I’ve probably played is Tobal #1 on the PS1, and with Dissidia allowing you to play as various characters from the Final Fantasy universe like FFIV’s Cecil, FFVI’s Kefka, FFVII’s Sephiroth, and FFX’s Tidus definitely has me intrigued.

Half-Minute Hero
I loved the WarioWare games – especially the ones that were video-game based. In those mini-games, you were given something like 5-10 seconds to do a classic videogame task in Zelda or Metroid. Half-Minute Hero takes that same type of gameplay, but gives you 30 seconds to play all sorts of traditional Japanese RPG related tasks, taking the monotony of grinding out of the game but still managing to keep the fun.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
I’ve saved the biggest for last – Monster Hunter is probably the main reason why the PSP is succeeding in Japan, but nowhere else in the world. Something about Monster Hunter keeps the Japanese playing their PSPs like crazy, and since I’ve never played a Monster Hunter game before, might as well see what the fuss is all about. Supposedly people say this game has hundreds of hours of gameplay, and it seems almost like an MMORPG so that could have me busy on the subway for a long time to come.

In any case, this concludes my initial PSP “must buy” list for now as I try to figure out ways to find these games complete and not with the red Greatest Hits labels. If you have any other game suggestions, please feel free to share. Otherwise, stay tuned for Friday when I will share my initial impressions of my new PSP-3000 and eventually later some reviews for these games as well!

The Japanese have silly arcade games like this one, that revolves around flipping over a table in anger.

The next gaming related entry that I can share from my Japan trip is how the arcades are fairing. Unlike America, Japan still has a relatively large number of arcades. It’s not uncommon to find a major arcade center in any large shopping district. I poked my head into every single one I came across during my two weeks in Japan and for today I will provide my observations on what the Japanese are currently playing in arcades.

Japanese Arcade Centers
A typical Japanese arcade is spread out across several floors and not some small little room like I’m used to seeing in America. The floors are usually separated by genre: ground floor is often the UFO catcher games and girl friendly arcade games (music type games, etc.) The other floors tend to be car racing games, fighting games, baseball games, and card-based games. Some arcades also have pachinko and slots in them, but often times pachinko and slot centers are full on complexes of their own. But if an arcade also had pachinko and slots, one or two floors would be devoted to them and there would also be a horse-racing arcade game that players could bet on.

Fighting Games
Practically every popular fighting game ever released is of Japanese origin, save for maybe Mortal Kombat. What did I see in Japanese arcades? Street Fighter IV, Tekken 6, Virtua Fighter 5 R. Pretty recent and big fighting series right? However, no one was ever playing them. These arcade cabinets were set up in arcades with the works – several of the cabinets were networked, and there seemed to be a large hanging LCD screen that provided updates for the particular games. It looked pretty cool and competitive! So why wasn’t anyone playing them?

Instead, I see players on older fighting games: Guilty Gear, Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, and even the original Street Fighter II games. Why were the Japanese playing much older fighting games when the newer stuff was out? Maybe they were cheaper? Easier to pick up and play? I have no idea.

Sega’s Border Break seemed to be the “in” mech arcade game I saw at several arcades.

Mech Games
If it’s anything that the Japanese love that Americans aren’t as into, it’s mech-based games. These games look far too complicated for me, but the Japanese eat those twin stick flying around mech games up. I had never heard of any of the mech games these guys were playing, but one of the more popular and recent releases that seemed to be getting the most attention was a mech game called Border Break by Sega. It was a 4-player networked setup, and it looked sort of like something you could play on the PC or console so I’m not quite sure what the big deal was. Maybe as an American gamer that grew up PC online gaming since Quake 1, I couldn’t understand the fuss.

Card-based arcade games, such as Lord of Vermilion seem to be quite popular in Japan

One of the more popular card-based games was Square Enix’s Lord of Vermilion II. Lord of Vermilion II looked pretty interesting, and I’m actually hoping that it comes out for the PS3 at some point and makes use of the EyeToy as rumored. It looks like some sort of action-RPG game, but honestly, even after watching the game for several minutes, I could not understand what the heck was going on. Still, the sequel is pretty cool since cards you can potentially get  come from Final Fantasy IV characters, Romancing Saga 2 characters, and Magic: the Gathering. I guess this is what happens when Magic finds its way into arcade games.

The other card-based game that was popular was Sega’s Sangokushi Taisen 3. The game’s graphics engines paled in comparison to Lord of Vermilion II, but nonetheless, the Japanese were constantly playing it. The game is based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and looks very similar to Kessen. I had no idea that a military army game could be played in the arcades, and on top of that be card based. It’s actually a game I would consider trying out if it was in English. (I’m a big fan of strategy games like Romance of the Three Kingdoms and really wish a new one would come out for the current generation.)

Project Diva Arcade looked like Elite Beat Agents with Playstation icons.

Music Games
Finally, the last thing I want to mention about Japanese arcades are the music games – well, one game in particular. When my wife and I were strolling through Akihabara (Tokyo’s “otaku” haven) on a Friday night, we noticed a line wrapping around a block to play an arcade game. The game was Project Diva Arcade, and I think it’s not scheduled to be released in Japan until July this year so perhaps that explained the line. I did find it comical to see a long line of otakus waiting to play a music game that didn’t even look like it was worth waiting over half an hour to play. I think the Japanese are in love with some virtual idol that looks like a little girl for this game, and maybe that’s why the play it? In any case, it looked like musical notes flying around and you just had to hit one of the big buttons at the right time.

I love my wife. I especially appreciate her patience with me when I’m playing video games, a habit she’s not fond of, but one that she accepts nonetheless. We’ve come to a balance, I limit the time I spend gaming while she limits her grousing about the matter. As anyone who is married knows, there come those rare times when you get the house to yourself and you need to make the most of it. So, here is cmfl3x’s Aging Gamer’s Guide to a Night Without the Mrs. (or Mr.), designed for maximum enjoyment!

Part I: Pregame

The pregame is all about setting up your night of freedom for success. That means you need to line up all of your ducks in a row BEFORE it rolls around. The more work you put in beforehand, the better payoff you get later. Here’s what I generally do the night before my “night without”.

1. Fast

The first thing I do is usually take a night off from games. Since I know I’m going to binge the next day, no need to risk annoying the wife by playing a bunch the night before. I like to fly in under the radar.

2. Do a Good Deed

Nothing like doing a chore to keep the wife happy. The night before is all about building positive karma! Fold the laundry, wash the dishes, wash EXTRA dishes, cook dinner, make the bed, make the bed with REAL effort, vacuum, whatever. This is stuff you should probably be doing anyway, but as we all know, it’s a nice surprise when husbands actually do something above and beyond their usual chore list.

3. Plan with Gaming Friends

If you are planning to use your night off to game, might as well try to make it a party. Hit up your online friends to see if they’ll be free and set up a time to play. This gets harder and harder as life goes on, marriage, kids, etc., so setting up a time to play is key. That way you can maximize your enjoyment!

4. Take Care of Business

Do you have stuff you need to do for your real job? Errands you need to run? Other important things? If you get them out of the way the night before, your “night without” will be free from other responsibilities!

5. Be Sad

Important! Make sure your wife/spouse/SO knows you will miss her dearly when she is gone. For starters, it’s important that this actually be true. Wives are more important than video games! Make sure she knows it. Video games are filling the void that will be left behind with her gone…sniff sniff. (But really, that should be the truth).

GAMETIME

Once you are done setting things up, you’ve gotta make a gameplan for your actual night. The actual night without is what I like to call GAMETIME. Here’s how my typical game plan looks.

6. Order Out

The night without isn’t only a great time to play video games, it’s also a great time to eat all the crap that you don’t get to eat due to the existence of vegetables in this crazy, mixed up world. So treat yourself to something you don’t normally get to eat, for me, it’s usually pizza and garlic bread. Yum.

7. Eat Yummy Food

Once I get my food, I like to catch up on shows that have backed up on my DVR while enjoying my feast. My wife not only dislikes video games, she also has very little love for glowing rectangles in general. So it works best for the both of us if I watch as much TV as possible when she’s gone. I love chowing down on my pizza while watching Project Runway in peace and quiet. Errr…I mean Top Chef……..err….I mean America’s Next Top Model…………………..errr…..Glee?

8. Take Care of Business

If you have any out standing work or chores to do, take care of these things FIRST. Then you can devote all the time you want to video games, your REAL priority!

9. Fire Up the Game of Your Choice!

YAY! Fire it up! Message all your friends! Frag till your eyeballs fall out! My wife likes to openly mock me while I am playing video games, so when I get to game alone, it’s like I’m free from heckling. That means my Xbox gets my A game. Ohhhhh yeaaaaahhhhh.

10. Strategic Shutdown

I like to make sure I know when Mrs. cmfl3x is coming home. That way I can switch to a single player game about a half hour before, and then as soon as I hear the key in the door? Boom, power down, Xbox off, and if you set it up correctly, you are lying on the couch peacefully reading a book when your wife walks in the door. Although that usually leads to this exchange:

Mrs. cmfl3x – “Why are you sweating so much reading that book??”

cmfl3x – “Ummm…uhhh….errr….it’s really intense. I can’t believe Mr. Darcy is so prideful AND prejudiced! For shame……FOR SHAME!”

Mrs. cmfl3x – “………”

The Postgame

After the wife gets home, it’s important to remember, once again, that video games are not that important in the reality of things. The postgame is the most important part of the night without, because it not only ensures future nights without, but also reminds you of why you are married in the first place.

11. How Was Your Day?

This should happen every single day of your marriage, really, but especially on your night without. Ask your wife how her night went, whether she had fun, how the rest of her day was, etc. Don’t forget to actually listen and ask clarifying questions. Practice your skills as an active listener.

12. Play it Cool

Mrs. cmfl3x – “So what’d you do tonight? Anything fun?”

cmfl3x – “Oh not too much. Took it easy. Relaxed. Played a little bit of video games.” (LIKE FIVE HOURS STRAIGHT AHAHAHAHAHAHA)………shhh……

13. Tell Her You Missed Her

The key to this step is for it to be TRUE. I mean not like “awww I was dying without you my life is so empty with one night away because I’m patheticcccc”, but it should be true at some level. If it’s not…then reexamine your priorities.

14. Offer a Glass of Your Wife’s Preferred Beverage

Tea, coffee, water, vodka…whatever. Remind your wife that you are there to take care of her needs, not your own. Obviously it doesn’t have to be offering her a drink, it depends on whatever works best for her.

15. Remember.

The most important part of the entire night without. As you lie awake later that night, staring at the ceiling, glorying in your ultra combo finishes or your 22/4 k/d or your perfectly executed Roach rush, take some time to remind yourself why you married such a wonderful woman in the first place. Sure, it’s fun to game until your eyeballs bleed, to get your blood pressure up to unsafe levels, to eat so much that you feel a little sick, to shout so much into your headset that you are hoarse.

But in the end, you remember that you got married so that this would not be your life. Without your beautiful wife/spouse/SO, you probably would be passed out with your head in a pizza box and your Xbox controller floating in a mug of beer. Your only friends would be your online friends and people you chat with on Lost forums. Your life expectancy would be under 40, what with all the plaque building up in your arteries. Our wives are the people who make us mature, who make us better people not only because they demand it of us, but also because they are worth it. Give your wife a hug as she lies there peacefully, and give thanks for your night without. And then give thanks that every other night is a night with.

I’m a very practical person, but I have to say that my weakness is buying games. Anything else I will easily wait for an amazing deal on before I buy it – food, electronics, tickets, etc. Yet with video games, something just sort of takes a hold of me and in several cases, I must get the game asap and I’ll pay the full retail price. I don’t know if I pay retail price on anything else in life!

After I bought my PS3 and had to go through that whole month+ long wait to finally get it, I have been self reflecting as of late on that wait and the amount of time I’ve played the system since I got it. Could I have waited longer to buy it? Sure. But now I’m going through the same mental anguish with the upcoming PSP Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker bundle. Will my “One Month Test” help guide my potential purchase?

Origin of The Test
I’m not sure if any of you have the same impulsiveness that I do when it comes to buying stuff, but my PS3 purchase allowed me to be of sound judgment when I eventually bought it. After placing my order for the PS3 with Dell, I was informed that I would not receive the system until the following month. During that month long wait, I was able to cancel my order at any time. There were times that I came close to canceling, mostly because I was considering buying it elsewhere (i.e. Amazon had it in stock a couple weeks before Dell shipped my my console), but there was still no question that I wanted to acquire the system. The PS3 Slim had been out since last year, and that had given me enough time to see it in action and make a cool, calculated decision. The month was only used to allow me to reaffirm my desire to purchase the system.

While I agonized over the wait, I liked that I had many days to really think if it was worth having. Even if I haven’t played my PS3 much since I got it (probably evident since I haven’t posted much on it as of late), I haven’t regretted my purchase at all. It’s definitely worth having. LittleBigPlanet is a lot of fun, and I’m using it now for my main media player. I know that once I get through Mass Effect 2, I can probably make my way through the God of War trilogy and some older PS3 games. This made me think if a one month test of this sort can be applied to all my gaming purchases.

Applying the Test to Game Purchases
I remember when games like Army of Two: The 40th Day and Dante’s Inferno came out earlier this year, I got sucked into the hype and wanted to get them when they released. Good thing I waited, because weeks afterward, I completely forgot about them and just moved on. I eventually bought each game for like $20 – but even at $20 a piece, I still wondered if I should pick them up. After all, the marketing and hype for the games had long passed and I was startled to discover how much I was influenced by the media and gaming industry to get the game right away.

Games like BioShock 2 and Final Fantasy XIII I did buy on release day, but then only last month, you could have bought either game for like $25-$30 new. Did I really need them at launch? In retrospect now, I would say no. (I would probably even go so far as to say that no game needs to be bought at launch price if it doesn’t have a strong multiplayer that will keep you coming back.) I held off on buying Mass Effect 2 at launch, and bought it maybe about a month after it released and got a great deal on that. I’m enjoying and loving the game now.

Games like Alan Wake, Lost Planet 2, Red Dead Redemption, whatever – they all have pretty big marketing pushes, which in the past would have definitely had me considering getting them at launch. But no longer. These games are now going through my one month test to see if I still even want them after a month post-release. If I don’t want them, I can just move on, and if I do, I’m sure they’re be a lot cheaper then.

With the success of the mediocre Dante’s Inferno being a result of heavy marketing, it has really made me wonder how much of a game’s sales is attributed to marketing and how much it is due to it simply being an excellent game. The one month test allows us to help distinguish that hazy line. I also believe that marketing and hype affect game reviews as well. (Even now, Japan’s most popular gaming magazine, Famitsu, is going through some negative light because it awarded Peace Walker a perfect score but also played a hand in advertising the game.)

Of course, there are games that one feels is definitely worth picking up right away and forgoing the test. I’ve talked very often about games like Super Street Fighter IV and Starcraft 2 being worth more than their launch prices for me, so those were day 1 purchases. I guess the trick is to determine which games are worth applying the test to. “Do I want to play this game one month later? Or do I have to play it now for some unexplainable reason? If it’s not explainable, perhaps the decision is more impulsive than calculated.

Applying the Test to The PSP: Peace Walker Big Boss Bundle
The PS3 Slim was an easy purchase. Besides Starcraft 2 and maybe Halo: Reach, I don’t plan on buying any more games this year at launch.Yet with the PSP Big Boss Bundle, there’s a little bit of a wrench thrown into the mix: there’s only a limited number of this bundle. Of course, thinking back to games like Halo 3′s and Modern Warfare 2′s limited $150 some bundles, those things didn’t really sell out at launch at all. Whereas the limited edition bundles for Blizzard’s games have generally all sold out. The question is which direction will the PSP Big Boss bundle head: overstock or sell out? The fear of missing out on the bundle is what is haunting me.

Yet the rational side of me knows that the one month test would work in this case. If I just wait one month after the Peace Walker Big Boss bundle releases and I ask myself then if I still want it, I may change my mind and no longer care for it. Or, it may even be cheaper. Or the worst case: it may be sold out, but I’m sure I can live without it and keep the $200 for something else. So yes…it works if I am willing to risk not being able to get it.

The Usefulness of the Test
I think for anyone that is prone to impulsive purchases with anything (and not just games like in my case), it’s good to consider setting yourself on a 1-month waiting period. This allows you to make the decision to purchase the item without all of the crazy hype and marketing polluting and influencing your thoughts, and on top of that, you’ll most likely be able to get a significant discount on the item. Having said that, I’m still afraid that the Big Boss Bundle is going to sell out, so I’m not quite ready to apply the one month test for that yet. We’ll see what happens…!

What is left to say? At this site that caters to older gamers, Starcraft is the cat’s pajamas. After running through the Sun-Tzu (RTS) Region with a couple of scares, and after barely beating Bioshock to make it to the finals, Starcraft won the championship by a score of 60-40. Perhaps this is fitting, considering Starcraft’s sequel is (finally) being released this year. And maybe if games hadn’t been going head to head with one another, Starcraft might not have ended up on top. As it is, Starcraft endured all five of its matchups and is Leveling Down’s 2010 Video Game March Madness champion! After the break, some final thoughts about the tournament and a look forward to next year.

The Old School Rules
Looking at the bracket, a lot of old school games managed to come out on top of newer versions. Is that a reflection of the site, is it the power of nostalgia, or were those older games just more impressive during their time? It’s probably a combination of all of these factors. Objectively, the gameplay in Halo 3 is worlds better than Goldeneye, but maybe Goldeneye won out because it was so revolutionary for its time. But it definitely seemed like some of the older games had a strong showing. Look no further than the fact that 2 of the Final Four were from the 90s!

Metacritic has some issues
I’m still shocked that Starcraft ended up being a 3 seed due to Metacritic. But it’s funny looking at the Metacritic scores of some of these games – they really set up some difficult matchups. Halo 3 vs. Modern Warfare 2 in the first round? Either one of those games could have had a huge run, but they are only the 4th and 5th best games according to Metacritic. I can see why people hate Metacritic – can you really sum up the quality of a game in a number? Unless you are talking about numbers of hours played, I’m not sure (and maybe not even then). Regardless, it was the most objective way to seed these games, but I’m sure we’ll look at it again next year to see if there is a better seeding strategy.

It’s tough to determine a field of games
This is just a personal one for me, but obviously Rock Band 2 was the biggest omission, but there are some other notable ones. Tetris? Mass Effect Series? Assassin’s Creed Series? Super Mario Bros. 3? Some Sonic representative? I’m sure there are others I’m forgetting even now. Left 4 Dead! Half Life 2! You get the idea. Anyway, we hope to expand the field to a full 64 next year, and will definitely have something in place to capture all of your nominations. And who knows what games will come out in 2010-11 that will be worthy of the list?

Thank You For Your Support!
Our first video game tournament was a lot of fun this year, but we couldn’t have done it without all of you readers. Thank you for your continued support – whether it was the voting, the comments, the trash-talking, etc. We will be back again next March with a bigger and badder bracket, and we shall see if Starcraft still holds on in Leveling Down’s 2011 Video Game March Madness tournament!

Final Four Results

(3) Starcraft defeats (1) BioShock (50-50, tiebreak)
Starcraft isn’t as powerful as it used to be I guess. I thought this would be a walk, but BioShock continued to prove its popularity and this poll came down to a dead tie. Unfortunately for Andrew Ryan, registered users voted for Starcraft at a 2:1 ratio, so Starcraft took the matchup via tiebreaker. Even though Starcraft emerged from the RTS region, I think it should be noted that Starcraft had an excellent story in its own right, and I think could have stood toe to toe with (though probably not beaten) BioShock on that merit alone. Add in the gameplay, and Starcraft is a worthy participant in the championship game.

(8) Rock Band 2 defeats (3) Goldeneye (50-50, tiebreak)
Another tiebreaker, but this one went to Rock Band 2 in a 5:1 ratio of registered users voting. Rock Band 2 has been on quite a ride – I still can’t believe I forgot to include it in the original group. But hey, power of the people! It looks like people enjoy sitting on their couches with plastic instruments as opposed to sitting with N64 controllers in their hands. I was hoping to see a Starcraft/Goldeneye old school matchup in the finals, but it looks like it wasn’t meant to be.

Championship Analysis and Prediction

Starcraft: The Old School Favorite

Who it beat to get here:

Round 1: Halo Wars (61-39)
Sweet 16: Final Fantasy Tactics (58-42)
Elite 8: Civilization IV (55-45)
Final Four: Bioshock (50-50, tiebreak)

What does Starcraft have going for it? It’s only the defining real time strategy game. It defeated the best console RTS out there, the best tactical RPG out there, and the best turn based strategy game out there. Starcraft introduced 3 races and remains to this day one of the most balanced real time strategy games out there. Starcraft is my favorite for the championship and I’m pulling for it to win! How can you turn down Tassadar?

Rock Band 2: The Crowd Pleaser

Who it beat to get here:

Round 1: Super Mario 64 (52-48)
Sweet 16: NHL 94′ (71-29)
Elite 8: Street Fighter IV (58-42)
Final Four: Goldeneye (50-50, tiebreak)

Rock Band 2 is truly the people’s choice. Even non-gamers know what Rock Band 2 is, and I’m sure many have played it as well. It is the ultimate party game, especially for people who love music (and really who doesn’t?) Its enjoyable gameplay, party play, and of course, the ability to pretend you are a real rocker have propelled Rock Band 2 to the championship game. Will it be enough? Will millions of fans beat out millions of zerglings? It is up to you, the Leveling Down reader, to decide. VOTE!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

With only a few games left in the running, cmfl3x and I have decided to combine the results discussion from Round 3 along with the starting the polling for Round 4.

Round 4 polls will close Monday, April 5th, at 6pm EST. cmfl3x will announce the two games moving into the Finals and open the voting on Tuesday. Hit the jump to see some commentary on the results and to vote for the Final Four…

Hollywood Region – Round 3 Results

(1) BioShock defeats (3) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic [82-18]
I was actually surprised how much of a trouncing Star Wars got when it went up against BioShock, as it was able to squeak past Metal Gear Solid. Would Metal Gear Solid have also gotten destroyed by BioShock, the game that Leveling Down considers perhaps the best storyline in all of gaming? Talk about crazy. I voted for BioShock myself, as it was a gaming experience with a storyline and premise that still stands at the top today. The world of Rapture, its memorable characters, and the unforgettable plot twist helped BioShock easily make its way to the top in our Hollywood Region. I fell asleep a few times playing Knights of the Old Republic, but I did rebuy it on Steam recently and plan to make my way through it at some point because it does have its fair share of fans. I need to go back and see what I missed.

M16 Region – Round 3 Results

(3) GoldenEye 007 defeats (4) Halo 3 [58-42]
Is this an upset?! To me it was, even if GoldenEye ranked slightly higher than Halo 3 in the ratings. The score wasn’t that close – which means for us Leveling Down members, we are an older crowd that appreciated what GoldenEye did for shooters more so than what Halo 3 did. This is quite a shock for me, because we’re talking about a game that is two generations back that is going to make it into the Final Four. And unlike Starcraft, GoldenEye isn’t a game that quite stands the test of time (as eeyore has pointed out). Still, I voted for it, as I have never really loved Halo multiplayer, but I guess I’m not alone in this.

Sun-Tzu Region – Round 3 Results

(3) Starcraft defeats (1) Civilization IV [55-45]
Of the four matchups for the Elite 8, this was the only one that I was nearly certain Starcraft would win. Yet as I checked the polls over the last two days, the voting was pretty neck and neck. “Who are these people that are voting for Civilization IV?” I thought to myself. Well, in Civilization IV’s defense, its sequel is around the corner as well, so there are fans in both camps. It’s all about real time strategy versus turn based strategy. But, as the dust falls, we see that Leveling Down readers prefer a little more action mixed in with their strategy, and have gone the real-time route. Starcraft was almost defeated by Halo Wars in the first round, and almost defeated by Civilization IV in the third round, but in my head, it’s probably the #1 seed in this entire tourney.

(8) Rock Band 2 defeats (2) Street Fighter IV [58-42]
This is more of an upset in a technical way, as Rock Band 2 was not even among the initial list of games that cmfl3x considered for the Hodj Podj region. It went up against tough competition: Street Fighter IV is arguably the best Street Fighter game out there, and on top of that, Super Street Fighter IV releases this month. Still, there are many music game fans on our site, and the vote for Rock Band 2 is probably not so much a vote for the game as much as it is for the developer, Harmonix, and what they’ve done for music gaming. They brought Guitar Hero to us. They brought Rock Band to us. And while I personally feel they’ve kind of sold out, for anyone that enjoys musical gaming today, you still have to give Harmonix props.

espion4ge’s Forecast, West Region
Now it’s getting even tougher as we pit the champion of one region against another to see which game Leveling Down believes to be the better game. BioShock and its wonderful storyline goes up against Starcraft, the real-time strategy game that is treated like a sport in Korea with sponsors, “athletes”, and several television channels. With its near infinite replayability and sequel on the horizon, I would expect Starcraft to win by a longshot, but it didn’t have an easy victory against Civilization IV, and the majority of our readers are 360 owners so anything is possible!

espion4ge’s Forecast, East Region
What a strange East Region Finals matchup: GoldenEye against Rock Band 2 – I will dub this the couch multiplayer battle. Memories of us as kids playing GoldenEye on our couches with friends or playing plastic instruments with our friends – which one did we enjoy more? I’m actually having a tough time voting the winner of this one as well. GoldenEye and Rock Band 2 both surprised me with their respective Elite 8 victories, so this time we have two underdogs trying to move into the finals, where I have a feeling Starcraft will await. Can either of these two games defeat Starcraft? GoldenEye had a strong victory over Halo 3, while Rock Band 2 narrowly made it past Street Fighter IV. I actually have no idea which way this matchup will go. It’s too close to call! But either way, I will be happy for either game that moves onto the finals.

Now it’s up to you guys to decide:

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