Love is in the air today whether you like it or not. The resident Love Doctors at 2old2play thought we would help out the community with some suggestions on how to add some gaming into your day of romance.
Couples that game together, stay together. Thus, we present our top list of games to play with your sweetie, in no particular order.
ErinAS Recommends: Tales of Monkey Island
While technically not a multi-player game I’ve been playing point and click adventures in teams since I was a kid with my dad and sister. I was super excited when Telltale Games resurrected my favorite franchise ever with Tales of Monkey Island. It’s a great game to play together with my husband as it’s nice to have the other person spot items you may be missing or combine your ideas for solving puzzles. At times the games are almost as much fun as sitting down and watching a movie together as you get to experience the terrible puns and swashbuckling together as the story progresses.
Anotherdae Recommends: Pixeljunk Monsters
Couch time can be quality time if you’re working together. The wife and I like to team up in Pixeljunk Monsters every now and then. Pixeljunk Monsters (Dec 2007) is a sweet tower defense game with simple graphics done in Pixeljunk’s trademark style. Gameplay doesn’t stray too far from the standards of most tower defense games; build your defensive towers and hope you place them effectively to ward off the waves of incoming attackers. Some towers are better suited for ground attackers while others are more specialized for flying attackers. Protecting the base is the goal. The base contains twenty or so helpless creatures that will be killed off should you let the attackers through.
While beating each others score is fun, hoping for a perfect score “rainbow” is the ultimate goal. The true teamwork happens when you learn from each others attempts or try local co-op allowing you to both to build towers. Sharing the tower building funds and not stepping on each others toes is key. Scoring a perfect rainbow together is cause for celebration.
ElektraFi Recommends: Portal 2
The co-op mode of Portal 2 is a true test of any relationship. In Portal 2 you take control of the robots, ATLAS and P-body, often referred to as Blue and Orange, and have to figure out how to escape different test chambers of increasing difficulty. Not only do you have to solve puzzles together, but you need to coordinate the timing of may intricate jumps and maneuvers. If you’re looking to challenge your love this Valentine’s day and see how well you can work together, then this game is for you. You will need a lot of patience and clear communication though. You can also enjoy taunting GLaDOS, the main antagonist of the game, together with one of the many character gestures included in the game. Gestures are small animations you can trigger during co-op gameplay and use as taunts or just for fun. One such favorite for those moments of overwhelming frustration with your co-op partner is one where you can pull your loved one’s head off. So satisfying!
If you’re looking for a calm, low stress evening with nothing but relaxation and “smooches” then you should probably avoid playing this game. Although, you could try consuming copious amounts of alcohol together. In that case, you could get drunk, have a fight, and then “make-up” later in the evening. Portal 2 is available for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. You should be able to find a new copy of the game for around $30 and a used copy for around $25. If you already have the game, don’t forget about the free DLC called "Peer Review" that came out last October.
Pulsaris Recommends: You Don’t Know Jack!
For those couples that like trivia games, You Don’t Know Jack! is a great one to play together. It’s a trivia game that uses comedy throughout, so there are plenty of moments to laugh. If you get a question wrong, be prepared for the “host” to make fun of your answer and your loved one to take joy in your lack of knowledge. Throughout the game, it does mix it up from the usual multiple choice from time to time. Let’s not forget that in this game, you can also get “screwed”. To clarify for those of you with a dirty mind, prior to the game each contestant is given a screw. If there’s a question you don’t think the other knows the answer to, you can “screw” them and force them to answer the question. However, if they get it right, you get “screwed” and lose points while they gain points. While the credits are rolling, definitely stick around and listen to their mock commercials.
frizzlefry2 Recommends: Rock Band 3
Tired of the same old routine on Valentines Day? Flowers? Meh, they wither and die. Edible Arrangements? They look good and taste even better but can sometimes cost as much as a new game. If you really want to take your relationship into overdrive this Valentines Day, grab the mic, the axe, the kit and the keyboard and unleash your inner Rock Star! Let your mood dictate your night. Feeling like androgynous space freaks? A little dab of David Bowie’s Space Oddity will do you. Feel like starring in a rock opera? Indulge yourselves in Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Feel like rebelling against societal norms? Belt out the seminal Ramones punk classic I Wanna Be Sedated. Try dressing in matching bad ass black leather jackets and ripped up jeans for added effect!
Rock Band 3, winner of the “Best Social/Casual Game” at E3 in 2010, is an excellent introduction to gaming. It is the first game the missus and I played together. The game includes a neat little feature called “overdrive.” Overdrive doubles the points the band is earning. Players may also use overdrive to save band-mates who were dropped from the band for playing poorly.. It saved the missus many times as she was learning to play the game. She’s now a Rock Goddess and regularly posts scores higher than mine. Harmonix released a seven song DLC for Valentines Day 2011 titled “Heartache Duets Pack.” The pack featured several Valentine’s Day classics including Meatloaf’s Paradise by the Dashboard Lights, Animotion’s Obsession and The Human League’s Don’t You Want Me. Nothing screams love like shared vocals! Valentines Day 2012 features the release of the “Gold Star My Heart Pack.” The pack includes Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up, Heart’s Alone, Poison’s Every Rose Has Its Thorn and Mr. Big’s To Be With You. What girl can resist a perfect pitched rendition of a Rick Astley classic? If you really want to impress her nail the dance too! This Valentine’s Day forget the movie, the dinner and the flowers. Stay home and unleash your inner Rock Star!
ErinAS Also Recommends: A Trip to an Arcade
I may be in the minority here but I do find arcade trips romantic and it’s great that we are spoiled with many to choose from in the New England area. Last year on my wedding anniversary we hit up the Pinball Wizard arcade in Pelham, NH http://www.pinballwizardarcade.com/. The year before that we planned a New Hampshire trip around going up to Fun Spot http://www.funspotnh.com/. Arcades are a great way to relive your childhood and get in some old skool co-op or competitive gaming. You’ll have a great opportunity to show off your mastery of old skool games like Donkey Kong (at Fun Spot you can play the actual cabinet featured in the movie King of Kong) or walk each other through some of your favorite games from childhood. You can even take a break from games of the video persuasion and see if you can win that special someone a cheesy stuffed prize.
We hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day! Comments? You can post them on ElektraFi's Blog.
