Gateway games

[LancashireLad87]

Gateway Games

 

First and foremost, what is a gateway game? A gateway game is defined as a game to 'dip your toes' into a genre your not experienced or familiar with as throwing yourself into the deep end before you know how to swim is a risky proposition! Since you're scratching the surface in terms of what the genre has to offer, these games are traditionally very easy to complete with little to no prior experience.

 

Despite how simple in nature these titles are, don't get it twisted these are not bad games by any means, they're simply to get you started in either a genre you're hoping to dive into or get more prominent with. Naturally I'm not familiar with every genre therefore this thread is open to the community to voice their game recommendations. After completing a gateway game, perhaps your interest within the genre has deepened and you wish to try something a bit more complex, don't worry we will cover these for each console generation.

   

Now you know what a gateway game is, lets get onto the recommendations!

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~ Fighting ~

 

 

Not all fighting games require godlike reactions and execution!

 

- Fighting Game Terminology 101 -

 

If you're fresh off the boat and have no experience within the genre it can be like learning another language when it comes to common terminology that's spread all over the internet. Don't worry we've got you covered. There are well lets just say more than a few terms you'll encounter online so lets explain with a few examples!

 

Example 1: Numbered Notation - Hearing inputs like 214C and 63214, sounds like your speaking in code. Numbered notation is generally used by PC players but after searching through the forums a lot of trophy users explain strategies in this manner which is jarring to say the least, even more so to a complete beginner. Essentially, your directional inputs are changed for the 3x3 numbered grid found on a laptop/computer. 5 would be 'neutral' which means standing still, 6 is forward, 2 is down, 8 is up and 4 is back. 214 would be down, down back, back.

 

Example 2: Shapes - You may hear the vast majority of players referring to things like quarter circle this, half circle that, 360, 720 or 1080 but what do these mean? Well a Quarter Circle motion is the exact same thing as a 214 or 236 motion. 214 is referred to as a Quarter Circle Back whilst 236 is Quarter Circle Forward. 360 is a full circle, 720 is 2 full circles and 1080 is 3 full circles.

 

Shoryuken - 623/Right, Down, Down Forward

QCB - 214/Down, Down Back, Back

QCF - 236/Down, Down Forward, Forward

HCB - 63214/Right, Down Forward, Down, Down Back, Back

HCF - 41236/ Back, Down Back, Down, Down Forward, Forward

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2D Fighter (PS3) - Phantom Breaker Extra (Metacritic Unknown) which has a simplified special move system, easy single player & only about about 50 matches for the online (will have to be boosted). This is a Japanese exclusive therefore you'll most likely need to import it unless your from Japan that is! If you feel like you need an extra layer of challenge then you can give BlazBlue Calamity Trigger (87 Metacritic) a shot.

 

3D Fighter (PS3) - The easiest 100% for a newcomer to dive head first down the rabbit hole is Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue (TTT2P). For a complete beginner who has no prior experience, you can expect a very simple and straight-forward experience that will take you at most a few hours to finish providing you have a second controller. If you wish to further your proficiency within the genre I'd recommend Tekken Hybrid (65 Metacritic) or Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (77 Metacritic). In Hybrid there are more difficult trophies that requires more for lack of a better word skill but nothing crazy hard.

 

2D Fighter (PS4) - BlazBlue Cross Tag battle (76 Metacritic) & Tekken 7 (82 Metacritic): Both of these games are slightly more challenging than TTT2P, both of these games require little to no execution or knowledge to complete. Please note both of these titles have online requirements which are boost-able! You should expect to these games to take around 8-12 hours to complete. Should you wish to deep further into the genre without going too crazy, I'd recommend Under Night In-Birth Exe Late St (78 Metacritic) or Under Night In-Birth Exe Late Cl-r (80 Metacritic) which is slightly more challenging because of the games in-depth tutorial and of course completing a small amount of combo challenges which many players loathe.

 

Alternatively you can play Fighting EX Layer (73 Metacritic) which as Copanele has stated is not overly challenging by any means. What's interesting about this game is that it has 2 gameplay modes: Classic (same as Street Fighter) and Progressive Mode. Progressive mode simplifies all the controls, aka instead of doing a quarter circle punch (QCF/236/Down, Down Forward, Forward) for a fireball, you just press forward punch. I found it to be super intuitive and newcomer friendly. Also the Gougi system is super fun, where you get some passive buffs if you accomplish various achievements during the fight (such as blocking 10 attacks giving you extra special meter).

 

You could also choose either of the following titles; Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel (70 Metacritic), Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax Ignition (Metacritic Unknown), Million Arthur Arcana Blood (Metacritic Unknown). All of these titles can be completed within a relatively short period of time without any prior experience within the genre.

 

The next step up from this would be something like GranBlue Fantasy Versus (Metacritic Unknown).

 

3D Fighter (PS4) - Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (74 Metacritic): I'm yet to play DOA5 LR but I can wholeheartedly say that both of these iterations will be FAR easier than vanilla DOA5.

 

2D Fighter (PS5) -

 

3D Fighter (PS5) - 

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~ Hack & Slash ~

 

 

Don't worry, not every hack and slasher is as hard as Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden!

 

PS3 - The God of War series is not only one of Sony's flagship IP's but the story telling, combat, voice acting and environments are stellar! Although there not the easiest hack and slash games out there, the PSP ports are widely regarded as the least challenging which are Ghost of Sparta (78 Metacritic) and Chains of Olympus (79 Metacritic). Alternatively, you can try Dante's Inferno (75 Metacritic) where you traverse through the 9 circles of hell!  

 

Recommendation for a game without trophy support would be Heavenly Sword (79 Metacritic) which is similar to the critically acclaimed God of War series just without the trophies!

 

PS4 - DmC Devil May Cry Definitive Edition (85 Metacritic), Senran Kagura Estival Versus (67 Metacritic), 

 

PS5 -

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~ Role-Playing ~

 

 

You don't have to play an incredibly deep and complicated RPG to appreciate the genre!

 

Turn Based (Western) RPG's Sub-Category

 

PS3 - 

 

PS4 - 

 

PS5 -

 

Turn Based (Japanese) RPG's Sub-Category

 

PS3 - 

 

PS4 - Ni No Kuni Wrath of the White Witch Remastered (86 Metacritic)

 

PS5 -

 

Action RPG (Western) Sub-Category

 

PS3 - Costume Quest (77 Metacritic), 

 

Once your hooked on this sub-genre you can head into the mainstream titles such as the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series, if you'd like to try a game that has no trophy support I'd recommend Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion (93 Metacritic).

 

PS4 - Child of Light (82 Metacritic), Transistor (83 Metacritic), Cosmic Star Heroine (76 Metacritic) The Outer Worlds (85 Metacritic) and Trials of Mana (74 Metacritic). Once your ready to dive deeper down the rabbit hole you can try something more challenging like Dark Cloud (?? Metacritic).

 

PS5 -

 

Action RPG (Japanese) Sub-Category

 

PS3 - 

 

PS4 - 

 

PS5 -

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~ Racing ~

 

 

Not every racer will push you beyond your limits!

 

Kart Racing Sub-Category

 

PS3 - Sonic All-Stars Racing (77 Metacritic): As kart racers go, this is a solid entry point into the world of kart racing! The tracks are unique and fun to drive on, not too much of a challenge outside of a few missions. The online requirements are very simple and don't require a huge time investment.  

 

PS4 - If your after a kart racer on the PS4, one of the easiest is Nickelodeon Kart Racer 1 (42 Metacritic) or the sequel Nickelodeon Kart Racer 2 Grand Prix (58 Metacritic).

 

PS5 -

 

Simulation Racing Sub-Category

 

PS3 -

 

PS4 -

 

PS5 -

 

Arcade Racing Sub-Category

 

PS3 - Superstars V8 Racing (66 Metacritic)

 

PS4 - Burnout Paradise Remastered (82 Metacritic): Do you like driving at full speed whilst crashing into billboards and other obstacles? If the answer is yes, Burnout's got you covered! 

 

PS5 -

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~ Shooters ~

 

 

Kill or be killed, there are no other options!

 

First-Person-Shooters Sub-Category

 

PS3 -

 

Recommendation without trophy support Turok 2008 (67 Metacritic) guns and dinosaurs what more can you ask for! Alternatively you can play one of the best launch titles of the console generation the critically acclaimed Resistance Fall of Man (86 Metacritic). 

 

PS4 - If you're new to first-person shooters and you want something that's a bit different then look no further than the Borderlands series you can purchase the Handsome Collection (82 Metacritic) for a very low cost and you can play the entire game in co-op with friends!

 

PS5 -

 

Third-Person Shooters Sub-Category

 

PS3 -

 

PS4 - 

 

PS5 -

 

Twin-Shooters Sub-Category

 

PS3 -

 

PS4 - Alienation (79 Metacritic), Fat Princess Adventures (63 Metacritic), Tesla Vs Lovecraft (71 Metacritic), 

 

PS5 -

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~ Puzzle ~

 

 

Not every puzzle has to be unsolvable! 

 

Pure Sub-Category

 

PS3 -   

 

PS4 - The Witness (87 Metacritic), Chime Sharp (76 Metacritic). Once you get comfortable with these games and you seek a greater challenge you can move on to Lumines Remastered (80 Metacritic). 

 

PS5 -

 

2D Puzzle Platformer Sub-Category

 

PS3 -

 

PS4 - Limbo (Metacritic Unknown) and Hue (77 Metacritic). If you feel like your skills have improved and your looking for a bit more challenge then you can give Teslagrad (78 Metacritic) a shot.

 

PS5 -

 

3D First-Person Sub-Category

 

PS3 - Portal 2 (95 Metacritic)

 

PS4 - The Turing Test (74 Metacritic) and Superliminal (80 Metacritic).

PS5 -

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~ Platformers ~

 

 

Platformers can be fun and relaxing, instead of ripping your hair out in frustration! 

 

PS3 -

 

PS4 -

 

PS5 -

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~ Sports ~

 

 

Sport games can be fun? Who knew!

 

PS3 -

 

PS4 -

 

PS5 -

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~ Rouge-Like ~

 

 

PS3 -

 

PS4 - Slay the Spire (88 Metacritic)

 

PS5 -

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~ Visual Novels ~

 

 

PS3 - 

 

PS4 -  A good place to start is the Danganronpa series which is highly rated within the genre. There are two sequels, a side game, and two animes one of which can be skipped as it is 1's story, but the other is an original story that ties up the plot of 1, 2, and the side game. Reading is broken up by investigation and then court case gameplay. Mystery focused. An example would be Danganronpa Another Episode Ultra Despair Girls (67 Metacritic).

 

Spirit Hunter NG (Metacritic Unknown) - For those worried about too much reading this one is more limited in that respect. NG is the second game in the Spirit Hunter series so if you enjoy this one then you can look up Death Mark that came before it which I'd say is worse than NG, but it is good too and unlike 999 and VLR you don't have to worry about playing the second game first. There is a third game in the works. It's reading is broken up by investigation sections. Horror focused.

 

428 Shibuya Scramble (85 Metacritic) - Unlike the above it ain't part of a series of games but it does have an anime which you shouldn't watch until you beat the game. Has no gameplay but has a fun timeline mechanic where what one character does can cause another character to die/fail to do something/so forth, so you have to make decisions with characters to the point that all of them make it to the next hour. Unlike the norm 428 uses photos taken of real life people to tell it's story and it works. Unsure I'd call it mystery focused though there is one... very much an... adventure, yeah lets go with that. Closest game to a pure visual novel listed here as an Adventure game.

 

PS5 -

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~ Shmup's ~

 

 

Thankfully some shmups were created to stop you from suffering a mental breakdown!

 

PS3 - Under Defeat HD (73 Metacritic) is widely considered as one of the easiest bullet-hell shooters on the PS3.The most challenging part of the trophy set requires the player to go through a whopping 2 stages without dying. IIRC the game is quite expensive which is the only downside. Caladrius Blaze (Metacritic Unknown) is quite easy too but has a very fiddly trophy revolving around using every weapon at every power level which can be a nightmare to keep track of.

 

PS4 - Ghost Blade HD (62 Metacritic), Score Rush Extend (80 Metacritic) and Psyvariar Delta (Metacritic Unknown). Score rush lets you change the bullet colour & outline so visibility is never an issue & the speed of the bullets is chill & never overbearing. Psyvariar's whole system revolves around grazing/getting close to bullets which is why I think it's a good training/gateway game. 

 

Other noteworthy games which are classed as M2 shooters would be any of the following; Angerforce Reloaded (Metacritic Unknown), Cotton Reboot (Metacritic Unknown) and Game Tengoku Cruisin Mix (Metacritic Unknown).  

 

PS5 -

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Edited June 9, 2021 by LancashireLad87

[Copanele]

Nice topic! I think I have some recommendations also:

 

Fighting games - an interesting game for newcomers in the genre is Fighting EX Layer. Trophy wise, this is a very simple game, which requires only some online matches and several basic achievements with each character.

What's interesting about this game is that it has 2 gameplay modes: Classic mode (same as Street Fighter) and Progressive Mode. Progressive mode simplifies all the controls, aka instead of doing a quarter circle punch for a fireball, you just press forward punch. I found it to be super intuitive and newcomer friendly.

 

Also the Gougi system is super fun, where you get some passive buffs if you accomplish various achievements during the fight (such as blocking 10 attacks giving you extra special meter)

 

In terms of anime fighting games, I also recommend Under Night In-Birth,any iteration. Cool characters, sick music, solid tutorial and easy trophy list  

 

Hack & Slash - You can't go wrong with PS3/PS4's God of War, the original series, not the 2018 game. All that matters is to know that Kratos is angry, he wants to kill the gods and you can combo them for 400 SAVAGE combos. The gameplay is quick, brutal and not DMC4 levels of punishing  

 

RPG - This will be a weird entry, but the best user-friendly RPG's these days are Assassin's Creed Origins/Odyssey. Awesome setting, likable characters with a strong story, easy to understand mechanics, tons of items. It's the perfect entry in this genre.

 

Will complete with more once I get more ideas  

[LancashireLad87]

6 minutes ago, Copanele said:

Nice topic! I think I have some recommendations also:

 

Fighting games - an interesting game for newcomers in the genre is Fighting EX Layer. Trophy wise, this is a very simple game, which requires only some online matches and several basic achievements with each character.

What's interesting about this game is that it has 2 gameplay modes: Classic mode (same as Street Fighter) and Progressive Mode. Progressive mode simplifies all the controls, aka instead of doing a quarter circle punch for a fireball, you just press forward punch. I found it to be super intuitive and newcomer friendly.

 

Also the Gougi system is super fun, where you get some passive buffs if you accomplish various achievements during the fight (such as blocking 10 attacks giving you extra special meter)

 

In terms of anime fighting games, I also recommend Under Night In-Birth,any iteration. Cool characters, sick music, solid tutorial and easy trophy list  

 

Hack & Slash - You can't go wrong with PS3/PS4's God of War, the original series, not the 2018 game. All that matters is to know that Kratos is angry, he wants to kill the gods and you can combo them for 400 SAVAGE combos. The gameplay is quick, brutal and not DMC4 levels of punishing  

 

RPG - This will be a weird entry, but the best user-friendly RPG's these days are Assassin's Creed Origins/Odyssey. Awesome setting, likable characters with a strong story, easy to understand mechanics, tons of items. It's the perfect entry in this genre.

 

Will complete with more once I get more ideas  

 

Thanks for the recommendations I will add them to the list! As for God of War some of the Challenges of Olympus are pretty annoying. 

[Copanele]

1 minute ago, LancashireLad87 said:

 

Thanks for the recommendations I will add them to the list! As for God of War some of the Challenges of Olympus are pretty annoying. 

Yes true, the original God of War can be quite ass at certain sections, but it gets better with the next games. I felt that it starts slowly in teaching the player the basics and then gradually upping the difficulty without being too much of a pain. The stupid Hades level not included.

Problem with Hack n Slash...the only "alternative" would be Diablo 3 tbh  

[LancashireLad87]

8 minutes ago, Copanele said:

Yes true, the original God of War can be quite ass at certain sections, but it gets better with the next games. I felt that it starts slowly in teaching the player the basics and then gradually upping the difficulty without being too much of a pain. The stupid Hades level not included.

Problem with Hack n Slash...the only "alternative" would be Diablo 3 tbh  

 

Diablo is more of a dungeon crawler than a slasher. I heard Dante's Inferno is quite easy for the genre other than that the only other slasher I'm aware of would be something like Dynasty Warriors. Never heard of Fighting EX Layer, I'm going to look at some gameplay later tonight!

Edited June 8, 2021 by LancashireLad87

[DrBloodmoney]

This is a cool topic, and I need time to have a proper think about some game I would recommend - but I did want to quickly add -

 

I think another couple of genres that sometimes seems impenetrable to some, and can require a ‘gateway game’ are:

Rogue-likes, and Adventure (point-and-click) games.

[Helyx]

Twin-Stick Shooters - Alienation, Dead Nation, Fat Princess Adventures, Tesla vs Lovecraft

[LancashireLad87]

Just now, DrBloodmoney said:

This is a cool topic, and I need time to have a proper think about some game I would recommend - but I did want to quickly add -

 

I think another couple of genres that sometimes seems impenetrable to some, and can require a ‘gateway game’ are:

Rogue-likes, and Adventure (point-and-click) games.

 

Thanks, I always forget something must be my old age haha

[Helyx]

8 minutes ago, LancashireLad87 said:

Thanks, I always forget something must be my old age haha

 

I feel "Shooters" needs to be broken own into separate categories. Lumping any games with shootings mechanic together isn't advisable if this thread is to have longevity. FPS and twin-stick are worlds apart in terms of gameplay. You could even make the argument for a separate listing for third-person shooters.

 

For gateway RPGs - Child of Light, Transistor, Costume Quest, Cosmic Star Heroine, Dark Cloud

Edited June 8, 2021 by Helyx

[LancashireLad87]

Just now, Helyx said:

 

I feel "Shooters" needs to be broken own into separate categories. Lumping any games with shootings mechanic together isn't advisable if this thread is to have longevity. FPS and twin-stick are worlds apart in terms of gameplay. You could even make the argument for a separate listing for third-person shooters.

 

Good point, I was thinking of doing the same for racing games since they differ drastically. 

[Glorious Fury]

Cool topic OP. Does this list include games which are easier to platinum in the genres, or just far easier to play than others in the specific genre regardless of trophies? 

 

I'd be interested personally in some areas like Shooters and Racing, two genres I haven't played in a crazy long time and kinda feeling the itch to do so. 

 

[LancashireLad87]

2 minutes ago, GloriousFury9414 said:

Cool topic OP. Does this list include games which are easier to platinum in the genres, or just far easier to play than others in the specific genre regardless of trophies? 

 

I'd be interested personally in some areas like Shooters and Racing, two genres I haven't played in a crazy long time and kinda feeling the itch to do so. 

 

 

Since this site is mainly trophy orientated I would have said just trophies but if you would like me to add games that lack trophies which can get you into a certain genre I'm sure we can accommodate for that. Games like Heavenly Sword would be an option for hack and slash, since these games wouldn't affect a gamers completion rate should they fail to complete it. 

Edited June 8, 2021 by LancashireLad87

[Glorious Fury]

1 minute ago, LancashireLad87 said:

 

Since this site is mainly trophy orientated I would have said just trophies but if you would like me to add games that lack trophies which can get you into a certain genre I'm sure we can accommodate for that.

 

Ah ok, was just wondering. Probably for the better to stick to easier trophy games to get into as the majority of us are trophy hunters!

[LancashireLad87]

1 minute ago, GloriousFury9414 said:

 

Ah ok, was just wondering. Probably for the better to stick to easier trophy games to get into as the majority of us are trophy hunters!

 

True but I've added Heavenly Sword for Hack and Slash for the PS3, since why the heck not!

[AihaLoveleaf]

This is a great topic with a lot of potential to be useful to the community. Good job!

 

Some genres, like the 2D Fighter, I've been forced kicking and screaming into the deep end due to choices made 10 years ago, but I still have time to dip my toes properly into other genres. One genre that I would love to slowly get better at would be the Japanese "shmup" and/or bullet hell. I have games I would eventually like to tackle like Mamorukun Curse!, but going into something that difficult right away seems like way too much, so a list of the gateway plats for the genre would be lovely. 

[LancashireLad87]

2 minutes ago, AihaLoveleaf said:

This is a great topic with a lot of potential to be useful to the community. Good job!

 

Some genres, like the 2D Fighter, I've been forced kicking and screaming into the deep end due to choices made 10 years ago, but I still have time to dip my toes properly into other genres. One genre that I would love to slowly get better at would be the Japanese "shmup" and/or bullet hell. I have games I would eventually like to tackle like Mamorukun Curse!, but going into something that difficult right away seems like way too much, so a list of the gateway plats for the genre would be lovely. 

 

I knew I forgot Shmup games thanks for reminding me! Yes I know exactly what you mean like starting Blazblue Continuum Shift without knowing what all the terminology means and being able to execute special moves ^^

[Crispy_Oglop]

Great idea for a thread! As someone who has always wanted to try both fighting and driving/racing games, i'm definitely going to use this for inspiration!

[LancashireLad87]

1 minute ago, Crispy_Oglop said:

Great idea for a thread! As someone who has always wanted to try both fighting and driving/racing games, i'm definitely going to use this for inspiration!

 

Thanks man, hopefully you find another genre that peaks your interest that you may have otherwise overlooked.

[Yuber6969]

Great topic OP!

 

For hack and slash, the Senran Kagura games are very easy so they're a great place to start (except for people who don't like fanservice-heavy games).

 

Borderlands 1 is a great intro to first-person shooters, and the entire thing can be done in co-op.

 

Nickelodeon Kart Racers (1) is a pretty simple kart racer.

 

WRC 3 (Vita version) is considered by many to be a very easy non-kart racing game. I'm awful at this genre and I managed to get the plat (with difficulty).

Edited June 8, 2021 by yuber1234

[LancashireLad87]

1 minute ago, yuber1234 said:

Great topic OP!

 

For hack and slash, the Senran Kagura games are very easy so they're a great place to start (except for people who don't like fanservice-heavy games).

 

Borderlands 1 is a great intro to first-person shooters, and the entire thing can be done in co-op.

 

Nickelodeon Kart Racers (1) is a pretty simple kart racer.

 

WRC 3 is considered by many to be a very easy non-kart racing game. I'm awful at this genre and I managed to get the plat (with difficulty).

 

Thanks for the suggestions I will add them tomorrow when I get home from work as my fingers can no longer type haha. I actually thought of this topic a few months ago but never got round to talking about it.

[DrBloodmoney]

So, I was thinking about puzzle games (a personal favourite):

 

I think there are really 3 discrete genres within puzzle games that would have their own ‘gateway games’: 3D FIrst Person, 2D Puzzle Platform, & ‘Pure’.

 

Obviously, with Puzzlers, you want the gateway to be fun, but not so brutally challanging as to put people off, so with that in mind, these would be my picks:

 

(in each case, these aren’t from ‘best’ to ‘worst’ but rather, in order of ‘on-ramp’ - i.e. a person new to the genre should, IMO, start with 1, then 2, then 3)

 

3D First Person:

 

1. The Turing Test

2. Superliminal

3. Portal 2

 

 

2D Puzzle Platformer:

 

1. Limbo

2. Hue

3. Teslagrad

 

Pure:

 

1. The Witness (i know this could be considered 3D First person, but really, the actual puzzles are more ‘pure puzzle’)

2. Chime Sharp

3. Lumines

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by DrBloodmoney

[Drag-On-Detritus]

PS3 2D fighting you could add Phantom Breaker Extra which has a simplified special move system, easy single player & only about about 50 matches for the online (will have to be boosted). It's Japanese only but was very cheap last time I checked. Blazblue Calamity Trigger is very easy as well but takes a lot more time than Phantom Breaker.

 

PS4 2D Fighting has Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel, Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax Ignition & Million Arthur Arcana Blood all of which can be done in an afternoon.

 

PS3 Shmup has a whopping 4 games to choose from in the retail space. Under Defeat HD has 2 stacks & is by far the easiest, with the most challenging part of the trophy set requiring the player to go through a whopping 2 stages without dying. IIRC the game is expensive now which is the only downside. Caladrius Blaze is quite easy too but has a very fiddly trophy revolving around using every weapon at every power level which can be a nightmare to keep track of. Ketsui & Mamoru can both be cheesed with a turbo controller but I'll leave them out since without one they're demanding.

 

PS4 Shmup I'd recommend Ghost Blade HD for an easy life all round & if someone wanted a game to get used to Danmaku shooters I'd recommend Score Rush Extend & Psyvariar Delta. Score rush lets you change the bullet colour & outline so visibility is never an issue & the speed of the bullets is chill & never overbearing. Psyvariar's whole system revolves around grazing/getting close to bullets which is why I think it's a good training/gateway game. Also want to add all the M2 shot triggers games. Angerforce Reloaded, Cotton Reboot & Game Tengoku Cruisin Mix deserve a mention too & probably a bunch of other stuff but that'll do for now, I'm going to go get ready for work.

[exsentry]

You could add Slay the Spire into Rogue-like. Not only is it a great Rogue-like, but it's a deck building game...so it can be a gateway to two genres. ?

[ladynadiad]

I'd actually highly disagree with putting down Dark Cloud as a gateway to RPGs.  Played it last year and hated it so much that if that had been my first RPG, I'd probably never have played another.  It's got too many strange mechanics that are not typical of RPGs to really be a good gateway game and the gameplay gets very tedious and boring and made a roughly 20 hour plat feel more like it took over 40 hours because of how much it just dragged.

 

I'd suggest something more like Trials of Mana or Cat Quest for action RPGs at least.  Both are pretty short and not too difficult to get the plat in while being reflective enough of the typical style of action RPGs.

 

I'd also highly recommend splitting RPG up into at minimum action RPG and turn based RPG because both are very different styles of gameplay.  Western and Japanese also wouldn't be a bad idea to split as well since western devs do make RPGs in a different style than Japanese devs and it's not just a difference in graphics style.  Western RPGs tend to be more open world and Japanese RPGs tend to be more linear.  Both have their pros and cons and the styles will suit some and not others.  Definitely know many who hate JRPGs but love western RPGs and many who love JRPGs and hate western RPGs and then there are people who like both.  The styles are different enough that one gateway for all RPGs doesn't quite reflect the various styles when one style might turn some people away from the genre when they could potentially enjoy other styles in the genre.

[DrBloodmoney]

13 minutes ago, ladynadiad said:

I'd also highly recommend splitting RPG up into at minimum action RPG and turn based RPG because both are very different styles of gameplay.  Western and Japanese also wouldn't be a bad idea to split as well since western devs do make RPGs in a different style than Japanese devs and it's not just a difference in graphics style.  Western RPGs tend to be more open world and Japanese RPGs tend to be more linear.  Both have their pros and cons and the styles will suit some and not others.  Definitely know many who hate JRPGs but love western RPGs and many who love JRPGs and hate western RPGs and then there are people who like both.  The styles are different enough that one gateway for all RPGs doesn't quite reflect the various styles when one style might turn some people away from the genre when they could potentially enjoy other styles in the genre.

 

That's a good point - I'd say the gateway game leading to something like Fallout 3 or Alpha Protocol would be markedly different to those leading to something like Final Fantasy or Tales of.

 

I'd say there is a decent argument for Ni No Kuni Wrath of the White Witch as a gateway to jpgs - in the sense that it has a lot of the basic tropes of the genre, but it is couched in a self-contained story, and has the Ghibli art that will be very familiar and welcoming to new players - and isn't so difficult as to put people off.

 

 

For Western RPGs, I'd probably tell someone to just begin at something like The Outer Worlds - has a lot of RPG stuff, but is heavy on humour (which is always a good driver for someone not too sure of the mechanics,) and gives a good flavour of the Bethesda / Obsidian style RPG, but without the sheer, impenetrable size (or the litany of off-putting bugs)

Edited June 9, 2021 by DrBloodmoney