Comment Space Channel 5, Samba de Amigo, Taiko no Tatsujin (Score 2, Informative) 98
Rhythm games--you love them, hate them, or have never actually played one. For anyone who wants a fun play that actually helps improve short-term memory and coordination, I'd definitely recommend Space Channel 5. It recently came out in a bundle for the PS2 which includes the original and a sequel; this bundle retails for $15. I promise anyone who takes up the challenge will spend their first few days after playing it seeing everything in Ulala-vision (Hey Bob, you get those TPS cover sheets sent off? Up, Up, Left, Left, Down, Shoot!, Shoot!)
If you like those, try Um Jammer Lammy (a little harder for me since it's more abstract in control), Samba de Amigo (it requires the maracas and a Dreamcast, but those combined will run you less than a copy of GTA) - which I have to say is a great party game - or Taiko no Tatsujin if you can handle everything being in Japanese.
I found that once I got FFXI, most of my console gaming has become social...I haven't watched television in a long time, and movies aren't something terribly social (not everyone enjoys MST3king films), and it's easier to keep a large group of people interested with console games since they're quickly and easily changable. Silly games with no real point to them (Meaning, you don't have a mob boss asking you to kill the interstellar aliens) have been scoring really high with me of late--they usually have a little more innovation to them, which can slip them through the shields of a non-gamer who might even have reservations against videogames.
Also, at the risk of being flamed to death--Brittany's Dance Beat is a good play too. It can take advantage of the dance pad, which makes it a far more entertaining and interesting watch (and conversation piece) than just DDR (which I still have a blast with).
Social gaming has been getting a lot of my non-gamer friends to consider purchasing consoles, simply because I have such oddball games they've never expected to see that don't require insane coordination (Ikaruga, Halo) or a taste for the gameplay (FFX, GTA, Gran Turismo).
If you like those, try Um Jammer Lammy (a little harder for me since it's more abstract in control), Samba de Amigo (it requires the maracas and a Dreamcast, but those combined will run you less than a copy of GTA) - which I have to say is a great party game - or Taiko no Tatsujin if you can handle everything being in Japanese.
I found that once I got FFXI, most of my console gaming has become social...I haven't watched television in a long time, and movies aren't something terribly social (not everyone enjoys MST3king films), and it's easier to keep a large group of people interested with console games since they're quickly and easily changable. Silly games with no real point to them (Meaning, you don't have a mob boss asking you to kill the interstellar aliens) have been scoring really high with me of late--they usually have a little more innovation to them, which can slip them through the shields of a non-gamer who might even have reservations against videogames.
Also, at the risk of being flamed to death--Brittany's Dance Beat is a good play too. It can take advantage of the dance pad, which makes it a far more entertaining and interesting watch (and conversation piece) than just DDR (which I still have a blast with).
Social gaming has been getting a lot of my non-gamer friends to consider purchasing consoles, simply because I have such oddball games they've never expected to see that don't require insane coordination (Ikaruga, Halo) or a taste for the gameplay (FFX, GTA, Gran Turismo).
