I thought I'm a casual gamer... until I found out today that the Warioware game that I lent to a friend a month ago still hasn't been finished.

Yes, they play games like every weekend.  But still... they're stuck on a "BOSS LEVEL" in Warioware.  And it's the one where the boss swing the sword at you.  Stuck on that?

I guess I'm not such a casual gamer after all... or casual gamers really are just that--casual gamers. 

In light of that, what other good game are there for truly casual gamers?

Tetris.

Meteos 

you bring up an interesting idea.

Some games boast something like 80 hours of gameplay. Of course, that would totally appeal to a gamer or whatever.

But to a "normal" working stiff that already works 40 hours a week and is "casual" gamer, The thought of devoting 80 hours to a single game doesn't sound too appealing. He simply doesn't want to invest that much time! 

The killer thing is, most "casual" (e.g. Tetris, Meteos) games have far more replay value once you are "hooked".

These types of games normally have a few gameplay modes/variants, and you can easily find yourself playing far more than 80 hours, leaving replayability in linear, story-based games way in the dust.

It harkens back to the "golden" age of videogaming, where every level was essentially the same but a bit faster/ harder-hitting/just overall more difficult the more advanced you get. 

The beautiful thing about these games are that since they are easy to pick up, play, and put down, you wind up investing more time into these titles than you do in epic blockbusters that warrant one play-through, albeit in noncontinuous sessions.

As an example, I played Tetris the first time on CGA on a PC. With all the different versions of Tetris out, I have probably played that game, across multiple platforms, across one generation, far more than any other game I've ever played. And I bet I am far from alone.  Same goes with Minesweeper and Solitaire.

ah... solitaire and minesweeper.  never got into solitaire, but minesweeper kicks ass.

speaking of tetris... bust-a-move (or bubble bubble or something like that) is coming out!  probably a good purchase for the wii... my wife was really into bubble bubble back in college (so were a lot other girls... not sure exactly what's so appealing) maybe i'll get it for some 2 player fun

"golden" age: yeah, warioware is kind of like that.  gameplay gets progressively harder once you've finished unlocking everything.  beating your own best score is such a thrill!  rpg's kind of completely lose that part of the gaming experience. 

Not that there's anything wrong with Cinematic Blockbuster type games, however.

MGS is one of my favorites (but then again you can beat that game in one sitting if you knew what to do)

RPGs are also fun too, though FF5 and FF6 remain my favorites.

true... maybe some casual types would like to pretend they're johnny depp or something... that pirate movie is a bad example, wonder what's a better example.

anyway, i now recall spielberg in a project with EA.  maybe those movie/game hybrids do appeal to a certain crowd.

oh, and also, the game studio at disney has been renamed to Disney Interactive Studio or something (instead of buena vista).  it is also beginning to put more emphasis on developing "good" (whatever they mean by that) games. 

Meteos was indimidating to a few people I showed it too, although a few of them caught on and enjoyed it.  Some of them thought it was way too fast and intense...it sure isn't Tetris where you can just zone out...

Now, maybe I prefer more variety in games, but I'd hardly call playing the same level over and over just a little faster/harder a "golden age."  I think every generation is a new golden age, including this one.  If I'm playing casual I'd prefer to play with other people, too.   Because of that, out of recent games I'd have to go with flOw because it's 4-player.