10 Games Anyone Can Play

Turned off by today's overly complex video games? Check out ten of our favorite accessible classics.

By Mike Smith

VIEW WII SPORTS GAME PAGE

1. Wii Sports

Thanks to Nintendo's genius decision to bundle it with every single Wii console sold, Wii Sports is a huge hit. Even a year and a half after the console's release, it remains probably the best example of the Wii's innovative control system. All the same, its greatest success doesn't have anything to do with either of those things: it's all down to the instantly familiar games Nintendo chose to model. Everyone understands what ten-pin bowling is all about, and Wii Sports doesn't overcomplicate its games in the slightest. Yes, it might be a touch basic, but it's still our go-to party game for the Wii.

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2. Puzzle Quest

Even the isolated tribes of the Patagonian rainforests have grown bored of Bejeweled. Superb though it is, this block-swapping puzzler doesn't exactly lend itself to long-term addiction. Aussie developer Infinite Interactive somehow hit on the brilliant idea to combine a competitive, two-player take on Bejeweled's classic gameplay with a large-scale game structure straight out of a Lord of the Rings-style fantasy epic, and a real jewel was born. You'll find it's available on just about anything that could conceivably be used to play games, so no matter how well-off you are for gadgetry it's still a top choice.

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WATCH PHOENIX WRIGHT TRAILER NOW

3. Phoenix Wright

Part graphic novel, part adventure, this courtroom drama pits you, as defense attorney Phoenix Wright, against a series of court cases. Thanks to the Nintendo DS's microphone, you can actually join in the cases by shouting "Objection!", "Hold it!", or "Take that!" at your handheld. Needless to say, don't play it on the plane, unless you're keen to meet nice men in uniform.

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WATCH BRAIN AGE TRAILER NOW

4. Brain Age

How old is your brain? Get into this huge-selling Nintendo DS classic, and you'll discover the answer to that question isn't quite as simple as it first appears. Developed in association with brain researcher Dr. Ryuta Kawashima (who famously refused the $11 million in royalties his game generated) Brain Age purports to sharpen your intellect with a series of rapid-fire brain-teasers. Does it work? It apparently didn't for Kawashima, whose floating head has become something of a DS icon, but it might for you. Play a little every day, and maybe you'll help your grey matter fend off the ravages of time - and it comes complete with 100-odd Sudoku puzzles to help pass those tiresome commuter traffic jams.

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5. Bookworm Adventures

You've played the original Bookworm - now take your spelling to the next level with Bookworm Adventures. Complete with potions, treasures, monsters, boss challenges and all the trappings of conventional games, Bookworm Adventures hides impressive depth beneath its cute, wormy exterior. If you can spell, you can play it - and if you can't, you can probably still play it, although not as well. Either way, give it a try.

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Not enough for you? Here are five more games that don't require twenty years of gaming experience to enjoy.

WATCH KATAMARI TRAILER NOW

6. Katamari Damacy

It's like this: You roll stuff up. Into a big ball. And that's about it. Thanks to an inspiringly simple concept, a delightful, accessible sense of scale, and a generous helping of kitschy Japanese style, this oddball roll-em-up became a breakout success. You start by gathering up pencils, mice and sushi, and twenty minutes later your ball of accumulated stuff is big enough to nab planes, skyscrapers, continents and even planets. No matter which of the many Katamari games you pick up (they're all the same, really) you're in for a bizarre ride to the surreal side.

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WATCH ROCK BAND TRAILER NOW

7. Rock Band

Is there seriously anyone who doesn't entertain vague fantasies of forming their own rock band? This 2007 smash hit hails from the developer of the original Guitar Hero, and takes the plastic-instrument concept to its logical extreme: you and three friends, wielding two guitars, a drum set and a microphone, can sing, strum, and drum along to a vast setlist of rock classics. If you can play the drums on the higher difficulty levels, you can pretty much play them for real - but don't let that put you off, as even the most rhythmically-challenged putz can tap along with the easier tracks.

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WATCH CARCASSONNE TRAILER NOW

8. Carcassonne (Xbox Live)

Based on a board game based on a picturesque French walled town, Carcassonne has a simple theme: you take turns to lay down tiles to create a map. Completing various map features grants you points, and when the map's finished, so is the game. Simple, eh? Carcassonne took Xbox Live by storm at its 2007 release, and since then two of the board game's expansions are also available for the 360 version. Although it's quite simple to learn, you'll sink an awful lot of time into understanding Carcassonne's intricacies.

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WATCH REZ HD TRAILER NOW

9. Rez HD

Part sonic experience, part psychedelic visual feast and part shooter, Rez was one of the most celebrated games ever released for Sega's ill-fated Dreamcast console. Thanks to Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade, though, it's capturing a whole new generation of fans. Once shipped with a dedicated "trance vibrator" controller, the game creates a synergy between hypnotic graphics, rhythmic music and physical interaction. Take the advice of its creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, and hook up an extra two controllers: put one under your feet and one in the small of your back. It'll make the earth move, no matter who you are.

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WATCH WARCRAFT TRAILER NOW

10. World of Warcraft

While it might be responsible for the odd divorce here and there, World of Warcraft enjoys unprecedented popularity among PC gamers. More than ten million people around the world are part of Blizzard's fantasy role-playing game, including many players who'd never have dreamed of engrossing themselves in an online game before. Thanks to a clear, customizable interface, an approachable difficulty curve, and a game engine that's forgiving to older PCs, Warcraft is still the gold standard for massively multiplayer games, and you'd be surprised at quite how easy it is for a novice to end up hooked. Just try to stay married.

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Do you agree o disagree? 

So they include Rock Band, which ever Peter Moore couldn't play, and don't include games like Crossbow Training?

I totally forgot about Bookworm. And now it's in adventure form?

huzah!

"PC games all too often require complex controls, lengthy tutorials and vast investments of time. Here's the perfect antidote for this epidemic - ten of our favorite easy-to-play hits."

And they suggest World of Warcraft? What?

World of Warcraft.. anyone.. really?

 that one and rock band are not games that anyone can play...

I think they missed Resistance Fall of Man.

if WoW is on that list we should put Ninja Gaiden

"put one under your feet and one in the small of your back." lulz, as if THAT's where they'll go.