Email
RSS/XML
If you’re the gamer type and have a girlfriend, then congrats!(You are one of the few 
)Ahem… let’s not be mean; perhaps you are more like me: not a full-time gamer, but still enjoying the occasional digital fun. In this case, just like me, you might have ran into a tiny couples problem: your girlfriend gets jealous on your occasional gaming sessions.
There is a solution for this, though: get her into gaming. Not the hard-core PC-shooter all-nighter, off course - she’ll probably hate it, and if not then you’ll probably end up by hating her (girls tend to get a bit passionate about kicking your ass) :P. What most girls love though is the occasional 10-minutes small and cute game. That’s the reason Solitaire is so successful among middle-age office clerks, after all. And, since February 14th is approaching with quick sneaky steps, and along with it the Valentine gift shopping nightmare, here’s the idea:
Offer your girlfriend a couple of mobile phone games to match her black LG Chocolate or silver Razr. With a bit of luck, she might actually appreciate it, and she’ll even be more understanding about your gaming passion…
Together with the traditional box of chocolate, this selfish act might even get mistaken for a great Valentine’s present.
But what should you chose?
IMHO, girls tend to like colorful games with simple concepts and a fast learning curve. Something to be played while waiting for the bus or subway train, while commuting, standing in line at the local mall, etc. So we’ll focus on quick-to-play games, cute, exciting and simple to learn (she’ll probably get bored to death if you spend several hours just to explain her the concepts behind the characters of a complex RPG, such as Ancient Empires 2).
Without further ado, in alphabetic order, here they are: my top choices for the games your girlfriend might actually like:
Alchemy: another huge success among mobile gamers everywhere. I’ve played it on the PocketPC, my girlfriend plays it as a mobile game, while my friend’s girlfriend plays it on the PC. So I take that girls digg alchemy, or at least the idea of fast-paced colored action.- Bejeweled / Paris Hilton’s Diamond Quest - ok, I admit I have a weakness for this kind of game: pretty, sparkling graphics, various interesting puzzles, a very catchy concept and, in the case of Diamond Quest, Paris Hilton pictures…
- Tetris - the immortal. Nothing much to explain here, basically everyone already knows it. The difference between the dozens of clones is made by the cute(r) graphics and more appealing sounds. If you want a free version there’s always the open-source Jamtris(not a great one, though). Otherwise, Gameloft and some others(Global fun?) offer some neat implementations
- Zuma - a pretty good implementation of the so-famous PC game. Since I know girls who LOVE the PC version, I take it that they might enjoy the mobile one as well. Still, they need a decent phone, with a good joystick. My personal choice would be the Sony-Ericsson K715
- Diamond Rush - adventure puzzle, where you collect colorful diamonds and solve block-pushing puzzles. A great concept, with re-playable levels of increasing difficulty. Colorful, exciting, full of secrets and with a VERY short learning curve: there’s basically nothing to learn beforehand, new concepts are explained to you as you go. Since some players tend to be perfectionists, the game lets you replay previous levels in order to achieve higher scores(collect all the hidden diamonds, for instance).
- Lumines - colorful, great soundtrack, exciting and quick-to-learn. Might be a bit frustrating from time to time, because of the TOO FAST pace. Still, your girlfriend ought to like it
- Naval Battle - as a kid I’d play the pen-on-paper version. Others have certainly played the table game. Gameloft’s take on the concept is innovative and the implementation is great. The graphics are cool, the special moves make the players delight. A beautiful and easy to play game.
Yeti Sports series - You can’t get simpler than this: a Yeti that either hits penguins with a baseball, a golf bat or throws them like darts. The repetitive game-play might appeal to perfectionists but be boring to others.- The Sims/Miami Nights/New York Nights: we are grouping these together since they share the same idea: you manage a virtual avatar, and control the daily tasks he/she does; cute graphics, simple control, some general plot to follow: basically you have to earn money, make friends, comb your hair, shower and many others, in order to become rich and famous. Well.. fame takes some effort, but the road to it is fun nonetheless.
- Absolute Puzzle: featured here, on Mobicritic, this game has what it takes to be appreciated by your feminine counterpart: simple and intuitive gameplay, difficult and exciting puzzles. You can see from the number of comments received on our site, that girls are an important demographic of the Absolute Puzzle gamers
All these being said, there’s just one thing to remember: the roses and the box of chocolates. Happy Valentine!
Related Posts
3 comments
Leave a comment
-
Subscribe!
-
About Us
mobiCritic, the Mobile Games Critic
We bring you reviews of the best games and software for your mobile device: java games for your phone or games for your PSP.
Your cell phone never was happier.
Last minute update: according to QuicklyBored blog, there are even some mobile games exclusively targeting Valentine’s Day. For instance, SmiLines
How about Love Triangle: Dating Challenge and Heartbreakers? I think they have a bit of a Valentines tone to them.
http://www.myspace.com/heartbreakersmobile
http://www.myspace.com/lovetriangledatingchallenge
I’ve actually thought of them. But I used my girlfriend as a guinea pig and the verdict was clear: they are to “smushy”, a bit too shallow, and just because there’s Valentines written all over them it doesn’t mean girls like them.
Hell, who knows, maybe it’s just my girl. Maybe yours will appreciate them