Topic: Best "pick up and play" game for the Cube

[The Butcher]

I like to sometimes play games that aren't too involved. You know, games that you can just pick up and play-- arcade-style, without worrying about getting too into a story line and thinking too much. I like those types of games too, but can anyone suggest some games that are easy to get into (for a novice as well as advanced gamer), and are FUN?  

[The Omen]

I would recommend Super smash bros.:Melee,  Its easy to get into, but tough to master.  Plus, you'll be unlocking special trophies for a long time, so theres always incentive to just pop it in and play for awhile.

[SearanoX]

Indeed, Smash Bros.  is the perfect game for you.  A few others to consider as well are Timesplitters 2, Mario Party 4/5, and SoulCalibur II.

[The Butcher]

Great suggestions, but what about games that are good playing solo? Those games sound like they're better with friends, but I play games solo alot.

[WesDawg]

Monkey Ball is pretty fun. Not much for controls. Just the control stick. To beat Advanced level can take awhile, especially when you're learning. I've never even gotten close to unlocking the master levels.

[odifiend]

Sounds like a poll, but I'd say Animal Crossing for solo play. The game draws you in pretty fast but doesn't require that much thought.  If you like capitalism, you'll love this game.

[Ian Sane]

Get Midway Arcade Treasures.  It has a whopping 24 arcade ports all of which are designed for "pick-up-and-play".  Not all of the 24 at great but Joust, Sinistar, Rampart, Paperboy, and Robotron 2084 alone are worth getting it for.  All of the games included revolve around obtaining high scores and thus can be played from 30 seconds to 30 hours if you want.  You'll likely have to buy it online though since not many copies have been shipped to stores.

Another suggestion is Ikaruga.  It's a really hard shooter but it is relatively short and uncomplicated.  It also has tons of replay value and although the game can be beaten in less than an hour it will take a long time to get good enough to make it that far.

Both titles I suggested are great for solo players but can be played with other players as well.

[jpturner]

Super Monkey Ball is a blast, it has a great paick up and play main game as well as several excellent multiplayer party-side games. You can find this title for $19.99, it's a bargain!

[odifiend]

True about super monkey ball but the second one is already out and you might as well get that one instead: the story mode is much more forgiving for novices (trust me that is a good thing if you ever want to play all the levels; it took me half a year with the original to even get to the last-non hidden level) and there are more mini games in case your friends come over.
As for Animal Crossing though, is genius in its simplicity and you can get it @ 29.99 with a memory card packaged in.

[Infernal Monkey]

Godzilla: Destroy all Monsters Melee is pretty decent fun in single player. You'll never need to read the manual for this game, just hurl stuff at eachother. 'Tis fun. Sonic Mega Collection is a no brainer, too. Run, jump, have some damn good fun in the process.

[savanna03]

any sports game is a good pick up and play and probably the best sports genre that is good in terms of pacing is a good ol' HOCKEY game.  its a FAST PACE sports with a lot of HITTING and NO STOP action for making PLAYS.  beside, NHL 2004 isn't the type of game that needs multiplayer to be fun, it plays it self.

the game that stole time for me is TONY HAWK 4... its an easy game but playing CAREER MODE and doing those task can really burned alot of hours 'cuz you just want to focus on getting it perfect.

i dont know if SUPER SMASH BROS. MELEE is a good recommendation 'cuz after all its a fighting game, you usually need somebody to play with to make it fun.  beside the camera panning so far can be annoying and too many things going on at once is a turn off.

SUPER MONKEY BALL might be good but then again, i HAVEN'T PLAYED it so I DONT KNOW.

[Actraiser]

Ill give a vote for Batman Vengeance, which is basically a no brains brawler, once you get into it.  There is some thought required on the boss fights, but otherwise it's run punch run.

Ill second the vote for Soul Calibur 2 and Tony Hawk 4

[rpglover]

ikaruga easily as ian sane said earlier
the game is very easy to pick up and play- the controls are very easy (you only ever use 3 buttons) and the gameplay is very very fun- but it is a very difficult shooter- one that is easy to learn, but very difficult to master

[SearanoX]

Ikaruga is good, but be prepared to rip your hair out.  I've played it, and it's probably the hardest game out there.  Only five levels, but each will take you forever to beat, except maybe the first couple, which will take nearly familiar.

Super Monkey Ball is great.  It's also very hard, and quite a lot of fun in single player.  The second is better for multiplayer, but it's too easy single player-wise.  People don't seem to understand how great this game is...it's one of the best arcade puzzle games I've played in recent memory.    

[GoldShadow1]

Aside from the great games mentioned above (notably Super Monkey Ball and SSBM), I'd recommend one of the Tony Hawk games.  I only own #3, but I still pick it up now and then - it's a great game to play for just a few minutes and have a blast.

[Majexto]

The tony hawk series is definetly pick up and play.  I think alot of games are pick up and play few are actually that hard to get the hang of, mario kart dd, wave race blue storm, animal corssing, fzero gx, even hitman 2 is pretty simple to get the controls down etc.  The stealthy factor to hitman may make it harder for beginners though.

[SearanoX]

Hitman 2 is an amazing game, but if you have a capable computer, then play it there.  The experience is much improved, and while the graphics don't compare to newer games on the market, you'll definetly have a blast with it - though I wouldn't really call it "pick up and play" because the missions actually require a fair bit of time.  You'll also want to play through the game stealthily for maximum enjoyment - though you can go rambo if you want.  Nowhere near as fun, though.

Definetly recommended.

[The Butcher]

Man, you guys have loads of good suggestions. I've been looking at Super Monkey Ball for a while now, and it sounds cool-- simple and fun. I have also heard before that it is very challenging.

Thank you all for the suggestions so far-- keep 'em comin'!

[bubba23]

All the choices that are so far mentioned are excellent. If you love arcade racing you must get F-Zero GX. I have so much fun using my custom racer to shave fractions of a second off my time trial time. Burnout 2 is a great choice for racing too. I'd also recommend getting a Game Boy Player and getting Warioware, Zelda: A Link to the Past, and the Super Mario Advance Series. Viewtiful Joe will remind you of the older arcade beat-em-ups. There's also compilations like Sonic Mega Collection and the upcoming Megaman Anniversary Collection.  

[Bloodworth]

Please use the What Game Should I Get thread above.