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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2017 - 03 - 15 - ID#5zliun
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Are there any console video games that a blind person would enjoy? (self.Blind)
submitted by [deleted]
Tensoon_the_kandra 3 points 6y ago
It depends on the console. I am guessing that the VS fighter genre is the most popular on consoles for blind folk. For most games you will have to read up a bit on how they are played. Which consoles do you have access to? I will make you a list of what I think will be playable, and if I have any tips on how to make it more playable I will add that in as well..
3838a38 1 points 6y ago
I have a Genesis, N64, Wii, PS4, Xbox 360, Dreamcast, and PS2. I ordered Jeopardy! and Trivial Pursuit, and already own You Don't Know Jack for the 360, which I think are totally accessible even for someone who can't see. I really want to see what's out there, though.
Tensoon_the_kandra 3 points 6y ago
There is a very large difference between games that a blind person might enjoy and games that are completely accessible. Since my eyesight fluctuates a bit I can tell you what I am able to play without actually seeing. But, I already know the layout of the menus, and for games where you need to choose characters I already know how to navigate to my favourites without being able to see. If you are completely blind, you will need a guide that can teach you the layout of the menus so that you can memorize them.

Also, with fighting games you will need to look up command lists on google since you will not be able to use the in-game ones. If you are willing to commit and spend some time educating yourself you can try the following:

1) Mortal Kombat X and Injustice (PS4) - Both these games have excellent sound design and the campaign mode has fully voiced cinematics, so you will always be able to follow the story. However, the menus are a bit difficult to navigate. The fighting is quick and action packed, but with some practice you will be able to play this fairly well.

2) Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3 - Even though I have not played this much myself, I have watched other people play it a bit. This is also a VS fighting game in which marvel superheroes face off against characters from various games produced by the capcom company. This game is loaded with audio cues. It reads out the name of the character you select, it tells you when super moves are available. With some practice you will also be able to get a decent hang of this game. The the previous two games, this one's menus will need some research before you can navigate through them. It might also be worth mentioning that this game does not have any sort of story mode, so unless you constantly play through arcade style fights or against other people, there will not be much for you to do.

3) You can also try Sou Calbur as another poster mentioned. This game has installments on the Dreamcast, ps2 and X360. However, this game does have a ring-out component. So if your opponent pushes you to the edge of the ring they can throw you out which is an instant loss, and there is no way of knowing how far away from the edge you are. Admittedly, I could never see the edge of the ring, I was able to play this just fine. The same bit about the menus and command lists apply here as well.

4) Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 (PS4) - There are older renditions of this game on X360. This is also a fighting game. It is based on an anime. This places you in an arena type area fighting against a various different ninjas, each with different skills and abilities. If you can lay your hands on Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations on the X360 I would recommend that one since you do not have to run around during the story mode. The controls for this game is simple and getting a decent command of the commands will not take long at all. Audio cues let you know when you need to power up. It also does not take long to learn the sounds that tell you when you are about to get hit with an attack letting you know when you should dodge or block. Even though you play in a 3D arena it is not hard to get close to the opposing player. Pressing triangle and then cross will let you dash right up to the other player without any directional input from your end. The only challenges facing you in this game is the labyrinth of menus, the sheer amount of playable characters(this makes it difficult, because you will have to learn their voices to associate the ranges of their various attacks with the character themselves, not to mention the difficulty one might have finding the right character on the character select screen), and finally, learning which character's fighting style and ability range suits you best can take some time, especially if you are not familiar with the television series and the characters and their abilities beforehand.

I can list quite a few more fighting games, but I think I have listed enough of those. Unfortunately other games on console are not very accessible due to exploration and navigational issues. If you play multiplayer with someone, you can try playing something in the Tales of series. These games have excellent stories and very nice battle systems. If you play this with local multiplayer with a sited person you can assist them in fights, follow the story and you would not have to worry about the navigational aspect. It is not difficult to fight in these games due to the excellent audio cues. If you have someone to play with you can try Tales of Zesteria or Tales of Berseria on the PS4. There were previous renditions in the series released on some of the other consoles you mentioned, but I would not recommend them since I have not played them myself and I am not sure how easy the battle systems are. I am currently playing Tales of Berseria. I can hardly see the map and the fights are so fast and chaotic I can't see a thing. Despite this I cranked up the difficulty. If you have someone to play with you this game is a really fun experience. Although, I might just warn you that this is a Japanese role playing game. It has a very long play time. From start to finish one can easily play this for more than 100 hours to complete the game. Do not consider this unless you have someone with a decent amount of eyesight to play with though.

All the games I mentioned are very different in their own respects. I do recommend you watch a review or some gameplay footage on youtube before making your choice. Just listening to someone play the game would give you a very good idea if it is for you or not.

Unfortunately most of the accessible games for blind folk are on PC though. I am sure there are also videos on youtube of blind people playing some of these games. I am sure I saw someone posting a video of them playing Injustice on PC a short while ago. Even though it is on PC it is essentially the same game. You should check it out. I hope this helped. If you do decide to pick one of the games suggested in this thread, please let us know which one.
3838a38 1 points 6y ago
Thank you for this detailed and thoughtful report. To clarify, I'm the sighted one in this relationship, so it'll be my job to try to explore what best suits the girl I'm introducing to video games.

I would never have considered fighting games, but I own most of those you've mentioned, so we'll try Injustice, Mortal Kombat 3, Naruto for PS2, and Soul Calibur 2, 3, and 4 for sure. Fortunately, I can interpret the menu screen for her, so that concern is moot.

This'll give us a lot more to explore than trivia games, the most obvious pick. I'm also going to try Life is Strange with her, which I have already beaten so the searching around part can be minimized. It's a feminine story and dialogue heavy, and the choice-based mechanics will give her a sense of agency without actually having to control the game, so I believe she may like it.

I think a JRPG will be way over her head, so I'll save FFVII for when I'm alone! Again, I'm very grateful for this well-thought out response. We'll have an interesting time playing fighting games courtesy of your insight. She may like Clay Fighter 63 1/3 since it's cartoony and very button mashy.
Tensoon_the_kandra 1 points 6y ago
You should be a bit weary of older titles though. I left MKI3 off the list for a reason. I grew up with the SEGA MK games, but their sound design is not nearly as good as the current gen games. Because of the limited sound effects of MK3 one would not be able to tell who is hitting who. It might also be difficult to determine where on the screen your character is. Not to mention that the AI in that game is a bit messed up. They always move back slowly until you are close to them and then they run at you. Even in multiplayer it would be too difficult. I never played naruto on ps2, but if it is anything like the current versions of the games it will work. I think your best bet will be Injustice and Soul Calibur. If you are playing Soul Calibur IV, try teaching her to play with Cervantes. He has good reach, and that move you do when you press back+square+triangle (Back+X+Y on X360) will allow her to close the distance between her and her opponent instantly. The guys with the giant swords are also not bad choices due to their reach.

Best of luck to you. I hope your introduction to video games is successful.
MessyConfessor 1 points 6y ago
It is apparently possible for a blind gamer to play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. There's a guy on YouTube who beat the game. I can't speak to how *easy* it is, obviously.
3838a38 3 points 6y ago
That must have taken him ages to figure out! If I was blind I'd probably take a stab at it, but I don't think Ocarina is a good introduction to video games for her. If she beat it on her first go I'd propose to her right then and there.
MessyConfessor 3 points 6y ago
Apparently the new Nintendo Switch's "Switch 1-2" is mostly accessible (about to go post this link as its own post). https://mic.com/articles/170762/nintendo-and-1-2-switch-are-changing-the-game-for-visually-impaired-players#.uVA1OBey5
3838a38 3 points 6y ago
Huh, the console I don't have. Perfect!
snow671 1 points 6y ago
I only have a PS2 but I really like fighting games like Tekken and Soul Calibur. It helps that the enemy players run right up to get punched.
3838a38 2 points 6y ago
Good answer. I'll set them up with Super Meat Boy right after they master Seong Mi-na.
snow671 1 points 6y ago
Mitsurugi or bust!
3838a38 2 points 6y ago
Dude, don't even *pretend* like Seong Mi-Na isn't objectively the best fighter. That reach, it's preposterous.
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