GameInformer

Thank you for your reply. I played Bioshock on the PS3. And while I thought the environment was absolutely stunning, I couldn't get into the game itself. GTA is banned in our home (married man). I already have Forza 4, and I love what I've seen so far (I'm a Top Gear nut).

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit was awesome, and I think I may get it again. I'll have to look in to Fallout. That struck me as much more of a shooter than RPG. Skyrim seems a bit daunting. I don't have a whole lot of time to spare, so I like the pick-up-and-playability of games like Forza, Burnout, etc. I see Skyrim was well rated. Is it worth doing Oblivion first? Also, is there a particular Fallout you'd recommend?

Oblivion is just as large and time consuming however they are both great games. Skyrim benefits from being 6 years more recent than Oblivion. Fallout can be  shooter esque but it depends on how you play you can play with just wielding a sword and club. The way the system is set up to use VATS however really makes it less of a shooter. More of an RPG that allows you to use guns. It is no where near as fast paced as COD or Halo. I know you are not a fan of shooters but Halo is the flagship of the Xbox systems for a reason and if you can just play through them for the story it is well worth it. On the easiest difficulty it is very forgiving.

Another great series is Assassins Creed. Especially if you are a history buff.  As another note on the Elder Scrolls Game. They can seem daunting but you can play them in bursts and take it in small chunks at a time.

Go to youtube and look up Forza quick art. Its the art for cars that people create with the decals tool. Pretty awesome

idt that it matters what consoles you have all it takes is some practice and alittle patience and you'll be good at any game. Hell i even got my grandfather to prestige 3 times in blackops and he is like 75 so if he can boss a FPS im sure u sure can. so my game recomendations are the COD games, Mass effect series, Medal of honor, and any Castlevania games because they are all pretty legit:]

and also Fallout NewVegas, and Oblivion/Skyrim

I suggest Tales of Vesperia.

One I dont see mentioned but should be checked out is the Fable series, mainly Fable 2.  Its an easy to pickup and play RPG that has some decent depth in terms of customization and story (not amazing but good).  It is also family friendly.  If you are looking for something different with more of a strategy element check out X-Com (i think there is a demo available).

You may want to look at Halo also, it is a shooter but has a very distinctive floaty style that is nothing like CoD or R6.  There is an indie title called Quantum Conundrum that was developed by one of the original Portal developers that you may want to look into, not as polished or deep as Portal but its only like $12.

Lastly a game I recommend to anyone over 16 years of age, Withcer 2.  One of the best games of the last 10 years.  Very adult themed though if that is a problem with your wife...bit of nudity, not so much as in an HBO way (shock value) but more a comfortable with my sexuality European way.  More so just a dark no decision is ideal adult story type of adult content.

Definitely give Halo a try. Also Assassin's Creed, Borderlands, Skyrim, Fallout, Bioshock, and Dishonored are all good games/series.

To add to the list of mainstays, I'd like to offer a few underlooked titles:

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is a fantastic platformer with a nice story.

Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena blends everal genres into one fantastic tale starring everyone's favorite badass space convict!

Since GTA is banned in your home, give Pandemic's last game a shot - The Saboteur.  It's set in WW2 era France, starts off in a noirish black/white with splotches of red color, and as you liberate each zone, you restore color to the land.  

Perhaps even Red Faction: Guerilla?

A fun li'l C-rated game that doesn't take itself very seriously but offers some fun due largely to the fact, is Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard (in fact, the titular hero is well aware that he is a video game character!). The game's villain: Neil Patrick Harris. >_> 

Driver: San Francisco was a blast to play through!  Realistic damage, cars that handle differently, and a buddy cop cinematic story to accompany the play through with "Previously on" interstitials and cutscenes between chapters make this game a LOT of fun even if you're not typically a fan of driving games. 

I'm sure I could scrounge up more, but I'm not at home to browse through my collection.

UFC 3 is a great sports game. It's one of my favorites.

Halo is always a great choice, It's a little easier to pick up than COD or MOH.

If you haven't tried it yet, Red Dead Redemption is a very good kinda open world game. You said GTA is not an option so you may want to know that there is some sexuality in Red Dead, but it's easy to skip.

Hope you find some good games brother!

Wow, thank you guys for all the suggestions. If you're wondering why it took me so long to reply, it's because I've been playing Fallout 3 for the past 90 hours. No joke. That game is so big and so awesome. New Vegas is next.

I bought Fallout 3 with Oblivion and I haven't even inserted the Oblivion disc yet.

Fallout 3 came out in 2008, so I can't wait to see what a Fallout 4 in 2013/2014 would look like.

Assassins Creed 3 looks awesome, and I've heard wonderful things. Saboteur sounds amazing too. Witcher 2 sounds like a good one. Adult themes are fine, just not of the hitting hookers with a baseball bat kind. I loved Heavy Rain for that reason, and I'm mad its a PS3 exclusive.

Well now my cup runneth over, thanks again. I'll see you at the other end of another Fallout.

Adding to the sandbox genre, Just Cause 2. I own Grand theft Auto IV and Saboteur, and Just Cause 2 is the ONLY one I would play a second time. Don't forget about Arcade. Some of the platformers on there (Shadow Complex, Limbo, Outland) are amazing.