I'm going to Yoga so I can subject my GF to night of gaming...

...and I need your help. 
 
FIRST, a little background. So i've been with my girlfriend for around 2 and half years and we have been living together for almost 2 years. In that time, I have only seen her pick up a controller twice. Once to play The Maw for about ten minutes because she thought it looked cute and a second time to play the new PoP game on my 360 (again, for about 10 minutes).
 
NOW, we were having a discussion last night which culminated in an agreement that if I come with her to a Yoga class next weekend she has to spend a night with me playing video games. (We agreed that 3 hours would be a substantial enough time limit to consider it a full night of gaming. You and I know better, but that is neither here nor there.) 
 
So that brings me to the reason of this post. I need the Giantbomb community to suggest some games that I should get her to play, in hopes that she might actually enjoy herself and perhaps want to play with me of her own volition sometime in the future (this last part might be a bit of a pipe dream but I figure – hey, why not shoot for the moon).  
 
I have compiled some LISTS of all the games I own. So I need all of you to go through them and make some suggestions of what we should play. And hey, if you think there is something that would be perfect that I don't currently own, suggest it anyway and maybe I'll make a short stop at the game store in the next few days.
 
Keep in mind that we don't have to play the same game all night. We can start with a game of Tetris on the NES and end with a match of Modern Warfare 2. So if you think there might be a good progression of games to take her through the "history of gaming", that could be fun too. 
 
I have some kind of vague conception of what I'm going to do but I'm interested in how you all think I should go about this. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

You should play Geometry Wars 2- that's a great game anyone can pick up.  
   
Also Pac-Man can be fun for a couple of minutes, and sonic 2 of course 
 
Also co-op games are king for this sort of thing (kinda obvious I know) 

I guess Heavy Rain would be a fun slow game to play in such a situation. (Though i've never played it)

Hahahaha. Yoga's the worst. You're totally going to pop a bone with all the girls in stretchy pants bending over. Make sure you wear some tight underwear.

I see Orange Box, so Portal might be a good choice.
 
I didn't see these on your list, but my wife will play:
- Left 4 Dead
- Beautiful Katamari
- N+

My girlfriend has a lot of fun playing Beautiful Katamari and Peggle.

" Hahahaha. Yoga's the worst. You're totally going to pop a bone with all the girls in stretchy pants bending over. Make sure you wear some tight underwear. "

lpb, and i think he'd like just cause 2- get it if you dont have it

Rockband. Guitar Hero. Anything where she can belt it out and sing - it's not 'gaming' per se and a great way to break the uninitiated into games. It's worked for me so with two people I never thought would touch an Xbox: my girlfriend and my dad; neither one will admit to liking games, and both often question why I like them so much, but once they get a mic in their hands and start to watch their progress they're hooked! I've had my girlfriend independently ask me if I wanted to play with her (rather than me playing and bugging her to join in). I haven't gotten this to transition over to any 'real' game yet, but I think it's the best start possible - kind of 'trains' them for future gaming - just getting used to a controller and watching the screen.

LittleBigPlanet
Geometry Wars
Burnout Paradise
 

Resident Evil 5. I'm being 100% sincere.

So let me get this straight. You agreed to go to a yoga class in exchange for one favour from you girlfriend and you chose... three hours of gaming.

" So let me get this straight. You agreed to go to a yoga class in exchange for one favour from you girlfriend and you chose... three hours of gaming. "

" @Elazul said:

" So let me get this straight. You agreed to go to a yoga class in exchange for one favour from you girlfriend and you chose... three hours of gaming. "

 It didn't exactly go down like THAT. But I guess, in a manner of speaking... yes.     "

This thread is very entertaining, dude you have to let us know how your yoga class goes, oh man.
 
As for which games to play, I think littlebigplanet is the winner here. Geometry Wars 2 may be a good choice too. Both games on co-op, obviously.
Might be a good idea to let her customize her sack-person before jumping in to a level as well.
 
Good luck!

" @MostlyHeadless said:

" @Elazul said:

" So let me get this straight. You agreed to go to a yoga class in exchange for one favour from you girlfriend and you chose... three hours of gaming. "

 It didn't exactly go down like THAT. But I guess, in a manner of speaking... yes.     "

Okay, just checking. I'd have probably chosen something else, but I REALLY shouldn't get into that here.  How about Bomberman or Golden Axe on XBLA? I know they're kinda simple, but that might be a good thing if your girlfriend isn't into gaming. Also, it's hard to go wrong with Little Big Planet. "  

Little Big Planet, Burnout Paradise, and Left 4 Dead if she's into Zambies

" This thread is very entertaining, dude you have to let us know how your yoga class goes, oh man."  

" @Newten said:

" This thread is very entertaining, dude you have to let us know how your yoga class goes, oh man."  

I'm kinda trying to figure out a way I can document both the Yoga and the game night and make a YouTube video out of it. At the very least I'll make it a blog post for all of you to enjoy! "

I go to yoga because it helps me deal with some of my aches and pains from lifting weights.  Especially on the knees and elbows. 
 
Games for a night with the girlfriend. 
RE4, my girlfriend points out the RE series as her last experience in gaming 
Super Mario Galaxy. 
Portal 
Geometry Wars 
Lumines 

Any of the Gears of War games in co op, and left 4 dead 1 also. That's how I got my GF into xbox and she loves it now....

VIVA PINIATA

so what, yoga can be fun. 

"

I go to yoga because it helps me deal with some of my aches and pains from lifting weights.  Especially on the knees and elbows. 
 
Games for a night with the girlfriend. 
RE4, my girlfriend points out the RE series as her last experience in gaming 
Super Mario Galaxy. 
Portal 
Geometry Wars 
Lumines 

"

Viva Pinata: Trouble In Paradise 
Harvest Moon
Peggle
 
Something that is fun and laid back but is an ongoing experience that you create, and peggle just because it's peggle. Also, don't tell her how to play unless she is visibly frustrated because half the fun of those types of games is figuring everything out and feeling like you've accomplished something on your own.

Play something that connects with her interests. So unless she likes violent movies, leave the shooters out. Instead if she likes anime, play FF. If she is into Indiana Jones movies play that. Also if she doesn't game, keep it simple! Preferably something without a time limit or something where she has to act quickly. Especially in the beginning. Another general hint from me is to start with older games if you plan to let her experience a series. Because usually they'll react with "Why can't I do X here? I could do that in the other game!". If she gets in to it do that later when her mindset is more in to the workings of videogames.
 
Going through your list I'll suggest  any of these, starting with the one that has the biggest chance of connecting with her:
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures,
  Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction 
  LittleBigPlanet   
  Super Mario Kart
  Final Fantasy XII /  Final Fantasy X   
Ōkami 
  Super Mario World 
  Bomberman Live
 
And if she enjoys it you can start with these after a couple of more yoga lessons ;-)
  Final Fantasy XIII 
  Heavy Rain (On easy naturally!)
  Shadow of the Colossus 

 
Also prepare to suffer. She is probably going to press the wrong buttons, miss all the clues and do everything wrong. Try to see the fun in it and endure, if she gets in to it you'll have a new hobby together. Though you might regret it when she monopolizes the consoles.

I know it'll be a purchase, but you might want to consider Braid if she's into artsy stuff. It's a very forgiving game, but not boring. Since it looks like it'll be your first time playing it too, you can enjoy it for the first time together.

" so what, yoga can be fun.  "

Sounds fair.

" Also, don't tell her how to play unless she is visibly frustrated because half the fun of those types of games is figuring everything out and feeling like you've accomplished something on your own. "

@Buttons

For real, lol. I do that even to my friends who game regularly when introducing them to something. It pisses them AND me off... I can't stop myself very well.

  What kind of things is she into? Does she like sports? What kind of movies does she like? Does she enjoy action movies with lots of violence? I know some couples enjoy playing cooperative shooter games together like Gears of War or Resident Evil 5. (Not cooperative, but maybe Dead Space if she's into Horror.)
 
Does she like reading a lot and/or story-oriented dramas? She might like an RPG or maybe a lighter action-rpg, something like Fable (Or maybe the story of Brutal Legend if she's at all into Metal, or maybe even BioShock). Although three hours may not be enough time  to get her really into something like that.
 
If she enjoys cars or speed and crazy action she might be able to get into something like Burnout.  Easy to pick up and play with a pretty quick payoff of fun.
 
Something like Heavy Rain may intrigue her, but the required button inputs and motions may be a little difficult for someone who isn't very used to where the buttons are on a controller.
 
While not cooperative I see Ratchet and Clank in your collection, which a lot of people seem to be into and I could easily see the art style and charming humor appealing to a wide audience. Also not cooperative but of high quality (although maybe a little less accessible) are the Uncharted games. And Batman: Arkham Asylum might hit the spot if she's at all into comics, super heroes, or Batman specifically.
 
As for stuff you don't have and may not necessarily be interested in buying in a leap of faith, I believe there's at least one Katamari demo on PSN that you could download and see if it appeals to her if you didn't want to jump into a purchase.  
 
Also I think documenting the experience or making a blog out of it is a really cool idea and I look forward to checking it out if you do it.

Don't force her into something she has no interest in

" @Elazul said:

" @MostlyHeadless said:

" @Elazul said:

" So let me get this straight. You agreed to go to a yoga class in exchange for one favour from you girlfriend and you chose... three hours of gaming. "

 It didn't exactly go down like THAT. But I guess, in a manner of speaking... yes.     "

Okay, just checking. I'd have probably chosen something else, but I REALLY shouldn't get into that here.  How about Bomberman or Golden Axe on XBLA? I know they're kinda simple, but that might be a good thing if your girlfriend isn't into gaming. Also, it's hard to go wrong with Little Big Planet. "  

I think we both assume that the "something else" is always an option, whether we are forcing each other's hobbies on each other or not. ;) "

You can never start training them too soon, my friend:
 
Cooking Mama

fable 2, if you don't have it, get it ^^

" @MostlyHeadless said:

" @Elazul said:

" @MostlyHeadless said:

" @Elazul said:

" So let me get this straight. You agreed to go to a yoga class in exchange for one favour from you girlfriend and you chose... three hours of gaming. "

 It didn't exactly go down like THAT. But I guess, in a manner of speaking... yes.     "

Okay, just checking. I'd have probably chosen something else, but I REALLY shouldn't get into that here.  How about Bomberman or Golden Axe on XBLA? I know they're kinda simple, but that might be a good thing if your girlfriend isn't into gaming. Also, it's hard to go wrong with Little Big Planet. "  

I think we both assume that the "something else" is always an option, whether we are forcing each other's hobbies on each other or not. ;) "

I more meant the, uh, "catholic-angering" kind. Most girls aren't so down with that either way. "

My girlfriend and I play a lot of New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Left 4 Dead is a winner in my house. Also just played through co-op on Gears 2 (which made her cry at Dom's story) and EDF (no crying).
 
May I advise against Puzzle Quest - unless you want to lose use of the TV for hours at a time.

LBP, gears of war 2, bioshock. Also don't hurt yourself doing yoga, they really stretch more than what most guys can stretch.

Burnout Paradise.

Flower dude! that game will change anyones mind about games! 
I had a girl thinking games were just full of violence and myself being an avid gamer, showed her otherwise with flow and flower and she was completely blown away!

This is a rocky road, man you need to plan this out carefully... more important than the games is your intentions and expectations. Keep in mind that though you are open minded to yoga, you already have a preconceived notion (educated or not) of what the experience will entail, and though you admit you may be surprised by it, you already have made assumptions as to how much you will enjoy it. I can guarantee she has already done the same thing. 
 
 Be very aware that there are possible outcomes to this you may not have considered. For instance she may find that one game that she falls in love with and never plays anything else. My wife is a non gamer, for all intents and purposes but very specific games she will change completely for, namely Layton, Kingdom Hearts, and Zelda. However she does not consider herself a gamer and still views all other games with a certain stigma. Or worse you may create a monster. I go on Giant Bomb in the wee hours of night as its the only time my PC is safe from Farmville and Cafe World... you have been warned.

Play Gears of War 2 together. Nothing brings a couple together like tearing threw the bowels of a locust with a chainsaw.

"   I have some kind of vague conception of what I'm going to do but I'm interested in how you all think I should go about this. Any suggestions would be appreciated. "