Topic: Children's games

[wallstreet123456]

I am looking for some games for my 5 and 7 year olds. I have purchased Dora for them and they love it since they do not loose lives. Are there any orthe games people can recommend that are for their age?

Thanks,
Steven

[vudu]

Lego Star Wars

Depending on their proficiency with a controller, this game would probably be a good choice for them.  It's easy enough for children without dumbing anything down.  Plus, you could probably play it yourself and enjoy it just as much.

[Hostile Creation]

I think it'd be good to buy them some games that you can loose lives in, but which are relatively easy.  By age seven I was more than capable of that, and there's a greater sense of satisfaction there.
I'm trying to think of one for Gamecube, though, and I just can't.  They're all really difficult, honestly.  It's amazing how difficult games have become.
You might want to try Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, that's the easiest one I can think of.  The kids I've showed it to have loved it.
Can anyone think of some others?

[vudu]

I'd recommend against buying a seven year old Wind Waker.  While the combat in the game isn't exactly hard, the game is still much too challenging for a child.  Most kids probably won't be able to figure out the puzzles or what they need to do next and they'll probably spend the next three years hanging around on Outset Island.

[KnowsNothing]

Everybody loves Mario Kart!

I'm not sure really, everyone develops differently.  At five and six I was playing things like Sonic, Mario 64, Wave Race, Pilotwings, etc. which are all certainly more complicated than Dora.  Mario Kart Double Dash might be a good choice depending on their skill level.

Super Mario Sunshine and Zelda: Wind Waker are kid-friendly, but controlling the character and the camera at the same time might be too complicated.  Wind Waker is also probably way too difficult for them, so I'd go with Mario before that.

Then maybe look at some Mario Sports titles (other than golf...).  Super Mario Strikers may be a bit too fast-paced, but it's loads of fun and very simple.  Mario Superstar baseball is very simple but could be a little frustrating for some, and most of all it's pretty boring too  Mario Tennis, perhaps?  

The Mario Party series is also great fun, they're made up of a bunch of mini-games strung together by a board game interface.  It's a great multiplayer game, too, and the games are usually very simple.  I'd definitley look into Mario Party.

Donkey Konga is a great game that uses the bongo peripheral for the Cube to play to music (it's packaged witht he game, and extra ones can be bought separatley).  However, if your kids haven't really developed good hand-eye coordination and timing yet it'd be very dificault and frustrating.  I'd guess your 7-year old would be able to handle the easy stuff.

There's also Kirby Air Ride, which may be the best choice.  It's a very simple and bright racing game that only uses the A button.  It takes a while to get used to and may be a little too hectic, but it's extremely simple and very fun.

Look into those, those are the only ones that I know of that are simple and fun, but really they might all be a little too much for your kids.  I know at that age my little brother wasn't able to play half those games.

My biggest reccomandation by far, however, would go towards the purchase of a Game Boy Advance or a Nintendo DS portable system.  The GBA library has TONS of liscensed children's games starring numerous cartoon and television characters that I'm sure your kid would love.  The Nintendo DS is a bit more expensive, but it's the console that publisher and developers will be supporting in the future.  Plus it's way cool, what with the touch-screen and such, I'm sure your kids will love it.  The DS is also backwards compatible with the GBA, meaning your kids can play all those great Game Boy games on their DS too.

[S-U-P-E-R]

When I was that old, I played Contra and Castlevania for the NES. Buy them these and tell them you won't buy them any more games until they beat them.

[vudu]

I still can't beat Contra without the Konami code, that is.  SUPER's gonna be (is?  God, I hope not) a bad daddy.

[Hostile Creation]

"There's also Kirby Air Ride, which may be the best choice. It's a very simple and bright racing game that only uses the A button. It takes a while to get used to and may be a little too hectic, but it's extremely simple and very fun."

Why didn't I think of this?  This is a great, simple, fun game.  Everyone I've played it with likes it, and most of them don't normally play games.  It's very easy to get used to, and the basics aren't really challenging.  Great multiplayer game.
I'd also go with Knowsnothing's recommendation on a Nintendo DS (Advance is good too, and cheaper, but Nintendo DS can play DS and GBA games).  I know GBA can play older gameboy games, but you're unlikely to find those nowadays.  Overall the Nintendo DS is a better purchase.

[UncleBob]

Grand Theft Auto.  It's not as bad as it sounds, really.

[wandering]

-The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: Sword fighting (no blood, you fight cartoonish monsters), and beautiful scenery. The opening area is an island village where you can run around, chase pigs, and swim...so difficulity isn't an issue.

-Super Mario Sunshine: Running, jumping, water squirting. Also has an opening area to run around in, so difficulity isn't much of an issue...although the game requires you to learn how to aim your water pack early on, which is a little tricky.

-Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Kart racing. They'll bump into the sides alot and probably always lose against the computer, but the 2 should have fun racing against each other.

-Donkey Konga and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat: Drums. Need a say more?

-Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix: if they're coordinated enough to do simple dance steps.

-The Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition: bonus disk with old 2d and N64 games. It was a promotional give-away, might be hard to find.

-Animal Crossing: Talk with cartoonish animals, collect furniture. The one game on this list where you can't loose lives, or loose the game. Lots of reading, though.

-Disney's Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse: From what I've heard, a simple point and click game for kids.

-Kirby's Air Ride: From what I've heard, I'll second the suggestion.

Quote
I'd recommend against buying a seven year old Wind Waker. While the combat in the game isn't exactly hard, the game is still much too challenging for a child. Most kids probably won't be able to figure out the puzzles or what they need to do next and they'll probably spend the next three years hanging around on Outset Island.

Oh, I disagree. Don't underestimate kids. You have no idea how fast they pick this stuff up.

...They'll spend the next three years stuck on Forbidden Fortress.

(Seriously, though, even if they can't get very far, complex games like mario and zelda are good for them. And, they'll really enjoy them.)        

[Kairon]

If you pick up Donkey Konga, also look into Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat which is a platformer title that uses the bongos for simple controls, short arcade-like fun stages, and tends togive players plenty of life since every banana is your health, you tend to collect hundreds of them, and each hit only takes about 10 bananas from you.

I'd also like to add my recommendation to Kirby's Air Ride. It's relatievly simple controls and light-hearted nature I find calming. However, don't expect to excerl at "City Trial" without being able to handle yourself, unlike racing the City trial mode has different vehicles with different difficult attributes and tight city turns. BUT, as long as you live you can't lose at city trial and it's a guaranteed 5 minutes of free-roaming fun before the mini-game at the end.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[wandering]

Whoa. I just edited my post with the same 2 suggestions Kairon made, at the exact same time he made them.

[Kairon]

Whoa.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[KnowsNothing]

While Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is a greta game, I really don't think your kids will like it, and are likely to be frustrated by the controls.  It takes lots of furious beating and coordination...

[Kairon]

Ain't there a Spyro game out there somewhere? Isn't that supposed to be very youth-centered?

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[animecyberrat]

guys come one, think bsak to when you were kids, did you play crap easy childish games? No we were pl;aying Super mario Bros, Contra, Mega Man, Castlvania, Little Nemo, Metroid, Zelda, etc, etc. There is no such thing as an easy game that is appropriate for kids. I have a  3 year old girl who can beat Soul Caliber 2 all by her self and has gotten very good at playing Zelda OOT.

Well she si five now but she beat SC when she was 3 and she is very good at Zelda and Rampage. ALso I let her play MK and she has figured that out as well. Just cuz someone is a kid doewnt mean they cant figure oput a game, they are made with kids in mind. I say just buy whatever games the kids ask for because thast what they want to play and let them have fuin, who cares if it takes thema year to beat it, they will have fun trying.


However I woudl second every reccomendation made so far except DDR Mario.


Also you could consider getting any of the mario Party games or Mario SPorts games (they have Tennes, Golf, Soccer and Baseball) or lookinto Sonic Adventure or Sonic Heroes games, they are all great games also and kids love them. Then tehre is Super Monkey Ball which lets face it if yor NOT a kids you have no bussiness playing.

Also Star Fox Adventure is one of the best games for GC and kids generaly seam to et into it fairly easily form what i have seen.  

[KnowsNothing]

I think it's fairly obvious that if his kids enjoy Dora they're not quite ready for Castlevania.

And I shudder to think they animecyberrat has kids.  Every aspect of that thought is just wrong.

[vudu]

Can a mod check to see if the topic starter has been back since the post was created?  I laugh when I think we're probably doing this all for nothing.

[S-U-P-E-R]

Original poster never came back

I just recommended someone else get a GC and Zelda, Monkey Ball, Smash Bros, Soul Calibur II for an eight year old.

Back in my day, though, we played Castlevania and didn't grow up to be such damn wusses

[wandering]

Quote
Then tehre is Super Monkey Ball which lets face it if yor NOT a kids you have no bussiness playing.

I almost recommended the best Sega game of this generation... but thought the kids would hate it if, as the poster says, they don't like lossing lives. Sure, you roll a ball around, but there's no free play: either you beat the stages, which require a decent amount of coordination and speed even in early levels, or your monkey dies horribly and repeatedly.

[wallstreet123456]

Thanks for all the input

[wandering]

Oh hey, you actually came back.

Glad we could be of help.

[Kairon]

My faith in the innate goodness of humans is reaffirmed!

Let us know if our suggestions turned out to be stinkers, ok? I'd be sad to find out, but it'd be good to know for future references.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com