Non-Gamer w/kids needs advice (1 Viewer)

[Joey_R]

I am contemplating buying a console for my kids who are currently ages 5 and 7. They have already begun to ask about "Nintendo" and "Sega." I currently have DVD and 5.1 audio and intend on purchasing 60"+ RP HDTV in the next six months. Ignoring the obvious arguments about questionable kiddie content, what would YOU do if you were starting out at square one? What format would you go with considering what is available today and will be available in the next 5-7 years (prospective titles). I'm inclined to think Xbox, but that is my uneducated speculation (this is my first foray into this area of the forum).

 

[Kelley_B]

Will you be playing also?

Also how advanced are you kids? Like some kids can sit right down and play a game like Munch's and solve all the puzzles no problems, while others wouldn't be able to move character on the screen.

Personally my feelings are this:

PS2, Xbox, GameCube, who cares they are all winners, get the one which has the games on it you want now.

 

[Joey_R]

I suspect I will be playing some, too. I've just never really had any exposure to gaming. I might be an addict waiting to happen.
I suspect my kids are in the middle of the "advancement scale." They seem to navigate computer learning CD's fine, but otherwise have little gaming experience.
I suppose part of your response gets at essence of my question. I don't have a clue which games I want now! I am interested in a platform that will attract a variety of titles, both kid and adult. Do any of the platforms cater to just a hardcore gaming crowd that might be inappropriate for me?
Am I placing too much emphasis on future title availability?

 

[Jason Seaver]

As much as the Xbox excites my hardware lust, it is the most narrowly marketed of the 3 consoles available right now (6 if you count the Dreamcast, PS1, and N64) - directly at the high-end 16-30 year old, without a whole lot that would really appeal to a small child, and there doesn't seem to be much that would in the future release lists I've seen for it. If you were buying just for yourself, I'd say go with the Xbox, but the Gamecube and PS2 seem more family-friendly, though for the PS2 it's in part because of the backward compatibility with PS1 titles.

 

[Jason Merrick]

Joey,

If you are buying primarily for your kids then buy the GameCube. Nintendo has a solid reputation for family appropriate games, it will be supported for years and years to come, and there are always some hardcore games available for you when you want to play too.

Not to mention it's an excellent system with unbelievable graphics!

 

[Joe michaels]

Facts that may help guide you

Nintendo makes games for the whole family. You know if you get a cube it will have a certain kind of game and they usually are high in quality. The discs are small and the controller is simple so kids can handle it easily. Also if the kids get a Gameboy advance you can connect that to the cube. AND it's a 100 bucks less.

The XBox

Is a great piece of hardware. But I think it's more adult oriented. Munch's Odyssey may become to tedious and difficult for younger kids and need more help from Dad. Halo is a muture game for adults. At this point I can't recommend an XBOX if it will be used by kids that age 50 percent or more of the time.

The PS2

You know it will be around a while because it has a huge user base. It has some really good games coming out now but even those aren't necessarily for kids. Devil may cry, Metal gear 2, Onimusha Warlords, Half Life, are all rated mature. The PS2 also can handle that huge Library of Psone games.

The Psone

Don't discount this. If it is just for kids you can get the mini Psone for less than 100 and there are PLENTY of games that kids will still play over and over.

The Dreamcast.

At 50 bucks it's a bargain. It has a great library with games that can be found really cheap. Of course there won't be any new games made but... $50.

I hope I have been helpful.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Instead of making you decide, I'll do it for you.

GameCube.

It is Nintendo, which means child friendly games, and it still has games aimed at adults (like Rogue Leader, Resident Evil, and some others). The X-Box has some child friendly games, but not as many as the GameCube. The X-Box itself shows how non-kiddie MS tried to make it without actually saying "this is not aimed at kids" (didn't they say that actually?). The PS2 has a lot of games out, but very few are aimed at kids and are more for young teens and above.

 

[Joey_R]

As expected, the comments are very helpful. I am tempted by the sex appeal of the Xbox, with 5.1 and its excellent graphics (progressive or not). However, the current dearth of titles does trouble me. However, it is MS and Bill is pushing the product big time.
GameCube also seems to be a front runner and Nintendo seems to have a more family-friendly reputation. Decisions...decisions.
Should I consider, as Joe M. suggested, a more legacy platform like Dreamcast or PSOne and save my money?
I envision the games being played on my main RPTV, but that may be impractical with kids. Is it? Will my kids become consumed with the device such that I must fight to keep them away from the machine (like many on this very forum seem to be - )?

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Joey-

Your kids won't care so much about graphics and sound as you will, so if you want to have extra power, go for it. I suggest staying away from the X-Box because of its lack of child-friendly titles and you might want to not consider PS2 for a similar reason. The GameCube is certainly not childish, but it will try to appeal to everyone.

Plus, if a game is good enough on XB or PS2, it might come to GameCube.

You also save money and the GCN can do high-def (up to 480i, I think). No 5.1, but there are possibilities of it coming in the future.

 

[Iain Lambert]

To be honest, if neither you nor your kids have played any console games yet, the cheap option of just picking up a Dreamcast and some of its top arcade-style titles like Crazy Taxi, Sonic, Rayman, the divine Mr. Driller etc. is probably the best way to go. Sure, in a years time when you've exhausted the back catalogue and there aren't any more games available you'll need to get a new console, but (1) You'll at least have a lot better idea of what sort of games you like, (2) there are no laws against keeping the DC to go back to those games, (3) everyone will have a much better idea of where the current 3 platforms stand, and (4) they will probably be the $50 cheaper by then anyway.
Oh, and who knows? You might decide that gaming is not for you after all, so at least you've not thrown $300 down to find that out.

 

[Jason Handy]

the GCN can do high-def (up to 480i, I think). No 5.1, but there are possibilities of it coming in the future

No. The Gamecube is capable of 480p with the component cable interfaces. 480i is standard television on your tube TV. ANYTHING with a resolution of 480 is considered standard definition. HD is reserved for the 720p, 1080i formats.

As far as 5.1 capability, maybe the Cube is technically capable of doing it but you would need a different audio out wouldn't you? I thought most 5.1 these days was interfaced with a Toslink or S/PDIF jack. If it is not in the hardware now it won't be implemented, because it is not just a software upgrade - you need the encoding hardware in the box.

Regardless, there are NO games right now in hi-def. The X-box purports to be capable of it, but there are no games on the horizon (Test Drive claims to be 1080i but I'll believe that when I see it).

HD should not be your main concern with a first game console. I agree with starting out on a last gen system like N64 or Dreamcast or because they are so cheap right now. And some of those games are simpler and might be able to hold a young person's attention better. Especially consoles with simpler controllers. Gosh if a 5 year old can barely write his name, how can he manage 12 buttons spatially distributed on a controllere 4x the size of his hand? PLus like said above, for the cost of just a next-gen console and controller ($340), you can get a Dreamcast and 5 games, maybe more. Not bad, eh?

Jason

P.S. Morgan i was not trying to flame your post, but you need to be careful about throwing nomenclature around.

 

[Mike_G]

If you have kids that age, go with the GameCube. The titles appeal to kids, and some of them are great for adults, too. They're just not adult-oriented.

As for 5.1, the GameCube offers Dolby Pro-Logic II. I don't know if you're capable of listening to it, but it's there, and it's the best you'll get from it. The XBox is the only system that does real-time Dolby Digital in most, if not all their games. The PS2 only has one DTS 5.1 title (SSX Tricky), but it has many kid-friendly titles. I just think that in the long run, the GC would be the better deal for you.

Morgan: what are Mad Dash, Oddworld, Cel Damage, and Shrek? Are they not kid-friendly titles? My three-year-old daughter plays Mad Dash. Stop lying about the XBox!!

Mike

 

[Mike__D]

The Nintendo 64 might not be a bad choice at all. It's cheap, you can get it in different colors, and it has a large library of games. Mario Party 1, 2, & 3 are great board type games that can appeal to the whole family. Although I'm sure the Gamecube will get updated versions of Mario Party.

I'd go with either N64, GCN (if you want the lastest and great from Nintendo), or a Dreamcast. Speaking of the Dreamcast, it's a great system and the games a very cheap now. It's graphics are comparable to the new systems... it was the first of the next generation systems that made the huge leap in terms of graphics over the older systems. If you can find the games, which isn't hard right now... you can go to Best Buy or online at Amazon and find a huge library of games.

 

[Bill Eberhardt]

I would suggest purchasing one of the cheaper systems described above for the kids. Try it out, then if you find you like to play games along with them, get the xbox when you purchase your HDTV.
The better your home theater, the greater the difference will be between the xbox and the other systems. If you are using a smaller TV, the other systems look pretty good, too. Have your kids try out the controllers and find out which ones they prefer.
Myself, I have an xbox on a 55" RPTV and 7.1 surround sound and I just love it. But if I had kids, they would have their own game console on a smaller TV. I think kids would like that just as much and I would have a chance to watch a movie once in a while in the home theater.

 

[Chris Bardon]

Oddworld is FAR from being a kid's game. It may look cartoony, but there's a bit of a twisted sense of humor there (plus the fact that if it's like the other Oddworld games, it's REALLY hard).

For as much as yet another opinion is worth, If I had kids (and took off my hardcore gamer hat for a minute), I'd probably end up with a Ps1 or Ps2 for the game library. There are lots of Ps2 games out right now, and the Ps1 back compatability means lots of cheaper games out there.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Jason-

I know you weren't flaming my post.

The GameCube is capable of 5.1 but as of right now, there is no way to get it. Nintendo is "supposedly" making a special cable that outputs it, but its all rumors.

So the X-Box is, of course, more powerful and offers more capabilities, but it is not aimed at kids.

If you want a classic system with lots of kids games, go with the N64. If you want a system that will grow on you and is pretty current, go with the GameCube.

I'm not reccommending the DC, PS2, PSX, or XB because the N64 has a TON of child-friendly and fun games that adults can also like and the GameCube is looking to be as adult friendly as it is child friendly. The PSX/PS2 are more for teens, the XB for teens and adults, and the DC is more for hardcore gamers. Kids are none of the above listed.

 

[Dean Cooper]

One thing you might want to try is take them to a store that has most of the systems for sale like ToysRus, Wallmart or Kmart (they sell DVDs so you have a good excuse to be there in the electronics section) and just watch them to see what system they seem to be checking out the most. This should give you a good idea of what system you should be looking at getting for them. We can then give you gobs and gobs of advice on what games you should get for it
Dean

 

[Craig S]

X-Box has some child friendly games, but not as many as the GameCube

This is a fair assessment, and indeed, several other posters to this thread have made the same assessment regarding the two consoles.
*** Edited by author to remove potentially inflammatory text ***
As for the topic at hand - If you have to have one of the new consoles for your kids, get the GameCube. If your kids aren't completely brand-conscious yet (i.e., have to have the latest & greatest), then they'll have just as much fun with a N64 or Dreamcast, and you'll save some bucks. For example, for about the same cost of the Cube alone (one controller, no games), you can pick up an N64 w/ extra controller and 2 games (say, Mario 64 & Mario Kart) that wil keep your kids entertained for months. Hell, Mario 64 kept ME entertained for months!

 

[Raphael]

If you plan to do any playing on your family's new system, then I would say get a Gamecube, far and away. It will have titles for both you and the kids, and possibly most remarkably, it will have titles that both you and the kids can play at the same time with no compromise on gameplay or kid-friendliness.

If you do not plan to do any playing yourself, then by all means get a prev-gen console like N64, Dreamcast, or PSOne and do it that way. One plus for the N64 is that up to 4 can play at once, and there are loads of games that are an absolute blast to play with 4. You could also consider getting a PS2 due to its backwards compatability, should you change your mind about gaming later.

I would also agree with the statement that the XBox seems to be directly targeted towards late-teens/young adults and may not be the best choice for your kids.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Also, even though the X-Box does have some child friendly games (graphically they are friendly, but not all of them are gameplay wise) the GameCube has many more coming out in the next month than the X-Box (and their gameplay and graphics are child-friendly).