best video game console for kids?

[glockjs]

tryin to decide what to get my nephews, they're soon to be 9, 7, and 4....been kinda lookin around. its kinda hard to decide. the best deal seems to be with gamecube, right now they're offerin the console, 2 controlers, and the new mario kart all for under 100. the games seem to be more kid orientated as well. but ps2 seems like a good choice and so does xbox. but they dont seem to have as many kids games. i could be wrong and thats why im askin. it would help actually getting a response from parents with kids ya know.

[ViRaL1]

Younger kids might like the Gamecube. Teens and up I'd say PS2. I think the XBOX is more for older teens and above.

[glockjs]

Younger kids might like the Gamecube. Teens and up I'd say PS2. I think the XBOX is more for older teens and above.

thats what i was kinda thinkin....man i wish i had these type of choices when i was a kid, me...i was just supposed to sit there shut up and play my jungle hunt on the ol' 2600

[ViRaL1]

Don't forget about Intellivision. :P

[rallynavvie]

Easy decision: GameCube. It has the Mario series which is a hit with kids, and I've always viewed Zelda as the RPG for beginners before "graduating" to FF. PS2 also has some good kids titles but it also has far more non-kid titles so you run the risk of friends bringing over games you may not want your kids playing. Gamecube runs a lesser risk of that, also because nobody owns them

[yoda313]

Hello,

Yeah GAMECUBE for younger kids.

Then PS2 and Xbox when they get older

Kevin

---Love my XBOX ----

[seinman]

Hell i'm 21 and the only system I own is GameCube! I agree that it's great for kids, I know my mom is buying one for my younger siblings this christmas. It's also great for adults who just want a system to kill time and relax... since most of the games are aimed at children, they're generally easy and fun to play, as opposed to the stressful nature of many PS2 and Xbox games. That's the main reason that I picked GC over the others, the fact that the games are fun and not too challenging. It's the kind of system where you can pick it up, play for ten or fifteen minutes, then get back to whatever real work you were supposed to be doing.

Edit: The two must have games for GC, in my opinion, are Mario Kart: Double Dash and WarioWare Inc. They rock my socks off.

[hech54]

A Book.

[yoda313]

A Book.

Hello,

Party Pooper! :P :P :P

Kevin

[Devanshu]

I agree w/ everyone else here...fot that age group, gamecube is the only good decision. Its targeted towards kids so it has a better selection. The only kids games for ps2 that come to mind are the disney series and shrek. On the other hand, I can name 20 kids games off the top of my head for the cube. Xbox would be a poor choice because of the controllers...even the new, smaller controllers would be too big for 9 year olds.

For a 100 bucks..it's a pretty good deal.

[ipgpe13]

Gamecube is the way to go for youger children. Greater varierty of games geared towards children, and the Gamecube unit itself seems to be much more durable than the other systems.

I saw an episode of X-Play where they smashed up Gamecubes, PS2s and X-Boxes using sledge hammers, dropping them from the top of a pack of stairs and someother destructive tests. The Gamecube was the only one that actually still worked after the torture.

[glockjs]

ok cool. thanx for the feedback everyone gamecube it is. i never really got a chance to really play one that much so i want a %100. just from what ive seen though the gamecube games seem to be more bubbly and colorful than the other systems. i heard something about xbax controllers not being able to take much abuse either. so i guess that settles it. thanks again

[888888]

Go on eBay an buy them a used Sega Genesis for like $15 and a bunch of used games. They won't be able to tell the difference!

[smearbrick1]

Better yet... EBgames is running a deal for Sega Dreamcast systems for only $14.99!!!

[lordsmurf]

That's what I came to say. Hit eBay and buy some older Nintendo or Sega with kids games. NES, SNES, N64, Sega MS, Sega Genesis

[northcat_8]

Ah Sega Genesis those were the days....

Techmo Bowl with Techmo Bo
Dragon Warrior
and the list goes on....

[yoda313]

Ah Sega Genesis those were the days....

Techmo Bowl with Techmo Bo
Dragon Warrior
and the list goes on....

Hello,

I thought Dragon Warrior was Nintendo only?????

And tecmobowl for that matter.....

Kevin

[glockjs]

they're already getting a dreamcast...so the old school games are pointless that's all im gonna say about that


ya think kids dont know the difference but they do, specially when all their friends have all the up to date crap

[Doramius]

How come I don't see Colecovision or Atari 2600 up there?

Cool thing about Sega Dreamcast is there are certain Roms you can download online, burn to disc, and play on your Dreamcast. here's my statement to keep this thread from getting locked. To do it legally, you should have the physical game cartridge somewhere in your home.

[glockjs]

How come I don't see Colecovision or Atari 2600 up there?

Cool thing about Sega Dreamcast is there are certain Roms you can download online, burn to disc, and play on your Dreamcast. here's my statement to keep this thread from getting locked. To do it legally, you should have the physical game cartridge somewhere in your home.

are you serious??? you can play other roms on DC??? NO WAY

i read somethin about that once people actualy make games free to download (freeware) just to play on dreamcast with an emulator, nothin illegal about that

[Doramius]

As long as you have the physical game somewhere in your home, you can do it legally.

[glockjs]

no, i mean people program games just for the dreamcast emulators as freeware. nothin to do with any system games

[yoda313]

no, i mean people program games just for the dreamcast emulators as freeware. nothin to do with any system games

Hello,

You talking about that "HOMEBREW" stuff??? I saw some site on it but never got it to work. I guess I just didn't spend enough time on it...

Kevin

[Doramius]

I've seen some of those games, but I haven't seen any that are any good though. Many are just redos of existing games.

[glockjs]

no, i mean people program games just for the dreamcast emulators as freeware. nothin to do with any system games

Hello,

You talking about that "HOMEBREW" stuff??? I saw some site on it but never got it to work. I guess I just didn't spend enough time on it...

Kevin

yeah it's a little tricky unless you get a proggy that put's it all together for you with the auto boot and all

[smearbrick1]

I maybe a little behind the times but:

Last night I finally got my Dreamcast. I downloaded the port for the original Quake (the demo). Cool thing is, if you own the original you just insert certain files from your original disc in place of those files in the cd image. It was awesome. (only took about 3 hrs and about 6 cd-rs to realize nero 6.0 wouldn't burn the .nrg files correctly. Had to switch back to 5.5).

Also burnt a disc with the NES emulator. You can store all of the ROM files (of course, you must own the actual cartridge) on the same disc with the emu. There is no need to swap emu discs or anything. I guess they have emu's for all consoles (some work better than others) like Genesis, Master System, SNES, Neo Geo, TG16... I was surprised with this unit's capability. Shame they didn't develop it further.

here's where I got all the info:

http://www.dcemulation.com

[pbhalerao]

I would sincerely advise anyone against any Electronic Games - PC or Console.

- Electronic Games are not good for the eyes
- Electronic Games are addictive. They will make you a couch potato
- Under severe circumstances, games can cause disorders like hypertension, epilepsy, nervousness, etc.
- Games are expensive. Their REAL cost is as little as 20% of the final retail price. This includes the manufacturing cost, royalty, distribution, etc. The rest is all profits for the companies and the retailer. I worked for EA for over a year and I know these facts.

I would encourage your nephews to take to outdoor sports instead. However, if you still feel that buying a Console is OK, I would recommend GameCube as it is cheaper and not inferior.

[glockjs]

yeah the coolest part about the emu's is that you can save the game with the memory card at the EXACT point your play is at


thanks for the feedback pbhalerao, but i dont think games are all that bad. i grew up on em and look at me im fine. i still get up and go out, to have a of course or sometimes it's fun to sit at home and have a few while playing video games

[fmctm1sw]

My boys got a gamecube. You may as well buy one of those tri-wing screwdrivers right along with it though in case you need to work on the controllers...

[mrtristan]

Gamecube. The highest "fun" factor of the three. There's a lot of games that are meant to be multiplayer with the Gamecube, so it everyone can play in a household with three boys.

I plug in an extra controller when my nephews are over. With the two of them and my son, it makes three pairs of little hands that want to play video games.

My older nephew is old enough to play games with me, but his younger brother is the same age as my son. They see the action on tv and recognize that the controller has something to do with it, so they want one. I usually end up giving my son my controller and giving my younger nephew the extra controller. The little buggers are all pretty sharp, so I have to plug them in. If not, they think they aren't playing.