Which gaming system should we get?

[danceboy]

I don't play video games. Neither does ricevermicelli. So we don't have a game system. But we're about to have two kids (5 & 2) that will be wanting to cling to, and climb over, a mother who will be trying to recover from surgery and possibly chemo. And who could hopefully be distracted by a video game console.

So what would people recommend? Both for a system, and for a few games. Something that doesn't grow with the kids is not a negative in my book (it might not be a positive either, but I'm certainly not willing to pay much for it).

ricevermicelli wants us to get something that can play netflix, but that doesn't seem to limit it much (unless some systems do it better than others?). The ps3, wii, and xbox 360 all claim to speak WPA2, so we should be ok there (unless one of them is lying...).

Also, anything that I don't even know enough to be thinking about?

Comments

[athenasbanquet.livejournal.com]

I have a PS3, which absolutely plays Netflix+DVD+Blu-Ray. I get annoyed when it wants to update its firmware, which seems to happen about every two weeks, and I found the Netflix interface obnoxious at best (but that may be due more to Netflix than PS).

I highly recommend buying a copy of Katamari Forever, which is both fun for kids and great for adults. And jazzy music, too! (Pain meds may actually make it more fun, for serious.) I've heard good things about Braid as well, but have no personal experience.

I'll check with my mom on some other games as well; she runs a video game library in her hometown.

[athenasbanquet.livejournal.com]

Also the Lego: $MediaProperty games are pretty fun and have good collaborative modes.

[athenasbanquet.livejournal.com]

Mom says:

Katamari is really too hard for young kids.  Too long to load, requires too much attention to learn the controls, and most importantly, the storyline is completely lost on children, although they do love to see the things roll up.  Also frustrating since they hardly ever get the ball big enough to move onto the next level.  Your friend might like it, though.

For children that age, the Wii is probably the best system with the most family friendly games.
And there is no Katamari  for the Wii.

Boys, girls, or both?

For girls, the Disney Princess Enchanted Journey for Wii is enchanting--Becca stood in front of the TV for hours waving the Wii controller like a magic wand.

Any Mario/Super Mario title is good--Mario Kart, Super Mario at the Olympics, etc.

Also, any Lego title is good--Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Harry Potter.

Look for games that have two players although they may too young to "share"--depends on the children.

In which case, she may want to get a refurbished iPod touch and load it with some apps for kids--Jennifer's children were busy with that all during the holidays and apps are really cheap--especially compared to video games.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipod

GameStop is a good place to get "used" games--they are like new cars that lose their value as soon as you open the box.

Also, check your library system for available games.  Mediatech and FFPL are not unique, although we probably have more titles than any other library system.

[zuleikhajami.livejournal.com]

I have a serious gamer friend who thinks Braid is one of the best games created. I don't know what it's like for kids, though.