Videogames for really young Kids (their first videogame)

[JamieDeb]

I would like to find a list of videogames for really young kids on each system (SNES and Genesis mainly, and N64, GBA ...)

Is there a site dedicated to that ?

Thanks very much

[LunarLoveLust]

How young are we talking about? 4? 6?

Sonic should be fine

[TalkingOctopus]

There are plenty of good options

8-bit Nintendo
Super Mario 1, 2, and 3 - You can't go wrong with the Mario Bros series.
Excitebike
Burgertime
Rampage
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Ducktales
Tetris
Chip and Dale Recure Rangers

Super Nintendo
Super Mario World 1 + 2
Mario Lost in Time
Disney's Aladin
Stunt Race
Star Fox

Hope that helps!

[pointdablame]

Just go with the classics and you won't go wrong.

Mario 1-3, Mario64, Super Mario World, etc
Sonic 1-3, Puzzle bobble is good for learning colors, my little cousin loved to "play" the original zelda because of the colors and the "little people" even if he didn't know what he was doing.

Think that way and you'll think of TONS of games that would be good for young kids

[Hoe]

8-bit Nintendo
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Just make sure it isn't the orignal ninja turtles game for NES. Unless you like your kids ripping their hair out in frustration ;]
TMNT: The Arcade Game, and The Manhatten Project (also on genesis, I believe) are fine.

[StephenH]

on MAME:

Pac-Man
Donkey Kong
Galaga
Fairyland Story
Super Mario Bros Series
Excitebike
NBA Jam
Bottom of the Ninth
Dig Dug
Super Mario Bros 2
Super Mario Bros 3
Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers
TMNT
Centipede
Ultimate Tennis

[TalkingOctopus]

Just make sure it isn't the orignal ninja turtles game for NES. Unless you like your kids ripping their hair out in frustration ;]
TMNT: The Arcade Game, and The Manhatten Project (also on genesis, I believe) are fine.

Yeah that is the game I meant.  I never actually played the first one.  The third one is not too bad either and it is unique to good old 8-bit Nintendo.

[paigeoliver]

Dude, some of you guys just WANT to frustrate some little kids to death! Some of those games you mentioned are VERY hard, and are not very forgiving to wrong moves.

They made childrens games for every console. That would be the place to start. Racing games are also usually good choices, because they usually go a few minutes before you lose.

Although kids can seemingly enjoy incredibly hard games. I had some family members over once, and three little girls kept my old Jack the Giantkiller cocktail busy almost all day long. Although they might have just liked it because it was the perfect height for them to stand up and play.

[Howard_Casto]

You need to give the kids something with a lot of blood in it.  Kids like the bloody games and will play them longer soley because the blood.  Not anything psycho like resident evil, but "classically" violent, like mk2.  

Of course some parents want to shelter their kids from such thing and I can understand that.  The natural order of things though is people getting hurt=funny. You don't believe me, hurt yourself in front of a baby.  They'll be sure to laugh.  

[SirPoonga]

Yeah, violence hasn;t affect you HC


Anything considered a classic in mame.  Frogger, pacman, space invaders, bubble bobble, etc...  

[jerryjanis]

Leprechaun (in Mame)...  I remembered playing it as a tiny kid and I could play for a long time on a quarter...  I saw the cabinet last week at the Funspot, and I didn't realize it before, but the cabinet it built kid-sized (maybe 4 or 5 feet tall)!  It's a really easy game for a little kid...  But will a game like that just give them the wrong impression that these arcade games are easy and fun?

[hyiu]

for kids... I would say nothing violent....

maybe some simple driving games...

or something like mario series.....

[hubster]

I have a 4 year old boy and a 6 year old girl.  Here is the list of games that they like.

Leprechaun  (Best game for kids, very easy)
Liquid Kid  (Great game for kids AND adults)
Ms. Pac-Man
Jungle King (Tarzan),  Jungle Hunt (Hunter guy)
Dig-Dug
Wonder Boy
1942
Alpine-Skiing

Any the 3 button fighting games (Hit, Jump, Special Move)
X-Men, Captian America, etc

[grafixmonkey]

I remember seeing a sesame street series of games for nes, snes, and probably more recent systems too.  Also, Mario Party if you have an emulator that plays it, and I second the motion for puzzle bobble.  Very colorful, disgustingly cute characters.

On Mame, look for "Wacko" it looked like a good colors / shapes matching game, and has in-game play instructions.  
Super Gem Fighter Mini-Mix.
Super Dodge Ball (the 1996 one, sdodgeb not spdodgeb)
The Simpsons, a 2-year-old could have fun watching the characters move around even if they didn't even know they were supposed to press the buttons too.
Roc'n Rope, Dig Dug, Galaga, all don't require a lot of coordination to have fun.

"Blue's Journey" is great.  Forgiving gameplay, colorful & nonviolent.  (bjourney)

Waku Waku 7 is a nice kids' fighter. (wakuwak7)

Three Wonders is nice.   (3wonders)

"Shocking" is great.

Space Invaders 95 is good. (spcinv95)

Pnickies, if there's an english version...  if you're above reading age...

"Armored Warriors"  (armwar)

Asterix & Obelix (asterix)

Magical Crystals (mgcrystl)

Ninja Baseball Batman...   if you can stand the music without shooting yourself.  Good 4-year-old sense of humor.

[pmc]

My 4 year old plays lots of Columns, Alpine Ski (great soundtrack), and a little Tetris -- all on MAME. She tries Sonic (Genny and a PC port on the cabinet) but struggles with the spikes or anything that requires timing. I think the bosses frighten her a little too.

I haven't yet let her play shoot-em up games and she doesn't play any other computer/arcade games other than Mickey Mouse's Kitchen and Little Bear's Rainy Day. She's keenly interested in some of the shooter games she sees me playing but doesn't understand why I must "shoot" everything.  

Also, check out the old Maze game (MAME). It's a little hard for a4-year old though. I think she'll dig Frogger but we haven't done it yet.

So I brought up a Columns clone for her the other day (Hextra or something like that) and just as she was getting into it, naked chicks started to appear in the background. I guess it was a bar-top game for clubs. I had to fake an accidental abort and suggest a game of Old Maid or Chutes n Ladders (legacy style).  

[Lilwolf]

my 3 year old likes to play games with me... but she... well... stinks!  She has all good intetions... but hasn't got the joystick thing going.  But in a year... I'm guessing she will be better then my 7 year old!

She likes fighter pilot games that I can fly also... I kill everything and try to keep her alive as long as possible.

Adds something new to the game.... (ok, should I let her take the hit or should I cover for her)... If you do it right.. you both die about the same time.

[shmokes]

Put her on to some of the Mahjong games.  Kids eat that up.  And with millions to choose from in Mame they are sure to have endless hours of variety and fun.

[Apollo]

For young children I definately recommend "NARC". Good wholesome entertainment for the whole family. Either that or "Fantasia and Fantasia 2".

Hmmmm feeling I may have gone too far.

[CM]

Put her on to some of the Mahjong games.  Kids eat that up.  And with millions to choose from in Mame they are sure to have endless hours of variety and fun.

... and with some of those your kid may learn more than just videogames  

[Howard_Casto]

Glad you guys got the joke. I was afraid I would get nasty letters from the PTC again.  

[SirPoonga]

For young children I definately recommend "NARC". Good wholesome entertainment for the whole family.

Yep  It does have a good message in it, don't be a drug dealer!

[IIOIOOIOO]

Pac-Land is fantastic for super-young. My 3 yr old loves it. All you do is run and jump, and my daughter can beat the first two levels

[Apollo]

Maybe "The New Zealand Story"?

[Lilwolf]

There is the one that you push 3 colored buttons.. red, blue and green.  Then there are simple games that go with it.

My 3 year old cant play pacland yet.  She can do a joystick... or a button... or two joysticks (I wish robotron was easier for her) but not a joystick and a button... but soon I'll have her doing super upper cuts with the best of them!

[Ted_Striker]

I got a 2 year old and she loves the mame machine.  She can't play yet obviously but likes the color and sounds.  She loves Circus Charlie and Bubble Bobble.  She actually asks for those 2.  Haven't heard those 2 games mentioned yet.

[Lilwolf]

Gotcha is the 3 color game!  Pretty fun.  

As anti - kids games.   What is the side scroller fighter that in level 2 or so (if you are running the non-us version) there are dogs that hump your legs and black leather biker gay guys that do the same?  I laughed so hard when I saw that.

(yeah... stupid humor.... but I wasn't expecting it.... I would be like having the ms-pacman mini-movie after level 100 having her lift her skirt or something.

[grafixmonkey]

Pac-Land is fantastic for super-young. My 3 yr old loves it. All you do is run and jump, and my daughter can beat the first two levels

 

I can't beat the first two levels!

I must be missing something in that game.    

[Daver4676]

When I was about 5 I cut my videogame teeth on the Colecovision versions of Donkey Kong and Mouse Trap (although I may have played a game or two in the arcade without really knowing what to do).   Both are available in MAME and you can purchase the former for the NES also.   Stay away from Donkey Kong 64 though.

I didn't catch the age of your kids but if either of them are old enough (or when they are) you might want to play some old adventure games with them.   Not only do they help develop problem solving skill, they also encourage reading.  The old Legend of Zelda games are good - like a Link to the Past.   I also can't discount the Pajama Sam series -- my niece used to love that when she was four or five.   The company that makes Pajama Sam has a whole series of adventure titles for the younger audience (their name escapes me right now sorry).  

Basically, you can't go wrong with the entire catalogue of the old NES and pre-Mortal Kombat 2 SNES (Nintendo was notorius for censoring their games - sometimes ridiculously - for a family audience).

What is the side scroller fighter that in level 2 or so (if you are running the non-us version) there are dogs that hump your legs and black leather biker gay guys that do the same?

Are you talking about DJ Boy?  Really wild guess but I remember the Japanese version was very risque.  It was a pretty stupid game but Wolfman Jack's voice gave it a bit of personality at least.

[SirPeale]

Leprechaun (in Mame)...  I remembered playing it as a tiny kid and I could play for a long time on a quarter...  I saw the cabinet last week at the Funspot...

Funspot, eh?  Where do you live?

[jakejake28]

The old Legend of Zelda games are good - like a Link to the Past.

the kid who beats any zelda game as his/her first is much more patient than i am

[Daver4676]

the kid who beats any zelda game as his/her first is much more patient than i am

I don't know about you but I had more patience as a kid.  I played about 3 hours into the new Zelda game (Wind Waker) and lost interest.  

[KevSteele]

Here are my kids' favorites:

Camel Try
Block Block
Caveman Ninja
Puyo Puyo
Marble Madness
Uo Poko

My eldest (6 tomorrow) is branching out into shooters like Do Don Pachi, but only because he can play with Dad at the same time.  

Kevin

[Justin]

For a < 4 yr old, I would strongly suggest STARGATE


BUAHAHAHAHHAA  

[AlanS17]

Arcade:
City Connection (bright colors, and a cute lil car)
Super Gem Fighters: Mini Mix (easy-to-learn cute fighting game)
Puzzle Bobble
Kid Nikki
Afterburner 2 (VERY forgiving flight sim with LOTS of action)
Spyhunter
UN Squadron

NES:
Little Nemo (AWESOME game about a boy in a dream)
Ducktales (like the cartoon)
Super Mario series
Kid Icarus
Mega Man series

Super NES:
Pilot Wings (colorful and fun. challenging, but not impossible)
UN Squadron
Mega Man series

P.S. For those of ya'll that say some games are too hard for kids, I've gone back to play games I used to rock on when I was still learning how to ride a bike, and now I SUCK at them. They are a LOT harder now. We're talking about games that used to be a breeze, and now I can't pass the first level. For instance, I used to get to like level 13 or 14 in Galaxian and now I get to 5 or 6.

[IIOIOOIOO]

These lists are funny because it's glaringly obvious which came from people with real live kids (or even real undead kids, i suppose), and which came from those without.

My parents broke me in with Canyon Climber and a bunch of the old text adventures for the CoCo when I was a youngster. Nothing teaches you to read faster than looking up words to find out exactly what the mummy is holding, etc.

But seriously. Go get a CoCo emulator, get canyon climber.

Oh... and grafixmonkey. The secret to pac-land is: double-tap forward to run

[kspiff]

I would highly recommend the Gals Panic series in MAME, as well as Conker's Bad Fur Day on N64 .. very educational vids for th' li'l tykes (hic)

IIOIOOIOO: Actually, he might be referring to 'trip' 2 of Pac-Land.. in trip 2 the springboard sections become harder and you have to tap run until you hit the board, tap jump until you reach an apex, and tap run again to slow your descent.  Even knowing this, I think I maxxed out at trip 3

[Hoagie_one]

Mortal Combat

[bionicbadger]

Hehe, lots of the games people are recommending here for kids are the games that my wife plays.

Uo Poko
Super Puzzle fighter
Bubble Bobble
Frogger


If you have a steering wheel, lots of good driving games are good because they are simple.

[spidermonkey]

My niece's favorites are Plump pop and Cosmo gang (the video) both are in Mame.

[SirPoonga]

Mega Man series

Add that to the NES series too!  Megaman 2 is one of my favorite NES games.