2+ player titles suitable for kids

Mize

Mize

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Legend
I'm looking for some 2-4 player games that are suitable for kids 8-12 years old. In our neighborhood there are a fair number of kids whose parents strictly adhere to ESRB ratings so it can be difficult to find something that appeals to an 11 year old when an 8 year old is present. Right now the only true fit I have is Little Big Planet.

The good news is I have all three consoles (PS3, X360 and Wii).

Suggestions?
Thanks.
 
Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts, it's a bit like LBP. And it supports 2 player splitscreen

It's also ridiculously fun to have each person build a vehicle and then compete in the various different challenges in MP such as races, battles, football etc.

Definitely download the demo (which is quite generous) off Live and see if they like it.
 
Mize said:
I'm looking for some 2-4 player games that are suitable for kids 8-12 years old. In our neighborhood there are a fair number of kids whose parents strictly adhere to ESRB ratings so it can be difficult to find something that appeals to an 11 year old when an 8 year old is present. Right now the only true fit I have is Little Big Planet.

The good news is I have all three consoles (PS3, X360 and Wii).

Suggestions?
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Which PS3 do you have ? The 60Gb or others ?
 
My favorite PSN coop games are Pixel Junk Eden and Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars. The one with ridiculously long name can be played vs as well. I also recommend it to anyone, pretty underrated game.
Super Puzzle Fighter (II?) is a decent enough local MP game.
They all have demos to check if memory serves.
There is also Calling All Cars but I haven't really played it yet.

Of course I don't really know what kids play nowadays. :|
 
For my kids I have stuck with the PS2.

Most titles are budget priced now.

All the Lego titles are good.

Lego Batman is my personal favourite and I thought Lego Indiana was the weakest. Lego Star Wars Original Trilogy is the hardest.

Incredibles:Rise of the Underminer, 2 player co-op.

Justice League, 2 player co-op, same game engine as Baldur's Gate:Dark Alliance, but level design is a bit poor. You can turn the blood off in Dark Alliance so that might be worth a go.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, 4 player, better than Justice League.

Everybody's Tennis, Everybody's Golf 4, both 4 player. My kids enjoy both these games.

A couple of PS3 PSN titles are quite good.

Super Rub 'n' Dub is quick and good for taking turns.

Super Stardust HD has a two player mode but it is hard.

I like Toy Home a lot, this has competitive 2-4 player.

The BuzzJunior series of games is excellent for younger children. We have Ace Racers and Dino Den these are all 4 player.

Beijing Olympics official game from Sony is also pretty good. Very much in the mould of Track n Field.

What about sports titles? When I was that age we played a lot of Internation Soccer and Internation Basketball on the good ole Commodore C64.
 
It depends on your goals.

I like to give kids a good workout to wear themselves out. I'd go for the dancing mat, PS Eye (Creature Feature), music and WiiSports type of games. If you have the 60Gb PS3, you should have no problem finding a suitable PS2 game. I remember even Buzz! has a version for kids (Buzz! Junior) on PS2.

In general, Mario Kart is my de facto casual game. It always delivers (from 4 year old to adult).

For brain exercises, I tried Go! Sudoku on a 4 year old too. You have to narrow down the slots, but kids can certainly follow the logic and fill in the blanks in a co-op manner.

For LittleBigPlanet, I'd let the kids customize an existing template. I am sure they have already played platforming games before. So the more savvy ones may be open to new ideas.
 
Mize said:
60 gb ps3 so it does run ps2 games
thanks for the suggestions
Click to expand...

You'll have the opposite problem. Once they get comfy with the games, they may not want to leave. Or they may show up at your doorstep the next day, the day after, and so on and so forth -- until their parents buy the same thing.

You may want to set some ground rules first.
 
All three Super Monkey Ball titles are fantastic for kids. I know that Banana Blitz (the Wii verison) got panned by reviewers, but I have personally played it with eight-year-olds, and they had a blast. An 11-year-old might not be willing to touch it, though. Deka Sports might be a good choice, too.
 
patsu said:
You'll have the opposite problem. Once they get comfy with the games, they may not want to leave. Or they may show up at your doorstep the next day, the day after, and so on and so forth -- until their parents buy the same thing.

You may want to set some ground rules first.
Click to expand...

Oh we have ground rules. My kids earn chips that are currency for media (tv or games) and can't spend it without all homework done and some exercise that day. They get better rates on gameplay with other kids (as opposed to alone).
 
Really? My daughter is 9 and has been playing it for years now. :oops:

Then again, you probably don't let your kids play GTA or Saints Row or anything. :p
 
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