GameCube Game Suggestions

janmike

Who said that I couldn't change? First of all, I am not a game person, actually I detest them. Under the game category I picture Chess, Bridge, Golf.... As for electronic games, forget it. That being said, my little boy (7 years old) has asked Santa for a couple of things one of them being a GameCube. All his little friends have them and they never want to come over to his house because he does not have a GameCube. A year ago I swore I would never have one in the house. Call it old fashion, pig headed or whatever. Being over 50 I did not grow up with these games and have seen too many children neglect their studies, become totally introverted and now work full-time making minimum wage and wonder why life is so hard. Sounds like a lack of parental control and moderation to me. Oh well, not my personal problem.

So here we go into the Game World. The main reason for this post is to ask you "Gamers" on some suggestions for games. I did ask the little fellow what type of games they play and he gave me a couple of titles.

1) Super Mario - Power Tennis
2) Super Mario - Double Dash

If you folks have any other suggestions it would be really appreciated. I do not want ones with explicit violence or language as we do screen what he watches on TV. And the rules do not change. Homework first and then it is play time. Thanks everyone. Hey, the old man may even like them.

Ricardo

Mario Kart & Mario Party; lots of fun.

lanion

1. Zelda: Wind Waker
2. Super Mario Sunshine
3. Mario Kart Double Dash
4. Paper Mario 2

tommyboy

janmike wrote:

Being over 50 I did not grow up with these games and have seen too many children neglect their studies, become totally introverted and now work full-time making minimum wage and wonder why life is so hard. Sounds like a lack of parental control and moderation to me. Oh well, not my personal problem.

Yes, I do agree some people get so obsessed with video games, thats all they do. But IMO more peoples lives prolly get ruined from drugs and alcohol in one year then lives get "ruined" playing video games combined. Some people think that since a few kids get completely obsessed, that all kids will... Believe me, You should be more worried about high school when he will be offered every drug you can imagine;)

I'm glad to see you are getting your son a gamecube. Its a fun thing to do by himself and as a family. All you need to do as a parent is make sure he plays in moderation. I don't know, tell him he can only play and hour or two a day. I don't have kids, so you prolly don't want to take my advise:p .

anyways, back to your original question...

1..super monkey ball
2super smash brothers melee
3. mario party
4. mario sunshine
5. Well... there is probably at least 10 other mario games to get:p .... so check them out.

Systems

Hello

I've been playing video games now for close to 20 years and they have all been role playing games starting with the NES, i'm turning 49 in Feb. I don't own a Gamecube but own every other console out there. I looked on Gamestop and there is a fair amount of RPG's available for it and if you can't find them there I would assume their all over Ebay.

My suggestion is to get him interested in RPG's mainly because they really make you think and problem solve. Plus they have such great story lines and its like your part of a 50-100 hour movie. And if you want to get involved with the games, with him, I think you would like playing them too. As you can see its not too late:)

Heres some titles I saw on Gamestop:

Paper Mario: As suggested by lanion
I see theres a Pokemon title
Can't go wrong with Harvest Moon
Stay away from the Sims
Can't go wrong with Final Fantasy Cyrstal Chronicles, almost bought a Gamecube just for that....
and lastly
Skies of Arcadia Legends which is a remake that came out on the Dreamcast, which I have played and very much enjoyed.

I'm sure hes a smart kid and will catch on to these types of games, might take a little getting used to diving right in to them but thats what we're all here for, if you have any questions.

tommyboy

Sartori wrote:

Hello



My suggestion is to get him interested in RPG's mainly because they really make you think and problem solve. Plus they have such great story lines and its like your part of a 50-100 hour movie.

The only problem is that these are the games that "ruins" kids lives;)

janmike

Thanks for the advice so far folks. I need to go out today and grab a few titles at Wally Mart as there are not a lot of selection outlets in Yellowknife, unless you want to pay double the price. Purchasing on-line is great, but they need to arrive by the 25th and shipping to the North can be slow at the best of times.

Tommyboy, yes the future high school years are indeed scary. But, having lived through the 60's and 70's, in a city that at one time had the highest quantity of heroin per capita in Canada and a sister that lived through mainlining heroin for years, I think I have a little knowledge in that area. All I can do as a parent is give him my love and try to teach him the difference between right and wrong.

Systems

tommyboy wrote:

The only problem is that these are the games that "ruins" kids lives;)

And hows that? Not sure if you're being sarcastic.......

lanion

For reviewers advice, go here ->
http://www.gamerankings.com/itemrankings/simpleratings.asp?rankings=y

you can do a search for the top gamecube games with a lot of specifications... just search for the top 30 reviewed gamecube games with an E-for everyone rating. Wind Waker, SSX3, Mario Sunshine (all loads of fun) come out on top for the non sports-franchise games.

janmike

lanion wrote:

For reviewers advice, go here ->
http://www.gamerankings.com/itemrankings/simpleratings.asp?rankings=y

you can do a search for the top gamecube games with a lot of specifications... just search for the top 30 reviewed gamecube games with an E-for everyone rating. Wind Waker, SSX3, Mario Sunshine (all loads of fun) come out on top for the non sports-franchise games.

Nice site, but when I select EC (Early Childhood) for GameCube the result is Zero. Perhaps EC is younger than 7. The E-Everyone category did show a lot of results. The bottom line is both his mother and father will play an interactive role and screening will done. Sorry, but none of that Ninja **** here.

PS - And as a proud parent, like I am the only one, he is doing times tables in his head. We are up to 8 X 10 and the objective is up to 12 X 12 by the end of grade three. Actually, I have created a mental game that both him and I play when we take drives in the car. The school he attends has also indicated that they would like to have him tested down the road as every spelling, math, reading and literature test so far have been 100% in school. And let me tell you the test these children do in grade 1 & 2 are a lot more advanced than when I was a child.

lanion

You want to check E rated games..... EC games would be aimed for preschool aged children, and they don't really exist on game consoles.

As for Ninja action? Well, Zelda does have a 10 year old boy with a sword, and he kills cartoon pig-men... and that is about as violent as E games get. If that is too much, games like Mario Sunshine have, well, Mario jumping on people. If THAT is too much, stick to Double Dash or SSX3, or perhaps Pikmin, which has a fair amount of strategy.


And if you are at all interested in Educational entertainment, the Nintendo DS is where it is at right now --- Brain Age, Big Brain Academy, etc are all fun and good at developing basic skills.

avelanchefan

SUPER MONKEY BALL 2 ...it fun for all ages...I loved it...2nd best series on the Cube/Wii.

janmike

Thanks folks for all the suggestions. Have the gamecube, Mario Sunshine, Double Dash, Sponge Bob and will do Power Tennis, Paper Mario and Mario Golf Toadstool Tour. I think my wife also picked up a few other titles. I should look at some of those educational ones as well. Thanks again.

zombie boy 2000

Luigi's Mansion...

unbelievably addictive game with tons of replay value.

Sansui

janmike wrote:

A year ago I swore I would never have one in the house. Being over 50 I did not grow up with these games and have seen too many children neglect their studies, become totally introverted and now work full-time making minimum wage and wonder why life is so hard. Sounds like a lack of parental control and moderation to me.

So here we go into the Game World. The main reason for this post is to ask you "Gamers" on some suggestions for games. I did ask the little fellow what type of games they play and he gave me a couple of titles.

1) Super Mario - Power Tennis
2) Super Mario - Double Dash

If you folks have any other suggestions it would be really appreciated. I do not want ones with explicit violence or language as we do screen what he watches on TV. And the rules do not change. Homework first and then it is play time. Thanks everyone. Hey, the old man may even like them.

My son wanted a "game machine" when he was young and I wouldn't have one in my house. He wanted a Nintendo 64 so he could play Super Mario Bros. with his friends over too. What I'd done when he was 4.5 years old was give him my old computer when I upgraded to a newer one. My son isn't like what you're worried yours could turn out like. He now freelances as a computer consultant and has most of the "game machines" out there. I too had rules like homework before "playtime" and such. He turned out to be a really great person people tell me. I'm happy you've decided to give him the chance to be able to be in step with most of the kids in his age group now. I started my son on computers when he was early (about the time home computers were affordable) because I wanted him to be a step ahead instead of a step behind other people. I knew computer related items would be "the coming thing". That was back in '82. Looks like I was right.

That being said, there is one game that requires reading, is non-violent, and is a cute/fun game to play. I know because I play it *every* night on my Nintendo DS version when TV commericals come on. I can't stop playing this game since I started with it about 9 to 10 months ago. It's called Animal Crossing (my son has the Game Cube version of it along with the DS version).

Not having those "tiger lightening" reflexs like I used to have, I don't play the "shoot-em up" games that I have much. When he doesn't feel like bouncing all over the place (gamewise) this might be a fun alternative for him.

When I think I'm interested in a game I do my homework first. There are two sites I go to that have real good, honest game reviews. Their reviews will tell you exactly what's going on with the gameplay and they tell what they thought of the game (good and bad). I read their reviews before deciding to buy a game or not. They are gamespot.com and ign.com.

My guess it that sooner or later you're going to find a game you like and when he goes to bed it will be your turn to play.

Hope this helps!

janmike

Well, the Gamecube is a big hit. I purchased a few Mario games and they are very good. Now, for some reason I cannot get sound. I have plugged the 3 cables (RWY) from the Gamecube into the front of the TV. I do have video. I have the L&R RCA cables on the amp out on the back going to the processor and have set that up as AUX. Something simple has me scratching my head.

bdaley6509

Make sure it's set to accept an analog signal, or set to 'auto' and not a digital audio signal.

jkn

My tv (Sony 27" trinitron type...) will not send audio out if the volume is 'on' for the tv speakers in the setup menu. I have to flip the audio to 'off' (or 'fixed' - can't remember and I'm not in front of the tv right now...).

My first Nintendo system was a DS which we purchased this year. While I haven't played any Gamecube games - anything Mario Kart seems to be great (my very young nephew has a ball playing it on the DS) - and someone earlier recommended Animal Crossing... that would probably be a good one.

I somehow grew up ok after many years of playing video games... My first system was a Pong - followed by an Atari 2600... ;-)

janmike

Sound is good to go. I was trying to use AUX on the processor and had to use the second VCR configuration. Surround sound for gaming. My little fellow is happy. So what about memory. I see 2 ports for memory cards is that one for each player. I will read up on the memory as this is my first stab at the gaming world. Actually I had fun racing in Double Dash with my 7 year old. He beat the crap out of me. How many games could a 64MB card hold. Thanks.

danger boy

if you like RPG games.. try out the newest Zelda on Gamecube called Twilight Princess. it's good fun game play.

janmike

What is RPG. Is this suitable for a child?

As well, I purchase a memory card (I only have one - 64MB 16X) and I think that is all I will need. Anyway, the card did not come with it's own plastic carrying case. I cannot find these at Walmart or any other store and none on the Bay. Any idea where I can grab a couple of these (2, in case I purchase another memory card).

jkn

RPG = role playing game. Usually more fantasy based.

Since you mentioned your son is 7 - that may be a bit too young yet. There's a lot of reading, typically. My nephews have had a couple of RPG's for several years though - and the youngest was probably that age when they bought them.

They more or less evolved from Dungeons and Dragons (the old pen and paper and dice game) - and have been coming out on computer / consoles since the 70's.

Most of them involve some hero thrown into an impossible situation to save the world from monsters. Swords and magic. Most have the concept of character growth (usually through killing monsters) - and you "level up" as you play the game. Most also have a story line that is slowly revealed through conversations with other characters in the story or reading books found in the game.

I'm a big fan of the first person RPG's from Bethesda (Oblivion, Morrowind, etc...) which are very open ended, go anywhere, follow the story or don't - as well as the more Japanese type RPG's like Final Fantasy where there's a set story line (see my DS / GBA games thread - I ramble on a brief bit about Final Fantasy).

Whether fantasy and RPG's are a good thing or not truly depends on the parent - anyone who thinks Harry Potter is ruining children should stay clear of all RPG's... grin.

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_role-playing_game

janmike

I am NO fan of the Dungeons and Dragons theme.

jkn

That's cool. They're not all that way - but I'd guess that most are more in the fantasy or sci-fi theme.

If you've ever read a fantasy novel (Lord of the Rings being an easy example that most people have read or seen the movies...or at least have heard of it) - an RPG is like playing one.

D&D often has a bad reputation with a lot of people. If you think Lord of the Rings or Narnia is ok - then ditch the D&D reference and go more from the fantasy and mythology literature base. It's all similar.

janmike

Thanks. Right now I want to play the games my son likes. The Double Dash is a Hoot (not bad for an old guy). Another bonding thing I guess and will probably look for a few educational based games.
Do you know where I can find those little plastic protective carrying cases?

jkn

EB Games (they're also Gamestop) website has a number of accessories listed...but I don't see a case. They do have memory.

Amazon also had a number of memory cards, but no cases for them that I saw in my quick glance. Amazon's got a best of 2006 list up.

Re: Double Dash - we were playing Mario Kart on DS (which I think has some of the Double Dash tracks) head to head with the family at our Christmas get together. My 5 yr old nephew loves playing it - and us adults had a ball racing each other as well. Very fun.

Pablo

I enjoyed Metroid Prime the most on my game cube, but it may not be appropriate for a 7 year old (it's and RPG with a girl in a special space suit killing alien bugs).

After that, I love almost any Mario game.

For the adult, any of the Splinter Cell games are great. He's a spy, but the object is not to kill everyone you see, but sneak past as many of them without being spotted. (I have them for the xbox, but they may be available for GC)

Gamespot has a good list of reviews of games. For my Xbox, I just sorted it by ranking, and wrote down all the titles that interested me that were over 4 years old. This way you can pick the best of the old and pay under $15 for a used version.

Sansui

Pablo wrote:

Gamespot has a good list of reviews of games.

I go there and to ign.com also when I'm shopping for a game.

vhabaygiurbm

I don't buy the games anymore...just rent em from www.gamerrang.com

Pablo

Another great game for kids is Animal Crossing. I don't know why, but it's kind of addicting. But there really isn't much to it. You basically walk around fishing, or digging for fossils. You can do favors for your neighbors and sell stuff at the store. Then you can buy new furniture, and upgrade your house.

If you have kids, it's a must for the cube.

Mjr7531

Pablo wrote:

Another great game for kids is Animal Crossing. I don't know why, but it's kind of addicting. But there really isn't much to it. You basically walk around fishing, or digging for fossils. You can do favors for your neighbors and sell stuff at the store. Then you can buy new furniture, and upgrade your house.

If you have kids, it's a must for the cube.

It's also a must if you're an adult

Another few games that could be pretty good are Pikmin 2, Paper Mario and Super Monkey Ball 2.

You many wanna check this list, the games I put out seem to be no-brainers, but the easiest way is to look through the list and decide for yourself what you'd want the kids to play, and you to play after they go to bed.

http://cube.ign.com/articles/695/695463p1.html