PS4 recommendations for youngsters....

[Tina]

Hi all, wondering if anyone can suggest any other games for the PS4 or PS3 other than Lego or Little Big Planet, we have both.
This is for a four year old, it seems like there really isn't many choices for little ones.

[Rev]

Welcome to the site Tina! Glad to have you.

My nephews are around that same age as well. Do you own a PS3 move? I don't think many people actually own this but this might be your best option for your 4 year old. Some of these games don't really require precision or are kid friendly. I looked around online and EyePet and Wipeout HD were recommended for kids. Apparently Wipeout has steer assist and Sixaxis motion controls which make it so youngsters can play this well.

Katamari Forever is a really fun game. Your child may enjoy that as well. The game has you roll a ball around and collect items and such. Sounds kind of silly but it is pretty fun.

Is there a Bomberman game for the ps3/ps4 on the online store? I play that with my nephews and they seem to be able to play it fairly well. Pretty simple game and is always a good multiplayer game.

Anyway, welcome to the site!

[Atarifever]

Hi all, wondering if anyone can suggest any other games for the PS4 or PS3 other than Lego or Little Big Planet, we have both.
This is for a four year old, it seems like there really isn't many choices for little ones.

I don't have either a PS3 or PS4. I have a 3DS and Wii U, and my 3 year old is pretty big into anything with Mario or Pikachu in it (legit finished his first ever Super Mario level the other night in Super Mario World). Maybe on Ps3/PS4 some of the indie games in the download area would be good choices? On the 360 that's where I used to find stuff for my other son (he's 6 now). As well, there's Angry Birds and Just Dance on the PS3 (I think those require the Move controller). And maybe Skylanders and Disney Infinity. If Skylanders etc. is too complicated, the enjoyment from scanning in the toys (and buying them ) could still be enough to make it worthwhile.

[Tina]

Thanks for the replies everyone and the welcome.
I will have to look into the Ps3 move, never even heard of it...
My home is a nintendo / Playstation family, I am more of a fan of the Wii BUT my husband and thirteen year old love the Playstation. I really want to get the Wii U next BUT honestly that price tag is just too much for me to lay down so we look into wii games that somehow I have missed through the years.
Just got the PS4 last Christmas and don't have many games for it, more than anything the language on alot of them is a bit much, I was shocked at Grand theft auto, my husband had a ball playing it but told me-you will not believe this game and what happens.....anyway hopefully Nintendo will come down on price for the Wii U Christmas 2015.
The four year old and I enjoy Ratchet and Clank and Infinity, again I was just curious if I was missing anything.
Thanks again and hope everyone has a wonderful weekend !!

[scotland]

You will find several WiiU owners on the forum. Mario Kart in particular really seemed to be a great success. The Zelda game, whenever it comes out, will likely be great and language is not really an issue there. However, its hard to push the WiiU at this stage in its lifecycle.

I really wanted one, would converse about it here, went to Gamestop to try the controller, etc. I ended up making a topic calling it an anti-family console, not from the content, but from the large expensive *singular* tablet controller. If you have more than 1 kid, then 'asymmetric' play or having one special controller and another basic one is an issue. Others said that kids should learn to share. Siblings are told to share all the time, can't they have a breakfrom it while gaming. In days past, it was not an issue. Everyone grab a controller and play. In my opinion, the best games on the WiiU console, Mario Kart and Smash Bros, are ones where the kids all need the same type of controller.

My solution has been mobile gaming, and Nintendo portables. The 3DS (or 2DS) has fun games, and other companies do build games for it - although quality may not be the best there. Even the older DS still has lots of games with characters kids know well, and are less expensive to buy. Less expensive also means I can buy games more often, as kids do like new things, and if I'm wrong, the penalty for being wrong is lessened.

So, I like Nintendo. More than like them, I actively rout for them and hope their consoles do well to promote more diversity in gaming, and a more family friendly style of gaming...but they still need to earn it. Other companies like Lego and Skylanders are really popular and on all the consoles. Nintendo does not have many other companies making games for the WiiU, has chosen to keep game prices high, to keep the console price high, and to not remove the expensive tablet controller which would let them create a WiiU bundle with two pro controllers at the same or reduced cost. For the WiiU console then, Nintendo themselves seem ambivalent as to its current success or even its target audience, and is taking the opportunity to test changes in its business practices for a future console.

At this point, I would hesitate to advocate a WiiU to a family over other options, unless the Amiibo thing is really big in your house. I think with some research and knowledge about your own kids, you will find as good or better options on the other consoles, and the adult gamers in the house will also find more options on the other consoles. Don't forget Nintendo portables though.

[Tina]

Great points for me to think about Scotland, the controller especially would be a battle of wills between my sons and that is a fight I am not willing to begin SO I will research the new portables, our DS is on its last legs.
The thirteen year old would be happier with a new laptop anyway, he plays more games on that than anything else.
What is Amiibo? Is it like infinity ??

[Rev]

If you like Nintendo you might try and buy an original Wii for your youngest. Younger kids don't notice graphics as much as ones that are a little older. The original Wii can be found really cheap (check Craigslist, eBay, Amazon, or whatever) and has a bunch of really cheap games now. You can still find quite a few at retailers (especially Walmart), Gamestop has been putting them on clearance for over a year now, so you can amass quite a few titles really cheap.

[scotland]

What is Amiibo? Is it like infinity ??

Very much so.

Amiibos are a fairly new Nintendo product that adds gaming content to games you own in the form of a collectible figurine. You do need a modern Nintendo WiiU or the 'New" 3DS, although an older 3DS can be used with an adapter. Just how collectible and scarce different figures are has become a story in and of itself.

An interesting side note is that back in the 80s, Nintendo offered to partner with Atari to market what became the NES, the classic Nintendo Entertainment System, for them. Atari said no, and history moved on. A few years ago, Activision made a similar offer to Nintendo with a figurine line that added game content. Nintendo said no, and the figurine line become Skylanders. The wheel turns. Skylanders became such a hit that Disney has joined the competition with Infinity toys, and Lego has an upcoming product line where they have licensed many well known franchises. So, that's four system, two of which use characters popular in the general culture, Nintendo using their house characters, and Activision Skylanders forging the path.

[ptdebate]

Hello Tina! Thanks for your post.

For PS4 I have a handful of games in mind--mostly indies. Never Alone was a fun and educational platformer where you play as an Inuit girl and her arctic wolf companion. Progressing through the story unlocks documentary tidbits about the culture and mythology of the Inuipat people. I've always been fascinated with people who survive in extreme climates so I found it very compelling.

Guacamelee is a fun, light-hearted platformer that's suitable for a thirteen-year-old given its difficulty. Fez is a puzzle-focused platformer that's fun for all ages.

It's hard to think of specific recommendations for a four-year-old just because it's hard to gauge how he or she might handle challenging experiences. My youngest niece is four and she finds most video games to be too difficult. My 7-year-old niece is really good at Mario Kart 8, however, and occasionally beats me and my brother.

I would definitely second Rev's suggestion of Katamari Forever (or any of the Katamari games). If you do get a Wii (or if you have an n64, which I highly recommend as a family system), Mario Party is pretty easy to figure out and is great fun.

[Tina]

Alright, great suggestions and I should apologize for being scattered brain with my introduction and tell you all what gaming systems I have to make the suggestions easier...
Psp, ps3, ps4
Nintendo ds, nes, super Nintendo, Wii.
The thirteen year old loves uncharted, terraria, mine craft, unreal tournament.
The four year old loves Lego, mine craft, terraria, little big planet, super Mario bros.
Me I am addicted to candy crush at the moment and will forever love mario. My husband goes through phases where he won't play anything for months and then we will do a marathon gaming session.
I took a quick look through at the new portables from Nintendo and have a question......
I have a vertigo problem sometimes so I wonder if the 3d xl might bother me.
Do any of you have any experience with this or insight regarding the 3d aspect ????