Something for the little fellows...

[HetmanTancred]

Hey folks, my half-brother is 6 and a half years old and I showed him Sonic and Vectorman yesterday on my Genesis and he loved it. About a year ago, my gramps got him a Super Nintendo because my gramps thinks all old video game systems are for kids... he doesn't understand technology or video games but I don't blame him. The SNES came with a few games but the only one my half brother plays is Super Mario World. I thought I'd show him Sonic and Vectorman and he enjoys them both although he can barely play Vectorman. Too hard for him. I have all 3 things... Genesis, CD, and a 32x so I'm requesting some games for the younger audience for all 3 systems. Sonic Classics and both Vectorman games are the only games I think I have that are suitable for him. He's too young for Mortal Kombat and most of the other Genesis games I have are RPG's...

[108 Stars]

The Disney games (Castle of Illusion, World of Illusion, Mickeymania, Quackshot, Aladdin...) are good. Especially World of Illusion has a good two player mode too.

Maybe he´d like a Racing game like Super Monaco GP or Micro Machines too.

Or Michael Jackson´s Moonw---urgh, sorry, I guess it´s Michael who loves the kids, not so much the kids who love Michael

However, there´s plenty of good titles for children on Genesis, and most of them are pretty cheap to get on ebay.

[HetmanTancred]

Hahaha.

I know there's a bunch of children's games in existance, I just don't know them. I'll be sure to check out the ones you gave me. Also preferably something with little skill required.

One of the games that came with that SNES was Contra: The Alien Wars which I go to his room to play every now and then. I also have Contra: Shattered Soldier for PS2. I showed it to him saying it's the new Contra game and of course he wanted to try it. Well... you know that went well. I can only beat the first level on easy and that took me quite a while to actually finish but nowadays I can go through it pretty smoothly.

For some odd reason he really wants to try out my Dreamcast but the controller is almost the size of his face haha. And what am I supposed to let him play? Alone In The Dark? Really...

I'm thinking the Genesis is the best bet for the little bugger as an introduction to the gaming world. The PS2 platformers are geared for a younger audience but hell... it took me a long time to actually beat Jak & Daxter. That game was NOT easy. There's all them buttons on the PS2 controller so any game on it would probably be too complicated for him. The Dreamcast controller is just too big for him and all I have that is geared towards his audience would probably be Sonic Adventure which isn't exactly an easy game.

I could try finding something for him on the Saturn as well... but I'm still thinking the Genesis is the best bet.

I don't know how old I was when I was introduced to Mortal Kombat. I remember as a kid when I had an SNES and a bunch of games, I'd always be playing either Mario, Zelda, or Mortal Kombat.

Thanks for the list of games, I'll try to look into them and see what I can get...

[j_factor]

Get him Crystal's Pony Tale.

I have a 6 year old cousin who always wants to play Gunstar Heroes and Shinobi 3 when he's at my house. So maybe those games? They're not stereotypically children's games, but hey.

I might also suggest Zombies Ate My Neighbors. It gets hard, but it's easy enough for the first few levels, and it's got that kind of kitsch to it that kids love. If he's a smart kid, he might love Haunting, otherwise he'll love watching it at least.

Road Rash 2 would also be a good choice. Maybe Decap Attack. Most of the Looney Toons games aren't terrible (Taz-Mania is pretty good). And of course the Disney games.

If SNES is still in the picture, I definitely suggest Kirby's Dreamland 3.

[Genesis Knight]

J-Factor nailed a couple of good ones in Zombies and Road Rash. Kids love the first Streets of Rage, too, especially if a 'big guy' helps them out.

[108 Stars]

I think the Genesis is quite good for a 6 year old kid. The problems with CD-based consoles is that the discs break too easy. If the boy makes a few scratches on a Saturn disc it may not work anymore, and then he´ll probably cry or something. So Cartridges are probably better for kids.

You should be glad that he´s still too young for MK. It´s an emberrassing experience to get your head ripped off by a 6 year old kid...

[Vyse of Arcadia]

I think you're underestimating the kid. I had no trouble inducting my little brother into the world of video games at the tender age of 3 or 4. "Here, this is Super Mario Brothers. And this is Sonic the Hedgehog. Oh, and here's Megaman. Enjoy." He figured everything out quickly enough, even if he never did get into Sonic or Megaman.

That said, I heartily recommend Ristar. It's fun, it's bright, it's colorful, it's challenging, and it stars a little star dude. I recommend any Kirby game for the same reasons, if the SNES is still in the picture. (Especially Kirby Super Star and Kirby's Dreamland 3.)

Back on the Genesis route, McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure is also a pretty fun game. Again, bright and colorful, but with a familiar mascot. And it's actually pretty fun, and has variable difficulty.

As for RPGs, you can never start them on RPGs too early. My brother was playing Pokemon at 6. I hate Pokemon, but I will admit it opened his eyes to the wonderful world of RPGs. Shining Force II quickly became one of his favorites. Speaking of SFII, let him play that one if you have it. Walk him through the first battle or two and you'll have him hooked, I promise you.

I really hate to say it, but all of you guys are underestimating little kids. When I was a kid, I saw a hard game as an awesome game. A challenge to be overcome. Their little fingers can be a lot more nimble than we give them credit for.

EDIT: Oh, yeah, I almost forgot this one. If you really want to get him into RPGs and you somehow have a copy of the game (or you're not afraid to dip your fingers into the questionable legality of console emulation), show him Earthbound. The graphics are bright and colorful, especially in battles, the music is groovy, and the dialogue is simple enough for a 6-year-old to follow. The same things that make it a cult classic also make it a great children's game. Go figure.

[108 Stars]

As for RPGs, you can never start them on RPGs too early. My brother was playing Pokemon at 6. I hate Pokemon, but I will admit it opened his eyes to the wonderful world of RPGs. Shining Force II quickly became one of his favorites. Speaking of SFII, let him play that one if you have it. Walk him through the first battle or two and you'll have him hooked, I promise you.

I´d say that is rather unusual. I played at that age too, but I knew nobody who played RPGs beore he became 11 or 12 years old (though I have to admit that we had to learn English first anyway).
Your brother seems to be a clever boy, but for the average 6 year old kid I´d stick with plattformers, Shoot ém ups and maybe some sport- and puzzle games.

[Vyse of Arcadia]

I´d say that is rather unusual. I played at that age too, but I knew nobody who played RPGs beore he became 11 or 12 years old (though I have to admit that we had to learn English first anyway).

Seriously? Jeez, I must have lived in a forward-thinking area. My friends and I were all RPGing by the time we were 7 or 8. (I actually had a bit of a late start because I refused to play an RPG until my best friend forced me to rent Shining Force II.)

Still, my main point is that there's no need to give the kid kiddie games. You don't need Mickey Mouse sprites to have an awesome time. (Then again, I already recommended a McDonald's game. Hi, Kettle; I'm Pot.)

[16-bit]

The Genesis 6-pak has alot of good games in it. Revenge Of Shinobi, Sonic The Hedgehog, Golden Axe, Super Hang On, Streets of Rage, and Columns. I think most of those (if not all) are appropriate for kids...

[Flash1087]

Try showing him Toe Jam and Earl, I was alright at that game by 4 or 5 years old...

[XMARLTONX]

As for RPGs, you can never start them on RPGs too early. My brother was playing Pokemon at 6.

Wow. I am 21 and whenever I see a Pokemon commercial to this day I have no idea what the heck is going on.