Succumbing to video games- which system?

[Ashlotte]

Well, I have put it off as long as I can. I think this is the year we finally get a gaming system. So, I need advice from the general public. Which systems are best for families with smaller kids- games they would like (Lego Star Wars is a must), easy to use controllers, etc. A good price would be nice! I am hoping to find a Black Friday deal on whichever system we choose, but first I need to do my research. Any advice? TIA!

 

[daddyof2]

I recomend a Wii my 10-7 year olds love it (8-5 when we got it)

 

[3doodlebugsmom]

The Mario games are not available for Playstation or X-box. So if you think you want those games, you have to stick with the Wii. I find the Playstation and x-box games geared more toward teenage boys and guys. The Wii is more family/ younger kids friendly.

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

Wii for sure! Has all the lego games and Mario Kart is a must... even my 14 and 15 yo nieces say so! My DS7 and DS4 both love the Wii and I love all the energy they get out using it! Helps make tired boys on those no outside play days

 

[JaymeC]

Definitely the wii. We have both the wii and the xbox 360 (my husband just can't live without his call of duty games... at least in his head. Anyway) I have a couple of XBox games I picked up for myself, but they don't get played very often. By contrast our wii gets played by the whole family, very often.

We have two boys, they're 4 and 5. I'd say they only started playing the wii in the past year or so, but both of them can do many of the simpler games already. When we used to swap babysitting with my friends family her girls were late elementary aged and used to love playing on the wii. I really think it's the best system for kids. The lego games are available, all of the mario games are great as well, mario kart has been a hit at every age level I've seen There's a pretty wide selection of games and if you don't mind getting them used you should be able to get some pretty decent prices on Amazon since a lot of them have been out for awhile.

Good luck And have fun!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Definitely the Wii.

 

[fuzzy164]

Depending on how young your children are (4-8?) I recommend the Wii as well, you can now buy children sized controllers for the Wii at Wal-Mart or Costco( 28.98 for the controller and Nunchuck) and in 3 colors. This makes playing a lot more fun for them and there is less chance they will drop the adult sized controllers.
There is a lot of discounted titles at Wal Mart including some of the Lego titles.
If your looking for flexibilty the Playstation has a built in blue-ray player eliminating the need for a dvd player( you can play dvd's on the Wii but it means modding your system and voiding your warranty) and high end graphics( I've seen COD played with a 52" LED and HDMI connection AWESOME!!) as well I believe it is wireless to play on line games as is the Wii.
X-Box is great if your into Halo but most people I talk to stay away from XBox for a lot of reasons the main being the red ring of death.
You should get Wii for around 199.99 with Wii Resort and Wii Sports included but check the ads for Black Friday as they may be discounted and don't forget and SD card I recommend a minimum of 2 gig.
Playstation with an 80 gig harddrive should run you 249.99 but if you can strech it buy the 250 gig as storage seems to be a problem with this system for 325.00
Hope this helps

 

[cari12]

We just got a Wii (cashed in airmiles) and we all love it. DS5 and DD7 love Mario and sometimes DS5 jumps around so much playing the Resort Sports games that he works up a sweat! I would not bother with the "kids" remotes unless your kids are 4 or under as my DS5 has no problem with the regular remote. I may get DH Mario Kart for Christmas.

 

[JB2K]

So, I need advice from the general public. Which systems are best for families with smaller kids- games they would like (Lego Star Wars is a must), easy to use controllers, etc. A good price would be nice! I am hoping to find a Black Friday deal on whichever system we choose, but first I need to do my research. Any advice? TIA!

A Wii is just what you need. As for BF, you may be able to find one with some accessories bundled (since the manufacturer price-fixes the consoles).

 

[Scurvy]

I agree with everyone else. For younger kids, the Wii is the best choice. The Lego games are available on all three major consoles but the Wii has the best family friendly exclusive titles and the controllers are very easy for even little kids to use. The Mario games are fun (especially Mario Kart and the new Super Mario Brothers), Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort are great and if the kids are old enough to read, Animal Crossing is completely addictive. Deals just depend on what you're planning to buy. It's unlikely that you'll find a great price on the console, but if you can find a bundle that has things you'd be buying anyway then you can probably save money that way.

 

[Ashlotte]

Looks like we're going with the Wii. Thanks everyone!

 

[l_mccafferty]

I'd recommend the Wii especially with younger kids

But bear in mind, you'll have loads of fun with it too!
My mum (who HATES video games) loves playing the Wii especially Let's Dance.
If you had older kids, I'd recommend the PS3.

 

[caribear]

I put off a Wii for as long as I could! My DD8 got a Nintendo DS for her 7th birthday.....my DH has had a Playstation2 for a long time yet only plays 3 games.....but I finally gave in and got DD a Wii for Christmas this year. All her friends have the system and she loves playing at their houses. I figure it is something we can all play as a family as I bought Mario Kart (which she also has for the DS), Toy Story Mania and The Guilty Party (Disney clue type game) to go along with the Sports/Resorts package. XBox and Playstation seem to have more violent games.....not sure if this is true, but just my observation.

 

[rubato]

We never use our Wii. My son is turning 11 in a few weeks, and in April, he bought his own Xbox 360 Elite. He was never playing the Wii and hasn't turned it on since he got the Xbox. He's really into older kids games, so I think it depends a lot on the child. I think the Wii is great for younger children, but I don't think it grows with them very much.

 

[Scurvy]

We never use our Wii. My son is turning 11 in a few weeks, and in April, he bought his own Xbox 360 Elite. He was never playing the Wii and hasn't turned it on since he got the Xbox. He's really into older kids games, so I think it depends a lot on the child. I think the Wii is great for younger children, but I don't think it grows with them very much.

For individual games, we're the same way. We rarely use the Wii, and prefer the 360. But for family games (almost anything with more than 2 players, except for the music games which we play on the 360), our Wii gets lots of use. And especially if you want the all ages type family games, the Wii has the widest selection of multiplayer family friendly games. There are a few single player games that are exclusive to the Wii that are great for all ages . . . but overall I do agree that the 360 is the better choice for older kids or adults who will be playing on their own.

 

[luvmy3]

We never use our Wii. My son is turning 11 in a few weeks, and in April, he bought his own Xbox 360 Elite. He was never playing the Wii and hasn't turned it on since he got the Xbox. He's really into older kids games, so I think it depends a lot on the child. I think the Wii is great for younger children, but I don't think it grows with them very much.

I agree, we got our Wii a few years ago and have gotten a ton of use out of it. My dses (10 & 7) love it, but they love Mario so thats pretty much all they play now. My dd (almost 13) wants to save her money to buy and Xbox with Kinect, she isn't really interested in the Wii anymore.

OP, if you have younger kids I would definitely get the Wii

 

[solfan68]

In our house we own a PS2, a Wii, and two DSes. Our kiddo is eight and uses the DS a lot. Great because of its portability and doesn't have to fight someone who may be trying to watch something on the TV.

We also use both of our consoles. The Wii is a lot of fun and easy for people of all ages to pick up and play. I believe our son was five when we got the Wii and he was kicking out butts at bowling right from the get-go. Its great because, even though you're playing playing a video game, so many of the games tap into getting up and moving around.

We have several of the Lego games on Wii (and on DS), Mario Kart, Madden, and have played a number of different games thanks to a monthly subscription to Gamefly. Its a great way to try games before you sink forty or fifty dollars into a game that you might not enjoy at all. It works out great for us, since we can sign up for all three of our consoles.

 

[staubinst]

I saw the red Wii on Amazon today for $199 which included the new super mario brother game and the sports game. I have also seen it include Wii sports resort. There are just different bundles out there. As far as games I have bought used games off of half.com and have never had a problem.

 

[KS_Disney_Dad]

I'm going to go against the crowd and say PS3. My 5 year old son would have trouble adjusting from Mario Kart to a game with less remote interaction. He has mastered the PS3 controller and it's made it more enjoyable for him.

As far as games - YES, the Star Wars Lego is a MUST! He just got Harry Potter Lego and Toy Story 3 for his birthday and they are great for all ages!

 

[Brer Shay]

Another Wii vote. We put it off for a while as well. We play/have alot of the active games and the family games where we can all play together. It certainly has the most kid friendly games which was what was most important to me. It gets played almost every day. Our current favorite is Just Dance 2.