Home Video Game Systems, Need some reviews Options

[jgreening]

Help me decide which video game system to buy for the family. My kids are ages 4-11. We have never had a video game system. The older two are girls and have never really expressed any interest. My son wants one and the girls both say they would play it too. I would appreciate if you all would weigh in on what system to buy and why.

Playstation (version)
X-box (version)
Wii
Wii fit
Other?

Keep in mind that my knowledge of video game systems was current when Atari was around.

Thanks.

Jay

[Supersprynt]

If your buying a system for the family - I'd have to say Wii. It's been the most popular system to date and I think that's because its very family friendly, and it is fun. The girls would like it, and depending on your boys age he'll like it too. It's also one of the cheaper ones, but also one of the hardest to find. Wii fit is an accessory to the Wii and lets you do some stuff moving around. If your boy is older than 13 though this system will get pretty old for him.


The Xbox has a good series of games, some nice exclusive titles, but its been plagued with problems. RROD in the beginning and I'm still hearing that ppl are getting faulty systems even now. I wouldn't buy one I don't trust them at all.

The PS3 is more of a "media console" than the other two. If your interested in a blu-ray player this has an excellent one. It's pretty solid, I've never had to replace any of my Playstations and I've had all 3 versions. Games are less than Xbox but still have some very good titles on it's own. I own one and love it, but the girls won't be interested in the games much as the entire system is aimed at an older audience.

[96bluevert]

Wii Fit is a game, not a console

I'd say the best family system out right now would be the Nindendo Wii. There's a ton more games that are made more for kids than the Xbox or PS3 have. It's also more active controls, since you have to move around soo much to play most games. It's pretty fun actually.

[Sinyk]

I really enjoy the Wii. Being a long time gamer, the Wii just felt revolutionary when it came out. The controls are something else, and the games that are made to make use of it are generally quite entertaining. Of all those mentioned above, I know more people with a Wii than anything else, and of the people I know who are looking for a console, they are looking for a Wii above all the others. The system has some decent "normal" games, but it also has a lot of games meant to make use of the unique controls, not to mention a lot of games meant to played in groups.

I find the xbox 360 has some great games, but along with the ps3, it's more of a traditional console that can only really be defined by the games that come out for it. The ps3 of course has that blu-ray feature going for it while the Wii has the price edge on the competition. Of course all consoles now come with online features (the xbox you have to subscribe (pay) to use xbox live. The ps3, i don't know, but I'm sure someone does. I thought I read that it was an xbox live rip-off). The Wii has online features as well if you want to play against friends, just get their game code and have fun.

As for older people not enjoying the Wii? I think I know more people my age or older whom have the Wii over either other console, probably because it's so much more interactive and gets you moving.

This post has been edited by Sinyk: Dec 17, 2008 - 6:47 PM

[Supersprynt]

Who said anything about older people not enjoying the Wii? I said a boy over 13 - and at that age kids are going to want their Halos, their Socom, their fighting games...

[RickJamesBish]

For younger kids, it should be a Wii indeed...I think PS3 > 360, but you don't need a media console nor do you need any adult-type games. Get a Wii.

[stetsonaw]

agreed with above in all aspects... Wii.

ps3 online - pretty good and free. pay for addons and the like.

[soulshadow]

I had a Nintedo Wii and Modded it with a Chip so that I can play backups. It was a good investment of $60 the cost of a game and I downloaded a lot of games from the internet to play which was pretty much FREE. The wii is great but its super boring if you play by yourself.

I Think the best platform is a PC with internet connection.

[tomazws]

Wii. More kids games. Just make sure they put that strap on, and don't try to sue Nintendo when one of the Wiimotes hits the TV because we'll just laugh at you.

[97celiman]

with kids the wii and then later if your boy really wants one a 360 cuz all his friends will be haloing it up

[lagos]

If this was a console for you, then I would say 360, but since its for the kids, get the Wii. Its got lots of kid friendly games that the whole family can enjoy.

You should also get another celica.

This post has been edited by lagos: Dec 17, 2008 - 9:37 PM

[richee3]

I say Wii, hands down. It's got some great games for the kids, and surprisingly enough it has some good games for you too. I was shocked to find that out. I jsut beat Star Wars: Force Unleashed the other day on Wii. One of my friends played and beat it on PS3 and it had much better graphics, but it was more fun kicking a** and taking names with a Lightsaber on the Wii

[forkee]

if your family has survived so long without a video game system, and most of them dont even have any interest, then i suggest not buying any. although having most video game systems myself when i was young, i think i can say now that although it was a lot of fun, it hardly was productive. The Wii does have the highest interactivity when it comes to games, but you're stuck with a small amount of them compared to 20x more games on the other platforms, which lends itself to just sitting around, especially if you're too tired to get up and pretend to bowl, tennis, run, row, etc. and then you just play it like any other system and become a zombie staring at the screen while time flies by so fast you forget to do the important stuff in life.

[Supersprynt]

Wow what a downer you are.

Not everything in life is about being productive. Playing games with the family IS productive IMO.

He asked the question because he wants to know what the best one is in for his most important thing in life.

[Legit94GT]

Get the Wii... Your kids will love it, regardless of age:) there are really fun games for it, and the wii fit is an awesome awesome game that will keep you in shape lol The graphics are sub-par to the other two systems but the Wii isnt about the graphics, its about the playabiltiy of the system

Xbox360 is a raelly awesome gaming console, I have never had any problems with my xbox, and the community on Xbox live is enormous, everytime i get on to play halo there is always at least 200,000 people online, for that one game.

PS3 Is blu-ray. it will outlast the 360 because of this simple fact. BLu-ray is the future, it has AMAZING graphicss(assuming you have a good TV to play it on)

There are alot of games that you can play on the PS3 and the xbox360 and they have great graphics, and the ps3 can play blu-ray. But you should totally go with the Wii. your kids will love it and so will you. Sadly most people think they are cheaper, BUT they will probablly end up costing you the same as a ps3. The base console is only 250, and comes with one controller. You will need at least three, but should really get 4 so you can play games with your kids. The wii fit will run you like 90 bucks at least, but is SO SO SO TOTALLY worth it, the games you can play with that are awesome.

Get the Wii

[Hanyo]

Wii +1


even older people like the wii, me and some friends always get together and play smash brothers or mario party.


But becareful of the whole throwing remote into LCD deal we all see/hear about.

[manphibian]

wii is good.....









for about a week.


I'd love to see what percentage of them get packed away after christmas and never re-appear


They'll love it though.



XBox 360 is good value and older kids would prefer that.

PS3 has most potential, but still too expensive at the moment imo.

[CAMAricer]

Wii!!!! Hands down, the best for families. A good amount of the games are family-orientated (4 players at once).

Hardcore gamers are the only ones who will appreciate the better graphics and sounds of the Xbox and the PS3. The average gamer (the other 80% of the world) could care less technical things like progressive scan, high definition, etc.

Really, what 4 year old (to 12 year old) will care what the game looks? All kids want are FUN games, not beautiful, artsy, complicated games. Perfect example is the DS versus PSP. One is easy, fun, and simple. The other is big, complicated, slow, but better in technology. Which one is by far the superior one (in terms of units sold)? DS....by a gajillion.

That being said, for the older people, the Wii still offers games such as Zelda, Need for Speed, Madden, FIFA, Resident Evil, Metroid, etc.

*Edit

All the college kids in my dorm loved the Wii because it was so simple to learn and alot of fun to play. Girls/guys, didn't matter. All had a blast. Raving Rabbids? Lol, many good nights...
My aunt/uncle are in their 30's, and they love playing Guitar Hero and using their Wii Fit.
My mom loves Wii Sports because she can play with little kids.
My nieces and nephews love their Wiis because it so interactive (my 4 year old niece plays Resident Evil and House of the Dead ).


This post has been edited by CAMAricer: Dec 18, 2008 - 3:40 AM

[dustin15brown]

I'd say a wii. It's hella fun for families. I love my ps3, dont get me wrong.... But my family won't ever play with me and my parents..... well they just look at the tv and hand me back the remote. But as soon as we head over to my brothers and hook up the wii.... They're good to go
Ps3 is the most expensive, but doubles with bluray for hd movies.
X box 360.... well they're nice, and the cheapest (199 for an arcade) but have a dead movie platform *HD-DVD* and have serious reliability issues. O0o0o0o00o0o and online gaming is a yearly fee of like 40-60 if i remember.

[D-Man]

Help me decide which video game system to buy for the family. My kids are ages 4-11. We have never had a video game system. The older two are girls and have never really expressed any interest. My son wants one and the girls both say they would play it too. I would appreciate if you all would weigh in on what system to buy and why.

Playstation (version)
X-box (version)
Wii
Wii fit
Other?

Keep in mind that my knowledge of video game systems was current when Atari was around.

Thanks.

Jay

Move slowly... get a Nintendo with super mario bros & super mario bros 3. then get a sega (8 bit) for Sonic the hedgehog saga and for doubble dragon vs battle toads. And mortal Kombat 1. Remember that if you beat the "pit" lever via only using upercuts, and upercut for a fatality, then you'll goto the bottom of the pit and fight Reptile But he'll probaly kick your butt.

[jgreening]

if your family has survived so long without a video game system, and most of them dont even have any interest, then i suggest not buying any. although having most video game systems myself when i was young, i think i can say now that although it was a lot of fun, it hardly was productive. The Wii does have the highest interactivity when it comes to games, but you're stuck with a small amount of them compared to 20x more games on the other platforms, which lends itself to just sitting around, especially if you're too tired to get up and pretend to bowl, tennis, run, row, etc. and then you just play it like any other system and become a zombie staring at the screen while time flies by so fast you forget to do the important stuff in life.

Its funny, thats the way I have always felt. However, we are the type of family that loves to have all the other kids over to our house. While our kids were young, that just happened because we took the initiative. What we are beginning to notice is that sometimes the presence of a video game makes the kids want to go elsewhere. So, I have loosened up about the whole thing in the name of keeping the tribe at our house (we enjoy having everyone over and keeping a closer eye on ours). I am confident that we can have rules with the wii just like we do with the TV and the computer so I am not really worried about my kids becoming vegetables.

Ok. You guys have convinced me to buy the wii. Now, convince me what games I should get. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Girls, 11 and 8
Boy 4
Mom and Dad

Boy is a racing nut so I need a racing game. Which one?
I will be buying wii fit.
I need some type of music type game. Which one?
What other wii games are worth considering and why?

Thanks for the input everyone!

This post has been edited by jgreening: Dec 18, 2008 - 2:19 PM

[Supersprynt]

Mario Kart is a racing game. A lot of people seem to like it. I was playing it at Dave & Busters the other day actually.

Guitar Hero World Tour or Rock Band - has an entire band that incorporates 3 or 4 people.

Check out: http://reviews.cnet.com/best-wii-games/

This post has been edited by Supersprynt: Dec 18, 2008 - 2:24 PM

[dustin15brown]

http://www.gamespot.com/reviews.html?type=...mp;official=all
is a list of gamespot's top rated wii games.
The ones that have been my favorite are MarioKart, SuperSmash Bros, Mario Galaxy, Zelda, and Guitar Hero/Rock Band
Good luck!
o0o0o0oo0o and something I learned. A lot of games you can use the nintendo gamecube wireless controller if the nunchucks are too hard to use (I use the controller for Super Smash Bros) That way, atleast for me, it help retain some classic fighting action, and because I SUCKED using the wii controllers

[jgreening]

Thanks for those two review sites. They were very helpful.

Here is what I bought:

Wii (includes sports)
Wii Play (includes extra remote)
MarioKart w/ steering wheel
Extra nunchuck

The Wii fit was not available. I would like to get a good shooting game. Any recommendations?

[96bluevert]

For shooting games, and with kids, you can't go wrong with the Metriod Prime 3.

This post has been edited by 96bluevert: Dec 18, 2008 - 11:49 PM

[D-Man]

For shooting games, and with kids, you can't go wrong with the Metriod Prime 3.

THERE IS A PART 3 NOW?

DAMNIT DAMNIT DAMNIT!!



now i have to buy a wii. Have any new zelda games came out sense twilit princess?

[D-Man]

you should have concitered THIS first.

[RickJamesBish]

^ That's so nasty.

[D-Man]

Is not. It's like the NES controller from the 4th level (the level of the GIANTS)

[RickJamesBish]

The good kind of nasty, D, the good kind.

This post has been edited by RickJamesBish: Dec 19, 2008 - 3:37 PM

[96bluevert]

Thanks for posting that up D-man, it gave me an idea lol

[D-Man]

you're welcome guys. I wanna build one myself now (or a giant sega controler )