What brand/type of Play Station

[New Yankee]

Off the outdoor subject, but suspect you guys know more than I on this. Have a seven and eight year old, thinking Santa may bring them a play station set up for kid friendly games. I'm completely ignorant of the types and brands out there. Would spend upwards of a couple of hundred on one, but don't know if that is in the ball park or not?

Any help on the 'best' one to buy would be great!

[jltimm]

I have a 5 year old going on 6,and I got him the Playstation 2.It plays all the PS 1 games and the PS 2 games as well as dvd movies.I saw some recent deals on them in flyers,you should be looking to spend about $150-$200.Some are game packs that come with 1-2 games and an extra controller.With 2 kids you will want to get an extra controller,or make sure the one you buy comes with 2.Good Luck!

[Deitz Dittrich]

Yikes.. not that I would ever admit this.. but I am a game junky. I have a PS2 as well.. I have a few of the old PS1 games that I still play at times and being able to is nice.. also you can pick up PS1 games at garadge sales for 1-2 bucks at times.. which is nice. I mostly play sports/raceing games, which I feel are quite kid friendly, no swearing/blood/death.

I also have a few fishing games that help pass the time on bad weather games. And if you really think about it, some of them even teach map reading skills and structure as well.

[SteveWilson]

My kids (7&8) always return to the Crash Bandicoot game set for the PS1 (Crash Bash, Crash Team Racing, Crash Bandicoot Warp). Eventhough we have a PS2 at home, we still take the PS1 on the road. Our PS1 has the attached monitor/speaker and runs on DC as well as AC; it's a very compact setup to take on the boat, truck or ICE fishing. I find that the PS1 games are very entertaining for the kids.

[Northlander]

I would rather spend the $ on balls, bats, skates, high tops, rods, reels, books, karate lessons, band etc. I think you get my point. Kids sit around way too much as it is these days. Kick them outside like our parents did to us. Well some of ours. If its too cold they can always watch the brain shrinker.

Some of these games are ok but far too often the games these kids play dont help them in any way besides maybe a little hand eye coordination.

[jltimm]

I agree about the outdoor activities.My boy goes in spurts with his game playing,as some kids, he gets bored with the same thing and needs something different to keep him entertained.The little "portable" Gameboy he has sure is a gift for long trips,as he plays that in the car.By the way Northlander,some of the hunting and fishing games they have now are kinda realistic!

[New Yankee]

I agree Northlander, mine are in gymnastics and Tae Kwon Do, and spend nearly all their free time outside when they can, but getting dark at dinner time makes for a long evening for them some days, and the TV programing isn't that great in my opinion. Thought if they could play together the interaction/competition would help them mature a bit as well.

And one of these might be nice for the times it's too cold out or rainy days.

Thanks for the advice guys!

[jweitgen]

Don't forget about Nintendo's game Cube. You can get all the mario games to play with that. I think they are a little more kid friendly.

I have a PS2 and love it. I would recommend the multiplayer adapter to allow 4 player play; if you go the PS2 route.

[JP Z]

I would second the GameCube. Nintendo is generally the more Kid Friendly game company. Animal Crossing is a great Game. As well as all the MArio Games. PS2 is good as it plays the old PS1 games, so it is a toss up. Check out EBGames or Gamestop for the old "classic" systems and games. Like Nintendo, DreamCast, PS1, etc.

[Northlander]

Oh man I forgot that they might have fishing games! Anyone want to sell a used unit? Joking ofcourse.

[Fishin Beast]

PS2 without a second thought. I have seen all the systems and you cant go wrong with it. Easier controller also. No other system can play dvds on it. And a PS2 can even play music cd's. Very handy because then you dont need 3 systems hooked up onto one tv. And there is a Parental Setting on the PS2 so any movie that I believe is rated pg-13 or higher you need a code to use it. So they are kid friendly.

With the holidays you should find one for about $150 which is well worth the money. And like everyone else said you can go out and buy PS1 games for about 5 bucks even fullprice in stores.

[SteveWilson]

Northlander, the question in the original post was about Playstation's. Your assinine parenting suggestions were inappropriate. Eventhough it's absolutly none of your (Contact US Regarding This Word) business my kids spend a lot of time engaged in physical pursits. There is nothing wrong with them spending some time playing games, I control it and how much time they spend is none of your concern. Hey, when you're out on the water for 10 or 12 hours fishing it's unlikely that you're going to have your kids enjoy fishing for the entire time (they're good for about 8 hours) so having a diversion (like a PS) is great. If you spent anytime with your kids you would know that

[Scoot]

Steve,

Cool your jets, man! He's just making a suggestion!!! No need to take it personally or to retort with profanity. If you don't agree with his commentary, take it with a grain of salt and move on with your life...

[IFallsRon]

I started my kids off with a used Nintendo 64 system that I purchased from a coworker. Although "obsolete," ebay is flooded with games and accessories that are great for a boy your age. I was able to collect all the most fun games at little cost. We have advanced to the Gameboy and also have added older games from ebay to the collection. Santa is looking at a GameCube this year, including an attachment that will allow the use of Gameboy games on the TV. One of the best things for us is that a local video store also carries games for about every system. It gives you a chance to try out a game before you make the big purchase. Good luck.