Games for Kids under 2

[Gregory DG]

I know there's the Sesame Street games and all, but I was wondering what other games would be good for a kid under 2? Really just one that makes noise and flashes a lot when they press the button or joystick... (And one where they don't get killed in 2 seconds like Phoenix!)

 

Air-Sea Battle is one my kid likes playing. It doesn't do much when you move the joystick, but you can fire any time and not worry about getting hit.

 

Any others?

[sku_u]

The sound could get annoying after a while, but how about Surround? IIRC there's a variation of Surround that is just a drawing program as well.

[Lost Monkey]

You may have to move away from the 2600...

 

Any games like Sonic the Hedgehog where there is noise when the character jumps or moves will usually entertain my daughter for a little while...

 

Mario 64 is a good one as are Kart racing games where only the "gas" button needs to be pressed.

[MacbthPSW]

Here's my article on the subject:

http://www.psw.ca/2005/02/kids-and-video-games.html

 

Short version: On the 2600, Bowling is *the* game. And over all platforms it's Barney Hide and Seek on the Sega Genesis.

 

There's a big difference between what was marketed for little kids, what people think should work for little kids, and what little kids actually will play. FWIW, I've got 4 kids (aged 2-7) and another on the way...

[Lord Helmet]

...Mario 64 is  a good one...

 

My daughter was 5 when that game came out. She LOVED it. She liked just running around the different levels. She would play the game I had been playing where most of the levels were already opened up.

[maibock]

Here's my article on the subject:

http://www.psw.ca/2005/02/kids-and-video-games.html

 

Short version:  On the 2600, Bowling is *the* game.  And over all platforms it's Barney Hide and Seek on the Sega Genesis.

 

There's a big difference between what was marketed for little kids, what people think should work for little kids, and what little kids actually will play.  FWIW, I've got 4 kids (aged 2-7) and another on the way...

 

My word, man! They've discovered what makes kids now a days!

 

Actually that's pretty cool - I was hoping for 6 kids, but my wife wasn't too pleased with that, so we compromised with 3..

 

good luck!

[RickHarrisMaine]

My 2 boys love Bowling! My 5 year old thinks he is the best at it! He'll play it for hours if I would let him!

[candiru]

Yeah Bowling is a good one. I've had nieces and nephews play that one.

 

I can't think of other specific titles off the top of my head, but a game that uses the joystick button to start a new game after all lives are used up could be a good one.

 

As for non-Atari, maybe a NES + Game Genie loaded up with cheat codes. That should keep a youngin playing for awhile.

[128bytes]

frogs and flies

[Gregory DG]

Obviously, a kid under 2 won't be getting too much out of a game. They don't really care about score or clearing all the Galaxians... They just want to hear sounds and see cool stuff on the screen when they move the joystick or press the button.

 

Combat is a good one. Especially the Jets and Biplanes games. The game only has to be reset every few minutes, it makes shooting sounds every time you press the button, and you can see the planes flying all over the screen.

[AtariGator]

Doom III