But I must not take Nintendo today for granted because we have young kids everywhere that needs a childhood to go through and the last thing we need is to let video games to give them the wrong influence and become a bad role model. When you take a look at what's popular in games today, chances are that it's all really violent games and (speaking as a future father here) we don't want to expose such violence to make them grow vicarious at that age. The scary thing is that I've seen kids talking about playing Call of Duty that makes me wonder, how in the blazes did they let that slip pass their parents radar?! Does anyone know how much exposure to violence the kid is having in his childhood and how he would be more vicarious as an adult? I do heavily support the ESRB Rating system for protecting everyone in all ages from being exposed to such content when they don't know yet about the harshness of the world. At the same time, we just can't get rid of Rated M games all at once because that demographic is what really supports the gaming industry today and adults needs something to play as well. But just because you're an adult doesn't really mean that you should avoid playing children's games. In fact, there are so many from my childhood, teens, and even my young adult life today that I still find myself going back to playing these kid-friendly games.
Deep down inside, we all would want to go back to our childhoods, so instead of depressing ourselves by looking at old photo albums and watch/play some of our old favorites, we still have old and new games that uplifts our child-like spirits. As much as the video game press love to oversell the life out of these dark and edgy titles of today, games cater to children are selling just as much if not more than the Mature titles. Being that I'm a gamer that expands my radar with games, I'm not blind to see that there are many that are considered the greatest ever and everyone from all ages should give it a shot. This is not the best games that I've played as a kid, I'm putting on my "father's cap" for this is a list and make a Top 7 Games that I find suitable for all ages! So for just this list, here's what I consider suitable
- No blood, gore, sexual themes, profanity, drugs, alcohol, or any other bad influences that would make an M rating.
- It should have a friendly atmosphere where children feel right at home. There are a lot of Rated E games that are very scary like Ocarina of Time and Donkey Kong 64 that I wouldn't let very young kids to play, or nightmares would appear in their sleep.
- The difficulty range should be very easy in the beginning of the game, while on your journey it should have enough challenges to keep it interesting. Everything from design, controls, gameplay, features, etc. should be very well crafted instead of being another shuffleware out to make a quick buck out of families's precious money.
- The game should respect the player's intelligence. If developers are going to treat us like idiots like how Nintendo released those useless peripherals as stated early, then it should be avoided before kids starts to beg for it. I want my kids to learn from their games (wether or not if it's educations) they should understand how the game plays and learn how to solve puzzles.
I know by baby-sitting experience on what games are suitable for kids, but these are the games where no matter how old you get, the game itself never gets old. So here are the Top 7 Best Games of Kids, and kudos to AlexMan94 for inspiring me to make this list!
Honorable Mensions
Crash Bandicoot Trilogy & Spyro Trilogy - You guys and I have grew up with this trilogy and what a wonderful aspect of our childhoods we share playing & reminiscing these games. The fact that we still talk about Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games to this very days should mean something because it was our introduction to these two series was a blast to play and it's worth coming back again and again and again! I would choose any game for both of these series to make it on the list because they are so adventurous and exciting… however, the only thing that these two franchises off the list is that it has very high difficulty in the later levels. There was a point where I was a kid that I threw my controller like it was an NES game f-you moment like collecting all the gems in the entire Crash series, Spyro 2's Magma cone mini game with hunter, and playing the new character in Year of the Dragon really got on my nerves. I still love the trilogy with a great passion and I would love to put them in my number one list, but I made this list for our kids here so chances are, they won't appreciate the difficulty like I did as a kid.
LittleBigPlanet 1 & 2 - They are games that is unique to the PlayStation 3 console that allows kids to exercise their minds by creating a world, by solving puzzles, and by sharing their creations with a larger community. The game contains various levels and encourages kids to use their imaginations by allowing them the freedom to create levels that are not in the regular game play and that they can then share with the game’s larger community. They both features an animated sock toy, known as Sackboy, who can be customized with costumes, stickers, and other prizes that kids win throughout the game. In an effort to increase the social aspect of the game, some of these prizes can only be unlocked with the help of another player. It is rated E and is best suited for kids ages six and older. The only problem is that I have a very frustrating time telling where the stickers are supposed to be placed. I once babysat a bunch of kids trying to play littlebigplanet only to give up because they were tired out of the sticker puzzles that nearly ruined the game. If you have a promising title that kids would prefer playing Mario instead, then obviously it has gotten out of the list, sorry.
Rayman Origins - I remember playing this game with my entire family and we had a blast playing this title. I also had a lot of fun sharing these games to the kids I baby-sit and it was the most colorful and imaginative game in our modern era. However there's just one thing that kept it off the list…
A kid I babysat noticed the fairy's… bosom and that sexual content took got this game off the list… *(smiling with my eyes rolling)
Donkey Kong Country series - This is the pinnacle of my gaming childhood and for the first time, I have to put this title down for the sake that all the Donkey Kong games made by Rareware had a scary moment! Whenever you see stuff like the creeping crawlers, ghost pirates, and many more, at a young age I had to run as fast as I could trying to avoid seeing them until they were off screen or moved on to another level. Also, the series is notorious for making each title very easy at beginning but start to have a very difficult experience towards the end. Looking at it at a nostalgic stand point, I love playing this as a kid and would continue playing it to feel like it's the mid-1990s, but as a father-figure I would want kids to get a little older before having them to witness some scary aspect of the game that I've had to face.
With that out of the way, here is the list!
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Number 7. - Yoshi's Island
This Mario origin story had to be on the list because it is the most colorful and unique title on the Super Nintendo. The fact that we see Mario as a baby riding on Yoshi's back was so adorable. Not to mention that this is the first time that we're hearing Yoshi's voice when he jumps, gets hurt, shoots his eggs, etc. It was so amusing to hear Yoshi's cute voice that made him a lovable character by many. What I find so unique about this game is that the entire game is drawn in color pencils. This was around the time when Shigeru Miyamoto was jealous of Donkey Kong Country's success that he wanted to compete against it. Sad to say it, Mr. Miyamoto, but this title is no DKC, but it was a nice experience of having so many cute characters everywhere and the likeness of nearly every aspect of the game even makes a grown gamer weep for joy. I remember when this game came out in 1995, I my brother and I were so amused at this title that we had to visit our friend's house constantly to play it with him. I think the only aspect of this game where it was a bit too scary is the final boss with baby bowser. Other than that, almost every part of this game is appealing to everyone of all ages and it should be played regardless of anyone's preference in gaming.
Number 6. - JumpStart Adventures 3rd Grade: Mystery Mountain
I seriously hope that there are some people out there that remembers Jumpstart for Windows PC because they were some of the best educational games ever! 3rd Grade: Mystery Mountain is the best of the entire Jumpstart series because the design is so gloomy and unique, the characters are so lovable that it's worth interacting with them, and the challenges (though challenging at times) are very educational. Plus 1st and 2nd grade were too childish, while 4th and 5th grade was too dark and disturbing for me as a kid playing them; so 3rd grade is a perfect blance from both of those installments. Don't let the age limit just say it's only for that demographic, because even adults can't answer these questions or complete any of these challenges! I love Botly and his adventures to save history from the evil Polly Spark who's using her father's time-machine to ruin the timeline just to save herself from all the classes that she didn't learn from. We have to fix each timeline by learning music, mathematics, history, science, puzzles, astronomy, art, and many other mini games in Mystery Mountain to get rewarded with all the pieces to go back in time and fix what really happened. If the game is too difficult for the player you can easily change the difficulty and you have simple stuff like additions and subtractions. But if you chose the highest difficulty, you better learn stuff like what mozart taught or you'll suffer. Loosing in any of these challenges isn't really a consequence as you can just repeat the mini game many times as you wise. At as certain point, the game can get really repetitive but for the sake that this game still is great to play, even after 3rd Grade and so forth, should show you how much this title means to me.
Number 5. - The Secret of Monkey Island
Number 4. - Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Just say, "Kirby!" and I'll bet that you'll have a smile on your face! No doubt that he's the most adorable character in video game history and there's a huge fanbase just loving this little guy! Certainly, any game of the series is suitable for anyone to play it. But I'm going to go for Kirby 64 for this one! Kirby’s venture in the 3D world was actually quite good. Is it the best game on the Nintendo 64? No, most certainly not, but it’s still a fantastic example of what little Kirby can do. Unlike past Kirby Games, Kirby 64 is a 2.5D platform game, with gameplay similar to earlier Kirby titles, where the titular character Kirby has the ability to inhale enemies and objects and extract their abilities. Kirby is required to travel across six different planets, which consist of separate levels, and collect the scattered pieces of a Crystal, which is used to defeat the game's main villain, Dark Matter. There are seven different copy abilities and any two can be merged to create a new one, notably Burning, Stone, Ice, Needle, Bomb, Spark, and Cutter. Though Kirby only needs one element in his body to gain an extra attack, Copy Abilities can also be merged with abilities of the same type for more powerful versions of the basic abilities. In total, there are 35 abilities to combine and stand-alone. Usually, combined ones are stronger or have added effects. This is the only game in the Kirby series where you can combine copy abilities. And throw that with a ton of mini-game and you got yourself one of the best children's game ever!
Number 3. - Ducktales (NES)
IDK what is it about this cartoon franchise, is it because of the duck-appeal, the catchy theme song, the colorful adventures, lovable character… whatever it is that made us a fan of the cartoon this very game captures all of it. I admit that I never played this game as a kid, but playing it during my college years reminded me of those times. Out of all of the games built on Capcom's famous Mega Man architecture (that wasn't a Mega Man game, that is), Duck Tales is perhaps the best of the bunch. With Mega Man veterans like Keiji Inafune and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi getting the most out of the technology, Duck Tales proved to be an amazing game in its own right. Sure, it borrowed from Mega Man apart from the engine – selecting stage orders, for instance – but standing on its own, Duck Tales is one of the must-have games in any NES aficionado's library. The gameplay is of the classic action-platforming variety. Gamers take the role of Scrooge McDuck, who goes through various stages to collect wealth, defeating enemies with his pogo stick attack. When one stage is cleared, Scrooge can pick from any of the remaining stages to undertake his next quest. When the game culminates on the sixth and final stage, Scrooge is a force to be reckoned with. And if the gamer managed to finish with $10 million in funds and has two special hidden treasures, a unique ending can be unlocked, as well.
If you or your kids aren't used to 8-bit graphics, well, you're just in luck for them to try out the remake!
Number 2. - Super Mario Galaxy
Mario will always be everyone's favorite mascot and this title will be in the books of being some of the best Nintendo games ever made. Mario Galaxy still is my favorite Wii game and not even Galaxy 2 could even dominate this title because of the lack of innovation, the feeling like we're in space, and the magical feel that dominates Disney that the first one did. I will always remember gaming in 2007 as the best year in gaming since 1998. The release of a legit Mario game for the Wii is a monumental moment in the life of any Nintendo console, and Super Mario Galaxy more than lived up to that reputation. It cleverly mixed physics and brilliant design to create a series of environments that always felt fresh and exciting. This is one of those incredible titles that anyone – Wii owner or not – should find time to play. As much of a mix-feelings I have for the Wii, I have to say that playing Super Mario Galaxy was the highlight of the console, as a whole! As time passes on, I start to believe that Mario Galaxy is actually better than Mario 64 is many aspects; platforming challenges, level designs, and wondrous tone throughout the game. This title will uplift children wishing that they can fly across the galaxy like a star and make adults everyone wish that they were children again. I would love to put Super Mario 64 on this list just so they can see in a retrospective stand-point on where 3D Platformers started, but there's a few aspects of Mario 64 that was way too scary for us younger gamers…
Number 1. - Banjo-Kazooie
The reason why I put Rareware as my number 1 favorite video game company is because they're able to make a game for anyone on consoles for any demographic. For some odd reason, Banjo-Kazooie was supposed to cater to just children but adults start to get this game's appeal, despite its simplicity. Today, it is some of the most beloved ages imaginable! Banjo Kazooie took what was laid down in Mario 64 and built on the idea, adding an interesting 2-in-1 character design that was to be later used in the Ratchet and Clank series, another thing that Rare managed to do a much better job on were the characterisations, Banjo and Kazooie were really given personalities of their own, an element that I always felt was missing from Mario 64 as in that game the story was not really much of a factor. Usually, when a game has simple challenges critics and gamers alike would complaint that the game is too easy, but Banjo-Kazooie is an exception because it is the best example of simplicity being at it's most fun. Anyone can spell out Banjo-Kazooie as many times in these puzzles/mini games and have a memory quiz towards the end, but those are many of the game's strength of getting everyone into the game. Though I prefer playing Banjo-Tooie instead, I admit that the game could be so difficult and dark that I would make any kid play the first game instead. Depending on whom you ask, some may say Banjo Kazooie is Rare’s best game; some may say it is the best 3D platformer of all time. Throughout the game, Bottles will teach you new moves and by game’s end, you will have accumulated a wide number of techniques such as flight, invisibility, and a ton of combat moves. These abilities open up the world in a way few games could match with a number of ways to tackle your objectives. Imaginative, innovative and fun, Banjo Kazooie sits among the best of the best.
So that's my list of the Top 7 Best Games for Kids! Please discuss this topic in the forums here and I'll respond anyway I can! Tomorrow we're going to countdown my Top 6 Favorite Video Game stories (a delayed list) as Gexup's 12 Days of Christmas continues! So Happy New Year to everyone!
