# Help ''Santa'' get the right gaming system for my kid **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678 "2004-12-13T23:34:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/21 "2004-12-14T12:59:05Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Now, how about recommending some games? I’m going to check our local libraries later and see if they have any of these to borrow. \*\*asterion \*\* pretty much said what I was gonna say. Yes, Blockbuster rents games for handhelds. And then puts them out for sale. Don’t be afraid to buy the former rental games, or go to GameSpot or Electronics Boutique/EB Games and buy the old trade-ins. My daughter and I buy a lot of used stuff, it’s every bit as good as the new. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/22 "2004-12-14T12:59:19Z")
Nintendo will be pretty good about the gratuitous violence in games, they really target the handheld games to the kids. As for titles, I’m sure there are plenty of games based on the recent Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks movies. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/23 "2004-12-14T13:10:54Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Basically, there a lot of ports from the NES and SNES, plus lots of new games. Basically any NES/SNES port will be safe, though some games (like RPGs) may be too long and involved for a kid that age. Did I mention that he loves to play Warcraft and can get through almost any level? He’s played that since he was five. (In my defense we discuss that everything in those games is “pretend”) ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/24 "2004-12-14T13:39:43Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I’m going to check our local libraries later and see if they have any of these to borrow. I’ve never seen a library that stocks video games, seeing as how they’re not very educational. I could see them maybe stocking educational computer games, but not video games. Rental stores definitely have handheld games though. Electronics Boutique sometimes sells used Advance games for as little as ten dollars. Also, try Ebay. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/25 "2004-12-15T02:06:39Z")
Assuming you’re going with the Nintendo DS: [Super Mario 64 DS](http://www.gamespot.com/ds/action/dssupermario4x4/index.html?q=Mario+64) The “must-have” game for this system. The original version for the Nintendo 64 is just one of the funnest and best-designed games ever made. And for the Nintendo DS or, if you decide to go with the Gameboy Advance SP: [Advance Wars](http://www.gamespot.com/gba/strategy/advancewars/index.html?q=Advance+Wars) or [Advance Wars 2](http://www.gamespot.com/gba/strategy/advancewars2/index.html?q=Advance+Wars) Great turn-based strategy games; if he likes Warcraft he’ll probably get a kick out of these. They are “war” games, but they’re very cartoony and even light-hearted. Note the ESRB rating is “Everyone,” so there’s no real violence. [Pokemon (FireRed version)](http://www.gamespot.com/gba/rpg/pokemonred/index.html?tag=mp_2to9) Yeah, it’s Pokemon, but there’s a reason the games are so hugely popular and it’s not just invasive marketing. They’re very well-designed, fun, and addictive. [Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3](http://www.gamespot.com/gba/action/supermarioadvance4/index.html) IMO another one of the best games ever made. I bought a GBA just in anticipation of the fact that this game would be released someday. [Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga](http://www.gamespot.com/gba/rpg/marioandluigi/index.html) A cross between the Mario games and a console role-playing game. It’s surprisingly fun. You might also want to check out some of the gaming sites’ Holiday Buying Guides: [1up.com’s](http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=9&cId=3136763) [Gamespot’s](http://www.gamespot.com/features/giftguide2004/index.html?tag=gs_lnav_giftguide) ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/26 "2004-12-15T02:12:24Z")
Thanks for the recos, **Sol**. We went by the Wal\*Mart today while the Girl was in soccer practice so I could get a look at some systems and games. I was really surprised at how small these things are. I expected something much more substantial. Shows how much attention I pay to these things. Also, since the Boy said that “Santa can afford anything” I’ve decided ask for a Huey Cobra helicopter for Christmas. I was going to ask for the amazing car that can morph into a helicopter, submarine or urban assault vehicle by the flick of a button, but that might be pushing things a bit. I infer that the Mario 64 only works on the DS? I am feeling a bit stretched in the budget department, so if Saint Nick is also going to bring games then it’s probably the GBA for him. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/27 "2004-12-15T02:32:12Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Thanks for the recos, **Sol**. We went by the Wal\*Mart today while the Girl was in soccer practice so I could get a look at some systems and games. I was really surprised at how small these things are. I expected something much more substantial. > […] > I infer that the Mario 64 only works on the DS? I am feeling a bit stretched in the budget department, so if Saint Nick is also going to bring games then it’s probably the GBA for him. Yes, Mario 64 is DS-only. All of the other games I listed will work on the GBA. And the GBA SP is a great choice; the DS is the flashiest thing out there, but it’s overkill and there aren’t a whole lot of games specifically made for it yet. It’s more the “if money were no object” choice; your kid will obviously be much happier with a GBA and a couple of games, as you say. For the price of the DS itself you could get a GBA and 2 games. (Just make sure you listen to **zippyh** and **Uvula Donor** and get the GBA SP, NOT the original Gameboy Advance.) And yes, both the machine itself and the games for it are tiny. If he’s as prone to losing stuff as I was that age (and still am), you might see about getting him a case or something that keeps the GBA and the games together. They’re easy to lose track of. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/28 "2004-12-15T02:50:55Z")
I think the choice between the GBA and the GBA SP is mostly one of personal preference. Personally, I prefer the GBA because the SP is just not comfortable for my hands, even though it doesn’t have a light. I got a third-party add-on that acts as a screen cover and a light. It plugs into something on the back of the GBA and powers a little light bulb off the same battery. There are instructions out there for making a GBA backlit, and I just might do that sometime. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/29 "2004-12-15T03:11:41Z")
I’ll recommend picking up the telephone and calling his best friends mom. Find out what game her kid is playing. That’s the game your kid wants - at least right now. A little later they can start trading titles and all that. But start him Christmas day with something he knows (and he’ll know it…and he will be good at it). I’ll also recommend the backlit GBA - which our six year old uses. It will be easy to find, will be what his friends have, and its around $80…which is a lot of money if he loses it, but isn’t as much money as the DS. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/30 "2004-12-15T03:21:26Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > I’ll recommend picking up the telephone and calling his best friends mom. We’ve only lived in this house about 6 or 7 weeks. He doesn’t have a “best friend”. Anyway, Circuit City is running the GBA SP for $69.99 if you buy at least one game with it (through Saturday). I’m leaning heavily in that direction, especially since it’s about $79.99 everywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![hightechburrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f6c823/32.png) [@hightechburrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hightechburrito)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/31 "2004-12-15T03:59:22Z")
I would get the SP, mainly because of the lower price, and the fact that it plays any other Game Boy games. I’m 23 and I would rather have an SP than a DS right now simply because there are not that many games out yet for the DS, while the SP has literaly thousands of games to choose from. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/32 "2004-12-15T03:59:41Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > We’ve only lived in this house about 6 or 7 weeks. He doesn’t have a “best friend”. Anyway, Circuit City is running the GBA SP for $69.99 if you buy at least one game with it (through Saturday). I’m leaning heavily in that direction, especially since it’s about $79.99 everywhere else. Just to chime in, I think that is probably the best hand-held system you can get for a young kid right now. Some of the best games are any of the Super Mario Advance series (all updates/remakes of classic Super Mario Brothers games from the '80s and '90s), Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, and Metroid: Zero Mission–although that one might be a bit complicated for a really young kid. ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/33 "2004-12-15T06:50:01Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I infer that the Mario 64 only works on the DS? I am feeling a bit stretched in the budget department, so if Saint Nick is also going to bring games then it’s probably the GBA for him. This is the wisest choice IMHO. Here you have a handheld system, that while earning rave reviews, is fairly new, and costs the same as a PS2 or Xbox, and even $50 more expensive than the Gamecube. To buy it now would be a risk since you don’t know if it’s going to survive or not. Expenisve handhelds haven’t had much luck in the past. Virtua Boy, Linx, and a few others I can’t quite rememeber have all gone the way of the dodo. N-Gage, _should_ have died a thousand times by now, but Nokia is really sticking with it for some God forsaken reason. I reccomend you pick up a GB SP for your boy. I don’t own one, but I’ve heard great things about it, and it’s been out long enough to accumalte a great library of games. Even if it were to die tommorrow and stop being produced, your kid could still have fun with it for years. Also, because it’s been out for a year or two now, you can pick up some of the best selling games for super cheap prices. Which brings me to another point. Be sure to visit [CheapAssGamer.com](http://www.cheapassgamer.com/) regulary. Add it to favorites. It’s not a site that sells games, but a site dedicated to a bunch of nerds that search stores and websites for the cheapest games and report back to CAG with their findings for all to share. The best and longest lasting deals are posted on the front page, but for short deals that sell out fast you have to register and keep an eye on the message board. GBA SP games tend to run for $50-30 new, so it’s worth knowing where to guy for discounts. Registration is a free and short process. Here’s some GBA SP game deals deals I found on the site just now: [Botkai 2 for $19.99](http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1&product_id=160479&affid=99999&sourceid=qIrAQb-bf4mLAmk9yVsg&siteid=0040451529) [2 games for $30 at WalMart](http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3401796&sourceid=42786254040015698186) (I’d personaly reccomend Street Fighter Alpha 3, and have him pick a Dragon Ball Z game if you follow through with this deal) Actually, that appears to be all I can find at the moment…but CAG has had slim pickings lately. Wait utnill after Christmas when Circuit City and and Best Buy liquidate games by the hundreds, but fail to mark the boxes with new prices. You’ll spend $25 on $200 worth of games. Last year, this site saved me about the same amount on just the holiday season alone. I even resold some and made a profit. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/34 "2004-12-15T18:25:43Z")
> [@JoeSki](#): > > Which brings me to another point. Be sure to visit [CheapAssGamer.com](http://www.cheapassgamer.com/) regulary. Add it to favorites. It’s not a site that sells games, but a site dedicated to a bunch of nerds that search stores and websites for the cheapest games and report back to CAG with their findings for all to share. The best and longest lasting deals are posted on the front page, but for short deals that sell out fast you have to register and keep an eye on the message board. GBA SP games tend to run for $50-30 new, so it’s worth knowing where to guy for discounts. Registration is a free and short process. Here’s some GBA SP game deals deals I found on the site just now: > > [Botkai 2 for $19.99](http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1&product_id=160479&affid=99999&sourceid=qIrAQb-bf4mLAmk9yVsg&siteid=0040451529) > > [2 games for $30 at WalMart](http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3401796&sourceid=42786254040015698186) > (I’d personaly reccomend Street Fighter Alpha 3, and have him pick a Dragon Ball Z game if you follow through with this deal) Thanks, I’m definitely marking this down. Fortunately his birthday is in February, so I should be able to get him a decent list of titles fairly quickly without breaking the bank. He doesn’t know about Streetfighter (although I’m sure he’d like it) but loves to watch DragonballZ, so both are good recos. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/35 "2004-12-15T18:41:44Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > The Boy is six, almost seven, and has asked for a “GameBoy” for Christmas. This is his only request. Before you consider getting him something other than he asked for (DS or other brand) you might want to ask him why he specifically asked for a gameboy. When my brother was that age he had a game boy too, and one of the biggest appeals of it vs other systems was that many of his friends had them too. This meant they could borrow each other’s games to play and see if they liked them enough to spend birthday and Christmas money on. AFAIK DS has its own games…if he had lend/borrow in mind, and his friends with Gameboy Advances couldn’t use his games too, it might become an issue. (not to mention that seven year olds are odd about lending and borrowing without parental guidence anyway, so that might be something you need to address) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/36 "2004-12-15T20:04:17Z")
I design video games for a living. I also have a seven-year-old son. Get the GBA SP. Don’t get the original GBA. The screen sucks. The DS is definitely an option, but it’s still an early adopter purchase at this point. There are only a handful of games out that require a DS, and for a six-year-old who’s getting his first handheld, you really don’t need to be on the cutting edge. My son’s favorite games: Wario Ware Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland Kirby & the Amazing Mirror Advance Wars 2 (requires a moderate amount of reading) ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/37 "2004-12-15T20:04:57Z")
> [@JoeSki](#): > > This is the wisest choice IMHO. Here you have a handheld system, that while earning rave reviews, is fairly new, and costs the same as a PS2 or Xbox, and even $50 more expensive than the Gamecube. To buy it now would be a risk since you don’t know if it’s going to survive or not. Expenisve handhelds haven’t had much luck in the past. Well, the Nintendo DS is completely backwards compatible with the GBA (and, I believe, GB Color), so even if the DS-specific games never catch on, you’d ending up with a fairly nice Gameboy Advance that can also play Super Mario 64. I still definitely think that the recommendation of a GBA SP is the best choice for **ShibbOleth** ’s son. The DS would be overkill. I’m only mentioning it for anyone else who wasn’t aware that the DS was backwards compatible; I didn’t know it was until recently. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/38 "2004-12-15T20:11:03Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Remember, he’s eight, so I’d prefer to keep the violence and gratuitous sex to a minimum, preferrably, cartoonish violence is okay. You may already know this, but if not you should be aware that there’s a video game [ratings system](http://www.esrb.org/esrbratings_guide.asp) that does a pretty good job of indicating whether a game is age appropriate or not. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/39 "2004-12-16T00:36:20Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Before you consider getting him something other than he asked for (DS or other brand) you might want to ask him why he specifically asked for a gameboy. I did. He said something along the lines of, “Because it’s $79.99, the DS is like $300!” I guess you’d have to know my kid. Although seeing other kids play with this has been a consideration, he’s really not looking to play with other kids. He’s a bit unique (he can be very self-absorbed) and uses words that much older kids often don’t understand. Still he’s very friendly and most everyone just naturally looks out for him. ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678/40 "2004-12-16T06:44:12Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Thanks, I’m definitely marking this down. Fortunately his birthday is in February, so I should be able to get him a decent list of titles fairly quickly without breaking the bank. He doesn’t know about Streetfighter (although I’m sure he’d like it) but loves to watch DragonballZ, so both are good recos. The Street Fighter series has been around for long enough that you would probably recognize one of it’s earlier arcade versions if you were to see it. Ten years ago, there wasn’t a Wal Mart in America that didn’t have a Street Fighter 2 arcade booth. Some later, 1997 or so, Stree Fighter Alpha was released, and it was deemed the best Street Fighter game yet. this was saying a lot since Capcom had milked the Street Fighter for all it was worth. There was: Street Fighter Street Fighter Two Stree Fighter Two Turbo Street Fighter Two Turbo Special Edition Street Fighter Alpha Street Fighter Alpha Two Street Fighter Collection Vol 1 Street Fighter Collection Vol 2 Street Fighter 3 And I’m sure I’m forgetting at least a handfull of other ones. I bought Street Fighter Alpha 3 for a Birthday present for the Playstation 1, and invested about 150 hours into it. It still stands out in my memory as one of the finest tuned games ever made. It was fun, a blast on two players, easy to learn, and hard to master. It has about as much violence as a Dragon Ball Z episode really. People shoot fireballs out of their hands, do spinning kicks in midair for long periods of time, and do all kinds of silly things. No blood, just blue sparks appear when you punch someone. Gamespot\* , one of the most respected videogame websites online, gave it a 8.4. Here’s an excert: > [@](#): > > Not so long ago, the thought of a nearly perfect version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 for a portable gaming system was unthinkable. We’ve always wanted portable fighting games, but for the most part, we’ve never really expected them to stack up to their full-blown counterparts. Yet the Game Boy Advance has seen the release of several surprisingly uncompromised fighting games, and the new Street Fighter Alpha 3 is probably the best of them. [Link](http://www.gamespot.com/gba/action/streetfighteralpha3/review.html) Speaking of Gamespot, that’s another website you’ll probably want to add to favorites. While you’re out saving money, why not spend a moment to make sure the game your spending $5 on is worthwhile? There’s games that are cheap because they’re readily available because of it’s sales, and games that are cheap because they’re garbage. Also, their reviews detail how complicated, violent, and difficult to learn, a game is. Your son might enjoy the site as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-santa-get-the-right-gaming-system-for-my-kid/279678.md?page=3)