Suggest me... a PS2 game for my 11y old nephew
I know threads like this hang around playing cards somewhere in the Goodjer Lost Threads of Old vault, but I can't seem to reach them. So here goes another child-friendly game thread!
I'm looking for a present for my 11 year old nephew. He has a PS2 and a fondness of gaming I'd like to nurture 
Currently he likes racing games, football (soccer) games, and action-packed games. And Guitar Hero, but that's beyond my budget. Yes, he's quite the macho!
Going for PES or the latest FIFA seems a bit easy, I'd like to broaden his gaming horizons a bit. Without scaring him away with a "too girlie" game.
So now I look at you, oh Mighty Tome of Knowledge that is the Goodjer community. Help me!
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Katamari damacy or its sequal, we love katamari (If you can find 'em!).
I know its not racing but its still awesome.
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I agree with the Katamari games, this is of course assuming he has a sense of humor, and a deep desire to roll continents into a ball.
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duckilama nailed it on the first go. If he likes racing games, this one is my favorite of all time.
I'm assuming we believe that 11 is too young for Mercenaries? I know I was all over GI Joe at the time, and I thought Mercenaries was very GI Joe-ish, but no idea what the lad's parents would think about that.
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Is Kingdom Hearts 1/2 too girly? It you wanted to get him into RPGs it's pretty action oriented.
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My vote goes to Okami. I think it would be perfect for a 11 year old. It's not too difficult and it will keep him busy for 35 hours or so. Plus it has a good story about playing as a god and rejuvenating the land.
I dunno... giving a kid who loves soccer games and driving really fast something like Katamari or Okami might be the gaming equivalent of getting socks and underwear for Christmas.
How about the Ratchet & Clank games?
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Checkout Everywhere Road Trip. It may be kind of hard to find but it is a sandbox world racing game with many different options for customizing your cars.
Also, there is a soccer game in it. No joke.
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I would say 2, it is a bit more polished and not as brutal. 1 was way too hard for the target audience, IE 11 year old kids.
But for a younger kid: Ratched and Clank would be good, a younger male especially. Maybe Sly Cooper.
Lego Star Wars is much fun and kid friendly.
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Manhunt. Don't really see how you can go wrong there.
Actually, in all honesty, even though he is technically too young for the T rating, I would suggest Bully so long as his parents are comfortable with it. It has some mild swearing and violence, but overall I don't think it's really inappropriate for his age. Hell, he's probably already played GTA. This is sort of like a kid-friendly GTA.
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I think an 11 year old boy would feel mortally offended if you bought him Lego Star Wars.
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Sly Cooper 1 and 2.
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kaostheory wrote:
Yeah, not old enough for it to be "nostalgic" like when I play it.
Gauntlet Dark Legacy and/or Seven Sorrows? Maybe the X-Men Legends games, too.
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And 3. While not as good as 1 and 2, it definitely has its moments, and I bet any 11 year old would dig the 3D action.
Also, why not the original Jak and Daxter? All the sequels got a little too GTA for my tastes, but the original was chock full o' platforming goodness.
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This may not exactly be too kid friendly, but SOCOM 2, is my recommendation. Blame me if you get in trouble.
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Well since you said he likes Guitar Hero, I'd recommend Amplitude.
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All true. Also, Beyond Good & Evil, and the Ratchet and Clank series.
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kaostheory wrote:
I'll second Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, and Ratchet and Clank. Those are the biggies, and give you like 9 games to choose from between the franchises. All of them are older so I bet you could even get him the entirety of one of these series for a reasonable price.
Duoae wrote:
Thanks for all the suggestions so far!
Before starting this thread I was thinking Ratchet & Clank or Sly Cooper because I vaguely remembered them from similar threads of Yore. Then I thought was it Sly Cooper or Ratchet and/or Clank, are they the same or not and which one stinks or rocks and so on. I saw him play Burnout once I believe, but I think he lent it from a friend then. I'll have to check with his dad. Right now I'm in doubt between Ratchet and Clank and/or Sly Cooper (IS there a difference?) or Burnout 3. I like Everywhere Road Trip too. A lot. If only because I've never heard of it and because it looks like a quirky little gem.
I'll let you know what I bought and how my nephew liked it!
Don't let anything stop you from other suggestions though
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There is very much a difference between the two. Sly Cooper is a thief out to save the world through stealing back pieces of his families manual; it's a cel-shaded cartoon that reminded me a lot of Rayman. Ratchett and Clank is a more classically styled adventure game/platformer where a young fox-looking guy meets with a robot and tries to stop a bad guy from taking all the planets in the galaxy to assemble a new one. Jak and Daxter is very similar to R&C, but it goes a lot darker themed.
If it's a concern, there are few weapons in Sly - it's focus is more on sneaking and puzzles. R&C does a lot more cool gadgetty guns.
Oh hey, speaking of Rayman, Rayman III: Hoodlum Havoc might be a lot of fun for him, too.
Duoae wrote:
Not so much in the first one. In fact, I recommend you only get the first Jak & Daxter for your 11-year old nephew. The later ones are a little too dark, a little too mature, and a little too boring for young kids. J&D 1 is bright, colorful and fun platforming - and if he gets stuck, he can always move onto another task.
Also, the Sly Cooper are the easiest of all the games discussed here.
If you had to pick one, I'd say go with the Sly series. Goofy humor (whacking chickens! a dog mob boss that lives in a giant fire hydrant! etc.), cartoonish artwork and very likeable characters make this one of my favorites. Sly 2 is, in my opinion, one of the best games ever made for the PS2. But start from the beginning, with Sly Cooper and the Thevius Racconous.
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You want to ease your kid into RPG and get him to ask for help, making it fun time for both parent and child? Check out Radiata Stories. Humorous, action oriented, and even though there's a story, it never really gets too serious. Plus, the goal is to make as many friends to fight for you as possible, so, making friends YAY!
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You want to ease your kid into RPG and get him to ask for help, making it fun time for both parent and child? Check out Radiata Stories. Humorous, action oriented, and even though there's a story, it never really gets too serious. Plus, the goal is to make as many friends to fight for you as possible, so, making friends YAY! There is leveling and stats, along with equipment, but very toned down, with actual combat, with little menus.
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Dragon Quest 8 is another fun time-sink.
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kaostheory wrote:
The most excellent game Psychonauts!
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Actually, dejanzie, I'd STRONGLY advise against the PS2 version of Psychonauts. It's by far the worst port I've ever played. The controls suck, the camera lags, the colors are muddy and washed out, and overall the thing is so dark you can't see where you're going in later levels. Oh, and there's a bug that crashes your game after you beat the final boss, but before the ending rolls. Seriously, I only finished the PS2 version because I was being paid to.
Get him Psychonauts, only get the 360 or PC version. Not the PS2 version.
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That's unfortunate and it makes me sad inside.
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