Which Games console?

undercoat11

Hi

I don't know if this is the best place for this message. I was thinking of buying my children a games console for Christmas, but I really have no idea which one is the best to buy.

The PS3, Wii and X Box are all about £300, but then a PS 2 is only about 70. My kids are not that interested in computers - they are 15 and 12 and have never even asked for a games console, but I thought it might be fun for them. Is a PS 2 really awful? Are there still games available for them? Or should I go for the Wii or PS3? Will they use a PS2 for a fortnight and then say oh I wish you had bought a better one? I also feel that Nintendo is faking a shortage of Wiis so that people spend more at Christmas - may be I am cynical, but we don't tend to have many shortages of computer equipment so why the wii?

I am really not sure, and I hope that some expert will read my message.

Thanks!

mikeopvc

"PS2 awful" NO WAY the PS2 is a great console and there are loads of games available. I have a PS2 and although the PS3 is supposed to be the latest must have console I'm not convinced, better still because all the attention is on the Wii, PS3 and Xbox the PS2 games are a lot cheaper so you could get the console and a load of games for a much better price than the others.

foreign_correspondent

PS2 is great, games are varied and relatively cheap, and they are still making new ps3 games. Also, games such as singstar and buzz are quite sociable, rather than solitary, so better for encouraging playing together. Singatar also goes down well with adults too (we regularly end up singstaring with friends on a saturday night after a few drinks!)
Lot of kids love ps2 dancemat games and they are great exercise too. When I used to work with teenagers this was a regular favourite activity!
I wasnt into computer games at all till I tried the wallace and gromitt 'were rabbit' one on the ps3 - it is amazing, it looks beautiful, you can play it alone (single player) or co-operatively (2 players working on achieving tasks together) and it has the lovely with and charm of the animations.
The lego star wars games are good too, and again have a co-operative mode.

foreign_correspondent

how old are your kids, and how many do you have?
Just wondering, cos on Buzz up to four, or even eight players can play together, and they do a kids version too. Also, singstar has team modes, whilst some other games are 2 player or 1 player.

undercoat11

I have 2 children and they are 12 and 15 - but they are girls and are not really into all the techie stuff. They would like things like singing and dancing and generally messing about and are not into violent fighting type games.

I am glad people are saying ps 2 is good - I have never even played on one or seen one so I have no idea.

Any more comments welcome!!

BillScarab

Read the first post they are 15 & 12! :rolleyes:

There are more games around for the PS2 than any of the new consoles. Personally I like the Wii, it is the cheapest and I think the most fun. The Wii is nowhere near £300, the list price is only £180. For £300 you can get a Wii, extra controllers and a couple of games.

Having said all that if your kids have never asked for a console I wouldn't bother getting them one. Spend the money on something they really want.

undercoat11

That is my problem - they never ask for (want for) anything and it is Christmas. I thought I would buy them a few bits and bobs, give them some money to spend in the sales and buy them a games console as a surprise.

However, I don't want to spend huge amounts of money either because i know they will play for a while and then leave it. Wiis seem to be £300 everywhere I have looked (well Amazon anyway).

What is an xbox 360 arcade console like? Is it a lot better than a ps 2?

Thanks for all your comments.

foreign_correspondent

ps2 with singstar and dancemat would be great then! I bet they would love it!

DaveTheHutt

If you could get a Wii I'd suggest that - but they're rarer than hen's teeth at the mo.

Failing that, PS2 is a good option as suggested above - get Singstar or Buzz with it, and they'll have a great time.

Another option could be a DS Lite for each of them - it's a handheld console (so no TV takeovers!) that costs around £90 and has loads of girl-friendly games like Nintendogs, Cooking Mama, Animal Crossing (which my wife is addicted to) and more. The kids I know who have them are obsessed with them!

Edit: A lot of the DS games also let 2 players link up via WiFi, so they can play together... it's very cool!

Xbox 360 and PS3 are both no goes, I'd say - the Xbox is predominantly 'run & shoot' games (plus the Arcade model is a waste of time as it has no hard disk) while the PS3 is also more boys focussed and costs a ludicrous amount of money.

Hope this helps.

undercoat11

Thanks for that - I think I may go for the PS 2 as they love Karaoke and general messing around, so I think a dance mat could be a good idea - particularly for the (hyper)active 12 year old.

I agree about Ds Lites, they have already got these and are great for travelling, etc. They love Animal crossing and enjoyed nintendogs when they first got it. I would also recommend Super Mario 64 - my youngest has been working on this for a year and is still only half way through.

Thanks for all your comments - they have really helped me.

BillScarab

undercoat11 wrote: »

That is my problem - they never ask for (want for) anything and it is Christmas. I thought I would buy them a few bits and bobs, give them some money to spend in the sales and buy them a games console as a surprise.

However, I don't want to spend huge amounts of money either because i know they will play for a while and then leave it. Wiis seem to be £300 everywhere I have looked (well Amazon anyway).

What is an xbox 360 arcade console like? Is it a lot better than a ps 2?

Thanks for all your comments.

The Wii is £300 because Amazon are out of stock, it is Amazon Marketplace sellers who are charging ridiculous amounts. If you do decide on a Wii, have a look at Amazon.de, the german site seems to always have plenty in stock with a bigger wwarranty than the UK ones. All you need is a power adapter for it which is about a pound.

There is lots of info on this in the "I wanna" forum on this site.

The only thing against the PS2 is it's an old console so may not be seen as "cool".