Good multi-player games for PS2

April 6, 2006 2:38 PM

Multi-player games for the Playstation2 for smaller children.

I have four little boys (ages: 3,5,6,8), and we love to play games on our PS2. We currently like Jak and Daxter (1,2), Ratchet and Clank (1,2,3), Super Monkeyball Deluxe, SSX Tricky, DDR Max, Sly Cooper (1,2,3), Piglet's Big Game, Simpson's Hit And Run, Ty The Tasmanian Tiger.

Can anyone suggest any PS1 or PS2 multi-player games? We bought Ape Escape 2 - Pumped and Primed to play together, but it kind of sucks. Looking for something that multiple people can play at the same time if possible.

posted by patrickje to sports, hobbies, & recreation (19 comments total)

Great question! Me and my girlfriend are looking for the same thing!
I've read that spongebob's Light Camera Pants!! is ok, but i have not tried.
Looking forward to some great suggestions.
posted by Building at 2:50 PM on April 6, 2006

Muppets Party Cruise.
posted by seanyboy at 2:57 PM on April 6, 2006

We Love Katamari.
posted by MegoSteve at 2:58 PM on April 6, 2006

We Love Katamari has been a big hit with my daughters (ages 3 and 4). Its multiplayer mode is only two-player, but it's fast and fun. They also take turns playing the single player game, just alternating between levels. The game also has a great deal of longevity - there are all sorts of hidden things to find and levels to unlock.

Kind of an odd sort-of-educational side benefit, but the text on screen doesn't really flip by very quickly, so the girls get to read everything, which they usually do out loud. Namco did a phenominal job with localization, so there aren't any misspellings or other "Engrish", which helps. I'd recommend it for at least a rental to see how it goes over.
posted by phong3d at 3:00 PM on April 6, 2006

Yes, we have Katamari Damacy, and while my boys enjoyed it, the thrill is gone so to speak. I love it a lot more than they do :( And my boys like SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie, so maybe Light Camera Pants is worth a try. Muppets also looks interesting.
posted by patrickje at 3:07 PM on April 6, 2006

Just for clarity, patrickjem, "We Love Katamari" is the sequel, not just an expression of love for the original KD.
posted by The Bellman at 3:15 PM on April 6, 2006

It's originally for PS1, but Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo got about a million hours of worth of play on my PS2. It's two player crack and seems to appeal equally to hardcore and casual gamers (of all ages).
posted by subclub at 3:21 PM on April 6, 2006

Lego Star Wars is fairly cheap now ($20 I believe) and it features 2 player co-operative play, so they won't have to fight over who beat who. The good thing is, it's fun enough that even adults (or at least I) enjoy it.
posted by nakedsushi at 3:25 PM on April 6, 2006

Amen to Lego Star Wars, nakedsushi. Definitely fun enough for adults, too. The next one (episodes 4-6) is coming out soon, too.

And not to drag this off-topic, but you might think about trying to pick up a Nintendo Gamecube, as they're fairly cheap. There are a tremendous number of multiplayer games, and I believe (though without kids, I'm not certain) more games aimed at children, too.
posted by barnacles at 3:55 PM on April 6, 2006

I haven't tried it myself, but I've heard that The Adventures of Cookies and Cream is an oft overlooked cooperative multiplayer title appropriate for kids. It may be tough to find, though.

The Burnout series is good as long as you turn the music off. It has party crash modes for up to 16 ( I think) players. Though it is focused on caushing multi-car accidents (no people involved), so it's up to you if that's appropriate. Burnout 3 can be found easly around $20 or less.

If puzzle games sit well with your audience, there's the classic Tetris Worlds, Bust-A-Move and Ballistic (an old PS1 game, may be tough to find).

I will second Barnacles saying that the GameCube was practially designed for having lots of kids playing it, 4 controller ports and many excellent multi-player games (Mario Kart, Mario Party, Monkey Ball, Bomberman, etc.)

And there's also Dance Dance Revolution if you want to tire them out rapidly.
posted by Durhey at 4:18 PM on April 6, 2006

Our family's all-time favorite is Crash Team Racing for the PS1. Crash Bash is also fun. Both games are designed to be multiplayer.
posted by Otis at 4:28 PM on April 6, 2006

Micro Machines V3 for the PS1 allows you to have a 4-player game with only 2 controlers! Two people share one controler. It used to go down well at partys....
posted by gergtreble at 6:20 PM on April 6, 2006

My nieces (8 and 10) got Karaoke Revolution for Christmas and not only did my three year old have fun with it too, but so did everyone else in the family, regardless of age.
posted by padraigin at 8:00 PM on April 6, 2006

Another vote for Lego Star Wars - I recommend it all the time on AskMe and it's great!
posted by greycap at 11:31 PM on April 6, 2006

the shrek 2 game is not bad. can multitap it up to 4 player coop.
posted by juv3nal at 1:46 AM on April 7, 2006

For kids of that age I'd seriously think about getting the eye toy accessory, and perhaps the Play series of games. They're short party games that, while not nessarily multi-player, are sort of designed for social turn-taking type play. Wikipedia has a list of Eye Toy games.

Lego Star Wars is great disposable gaming, and has the advantage of being pretty easy. It lends itself to switching players in and out, so while only two-player, it should entertain the whole bunch, especially if they like Star Wars. Encourage them to devise systems themselves that determine when to swap players.

I'd be hesitant about Katamari Damacy because, while a great game, I think it it's a appeal is more for older players... not one for teens, even, but perhaps adult gaming connoisseurs.

If you'd rather see co-operative play, then the Sims and The Adventures of Cookie and Cream are two on the list of co-operative PS2 games that are suitable for children. Good rather than great games, though.

Some of my fondest childhood gaming sessions are from one player games that can be shared with others: anything with puzzles or a good story is a good candidate. On this score I'd recommend Kingdom Hearts which combines Square's legacy of story-based adventure games and recognisable Disney characters: a genuinely magical experience that I'd advise you run by your kids before Disney stops being cool to them.

As has been said, Burnout 3 or Burnout 4 have good turn-based sub games where you get to cause the biggest car crash you can: fun by an measure as far as I'm concerned.
posted by nthdegx at 3:09 AM on April 7, 2006

you've obviously got a few bucks to invest in games; I can't reccomend enough buying a used gamecube from your local games purveyor (pay more than $80 and your getting ripped off) and investing heavily in Mario Party games. They're fun for all ages, and Mario Party 7 (7!) lets you play with eight players, which I have never done.

The gamecube has a host of games that are specifically targeted for your kids' demo, like Mario Cart (4p), Super Mario Strikers, and pretty much anything with Mario in the title.
posted by the theory of revolution at 6:08 AM on April 7, 2006

I feel I have to question the assertion, as it has come up more than once now, that Nintendo make games aimed at young children. Look at the popularity of Nintendo in Japan and compare it with Japanese gaming demographics. Of course Nintendo games do appeal to children, but their appeal is much broader than that. There's some viciously cruel gameplay hidden behind the cute graphics: nothing an 8 yr old can't handle, I'm sure, though.

Three gamecube recommendations in response to a question about PlayStation games is more than enough, though.
posted by nthdegx at 7:34 AM on April 7, 2006

Wow, thanks for all the great answers.

Yes, I've though a lot about a GameCube. We have a lot of games (probably around 50-60), more than half are for me though :). The problem is space, we don't have much room on our entertainment center, only room for the PS2 and Dreamcast.

As for Burnout, we tried, but got so sick of the long load times, 2-3 minutes between games, that we gave up.

We have Kingdom Hearts, which I just don't get, there's a huge fight within the first 5 minutes that no one has gotten passed.
posted by patrickje at 12:22 PM on April 7, 2006