Gamecube games for a kid who loves Pikmin

April 29, 2007 2:09 PM

My five-year-old has loved Pikmin and Pikmin 2 on the GameCube and is looking for something new. What should it be?

He has also played Animal Crossing and liked it, and Mario Kart Double Dare. But he is very specifically looking for something like Pikmin: an explore-an-environment game with a clear goal; he wants to know when he's done, not just wander around forever. He found Zelda: Windwaker too scary; likewise Starfox (he's something of a petite flower). I'm thinking about ordering Chibi Robo for him, but it might not be goal-directed enough. Other recommendations?

posted by not that girl to sports, hobbies, & recreation (18 comments total)

Lego Star Wars?
posted by ReiToei at 2:37 PM on April 29, 2007

There isn't anything quite like Pikmin; that game is entirely unique. But I bet he'd like Chibi Robo, as it's goal-oriented (you have a room to clean each day), you know when you're done, and then there's other stuff you can find and get into. Each day you have a task you want to accomplish and a time limit, so in that sense it's very much like Pikmin.

I was going to say it might be too hard for a five year old, but if your kiddo finished the Pikmins, he's good! I don't think he'll have any trouble with Chibi-Robo, and probably would enjoy it quite a bit.

Chibi is a little scary in spots, though; late in the game, monsters show up in the house. He might not like that very much. I don't remember Windwaker as being particularly scary, so he may not react well.

He *might* enjoy Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. It's not much like Pikmin, and it's not explicitly goal-oriented in the same way. It's more structured than Zelda, but it's much more like that game than like Pikmin. I don't think he'll get scared by that one.

Lego Star Wars might be good too, but I've only played the demo of that one. Good demo, but I didn't buy the full game.
posted by Malor at 3:00 PM on April 29, 2007

I was going to say it might be too hard for a five year old, but if your kiddo finished the Pikmins, he's good

He and my partner played together. Every waking moment. For weeks. I'm actually ambivalent about getting them another game, as I'd like to see them sometime, and I think it would also be good if they left the house once in awhile.
posted by not that girl at 3:22 PM on April 29, 2007

Super Monkey Ball and Chibi Robo are both good, although like Malor said Chibi Robo gets a little scary late in the game, but it's limited to one boss battle at the very end. Before that some crawlies show up from time to time but it's a very low key event, and it's not at all threatening to the main character. I'd put it as no more scary than events in Pikmin. Except for the very end, your day to day experience is based more on mopping and exploring. This video review (which is far less enthusiastic than it should be) shows you the kind of things you'll be doing. A standard "battle" is shown at 1:30 and lasts for about 5 seconds, which is what it would be in real life.

Depending on how coordinated he is, he may have a lot of fun with Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat. It does require the bongo drum attachment which is down to $5 at ebgames right now. All movement and fighting is done with the bongos, you hit left and right to go left and right, you hit both sides to jump and bang on both quickly to punch. It's very engaging and fun to play, the violence level is low (on par with Pikmin), and like the Wii, it's easy to pick up and use even for non gamers. The only complaint you may have is that while the gameplay is fairly simple, the music and sound effects can get a little chaotic, you may end up with a very excited child.

It's pretty easy to find gameplay videos on youtube to get a good idea of what you're in for, so I would definitely check out games you're interested in and see if it's suitable.
posted by hindmost at 4:03 PM on April 29, 2007

The turn-based controls on Paper Mario might be too hard for a five year old to master. The story is good, though. The new paper mario for Wii is excellent and is easier and more traditional to play.

Some other fun kid-friendly games:

1. Harvest Moon (very like Animal Crossing)
2. Nth-ing Chibi-robo.
3. Any of the Tak games
4. Amazing Island (where you breed "monsters" which aren't scary and train them to compete in specific events.)
5. Legend of Zelda - 4 swords (which has a significantly more traditional look and may be less scary. Also, includes puzzle solving ability.)
6. Luigi's Castle (has cartoon ghosts, but cute.)
7. Mega-Man Anniversary Collection
8. there are tons of action-adventure titles related to major film releases, like Meet the Robinsons or Spongebob. I found the Spongebob Movie game to be particularly fun.

And I LOVED Lego Star Wars (of which there are 2!)

Search for any of these titles on IGN.com and you should be set.

Hope that helps.
posted by santojulieta at 4:21 PM on April 29, 2007

Super Mario Sunshine. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (co-operative multiplayer). LEGO Star Wars. LEGO Star Wars 2. Simpsons: Hit & Run.
posted by thirteenkiller at 4:24 PM on April 29, 2007

I have a 5 -y-o nephew who loves, loves, loves Lego Star Wars.
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:38 PM on April 29, 2007

If you're looking to switch systems I've heard good things about Viva Pinata on the 260 - of course, if you were lookimg to swith systems you'd more likely want a Wii.
posted by Artw at 4:39 PM on April 29, 2007

Mario Sunshine for sure. And thanks for all the ideas for my own GameCuber!
posted by DU at 5:14 PM on April 29, 2007

It's not for Gamecube and its outdated graphics might not appeal to your son, but Lemmings is basically Pikmin's ancestor. Looks like you can download it here.
posted by ciocarlia at 5:25 PM on April 29, 2007

We have a 4 yr old and a GameCube, and the reviews at gamerdad.com were great for picking out an age-appropriate game (so far, Super Mario Party is the only one we have). You can sort reviews by kid age and game system.
posted by selfmedicating at 5:53 PM on April 29, 2007

Thanks, everybody. Feel like we have some good leads. But I'd be glad to hear more if people have them.
posted by not that girl at 7:11 PM on April 29, 2007

Lego Star Wars is incredibly awesome. Would you like my copy? I don't play it anymore.
posted by boo_radley at 8:01 PM on April 29, 2007

Seriously? Good for you, boo.

I'll nth the Monkey Ball recommendation. The kid might also like Luigi's Mansion or Simpsons Road Rage or any of the Bomberman or Pacman (esp. with a GBA and Link Cable) games (and most of those are pretty much dirt cheap used these days). Kids I know, 5 and 7, both like Harvest Moon and NBA Street.
posted by box at 8:50 PM on April 29, 2007

Yeah, Pikmin was great. It was the first game we got for our Gamecube and it sucked my whole family in right away.

If you are looking for games to play together, the Mario Party games are fun. Pac Man Fever is another party title that we've enjoyed.

I'm replaying the first Ty the Tasmanian Tiger now, and I'd forgotten how fun it was. Lots of exploring and puzzle solving that might appeal to a Pikmin fan.
posted by Otis at 6:28 AM on April 30, 2007

Yeah, seriously. not that girl, if you'd like my copy of Lego Star Wars, drop me an email.
posted by boo_radley at 11:42 AM on April 30, 2007

Super Mario Sunshine is awesome, and my roommates and I (even in our 20s!) love to play Mario Party and Bomberman Jetters. There's a ton of great games for kids his age on Game Cube. I'm sure you won't have much trouble.
posted by sunshinesky at 11:44 AM on April 30, 2007

Boo, you generous yet reclusive person, I am e-mailing you to the address in your profile right now...I was out in meatspace with the kids all day long and was actually away from my computer for...let me do the math...17 straight hours. My kid is very excited about Lego Star Wars just from hearing the name, so he'll be thrilled.
posted by not that girl at 4:18 PM on April 30, 2007