DS games to play with an 8-year-old?

February 13, 2010 8:30 AM

I'm looking for DS games to play with my 8-year-old cousin when she comes to visit. We play Mario Kart, but while I love that game quite frankly there are only so many rounds I can play in one sitting. What other games can I play with an 8-year-old while not boring me to death?

She's a budding videogame geek and loves playing games on her DS. I too have a DS, which means that whenever we visit and/or I babysit her, we'll break 'em out and she'll have loads of fun.

Problem: our tastes in videogames (predictably) don't mesh. The games she has are stuff like Cooking Mama and Nintendogs (which I could never get into, not really) and Super Mario 64 which doesn't appear to have a multiplayer version. OTOH, my taste in DS games runs into the realm of relatively complex RPGs like The World Ends With You and the Final Fantasy games, which aren't the kind you can play multiplayer with an 8-year-old. I got Big Bang Mini but the multiplayer on that is terrible.

She's pretty bright and has had a DS for years - I think she could deal with complex-ish controls without a problem. Her reading comprehension is fine, not that story-based games tend to be very good with multiplayer play. Simple math should be just fine.

Bonus if it's a game that can be played with one game card - it'd be great if I could just pick it up and not require her to have a saved game ready. But if it requires both players to have a copy, that can be arranged too (her dad is my favourite techie uncle).

So, hive mind: any suggestions?

posted by Xany to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (15 answers total)

If you think she could handle a puzzle game, Might&Magic: Clash of Heroes has multiplayer and is a great unique match3 game.
posted by malphigian at 8:45 AM on February 13, 2010

I think she would adore Animal Crossing Wild World. It's mildly multiplayer.

Tetris for the DS is very multiplayer and fun as well.
posted by royalsong at 8:50 AM on February 13, 2010

My 11 yr old has these suggestions: Kirby superstar ultra, the new supermario, and civilization revolution. I know nothing, but my son is reliable on such questions. ymmv.
posted by kch at 8:58 AM on February 13, 2010

Best answer: If you get Clubhouse Games you guys can play checkers, dominoes, Battleship (called Grid Attack), pool, darts, and tons of card games. A few summers ago my whole family got together to and spent a week in a rented house, there were 3 DSs between us all. We had a bunch of different games, but my Clubhouse Games was the one we played the most. I think the cartridge has something like 124 games. Some are harder than others, but there are a lot that are appropriate for an 8 year old.

(On preview to echo kch: The New Super Mario Brothers is good too.)
posted by TooFewShoes at 9:05 AM on February 13, 2010

Namco Museum DS includes Pac-Man Vs. (and some other classic arcade games, if you care). Single cart multiplayer for up to four, which is WAY more fun than it has any right to be, but two will still be good.
posted by ecurtz at 9:23 AM on February 13, 2010

Best answer: Scribblenauts! You'll shoulder-surf for some of it, but the opportunities for puzzle-solving and vocabulary building are well buried under the fun.
posted by persona at 10:11 AM on February 13, 2010

Best answer: 2nding Clubhouse Games, its a lot of fun and my 6 year old can play it by herself.
posted by ShawnString at 10:43 AM on February 13, 2010

Mario Party is probably the best multiplayer experience I've had on the DS. And it's single-cart to boot! Pretty approachable for all age groups also.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 11:30 AM on February 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

Clubhouse games also features the only chess AI I can actually beat. Even from the days of 286's these things were better players than I.

Running down the list
* There are two DS Advance Wars games but judging by age and interest this is not going to work.

* New Super Mario bros has multiplayer but not the way you'd expect; it's more like Mario Party. The Wii version does have simultaneous multiplayer however.

* Planet Puzzle League is basically Tetris Attack, with perfectly acceptable multiplayer.

* I hate pokemon but it does have a pretty big multiplayer following. And it's an RPG.

* Chocobo Tales is an E rated card-rpg.
posted by pwnguin at 11:38 AM on February 13, 2010

Best answer: I second Scribblenauts! A few weeks ago on a flight I was seated next to an unaccompanied 9-ish year old boy, and we bonded over our love of Scribblenauts.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 11:55 AM on February 13, 2010

Best answer: Yes, Scribblenauts! You can have entertaining conversations about what items to try to use to solve the puzzles, no matter who has control of the DS at the time. The game is a wide open field of possibilities for puzzle solving, and you can build your own puzzles too.
posted by girlhacker at 1:10 PM on February 13, 2010

Best answer: Nthing Clubhouse Games and Scribblenauts. They (and Mario Kart) are the only three games my 8 year old kid and I agree upon.
posted by Lucinda at 3:33 PM on February 13, 2010

Plants Versus Zombies perhaps?
posted by Artw at 11:56 PM on February 13, 2010

is Meteos multiplayer? fantastic game.

Professor Layton games would be fun to do together.
posted by smersh at 12:19 AM on February 14, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks for the answers all! I shall begin with Scribblenauts and Clubhouse Games then, and I think she has Super Mario Bros so maybe we'll try that too. Professor Layton is another possibility - I actually have that one already, but I didn't think of just letting her loose on it.

Artw - I love Plants vs Zombies, but it's not available on the DS. :(
posted by Xany at 6:12 AM on February 14, 2010