What are the best kid-friendly couch multiplayer games for PS4?
May 21, 2015 8:43 AM Subscribe
We're having a friend and his nine-year-old son over for videogame night. We have a PS3 and PS4 and access to four controllers for both. What are some fun and (liberally speaking) age-appropriate local multiplayer games I should have available? We have Diablo III, which is fun in a grindy dungeon-crawler way, but maybe too oriented to long-term play. I just downloaded Towerfall: Ascension, which looks like a hoot. We also have Lego Marvel Super Heroes. Should I try to get anything else?
I hear good things about the new Guilty Gear but on research I find that it's a fighting game, and $50 to boot, and I'm a little skeptical that we'll get value out of it. Is it exceptional in some way? A friend is bringing Mortal Kombat, but I don't know if it'll fly; the kid has just discovered shooters, which Dad is pretty OK with as long as they're playing together, so I don't think violence per se is a dealbreaker, but Mortal Kombat is pretty grim, so we'll see. This is happening tomorrow night, so I prefer games that are available for download, but I will visit the loathed GameStop if necessary. Preference for games priced $29.99 and under.
I hear good things about the new Guilty Gear but on research I find that it's a fighting game, and $50 to boot, and I'm a little skeptical that we'll get value out of it. Is it exceptional in some way? A friend is bringing Mortal Kombat, but I don't know if it'll fly; the kid has just discovered shooters, which Dad is pretty OK with as long as they're playing together, so I don't think violence per se is a dealbreaker, but Mortal Kombat is pretty grim, so we'll see. This is happening tomorrow night, so I prefer games that are available for download, but I will visit the loathed GameStop if necessary. Preference for games priced $29.99 and under.
Agree on Little Big Planet. Also: Castle Crashers? It's a cartoony beat-em-up and should be on PSN for <$10.
posted by Alterscape at 9:02 AM on May 21, 2015
posted by Alterscape at 9:02 AM on May 21, 2015
Minecraft.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 9:04 AM on May 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 9:04 AM on May 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I wouldn't spend $50 on Guilty Gear for a couple of nine-year-olds. If the new one is anything like the old ones, the game is beautiful, but not exactly friendly or fun to play if you've never played it before.
If they like fighting games, Injustice might be a good bet if you can get it cheap, or Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
posted by griphus at 9:08 AM on May 21, 2015
If they like fighting games, Injustice might be a good bet if you can get it cheap, or Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
posted by griphus at 9:08 AM on May 21, 2015
Oh and you can definitely get the old Soul Calibur and Tekken games cheap, and they're a blast and outside of maybe some of the costumes in Soul Calibur I can't imagine they'd be terribly inappropriate for kids.
posted by griphus at 9:13 AM on May 21, 2015
posted by griphus at 9:13 AM on May 21, 2015
Best answer: Dungeon Defenders is one of the best games I've played in a long time! Its a mix of an RPG tower defense type with lots of different character types (mage, knight, huntress etc). Check it out, you can download it from the PS4 store and its under $20 last time I checked?
posted by snowysoul at 9:22 AM on May 21, 2015
posted by snowysoul at 9:22 AM on May 21, 2015
Best answer: Both Dungeon Defenders and Castle Crashers rate very high on the multiplayer-on-the-couch-with-friends scale with our main Xbox crowd here.
Portal 2 has a multiplayer cooperative mode which is hilarious. It's puzzle-solving types of things - not at all a shooter or RPG.
posted by jquinby at 9:34 AM on May 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Portal 2 has a multiplayer cooperative mode which is hilarious. It's puzzle-solving types of things - not at all a shooter or RPG.
posted by jquinby at 9:34 AM on May 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Nthing LBP...gamestop should have 1 and 2 on the used rack for under $20...there's also LBP racing which is apparently very similar to mario kart.
posted by sexyrobot at 9:43 AM on May 21, 2015
posted by sexyrobot at 9:43 AM on May 21, 2015
nthing LBP. 1 and 2 are for ps3, 3 is for ps4 (haven't played 3 yet).
Might be worth starting with 1 to learn the gameplay mechanics. After the kids have played a few levels, online play opens up, as does the ability to build your own worlds. The online gameplay is spectacular, griefing is really heavily shut down (and easy to report), and there are eleventybillion excellent levels out there--search for levels by someone named comphermc especially. It's an absolutely silly, madcap game with endless costume changes and opportunities for taking silly pictures and it's really just great on all fronts. There's also DLC available--the Pirates of the Caribbean DLC adds water, the Metal Gear Solid DLC adds paint guns.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:11 AM on May 21, 2015
Might be worth starting with 1 to learn the gameplay mechanics. After the kids have played a few levels, online play opens up, as does the ability to build your own worlds. The online gameplay is spectacular, griefing is really heavily shut down (and easy to report), and there are eleventybillion excellent levels out there--search for levels by someone named comphermc especially. It's an absolutely silly, madcap game with endless costume changes and opportunities for taking silly pictures and it's really just great on all fronts. There's also DLC available--the Pirates of the Caribbean DLC adds water, the Metal Gear Solid DLC adds paint guns.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:11 AM on May 21, 2015
Best answer: Guacamelee Super Turbo is free right now if you have PS Plus. It can have up to 4 players. I played it with my 12 yr old son and had a lot of fun with it. Fairly simple and easy to pick up fighting style, and a really colorful world.
posted by saffry at 10:21 AM on May 21, 2015
posted by saffry at 10:21 AM on May 21, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks for all the recommendations! Little Big Planet is a great suggestion but this kid is already very familiar with it (his dad is a big fan). Castle Crashers is also a good call, and we've played it on Xbox, so maybe. We have Soul Calibur on hand so I guess that can be our go-to fighting game if he turns out to be into it.
I'm definitely checking out Dungeon Defenders and will download my free Guacamelee Super Turbo, which sounds fantastic. I've successfully resisted Minecraft so far, but am open-minded. Does it have a party-game feel for a room full of people?
posted by Mothlight at 1:11 PM on May 21, 2015
I'm definitely checking out Dungeon Defenders and will download my free Guacamelee Super Turbo, which sounds fantastic. I've successfully resisted Minecraft so far, but am open-minded. Does it have a party-game feel for a room full of people?
posted by Mothlight at 1:11 PM on May 21, 2015
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posted by bensherman at 8:55 AM on May 21, 2015 [4 favorites]