Please help me entertain these smol humans: Xbox Edition
July 6, 2020 10:29 AM Subscribe
Starting tonight and for a week or so after, I will have in my house an Xbox One, two Xbox One controllers, and two children we are desperately hoping to entertain for a couple (maybe 2) hours a day, with minimal adult involvement. They'll be outdoors most of the time, so this is mainly for when they come in to cool off or maybe a little bit before or after dinner.
I'm looking for suggestions for age-appropriate Xbox games the tiny humans can play together or separately, as they choose. We have a 9 year old girl and a 10 year old boy, both very smart, imaginative and adventurous. For the good of the realm, they must be contained.
This is a vacation for them, so no real educational value is necessary -- it just needs to be fun and absorbing. I'm willing to spend around $50-$100 to keep them out of our collective hair for a little while each day -- possibly a little more for something I'll play myself after they're gone.
Restrictions are minimal but important:
1) Not too scary, as one of the kids can get a bit skittish around creepy/dark
2) Language no worse than typical PG level
3) Not too fighty
4) Not violent or gross
I have access to Minecraft through GamePass, and I think the kids may have some experience with it, but I do not - so I don't know if they need anything else for it. I have a sense they may have been playing on a private server or something?
I also know that at least one of them has greatly enjoyed playing Monument Valley on his mom's phone, as he boysplained it to me at great length and in epic detail on our last group vacation.
I mainly use the Xbox to play Ori and the Blind Forest/Will of the Wisp, and Dragon Age games. Beyond that, I'm a complete stranger to what's available.
Am n00b, know nothing, pls help!
(BONUS - we are also open to suggestions for stuff they can safely do outside in a big, flat back yard. Our pool is out of commission - so all we really have at the moment is a sprinkler. My plan right now is to teach them how to weed. Super fun, I know.)
I'm looking for suggestions for age-appropriate Xbox games the tiny humans can play together or separately, as they choose. We have a 9 year old girl and a 10 year old boy, both very smart, imaginative and adventurous. For the good of the realm, they must be contained.
This is a vacation for them, so no real educational value is necessary -- it just needs to be fun and absorbing. I'm willing to spend around $50-$100 to keep them out of our collective hair for a little while each day -- possibly a little more for something I'll play myself after they're gone.
Restrictions are minimal but important:
1) Not too scary, as one of the kids can get a bit skittish around creepy/dark
2) Language no worse than typical PG level
3) Not too fighty
4) Not violent or gross
I have access to Minecraft through GamePass, and I think the kids may have some experience with it, but I do not - so I don't know if they need anything else for it. I have a sense they may have been playing on a private server or something?
I also know that at least one of them has greatly enjoyed playing Monument Valley on his mom's phone, as he boysplained it to me at great length and in epic detail on our last group vacation.
I mainly use the Xbox to play Ori and the Blind Forest/Will of the Wisp, and Dragon Age games. Beyond that, I'm a complete stranger to what's available.
Am n00b, know nothing, pls help!
(BONUS - we are also open to suggestions for stuff they can safely do outside in a big, flat back yard. Our pool is out of commission - so all we really have at the moment is a sprinkler. My plan right now is to teach them how to weed. Super fun, I know.)
Best answer: I don't know if this qualifies as too fighty, but most of my friends' kids loved the Lego action game franchise at that age. Also the Katamari games.
I don't know what it is, but the X Box equivalent of Mario Kart would probably also be popular.
posted by Candleman at 11:18 AM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
I don't know what it is, but the X Box equivalent of Mario Kart would probably also be popular.
posted by Candleman at 11:18 AM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I've been beaten to the punch, but I'd suggest the Lego games as well. Despite what the box might say all of the games can be played solo or co op. If they have a favorite movie franchise, chances are there is a lego game based on it.
Out door game wise water slides depending in the size of your yard can be lots of fun.
posted by wwax at 11:50 AM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Out door game wise water slides depending in the size of your yard can be lots of fun.
posted by wwax at 11:50 AM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: On top the lego games, Yooka-Laylee, Super Lucky's Tale, and Spyro Trilogy Reunited are colorful kid-friendly 3d platformers, I think at least one of those is on game pass. Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled is a good mario-kart-like game for Xbox One they'd also probably like. If you want them to move around you could try one of the Just Dance games although the xbox version might need a phone for input.
posted by JZig at 11:52 AM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by JZig at 11:52 AM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Stardew Valley for sure. Cheap, and they can decide if they prefer to farm, make friends, fish, hunt monsters or all of the above. My kids have had a ton of play out of that game (OK, me too...)
posted by Cuke at 1:45 PM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Cuke at 1:45 PM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
"I have access to Minecraft through GamePass". If you have GamePass, your problem is already solved. Let them have at it. For a couple hours a day, for a week or two, surely they will have no problem finding something there.
posted by ixipkcams at 1:51 PM on July 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by ixipkcams at 1:51 PM on July 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
It doesn't get much better than Rayman Legends. Spelunky is fun too.
Throw a roll of plastic in the back yard, squirt it with detergent, put the hose on it - instant Slip'n'Slide. If you want fancy roll the edges around some pool noodles to make walls.
Make very large bubbles.
If they're smart and imaginative, they might enjoy The Quiet Year. It's self-contained, structured / guided co-op world building. PDF, a deck of cards, some six sided dice, a few buttons or coins as tokens, off they go.
posted by some little punk in a rocket at 8:23 PM on July 6, 2020
Throw a roll of plastic in the back yard, squirt it with detergent, put the hose on it - instant Slip'n'Slide. If you want fancy roll the edges around some pool noodles to make walls.
Make very large bubbles.
If they're smart and imaginative, they might enjoy The Quiet Year. It's self-contained, structured / guided co-op world building. PDF, a deck of cards, some six sided dice, a few buttons or coins as tokens, off they go.
posted by some little punk in a rocket at 8:23 PM on July 6, 2020
Came to say Super Lucky's Tale. I would have loved that game at their ages! (And it's on GamePass.)
posted by nosila at 2:21 PM on July 7, 2020
posted by nosila at 2:21 PM on July 7, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
For the backyard, consider a hammock or slackline (if you have trees), or just go to Amazon and search "outdoor toys" for ideas - there are a ton of versions of cornhole, spikeball, etc.
IMHO no one is ever too old for bubbles.
posted by nkknkk at 10:56 AM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]