Need some help( no violent games please)

[Chainsaw_Charlie]

What are good games for a 4 yr old girl(my neice) who's in her fairies and princesse's stage?

[G-Boobie]

For what systems?

[Chainsaw_Charlie]

Any but im leading towards DS as I dont really want to buy her dolls or clothes(yes i've reached the ugh but ok stage)

[Malon_Forever]

I remember seeing a Princess Peach game come out for the DS. Maybe she would be interested...? I'm not too sure how hard or enjoyable it would be, but you could check it out.

Heck, I kinda wanted it when I had a DS.

[Therealqtip]

I remember seeing a Princess Peach game come out for the DS. Maybe she would be interested...? I'm not too sure how hard or enjoyable it would be, but you could check it out.

Heck, I kinda wanted it when I had a DS.

It's easier then passing the 3rd grade.

[G-Boobie]

Animal Crossing DS is an excellent choice: there isn't much in the way of failure states, and there's always something to do.

[Chainsaw_Charlie]

I am torn between leaning towards the Tinkerbell game or something educational like Animal crossing or a gift card or nothing at all

[Malon_Forever]

I am torn between leaning towards the Tinkerbell game or something educational like Animal crossing or a gift card or nothing at all

Gift cards are good. A gift card to a mall will cover anything pretty much.


Here's a pic of that Peach game:

It's easier then passing the 3rd grade.

Did you have fun with it?

[snes_collector]

Isn't there a Mario Party for DS? If so, that would be a good one.

[SegaAges]

There is also the Imagine series for the ds. I don't know if it is meant for a 4 yr old, but they have shit like fashion designer and babysitter and shit like that

[Fuyukaze]

Princess Debut but that may be too difficult for her.

[Ro-J]

There's an article on What They Play titled My First Video Game which you may find helpful as they cover a variety of platforms. Some of the suggestions are obviously geared towards first time adult players, but one game mentioned, Animal Genius for the DS, looks promising. Link here.

[Cryomancer]

Get Princess Peach. It's girly-pink enough that she may enjoy it, and if she does, at least you got her a real videogame. It's a platformer, so it's a real genre even. Miles beyond any Imagine or Disney game in all aspects. It's a fun game, not too super hard, and will actually make her think about stuff a little maybe.

Unless 4 years old is just still too young for any sort of actual real game...I was probably playing Atari by then though so you never know.

[Kitsune Sniper]

That Peach game is very violent, though - violent in a Mario kinda way, anyhoo.

I can't think of any game other than the obvious Barbie direct-to-DVD-tie-in games.

[Phénix]

Animal Crossing is a little too complicated for a 4 years old ... But Princess Peach is a good game, simple and easy. There's also a couple of "Disney Princess" games, it can be good too.

[calistarwind]

I work at a game store and the ones most frequently purchased for that age group on the DS are the Dora and Diego games, Disney Princess, also the other cartoon movie titles like Madagascar and the new Ice Age game. Usually younger kids relate more to the characters than to the challenge and as long is there is not a lot of reading they tend to enjoy them more.


Oh and their is also the classic storybook games for the DS which are based on fairytales. It contains reading but may be something you both could enjoy.

[joshnickerson]

Pick up Legend of Starfy... it's incredibly cute and colorful, yet a very solid platformer... it's even got a co-op mode on some stages so you can jump in via another DS and help out.

[shopkins]

Princess Peach is a great game and it is kind of easy, but I don't think it's easy enough for four. It's still a Mario-style platformer and you have to figure out how to use Peach's emotional powers to get through obstacles. The game explains them to you with hint boxes but you have to be able to read them.

It may be a pain to set up, but I thought the Genesis Little Mermaid game was really pretty easy and a lot of fun. It still seems kind of hard for four, though.

She might do better with something that's more of a non-game, like Nintendogs.

[Malon_Forever]

Princess Peach is a great game and it is kind of easy, but I don't think it's easy enough for four. It's still a Mario-style platformer and you have to figure out how to use Peach's emotional powers to get through obstacles. The game explains them to you with hint boxes but you have to be able to read them.

It may be a pain to set up, but I thought the Genesis Little Mermaid game was really pretty easy and a lot of fun. It still seems kind of hard for four, though.

She might do better with something that's more of a non-game, like Nintendogs.

If the Genesis Little Mermaid is anything like the NES one (remake/port/squeal), that's a pretty good choice too.

[NayusDante]

First of all, does she already HAVE a DS? I trusted my younger sister with a Game Boy at that age, but I'd be wary about giving a kid something with fragile LCDs.

As tempting as the "non-games" sound, they're still non-games. In my opinion, giving her a non-game is the equivalent of sitting her in front of Boohbahs for an hour. Sure it entertains and provides a distraction, but there's absolutely nothing to get out of it.

Someone might have to help me out on difficulty assessment, but Drawn to Life may be a good choice. Kids generally like to draw, and a platformer where you draw everything seems like a natural fit. Still, I haven't played it, I'm just going on concept.

Another suggestion would be Lego-anything. If I'm correct, Lego Star Wars has unlimited respawn, but it's still an action-platformer. It's definitely a weak one, but it's an action-platformer nonetheless.

When she's old enough, Chex Quest. Teach the kid what a real FPS is with a proper, kid-friendly introduction.


We've really entered a different era as of late. When I was growing up, there were better games that were more accessible for kids. One of my personal favorites at that age was Day of the Tentacle, as you couldn't die and were free to explore. I also loved the King's Quest series, but I needed the hintbooks for those. This was before one of the SCUMM devs went off and did Pajama Sam and all those (another suggestion), so the next generation didn't get quite the same experience. Nowadays, games are either too "hardcore" or they're flat-out casual, without much middleground. I keep wanting to blame it on the fact that I always gravitated toward the "lovable by all ages" type of games, but kids games just weren't much of a market back then. They were there, just not like they are today. The best thing you can do is teach kids what proper games are, and avoid shovelware. Just like any good parent doesn't allow their kids to watch garbage, there's no reason to let them play garbage (and I'm not referring to the presence of adult content).