I know nothing!

[Graeme]

I've been an IT professional for almost 25 years now, which means I know absolutely nothing about modern technology.

 

We're planning a major vacation for 2008 and we're going to get our boys handheld games console to help them cope with the travel days (and any rest days). We were originally looking at the Nintendo DS Lite, but our youngest boy (who will be turning 7 soon) indicated he wanted a PSP, which I eventually worked out meant Playstation Portable.

 

What do people recommend? The eldest boy wants Transformers and Pokemon on his games console, and I suspect any sort of racing game will be fine for the youngest boy. I believe that for some DS games that (if they both hand DS consoles) they would be able to play against each other. However, if this is the case, most games would require that they both have the same game card installed. Does anyone know of a website that would list the games where this is NOT the case (ie. both can play even if only one of them has the game card installed in their DS)?

 

Looking for experts -- or anyone who actually owns one of these things

[Trebs]

A lot of DS games have the ability to play head-to-head with only one cartridge. Best place to look up info on video games is www.ign.com

 

Pokemon is exclusively a DS game (it's made by Nintendo, makers of the DS). I have a DS lite and love mine. And for Pokemon, you actually want to get them on Pokemon Diamond and one Pokemon Pearl so they can trade back and forth.

[Hylas]

Yep. If he wants Pokemon, you'd have to get a Nintendo. There are a lot of racing games in DS too. MarioKart I think is there.

 

AFAIK, PSP doesn't have a lot of cool games right now.

 

I don't buy handhelds anymore though. The last one I owned was a gameboy, and I abandoned it for the PC.

[Graeme]

A lot of DS games have the ability to play head-to-head with only one cartridge. Best place to look up info on video games is www.ign.com

 

Pokemon is exclusively a DS game (it's made by Nintendo, makers of the DS). I have a DS lite and love mine. And for Pokemon, you actually want to get them on Pokemon Diamond and one Pokemon Pearl so they can trade back and forth.

Thanks, Trebs! That website appears to answer a lot of the concerns I had.

 

Yep. If he wants Pokemon, you'd have to get a Nintendo. There are a lot of racing games in DS too. MarioKart I think is there.

 

AFAIK, PSP doesn't have a lot of cool games right now.

 

I don't buy handhelds anymore though. The last one I owned was a gameboy, and I abandoned it for the PC.

Thanks, Hylas! I personally prefer PC games, but for long flights the handheld consoles are going to be a boon for two weary parents....

[Dalmatia]

I have a DS Lite and love it, and I know that you can play Mario Kart with one cartridge.

 

As Trebs and Hylas have both said Pokemon is only available on the DS.

 

I also agree that PSP doesn

[Tiger]

I've been an IT professional for almost 25 years now, which means I know absolutely nothing about modern technology.

 

We're planning a major vacation for 2008 and we're going to get our boys handheld games console to help them cope with the travel days (and any rest days). We were originally looking at the Nintendo DS Lite, but our youngest boy (who will be turning 7 soon) indicated he wanted a PSP, which I eventually worked out meant Playstation Portable.

 

What do people recommend? The eldest boy wants Transformers and Pokemon on his games console, and I suspect any sort of racing game will be fine for the youngest boy. I believe that for some DS games that (if they both hand DS consoles) they would be able to play against each other. However, if this is the case, most games would require that they both have the same game card installed. Does anyone know of a website that would list the games where this is NOT the case (ie. both can play even if only one of them has the game card installed in their DS)?

 

Looking for experts -- or anyone who actually owns one of these things

Well, don't google. You can probably find the website with Google. I love Google. Anyway, I'm also a gamer. I LOVE Halo 3. Killing aliens is always a whole lot of fun :2hands: I'm also working an IT degree of my own.

[rknapp]

I have neither console, so my input will be short. I was going to get a PSP around when they first came out, but then I totaled my car and needed the money for a new car lol. Personally, I would get a PSP just because Nintendo has a reputation for making kids games... then again I'm almost 21, so I don't quite fit the bill of being a kid anymore. If I wanted to go old school, however, I would get the Nintendo unit and also pick up Mario Kart and Zelda. The most recent hand held that I have currently is Gameboy Advanced SP. It sufficiently entertains me for long trips with Zelda, Need For Speed, Castlevania, SpyHunter, etc.

[Graeme]

Need for Speed is available on Nintendo DS?

 

*Quickly googles to confirm it*

 

He got Need for Speed 2 Underground for Christmas -- we're having to limit his computer time to stop him from playing it all day, every day....

 

Thanks, Robbie!

[rknapp]

You mean NFS: Underground 2? The recent games in the franchise have been Underground, Underground 2, Most Wanted (reintroduction of police and very addicting), Carbon (poorly thrown together IMO but the Autosculpt feature is neat), and Pro Street, which is the most recent. I have only just started Pro Street and have decided that my second video card had better arrive soon so that I can step my system up to dual-core, 2GB of DDR2, and make use of SLI

 

I wish Electronic Arts would devise a way to take the old NFS and combine it with the new NFS. That would be sick!

[Conner]

Whatever happened to tic-tac-toe!

[shadowgod]

Whatever happened to tic-tac-toe!

 

In a word... pong

[ashessnow]

Hey, I got a DS for my birthday! Now, at first when this person got me it I was like - A DS? For my 18th? Seriously? - But then I started to play it...and I love it. If you want to play with someone and you dont have that game you can download it. Takes like 5 seconds.

 

And it's 6:5?, and I havent gone to bed yet. Just thought Id let you know.

Edited December 31, 2007 by Nerotorb

[Lugh]

um.. it really depends on what you want it for... we have both here.. the psp has more functions (according to my son) as that it can access the internet and play music / movies as well as games... so, my advice? unless the children are really wanting to play head to head, why not one of each?

[Graeme]

um.. it really depends on what you want it for... we have both here.. the psp has more functions (according to my son) as that it can access the internet and play music / movies as well as games... so, my advice? unless the children are really wanting to play head to head, why not one of each?

Thanks for the suggestion, Lugh. What I hadn't said is that after we told them what we were doing and why, the two boys put their heads together and then came back to us with a piece of paper showing some strange diagram. The older boy tried to explain it to me, but the only thing that I could understand is that they want to play against each other and therefore they both needed to get the same thing.

 

It looks like it'll be Nintendo DS (or probably Nintendo DS Lite) for both boys.

[Hylas]

Anyway, since your boys sound younger, DS would probably be the best choice. Kid friendly. Hehe. Zelda alone... ah. I love Zelda, and I'm 21! LOL

 

I'm still steamed that Final Fantasy 13 is exclusive to PS3 only. Grrr. So eff Sony.

 

I don't like racing games tho... boring as hell. The only good thing about NFS is the car pimping. And even that is pretty limited. I prefer 'thinking' games - Deus Ex: Invisible War, the Elder Scrolls series, Star Wars: knights of the old republic, halflife 1 & 2, any Dungeons & Dragons game (Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale, Planescape Torment, etc.).

[rknapp]

Anyway, since your boys sound younger, DS would probably be the best choice. Kid friendly. Hehe. Zelda alone... ah. I love Zelda, and I'm 21! LOL

 

I'm still steamed that Final Fantasy 13 is exclusive to PS3 only. Grrr. So eff Sony.

 

I don't like racing games tho... boring as hell. The only good thing about NFS is the car pimping. And even that is pretty limited. I prefer 'thinking' games - Deus Ex: Invisible War, the Elder Scrolls series, Star Wars: knights of the old republic, halflife 1 & 2, any Dungeons & Dragons game (Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale, Planescape Torment, etc.).

Pft, you haven't lived until you've seen the world at 200 mph! Granted, the real thing is far superior to a video game... I'd love to get my hands on a Bugatti Veyron, or a twin turbo Porshe 911, or a Corvette ZR1, or a Ford GT, and hit up the Utah Salt Flats Remember kids, a sneeze kills at 200 mph!

[Graeme]

Pft, you haven't lived until you've seen the world at 200 mph! Granted, the real thing is far superior to a video game... I'd love to get my hands on a Bugatti Veyron, or a twin turbo Porshe 911, or a Corvette ZR1, or a Ford GT, and hit up the Utah Salt Flats Remember kids, a sneeze kills at 200 mph!

Robbie.... when you get one of those, I know a little boy that would like a ride.

 

As you correctly guessed, he's been playing NFS Underground 2. He slowly working his way through it, but he loves crashing into other vehicles. I'm assuming you're not the same... because if you are, I'm not sure I want my little boy riding with you.

[rknapp]

I normally drive them hard and fast, powersliding around the corners if the car is fitted with RWD or AWD. Although I have been known to inject the spirit of Dale Earnhardt Sr. into races from time to time. In Pro Street, the idea of the game is to dominate, so bumping the other cars is encouraged.

[Tiger]

I prefer action and adventure games. Halo 3 is okay. I like some of the new weapons, especially the turrets you can carry around, blasting everything in sight. I'm looking forward to GTA 4. That's probably my favorite game series. If you get fed up with missions, you can alway's steal cars or shoot people on the streets. I've heard that GTA takes place in Liberty City (GTA's NYC) just like GTA 3. The main character is supposed to be a member of the Russian mafia. I can't wait to play it. If anyone is interested, I'll find a link about the game.

[Graeme]

I normally drive them hard and fast, powersliding around the corners if the car is fitted with RWD or AWD. Although I have been known to inject the spirit of Dale Earnhardt Sr. into races from time to time. In Pro Street, the idea of the game is to dominate, so bumping the other cars is encouraged.

My little boy is already powersliding through corners in NFS. He also likes to reverse at 69MPH (the apparent maximum reverse speed the computer can generate). He also likes doing 360s, which he says some people call donuts....

 

Hmm... Can I ask why you've been chatting with my son over the internet? The clues are adding up that way

[Hylas]

Pft, you haven't lived until you've seen the world at 200 mph

 

I think I'm missing the 'car' gene actually (among other things missing, LOL). I've never had that fascination with cars (except maybe to own a reliable good looking one someday, hehe). I do like jets. LOL

 

I'd kill to be able to pilot a jet. LMAO. I loved AceCombat back in PS1 days. But I do like NFS, at least the races are interesting. What I hate with passion are Stock Car Racing, both in real life and in games.

 

HEY! It's just a bunch of cars going around in circles. -.-

[rknapp]

I think I'm missing the 'car' gene actually (among other things missing, LOL). I've never had that fascination with cars (except maybe to own a reliable good looking one someday, hehe). I do like jets. LOL

 

I'd kill to be able to pilot a jet. LMAO. I loved AceCombat back in PS1 days. But I do like NFS, at least the races are interesting. What I hate with passion are Stock Car Racing, both in real life and in games.

 

HEY! It's just a bunch of cars going around in circles. -.-

Then you haven't watched them race at Watkins Glen... or Toronto (or was it Quebec? Our Canadian friends can chime in...).

 

If you'd like to make a passion for cars out of your passion for jets, then get a Saab... they're born from jets! According to the commercials anyway... and commercials don't lie! lol

 

 

Sorry Graeme, I'm not secretly giving racing tips to your son. Yes, doing 360's is also known as donuts, being that the marks left on the road by the spinning tires resembles that of a donut. Donuts are done quite often by the winner of a race. It happens a lot in NASCAR.

[Meeko]

Pft, you haven't lived until you've seen the world at 200 mph! Granted, the real thing is far superior to a video game... I'd love to get my hands on a Bugatti Veyron, or a twin turbo Porshe 911, or a Corvette ZR1, or a Ford GT, and hit up the Utah Salt Flats Remember kids, a sneeze kills at 200 mph!

 

 

NFS underground 2 is awesome!

 

But Im a big Halo fan myself =P

[Graeme]

Sorry Graeme, I'm not secretly giving racing tips to your son. Yes, doing 360's is also known as donuts, being that the marks left on the road by the spinning tires resembles that of a donut. Donuts are done quite often by the winner of a race. It happens a lot in NASCAR.

I know I'm hijacking the thread, but, hey, it was my thread in the first place and I got the answer I was looking for

 

Do you (or anyone else) know of what racing (cars or bikes) will be done in Florida in April this year? We'll be there and we'll have a car for about a week so we can travel to see something. My eldest boy wants to see bikes. My youngest boy hasn't said so, but I'm sure he'd like to see cars. We'll be staying in the Orlando area, but I don't mind driving if it's to something interesting.

[rknapp]

I haven't lived in Florida since I was nine so the only thing I can suggest is visiting Daytona Beach, a wee bit north of Orlando on the east coast. There you might find some stock car racing (NASCAR). If you were going sooner then you could catch the Daytona 500. Last years 500 was INTENSE since the ENTIRE field of cars wrecked on the last lap and it was a drag race to finish between Kendrick (I think) and Mark Martin. I cried because it was so beautiful... and I wanted Martin to win, but he lost.

 

But the 500 is in February... and looking at NASCAR's schedule, the closest thing to Florida in April is at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama... bit of a hike from Orlando. Besides that, maybe you can do a search for racing in Florida in the time period. Daytona Beach is the only place in Florida that I can think for major racing like that but I don't really pay any attention to racing anymore besides drag racing at Atco (Atco, NJ) and Raceway Park (Englishtown, NJ). You could also see if Homestead-Miami is doing anything in that time period. Surely Daytona and Miami do other things when they aren't hosting NASCAR, because they otherwise wouldn't be making any money lol.

Edited January 4, 2008 by rknapp