From: tehyang@aludra.usc.edu (Teh Kao Yang)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: Re: Sega or Genesis
Date: 4 Oct 1992 14:30:02 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: aludra.usc.edu

In article <BvLvs2.MEJ@acsu.buffalo.edu> v089l3s3@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Jeremy B Horwitz) writes:
>In article <1992Oct4.141213.24841@mother.bates.edu>, mperron@mother.bates.edu (Mike Perron) writes...
>> 
>>	I have a 6 year old boy who just sold his old nintendo and we would like
>>to get him either super nintendo or Sega Genesis. Any opinions would be apprec-aiated. Thanks in advance.
>> 

Gee, looking at your article's title it seems like the choice has already
been made. :)

Jeremy's made some good comments about the suitability of both systems to
youngsters, I just thought I'd add some of my own...

>Will you be using the system yourself, or will you want to buy 
>something simply for his use? 
>This question is important because the graphics and sounds of a
>16-bit system won't necessarily be of benefit to a 6-year old.
>Stripping those away, the only things left are gameplay and
>challenge, and number of titles geared towards his age group.

I think the important things to determine are what kind of games your child
enjoys, what his skill level is, and the number of appropriate games 
available for the system.

>Which system has more challenging games? A toss-up. SNES titles
>like Super Mario world and Pilotwings will probably never be
>completed by a 6-year old, who will just enjoy playing the games
>over and over for fun, and because they have many levels.
>By an older person, Mario can be completed in 1-5 days, depending
>on whether or not they try to achieve the ultimate goal in the
>game or go for a quick completion. 

I don't know how good of a video game player your son is, but most kids I've
seen (around 9 year olds) have a lot of trouble with the difficulty of most
SNES games, including Super Mario. Some levels in SMW are very difficult to
pass, and many kids including your son may just give up in frustration. This
holds true for most other SNES games as well. Another thing is that a lot
of SNES games require the use of multiple buttons and many kids I know are just
confused by the myraid of buttons on the SNES control pad. It appears 
to me that SNES games on the average require more dexterity and skill to
enjoy than the average six-year old possesses. Most of the SNES's best titles
have complicated play mechanics, rules, and controls which can be too much for
a kid to handle: this includes many of the RPGs and adventure games. 
Of course there are exceptions: for example Turtles 4 is a
very easy game that all kids will definitely enjoy and I think Mario Kart is
a good kiddie game as well. 

On the other hand the Genesis has many excellent games that are simple to
control, easy enough for kids but challenging enough to keep them interested.
Right now I can think of 3 Genesis games that are probably the best suited for
a young player: Sonic the Hedgehog, Mickey Mouse in the Castle of Illusion,
and Quackshot starring Donald Duck.  Ask anyone on the net about these 3 
games and they will probably agree with me. And most Genesis games have an
adjustable skill level feature, which lets you set how hard you want the game 
to be. The Genesis has a lot of game for experts only too, if you ever want 
to play a few games yourself. And here are some other games that I think 
young kids can enjoy... Tazmania, Tailspin, Kid Chameleon, Golden Axe(maybe too
violent?), Sonic 2, the Carmen Sandiego series, etc...

Oh one last thing... ask you son if he loves Street Fighter 2. If he says yes,
get a SNES. 

-Tehkao