[Closed] Video game machine for quarantine

You have eight kids and not a single console between them?

An xbox 360 or a PS3 are probably your best bet. You can still get preowned games in Game and CEX for them.

If you want cheap and aren't bothered about the latest games, 4K resolution etc, just pick up a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 from Ebay.

You can pick something up, with a few games for about £50.

The s/h games can be had for a few quid each as well.

Old school Wii if your kids are youngish and you want a bit of social gaming. Mario Kart, Fifa (not a recent season, obviously), Sports Resort, Lego Star Wars, Rabbids Come Home.

My lad is 17 and still loves playing the Wii every now and again.

Has to be any of the SSX Tricky titles for whatever PS you've got

I just sold a ps3 slim 320gb with 9 games for 60. Must be loads of others on sale which are similar.

You have eight kids and not a single console between them?

With 8 kids it him and his Mrs that need a distraction.

Really cheap option is a PLayStation Mini from Amazon (£33 last time I looked) with 20 games pre loaded. Then get a (these are the real names) Crackhead or Methhead USB stick from Amazon, eBay or AliExpress with another 100+ games on.

we could pick up on eBay secondhand

I'd be looking at CEX / Cash Converters type places rather than ebay, somewhere with a limited warranty. Some of those previous-gen consoles were time bombs (early 360s in particular), you don't want something that's been bodged to work for half an hour.

It would NOT have to be able to connect to the internet or to other players.

Not required, or you're dead against it?

Playing with your mates is half the fun. It's perfectly possible to "connect it to the Internet" and not be bombarded with 14-year old American boys calling you a mofo if that's your concern, I almost never play in public games. I have some geographically spread (real-life) friends with whom Xbox comms is a great way to keep in touch with and catch up socially.

PS3 / 360 +1

I've got both, the games are still (mostly) good fun even if the graphics have begun to look a bit dated.

Online play still works (on the playstation at least, never paid for xbox live) but the remaining few people playing call of duty on PS3 seem to be either completely useless, or so quick you don't even see who shot you and presumably don't want to abandon their 10 year winning streak by getting a ps4.

Depends how much you want to spend but you could get an Xbox One S with Forza Horizon 4 and the Lego addon for £180 a few weeks ago. From Argos and Amazon.

... and Forza Horizon is ace.

Xbox one 4k version with Resi evil 2 remastered is simply jaw dropping

V rally is immense

Forza horizon demo was real good too

Cougar: can you suggest a WW type flying & shooting game?

Tia

If you've got a decent phone or PC then maybe you can get by.

Some of the GTA series are available for android now. You can also pick up old PC games really cheap on eaby. If you aren't a hardcore gamer then you'll be fine. It's what I've just done. Fully intend to fritter away hours on command and conquer over the next few weeks.

Cougar: can you suggest a WW type flying & shooting game?

In all honesty, I can't. That sort of genre has been pretty much dead for years, I think the last good 'flight sim' I played was Freelancer on the PC back when the Internet was still in black and white. I've half a memory that exactly what you describe existed on the 360 a while back but it was OK at best and I cannot for the life of me remember what it's called.

I think there may be some modern games which has elements of flying / dogfighting alongside FPS action, but I'm so very bored to tears with FPSes that I couldn't tell you what they are.

Oh, there's the Ace Combat series. That might have been what was at the back of my brain, seems there's a new one out, I've not played it though.

Yeah I used to own a ww flying game on 360 which was mediocre but alright

Recently picked up a Wii U. Really good value for a modern-ish console that has most of the current Nintendo greats (many of the top Switch games are just Wii U ports), the games are cheap, and it plays all the old Wii stuff too using the Wii remotes and accessories.

Also very easily hacked to run emulators (for all the Gamecube and earlier games) and other stuff.

Just bought a PS4 Pro to counter potential cabin fever should I need it. Came with Red Dead Redemption 2 but other than that I’m clueless about decent games on this platform. My last console was a PS1 back in the early 2000’s (might have even been before that) so somewhat out of the loop. All recommendations welcome.

PS3 is still a great console

All recommendations welcome.

Life is Strange.

Cheers @Cougar will take a look

Retroarch with a load of (free) emulators for various consoles is a good idea if you've got a spare pc or laptop, it doesn't have to be a super duper one either. Strikers 1945 II on PS1 is an ace WW2-style shoot em up with giant mechs and stuff.

"WW" type flying & shooting game?

Are we talking top-down shoot 'em ups, in style of Xenon II on the Amiga, from my long past days of yoof?

I've a 1tb PS4 chunky that I want £100 for

I can probably find a Fifa 17 or therebaouts if you like.

and for bargin flight based fun me and the kids used to just to love playing Blazing Angels.

Ive got an Xbox 360 and load of games to offload, had the ebay add written for weeks, really should work out the postage and get it listed.

I bought red dead redemption 2 when it came out but kinda lost interest in games so I’ve only played it for about 30mins. So that’s on standby for if I need to immerse myself in something.

Forza Horizon 4 is really good too.

Please get a PS4 as we have a PS4 and we need playmates. As do I. If you get an Xbox then we won't be able to play.

We paid £80 on Facebook Marketplace but £100-£120 is more common.

And there is an arcadey WWII flight game, I have it - forgot what it's called though. It was about £3 downloaded. Regarding games, there are the big name titles you buy in a shop, but there are loads more to download from the Playstation Store for peanuts. And there are now load of brilliant non-traditional and even non-action immersive and artistic games to play that you may even enjoy.

And there's also Goat Simulator. The most kid-entertaining £2 I've ever spent.

There were 3 revisions of the old shape Xbox 360:

Zephir 16.5A current power supply
Falcon 14.2A
Jasper 12.1A

If you don't buy one of the newer slim versions you want a JASPER, easily identified by the current rating on the product details stamp on the back of the Xbox 360. 12v = 12.1A that's the one you want! The others have higher rated power supplies due to larger dies of the processor, graphics and southbridge chips. The falcon boxes that have lasted can be alright you just don't want the oldest revision or one that has been bodged repaired. You will see levering marks on the tabs around the shell especially on the rear of the unit and broken warranty seals! Sometimes the DVD drives need a clean out but even if faulty all the parts are dirt cheap.

And there’s also Goat Simulator. The most kid-entertaining £2 I’ve ever spent.

Children like it too.

Please get a PS4 as we have a PS4 and we need playmates. As do I. If you get an Xbox then we won’t be able to play.

What games are you looking to buddy up on?

I think we have Minecraft, Battlefront I and II, Dirt 4, Rocket League and others I can’t remember right now.

Anyone else up for some co-op? Trailmonkey01 here.

Find me on PSN I'm molgrips. Kids play Minecraft, I'm playing Elite Dangerous currently and did play No Mans Sky but not particularly bothered about the multiplayer on that. I did play a fair bit of GTAV and some online on PS3 but haven't yet had a reason to re-buy it on PS4.

I played GT5 on PS3 online with someone from here and got absolutely trounced to the point it wasn't fun for either of us!

I'm liking the Wii. Some fun games, especially multiplayer, eg Mario Kart, Wii Sports.
Plus some classic platform/adventure stuff, Super Mario Galaxy is nice.
The Wii Fit with the balance board is good for a bit of exercise. I've also got Mario and Sonic Winter Olympics, can use the board for some parts of that. eg sitting on it and leaning for the bobsleigh.
Also compatible with Gamecube games.

All recommendations welcome.

I’ve been playing the recent Call of Duty: Warzone. It’s a fps Battle Royale type game. I’d recommend it if you like shooters. It’s free too!

… and Forza Horizon is ace.

It's better than that.

There were 3 revisions of the old shape Xbox 360:

You missed the Xenon, but if there's any of those still in circulation today I'd be shocked.

TBH, if I were buying a 360 tomorrow, I'd swerve all that shite and get a Slim or the facelifted 360 E. Sixty sovs at CEX.

https://uk.webuy.com/product-detail?id=sx360e003c

I fancy an N64 and Goldeneye

I fancy an N64 and Goldeneye

If you’ve played any new consoles recently you’ll be very disappointed. Looks awful and feels very simplistic compared to newer games.

I cleared out my console hoard a few years back and played a lot of the games as I tested them. Very few stood up well.

I cleared out my console hoard a few years back and played a lot of the games as I tested them. Very few stood up well.

I fired up my PS2 a few months back (I bought a PS3 and foolishly thought the PS2 might have my PSN details on it). I was astonished at how badly it looked, even just on the menu screen.

The thing is though, they might look 'rubbish' compared to newer stuff but they play really well, I think anyway. Maybe not FPS that use a squillion buttons if that's your thing (not mine) but old style 2D shoot em ups and Street Fighter Alpha 2 or 3 (or any of the Marvel vs Capcom games) really can't be beaten for sheer quick pick up and playability. Sometimes you just want a (figurative) blast round the block for skids and wheelies! 😎

The thing is though, they might look ‘rubbish’ compared to newer stuff but they play really well, I think anyway

Oh, sure. You're preaching to the choir there, I've got a new ZX Spectrum arriving here soon.

The thing is though, they might look ‘rubbish’ compared to newer stuff but they play really well, I think anyway

I agree with you. Some of the old 8&16 bit stuff on Mame are great fun.

Just ordered one of the PS Mini's and an expansion stick. Some classic old games on there.

Use a CRT then a PS2 etc look great.

That's a fair point actually. I don't think they were designed with 42" 1080p panels in mind...

Some of that era look ok on a ~7yr old 32" 1080i/720p Sony LCD I have and it can be forced to the correct 4:3 aspect ratio as well but still can't match a CRT, plus a CRT means all the old light gun games can be played 🙂

As others have said, cheap PS3 or Wii best option, loads of cheap fun games out there

Use a CRT then a PS2 etc look great

I did and it didn’t 🙂
Played them all on my old Ferguson 17” portable that I bought with my own money, when I got a Spectrum plus 2 to replace my ZX 48k one Xmas. And yes, I have been gaming a long time!

Do agree that old games provided a quick fix without having to wade through endless cut scenes and configuration, but that what iPhone games are for nowadays. Played quite a few Old Skool style PSN games and they just don’t hold my attention on a big screen.

Also, I think we’re spoiled these days by constant auto save. A game like New Zealand Story on the Amiga was a real commitment to learn. Inching a bit further through each play before dying and having to start all over again. Just don’t get that consequence of small mistakes these days.

🤣

Kids these days have it too easy, with their autosaves and high definition graphics, mumble, mutter, something something, jumpers, goalposts, fields. Pfft. Give them three lives and no continues and a requirement for pixel-perfect accuracy or it's Game Over. Hit box? I'll give you bloody hit box sunshine. And pull your damn trousers up.

Werthers, anyone?

The thing is though, they might look ‘rubbish’ compared to newer stuff but they play really well, I think anyway. Maybe not FPS that use a squillion buttons if that’s your thing (not mine) but old style 2D shoot em ups and Street Fighter Alpha 2 or 3 (or any of the Marvel vs Capcom games) really can’t be beaten for sheer quick pick up and playability.

They are quick but for me these days they hold no interest at all. Run around shooting stuff? Yawn.

When I was a kid my neighbour has a game called Vortex Raider on the C64. I thought it incredible because it was 3D, and it was like being in another world. So naturally I now love immersive open world games. Also why I love Elite Dangerous currently 🙂 Running around shooting stuff, even in 3D holds little appeal.

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Different people like different stuff, who'd have thunk it?

Apex legends anyone?  Ps4 user here!

Apex legends anyone? Ps4 user here!

Have you played Warzone? If so which do you prefer?

Different people like different stuff, who’d have thunk it?

Yep that's why I put 'for me' meaning pertaining to me only 🙂

@Cougar - Forgot about the Xenons can't be many of them left.

I’m in North Oxfordshire.
If you can pick up I’ve got an Xbox 360 and games I can put together for you.
I’ll get one of my boys to check it all works first.

Thank you so much for the Goat Simulator recommendations. That game was made for me.