Hi. My h and I have a 6 year old. We are looking for other Real Time Games similiar to VV that she can enjoy.

When I search for simulation or real time - I seem to find things either like "Diner Dash", or things that are like Sims....

Ive never really played "The Simms" or any of its other versions - but isnt that slow and higher level thinking? I dont want my 6 year old to be asking me "what are you doing?" and have no idea whats going on. I want it to be more casual than a college term paper.

Am I mistaken about the Simms games?

AND, is there something else you can recommend?

We love playing VV and "Checking the people" every morning and throughout the day - looking for something else like that.

Thanks

I don't know for sure, but I think that only LDW makes real time games; those that carry on even when the computer is off.

Apart from the VV series, LDW also sells Fish Tycoon and Plant Tycoon, both of which I warmly recommend; they should be suitable for a bright six-year-old. If she can play VV she can play them!

I would have to say that if a six year old can play VV, FT, and PT, she might enjoy a pre-started city in the Simcity category. Also, I agree with Arnie; LDW is probably the only makers of real time games.

There are several other real-time games that I know of, including the VV-knockoff (how did they get away with this, LDW? I've always wondered) Escape From Paradise. All are way too hard and/or not appropriate for a child that age.

There is the Animal Crossing series, but that's only available on Nintendo consoles (like GameCube and DS). It's great for kids from 5 to 105! It's one of my favorite non-LDW games.

Escape from Paradise? A VV-knockoff? How close is it to the VV games? And if it's that similar, I have to ask the question, too: How did they get away with doing it?

I hated Escape from Paradise. I read the recomendations and thought, okay, but it was awful And finished way to quickly. With VV there is always somehting new to see and do. When EFP was finished, it was finished.

No sense checking it out, then. I couldn't handle something that's supposed to be like VV, and isn't even close.

How do we get this game you are talking about.

My daughter has a Nintendo DS. The bought Animal Crossing for it at Wal-Mart. Everyone in the family plays it. It would be a really good game for a child that age. My kids are 5 and 12 and they both enjoy it.

I have animal crossing for the gamecube, ant it is a fun realtime game I forgot... Buy it at most stores that specialize in video games.

Escape from Paradise is not a real time game - the characters stay where you last had them and the stocks do not increase when you are not playing it.
If it is supposed to be a knockoff from VV then it is a very poor one IMHO

I highly recommend Animal Crossing- great game!!
I also recommend PT and FT.
Escape from paradise is probably one of my least favorite games and I wouldn't recommend it.

Has anyone played the Animal Crossing on the wii? Is it still easy for a little one?

Animal Crossing for the Wii was just released in North America today, so I doubt many people on the forums have it yet.

I liked Escape from Paradise but after you beat it, it had no point.

If someone gets Animal Crossing and plays before December 24th, could they please let me know what they think. My kids are getting a wii from Grandpa for Christmas and I am trying to find games for my 4 1/2 yr old. Thank you.

I pre-ordered the game, so I expect to have it as soon as the nice, brown UPS truck can bring it to me (I adore Animal Crossing and play it a lot). My youngest grandson is 4 1/2, so I'm very familiar with his abilities with the Wii.

Wow, Animal Crossing sounds fun. Now I'm going to have to Wiki it.

I would also recommend Animal Crossing. I have my own game on a Nintendo DS and it is fun and appropriate for all ages.

Oh, shoot it's only Wii, DS, and Gamecube. I don't have any of those.

I also highly recommended Animal Crossing. And if you have the Gamecube version, you can hook up your Gameboy and have an island.

Yes I too recomend Animal Crossing I love it, it is so fun to construct your own little town & watch the seasons go by it will be great for a 6 yr. old ......... Also I would not reccomend escape from paradise I tried the demo & didnt like it.

I have to agree. I have Animal Crossing on DS and I absolutely adore it. It's definitely appropriate for all ages and very fun to play.

I actually bought my DS specifically for Animal Crossing because it caught my eye and LadyCFII gave it such a rave review. I got both of them used with a guarantee from a game shop in the mall. That's always one option if you don't have the money for a brand new DS.

I know that AC for the Cube is fun, i used to own it and it is a great game, especially for young kids (or old kids ).


A friend of mine that works at a gaming store told me that


If he is correct,then...if you have AC for the DS, the only thing that changes is the controllers.

If you dont have either, i recommend that; #1 If you travel a lot, get the one for the DS, or #2 If you stay at home a lot, get the one for the WII.
J.M.H.O.

The Animal Crossing game for the Wii is significantly enhanced from the DS version. I've researched it, and (while the game is still Animal Crossing at the core) there are a lot of new features. Of course, if you're looking for something radically different from Wild World, you'd probably be disappointed. I've been playing AC:WW on my DS for nearly 2 1/2 years (since the day the DS Lite was released), and I'm really looking forward to the Wii game.

LadyCFII, I did a little research on the game and it seems like something my kids and I would enjoy. I am curious though about the amount reading is needed for the game. My 7 yr old would be fine, but will I need to be constantly supervising my 4 yr old, or would I be able to clean my kitchen while he plays in the next room?

I appreciate your time and opinion.

What I've found with the GameCube version (the one my grandsons and I play together) is that the littlest ones needed help getting started in the game (there's a mandatory tutorial that involves reading and following instructions), but after that, the kids can just go into "sandbox" mode and do pretty much what they want. My 4 1/2-year-old grandson just ignores the reading parts and wanders around town doing whatever he wants. Pre-schoolers aren't really interested in the goals of the game; they just want to have fun with it. It's a great sandbox kind of game. He often does things that are counter to what you and I would do (picking and eating all the fruit or digging holes everywhere, for example), but it's great fun for him.

You don't need to read anything to catch bugs, fish, pick fruit and weeds, dig up fossils and treasure, and many other things. I find that the game encourages self-guided exploration and development of fine motor skills in the hands. Many "transactions" can be completed without actually reading the conversations between characters, once the child knows what the various controls do (accept, cancel, etc.). The reading will eventually come into play as the child begins to take an interest in the story and conversations.

Of course, the Wii version will feature a completely different control system, and I'll report on that when I've had a chance to play it.

I'm sorry this took me so long. I've been very busy getting the two versions of Fish Tycoon ready for iPhone, and didn't have as much time to play Animal Crossing as I had hoped.

Now that I've had a chance to mess with the controls more, I think that a 4-year-old would be able to manage the control functions after some explanation and help completing the tutorial (which does require reading). Although the game takes full advantage of both the Wii remote and the attached nunchuk (a very nice feature for players old enough to use both), it's possible to do everything in the game with only the Wii remote. You can point where you want to go and press the A button to make the character walk. Pointing at the player and pressing the A button will make the character use whatever they are holding. The inventory uses a simple "drag and drop" action.

Although it will take reading skills to completely understand and interact with the game and its inhabitants, a non-reader can still have a lot of fun.

The only real issue I can foresee with two children of different ages sharing the game is that the little one could very well trample or dig up things the older child has carefully arranged. But that's what parents are for - setting guidelines and settling game disputes!

Thanks, Barbara, we have GameCube's Animal Crossing and we bought the Wii version today for a gift for my nephew. I have to admit, I can't wait to play it.

Thank you for the review. I don't mind that it took a little while, I would rather you spent as much time as you sanely could on LDW anyway! I think we will give it a try. And I am well used to settling disputes between my monsters/angels, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Thank you and Merry Christmas!