As an avid gamer, I really look forward to my baby growing up so that I can play video games with them and they can sit still instead of running around the place messing it up… Here are 5 games that I wish that I could play with my little one right now (not in any particular order):
Secret of Mana on Collection of Mana (Nintendo Switch)
The main charm of this game is the couch co-op and the gameplay and story is fairly easy to comprehend for a young child. When my little one is able to play, I look forward to fighting over which weapons to use, which character to play as out of Randy (Boy), Primm (Girl) and Popoi (Sprite), and getting each stuck in parts of the map due to outrunning one another.
Final Fantasy XIV (Playstation 4/Playstation 5/Xbox/PC)
While I’d have to wait much much longer until I could play with my kid and this isn’t a game with couch co-op, this is a game I’d like to bond over, as it’s how I got to know my husband. I really hope that I can triumph over dungeons, trials and raids together with my little Warrior of Light and create special memories with each other. Will I also be able to convince them to be a little lalafell too? We’ll have to see…
Overcooked! All You Can Eat (Nintendo Switch/Playstation 4/Playstation 5/Xbox)
This is one game that I can never really play with my husband because he hates it, so I’ll try to convince the little one to play with me instead. I just have a soft spot for games that are like Diner Dash where you have a mix of time management, reflexes and strategy, so hopefully they’ll be more than willing to be my partner in a virtual kitchen. Even if it means potentially gas lighting each other for being the weakest link when we fail to get 3 stars in a stage.
I’m not one for sports and exercise so while this game is not a replacement for the proper thing, perhaps my little one can encourage me to play this more consistently to increase my fitness levels, even if it’s only by a fraction, while having some competitive fun. I just have to try and not be a sore loser.
It Takes Two (Nintendo Switch/Playstation 4)
When it comes to exploring family as a theme, this game does it really well. I’ve played this with my husband and it was great casual fun that tested our teamwork, so it’d be interesting to see the dynamic that plays out when I play this with my child and also the conversations that get provoked by this game. I would highly recommend this game for family bonding.
Here are also some honourable mentions:
Super Bomberman R2 (Nintendo Switch/Playstation 4/Playstation 5/Xbox)
Whether it’s to blow each other up with whacky bombs intentionally or unintentionally, steal buffs from each other or to outmanoeuvre one another, I hope my kid will join me for some explosive couch co-op. We’ll just have to make sure that we don’t blow up in each other’s faces!
Normally I don’t delve into racing games and there were only really 2 games in that genre that I played lots of – Ridge Racer Type 4 (drifting on automatic made the game super easy) and Mario Kart Wii. Since luck is such a big component of what determines you crossing the finish line first or last, this would be a good game to play with my kid as the playing field is even, thanks to items such as the infamous blue shell. Now that I think about it, I have to start mentally preparing for losing against them.
Do you play any of the above or would you? What co-op games do you or plan to play with your child?