My sons' birthdag is coming up in 2 weeks, and he really wants a 3DS. Now I am wondering what game to buy with it. We had a DS (it broke) and we still have the mario game -which he loved- so he can at least play that again. The new mario game comes out a couple of days after his birthday so he'll have to wait for that one (and mario kart).

I am afraid the zelda game (which looks like the best game out there currently) might be a bit hard for him, he is turning 6. Do you need to be able to read well to get anything out of that game, or can he get by with a little help from me now and then? The new Pokemon game might be something, but I saw less than favorable reviews for that one. Anything I missed that might be a good fit?

For that age, I think Rayman might be the most appropriate route. Or Lego Star Wars: Clone Wars.

I beat Zelda when I was 6!

He'll love pilotwings!!!

Is there a specific reason he wants a 3DS? Maybe he's already interested in a particular game.
@jozzy said:

The new Pokemon game might be something, but I saw less than favorable reviews for that one.

Mario Kart and Mario 3D Land is coming out in mid November.

Pilotwings is a good suggestion, it's visuals will gain his attention and the gameplay will improve his hand-eye coordination.

Star Fox maybe? I know when I was six I was into talking animals.

He might like Super Monkey Ball 3D. It's a simple and easy game, plus he might like the bonus modes in the game.

I played Zelda games when I was 6. They're challenging but not impossible by any means. Kids intuit video games really well these days. Guess they just grow up with 'em.

@JJOR64 said:

He might like Super Monkey Ball 3D. It's a simple and easy game, plus he might like the bonus modes in the game.

Can't go wrong with these! Well you can, but a 6 year old wouldn't notice.

If he can handle the Pokemon game i'm sure he could handle Zelda.

Thanks for all the tips! I showed him some footage of different games and he is most interested in Zelda, dont need more encouragement to get that one :)

Wll definately look into the mario games later but they release just a little too late for his bday.

@Afroman269 said:

Mario Kart and Mario 3D Land is coming out in mid November.

Yeah, I'm holding out for this and Black Friday...assuming I have money then.

I think OoT is a good choice.

If you can wait for Super Mario Land 3D, if his birthday is before then buy Nintendogs or Lego Starwars.

Depending how old he is Ghost Recon is a pretty solid turn based strategy game that is extremely easy for beginners to the genre to pick up.  You can also find it for about $20 since it was a launch title.

Skylanders.

I got my 6 year old brother a 3ds with cartoon network punch time explosion. he loved it. at that young age kids love just about any and all games, as long as they're not too hard. Pick something he seems interested in, or buy him a points card and let him download some classic mario / donkey kong games. I'm sure he will love whatever you get him.

@FancySoapsMan said:

I think OoT is a good choice.

This and the new Rayman game looks really fun and easy to grasp from what I've seen.