360 2 player games suitable for a youngster are pretty thin on the ground. I have a four year old, and while he likes Viva Pinata, the actual game mechanics are pretty tricky (so it's a good job it has the two controller support).
I would steer well clear of Bionicle as well. It's just a horrendous game, for kids or adults. Migrane inducing. Terrible controls.
My recommendations would be:
Amped 3. Even with little skill my 4 year old can have fun steering the skier down the slope. The cutscenes are funny. You could perhaps step in for some of the trickier challenges.
Open Season is OK, but a little labored. Cars is also a good, compact game - but depends on how much of a Cars fan he is. It's only 13 quid on Amazon if you fancy it.
Marble Blast on XBLA. Always a winner. Simple controls. Not 2 player though. Maybe some of the other XBLA games might be suitable. Teach him Uno for example, that is at least vaguely educational.
I think Crackdown or the like would be pretty irresponsible, but I have found my four year old likes watching Oblivion. Obviously, when he is, we just explore, and if something attacks I run away rather than fight it. He normally sits open mouthed, and asks an endless torrent of questions - far more engaging than CBeebies.
Sports games could be a possibility. Tiger Woods is easy to play, swing back, swing forwards...
Guitar Hero 2 is quite good, as the easiest levels give a youngling at least a fighting chance of finishing a song. (It could do with a DK Bongos mode that stops the song from being fail-able) 5 might be a bit young though. And remember to cough when the singer says a rude word, or pick some tame songs.
And finally, I can't remember if it has splitscreen, but Kameo might be a good choice.
If I were you though, I'd ditch the 360 for the time you're trying to entertain a 5 year old, and look to the DS, Wii or PS2, as the options vastly increase on those platforms...
I would steer well clear of Bionicle as well. It's just a horrendous game, for kids or adults. Migrane inducing. Terrible controls.
My recommendations would be:
Amped 3. Even with little skill my 4 year old can have fun steering the skier down the slope. The cutscenes are funny. You could perhaps step in for some of the trickier challenges.
Open Season is OK, but a little labored. Cars is also a good, compact game - but depends on how much of a Cars fan he is. It's only 13 quid on Amazon if you fancy it.
Marble Blast on XBLA. Always a winner. Simple controls. Not 2 player though. Maybe some of the other XBLA games might be suitable. Teach him Uno for example, that is at least vaguely educational.
I think Crackdown or the like would be pretty irresponsible, but I have found my four year old likes watching Oblivion. Obviously, when he is, we just explore, and if something attacks I run away rather than fight it. He normally sits open mouthed, and asks an endless torrent of questions - far more engaging than CBeebies.
Sports games could be a possibility. Tiger Woods is easy to play, swing back, swing forwards...
Guitar Hero 2 is quite good, as the easiest levels give a youngling at least a fighting chance of finishing a song. (It could do with a DK Bongos mode that stops the song from being fail-able) 5 might be a bit young though. And remember to cough when the singer says a rude word, or pick some tame songs.
And finally, I can't remember if it has splitscreen, but Kameo might be a good choice.
If I were you though, I'd ditch the 360 for the time you're trying to entertain a 5 year old, and look to the DS, Wii or PS2, as the options vastly increase on those platforms...
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