This game is one of my favorites :)

Were you trying the PC version? I own it on PC, as well as PS2. The PS2 version has perfect controls, super simple, and intuitive. The PC version, however, does lack in the control department, if I remember correcty. I found a similar experience with Beyond Good and Evil- gamecube version was practically flawless, but PC was lacking. I remember this being super difficult! Maybe I played one of the offshoot games... It was a long time ago, though. Always have loved the graphics!

... and I have to LOL at postal2, lol... I forgot about this one. It may be a bit too "8-bit" for what I'm looking for, but it's on my want list. I'll have to remember to try and grab it when it's on sale sometime. Thanks Buddy!

My son is 9, and we don't let him play any games above rating Teen (side note- even the kiddy game by Disney/Pixar "Incredibles" for PS2 was rated Teen). Anything that's overly bloody, or has "realistic killing" in it, we don't let him play.

As for games, he enjoys a lot of different styles, much like myself. I think the only ones we shy away from tend to be RPG, simply cause of his attention span. Strategy/tower defense is too slow for him most days. His current/recent favs are:

Minecraft
Castle crashers
Garry's Mod
Torchlight 1
Rayman Origins
Spiderman 1 & 2 (Ps2)

I would recomend Toonstruck. I don't think it is for sale in any store, but it is a great adventure game.
http://www.mobygames.com/game/toonstruck

It may contain one or two scenes not suited for your child.

Battalion Wars 2
Ghostbusters (Wii version was rather cartoony)
Kingdom Hearts series
Mini Ninjas
Muramasa
Naughty Bear + its sequel
Okami
Outlaws
Ultimate Spider-Man


"Mature" games that are still recommended:

Afro Samurai
Splatterhouse
The Darkness II

it's alright :) I own nearly all the Telltale games, played/own all the classic Lucas Arts Adventure games, own all the originals and remakes of Monkey Island, Runaway Series, and about 50+ others etc... My son isn't into them very much, though he likes Da New Guys.

I also love the voice acting in Freedom Force! It's a fun game, though I haven't played it in a while. Thanks for the recommendation!

I'd strongly recommend both Bastion and Dust An Elysian Tale - both cartoony games in terms of graphics and both fantastic gems of games well worth playing and very much what I'd say is solid "family fun" style.

Okami on the consoles is also worth checking out for something with a cartoony style



Also as he likes Cartoons make sure he gets to see Ghibli films - fantastic animated adventures. Some are more adult than others, though the only one that I'd put a warning too is Grave of the Fireflies (that one makes you cry!) and Princess Mononoke (a few bloody scenes).



Ps - Plague Dogs and Watership down - essential watching at some point too!

Pretty much everything I can think of is a P&C adventure...

Shadow Watch comes to mind, but I'm not sure if it is suitable for a 9 year old to play. Septerra Core maybe?

In that case, maybe it would be a good idea to play Defender's Quest as an introduction to this type of game, a pretty awesome tower defense game with RPG elements. The first playthrough is not too long, especially if you blast right through it. I can really recommend this game.

Thanks for the info, Braussie.

I'll go with my usual recommendation when kids come into the picture.

http://www.miciosegoneags.altervista.org/night.html]MiciosegoneGames - A CAT'S NIGHT (and the rest of their games)
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This one is a P&C adventure game made with AGS.
It also has a sequel.
They have a few more games and not all of them are P&C adventures - hurray!

Each game comes with a summary and some screenshots.

IMHO, they're worth a little time to at least check them out.

I totally second that. Much like XIII, it really feels like you're in a comic book, from the intro cutscenes to the loading screens. For reasons I can't quite fathom, only the sequel (Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich) is here on GOG, but GamersGate has the original Freedom Force.

Recettear is very good. It has an anime aesthetic, but that counts as a cartoon too. It's as if in an RPG, you were the person running the item shop. It's not action filled by any means, but I could see you and your son finding some exciting moments in the buying and selling.