Local multiplayer is a dying art. The future is online, which is all well and good until you have a lot of people in the same room. Bored. A bit sleepy. Like Christmas. Try throwing out these 10 to lighten the festive mood.
Mario Kart Wii
It’s not the definitive version, but it means you don’t have to hook up a different console to the TV, and you can impress idiots by handing them a big plastic steering wheel. And because the game’s so unbalanced, any fool can win.
Dance Central
Maybe not the best if the booze is flowing and the turkey has been eaten, but if you want to see your family make fools of themselves, then get them up in front of Kinect and crank some Soulja Boy. It’s best done one-at-a-time too, so you won’t need to move much furniture.
Wii Sports Resort
Sports Champions is more accurate. Kinect Sports is more interesting. But Wii Sports resort is easy to set up and easy to get everyone involved with. It doesn’t matter if people are good or not, anyone can wave a Wii remote around.
Halo Reach
Switching between split-screen deathmatch and some triumphant campaign coop is a must for the harder-cored Christmas gamer. Bungie is still looking out for those who game together on the couch, and that’s a damn good thing.
Doritos Crash Course
Firstly, it’s free. Secondly, anyone who’s played a platformer can play it. Thirdly, it’s like Total Wipeout. Everyone can get involved with Crash Course and enjoy it, played split screen, alone or whatever. A fantastic freebie. Crunch.
New Super Mario Bros Wii
If you like laughing and mario then this is a pretty good way to spend some time. It’s not as perfect as some of the rest of the series, but it’s four-player cooperative carnage all the way.
Tumble
Come on, you’ve got to get those Move wands out sometime. Tumble is a combination of classic gameplay and amazing motion-sensing tech, and is perfect fun for all the family. If you can get people to understand what’s happening.
Peggle
So simple, so compelling, so inclusive. It takes five seconds to explain Peggle, and it’s entirely possible for a newbie to crush a seasoned player. Great semi-competitive fun.
Bishi Bashi Special
It’s on PSN, so you’ve got no excuse. Mental Japanese minigames will never get boring. Nor will playing Uncle Chucker.
Come on, it had to be. Probably the best multiplayer game of all time, mixing amazing technical brilliance with complete and utter inclusiveness. There’s a song for everyone, a difficulty level for all and the healing, heart-warming power of music flooding the halls.
Tags: Rock Band 3
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