7 games to play with your family over Thanksgiving weekend
Or more simply, seven multiplayer games for which we can be grateful
Today marks the start of the four-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend in the US, which begins with Turkey Day itself. For Americans, it's an important reminder of our national heritage. More importantly, it's a great time for all of us regardless of nationality to reflect on the meaning of thanks, our families, overeating, and of course games.
Of course, you don't need to live in America to be grateful. Given our collective economic worries, we can all express gratitude for being able to enjoy games, so even if you're not celebrating Thanksgiving, here are a handful of fantastic family-friendly multiplayer games to be thankful for.
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Mario Party DS (DS) Developer: Hudson Soft Publisher: Nintendo There's simply no better choice for multiplayer than Mario's get-together on DS. It's fun, easy to play, and packed with variety. What really makes Mario Party DS a great pick, though, is the wealth of multiplayer options. Both single and multi-card modes are available here for up to four, as well as a hotseat mode that lets you work around the trouble of getting several handhelds in the household. The boardgame format gives it a decent pace and the quick mini-games ranging from button-mashers to microphone blowing to touchscreen scribbling encourage some friendly competition. Also worth a look: |
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Buzz! Master Quiz (PSP) Developer: Curve Studios Publisher: Sony Like Mario Party DS, this trivia fest offers incredible value when it comes to multiplayer. Joining online quizzes are options for four players to connect locally using a single copy of the game or simply passing around one PSP for hotseat play. If you own a second generation PSP with composite output, you could also just hook up your handheld to a television set and work cooperatively with family and friends on quizzes. Whatever way you play it, Buzz! Master Quiz is a great casual bet for any holiday gathering. Also worth a look: |
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Advance Wars: Dual Strike (DS) Developer: Intelligent Systems Publisher: Nintendo We all know our families bicker, so what better than to channel that quarrelsome energy into some portable gaming warfare. Dual Strike, which is the first of two games that have been released on DS, offers family-friendly, yet challenging tactical battles behind colourful cartoon-like visuals. There's single and multi-card play for an unheard of eight players; no pass-to-play, though. Countering that is a map editor, which gives you a limitless stage on which to pummel your brothers and sisters. It's more recent follow-up, Days of Ruin, is a good choice too even if its slightly more difficult. Also worth a look: |
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Reset Generation (N-Gage) Developer: RedLynx Publisher: Nokia Every N-Gage owner must have a copy of this innovative game, which is among the finest portable games ever made. Solo, it's serious fun, yet getting a group of four together for online battles is a total blast. While we definitely recommend the N-Gage version, what makes Reset Generation the prime pick on our list is the fact it's free to play on PC. Load up the game via your web browser and you can jump into the same exact game that's cross-platform compatible on N-Gage. Just get a few computers connected to the Internet and you have a fantastic multiplayer game that will have you hooked for hours on end. |
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Flick Bowling (iPhone) Developer: Freeverse Publisher: Freeverse It may only have two-player action, but Flick Bowling is so immensely entertaining that it's certain to be popular at whatever gathering you attend. Hot swap multiplayer allows you and someone else to take turns completing frames using the touchscreen to bowl. The game features some of the best graphics of any iPhone title to date and is simply charming. Among all the games on our list, this is the best suited for pass around play because it mirrors the wait during a real bowling round, so you don't mind waiting. Good, cheap fun. Also worth a look: |
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Uno (iPhone) Developer: Gameloft idp Publisher: Gameloft Without a deck of Uno around, this iPhone adaptation is a solid backup. Colour-coded card games have long been a family hit and providing hot seat multiplayer for up to four using a single iPhone taps into that craze. Should anyone else in the family have a handset too, downloading a copy allows you to use the game's local wireless multiplayer mode. Since Uno is turn-based, though, the hot swap mode works well enough on its own. There are other board games available on the App Store, but do check out our reviews before buying - there are quite a few stinkers. Another option is Scrabble, which supports head-to-head matches. Also worth a look: |
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| Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades (DS) Developer: Engine Software Publisher: D3Publisher Music games have universal appeal, which makes the handheld version of gaming's biggest franchise an easy pick. Song sharing allows you to play with songs in both Decades and the original On Tour game released earlier this year. While the game only supports multiplayer for two, it's completely fun with both competitive and cooperative modes. No harm in having to pass the DS around on this one. Alternatively, Jam Sessions lets you play a simulated guitar for singalongs depending on how joyous your gathering. Other options: |
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