Summary
The face of family-friendly games, Nintendo has reached the heights of being one of the greatest and most successful game studios of all time, with their most famous franchises beingMarioandThe Legend of Zelda,among many others intheir varied catalog. In these games, players take the role of a hero saving the princess from the monsters, and most of the time they would do so alone.
But this is not always the case. There are games that encourage grabbing a few friends or family members to share the fun and chaos, whether it is battling it out inMario Partyor taking each other inSmash Bros. These are the best multiplayer titles that Nintendo has to offer.
Those who bought a brand new shiny Nintendo Wii back in 2006 received a free copy ofWii Sportsbundled with it, something to play in the meantime before they bought their first major Wii game. This collection comprised five games in total: tennis, baseball, bowling, boxing, and golf, makingperfect use of the motion controls. There was plenty of fun to be had, especially with another player.
The game was well received at the time of its release, even if there were many reports of people accidentally breaking their TV screens or remotes while playing these games. Though the sunlight years of the Wii have far since passed, this will always stand out as an excellent and free multiplayer game.
Mario Partyis one of the most fun, but potentially friendship breaking, game series in Nintendo’s vast catalog. It styles itself much like a virtual tabletop game. Players race across a game board, collecting stars and coins, with the number of stars determining the winning player. But there is more than just hopping from space to space on the board, as players will have to compete in the fun and chaotic mini-games, which are randomly selected each time.
As one of the more modern titles,Mario Party Superstarsis also one of the best. It has well over 100 minigames to ensure that there is little chance of repeats even upon multiple playthroughs, ensuring that the game never stops being fun, new, and exciting. Also, for those whoenjoy the minigame side of thingsover the board game, there is a mode that allows players to freely choose which games to play.
Play Together or Against One Another with Multiple Game Modes
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Multiplayer Zelda! In just two words, we’ve summed up why this game should make you very excited indeed. In The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, play with up to three friends (or go solo, with the help of the computer) as you cooperate and compete with your fellow colour-coded Links on the TV and Game Boy Advance. Walk into a cave on-screen and witness your character re-appear on your GBA screen! Or band together as a force of four to push a heavy obstacle out of the way, then make a mad dash to be the first to grab handfuls of Rupees. Featuring familiar elements from the Zelda universe, plus bags of new surprises, Four Swords Adventures is a must for any self-respecting Zelda fan.
The only thing better than one sword is four, and that is exactly what players get inFour Swords Adventures. The game begins with fear circulating Hyrule that a terrible event is looming, and Princess Zelda believes that it may involve Vaati breaking through the seal holding him. The fears are realized when Shadow Link appears to help Vaati break free so he can once more rain chaos upon the kingdom.
After arming himself with the Four Sword, Link splits into four copies, identical except for the colors of the clothes and certain personality aspects. Together, they will work together to save the kingdom. Players can share the main campaign with up to three of their friends, which is rare in aZeldatitle. Once they complete the campaign, they can then take on other game modes such as Shadow Battle or Navi Trackers for somechaotic PvP gameplay.
MostMariogames star theeponymous hero on adventuresthrough the land to save Princess Peach. Occasionally, though, he does take the backseat, such as in theLuigi’s Mansionseries. The third installment of this spinoff series sees the brothers taking a long-earned vacation at a place called The Last Resort along with Princess Peach. But the place isn’t as relaxing as promised, as it turns out that the proprietor lured them out there under the instructions of King Boo.
Most of the gameplay inLuigi’s Mansiongames are single-player, focusing on his efforts to bust ghosts and save the day. However,Luigi’s Mansion 3has some excellent multiplayer game modes to share the spooky fun with friends. The ScareScraper pits friends cooperatively against a randomly generated tower, in which they must rise to the top by busting the ghosts on each floor. ScreamPark is a team-based experience, giving players the chance to play as Luigi or Gooigi across three different game modes.
Mario Karthas been an essential and long-running series in the largerMariofranchise. It has existed since the SNES with the titleSuper Mario Kart, featuringfamed characters from the seriesracing against one another across themed tracks. The series has progressed leaps and bounds since the original, introducing new mechanics, characters, maps, vehicles and game modes with subsequent entries.Mario Kart: Double Dashwas considered the best for a long time, but thenMario Kart 8was released, wowing and delighting fans.
All the mainstays from previous installments are included, such as the motorbikes, hang-gliders, and underwater sections. There are also new additions, such as Link fromThe Legend of Zelda, and some brand new and fun racing tracks to compete on. The famous Rainbow Road makes its return, of course, along with other familiar tracks. Whether playing with friends on the couch or online, players are sure to have hours of fun competing against one another in this high-octane racing game.
Nintendo branched out into the world of shooters, but managed to keep it friendly with the paint-firing weapons in the world ofSplatoon.Three games have been released in the franchise thus far, and a fourth is likely on the way in the future. These games take place on an alternate version of Earth devoid of humans and nearly all mammals. However, aquatic lifeforms are flourishing now that the oceans have flooded most of the land.
Splatoon 3takes players to a new area called Alterna, covered in snow to contrast the deserts ofSplatoon 2, and explores the reemergence of the almost-extinct mammal animals. Like previous games, players can go through the story mode as well as delve into the heaps of multiplayer content on offer. There is, of course, a Turf War mode where two teams compete to cover the area in their group’s colors, the PvE mode, Salmon Run Wave Next, and acard mini-game, providing plenty of diverse and fun gameplay.
TheSmash Brosgame series is one of the most unique entries in Nintendo’s catalog. It pits famed characters from their games, as well as a few other popular gaming mascots, in a test of combat skills across themed battle maps. Each character has their own weapons and skills to learn, so at least one is guaranteed to fit every player’s level of skill and preferred style of play.
There are many contenders for what thebest of the bunch may be,as each title shines with its own unique strengths, butUltimatemay be the best for both new and existing fans. The generous roster of characters and new game mods such as Spirit Mode. One of the most quintessential multiplayer series of all time,Smash Bros Ultimateis one of the best games for competitive groups of friends or family to play against one another, and settle the years-long debate over who the best gamer truly is.
