Christmas is nearly here, a day in which you and your family are forced into a room together for an extended period of time. Questions are asked such as “How’s work/college/university/your love life?” being banded around with such extreme frequency it’s almost like you’re partaking in some sort of free therapy session, but with added turkey.
Christmas is a time for family, yes, but for those of us who class gaming among our hobbies, it’s also a time for, well, videogames. Unfortunately, with online gaming now ruling the roost, it’s not very often that we see a heap of great local multiplayer games being made. However, 2013 did give us a selection of games that are much better when played while sitting with friends and family on the same couch, so CraveOnline is here to tell you which titles you can use to distract your family from making conversation with you.
Here are the 5 best local multiplayer games to play this Christmas.
The 5 Best Local Multiplayer Games to Play this Christmas
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Super Mario 3D World
Forget the New Super Mario Bros. series, Super Mario 3D World is the best multiplayer platformer to ever feature everyone's favourite stout Italian plumber.
Perfectly balancing a high level of challenge for old-school Mario fans with a healthy degree of accessibility for newcomers, the Wii U's first true system-seller will have you laughing with, and cursing at, your friends and family should you choose to play it this Christmas.
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Killer Instinct
The most underrated fighting game of the year, Killer Instinct is perfect for local multiplayer because it can be just as much fun for button-mashers as it is for the more experienced player.
While newcomers will likely struggle with the complicated Combo Breakers and the like, it won't matter when they're pulling off 10-hit combos on a whim despite not having a clue what they're doing, such is the beauty of the game. You'll still wipe the floor with them when you bust out an Ultra, though.
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Rayman Legends
Rayman Legends' fast-paced action demands the skills of a group of experienced platformer players, so if you're looking for an accessible game to play this Christmas, this likely isn't it.
However, there's a mini-game quietly tucked away in Legends called Kung Foot, which is brilliant in its simplicity. Kung Foot pits two teams against one another and tasks them with punching or kicking a ball into the opposing team's net. There's nothing to it other than that, but like all the best mini-games, you could quite happily find yourself spending an hour or two joyously slapping your family members around in an attempt to earn those crucial points.
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Samurai Gunn
Samurai Gunn may not be the easiest game to set up for you and your friends and family to play what with it being a PC game and all, but should you manage to hook up your desktop to your living room TV via a lengthy HDMI cable then you'll get hours of enjoyment out of this 4-player 2D brawler.
Crave's Joey and Mike recently did a Watch Us Play of this super fun indie game, which will show you just how much fun you can have with a handful of ninjas and some devastating one-hit kills. Needless to say, this one isn't for the kids of the family, as it features some heavy dollops of pixelated blood.
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Wii Party U
For those familiar with party games, Wii Party U offers no surprises. It's got the familiar selection of great mini-games mixed in with the not-so-great ones, and it even steals from Mario Party with its board game mode.
However, while Wii Party U breaks no new ground, it's still one of the most fun games to play this year with your nearest and dearest. Throw enough people/alcohol into the mix and even the most mundane of challenges, such as the odd mini-game in which you hide behind a bush in order to evade the attack of a curious ostrich, become more hilarious than they have any right to be.
