The holidays are not only a time to give, but also a time to enjoy your family. If you already “game,” including your little brother or parents isn’t a foregone hope, given the right selections.
“Super Smash Brothers” for Wii U
Nintendo’s beloved mash-up fighter is finally out on shelves for its fourth installment. For the first time in HD, you can pit Pokemon’s Greninja against Pac-man against Fire Emblem’s seemingly entire cast.
Don’t be afraid, literally no video game knowledge is necessary to have a boat-load of fun button-spamming against your family. Eight player brawling is also available for the first time if you have enough controllers to risk your sanity for a Temple free-for-all.
If you haven’t upgraded: Brawl and Melee provide the same Smash Bros romp-and-stomp on Gamecube and Wii.
“Super Mario 3D World”
An intriguing spin on Nintendo’s “Super Mario Galaxy” games, the Wii U exclusive “Super Mario 3D World” is poised to be couch gaming’s biggest boon this holiday season.
Three-dimensional exploration is back with new surprises like cat suits and four person cooperative play. Levels are colorful, creative and immersive; however novice players may struggle as the game progresses into more finicky and demanding stages.
If it’s too hard: “Super Mario Galaxy” and its sequel have similar gameplay and a pseudo-co-op pointer mode.
“Lego Lord of the Rings”
Don’t own a Wii U? “Lego Lord of the Rings” is a whimsical cooperative action game that sets up a charming take on Peter Jackson’s fantasy epics by replacing the main characters and props with Lego models. The two-player co-op is drop-in drop-out and the story lasts around 10 hours, loosely following the events of the movies.
If you aren’t into LOTR: “Rayman Legends” (Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PC) and “LittleBigPlanet 3” (PS4, PS3) provide smooth cooperative platforming for non-Nintendo gamers.
“Settlers of Catan”
“Settlers of Catan” has a buy-in of around $30 on Amazon and is a wonderful gateway the board game style of Eurogames. Eurogames are slightly more technical and strategic than their stateside counterparts, so expect more depth and fun than your average game of “Monopoly” with “Settlers of Catan”.
To win the game, haggle for resources and build your personal sphere of control by constructing settlements and roads. Opportunities abound to cooperate with your family as well as crush their sheep-hoarding hopes and dreams.
If your family can’t handle mechanics: “Carcassone” is another randomly assembled Eurogame based on board control, but is simpler to follow and has a faster play-time.