King of the Couch: Six games to play with the family this Xmas

Another year is coming to a close, which means it's almost that time of the year to catch up with friends and family and be merry. While you no doubt already have plans in place, there comes a time every holiday period, where you have to figure out how to neutralise the lively younger members of your extended family. To assist in that effort, we've pulled together a list of six great games from 2021 that will allow anyone in your family to crash on the couch for some interactive entertainment of all kinds.

Mario Party Superstars

You probably saw this one coming from a mile away. Mario Party Superstars is the epitome of Nintendo's local multiplayer party titles, and sees a group of up to four players locked in for a few rounds of chaotic and daft mini-games spanning this iconic franchise. With five classic board games from the Nintendo 64 Mario Party games also being available to play on, this is one of those games that has the potential to really bring some friction to your family, as players can go from being the bottom of the pack to the leader in one swift action.

Knight Squad 2

Continuing the trend of party games, Chainawesome Games' Knight Squad 2 is another great example of a daft and truly engaging party title. This one asks up to eight players in local co-op to hash it out in a variety of mini-games, where players will be expected to race, brawl, and capture zones across a variety of maps, all in a desperate attempt for glory. With a very simplistic design and easy to grasp mechanics, this is an ideal game for getting a larger group together for some fast-paced, fun action.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

We're not going to go and tell you that Bowser's Fury is a great cooperative experience, because it isn't really, but Super Mario 3D World still is. In this Nintendo Switch exclusive, you can pull four people together to tackle the many different platforming levels that make up the game. While cooperation is key here, Super Mario 3D World has plenty of smaller features that promote competition, such as personal scores and unique markers on the flagpole at the end of a level, each of which serve as small, yet great ways to add a bit of heat to an otherwise delightful cooperative experience.

It Takes Two

There's a reason why Hazelight's It Takes Two was up for all kinds of recognition at this year's The Game Awards, and that's because this is one of the most charming platforming adventure games we've seen all year. The best part about this title is that it is literally designed to be played cooperatively, with the gameplay revolving around the relationship between the protagonists Cody and May, as they work to save their strained marriage. With some of the most charismatic characters you'll ever see, and plenty of engaging and outright fun mechanics, you won't want to stop until the credits roll with this one.

The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes

Now this is a bit of a dark horse, as one wouldn't usually associate horror games with the holidays, but there comes a time when the adults are looking to enjoy something a little more mature, and Supermassive's latest cooperative horror is a great way to do that. House of Ashes is a narrative heavy experience, where up to five players are expected to each take up the role of one of the cast, with the gameplay revolving around handing the controller off as new scenes, with different leading characters, come about. With a short game length, this title is a great way to spend an evening in a little uncoventionally Xmas fashion.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania

Despite mainly being a collection of stages and experiences from Super Monkey Ball, Super Monkey Ball 2, and Super Monkey Ball Deluxe, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is one of the best examples of an outrageously fun cooperative title. The game asks up to four players to roll around and race one another in over 300 unique stages, mazes, and levels, all in an effort to help Ai-Ai and crew steal back the bananas that Dr. Bad-Boon had previously nicked. With a simple and easy to grasp control scheme, this is an ideal title for all ages to have a crack at.

So there we have it. Whether you're looking for a hectic party game experience, an acclaimed platforming adventure, or even something to bring a fright or two, these six titles are ideal ways to get together and enjoy video games as a group this holiday season.