The Tuesday 10s: My Favorite Multiplayer Games

It's approaching the end of Tuesday here in Central City, but that means there's still time for The Tuesday 10s to make its reappearance once more! The Tuesday 10s is a relatively unordered list of ten game-related items of a specific category. This time around, I'll be sharing ten of my favorite multiplayer games, whether they're enjoyed online, offline, or a mix of both!

After you've checked out my ten choices, feel free to let me know which multiplayer games are your favorites to bust out every now and then!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NSW)

We start off this list of ten multiplayer games I love the most with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I'm hardly what you'd call a "competitive Smash player", as I don't even have one character I stick to predominantly. Well, I do prefer to use Link in Spirit Battles, but when it comes to online and off, I change up which character I play as constantly. I prefer to play Ultimate in a local multiplayer setting, so while I don't have the option to play with friends at the moment this way because of a certain pandemic (you may have heard or read about it), I do have the option to play with family. Unlike so many fighting games I've played where I struggle to learn and memorize move inputs and combos, with Smash Bros., it's as simple as hitting an attack button and holding a direction on the analog stick. It makes it easy to jump in, play, and have some fun. With all of the characters, modes, and arenas to engage in both online and off, the "Ultimate" moniker of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate definitely isn't just for show.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (NSW)

For the next three entries here on this Tuesday 10s, I have the need--the need for speed! Beginning with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Tuesday 10s feature a trio of cartoon kart racers. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe  offers an approach that works for both seasoned racers and more casual types, giving the latter a completely optional steer assist to keep them on the track. The multiplayer is generally fun for all skill levels because of this, as well as the generally satisfactory item balance--a concept that previous Mario Kart games didn't do a great job at doing. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a racer I routinely return to because it's great for hopping online for a few tracks, or--if my brother and I are feeling a bit crazy and possessing a couple of hours--great for doing a series of 48 tracks all in a row. Now if that doesn't show some love and dedication to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, then I don't know what does!

Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled (PS4, NSW, XB1)

Moving on from Mario to Crash Bandicoot, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled has an abundance of content attached to it--far more than Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, truth be told. Between the immense amount of tracks--whether from the original CTR, from Crash Nitro Kart, or brand new races entirely--characters that can be unlocked, a meaty adventure mode to complete, time trials to beat, and daily tasks to tackle, Nitro-Fueled has a lot going for it. I actually prefer playing this one online, as the skill ceiling is mighty high. For new players and heck, even average players, it's far too easy to grow disenchanted by the difficulty of both the Medium-level AI and well versed online players of CTR. You can lose ground easily, and when online, it's not uncommon to get lapped unless you master to art of the Sacred Fire boost and its Ultra form. Confused? Don't be alarmed, as CTR is an insanely complex and deep kart racer, and this is what makes it not the greatest game to break out for the uninitiated at parties. Still, once you get over that initial bump, the multiplayer becomes incredibly enjoyable, especially online.

Diddy Kong Racing (N64)

My final kart racer on this list of multiplayer faves is Diddy Kong Racing, which is probably my favorite kart racer of the bunch. You can play by land, by air, and by sea in one of three vehicles: karts, planes, and hovercrafts--depending on the track. Diddy Kong Racing invented the adventure mode template seen in Crash Team Racing, and dare I say, it hasn't been beat yet. Multiplayer offers up to four players to share the screen and speed through various tracks, but the stand out feature of Diddy Kong Racing's multiplayer, for me, is the ability to play the aforementioned adventure mode with another player. Now, this required a special in-game code to do so, but being able to compete together to help one another win races, complete silver coin challenges, win mini-games, and beat bosses was awesome. Diddy Kong Racing houses some of my favorite multiplayer memories on the Nintendo 64. But that isn't the only N64 classic that managed to do that...!

Perfect Dark (N64, XBLA)

Ah, yes. If there was any game on the Nintendo 64 that I devoted the most playtime to, it was Perfect Dark. This first-person shooter was so ahead of its time, and it still contains myriad features that most FPS games lack today! Multiplayer alone features so much customization with the coup de grace being customizing the personalities and difficulties of the numerous bots that could be in matches. From pugilist simulants that let their fists do the talking, to simulants that prey upon the losing opponent in matches, the personalities are so impressive. I loved customizing the look of my character by head and body model, setting up my own loadouts and scenarios, playing match after match, and leveling up (though not in an RPG sense) based on various stats like kills, steps taken, accuracy, and more. Then, there's the single player campaign, which players could engage with either co-operatively or with one player as Joanna Dark and another as a never-ending supply of enemy grunts. Like I said, Perfect Dark was so ahead of its time, and perhaps that's why I've struggled to find as compelling an FPS game since.

Bomberman 64 (N64)

Let's continue our foray with the Nintendo 64 with a blast from the past. Literally! It's Bomberman 64, and between this game and Bomberman 64: The Second Attack, its hard-to-find and valuable sequel, many sleepovers as a child were had bombing and blasting friends to smithereens (and also blowing myself up with errant placed bombs of my own). The 3D arenas brought a unique spin on the Bomberman franchise, featuring multiple tiers and spots on maps where the action truly heated up. Yes, Bomberman 64 certainly did not play the same as its 2D counterparts, but it did bring my friends and I joy. To this day, Bomberman 64's multiplayer still brings this blogger joy to play.

Mario Party 2 (N64)

There are so many Mario Party games to choose from that picking just one might seem like an impossible task. However, my favorite of the bunch remains Mario Party 2. Had it not been for the original's handful of blister-causing mini-games, the first Mario Party would have been my pick. Still, Mario Party 2 provides plenty of entertainment all the same with its focus on unfiltered fun. A fair portion of the original Mario Party's mini-games make a return in this Power Star-studded sequel, as does a collection of amusing new mini-games alike and new mini-game types. Boards are much more expansive, and the costume party window-dressing of the game is one that I enjoyed, too. I particularly have fond memories of Mario Party 2 not just for the times I played this with friends at sleepovers as a child and later on in college, but also because it was one of the first video games I played with my dad.

Super Mario 3D World (Wii U)

Speaking of Mario, how about some more Mario? Super Mario 3D World has been long rumored for a release on the Nintendo Switch, after being one of the last major games stuck on the Wii U. It's a hotly anticipated game, if ever a port could be, because 3D World is such a fantastic game. It took the approach and foundation placed by the Nintendo 3DS' Super Mario 3D Land and expanded upon it beautifully to a bigger and better game. And this time there was multiplayer, which brought all sorts of chaos, both intended and unintended, into the fold. The levels were the stars of the show, and they were made immensely more enjoyable by playing with one, two, or even three other players. Super Mario 3D World shined as one of the best experiences on the Wii U, and here's hoping we finally see it arrive on the Nintendo Switch so others can experience the game for themselves, too!

LittleBigPlanet (PS3)

From one platformer to another, LittleBigPlanet was a jack-of-all-trades in the platforming genre, offering the ability to play, create, and share levels with others in LittleBigPlanet community. This intricate and exceptional system would be the predecessor to what we see now with Media Molecule's massively marvelous Dreams game, which launched earlier this year on the PlayStation 4. Really, I could pick any LittleBigPlanet game from the trilogy as a multiplayer favorite, but it's the first game I handpicked as the representative of the franchise due to how much time I spent with the game. Far more than LittleBigPlanet 2 or 3. Whether playing with my brother through the campaign of curated levels that were created by Media Molecule themselves or hopping online with a group to play through created levels from the community, the memories I have of LittleBigPlanet are some of my most cherished on any PlayStation platform.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (SNES)

Let's conclude this edition of the Tuesday 10s with a game that kicks a lot of shell. It's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, my absolute favorite beat-em-up. It helps that I adore the heroes-in-a-half-shell to this day, and that the actual game itself is one of the most brilliant beat-em-ups around. Smashing through wave after wave of Foot Soldiers, beating down bosses, and chucking foes into the screen seldom gets boring. Turtles in Time is a game that I can come back to time after time and enjoy myself. It's particularly a pleasure to play through with a friend or family member. Here's hoping COVID-19 clears out sooner rather than later so I can do just that once more!

Top Ten Multiplayer GameCube Games

On this day, fifteen years ago in Japan, the Nintendo GameCube made its debut in the world. The sleek cube design, the four controller ports, and that lovely handle to carry the system to your friend's house-- glorious! With said four controller ports, Nintendo and third parties unleashed numerous games that kept sleepovers and parties rocking on into the night. These ten games with multiplayer components remain favorites of SuperPhillip Central, and hopefully they're favorites of yours as well!

10) Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

The first on this game comes from Nintendo's innovative idea to have Game Boy Advances connected to the system for a dual screened style of gameplay that was a little too far ahead of its time. However, Square's first game on a Nintendo home console since Super Mario RPG on the Super Nintendo, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, brought up to four players the ability to scour and crawl through monster-infested dungeons, solve simple environmental puzzles, and slay gigantic bosses together. Cooperation was the name of the game, requiring one player to carry the protective field of the crystal chalice to save their companions from the poisonous fog that would otherwise throw a wrench in the fun.

9) Kirby Air Ride

At the time of its release, critics weren't too kind to Kirby's jump into the racing genre. However, as the years have gone by, gamers have opened up to Kirby Air Ride and have developed a bit of a fondness for the game. Its easy-to-learn one button means to brake and turn corners made it so there was a feeling of simplicity with the controls, but when you got down to mastering them, there was a quite a lot of complexity. With three different racing modes: the traditional third-person racing, the top-down miniature tracks, and the open City Trial fun for up to four players to boost their rides with power-ups for a random round of racing, a skill-based affair like a jumping distance challenge, or a free-for-all battle, Kirby Air Ride is still to this day a game that gets some play in local multiplayer retro nights with the old 'Cube.

8) Super Mario Strikers

Most North Americans, specifically those in the States, don't fully appreciate the sport of football, well-- or as we know it, soccer. However, when you add one of the most famous characters of all time in Mario to the fold, then for most people their interest increases. Super Mario Strikers took the fun of footy and made it accessible and most importantly fun for all ages and skill ranges. Sporting a more attitude-filled sports package than other Mario sports series, Super Mario Strikers featured the use of items, the ability to slam opponents into an electrified fence that ran around the perimeter of the pitch, and fast-paced gameplay to keep every match as exciting as possible. What was a sport that might not appeal to most Americans becomes a heck of a good time with Super Mario Strikers.

7) TimeSplitters 2

Memories of GoldenEye and its spiritual successor Perfect Dark go dancing in players' heads when they boot up the TimeSplitters series from Free Radical, a developer that was devised of former Rare staff members. The reason for these memories was how similar the gun-toting action, fast and frenetic shooting fun, and myriad of multiplayer modes and options available to players. TimeSplitters 2 was a shooter that offered so much to sink players' teeth into, delivering engaging matches against both player and yes, AI bot, something that is still routinely missing in many a-shooter today. With the creative arsenal of weapons, well designed maps, and set of unlockables to keep the entertainment going for ages, TimeSplitters 2 calls back to a nostalgic and enjoyable era in first-person shooter history.

6) The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

The other game on this list other than Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles that utilized the link-up of Game Boy Advance systems to the GameCube for dual-screened gameplay, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, like Crystal Chronicles, could be completely played by one's lonesome. However, the real engagement of this game came from teaming up with up to three other Links, working as a unit to slay monsters and other enemies, solving puzzles of various difficulties, and bringing down sinister bosses. Yes, working together to defeat huge swarms of enemies and exploring expansive areas of Hyrule remains a fantastic feature of the multiplayer, making it so no one person on your team is more important than any other. While not a traditional Zelda, Four Swords Adventures is still a fabulous take on Nintendo's 30-year-old franchise.

5) Star Fox Assault

Though the opinion of the solo campaign of Star Fox Assault is mixed at best (I happened to enjoy it for what it was, despite feeling it was quite poor in comparison to Star Fox 64, but what isn't?), it is still pretty commonplace to hear players of the game get excited about the multiplayer component. Featuring the ability to have shooting skirmishes across maps both compact and open with up to four players, Star Fox Assault's multiplayer reigned supreme and remains many fans' favorite multiplayer experience in the entire Star Fox franchise. Performing tactical stunts like switching between vehicles on the fly, riding on the wing of an Arwing while blasting rockets to the ground below, and hiding behind map geometry to avoid the shots from a Landmaster were all absolutely enjoyable things to do. One could spend dozens of hours in the multiplayer alone, making the short campaign not sting so much after all.

4) Super Monkey Ball 2

The sequel to one of the Nintendo GameCube's greatest launch titles (and there was no shortage of fantastic games at the system's launch), Super Monkey Ball 2 allowed for up to four players to take turns taking on the challenge of the main game's levels. However, any Monkey Ball multiplayer fan worth their weight in bananas knows that the real fun comes from the multiplayer games available. In addition to old standbys like Monkey Target (a favorite of the SuperPhillip Central household), Monkey Race, and Monkey Bowling, new additions to the multiplayer including Monkey Soccer and Monkey Tennis are included to add to the four player fun. There was so much to monkey around with in Super Monkey Ball 2 that a player and his or her friends could lose entire nights easily to this game.

3) Mario Party 5

With four unique Mario Party games released on the Nintendo GameCube, the most for any of Nintendo's different hardware, it was a challenge to choose from the list as the game to represent on this top ten list. However, with an engaging number of creative and enjoyable mini-games, as well as a wonderful capsule system to use on the main boards to change up strategies and give the player a feeling that they're somewhat in charge of their own destiny, Mario Party 5 remains SuperPhillip Central's favorite Mario Party on the GameCube. Whether you were playing a mini-game against all players or a teaming up, stealing coins or Power Stars from players, or coming up with unique strategies to try to win over your other similarly-conniving friends, Mario Party on the GameCube was no better than in Mario Party 5.

2) Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

You can't complain that Nintendo did the same-old, same-old with Mario Kart: Double Dash!!--this time including the ability for up to two players to ride in a single kart, being able to switch who drives and who rides on back on the fly. Sure, you could have four players driving four separate carts, but where was the fun in that? Otherwise, you could have it so two local players would have to use communication to decide when to switch, when to use items, and to initiate power slide boosts. The rarity in a Nintendo GameCube game that was the addition of LAN support meant that the eight players could be scattered across four karts for maximum carnage. With 16 new tracks with the ability to play through them all in one cup, and a very competitive battle mode, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! delivered high speed thrills and chills.

1) Super Smash Bros. Melee

What can you say about a four player fighter that is still beloved and played in a tournaments to this very day? Well, how about-- DUH! Of course, it's number one on a multiplayer GameCube game list! With that out of the way, a robust lineup of characters that for the most part each have their own play style to fit the needs of any particular player made for a game that anyone could enjoy. It wasn't just the 25 character roster, either-- no, the amount of modes and features packed on a small GameCube disc meant that your friends and family members would have so much to play through. Melee is a game that is infinitely rewarding and playable due to no two players fighting it out the same way. Super Smash Bros. Melee was the best-selling GameCube game for a reason, and it wasn't just for the reason that it was released early in the system's life.

Honorable Mentions:
F-Zero GX
Phantasy Star Online: Episodes I & II
SoulCalibur II