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Top 11 Multiplayer Games

written by Shaun McCracken

This Top 11 demands partners, three-ways or foursomes. Seriously, how else would you play a multiplayer game? This Top 11 goes over the 11 Greatest Multiplayer games. But not any multiplayer game can just make the cut, this only applies to console or arcade games that have multiplayer support and are offline. And I may miss some important games out there that you might expect to see on the list. If you feel that I overlooked a certain game, e-mail me at contact92530i@lycos.com and tell me. I may do another list to cover what I didn't get to! So, now how about that list?

1. 11- Gauntlet (Midway, Arcade and Various Consoles): Gauntlet, to my knowledge, was one of the first arcade games to offer simultaneous four-player gameplay. And really, the more people who play along with you in Gauntlet, the better it is, as the barrage of enemies is too much for one person to take care of. Plus, the nature of how fast your health drops made this a cash-cow for arcade owners, as four four people to stay alive, they need to keep pumping in those quarters.

2. 10- NBA Jam (Midway, Arcade and Various Consoles) and NBA Street series (EA Sports Big; GC, PS2, Xbox): Although these are two different titles by two different companies, they both share a similar philosophy: easily accessible sports games (in this case, basketball) that anyone can play, and include multiplayer support. NBA Jam was an incredibly addictive basketball title in the arcades that featured over-the-top moves with real teams and players. While the NBA Jam franchise is now with Acclaim and lost the arcade feel, the NBA Street series from EA Sports pretty much picks up where the classic arcade Jam left off. It was hard to pick one or the other, but since they share many similarities, they can share this spot on the list.

3. 9- Mortal Kombat series (Midway , Arcade and Various Consoles): While the idea of a fighting game wasn't exactally original in 1992 (I think the Japanese companies rolled out various fighters a couple years before MK), the draw to MK was it's sensationalized violence and gore. Sure, the moves and execution wasn't as complex as the Street Fighter series, but it was pretty irresistable to finish off your opponent by punching off his/her head or setting them abalze.

4. 8- Super Monkey Ball 2 (SEGA, Gamecube): If there was ever one game to pick up that had a great variety and assortment of multiplayer games, Super Monkey Ball 2 should be one of them. While the original game did include multiplayer games, the sequel includes everything of the first game plus more. Simply put, this is one incredible package of multiplayer games, that suprisingly, are fun to play alone as well. And let's not forget the actual meat of the game, which is 150 stages of maddening labrinyths. Really, a game a Gamecube owner should not be caught without.

5. 7- Halo (Microsoft, Xbox): Halo is the best selling game on the Xbox, and there are a couple of reasons why. First of all, it's a fairly well-thought out shooter. Second, it has a pretty big multiplayer mode. While you can play with four people on one screen, you can also link multiple Xboxes along with multiple televisions to add a lot more people to play. Provided you have the money, of course. Halo has been said to be one of the best FPS games since a certain N64 game released back in 1997. That's not too hard to believe.

6. 6- Dance Dance Revolution (Konami, Arcade and Various Consoles): I'm not quite sure how well these games have done on home consoles, but they are a hit in arcades. Lord knows how many versions of this game are out there, but they are pretty much involve the same thing: dancing. The best thing about DDR is that you can go against another player, and see who actually does get served. Plus, playing alone kind of makes you look like an ass.

7. 5- Smash TV (Midway, Arcade and Various Consoles): Smash TV is an all-out frenzy of an arcade game. Enemies can come from all sides, and the only way to stay alive is to shoot and kill. It's also best to play along with somebody, because all of the on-screen action may be too much for one person to handle. I'd buy that for a dollar!

8. 4- The Simpsons and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade games (Konami, Arcade): I included both of these games in the same slot because they are VERY similar to each other in terms of gameplay. I'm pretty much willing to bet that these two games use the same engine. But that really doesn't matter, since these were great arcade games. Both these games had simultaneous four-player gameplay, and quite frankly, that's the best way to go. It's fun to fight for the single power-up item that apears, it's fun to watch four people beat the crap out of the huge bosses, and the competitive nature of it all was also another thing that made these two games fun. Although the arcade version of TMNT was ported to the NES, it was a very disappointing port. It was better to stick with the arcade.

9. 3- Super Smash Bros. Melee (Nintendo, Gamecube): The first Smash Bros. game debuted on the N64 to some pretty good success. Melee is pretty much the expansion pack, featuring more characters, more items, more stages, more modes and more unlockables. Plus, the game looked sharper and had less slowdown (actually, almost none). It's a game that almost anyone can get into and have a great time with. Plus, it's not too bad as a single-player game, either.

10. 2- Super Mario Kart (Nintendo, Super NES): I'll admit, I didn't like the multiplayer mode of Mario Kart 64 as much as the original Super Mario Kart. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because it was one on one, rather than up to four people. Maybe because it was a bit simpler. I don't know. But Super Mario Kart had an incredibly addictive multiplayer Battle Mode that had me and my brother playing for hours. Sometimes, you don't need a whole lot of complexity to be fun. Mario Kart proved that.

11. 1- GoldenEye 007 (Nintendo, Nintendo 64): This probably doesn't come as a suprise to you. I think if you ask gamers what they think the best multiplayer console game of all time is, most would say GoldenEye. And it's not suprising to see why. On top of an already great single-player mode, the multiplayer modes in GoldenEye were plentiful, offering different varieties of play. It was also one of the first times that gamers had the chance to engage in a four-player deathmatch in a first person shooter. Plus, it was incredibly fun and addictive. So, not only is GoldenEye 007 the best N64 game made, it's also the best multiplayer game on the market. Even though the graphics have aged, I think this game still holds up rather well.
    
    

    Well, that was fun, wasn't it? That about does it for this installment of Top 11, but if you still have the itch for more, scratch it with the past Top 11's in the archive. So until next time, I leave you with nothing of valuable importance. Hey, what do you expect? I'm a crappy writter!