"The More, the Merrier!": Best Multiplayer Games

[Ascending Wordsmith]

I remember when multiplayer gaming (3 or more) required a seperate piece of hardware since only two controller ports were the norm those days. I bought my first multitap in 1988 for my Nintendo. As other consoles I bought were released, I got the multitaps for them too. The multitaps, though expensive, made perfect sense... it's good to play together! Me and at least two other addicted gamers could play at the same time. It was bliss. Then consoles (except for the PSOne and PS2 damn you, Sony) started coming with four controller ports. Now multiplayer gaming is even easier to experience! :D


I'll just mention a few of my multiplayer favorites from back in the day.

NES

World Cup
http://www.nintendo.no/retro/nes/spill/bilder/worldcup2.jpg

It's River City Ransom on grass with a soccer ball and a crazy sense of humor. 1-4 players


Genesis

General Chaos
http://artofwar.free.fr/images_site/jeux/megadrive/general%20chaos/General%20Chaos_003.jpg

Vent your frustrations! Lodge a rocket into your opponent's chest. Or just mercilessly gun him down in the street. Take your pick. 1-4 players


SNES

Super Bomberman

http://www.digitpress.com/dpsightz/super_nes/superbomberman2a.jpg

The joys of explosive ordinance! 1-5 players


So, without including online gameplay, what are your favorite games from retro to present that were syrupy sweet when it came to multiplayer (3+) enjoyment? :D

[FantasiaWHT]

Easy winner on this one for me-

-Saturn Bomberman.

10 players. Super Bomberman (man is that game hard to find, and the second one sucks) is a great game, but playing Bomberman with 10 people is just mind blowing.

-Super Monkeyball 1 & 2
-Super Smash Brothers (Melee) both games

Those three games are just no brainers whenever I have more than 3 people together. We just have to play one or more of them.

Mario Kart (Double Dash) Personally I didn;t like the N64 one, or the GBA one, but the SNES and GC versions are great.

[slip81]

Goldeneye for the 64
Any Super Smash Bros. game

[Gapporin]

Chu Chu Rocket
Dead Or Alive 2 (team battle)
Gauntlet
Goldeneye
Halo
Super Smash Bros.
Tetris Worlds

[Oobgarm]

Goldeneye 007
Dr. Mario 64
Mario Golf
Mario Party 1-3

Super Smash Bros. Melee
Wario Ware
Mario Party 4-5

And, call me nuts, but the minigames in The Guy Game are actually kinda/sorta fun with multiple people, provided that you can convince them to play through that atrocity.

[SegaAges]

the 2 big ones:
goldeneye
perfect dark
conker's bad fur day is really fun with 4 players

powerstone 2
sonic shuffle is actually awesome with 4 players

um, i think most of the other games have been covered already

[Nez]

Mario Kart
Saturn Bomberman
NFL Blitz 2001
Worms World Party
Power Stone 2

[GobopopRevisited]

Conker's Bad Fur Day (Beach Especially)
Super Smash Brothers
Super Smash Brothers Melee
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Goldeneye 007
Perfect Dark (Farsight Sniping!)
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Mario Kart 64
Super Mario Kart
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (N64 version)
Super Bomberman 1-5
Mario Party 2, 4, and 5
TimeSplitters 2 (Most complete Multiplayer Console FPS out there)
Halo

South Park: Chef's Luv Shack can be fun for a while, cool minigames. Way to short though.

[Raedon]

IK+ c64.. best Karate game eva!

Goldeneye 007
Mario Kart

those two always pop up.

I have yet to play a full blown Saturn Bomberman multiplayer game but I can imagine the havoc.

[supaevil]

wrong wrong mother flowers its the damn death tank a hidden game with up to eight players am i the only death tank master? Plus fusion frenzy is kind of fun. If you dont know death tank is a hidden game in duke nukem forever and powerslave you insert a code to play it by the way its for the saturn and i also like saturn bomberman yes.
8-)

[shai hulud]

NBA Jam T.E.
Hot Shots 3
Mario Party
Mario Kart DD

[Neonsolid]

Gone.

[max 330 mega]

saturn bomberman
poy poy
mario party
monkey ball
bust a move 99

those are all awesome games, im still trying to hunt down a mint copy of poy poy right now, that game was soo much fun.

[jdc]

I can't stand multi-player gaming....unless the games are NOT splitscreen.

I prefer dungeon crawlers.

[Tetsu]

What the hell? Why hasn't anyone said Wario Ware Inc., Mega Party Game$ for Gamecube? Not to mention:

Secret of Mana, SNES, 3 players
Final Fantasy III, SNES, 2 players, at least in battles anyway
Mega Bomberman, Genesis
Super Spike V Ball, NES (River City Ransom Volleyball)

[max 330 mega]

What the hell? Why hasn't anyone said Wario Ware Inc., Mega Party Game$ for Gamecube? Not to mention:

Secret of Mana, SNES, 3 players
Final Fantasy III, SNES, 2 players, at least in battles anyway
Mega Bomberman, Genesis
Super Spike V Ball, NES (River City Ransom Volleyball)
wtf ? damn if i were at a party i sure as hell wouldnt wanna sit around and play final fantasy and secret of mana.

[dreamcaster]

My best multiplayer gaming moments have been had with:

GameCube
Super Smash Bros. Melee

PlayStation
Gran Turismo - when that came out, my friends and I would always have big knockout tournaments. Awesome stuff!
MotorMash - an excellent Micro Machines clone. I think this was a PAL exclusive?
Rally Cross
Speed Freaks
Worms - I remember having midnight 'til dawn sessions with this game.
Worms World Party

Xbox
Halo - I was giddy the first time I played this in an 8-player link-up. Can't wait to try it in 16-player!

Dreamcast
Chu Chu Rocket - deceptively brutal multiplayer bash. LOL
Worms Armageddon

Master System
California Games

Nintendo 64 - this console is the king of multiplayer.
GoldenEye 007
Mario Kart 64
Perfect Dark
Lylat Wars
Super Smash Bros.
Mario Party - Best multiplayer game ever, in my opinion.
Vigilante 8
WCW vs. nWo: World Tour
Mario Tennis

Super NES
NBA Jam
Micro Machines

[gamergary]

Super Spike V Ball, NES (River City Ransom Volleyball)

Super Spike V Ball isn't a Downtown Nekketsu game and there isn't even a Downtown Nekketsu volleyball game for any system.

[Gunstar_Hero UK]

Wario Ware
Mario Party
Mario Kart
Mario Golf
Smash Bros
Zelda Four Swords

[Tetsu]

Super Spike V Ball, NES (River City Ransom Volleyball)

Super Spike V Ball isn't a Downtown Nekketsu game and there isn't even a Downtown Nekketsu volleyball game for any system.

Guess I was thinking of something else. Oh, and the thread was best "multiplayer" games, not best "party" games, hence my inclusion of FFIII and Secret of Mana.

[ubersaurus]

Warlords (2600)
World Cup Soccer (NES)
Bomberman (Saturn)
League Bowling (Neo Geo)
Star Fox 64 (n64)
Goldeneye/Perfect Dark (n64)
Super Smash Bros Melee (GC) the n64 one rocks too.
Mario Tennis (N64)
Mario Kart: Double Dash (GC) fun as fucking hell when you've got it system linked.
Pac-Man Vs. (GC)
Powerstone 2 (DC)
Halo/Halo 2 (Xbox)
Crimson Skies (xbox)
Mario Kart 64 (N64)
WWE Smackdown series (PS2)

[MegaDrive20XX]

Mario Kart 64 or Double Dash
Goldeneye
Mario Party (Original three if you will)
Bomberman 64
Saturn Bomberman (the Ultimate Bomberman eva created..)
Dr. Mario 64 <-- nice four player mode
Super Smash Bros. (Original or Melee)
Halo (without a doubt)
Super Bomberman
Mega Bomberman
Bust-a-Move 99 on N64 was top notch

Yet looking here...I'm just gonna say N64 was the multiplayer king

[XxMe2NiKxX]

http://www.phantasy-star-universe.com/Music/Saturn/images/SBomb_Front.jpg
Is there any other multiplayer game that dares to stand a chance against the almighty multiplayer god that is Saturn Bomberman?

[MegaDrive20XX]

http://www.phantasy-star-universe.com/Music/Saturn/images/SBomb_Front.jpg
Is there any other multiplayer game that dares to stand a chance against the almighty multiplayer god that is Saturn Bomberman?


Well I'd say Halo (Yet 3 extra systems wouldn't count since that's more work to get that going...)...but having 2 multitaps...10 controllers...and 10 players running on the same screen....priceless

with that said...when the announcer says "Ready? GO!"....you can feel the panic in the room when nine other guys are freaking out on what to do....kodak moment right there...

[GarrettCRW]

Super Spike V Ball, NES (River City Ransom Volleyball)

Super Spike V Ball isn't a Downtown Nekketsu game and there isn't even a Downtown Nekketsu volleyball game for any system.

Guess I was thinking of something else.

I suspect you were thinking of Super Dodge Ball.

[Twitami]

Suprised no one mentioned Zhadnost: The People's Party for 3DO--fun game, especially if drinking is involved.

Also Anticipation for NES, basically pictionary on a cart. But cool cause it was 4 player WITHOUT a multitap!

Brian

[Daltone]

Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is my current favorite. Killing the guards is such fun when they didn't even know you were there.

[Vroomfunkel]

the damn death tank a hidden game with up to eight players am i the only death tank master?

Your Death Tank 'mastery' is hereby challenged! :D

Death Tank Zwei is, without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest Multiplayer game of all time. And Saturn Bomberman is not far off it.

I also have a soft spot for Multiplayer music games - e.g. Samba De Amigo and Donkey Konga. And Amplitude.

Team Buddies on the PS1 is quite amusing. Micro Machines Military on the Megadrive is genius! Chef's Luv Shack is tremendously entertaining with four people.

Vroomfunkel

[Rogmeister]

What about Zombies Ate My Neighbors? A fun take oon horror & sci-fi movies and two people get to play at the same time...lots of wacky action with goofy weapons...

[Kroogah]

How'd I miss this the first time around?

Guitar Freaks + Drummania session play - Unless everyone is an absolute beginner (and therefore limited to 1 or 2 songs) this is unbelievably fun multiplayer.

Timesplitters 2, Smash Bruddas, and Wario Ware are pretty obvious choices.

Baseball Stars on NES is beautiful unless someone picks the American Dreams, heh.

[Aswald]

Most games meant for multiple players were better with more than one person.

CV:

Omega Race, Lord of the Dungeon, Ken Uston Blackjack/Poker, Fortune Builder (yeh heh heh!), etc.

Along with 7800 Joust, Dark Chambers, Centipede, and Asteroids; Gauntlet (any version), etc.

[legov8]

My personal favorites are:

Nintendo 64:
Mario Kart 64
Mario Party 1-3
Micro Machines 64 Turbo
Road Rash 64
Vigilante 8
Vigilante 8 2nd offence

Game Cube
Mario Kart Double Dash
Mario Party 6

[Jumpman Jr.]

Goldenye
Super Smash Bros.
I love my N64.