10. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania
The Super Monkey Ball games have a simple premise. You’re a monkey in a ball, and you have to avoid obstacles and dangers as you race from one end of a course to the finish line. But it’s this simplicity that makes the games so dang addictive, and Banana Mania might be the best of the (banana) bunch. Featuring stages from throughout 20 years of the series, as well as playable characters from across SEGA’s roster, it really feels like a celebration and culmination of everything that’s come before. Easy to pick up but difficult to master, this is a great game to bust out if you’re entertaining family and friends who might not be traditional ‘gamers’.
9. Mario Tennis Aces
If you’re pining for the days of playing Wii Sports Tennis until the early hours of the morning, look no further than Mario Tennis Aces. The gameplay is as fast-paced and as fluid as a Mario Kart title, with enough power-ups and special moves to do what Wimbledon never could… make tennis exciting! Mario themed sports titles are often overlooked gems, and Mario Tennis Aces is no exception.
8. WarioWare: Get It Together
It’s been a decade since we’ve been able to experience the zany, frenetic fun of a mainline WarioWare game, but Get It Together proves it was worth the wait. As expected, the new range of hilarious micro games will have you laughing as quickly as they’ll have your fingers twitching, but that doesn’t mean it’s all more of the same. Instead, each playable character now has different abilities that affect the way you tackle each game, and there’s a welcome focus on co-op too. This makes for a title that feels just as innovative as it does nostalgic.
7. Just Dance 2021
Just Dance is the unparalleled king of dancing games, and this year’s entry keeps the party going.. Although it doesn’t revolutionise the formula, the selection of classic, kids and sweat mode offers enough variety to keep everyone happy and grooving. Throw in an optional subscription service that unlocks over 500 exclusive tracks, and you’ve got enough content to keep you jiving all year long. And yes, we did have to use a thesaurus to find enough synonyms for dancing. What can we say? We like to strut our stuff.
6. Mario Party Superstars
Mario Party Superstars is a true return to form for Nintendo’s flagship party series, stripping away all of the bloat that turned fans off more recent entries. Instead, things are kept simple; you and a group of friends navigate a game board, competing in a variety of mini-games until one player emerges victorious. Just one word of warning - if you thought Monopoly ended friendships, you haven’t played a round of Mario Party!
5. Overcooked 2
The original Overcooked was one of the first games to truly show off the multiplayer capabilities of the Switch, as you team up with friends to play as chefs scrambling to get orders out of the kitchen. Overcooked 2 is equally as entertaining, and fixes some of the kinks of its predecessor. Sure it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but when it comes from such a widely celebrated series, it really doesn’t need to. The ideal MO of a good sequel is ‘more but better’, and Overcooked 2 fulfils this with aplomb.
4. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
This remaster of the cult classic kart racer has managed to retain all of the charm and fun of the original CTR, making it a great game for local co-op or tearing up the leaderboards online. But this isn’t just cheap nostalgia bait, and developers Beenox have added more than a graphical update. Brand new unlockable kart parts, character skins and customisation items means there’s even more incentive to be the fastest on the track.
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
The king of the kart racers, nothing comes close to Mario Kart on the Switch. With the near-perfect balance between pick-up-and-playability and challenge, MK8D truly does cater for everyone. Whether entertaining your grandparents or duking it out with the best online, you’ll find a satisfying experience no matter what you’re looking for.
2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Nintendo has been perfecting their Smash Bros series for the past 2 decades, an effort that culminates with the near-obnoxiously good Super Smash Bros Ultimate. The fighting/party game boasts one of the best rosters of characters found in any game ever, ranging from Pikachu to Solid Snake to Sonic and even the Wii Fit Trainer (because why not?), and each character feels unique, with a deep move set and individual play style.
1. Super Mario Party
A collection of virtual board games inter-spliced with mini-games, this entry into the series serves as one of the last bastions of dedicated local co-op, and boy does it do it well. Playable for 1 to 4 players, grab a Joy-Con each for hours of fun in maps from around the Mushroom Kingdom. Couple this with current-gen graphics, and you’ve got the best Mario Party game in at least a generation if not two.
