There’s nothing like a good party game with friends, and that includes video games in the party genre. These games come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, but all party games have the same goal in mind: players enjoying one-off competitions with others.
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The plethora of games in this genre is hard to keep track of. There have been major titles that always have players excited to play whenever a new title comes out, and there are also underrated one-and-done games that get people’s attention. But, despite there being many party games receiving a lot of love, some games fall short of bringing family and friends together.
10Best: Guilty Party (78)
Mysteries are always a good time, but they are better to participate in than watch.Guilty Partyfrom Disney casts players asmembers of the Dickens Detective Agency. The firm is led by the Commodore, who is set to retire. But, before the Commodore could give the agency away, his nemesis, Mr. Valentine, has begun committing a series of crimes.
The game has players look for clues with gameplay similar to a turn-based board game. The goal is to discover who among them is the real Mr. Valentine. The game surprised critics for its writing and entertaining gameplay.
9Worst: Truth Or Lies (28)
Putting people in uncomfortable situations can sometimes be fun, as long as everyone is on board with it.Truth or Liesattempted to be the go-to game to do just that. The game requires players to connect a microphone so players can say their answers into it.
The game could either ask direct questions to a player or one individual can ask another a series of questions. The game is supposed to detect whether or not the player speaking is telling the truth or not. Unfortunately, the technology for it does not work and many critics say to avoid this game because of this.
8Best: Mario Party (79)
TheMario Partyseries is one of the most iconic party game series of all-time. It’s fitting that its first installment is among the best in the genre. The original game starts out with six mainMariocharacters all arguing about which one of them is the “Super Star” of the world—what a groundbreaking premise.
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They decide to battle it out for the title. The game is presented as a traditional board game with up to six maps. There are mini-games that players partake in to earn coins, which are then used to buy items and stars. The winner of a game must collect the most stars at the end of a certain number of turns.
7Worst: Calvin Tucker’s Redneck Jamboree (26)
Indie party games are very popular nowadays for their unique concepts, gameplay, and characters. Critics ofCalvin Tucker’s Redneck Jamboreefelt like it failed in all three categories. The hillbilly collection features twelve mini-games that were based on so-called “redneck activities.”
Most games used the Wii Remote motion controls, such as “Backyard Shooting,” where players need to use the pointer. The multiplayer involved taking turns with the singleplayer games to see who gets the high score. The game was also panned for its lack of content and relatively poor taste.
6Best: Kinect Party (81)
Remember the Kinect? Microsoft hasdiscontinued making the classic sensor bar, but many have fond memories of the device. One of the best games to come out of the Kinect wasKinect Party. A sequel toDouble Fine Happy Action Theater, there is no concrete gameplay. Instead, the game has 36 different modes for players to try out.
These mostly included fun augmented reality gags such as changing costumes or destroying things that appear. It’s not an in-depth gaming experience, but critics say it is fun to mess around with.
5Worst: Game Party Champions (24)
It’s hard to remember the Wii U launch line-up, as it wasn’t entirely memorable to begin with. Buried in that line-up wasGame Party Champions, the fifth game in the Game Party series, and the last one to date.
The game was very sports-centric, offering eight gamesinspired by real-life sports. This included air hockey, baseball, football, ping pong, and more. It wasn’t helped that this game launched alongsideNintendo Land, a game that received more favorable reviews. Even still, the game was panned for its boring gameplay and terrible controls.
4Best: WarioWare: Smooth Moves (83)
WarioWarehas been known for its fun microgames throughout its entire series. No game did it better thanWarioWare: Smooth Moves. The hilariously fun installment took full advantage of the Wii Remote, referring to it throughout as the “Form Baton.”
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That said, there is a party element to this game. After beating singleplayer mode, players are able to get up to 11 other individuals to play multiplayer mode. There a variety of different modes to choose from, including everything from a battle royale to a hot potato-style game.
3Worst: Nickelodeon Party Blast (19)
Nickelodeon has some of themost classic franchises of all-time, so it’s fun when the company can bring these franchises together in an all-star format. They’ve had some success with this before. Unfortunately,Nickelodeon Party Blastmight be the worst Nickelodeon all-star game to ever come out.
Players can assume the role of eight different characters in six different party modes. Each of these modes has a different boss depending on the mini-games played. The game was heavily criticized for poor controls, terrible gameplay, and bad sound design.
2Best: Super Monkey Ball 2 (87)
SEGA has many popular franchises but one that doesn’t get as much love is theSuper Monkey Ballfranchise. Its first sequel,Super Monkey Ball 2, is rated as thebest party game on Metacritic. The game has a decent story mode, but the multiplayer modes are what rounds this game out.
There are 12 party games that feature games that are either co-op or competitive. The six mini-games from the originalSuper Monkey Ballreturn, along with six new unlockable new mini-games. The game was praised for its quality singleplayer mode, but it was further bolstered by its multiplayer offerings.
1Worst: Family Party - 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade (11)
Thelowest Metacritic score in the history of the websitebelongs to a party game.Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcadehas two modes: Challenge Mode has players compete in a set of five Wii Remote mini-games and five Wii U Gamepad mini-games. Freeplay mode allows for random selecting of different mini-games. Each mode can have up to four players participating.
The game was destroyed by critics for having terrible controls, horrible graphics, tedious mini-games, and annoying voice acting. Even the title was a lie, with 35 games in the collection.
