New Year's Eve. A time to ring out the old and ring in the new. A moment to reflect on the past year and await the next. And, of course, have one hell of a party! What better way to welcome 2010 than to hold your very own gaming party! All you need are a few mates and some multiplayer Ninty classics. Some Bombay Mix wouldn't go amiss either.
So, what to start with? Wii Sports Resort would be my first port of call. It's simple, competitive and fun. And it'll warm up everyone's gaming muscles for the main contest. Ease into it gently with some friendly rallies of Table Tennis. Then ramp up the tempo with Basketball shooting contests, finishing with some bloody Swordplay showdowns. OK, warm-up done. Shovel some mince pies in your guests' faces before your gaming marathon begins.
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Next up, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This requires energy, concentration and an aptitude for unnecessary expletives. Perfect to get the party atmosphere going then. Perhaps split yourselves into groups and play some Team Brawls. Even better, start a mammoth tournament with CPU players to boot. As well as the standard Brawl mode, I'd recommend a couple of slow-mo melees as well as some "Pokéball-only" matches - if only for the sheer novelty value. Do a couple of Home-Run Contests to finish off and ease the adrenaline.
Boom Blox is up next. Pretty much all the multiplayer modes are tops, but "Castle Attack" is definitely a must. You can wing it with this game - it's all good. The next game I've chosen may seem baffling. It's Wii Play. Yes, most of the mini-games are 5 minute affairs with limited replayability. Not so with Tanks! It's a cute multiplayer gem with some tactical thinking required. It only supports two players though, so you'll need to split yourselves into pairs for some cunning co-op play.
As the midnight bells approach, scrap the cooperative spirit from Wii play, it's every man for himself! Cue Mario Kart. The Wii version is great, especially for parties, yet I'd be inclined to boot up MK64 instead. That's old-skool, kidz. Don't bother with the stale VS Mode though - battles are where it's at. You just can't beat four-player carnage on Block Fort. Not least with about 50 green shells rebounding all over the joint! It would be criminal to leave out some good old PES or FIFA during a gaming party, so take your pick.
There's somewhere you and your guests ought to visit prior to the Bells, and no, it's not the off-licence. Animal Crossing! If there's someone who knows how to throw a party, it's Mayor Tortimer. You've the sparklers, fireworks and jollity of real life without The Kooks in the background. If you own the GameCube original, go for that instead. You get a tranquil lake to view the fireworks from, and afterwards you can head back to your pad and boot up some virtual NES games. A nice way to end the evening I think.
