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Mario Party 10 throws an amiibo get-together on March 20
Mario Party 10 will launch on March 20, Nintendo revealed today. The publisher showed off the new "amiibo Party Mode" for the game during its Nintendo Direct presentation this morning, adding compatibility for Super Smash Bros. and Super Mario series figures. Nintendo noted that the mode requires at least one amiibo, though other players can link their own figures to the game to use their respective characters as game pieces and access game boards inspired by the characters. Nintendo also announced that a limited edition version of Mario Party 10 will arrive on Wii U that same day, packing in a Mario amiibo figure with the party game. The game's latest trailer shows off both the amiibo Party Mode and the game's Bowser Party mode. [Image: Nintendo]
Describe Five: A party that's fun while it lasts
Players describe words on a card to other players in a party game that feels like charades but you can use words and you can make up your own rules called Describe Five (free with in app purchases).The game has two modes: casual and competitive. In casual mode, players can make up their own rules as to what is allowed with no time limit. The competitive mode pits two teams against each other in a timed battle to be the first team to get to three points. Describe Five runs on iOS devices with iOS 7.0 or later installed. In either mode, players take turns trying to describe all five words on their card, shown on the screen, so the other players can guess the words. When someone gets it right, the first player taps the word to highlight it as completed. In competitive mode, players have three rounds to try and get two full cards out of three correct. If the two teams tie, then the game goes into sudden death which means the team to get a full card of words correct wins. The downside to this great party game is that there is a limited number of cards and words that players can use without spending money to purchase more. This is annoying because the cards with interesting word choices make this game so much fun. After players complete all of the cards that are free, the game begins to get stale. The words on each card are usually an interesting combination, such as Darth Vader and Gillette, which keeps the game going in a fun manner that invites comedy. One weird requirement of Describe Five is that after players complete the words and highlight them, they have to tap on the round icon at the top of the screen twice or else it won't stop counting down. The UI in Describe Five is clean and easy to navigate, which compliments the bright blue and green colors that show up nicely against the black background. Tapping on each word to highlight it as correct gives off a glowing, almost electric feel, and stands out stunningly in contrast to the grey buttons. Describe Five is free on the App Store and recommended for people looking for a quick fun game to break the ice at a party.
You Don't Know Jack dev brings two games to Amazon Fire TV
While the Amazon Fire TV is "absolutely not a game console," developers such as Telltale Games and now Jackbox Games are already supporting the media-streaming device. The Chicago-based developer launched both You Don't Know Jack Party and a new trivia party game Fibbage for free on the Fire TV today. You Don't Know Jack Party first arrived on iOS last fall. Fibbage, like You Don't Know Jack Party, uses smartphones and tablets as game controllers while linking up with the Fire TV for big-screen multiplayer sessions. In it, up to eight players trick one another by filling in the blanks of trivia statements with lies as they see fit. Each round of play lasts seven questions and includes special categories like "Celebrity Tweets" and "Road Trip." The free version of Fibbage offers a "handful" of questions, while the paid upgrade of Fibbage brings with it hundreds more. Jackbox didn't offer a price for the upgraded version, though it noted plans to launch DLC for the game in the future. Amazon just announced (and launched) the Fire TV today for $99. [Image: Jackbox Games]
Editor's Choice: SketchParty TV
Do you have an Apple TV and at least one iOS device? Chances are you can run SketchParty TV and have a lot of fun for New Year's Eve or any group gathering. SketchParty is similar to classic Pictionary, where you draw something for your team to guess what word it represents. Except SketchParty TV uses AirPlay to project the game board on the TV while also showing the drawing screen you need to play on the iOS device (iPhone, iPod touch or iPad). It's ingenious, executed to perfection and a huge amount of fun for groups of four to sixteen. Setup couldn't be easier, provided you have no issues mirroring your iOS device display to an Apple TV. Once you've done that (and the help in the app is great), you'll want to enter the names of everyone playing, and set up teams. Four are needed for basic play, but up to a whopping 16 players can be split evenly among teams, each designated by a chosen color chip. As turns go around, the game specifies exactly who gets the iDevice next, something that I found really handy in larger groups. The game itself consists of one player seeing the secret word, then drawing the object on the screen for teammates to see. You have two minutes to try and get five words by default, but in options, you can set up to eight words per round, up to 90 seconds per round and up to four rounds per player. You can pass, but those show as a miss, which you'll try to make up later. Drawing is basic by design, but you do have a number of colors you can use, making it vastly simpler and less messy than traditional tabletop versions. This is where SketchParty TV really shines, by improving upon a real-world game by providing a compact, easy-to-use digital version. Meanwhile, my Wii U collects dust... There's also undo/redo, a few line sizes and a "clear page," which might be the only thing more fun to do in real life than digitally. I happened to use an iPad 3 and a second-generation Apple TV, but you can also use Apple AV connector or something like Reflector -- the main idea is you'll need TV out and an iDevice to use for drawing. A stylus isn't a bad idea, either. Everything about SketchParty TV is intuitive and easy to grasp, and the basic game is well known to many people. This is one of those games that's great for family get-togethers or parties. For a mere US$1.99, you can unlock custom word lists, which make the game even more fun, depending on how twisted you are. SketchParty TV at the time of this writing is on sale for $4.99, a huge discount from the normal $8.99. Even at $8.99, you're getting your money's worth, as a lot of tabletop games start at $12 or more. Do keep in mind the system requirements (iOS 7 being one of them), as with any innovative game. If you have a gift card burning a hole in your pocket and you love party games, SketchParty TV is a must-have for iOS. If you have an AirPlay-compatible device and Apple TV, prepare to wow your friends and family with a truly fun game for a terrific value. SketchParty TV, with its simple, but fun gameplay, outstanding design and polish, plus the tremendous value, is my favorite app of the year.
Daily iPad App: Phrase Game is a party game in an app
The intersection of physical games and Apple's iOS platform is interesting -- the iPad and the iPhone are very good for abstracted interfaces, just because you're touching them directly rather than using a mouse or a keyboard, so it makes sense that they'd be ideal for interacting in a game-like fashion in real space. And Phrase Game, by Removem's Matt Martel, basically does just that. It's a party game, similar to Taboo or even Pictionary, and you play it like one of those. You need at least four people (or two teams), and the idea is that you actually pass the iPad around from player to player, each time getting a phrase that everyone else needs to guess. It's interesting -- the action in this game is all outside of the iPad itself. Other than just a suggested phrase (which comes from a series of categories, and you can buy more via in-app purchase) and the timer, the fun comes from you and your party, not the iOS device. It's a cool idea, and if you are having a get-together this weekend, it's probably worth the free download to see if you can give it a shot. I think there's lots more that can be done here. So many video games focus on just what's happening on screen, or a virtual simulation of some kind, but there's so much fun we can have in person as well that I think there are plenty of ways iOS apps and iOS devices can simply help govern that.
Pac-Man Party partying on Wii this fall
We now know one of the things Namco Bandai is likely to announce at its Pac-Man party ... Pac-Man Party. USA Today revealed the new Wii game starring the yellow sphere and his incorporeal enemies: a minigame collection with over 45 assorted games, including curling, tennis and more Pac-Man-esque ghost-chasing games. Essentially, it's Mario Party with Pac-Man in Mario's place. Namco will also include -- as just as a little bonus -- the original Pac-Man, along with Galaga and Dig Dug. Pac-Man Party will be out this fall. [Thanks Zach!]
Interview: Wideload Games' Patrick Curry talks Disney Guilty Party, life after 'Stubbs'
Some of the most fun to be had during multiplayer video games isn't actually in the game itself -- it's outside of the games, where players chat with each other for fun, break down a strategy during co-op, or trash talk in-between deathmatches. You don't usually get XP for taunting over voicechat or telling your team where the enemy is, but there's a reward nevertheless, a social bonus completely independent of the code that developers write. Wideload Games has done a great job of focusing on that gameplay in Disney Guilty Party. I got to play the same co-op Party Mode as Randy at a pre-E3 event this week, and while it's definitely a family game, it competently serves up custom-made mysteries for families to take on. In hunting down and accusing various colorful suspects, that out-of-game conversation and interaction becomes just as important and fun as the in-game button pressing and Wiimote waggling. Game Director Patrick Curry was my partner-in-crime-solving, and since we have common roots in Chicago (I used to work in the same building, one floor below Wideload's studios), we had a quick chat about the studio's direction towards family games, and its acquisition by Disney Interactive.
Hands-on: NBA Jam
You need to get the preconception that NBA Jam is part of the rigid "sports game" genre out of your mind right this second. I can understand why you might possess this notion: for gamers whose youths were spent mastering the original game's showboating mechanics, Jam is one of the few franchises they can call up when accused of not playing sports games. For folks unfamiliar with the franchise, one might logically associate a bouncy, orange sphere with its eponymous sport: "basketball." Yet, based on my time with EA Canada's Wii-make of NBA Jam earlier this month, I don't think the "sports game" archetype -- a turn-off for many non-sports enthusiasts -- is an accurate descriptor for what's going on here. Jam is a "party game" and will likely overtake Rock Band and Boom Blox as my entertainment of choice while hosting a social gathering. Provided, of course, attendees are prepared to get buffeted with an unstoppable deluge of smack talk. %Gallery-89317%
Bash SpongeBob's boat in SpongeBob's Boating Bash
THQ describes the latest SpongeBob SquarePants game, SpongeBob's Boating Bash, as its "first demolition derby style party game," which makes it perfect for when you want to throw a demolition derby style party without all the cleanup. Boating Bash puts SpongeBob and his friends behind the wheel of customizable "boat mobiles," as they attempt to knock parts off each other's vehicles to earn points and advance through the game. The ultimate goal of the thousands of violent collisions? A driver's license, of course! Boating Bash will be out on Wii and DS this spring.
Protesters fight the wrong in Beer Pong
When Beer Pong: Frat Party Games was announced for WiiWare, many Wii owners protested it based on its stupidity. We should have guessed, though, that some people would actually protest the software for moral reasons.The problem here lies with the games ESRB rating, which is T (13+). Lisa Lombardozzi of the Greater Herndon Community Coalition is concerned that Beer Pong will encourage children to play the game in real life. In fact, many college students who partake in the activity (which is also called Beirut, depending on who you talk to) are not even of legal drinking age. Since the United States' drinking age is 21, activists claim that the game will promote binge drinking ideals to youths. JV Games' response to the issue was more dismissive than eloquent. Company spokesman Vince Valenti said, "We are not advocating drinking any more than watching cartoons or watching the TV show Cheers, or even going bowling or to a baseball game ... If anything, you're going to be drinking less, because you are too busy playing the game, trying to beat your opponent, to be constantly picking up a beer and drinking it."We doubt parents and community members were soothed by this response.[Via Game Politics]
WiiWare Beer Pong brings college idiocy to the Wii [update]
[Update: trailer after the break! Looks pretty okay, we suppose, for a beer pong game.]Beer pong is one of the weirder recent trends in party games since the out-of-nowhere resurgence of poker, at least as seen through the eyes of someone who isn't currently in college. Now JVGames has announced their intention to translate the drunk version of Bozo the Clown's "Grand Prize Game" to WiiWare. We read the press release and started to reach for the picardfacepalm.jpg, but then we went to the website and were presented with an unexpected hilarity bomb.Let's just say that the website (screenshot above) doesn't really scream professionalism. Blurry, blown-up beer glasses with choppy filling animations, and a 3D logo that looks like it was rendered in a DS homebrew program. It actually makes us kind of love it. Beer Pong: Frat Party Games will be out in June.[Via IGN]
What does a four-player game need? Five players, of course!
Not one, not five, but ... well, actually it is five. Five ninja; no more, no less for this trailer from upcoming game Ninja Reflex. And doesn't that strike you as odd? With a four-player game, it seems the odd-man-out isn't so much a friend of the four enjoying the game, but the group whipping boy, there only to serve drinks to thirsty players and watch them enjoy their Wii from afar, silent longing for a day when he too can experience the pleasure of motion-based gameplay. And, dude: what is up with the kid with the chopsticks? Seriously?%Gallery-11356%
Ninja Reflex boxart screams, 'No ninja, no ninja, no'
What game will win the title of "Worst Ninja Boxart" this year? The battle is fierce, and only the most specially trained in the art of the bad box will prevail. In one corner is the stealthy Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword for the DS. So stealthy, in fact, that it remained hidden during its November release date. The challenger is Ninja Reflex, a game involving the most sacred of ninjitsu techniques: partying. What box will reign supreme in the sacred art of fail? And will there be any newcomers brave enough to enter such a grueling competition? Patience, young student, will reveal the answers to these questions.[Via GoNintendo]
Ninja Reflex screenshots stealthily sneak up behind you (and kill you)
Did you know that today is the Annual Day of the Ninja? So if you've been waiting for an excuse to flip out, hit on ninja babes, and assassinate pirates, consider today your excuse.Electronic Arts is celebrating this sacred holiday by revealing new screenshots and details for its newest party game, Ninja Reflex. Developed by newcomer studio Sanzaru Games (former Activision developers), Ninja Reflex will feature "a series of martial arts challenges to test gamers' reflexes and measure their reaction times with millisecond precision." Up to four players will be able to participate, sharpening their skills and speed in this mashup of Brain Age and ninjitsu action.The minigames shown so far are predictable, ranging from catch-a-fly-with-chopsticks contests to shuriken-throwing competitions. Hopefully, the final product will have more interesting activities -- and online support, too! Creep into our gallery under the cover of night and check out some of the screenshots EA has made available. Go ninja, go ninja, go!%Gallery-11356%[Thanks, Troy]
Cool Herders converging on the DS
When Alten8 commits to a system, they don't mess around. The company is currently working on ten titles for the DS, and recently they announced that the first will be Cool Herders, a revamped version of the party game for the Sega Dreamcast. As you might have guessed, Cool Herders is all about collecting sheep, even if it means you have to steal them from your friends. It's hard out there for a shepherd ....
Wii like to (Mario) party
This short video from the upcoming Mario Party 8 should be just enough to whet your appetite for some silly multiplayer action. This is one game we're definitely planning on checking out -- but how about you? Where's the latest Mario Party fall on your list of must-haves? If nothing else, it certainly falls in with the Wii philosophy about playing games together! Check the video out after the jump.
Rayman Raving Rabbids interview, new info revealed
A Nintendo magazine in France recently held an interview with the development team of the upcoming launch title Rayman Raving Rabbids. Thanks to a wily, bilingual forum poster (thanks, Jing_Ke!), we now have some new information. The story mode of the game is divided into fifteen game days. On each day, you wake up in jail, where you can enter the hub area "Rabbit Arena". This area gives access to five mini-games per day: four regular mini-games, and a boss battle. If you do well, the rabbits will reward you with various costumes or decorations. Another mode exists where you can play the mini-games freely, multiplayer if desired. The length of the games are discussed (much longer than, say, those found in Wario Ware), and they reveal that around seventy games will be in the final version. Alas, no classic platformer for us...are you disappointed? Hopefully, Sonic and the Secret Rings can fulfill those lingering desires to fall to your death while jumping to a platform inexplicably floating in mid-air.
Fuzion Frenzy 2: more mini-games, but in space
Perhaps most remarkable for being an Xbox launch game that wasn't Halo, Fuzion Frenzy attempted to fill the oddly shaped party game niche way back in 2001. Ignoring the use of some of the most pathetic and annoying characters to ever grace the gaming universe ("Where is the competition?!"), the game was quite an amusing diversion, though one might argue that it's hard to go wrong with bopping people over the head and rolling about in giant hollow balls.Microsoft has officially announced the holiday arrival of Fuzion Frenzy 2 for the Xbox 360. Interestingly enough, this one's actually being developed by Hudson, a subsidiary of Konami (the first game was done by Blitz). Aside from oh-so-creatively shifting the 40 mini-games into space and across multiple planets, the new developer has seen fit to add full online functionality, allowing players to create custom tournaments and build up a rank that gives them some authority in picking which mini-games to play next. It isn't specifically mentioned, but you can probably count on purchasing and downloading extra activities months after you've grown tired of the original selection.That original selection had better feature Sumo and Twisted System, or we'll be so angry. You won't like us when [censored by the clichè police].
