Social Games for the Holidays

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Brighten up your annual family reunion with these tried-and-true social games.

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Super Mario Galaxy

While it's undoubtedly the best game on the Wii this year, Mario Galaxy's cooperative mode isn't quite as cooperative as it might appear. Your partner just helps out with an on-screen cursor, grabbing stars, freezing enemies or helping you jump higher. But while it's not going to have your gaming buddies playing late into the night, it is absolutely perfect to play with younger kids who are enthralled with the game's superb presentation but find the full-blown experience a bit too much to handle. You can take care of the complicated stuff, while your assistant gets to feel like they're participating too. Perfect.

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Mario Party 8

Sure, the Wii is overrun with games that are designed for social settings. The cornerstone of its mass-market appeal is the way its innovative controller is irresistible to gamers and non-gamers alike, and in the way its games lend themselves to get-up-and-try group sessions. But if you're bored with the usual Wii multiplayer recommendations like the excellent Rayman Raving Rabbids and the ubiquitous Wii Sports, give this brought-to-life board game a go. For best results, play it with the full four players, and be prepared to take a game or two to learn the ropes.

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Warhawk

So if the Wii is the social gaming equivalent of the bar from "Cheers," the PS3 is more like sharing a bottle of champagne with a hobo under a bridge: expensive and unfashionable. Still, it's not without its share of multiplayer thrillers, and here's our favorite. Responsible for much lost productivity and extended lunches here at Yahoo! Towers, Warhawk's four-player split-screen mode offers some of the best single-console fun you'll find on the platform. Featuring combat on the ground and in the air, and taking advantage of the PS3's oft-ignored tilt-sensitive controller, it's an underappreciated gem.

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