The PlayStation 3 has its own particular flavor of local multiplayer games. First-party experiences tend to focus on family-friendly entertainment, while downloadables on the platform like to experiment with various concepts. Sometimes a developer even takes advantage of the system’s 7-controller support! (Just not that often.) Here’s the cream of the crop on the system, including some that should work for any group. READ MORE
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was a bit early in the development of the multiplayer experience, and as a result, the three-to-five-player options are rather limited. Still, there are some great games you should check out if you can, and one or two all-time gems. READ MORE
This column has done a lot of looking back at classic games and looking forward at our future, but sometimes we can love the games we have now. Here’s a look at a small slice of the local multiplayer experience on the Xbox 360, and the best and most interesting things to play on the system with two or more friends. READ MORE
If you were waiting for this column to get super-literal, wait no longer. This time, we’re talking an actual multitap; specifically, the one belonging to the original PlayStation. (Even though you can just play them on the PS3 now, without extra hardware.) What are the multiplayer experiences worth busting out four controllers? READ MORE
The Dreamcast is a system with a sizeable fan base, even to this day. There’s a reason for that, beyond it containing Sega’s last system-scale software push and being the first polygonal system to care about long-term visual fidelity. Why? It’s because it was, for all intents and purposes, an arcade system, and like the Neo Geo before it, it enjoyed the pick-up-and-play, attention-grabbing fare that framework brings. Unlike the Neo Geo, though, the Dreamcast had a four-player party play focus. READ MORE
