New Super Mario Bros (Wii)

Without a doubt, this is the best game of the year. New Super Mario Bros has many similar elements of past Mario games (namely, Super Mario Bros 3) including characters we love: Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach; enemies and bosses we're familiar with, and plenty of new ones too.

There are new abilities like the hat that allows you to jump super high and float back down, and a penguin suit that lets you slide on your belly to reach areas you wouldn't be able to otherwise.

The most important new feature is the multiplayer interactivity which allows up to four friends or family members to play the game at the same time. Up to 4 players can cooperate to complete each level. When one player dies, as long as they have "lives" left and other team members are still alive, they come back in a bubble that they must be rescued from...and then they can continue playing along with their team.

A favorite feature for our young family with 3 little kids is that you can press A and go into a bubble whenever you want to. This lets the little kids stay safe and not die while parents or older kids complete the more difficult obstacles in the game. Be careful though, if all players of your team find themselves in a bubble you all die and must re-do the level!

The game is very challenging in comparison to past Mario games even for myself, a seasoned Mario Bros player. Buy it! And prepare yourself for lots of fun, some frustration, a great way to spend time with family and friends of all ages, and staying up way later than you planned playing the game!

Game Party (Wii)

Game Party for Wii is a fun party game geared toward adults, but it's fun for the whole family to play.

It includes 7 games:

1) Darts - one of our favorites. Play several different games/modes (301, 501, cricket). Very addicting!

2) Table hockey

3) Shuffleboard

4) Hoops - shoot as many basketballs as you can into a hoop.

5) Skii ball

6) Ping Cup (like beer pong). This is really the only game that we've had major difficulty playing...the censor controls are just strange and it's challenging to figure out what you're supposed to be doing. We still haven't figured it out.

7) Trivia

Cars (Wii)

Cars for Wii is a fun game that utilizes the motion sensitive Wii remote as if you're really using a steering wheel. It's a wonderful family game, kid friendly even for very young children, I'm able to play with my three year old son without any problems.

There are several modes of gameplay, different tracks to choose from, and plenty of unlockables as you progress through the game.