Nintendo the ideal Holiday Gift?

People have actively criticized Nintendo ever since the Wii U came out a number of years ago, but the reality is that the Wii U and 3DS still might be the ideal family Video Game gift this holiday season. The reason for this? Local multiplayer, something not easily available on the Xbox One or the PS4. Even though the rumored Nintendo NX will be available next year, there are some great deals right now on the Wii U, and we should assume current game purchases will work on the new console in some way.

Despite negative press from hard core gaming outlets, Nintendo has two major advantages over the competition when it comes to parents / families purchasing a video game system this holiday season: local multiplayer titles and a wealth of family friendly options. I’m not saying the PS4 and Xbox One don’t have multiplayer games, or that they don’t have family friendly games, but not on the scale of Nintendo.

Multiplayer

Local multiplayer is a thing of the past for everyone BUT. Almost every game they have released since the launch of the system has had a strong multiplayer component, even in traditionally single player experiences. Here is the list of only a few of the best options currently available:

Mario Kart 8 – Racing around in Karts across tons of tracks – both new and old – is fun for the whole family. For less than 15 dollars, you can extend that experience with more tracks, more Karts, and more characters.

New Super Mario Bros U – while 2D Mario games have traditionally been single player experiences, up to 5 people can now play this game together. Work as a team or fight for the best loot as you cross each world within this game.

Super Mario 3D World – like 2D Mario games, 3D Mario games have also traditionally been single player experiences. Now four cats can crawl, climb, and jump through a variety of different levels.

Super Smash Bros U – while this game might be aimed at older children and adults, there is still a lot of fun to be had. If you can look past minor cartoon violence, there is a lot to love here!

Animal Crossing amiibo Festival – this game might be a snore fest for adults, but when played with children it is hard not get excited about how much fun they will have. The game is simplistic and pretty good for all ages!

Family Friendly Oriented

Even when not playing together, parents can be confident in the systems parental controls and the average software being released. Almost all Nintendo software is family friendly, and since most third party publishers have abandoned the system, you will not need to worry about your kids bugging you for Call of Duty. No matter what games your child chooses to play, the Wii U has the best kid friendly selection, and that really cannot be debated.

No matter what you may have heard from friends about the Wii U, if your number one concern this holiday season is giving your kids and family friendly, and safe video game system, you cannot go wrong with a Wii U. Lifetime fans will tell you the systems game library doesn’t stack up against systems of the past, but they will also say the Wii U has a really great line-up as well.