Top 5 Games to Play Whilst BBQing

The hot weather has reached the Northern Hemisphere and gotten us thinking about firing up that black thing which has been sitting under a cover in the garden for eight months. That’s right, it’s a little bit sunny so barbeque season is upon us!

Of course, us gamers aren’t just thinking of flame-grilled burgers and kebabs — we’re wondering if we can fit in a game or two whilst we have people over! Just because it’s hot outside and we have company doesn’t mean we have to be out there, right?

So here’s my list of games to put on when you’ve got some friends over! Get out your ‘retro’ consoles, folks!

GoldenEye 007

Nothing gives you an appetite like having a quick few rounds of British-spy-themed deathmatch. Whether in the original version or the remake, running around maps with Golden Guns or Walther PPKs and pretending not to screen-cheat guarantees that fun is on the cards. So long as nobody plays as Oddjob...

Timesplitters 2

The very epitome of multiplayer deathmatch gaming, with guns, grenades and monkeys. Few people can find fault with the spectacular level design and instant action of historically inaccurate people murdering each other. And with up to 16-players — if you have enough PS2s system linked together — it’s fun for the whole party at once.

Smash Bros. Melee

There are several ways to play a multiplayer Melee, but if you’ve spent the day so far gathering into cliques you’ll want to do a team match. Two players on each team — or have three people gang up on a single person: just don’t forget to set a handicap. It’s embarrassing for three people to get owned by a lone Pikachu.

Tekken 3

Solve any drunken fights by fighting like drunks with drunken-button-mashing! Make everyone pick Eddie Gordo and let the fun solve any disagreements. See who can set whom on fire as a pair of Gons, or even entertain others as couple of Pandas. You could, of course, just see who wins in a tournament of fighting...

Mario Party

There ain't no party like a Mario Party, 'cause a Mario Party involves shells, stars, princesses and dragon-dinosaur-kings! It's a game that requires more of a time commitment from each player, depending on which version you choose to play, so is better as a post-barbecue game. Then you can focus on gathering stars, betraying loved ones to steal their stars and drunkenly laughing at how pitiable your friends efforts are.