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Soon, one of the most fattening days of the year will be upon us. Thanksgiving is usually seen as a time to be grateful for what we have, who we have in our lives, and what we're lucky enough to do with our
lives. This is done by eating a giant meal with our families and loved ones and maybe saying a word of thanks before digging in. Some families have traditions for this day: to go around the table and
give thanks, the father cutting into the turkey, watching hours of football with an unbuckled belt. Whatever your personal tradition, Super Dope Gaming hopes you each have a lovely Thanksgiving, full of joy
and laughter. For those gamers out there, more concerned with getting to the next level than with what part of the bird you get to eat, here is a selection of games that you should not only be thankful for,
but also ones that you can share with others.
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 The game that keeps on giving, even after all the courses have been memorized and you've
become a pro at drifting. No, not with DLC; MarioKart Wii allows for a rewarding experience through 32 tracks, half of which are taken from previous MarioKart games and
updated; split screen multiplayer, competitive online matches, a leader board, fun and exciting items, and more characters to play as than ever. This game, like it's predecessors, is most
enjoyed when playing with friends -- just make sure they know what they're doing first, racing against beginners is never fun -- and having several hours devoted to finding out who's the
better kart driver. The courses aren't too challenging, which means more people can get in on the action, but some of the most difficult challenges come from catching up to your friend after
a blue shell. This game is always a fun time with a small group and works best when people just want to have fun and forget the serious nature of other games.
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 I know, I know, it's an MMO and a lot of people don't have it or don't want to pay the $15 a
month subscription fee. I don't blame you. But what could be better than getting a group of your friends online and setting up a PvP raid against the Alliance? It's been a long time since I played
WoW (it was back before the first expansion) but the best memories I have of my 60+ days of play time are the ones where I took a trip to Ironforge and sneaked around, ganking low-level noobs. I
was cruel. Of course, there have been battle grounds for a long time, places where there can be a point to the pointless slaughtering of others, but the best situation is going to the lowest leveled,
contested area and griefing the rival faction with your friends, hopefully there with you at a LAN party. Ah, memories.
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 Another Wii game, but deservedly on this list. Not too many people can keep up with the fast
pacing of Melee, and there are some who won't go near the clunky, unbalanced mess that is the original Smash Brothers, so that leaves the latest iteration of the series. This game has pissed off
"hardcore" fighter fans since it came out, but does much to improve on accepted greatness. Brawl offers a roster of 35 characters and 41 stages, which is more than enough to add the required depth
for more serious players and a great way to bring in people whose favorite characters may not have been in the games before. The game offers a Co-op mode, the subspace emissary, which is a pretty
big let-down, really, but the game shines when it's a group of four going at it on random stages. You can make it more competitive by getting rid of items and, if you're playing against someone without
much experience, you can add a handicap to make it easier. If you want crazy fun, create your own stage with lots of traps and spikes, then turn on items to very high and watch as sh*t hits the fan.
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 An oldie but a goodie. If you want retro fun with a great game, then look no further than
this classic gem. Secret of Mana allows for two or three (with a multitap) people to play in what is usually a single-player genre. This SNES game does what most RPGs now don't
even do: have each person control a member of your party. It's perfect and I don't know why it doesn't happen in each party-gathering RPG. Taking down run-of-the-mill baddies
to a giant moth-thing and then a giant bat-thing with your friends instills a great feeling of accomplishment in each person. Leveling-up is also a feel-good experience during which
you can be cheered on by your friends for now being able to kill enemies in a single hit, or
be berated for having chosen the cleric. Clerics are lame. The game loses a few points for having only three characters, but gains it all back and more in the stellar gameplay.
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 This game is both the longest-titled on the list and my personal favorite. It holds a special place in
my heart because A Link to the Past is one of my favorite games (Ocarina of Time is still
better) and I have great memories with my friends. The story is different, but the visuals and the dungeons are taken frame-by-frame from the SNES version. It's hands-down the most difficult to
arrange with your friends since, in addition to the game, you need four Game Boy Advances or SPs, and also a connector cord for each to plug into the Gamecube. These are not easy to come by,
but once it happens, it's a thing of magic. Top-down, multi-player Zelda action. My friends and I have taken a weekend off just to take the time to get through the game. There isn't a lot of
difficulty for fans of the Zelda series, but there is a ton of carnage. Each player can hold an item (some of which can be upgraded) and use that item to attack other players. You got bombs?
Blow up your friends. A Roc's feather? Jump up and slam them. A hammer? You know
what to do. Then, at the end of each level, you can vote for the best and worst "hero" to further honor or denounce your
friends. I would still love to play this game, but my God, are those connector cables a b*tch to find... and three other gamer friends.
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