Bash Party is, at its heart, a multiplayer game, with more modes and stages that you could possibly master inside of a week. Each and every game type can be played cooperatively or competitively, and each stage is dedicated to its mode (there’s no recycling levels here). Co-op play is so addictive that it should come with some kind of warning – and the competitive modes get seriously tense, in the best way. Your average match brings all of the sweaty concentration of a late-stage Jenga game with the visceral physicality of Wii Sports Baseball.

There’s also a very robust level editor. Think of it as “LittleBigPlanet lite” or just a giant collection of blocks. You can download new levels of any play style (in solo or multiplayer flavors), and share your own creations online. The process is super speedy and satisfying – you literally have an endless supply of friend code-free stages at your fingertips.

I cannot recommend this game enough. It’s fun, it’s versatile (I’ve found it to be a hit with gamers and non-gamers), and it offers more bang for your buck (ha!) than just about anything else on Wii right now. It’s the best kind of sequel – one that truly “gets” what was cool about its forebear, cuts the fat and elevates every cool feature to the next logical step. Superb.