Fun Multiplayer / Party console games?

though bouts of revenge sparked by greed and betrayal often weasel their way into the scene, Zelda:Four Swords is rather entertaining. someone always manages to spark some dissatisfactory cooperation which ends up creating a chain of shouts and flailing trying to get through the stage. then of course there are the less chaotic minigames that are fun for a while. my personal favorite though is the shadow battle mode which is as it sounds, a free for all zelda battle royale. especially great for relieving the forementioned tensions.

the people at a birthday party i recently attended seemed to be rather fond of Taiko Drum Master, which is relatively easy to pick up and fun to boot. i don't think there'll be a sequel any time soon stateside, but there seem to be a bunch of JP installments.

it takes an affinity for MMOs and a willingness to commit hours upon hours, but Phantasy Star Online can provide more than enough entertainment for one evening (and it's 4p).

Wario Ware$ inc. is also a good party game. the games are of the tutti-frutti japanese flavor, and only last a few seconds but really get the adrenaline going as they come in rapid succession... forcing the brain to nimbly process the objective and complete the microgame. the multiplayer game itself adds depth to the 1,2,3,THINKFAST!1,2,3,THINKFAST! behavior.

OMG, whatever happened to Bomberman1?!one?!?1?
Bomberman is definitely par for partying. It comes in the different flavors depending on which console its played on, hence equating to a unique multiplayer experience. though the 3d bomberman type seems to draw the most attention (n64)

other multiplayer games that i'm neglecting to describe
chu chu rocket
snowboard kids
gotcha force
pokemon stadium
worms armageddon/3d
frequency/amplitude
point blank

Jam it back in, in the dark.