Pokemon video games are a series of role playing games played both as party games and single player games, published by Nintendo, which have already sold over 175 million units as of April 23, 2008. The development work is done by Game Freak and Creatures Inc. for new generation releases.

These video games were first created as role playing games by Satoshi Tajiri for the Game Boy. The new releases kept getting categorized under generations of chronological orders as and when new characters with new gameplay concepts kept getting introduced in the games. Currently the fourth generation is under progress in the franchise.

The first party games/ single player games in the series were Pocket Monsters Aka and Midori for the Game Boy in Japan. When they went extremely popular, they were reprogrammed as Pokémon Red and Blue for international release on September 30, 1998 in the United States. Then came Pokémon Yellow completing the first generation as it is known today as its chronological name.

The second generation started in 2000 featuring Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver for Game Boy Color. Later in 2001 Pokémon Crystal was added to the list introducing 100 new species of Pokémon making it a total of 251 Pokémon to collect along with many other new features incorporated.

In 2003 came the third generation with the release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire for Game Boy Advance, adding Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen in 2004, Pokémon Emerald in 2005, and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team in 2006; introducing 135 new Pokémon and thus taking the total to 386.

In 2006 came the fourth generation with the release of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl for Nintendo DS to be expanded later with Pokemon Dash, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, Pokémon Ranger, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness, Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, Pokémon Platinum, and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky, along with Pokémon Battle Revolution for Wii (with Wi-Fi connectivity); introducing 107 new species of Pokémon and thus taking the total to 493.

Players choose any one of three different Pokémon at the start of the game depending on the type of Pokémon their rival has chosen in order to be able to take advantage of their week points in the game. Only Pokémon Yellow is an exception in which the player gets a Pikachu and the rival gets an Eevee every time.

Pokemon video games as role playing games both as party games and single player games were awarded eight records in Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008, including "Most Successful RPG Series of All Time", "Game Series With the Most Spin-Off Movies" and "Most Photosensitive Epileptic Seizures Caused By A TV Show".

Associated Deals on eBay

Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness Gamecube Game,brand new sealed. Nintendo, PAL RARE    US $314.96

Nintendo DS Pokemon Diamond Complete game    US $13.00

Game Boy GBC GBA Gameboy Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow    US $42.10

Pokemon FireRed Version (Nintendo Game Boy Advance, 2004)    US $20.60

Guitar Hero is a series of music video games under Party Games. RedOctane, a subsidiary of Activision first published it on October 28, 2007 in North America with their first entry as Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. By now in all, six games have been released for game consoles while others are there for mobile phones and the Nintendo DS handheld gaming system.

The games have individual player modes as well as cooperative and competitive modes for two players making them extremely popular as party or individual games.

The gameplay is a rhythm game controlling frequency and amplitude through a guitar controller. The screen shows an extended guitar neck vertically on it whereas the frets are shown horizontal. As the song progresses, colored markers indicating notes travel down the screen; the note colors and positions representing the notes and positions of the five fret keys on the guitar controller.

The player is supposed to play the notes indicated on the computer screen by holding down the correct fret buttons and hitting the strumming bar in order to score points.

Cooperative modes allow two players to play lead and company on the same song, working together in a cooperative way to earn score. In the competitive Face-Off mode, two players play against each other at different difficulty levels, trying to earn the better of the two scores.

This popular series of music video games under Party Games has already sold 23 million units, earning US$1.6 billion at retail, creating milestones in the history of the music industry.

Associated Deals on eBay

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Xbox 360, 2007)    US $6.00

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s (PlayStation 2) new    US $16.95

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for Sony PlayStation 2    US $10.67

Guitar Hero World Tour & Guitar Hero III Legends Of Rock Wi Fi Games 2 for 1    US $10.00

A scavenger hunt is one of the fun party games in which the participants are given a list to collect (without spending money) or perform, either individually or in teams that makes the game a very involving one, at times filling it with a spirit of adventure, thrill and curiosity making the game as colorful as one's imagination can take it to be.

Everyone tries to complete the list as fast as possible in order to come out the winner of the game. At times it is not the speed but the quality of collection or performance that decides who the winner is, like in a photograph clicking hunt on a particular theme or topic where the number of the photographs clicked id not as important as the creative quality of the pictures clicked is.

Video game industry has exploited the theme of the game to a real great extent by incorporating the same in Super Mario 64, Metroid, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, Rugrats, Grand Theft Auto and even partially in Pokémon series of the party video games.

A few of the famous traditions that play this game are The University of Chicago Hunt, the annual Tricadecathlonomania in Northfield, MN in April every year, and the "Rally Intergaláctico del Rey Lagarto" in Mexico City.

Associated Deals on eBay

Disney Princess Roll A Rama Scavenger Hunt Book 2005    US $10.99

Scavenger Hunt (Laser #25), Stephen Goldin, VeryGood    US $14.48

DCL Scavenger Hunt Stitch's Treasure LE 400 Disney pin    US $39.99

Disney Scavenger Hunt Goofy Surfing Pin    US $35.00

Mario Party is the first board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console. The game was released on February 8, 1999 in North America around two months after its inaugural release in Japan on December 14, 1998. Europe saw its release on March 9, 1999.

It's a simple traditional board game of moving ahead on the spaces of the board by rolling the dice. Spaces where the players land have something or the other in store for the players on them.

The aim of the game for the players is to collect as many stars as they can. The one with the highest number of stars in possession becomes the winner as the game comes to end. At one time there is only one of it on the board, which the players need buying by paying a certain number of coins. Once it is bought, a new one appears on the board for the players to vie anew for it.

Stars and coins can be stolen from other players with the help of Boo who charges his fee for the help offered for stars whereas coin stealing is free. Coins are earned by landing on the blue spaces as well as by winning mini games which are there 56 in numbers. Landing on red spaces or on a Browser space loses coins as well.

There are six playable characters named Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, Wario, and Yoshi. Mini games that are played at the end of each round of turns along with some other situations are divided in four categories named four-player, 2-on-2, 1-on-3, and one-player.

The popularity of Mario Party - the first board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console - led to its seven sequels named by numbers added to it as Mario Parties 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, along with Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and E-Reader versions as on date, all of them being hot cakes to sell.

Associated Deals on eBay

MARIO PARTY NINTENDO 64 N64 GAME N 64 CARTRIDGE marioparty    US $25.97

Mario Party (Nintendo 64, 1999)    US $13.50

GBA Spiel Mario Party Advance (nur Modul)    US $21.09

GBA e-reader -Mario Party Card Game (CIB) + E-reader!    US $65.00

Mario Party 2 is the second board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console. The game was released on January 24, 2000 in North America more than a month after its inaugural release in Japan on December 17, 1999. Europe saw its release much later on October 12, 2000.

There are six playable characters named Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Wario, and Donkey Kong who all keep changing their costumes as the new boards keep coming in the play. Bowser and Koopa Troopa never appear on the board though they have other roles to play.

There are many mini-games categorized as four-player, one vs. three, two vs. two, and battle games that come under play depending on the number of characters either gaining or else losing the coins and the stars. If all the four players are either gaining or losing coins, four-player is played. If three are gaining and one is losing or vice versa, one vs. three is played and so on. In all 43 new mini-games are introduced in the second version of the party keeping the old ones intact and some of them renamed. Three new types of mini-games are also introduced named as the Battle mini-game, the Item mini-game, and the Duel mini-game.

New buildings - the Item Shop and the Koopa Bank - as well as new spaces - the Battle Space, the Item Space, and the Bank Space - have been introduced in the game too. They mostly deal with initiating mini-games, depositing and disbursing coins in/on them.

Mario Party 2 - the second board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console - has been welcomed all over with its new features that it has come up with.

Associated Deals on eBay

Nintendo 64 Spiel MARIO PARTY 2 - N64 #476    US $39.76

Tappetino Mouse Pad Mario Bros Party 4 Luigi YOSHI #2    US $13.18

Nintendo 64 Spiel MARIO PARTY 2 OVP - N64 #698    US $44.12

N64 Nintendo 64 MARIO PARTY 2 Great Game !!!    US $25.99

Mario Party 3 is the third board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console. The game was released on May 7, 2001 in North America exactly three months after its inaugural release in Japan on February 7, 2001. Europe saw its release much later on January 16, 2002.

There are eight playable characters named Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, and the newly-added Waluigi and Princess Daisy. The game has duel maps in it where the players engage themselves in duels aiming at lowering the opponent's stamina to zero with the help of non-playable characters, e.g., Chain Chomps.

The players hit a dice block and move their characters around the board in order to win coins and stars. After a full round of turns is over, a minigame automatically comes into play.

In the Story Mode, one single player initiates a campaign through every board trying to defeat the computer controlled opponents and earn stamps from the Millennium Star. After 7 stamps are successfully acquired, the player has to defeat the Millennium Star in the final duel of a minigame called the Star Dust Battle. The final target is to turn your character into a Miracle Star that makes you win the game.

In the standard party mode, up to four players play through a board and try to win against one another or else, in teams.

Mario Party 3 - the third board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console - won the Console Family Award at the 2002 Interactive Achievement Awards.

Associated Deals on eBay

MARIO PARTY 3 + Box! / Japanese Import / Japan Nintendo 64 / JP N64    US $30.00

NINTENDO DS DSI 3DS XL 55 GAME LOT MARIO PARTY PRINCESS PEACH SONIC HARVEST MOON    US $399.99

Mario Party 3 (Nintendo 64, 2001)    US $34.99

Mario Party 3 Nintendo 64 Cartridge    US $22.00

Mario Party 4 is the fourth board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo GameCube console. The game was released on October 21, 2002 in North America and on November 8, 2002 in Japan. PAL region saw its release on November 29, 2002.

Eight characters can be directed on six game boards in the game. Players try to earn the maximum number of stars through purchasing them from a specific space on the board. The roll of a die initiates a turn and after each turn is over; it's time to play a minigame in order to earn money for characters for buying stars and other things.

The playable characters in the game are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Daisy, and Waluigi; out of which any four are chosen by the players.

Minigames fall under any one of the four categories named "four-player", "1 vs 3", "2 vs 2", and "Battle". Battle cannot be played after every turn is over but only after landing on a particular space on the board, in which the players are supposed to contribute their money in a single pool and then later reclaim it by winning the minigame as well as earn more of it.

The story-line of the game is not a very well-knit one and makes it compulsory for the players to pass through the Story Mode to earn birthday presents from the characters, which are to be paid back for by defeating the giver in a one-on-one Story minigame.

Mario Party 4 - the fourth board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo GameCube console - won the Family Game of The Year award of the year 2003.

Associated Deals on eBay

Mario Party 4 (Nintendo GameCube, 2002)    US $14.99

Mario Party 4 (Gamecube) WITH STRATEGY GUIDE - PLAYS GREAT    US $24.99

Mario Party 4 (Nintendo GameCube, 2002) PLAYS ON NINTENDO Wii    US $30.00

Tappetino Mouse Pad Mario Bros Party 4 Luigi YOSHI #2    US $13.18

Mario Party 5 is the fifth board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo GameCube console. The game was released on November 10, 2003 in North America and on November 23, 2003 in Japan. PAL region saw its release on December 5, 2003.

The multiplayer game mode comprises four players playing seven board games along with many minigames trying to win stars and coins in order to win the game.

The single-player story mode puts a challenge to the sole player to win against the Koopa Kids so that Bowser could be stopped from conquering the Dream Depot.

The characters in the game are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Daisy, Waluigi, Toad, Boo and Koopa Kid. Toad and Boo along with Koopa Kid are new ones coming from their debut in Mario Party 4 and Donkey Kong appears only in DK space.

The Star Guards invite Mario and party to Dream Depot for their skill in dreaming big. They are supposed to challenge the Koopa Kids winning from them in the board games in order to prevent Bowser from replacing dreams with his nightmares.

The target is to deplete the Koopa Kids of their coins in each board game, done so by winning minigames against them.

The game enjoyed quite positive critic reviews as well as many international awards making it a part of Nintendo Player's Choice label in 2004.

Associated Deals on eBay

Super Mario / Party Troopa 5" plush doll SANEI Japan    US $12.99

Mario Party 5 (Nintendo GameCube, 2003)    US $21.99

GAMECUBE Platinum System+5 Games-Zelda Collectors Ed/Mario Party 5/Sonic Collect    US $129.99

Mario Party 4 & Mario Party 5 Nintendo GameCube Complete with Strategy Guides    US $59.99

Mario Party 6 is the sixth board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo GameCube console. The game was released on December 6, 2004 in North America and on March 18, 2005 in the European Union. Australia saw its release on September 15, 2005 whereas Japan was first country where it was released as early as on November 18, 2004.

The game is designed to be played by up to four players taking turns to move on the board through various stages including more than 80 minigames divided into 4-player, 1-vs.-3, 2-vs.-2, Battle, Duel, DK, Bowser, Mic and Rare; in order to collect as many stars and coins as possible.

The roles to be played are those of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Daisy, Waluigi, Toad, Boo and Koopa Kid along with a new secret character introduced in the series, named Toadette.

Players can also collect or buy orbs at the Orb Hut, which they can use for stealing coins from opponents, obstructing their competitor's advance, or earning stars in a fast mode.

Brighton and Twila representing the sun and the moon argue over the question of popularity in the Mario Party world, on which Mario suggests to collect as many stars as possible and settle the battle; and thus gets the game set rolling!

Associated Deals on eBay

Mario Party 6 (game only) (Nintendo GameCube, 2005)    US $19.99

Mario Party 6 Nintendo GameCube    US $22.49

Mario Party 6 (Nintendo GameCube, 2004) BIG BOX MIC INCLUDED CHECK PHOTO RARE    US $63.99

Mario Party 6 (Nintendo GameCube, 2005) COMPLETE playable on Wii & NGC    US $27.95

Mario Party 7 is the ninth board game as party video games on Nintendo for Nintendo GameCube console. The game was released on November 7, 2005 in North America and on February 10, 2006 in the European Union. Australia saw its release on June 8, 2006 and Japan, on November 10, 2005.

The game is played with eight players at the most, playing the roles of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Birdo, Toad, Toadette, Wario, Waluigi, Boo, and Dry Bones. There are 88 new minigames in it which are of 9 different types named 4-P, 1 vs.3, 2 vs.2, Battle, Duel, 8-P, DK, Bowser, and Rare; out of which 10 minigames make use of the microphone peripheral provided along. Five new worlds have also been included in the game.

Toadsworth - the host of the game - invites Mario and friends to go on a luxury cruise around the world but omits the evil Bowser, who then takes revenge trying to turn their trip a total flop.

Players are divided into teams of two, one player using the left shoulder button and the control stick in mini-games and the other, the right shoulder button and the C-stick.

Players compete with one another to complete the objectives of each board before the others can do them and try to gather stars as much as possible. Once all the six boards are over, the fastest player is decided by adding all to the ranking section.

Mario Party 7 is one of the most sought-after games in the genre of party video games on Nintendo GameCube.

Associated Deals on eBay

Mario Party 7 (Nintendo GameCube, 2005) PLAYS ON NINTENDO Wii    US $25.00

***Mario Party 7*** Game Cube - Wii Complete & Mic Included    US $27.99

Mario Party 7 (GameCube)    US $34.99

Mario Party 7 (game only) (Nintendo GameCube, 2005)    US $26.34