Playing through a great single-player video game like 'Bioshock' can be a rich and engrossing experience, but when it comes to fun factor and laugh-out-loud moments with a few of your friends, nothing beats a great party game like, say, 'Guitar Hero World Tour' (pictured above). The party game genre, which generally includes a multitude of pick-up-and-play mini-games designed for four or more players, has been getting more and more popular as video gaming goes mainstream. To be honest, we've never before seen as large a collection of party-worthy games -- all of which are due by the end of the year (or early next) -- as were on display at this year's E3. Here are the ones we think you should unleash on your guests at upcoming parties:

Rock Band 2 - What more can we say about 'Rock Band 2'? The music game that took players beyond the guitar and brought a whole band to the genre (minus the pain of the inevitable breakup and eventual deafness) is back for an encore with 84 new songs from original masters by everyone from Devo and the Go-Gos to Talking Heads and Motorhead. Its developers also promise compatibility with "most songs" in the original game. It's not exactly a huge step forward for the franchise, but if you've played the first version, you're probably not looking for much. 'Rock Band 2' is hitting the Wii, PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360 this fall.

Guitar Hero World Tour - 'Guitar Hero' made rocking out with a friend while holding a little plastic guitar acceptable, and 'World Tour' will extend that basic premise to the whole band, à la 'Rock Band,' by adding drums and a microphone and letting several party guests participate at once. This was the most impressive looking music game at the Electronics Entertainment Expo, with new multiplayer modes (like battle of the bands) and extensive song-creation tools, as well as the addition of 85 new music tracks from artists like Metallica, R.E.M, and even David Lee Roth, to help this aged franchise maintain its kick. 'Guitar Hero World Tour' hits the Wii, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC too this fall.

You're In The Movies - Gamers are used to pushing buttons, of course. Lately, they've also become used to talking into microphones and waving their arms about to control games. Moving around in front of a motion-detecting camera, though, is still something many gamers are wrapping their heads around. After a few minutes with 'You're In the Movies,' though, and everything makes sense. The camera records you as you play through some silly mini-games like swatting flies or running in a race, then stitches recorded footage of everyone playing those games back together to make a little movie staring you and your friends. The one shown to us took the footage and made a '50s monster-movie complete with an overgrown iguana, with footage of us and the folks around us seamlessly integrated into it. The result is huge laughs for up to four players when the game ships this winter, but only if you have an Xbox 360.

Wii Sports Resort - 'Wii Sports' is a modern classic, and 'Wii Sports Resort' is a logical extension, taking you to a tropical setting and adding a handful of new games to the mix that make use of Nintendo's new MotionPlus add-on to amp up the sensitivity of the Wii controller. The full list of games hasn't been announced yet, but we eid get a chance to check out a sword fighting game, in which players have to knock an opponent off of a raised platform. It alone seemed to be a good sales pitch for the game -- it's a million times more responsive and bouncy than the lame attempt at boxing in the current 'Sports' title. And the Wave-Runner-esque game -- you see, the game takes place at a 'resort' -- was more immersive than anything else we've tried out so far on a home console. The only problem with this game is that it's not due until sometime early next year.

Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party - The little Rabbids are back, and this time your butt gets into the action. Yes, you actually use your posterior on the Wii Balance Board to control one of these white-rabbit-like creatures on a snowboard (making for a nice workout!). Other games include a music dance game and surfing. Ultimately this is just another collection of silly little games on a console that's full of silly little games, but somehow those deranged little bunnies still crack us up. And you and your party guests will certainly have shapely behinds when you're done playing this one. This will be hitting the Wii and Nintendo DS later this year.

Wii Music - Nintendo made a big deal out of this musicgame when it announced it at the beginning of E3 this year -- the idea is that this game is easier to play than, say, the super-competitive 'Guitar Hero,' which can be intimidating for the average gamer. After playing it, though, we're thinking this one's only for those who are truly young at heart. Sure, the game boasts 50 instruments (everything from marimbas and saxophones to sitars and harpsichords) to play, but most don't sound particularly good. Unlike the other music games, which require a certain ability with pitch and rhythm, Wii Music simply asks you to hit random buttons and shake the Wii controller, which is only mildly rewarding. On top of that, there's no scoring and no winner, so it's certainly not much of a competition. Still, it might be fun for a bunch of inebriated party guests who're too out of it to focus on 'Rock Band.' 'Wii Music' drops this fall.

Our House - Another game angled toward younger gamers is 'Our House' from Majesco. In it, up to four players can use their Wii remotes or DS styluses to piece together an abode by dropping in furniture, painting walls, and getting upgrades to build faster than their friends. It's competitive, but in the end, all the gamers can enjoy the look of the new virtual house they built together -- before tearing it down and building a new one. The game hits the DS and Wii later this year.

Imagine Party Babyz - Get four toddlers in a room together in the real world and what do you get? A lot of pooping and screaming and running around, which to most folks doesn't sound like much fun. But in the world of gaming what you get is 'Imagine Party Babyz,' a little party title catering to the tween crowd of girls aged 8 - 14. They'll probably love this collection of challenges that has you playing as toddlers generally getting into mischief and playing games like red light green light while avoiding the gaze of their babysitter. Anyone outside of the tween demographic, though, isn't likely to be too into this one when it hits the Wii in a few months.