As everyone is crowding around the dinner table for the holidays, getting ready to carve up a bird and gorge on side dishes, it's time we look back at our favorite families we've encountered throughout video game history. Family often sets the backdrop for your character's past. Many of times, family is used as the catalyst for the events of a story, whether its an abducted child or a sibling you have to rescue/protect. After a while, there were simply too many generic damsels in distress you could rescue. In order to help create a story players could be invested in, developers started throwing family members into the mix.

Ever since we were introduced to the Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System, familial bonds played a pivotal role in determining the framework and cast of a video game's story. It wasn't until the late 1980s and early 1990s where video game stories starting being  flushed out and expanded into intricate plots. Instead of Simon Belmont returning to fight Dracula yet again, we got to play one of his ancestors, as we found out his family has been fighting the forces of darkness for centuries. Likewise, we learned that Bowser has a legion of hellspawn hat he's trying to raise on his lonesome. Decades later, we have even more intense stories, where family members can even become a protagonist's greatest rival. Nevertheless, it's time we crowd around for a big holiday portrait starring the 10 Best Families in Video Games.

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