Non-Massive MMOs

Yesterday was my son's birthday and he received the original Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii as well as Mario Party for the DS. Around the same time, my husband's friend bought him a copy of the PC game Borderlands. Both males in the household are now enjoying what my husband described to me as "non-massive MMOs". My husband said that Borderlands is similar to WoW, with quests and places to explore and what-not, except that he is deliberately limiting his play-time to co-exploration with the friend who purchased it for him. He says that he's rather enjoying the experience of playing collaboratively but not with dozens of strangers but instead with one pal - the game can have up to four players. I get the feeling that my son's Mario Party pleasure is similar. He first discovered the game while playing at his friend's house with his friend, his sister, and another peer. One person owns the game and the other players can connect with their individual DS devices and play together. My son was pumped to get this game and get his sister to use her DS to join in. Don't get me wrong - there's a lot to be said for other game-play styles, like working in huge guilds with virtual companions all over the world that you only know online, or playing games solo - but playing with a small group of folks you know is gaining in popularity here at our house.