I'm sure many of us have heard both good and bad about Mario Party Advance, the handheld version of the long-lasting but somewhat overdone Mario Party series, but how is it really? We'll see. This Review is on a scale of five.

Graphics: ****

The graphics are great for the GBA but there are problems. Numerous characters look to be a lot bigger or smaller than usual and the effects in some mini-games are off. Nonetheless, the overall look is pretty good and it is for the most part easy to make out anything you need to see.

Sound: *

There are very few sounds made in the game by characters and the background music will practically make your ears bleed. I suggest you keep this turned down all the way and listen to something else instead.

NPCs: *****

This has got to be the biggest nostlagia-based Mario game ever. You've got Kamek, E. Gadd, Toad, Penguin, Bowser, Koopa Kid, and Toadette. You've got the Toadies (who are rappers now for some reason in a band called Kamek's Krew). You've got Lantern Ghost, Ninji, Dorrie, Snifit, and even long-forgotten characters like Silvo the Slime, Tumble, Mouser (who looks more like a giant Mini-Mouser than the original thing), and a whole lot more.

Playable Characters: * 1/2

Let's face it: the roster for this game is horrible. From what I can tell, a relatively small amount of people play as any of these but Luigi in the GCN games. The more pointless Gaddgets could have easily been taken out to include at least Wario and DK so that the game feels at least sort of like a true Mario Party.

Gameplay: *** 1/2

The gameplay is for the most part easy to pick up- after all, with only the A and B Buttons and Control Pad, how complicated can things be? However, in many cases the controls do not fit well at all. For example, a few games have you using B or A to move instead of the Control Pad, meaning that things can be very confusing and hard to operate at times. Also, many of the Gaddgets have controls that don't make any sense such as the Tap-Tap Sumo (which, amazingly enough, doesn't have Tap-Tap in it).

Mini-Games: **** 1/2

Sure, these mini-games get high points for originality and some are really addictive. No two feel exactly the same (though some feel a little similar) and that also makes things feel good. The only real complaint is the fact that some of the mini-games are just plain ridiculously hard (we're looking at you, Go-Go Pogo) and others are incredibly easy. Basically, there's too much of a gap between many of the games.

Story: ** 1/2

Bowser's come and let loose all of the Gaddgets and Mini-Games and now you've gotta go out and collect them all. For some reason, you're driving a shoe to do this and Tumble, who's on your side, makes you earn your chance to keep playing. Not only does the plot reak of unoriginality, but it also has plotholes like the one I just mentioned. Somehow all of these Gaddgets and Mini-Games managed to land in completely different areas and almost everyone has one. The main plothole here is that if Bowser was the one who caused the Mini-Games and Gaddgets to spill everywhere then how did he manage to get ahold of so many if, apparently, lots of people were interested?

Fun Factor!: ****

This game is pretty fun, but it isn't perfect. Often time in the main mode you'll find yourself going around in circles just to preserve Mushrooms, which is ridiculous. Most of the modes are pretty fun, but they can get repetitive after a while.

Overall: ****

This game is a fun little game and one that I'd recommend buying unless you can find someone to borrow it off of first to be sure. This is most certainly not one of the traditional Mario Parties, and it shows. Still, it's a pretty good game but is a bit short.

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