'Sup folks? Kyoni here! I used to be a huge fan of the Mario Party series, I grew up playing Mario Party with my neighborhood friends, but the series has been suffering a horrible fate as of late. Nintendo really did a job of ruining the series ever since the release of Mario Party 4. First, they killed off the series with Mario Party 4's uncheerful look, and then killed them off even more with a horrible capsule system introduced in Mario Party 5. Thankfully, they managed to fix that in Mario Party 6. The capsule system was significantly fixed, and the colorful graphics made the game cheerful. I also loved all the Star collecting Mario Party 6 provided, just like old times! Oh the nostalgia! However, Mario Party 6 did have some flaws, and before Mario Party 7 hits the stores during winter, I tought I'd write my own opinion on the game.
Categories will be rated on a 0-5 star scale.
Story: *
Ugh! By far the worst story I've ever seen in a Mario Party. Brighton and Twila, the sun and the moon, have gotten into a huge fight over who's more impressive. Now Mario and his party hearty cohorts have resolved to throwing a huge party in order to fill the Star Bank with Stars and hopefully end the furious feud. The main reason I didn't like the story was because Bowser had nothing to do with it, and that means no Bowser Battle in the end. Aww! I used to love the final battles with Bowser! Also, it looks like Nintendo got this from some little kid's bedtime story book, but then again, the game does take place in a story book. Still, I'm really disappointed with Nintendo, as it just proves to me that they're running out of ideas. They really could've done better though...
Controls: ****
The controls really couldn't be any simpler. A little kid could easily adapt to them in brief time, and if you're already a Mario Party veteran, you should get the controls from scratch. Still, some of the mini-game controls can be dreadfully heard, even for vets.
Graphics: ****
The graphics are pretty much like those on any other Mario game for the Cube. Very colorful and cartoon-like. I was really pleased with the graphics, and the boards looked awesome. But, try looking at the water in Castaway Island. Now that is really bad! As in for the character images, they looked pretty good too. 'Nuff said.
Music: **
I can't say I really enjoyed the music for this game. It really wasn't as memorable as the catchy tunes from the old Mario Parties. I absolutely HATE Bowser's theme, and I constantly found myself lowering the volume whenever I was playng in any of the Party boards. I can't say all of the tunes were bad. Some of the mini-game tunes were really catchy, while the rest are just, squalid.
Sound: *
Horrible! Truly despicable! For starters, the voice acting is simply embarassing! Daisy sounds like some perky teen cheerleader with an obnoxiously loud voice, and whoever voiced Toadette did one horrendous job, which is why I never play as either of them. Koopa Kid's voice is just as annoying. "Graahr!" Don't you just hate it when he does that? Aside from that, the rest of the sounds were ok I guess, and not being a major part of the game, I'm not spending too much time examining them more in depth.
Characters: **
The same playable characters from Mario Party 5 will be appearing here, with the addition of Toadette, who has proved to be even more annoying than Koopa Kid, who also needs to go. I really don't get it. Nintendo has TONS of awesome Mario characters to choose from, and they have to go for the cheap recolors that everyone hates. As for Brighton and Twila, they're basically there because they're important to the plot. I really don't like them that much. Brighton has this "I'm so cool" personality while Twila has this "Tee hee!' personallity. She's WAY too polite, and her presence on some of the boards, such as Faire Square, can completely jeopardize your winning plans! So, yeah, I wasn't very pleased with the cast of characters selected for this game.
Wow, those are a lot of flaws. but don't worry folks. It gets better starting from here.
Party Mode: *****
I loved Mario Party 6's Party Mode. The Party Boards were perfect for an all-out bash, and the fact that you earn Stars differently in each board made the Party Mode even more fun and exciting. In Castaway Island, you earn stars by stopping by Donkey Kong's boat, and in Snowflake Lake, you start out with five Stars, and then use Chain Chomps to snatch Stars from your opponent. It keeps the gameplay fresh and unrepetitive, unlike in previous Mario Parties. The Party Boards are also a bit different, in that there is a day and night system. After three turns of daylight, it's three turns of nightfall, and so on until the end of the Battle Royale. Some events can only happen during the day, while others can only happen during the night. For example, the mischievous Pink Boos only come out at night. The way you earn Stars can also depend on whether it's day or night. So to put it short and simple, the Pary Mode is awesome, and I had a lot of fun playing it with it, though it's more fun if you're playing it with friends.
Solo Mode: **
I hate this dinky excuse for a Story Mode. Here, you basically go on a solo journey on one of three small boards. Then, you play mini-games until you get to the finish line or end your game. Once done, you get a sweet amount of Stars based on your performance, which can later be used to purchase items in the Star Bank. Stars can also be earned in Party Mode, but this is the best place to go if you want lots of Stars. I suppose it's not that bad, but if Nintendo would've added more to do here, it would've been better, and so, it's not passable as a substitution for the Story Mode from previous Mario Parties.
Mic Mode:
The main thing that made Mario Party 6 so revolutionary from the previous Mario Parties was that it came with a really cool-looking mini microphone. I had high hopes for that microphone, but it really wasn't such a major part of the game. There are only a select few things to do with the the mic, most of which belong in this here Mic Mode. I will now split this category into three parts.
Speak Up: **
I can't rate this part of the Mic Mode very well, 'cause I've never really had too much fun with it. I once played it briefly with my friends, and it's basically a verbal quiz show where you must shout out the answers to win. You can choose one out of five quiz categories, which are Picture Quiz, Memory Quiz, Variety Quiz, Counting Quiz, and Comparison Quiz. It may be fun at first, but it gets awfully repetitive after a while, as you'll be answering the same questions, and it's not much fun if you already know all the answers.
Star Sprint: no stars
I loathe this game. All you have to do is shout out words that appear in the top of the screen in order to have your characters survive in an obstacle course. However, the game always tells you what to do, so it's like you're always playing this in Tutorial Mode. Also, you'll eventually end up doing the same things over and over, so it's awfully repetitive.
Mic Mini Games: ***
I really liked the mic mini-games, but it's such a shame that there are so few of them! My favorite would have to be Verbal Assualt, where you shout out words such as "fire" in order to attack your pesky opponents. The other ones are pretty darn fun, but since there are so few, you'll get bored of them in due time.
And that concludes the Mic Mode. I guess it's not too shabby, but it's certainly not something you'll be playing every time you play Mario Party 6.
Mini-Game Mode:
This is actually my favorite part of the game. For me, it never gets old to play those insanely fun mini-games. And there are so many ways to play! This is one of the major reasons why Mario Party 6 provides such awesome replay value. I will split this into parts as well.
Mini-Game Tour: *****
Hop on the Mini-Game Tour Bus and enjoy yourself playing all the mini-games you've played in Party or Solo Mode! I love the Mini-Game Tour Bus because it's basically non-stop mini-game fun! You can spend hours playing the many mini-games in the game while on the tour bus.
Battle Bridge: ***
Every Mario Party has a mode like this. This is just the latest version. Players play mini-games in order to earn points, which are presented as Stars. The player with the most Stars wins. It's as simple as that. It's better if you have friends to play with.
Treetop Bingo: ****
I had a lot of fun with this. It's very similar to the Tic-Tac Toe game introduced in Mario Party 4, but this time it's Bingo. A mini-game is selected for play, and the winner gets to light up a number on his or her board. Whoever lines up the chosen amount of rows wins. You can play this constantly and still have fun with it, but again, it's more fun if you have friends to play it with.
Decathelon Park: ***
This was first introduced in Mario Party 5. You basically compete against three opponents in ten intense mini-games. The winner earns points, and whoever has more points by the end emerges victorious. Sadly, you'll always have to play the same mini-games, so it can get repetitive. It's still fun the first couple of times, though.
Endurance Alley: *****
If you want a real challenge, you'll be interested in trying this out. As the name suggests, you go on a long greuling journey where you must play in tough mini-games in order to make it to the end. Truth be told, I've never actually reached the end, so I'm not really sure if there actually is one. Still, I am certain that this is one long journey, and I reccomend you practice with all of the mini-games you've earned before you go out and give the Endurance Alley a shot. Still, not all long and grueling journeys are bad. This is one of the better examples. But don't let the pressure get to you.
And that's it for the Mini-Game Mode. As you can see, there are many ways to play all of the mini-games you've earned, so it's enough to keep you entertained for hours.
Option Mode: no stars
Gotcha! You really weren't expecting me to review the Option Mode, were you? Still, it's always fun to check out the Sound Settings to check out the music and laugh at the horrible voice acting this game has to offer.
Star Bank: no stars
I'm not giving this place any stars because there's no playing involved in here. All of the Stars you earn in the game are stored here, and you can use them to purchase various cool items. I'm not one to give spoilers, so you'll just have to find out what's in here for yourself.
Fun Factor!: *****
This is definitely one of the best party games out for the Cube, and it offers tremendous fun as well. Though the game may have its own share of flaws, the many good things you'll find in this game are just enough to get by them.
Replay Value: ****
Mario Parties have been known to have excellent replayability, but the party has to end sometime. Still, if you have lots of friends to play with, you can play this game for a long while. The Party and Mini-Game modes are always fun to play, even if you're alone, and it's a game you'll like playng if you're cooped up inside your house on a rainy day.
Overall: ****
If you're a fan of Mario Parties and have been disgusted with all of Nintendo's failed attempts to keep the series alive, you're gonna like Mario Party 6. It's definitely a step up from the horrible Mario Parties we've seen on the Cube, and as I said before, it's a cool party game you can enjoy with your friends, and while alone.
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