Well, the Party series seemed to reach its end after Mario Party 8. But after five years, Nintendo decided to bring it back. Does it make up for the semi-disappointing number 8? Let's find out. By the way, these sections are scored out of five stars.
Story: **
Let's be honest
here: it's a Mario Party game. These are not renowned for their story lines.
The theft of the Mini Stars by Bowser and Jr. was a pretty hollow story.
Still, it is better than what we saw in the early Party games, so it got
a second star.
Characters: ****
All of the classics
are here (minus DK of course)! They even included Shy Guy and Kamek (Magikoopa
for North Americans)! It was also nice to see Koopa finally playing instead
of sitting in the shops. Unfortunately, there are some characters missing.
Toadette, Boo, Dry Bones, Blooper, and Hammer Bro. are no more. Well, actually,
you will see most of them around, so they are still here, just not playable.
Graphics: ****
The graphics haven't
improved since last time, but they are still very good. The water, lava,
backgrounds, and such all look great, as do the characters.
Sound: *****
The soundtrack
in this game is great! It lives up to everything that the Mario series
music stands for. Each board, minigame, boss, and mode had its own music,
all of which keeps the game fresh and enjoyable to hear.
Boards: ****
More boards than
usual this time, a full 7! Each board has its own unique feel and tricks
to it. The last board takes a while to unlock, but is worth it. The one
problem is that I've seen them before. Three look like they were yanked
out of NSMBW, one is a redesign of the Bowser board from 8, one is a DKC
Returns course, and one is a Luigi's Mansion redo. Only Bob-omb Factory
feels new.
Items: *
This really hurt
the game. Instead of items, orbs, or candies, we now have dice blocks.
These are not worthy of being in a Mario Party game. They are very limited
and still rely on luck, they just change the numbers that you can roll.
If it wasn't for the Slow Dice Block, which lets you pick a number to roll
between 1 and 6, this would have had a zero.
Minigames: *****
The core of the
game. These are great! There are well over 80 new games. And all of them
are fun. Some, like Player Conveyor, I could play with my friends for a
full 15 minutes straight! The bosses were well done, the majority of the
games require skill instead of luck, and they are not a waggle-fest. Most
games require pointing or NES-style sideways control. And for anyone who
also hates Jr, Nintendo included 10 games just meant to beat him up! Easily
the best piece of the game.
Gameplay: **
The fact that
players now move in a group is a major strategic change. And the boards
now have finish lines. I liked these improvements, but... The problem is
that the luck factor is far too high! You can be an amazing player, but
one unlucky roll can ruin your game at the last minute! I dominate my brother
all the time. But then I hit a Bowser Revolution on my last turn and he
beats me just because he got to pick his favorite boss fight! This will
drive you insane.
Replayability: ****
You can play this
game as long as you want and never get bored. The only issue is that there
is almost nothing for a single player. Only get this if people will play
with you. If they will, you can play a new version of the game every day
for years.
Fun Factor!: ****
This is a really
fun game. Again, my concern is that you will get bored quickly should you
play alone. As the name suggests, it's great for when you have friends
over, but not so much alone.
Difficulty: **
It's a party game,
it's not that hard. The story mode can get a bit irritating, but you will
rarely lose at the same board more than once, and some computer players
help you out. The minigames are easy so long as no one grabs your controller.
Bad luck is the true challenge here.
Modes: ***
The museum mode
is pretty boring. It's the shop, but the constellations that you buy are
nowhere near as nice as the figures from the previous game. Other than
that, the three other modes are fun. Minigames have many, many subdivisions,
which provide various gameplay. The story is a bit short, I beat it in
less than 4 hours. (Not straight in a row!)
Overall: ****
This more than made up for the fiasco that was Mario Party 8! Bad items and an incredibly irritating luck factor are what hurt the game. If you haven't given up hope for the series, get this game. I really enjoy it and it's great when my friends play. If you gave up on it, consider giving this a shot. It might just surprise you.
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