Solo mode is a slog and I wish you could set the game length (maybe they could have done this by adding more spaces on the board for different play times?), and the DK board is too short, but other than that? I like it! The car, though counter-intuitive, adds a different kind of strategy, not necessarily taking it away - all your moves now affect the other players. Captain Events are also strategic as well, it makes being the Captain a significant role, especially since you get bonuses for it in boss battles. Great boards generally as well, especially Magma Mine. Car skins are good fun too. 7 boards, even if one is short, is pretty impressive as well.
Was the first one I played so this is what I first knew Mario Party to be, but even after having gone and played other titles since (4, 5, 7, 8, 9, DS, Island Tour, Star Rush, Top 100, Super, Superstars and Jamboree), I still wouldn't say it's a bad game. I think the main issue that this game was always going to face was that it kept the car mechanic that felt counter-intuitive to most people, so I'm not going to say that those who hate it are in the wrong, but I'm also not going to say that those who love it are in the right. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The car doesn't take away strategy, it just adds in a different kind as every move you make now affects others too. I think that 9 has the better rivals versus mode of the two as it's seven boards against five (even if one is super short) and has Captain Events and Magma Mine of course, but 10 also has Bowser Party and amiibo Party, so it has three 'major' modes while 9 technically only has two, one of which is basically playing through all the boards in a story mode solo (I know it has a lot of side modes though). Yes, it barred amiibo Party behind amiibo, but when you actually have an amiibo, it's good fun in my opinion, it feels more interactive tapping it to the GamePad and the tokens add an interesting strategy, and all the character-inspired boards and theme tunes and different base skins are great fun as well. Wish you could change the number of turns but otherwise yeah, lots of fun. Kind of annoying that you need the amiibo figure of the character if you want to play as them but it only costs like £10-12 per figure in most cases anyway. And yeah, visitors always love Bowser Party, it's especially fun if you're Bowser. It actually gets creative with the car mechanic and the boards have their own gimmicks - Whimsical Waters has the drawing to trick players if you're Bowser and Chaos Castle has the traps and Bowser Mark dice block and everything. Probably the highlight of the game imo. Mario Party is the weakest of the three but contrary to popular belief I actually like it - it essentially plays like 9 but just without the Captain Events and with different boards and dice block types. The boss battles were part of the fun with 9 and this is the mode that continues them so yeah. The car skins are good fun too. The side modes - Badminton Bash, Jewel Drop, Coin Challenge, Bowser Challenge and the Bowser Jr. and tournament one (can't quite remember their names) are all decent as well, although of course lacking in depth when compared to the main content. Wish Bowser Party had more than 3 boards (and the first one doesn't really do anything either), but yeah, I conclude that it might not be the best one, but it isn't 'bad'.
This game is so underrated! It has a wide variety of boards each with their own unique objectives and play times for all kinds of players and experiences, the character roster is pretty decent (all your staples like Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Yoshi and Toad, and a couple of less common ones like Boo and Bowser Jr.) and the minigames are a blast! It's so funny blowing up shell tanks or yelling in frustration when my sister juuust beats me to it in a quickfire minigame! Bowser's Bizarre Volcano is our favourite one, I love its creativity with the goal being to stay away from the goal! The rest are awesome too - Perilous Palace Path adds a little intensity with the Bowser Zone and some strategy with the items you pick when you win a minigame, Banzai Bill's Mad Mountain balances skill with luck when you toss up whether to play it safe or risk it, Star-Crossed Skyway is very tactical with trying to predict who will get to the best number of Mini Stars first and position yourself to get them, Rocket Road is a toss up of when to use your Boosters with there being that small chance of backfiring and getting 0 and wasting them, Kamek's Carpet Ride is a game full of skill and strategy with choosing the right cards to play and which ones to pick when you win a minigame, and Shy Guy's Shuffle City (the one time I played it!) was basically Old Maid but Mario Party, a great combination! My only complaint would be that the Bowser's Tower mode falls flat after the first few runthroughs, and I wish you could play Shy Guy's Shuffle City with COM characters and set the length of the boards (which of course isn't possible because of their linear format, but that's precisely what makes Bowser's Bizarre Volcano such a great board, but maybe they could have had where there's more spaces if it lasts longer?), but other than that? Honestly, a pretty good game, especially for a handheld, and it's even better with multiplayer (especially with 3 or 4 players because you can play Shy Guy's Shuffle City!), you only need one card! I know it ditches the traditional Star format for Mini Stars and goal reaching objectives, but for this game it actually works really well, and allows for a mix of minigame ability, skill and luck to determine the true party champion. 7/10 in my opinion.
If you're looking for a modern Mario Party game to play on the Switch, I would highly recommend Jamboree. There's a massive roster of characters to choose from and eventually 7 boards once they're all unlocked, which isn't bad at all considering the most we've ever had is 8, with a couple of familiar boards returning. I didn't have a lot of knowledge coming into this game, so the Party Plaza having decorations and the cards that you can put stickers on and display an achievement on are awesome! I always love a customisation element myself. The new boards are innovative as well, especially Roll 'Em Raceway in my opinion. And there's plenty of fun modes to play out there once you've exhausted the main Mario Party mode. Just a couple of things I would say though - motion minigames are terrible. The sensors are so rubbish that you will struggle to win those minigames. I feel like they tried to give this game the interactivity of the Wii but failed. And the Party-Planner Trek is bound to frustrate 100%ers - I'm talking about that key game, dorrie boat game and the Waluigi pinball game particularly here. Also a wish I have would be that they do some boards from some of the GameCube or Wii parties, for example, I appreciate that it's nice for the N64 players but I wasn't one of them and I'm sure some people would want to see other boards remastered as well. That being said, this game does get the balance right between new boards and remasters, with slightly more new but still a couple of throwbacks in there.
I grew up with the Wii as a kid, so I hadn't played this game at the time it came out. The first Mario Tennis game I got was actually Ultra-Smash, and it was okay, but it wasn't until I got Open that I really got into Mario Tennis. Because of that, I got Aces and Power Tennis. I haven't really played Aces much yet but Power Tennis arrived only yesterday and I've already really gotten into it. The Power shots are probably what I love most about this game, they make character choices and gameplay a lot more strategic as you can use them both offensively and defensively and they are different for every character. When you've played later games before this one, you do notice that the shot types are slightly different and you don't have the charge spots, but in a way that encourages true baseline or net play. The game is a perfect mix between traditional tennis and crazy Mario-style tennis, with some normal courts and some Gimmick courts. The Power shots being controllable definitely make them a lot more interesting. Then you have the minigames and item battles...if you want to get into Mario Tennis, this is definitely the game to do it if you own a GameCube or a Wii that supports GameCube games!
As an avid player of Mario Party, I definitely see similarities between those games and Wii Party, but it definitely goes above and beyond with the content. I can honestly say that there isn't much wrong with this game in essence - the only dud I can think of is the Time Bomb game from House Party (not the Word Bomb) as the holding on to the buttons is too confusing. Literally everyone who comes here absolutely loves this game, it's such a great game when playing with others, or even just a sibling, because of Balance Boat, which combines minigame skill and strategy well. If you're solo though, this game might get a little stale, and it's true that I rarely play this alone, as a few modes are restricted to 2 or even 3 players plus, but there is a Solo mode and puzzle games which are great for putting your skill to the test. I'd say Board Game Island and Globe Trot are my personal favourites, likely because they are the most similar to Mario Party, but they do it well, as in Board Game Island everyone has a fair chance even when one player is particularly good at the minigames, and it has plenty of events, and Globe Trot requires you to use cards well to reach the Hotspots. There's something for everyone - Spin-Off and Bingo are more luck-based but also have benefits for the minigame winners, and then Rule Reversal is always great fun as you're trying to win whilst also sussing out the Cheater (or trying to disguise that you're the Cheater!). I honestly think that it's an 8/10, worth the pick-up if you have people to play with, you won't be disappointed! I have repurchased the game 3 times as the disk broke.
Personally, I'm loving this game! And yes, I know I'm a late commenter, and I'm still a gamer who uses the 3DS and Wii U instead of the Switch because of the cost. But after having enjoyed Island Tour, and discovering that this party was a little different with the same time movement, quick and on the go and had amiibo compatibility that I could take advantage of, I decided to purchase it. So far, I'm really taking to it! I know that ND Cube got a bad press as a result of 9 10 and Island Tour, but this game doesn't deserve that title. It resolved many problems other parties held, and people definitely underappreciate that. All I would say, though, is this - unless your favourite character is Toad in Toad Scramble, get the amiibo for your favourite characters, otherwise you may not be able to play as them. It's also an added bonus to own Mario Party 10, to access the bonus dice block token. I, having both amiibo and 10, have been able to get a lot out of this game as a result. Otherwise, if you don't want to buy an amiibo at the very least, I don't recommend it.
Sorry I didn't post this earlier, but there is a trick. If your household has more than one 2DS or 3DS, if you constantly change the StreetPass Mii that you are using, and on the other 2DS or 3DS as well, you will receive new and different characters even though it's actually the same person. My sister and I are constantly using this trick with each other to get our hits up. Try it with your siblings if you have them and they have the same device as you!
I still use it! If there's anyone around, I'll be trying my best to take my 2DS out with me to help others out with their hits, and enhance my game experiences. I so wish more people were using it though. I have got a couple of hits when in school.
Comments 9
Re: Mario Party 9
Solo mode is a slog and I wish you could set the game length (maybe they could have done this by adding more spaces on the board for different play times?), and the DK board is too short, but other than that? I like it! The car, though counter-intuitive, adds a different kind of strategy, not necessarily taking it away - all your moves now affect the other players. Captain Events are also strategic as well, it makes being the Captain a significant role, especially since you get bonuses for it in boss battles. Great boards generally as well, especially Magma Mine. Car skins are good fun too. 7 boards, even if one is short, is pretty impressive as well.
Re: Mario Party 10
Was the first one I played so this is what I first knew Mario Party to be, but even after having gone and played other titles since (4, 5, 7, 8, 9, DS, Island Tour, Star Rush, Top 100, Super, Superstars and Jamboree), I still wouldn't say it's a bad game. I think the main issue that this game was always going to face was that it kept the car mechanic that felt counter-intuitive to most people, so I'm not going to say that those who hate it are in the wrong, but I'm also not going to say that those who love it are in the right. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The car doesn't take away strategy, it just adds in a different kind as every move you make now affects others too. I think that 9 has the better rivals versus mode of the two as it's seven boards against five (even if one is super short) and has Captain Events and Magma Mine of course, but 10 also has Bowser Party and amiibo Party, so it has three 'major' modes while 9 technically only has two, one of which is basically playing through all the boards in a story mode solo (I know it has a lot of side modes though). Yes, it barred amiibo Party behind amiibo, but when you actually have an amiibo, it's good fun in my opinion, it feels more interactive tapping it to the GamePad and the tokens add an interesting strategy, and all the character-inspired boards and theme tunes and different base skins are great fun as well. Wish you could change the number of turns but otherwise yeah, lots of fun. Kind of annoying that you need the amiibo figure of the character if you want to play as them but it only costs like £10-12 per figure in most cases anyway. And yeah, visitors always love Bowser Party, it's especially fun if you're Bowser. It actually gets creative with the car mechanic and the boards have their own gimmicks - Whimsical Waters has the drawing to trick players if you're Bowser and Chaos Castle has the traps and Bowser Mark dice block and everything. Probably the highlight of the game imo. Mario Party is the weakest of the three but contrary to popular belief I actually like it - it essentially plays like 9 but just without the Captain Events and with different boards and dice block types. The boss battles were part of the fun with 9 and this is the mode that continues them so yeah. The car skins are good fun too. The side modes - Badminton Bash, Jewel Drop, Coin Challenge, Bowser Challenge and the Bowser Jr. and tournament one (can't quite remember their names) are all decent as well, although of course lacking in depth when compared to the main content. Wish Bowser Party had more than 3 boards (and the first one doesn't really do anything either), but yeah, I conclude that it might not be the best one, but it isn't 'bad'.
Re: Mario Party: Island Tour
This game is so underrated! It has a wide variety of boards each with their own unique objectives and play times for all kinds of players and experiences, the character roster is pretty decent (all your staples like Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Yoshi and Toad, and a couple of less common ones like Boo and Bowser Jr.) and the minigames are a blast! It's so funny blowing up shell tanks or yelling in frustration when my sister juuust beats me to it in a quickfire minigame! Bowser's Bizarre Volcano is our favourite one, I love its creativity with the goal being to stay away from the goal! The rest are awesome too - Perilous Palace Path adds a little intensity with the Bowser Zone and some strategy with the items you pick when you win a minigame, Banzai Bill's Mad Mountain balances skill with luck when you toss up whether to play it safe or risk it, Star-Crossed Skyway is very tactical with trying to predict who will get to the best number of Mini Stars first and position yourself to get them, Rocket Road is a toss up of when to use your Boosters with there being that small chance of backfiring and getting 0 and wasting them, Kamek's Carpet Ride is a game full of skill and strategy with choosing the right cards to play and which ones to pick when you win a minigame, and Shy Guy's Shuffle City (the one time I played it!) was basically Old Maid but Mario Party, a great combination! My only complaint would be that the Bowser's Tower mode falls flat after the first few runthroughs, and I wish you could play Shy Guy's Shuffle City with COM characters and set the length of the boards (which of course isn't possible because of their linear format, but that's precisely what makes Bowser's Bizarre Volcano such a great board, but maybe they could have had where there's more spaces if it lasts longer?), but other than that? Honestly, a pretty good game, especially for a handheld, and it's even better with multiplayer (especially with 3 or 4 players because you can play Shy Guy's Shuffle City!), you only need one card! I know it ditches the traditional Star format for Mini Stars and goal reaching objectives, but for this game it actually works really well, and allows for a mix of minigame ability, skill and luck to determine the true party champion. 7/10 in my opinion.
Re: Super Mario Party Jamboree
If you're looking for a modern Mario Party game to play on the Switch, I would highly recommend Jamboree. There's a massive roster of characters to choose from and eventually 7 boards once they're all unlocked, which isn't bad at all considering the most we've ever had is 8, with a couple of familiar boards returning. I didn't have a lot of knowledge coming into this game, so the Party Plaza having decorations and the cards that you can put stickers on and display an achievement on are awesome! I always love a customisation element myself. The new boards are innovative as well, especially Roll 'Em Raceway in my opinion. And there's plenty of fun modes to play out there once you've exhausted the main Mario Party mode. Just a couple of things I would say though - motion minigames are terrible. The sensors are so rubbish that you will struggle to win those minigames. I feel like they tried to give this game the interactivity of the Wii but failed. And the Party-Planner Trek is bound to frustrate 100%ers - I'm talking about that key game, dorrie boat game and the Waluigi pinball game particularly here. Also a wish I have would be that they do some boards from some of the GameCube or Wii parties, for example, I appreciate that it's nice for the N64 players but I wasn't one of them and I'm sure some people would want to see other boards remastered as well. That being said, this game does get the balance right between new boards and remasters, with slightly more new but still a couple of throwbacks in there.
Re: Mario Power Tennis
I grew up with the Wii as a kid, so I hadn't played this game at the time it came out. The first Mario Tennis game I got was actually Ultra-Smash, and it was okay, but it wasn't until I got Open that I really got into Mario Tennis. Because of that, I got Aces and Power Tennis. I haven't really played Aces much yet but Power Tennis arrived only yesterday and I've already really gotten into it. The Power shots are probably what I love most about this game, they make character choices and gameplay a lot more strategic as you can use them both offensively and defensively and they are different for every character. When you've played later games before this one, you do notice that the shot types are slightly different and you don't have the charge spots, but in a way that encourages true baseline or net play. The game is a perfect mix between traditional tennis and crazy Mario-style tennis, with some normal courts and some Gimmick courts. The Power shots being controllable definitely make them a lot more interesting. Then you have the minigames and item battles...if you want to get into Mario Tennis, this is definitely the game to do it if you own a GameCube or a Wii that supports GameCube games!
Re: Review: Wii Party (Wii)
As an avid player of Mario Party, I definitely see similarities between those games and Wii Party, but it definitely goes above and beyond with the content. I can honestly say that there isn't much wrong with this game in essence - the only dud I can think of is the Time Bomb game from House Party (not the Word Bomb) as the holding on to the buttons is too confusing. Literally everyone who comes here absolutely loves this game, it's such a great game when playing with others, or even just a sibling, because of Balance Boat, which combines minigame skill and strategy well. If you're solo though, this game might get a little stale, and it's true that I rarely play this alone, as a few modes are restricted to 2 or even 3 players plus, but there is a Solo mode and puzzle games which are great for putting your skill to the test. I'd say Board Game Island and Globe Trot are my personal favourites, likely because they are the most similar to Mario Party, but they do it well, as in Board Game Island everyone has a fair chance even when one player is particularly good at the minigames, and it has plenty of events, and Globe Trot requires you to use cards well to reach the Hotspots. There's something for everyone - Spin-Off and Bingo are more luck-based but also have benefits for the minigame winners, and then Rule Reversal is always great fun as you're trying to win whilst also sussing out the Cheater (or trying to disguise that you're the Cheater!). I honestly think that it's an 8/10, worth the pick-up if you have people to play with, you won't be disappointed! I have repurchased the game 3 times as the disk broke.
Re: Review: Mario Party: Star Rush (3DS)
Personally, I'm loving this game! And yes, I know I'm a late commenter, and I'm still a gamer who uses the 3DS and Wii U instead of the Switch because of the cost. But after having enjoyed Island Tour, and discovering that this party was a little different with the same time movement, quick and on the go and had amiibo compatibility that I could take advantage of, I decided to purchase it. So far, I'm really taking to it! I know that ND Cube got a bad press as a result of 9 10 and Island Tour, but this game doesn't deserve that title. It resolved many problems other parties held, and people definitely underappreciate that. All I would say, though, is this - unless your favourite character is Toad in Toad Scramble, get the amiibo for your favourite characters, otherwise you may not be able to play as them. It's also an added bonus to own Mario Party 10, to access the bonus dice block token. I, having both amiibo and 10, have been able to get a lot out of this game as a result. Otherwise, if you don't want to buy an amiibo at the very least, I don't recommend it.
Re: Random: An Eager 3DS StreetPass Fan Spent A Day In New York, Got Zero Hits
Sorry I didn't post this earlier, but there is a trick. If your household has more than one 2DS or 3DS, if you constantly change the StreetPass Mii that you are using, and on the other 2DS or 3DS as well, you will receive new and different characters even though it's actually the same person. My sister and I are constantly using this trick with each other to get our hits up. Try it with your siblings if you have them and they have the same device as you!
Re: Random: An Eager 3DS StreetPass Fan Spent A Day In New York, Got Zero Hits
I still use it! If there's anyone around, I'll be trying my best to take my 2DS out with me to help others out with their hits, and enhance my game experiences. I so wish more people were using it though. I have got a couple of hits when in school.