Out of all the Mario Party games to flood into the world, this one remains my absolute favorite.
The presentation is good. It has a sort of pop-up book feel similar to games like Yoshi Story. The music is one of the reasons why the game shines, it's also where most people disagree with me. This is by far the best game that uses midis to full advantage here. For a Mario Party game, the songs are really catchy. I could literately dance to them, especially the blooper stage. One of the best Mario soundtracks I've ever heard hands down. The gameplay is typical Mario party. Not much has changed. Except for the introduction of the "Battle Royal Map". Also two new characters are invited to the party, Daisy and Waluigi. This time around there are 70 "new" excellent mini-games. These games include platforming, luck-based, and even some Tetris flavor mixed into the diverse variety. None of which are recycled, Mario Party 2 for example, recycled mini-games from it's predecessor. The story is alright. Mario and friends fight over a millennium Star. Some other stuff happens and then at the end of the game you have to fight it for some reason (sorry it's been a long time).
Overall, Mario Party has been lacking it's fun value lately (with the exception of Mario Party DS) with originality, which Mario Party 3 managed to pull off. I look forward to the day they release it for the virtual console. Until then, I'm just gona have to wait, maybe play some Mario Party DS. This game is indeed the best Mario Party game I've ever owned.