Nintendo’s Revolution may be coming soon, but there is only evolution in Mario Party 6 - the end result is unsatisfying.
The “Mario Party” series has obviously meant to be played with three other friends…it would not be much of a party with one person, correct? There is a single player mode in which a player uses a board game type apparatus to select what type of mini-game they will be playing. If the player beats the other A.I. in the mini-game, that same mini-game is unlocked. Keep repeating and more mini-games will be at one’s disposal. After about fifteen minutes of smashing buttons and platform jumping, monotony starts to kick in and some will wonder why they didn’t stick with previous games in the first place. Although cutscenes can now be skipped, “Mario Party 6” does nothing to elevate it beyond its label… “Mario Party” is best played as a party game designed for as many people as possible.
For fans of the series, Hudson Soft has created more than eighty new mini-games, which are the real star of the game. “Shrek: Super Party” wishes it could mimic the quality, let alone quantity, of these mostly superb mini-games. Most of the games require hand eye coordination, memorization, acute platform jumping and precise control of your character. It also comes as surprise to play select games that require some skill and strategy, but with all these fresh apples Hudson Soft are giving their fans, there are bound to be a few rotten ones. Some 1 vs. 3 mini-games give an unfair advantage to the one man team (I prefer to call these “pity games”, for they are usually given to the person in last place) and some games just require button mashing that are simply no fun to play (even with a full party).
The audio and visuals do nothing to ruin or intrude on the quality of the gameplay, but neither department does anything to enhance the experience either. Sure, the game boards sport some bright colors and some nifty particle effects, but low polygon characters and dull texturing also makes it way into the game. This isn’t a complaint, but it is merely an observation. There are many, many games that are simply unplayable because of its graphics; “Mario Party 6” isn’t one of them and Hudson Soft should at least be commended for that. Audio, on the other hand, doesn’t fair as well. There are no sound issues such as glitches to speak of, but what does come through clearly, is not very enjoyable to listen to. Like most Nintendo games, this one is set to a sunny soundtrack that is borderline unbearable after playing it for a bit. All of the playable characters return with their signature one liners and catch phrases, but most of the sound seems to be borrowed from not only the “Mario Party” games, but other Mario games in general. This also does nothing to interfere with the gameplay, but instead of playing it subtle, the soundtrack seems more repetitive and bothersome than it should be.
The point of this review is to tell the reader if this game is worth a hard-earned fifty dollars. For fans who appreciate the subtle changes, the new microphone mini-game function and the influx of new mini-games, “Mario Party 6” may be a good purchase for some. If you’re new to the series, “Mario Party 6” is a great party game that can easily burn a couple hours of your time. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first game in the series, so it is quite difficult to recommend this over “Mario Party 5”, or even “Mario Party 4”. Nintendo’s Revolution may be coming soon, but there is only evolution in “Mario Party 6” and the end result is unsatisfying.