A fun multiplayer party game that should not -- I repeat -- not ever be played alone
Mario Party is one of those rare games that has to be played by three or four people to be fun. The "board gameplay" and the mini-games are all fairly simplistic and although gamers with fast fingers will quickly figure out how to win the events, the game's outcome is ultimately determined by luck. You could be leading with three stars over your opponents, but all it takes is for you to land on a Bowser space or your friends to use a ghost and 50 coins -- and you could end up last. This random nature may turn off some gamers who want to win games based on skill, but it will make the game all the more fun for kids and drunk college students. Seriously, Mario Party is an excellent party game for four people and we suggest everyone out there with three friends should own it (unless your three friends own it). But be prepared to spend at least an hour for a game and do a lot of waiting for the other players. Had the overall speed of gameplay been faster (especially when playing against computer players), Mario Party would have scored higher in our final review score. Still, this is probably one of the best "virtual board games" I have ever played and the inclusion of the many mini-games makes this one of the few ones that couldn't have been done better outside of a game console.
Presentation: Some of the most memorable mascots make their board game debut. What's not to like? 9.5/10
Graphics: The board graphics are nice and some of the mini-games don't fail to impress. Unfortunately, there are also a few ugly ones and the characters could be more detailed 8.5/10
Sound: Memorable Nintendo tunes played with the good, old sample set. Typical Mario-style voices, too. 7.5/10
Gameplay: Let's not kid ourselves. It's a board game. If you don't like randomness, don't get this game. But many of the mini-games are cool. 7.5/10
Lasting Appeal: The fun is likely to last longer than your controllers. Mario Party gets boring quickly as a one-player game, but the multiplayer mode rules. An excellent choice for kids and college parties. 8.5/10
Overall: 8.5/10
My Verdict: Buy It if u like party games