Mario Party 8 Review

A Look at Mario's Wii Version of his Party Game Series.

Jun 22, 2008 Eric Christiansen

The latest installment of the Mario Party titles provides temporary entertainment for newcomers, but little to no amusement for people familiar with the series.

Nintendo's party game title is the eight installment of the series. Mario Party 8 attempts to capitalize on its fun factor by making use of the Wii remote's motion features. But not even this can save the title from its mediocre gameplay and unoriginal mini-games.

Layout of the Game

Players can start their game with up to four people and against the computer in six different maps. Each one is setup like a board game; it has multiple colored spaces, their own unique theme, and special rules to each match. Players can also go solo against the computer in single-player mode and unlock extra features. Winning the game is fairly simple; the player with the most stars at the end of the turns allotted wins. Attaining stars is done by using coins, reaching the end of the map, taking them from other players, or achieving bonus stars at the end of the game.

At the end of each turn, players will engage in one of over 70 mini-games. For those who have never played a Mario Party game before, they will probably enjoy the variety of games. However, those who have played any title in the past, they will not see anything new that hasn't been done or rehashed before. While the Wii does provide motion control for most of the mini-games, most are similar to what has been done in the past seven games.

Gameplay

The games vary between racing, puzzle, chance, shooters, and so on. Players play against each other or on small teams, depending on the number of the turn and the space everyone lands on. The mini-games are fun to play with for the first few times, and they even allow practice modes for people who haven't played the mini-game. While half the games provide a good challenge and fun setup, the other half seem too simple and boring. One example is "Mario Matrix," where the players merely have to point and click on lighted panels. However, no mini-game truly stands out as original or unique, which makes all of them get old quickly.

The computer's artificial intelligence seems either too easy or too hard, depending on the difficulty setting. Easier settings tend to make the computer opponent appear to not even try to win, while the hardest difficulty will have players irritated as the computer wins effortlessly. In games of random luck or precision, the hardest CPU opponents seem to always have the advantage. This unbalanced A.I. makes for dull and aggravating gameplay at times.

Overall

Mario Party 8 doesn't bring anything new to the console platform, but the fact that it doesn't display any new mini-games shows that the series has become exhausted. This game is more likely to please a younger audience or people who are new to the series. But for those who have played a Mario Party game in the past or are looking or a good variety of games in one title, they could easily pass on this game. Sure, there are some unlockable items to keep the player going for a bit, but unless Nintendo plans to reinvent Mario Party or add more original mini-games, they should lay this series to rest.

Score: 6 out of 10

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