Mario Party 4

"An almost perfect continuation to the series"

Overall View:
Several party games have been released matching this title, but Mario Party started it all. I am going to try to be unbiased, because there have been some terrific take-off's of Mario Party, and just because they're ''copying'' a game doesn't mean it's bad. Anyway, Mario Party is the party genre breakthrough and this game is nothing short of its predecessors.

Graphics: 10/10
A complete revolution in Mario Party games, not to mention in the party genre overall. Pac-man Fever, Crash Bash, and even Sonic Shuffle fall short of this games incredible graphics. The best part is that they tried to remain loyal to the characters' original looks.

Sound: 8/10
I give this a pretty good score because I don't really remember the music to the game, even though I just played it 10 minutes ago. This is good because it means that it did not annoy me, which is a HUGE plus in a game like this. But the two points I took off are obviously because it was nothing memorable. However, I do remember that the sound effects were done nicely, especially the character taunts.

Gameplay: 9/10
This is the ultra way of gameplay -- partying against three of your friends (or enemies for that matter. Or maybe your friends will become your enemies after this game). Anyway, this game is awesome with four players...or even three or two. However, the one player mode is not necessarily the most fun way to play. It is still fun, just not as fun.

Compared to other games in this genre: 9.5/10
BEATS:
*Mario Party 2-3
*Crash Bash
*Pac-Man Fever
FALLS SHORT OF:
*Mario Party -- I will always regard this game as the best party game, unless something absolutely revolutionary comes along
*Sonic Shuffle -- Playing MP4, I cannot help but feel regret for trading in my DC (with Sonic Shuffle) to get the Gamecube such a long time ago. Sonic Shuffle was nothing short of the perfect idea and style for a party game.

Fun Value: 10/10
No questions here, and I think anything you can read in this review or any reviews for any MP game to find out why (if it is not already completely obvious)

Overall Value: ($49.99) 7/10
I must admit that I spent every last cent I had to get this game the day it came out (well, not every last cent. I think I had 27¢ left or something like that). But still, I can never get over the bump in price for these video games, especially for a teenager without a job. No matter how good a game it is, I am a little reluctant to pay $50.

Replay Value: 10/10
Again, obvious reasons for this.

-----SCORES-----

***GRAND TOTAL (MY TOTAL): 63.5/70; 91%; A-***
***GameFAQs TOTAL: 9.1/10 = 9/10; 90%; A-***

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/26/02, Updated 10/26/02