Mario Party 5

"I like it!"

Mario Party 5 is, as the title suggests, the fifth game in the Mario Party series. The first three were on the Nintendo 64, with the fourth and now the fifth being on the GameCube.

What you do: Imagine Mario Party being a big board game, and you pretty much have the idea of how this game plays. You, along with three other players: either computer, human, or a combination of the two, play a big interactive board game. The board is made up of different spaces that do different things. There is a dice cube that is used to decide how many spaces you move (1-10). Each player takes turns moving through the board. After everyone has taken their turn, a mini-game is played. The winner of the mini-game wins coins. Coins are used to buy stars, which is how the winner is decided. Whoever has the most stars at the end of the game wins. If there's a tie because two players have the same amount of stars, then it goes to whoever has more coins of the two. It's that simple.

The Boards: There are many different boards to choose from, all of them fun. The boards of this game come from "dreams." Boards range in difficulty, from beginner to experienced. There is a board for everybody. The boards also range in size, from small to large.

The Characters: The characters come from Nintendo games, most having to do with Mario. A couple of new playable characters that I would like to mention are: Koopa Kid, Toad, and Boo. Koopa Kid is like a baby Bowser, seen in previous Mario Party games but for the first time a playable character. Toad was the host of the previous Mario Party games, but now is a player himself. The hosting is now done by the Star Spirits from "Paper Mario." Also, Donkey Kong is no longer a playable character, he now serves only as a space on the boards, which is kind of sad, he was a great character.

Mini-Games: The mini-games are as fun as ever in this installment, and there are a ton of them. The only complaint I have here is the mini-games that have to do with button-mashing. I hate those games. Fortunately, there's not too many of them.

Play Time/ Replayability: This is one of those rare games where you'll have a different experience every time you play it. You unlock mini-games, and since there are so many, it will take a while. You can also set records for the mini-games, adding even more play time. As long as you have others to play with, this game will never get boring.

Final Recommendation: If you liked the previous Mario Party games, then you'll surely like this one. As always, Mario Party games are more fun to play with friends then with the computer, so I recommend you have some friends before buying this game. If not, make some so you can play this game with them, you all will have a blast!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/13/04