"Another Mario Party that proves to be fun!"

Mario Party 7 is the fourth Mario Party game to be released for the GCN. It just keeps getting better though! Here is my review of Mario Party 7:

Graphics: 9/10

The graphics for this game are stunning! The character design hasn't changed much, but the boards look good as always. This time the boards have different themes. They are made to resemble different locations around the world. Like Grand Canal is suppose to resemble Venezuela and Pagoda Park resembles Japan. The boards are well detailed. I give the graphics a 9.

Sound: 10

I love the music in this game. Each music resembles each board and mini-game properly. My favorite board music is Pagoda's Park. I really see no change in the characters voice, but they are bearable. I give the sound a 10.

Controls: 8

Here is where I have a problem with in the game. The controls for 4-Player Party Mode and mini-games are fine and the same as the last game, but the 8-Player controls are unbearable! First off, two players must share a controller. To hit the dice you must press the "R" or "L" button. Often times I press the "A" button. The 8-Player mini-game controls are whacked too. Some mini-games, oen person has to use the "C Stick" while the other has to use the joy stick. This gets real annoying fast. I give the controls an 8.

Gameplay: 10

The gameplay is the same as Mario Party 6 except there is no Day/Night system. There are 4-Players on a board and they must go around collecting stars. To get stars though, you must have coins. You get coins from events, spaces, mini-games, etc. Each board has a different objective to get a star. For example: In Pagoda Park, you must get to the topic of the board to purchase the star for 10,20,30, or 40 coins while in Grand Canal, you purchase the stars the classic way by traveling around the board to get them. The game has teh same orb system except this time the blue orbs are character orbs which are orbs that a specific character can only use. There are new orbs and old orbs too.

At the end of every turn, there is a mini-game. Each mini-game happens depending on what spaces you land on. You could play a 4-Player mini-game or play on teams with a 2 vs. 2 mini-game. Some mini-games require skill while others require memory skill and some are just plain luck! If you win a mini-game, you win coins which you can use on the board.

They have Solo Mode again, buts its competely different. This time you are versing another character on a certain board trying to do a different objective. Solo Mode is pretty fun this time around.

There are a ton of unlockables in this game, but they are not purchased with stars. Instead they are purchased with "cruise mileage points." You get these points after for beating certain modes or boards. You can use these points to unlock characters, different modes, secrets, souvenirs, etc. And not everything is expensive this time around.

Last but not least there is the 8-Player system. In Party Mode you have the option of playing up to 8 characters on a board. If you are on a team with a human player, then you share a controller. Personally, I never found the 8-Player system useful, but some people do

I give the gameplay a 10.

Replayability: 10/10

As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of things to unlock. There are also many different modes to play like King of the River and Decathalon mode. So there are tons of things to do in this game. I give the replayability a 10.

Buy, Rent, or Forget it!

If ou played any other Mario Party game, then this game is a must!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/15/05