"Yet ANOTHER good game that I have adopted as a legendary game."

- Introduction -
As many have heard, Hudson has released yet another Mario Party game; category number: seven. It was released on November 7, 2005. At this time of writing I bought this game about one week ago, and I'm playing this game every single day now; ever since I purchased it from a Wal-Mart Super Center, I've been head over heels in hitting dice blocks and winning coins and stars. Although this is indeed a great game, hopefully it will not be the last. In fact, not to spoil anything, I have heard tales of a Mario Party 8 coming in 2006-2007! How about that? The legend lives on! Now if you want to hear what I truly think about this game and its aspects, read on.

- Gameplay (9)-
As with the previous 6 Mario Party bashes, I enjoy the good feel of the gameplay category. It's as if they purposely make the games all share a distinct character in the way the game functions. You know, hitting dice blocks, taking turns, stealing/trading, playing mini games... true fun. My friends and I have spent HOURS on end playing this series, and we have never really burned out on them. Odd, that. But nevertheless, I think this game truly deserves a smashing rating on the list of supremacy. Although I have dubbed this game with an 8, do not think less of my credibility when it comes to this being a great game. I do have my flaws with this game, as with EVERY game. If a game didn't have at least one flaw, it wouldn't be very much of a fun game, I'd say. Since 99% of gamers should get so steamed at their games for losing or getting stuck somewhere that they either throw the game (note I'm not promoting throwing video games discs like frisbees, I'm just metaphorically stating that it wouldn't hurt, either) or punch something very hard and end up regretting it with a bruisy knuckle for about two weeks because they enjoy it so much they'd make sacrifices such as that. I know I have. Anyway, Gameplay gets a 9.

- Sound (7) -
This game has great sound. I like the waves it emits while browsing the game's possibilities. The mini game music is exceptionally cool, especially Bowser music themes. They rock, too. I think the sound on the audio side deserves a good rating of 7, while the actual gameplay voices and such, deserve a good 5 to say the least. Sound is a good booster when it comes to heavy-duty play.

- Controls (9) -
I think the controls give a good feeling to those who use them correctly. The way the controls are defaultly set up is perfect, in its own right. I discovered that simply applying myself to the controls of this game made it a lot easier than just giving up everything alltogether. Ya know? Yeah, it's like that. I love the controls and the way they are set up; pure genius. Ahem.

- Graphics (6) -
As I have said with other Reviews before, not all games need to have crisp, 100% 3D 1337 graphics in order to be a good game - just look at RPGs - they explain it all. I find the GFX in this game are efficient in enjoying the way this game plays out, and no other mods or hex editors could change the experience from first-hand gameplay. Graphics get a B-.

- Replay Value? -
Mmmmm, I'd say... 90%. You can replay almost everything in the game, and it's well worth it if you know what I mean (Cruise Mileage Points). Yep, I think that the Replay Value is always good in itself. And Mario Party 7 is no exception.

- Buy or Rent? -
As with any game I review: Buy. It's that simple. Although you can save your game to a memory card (as with all GCN games), it is better to just pay the cash right there and then rather than paying six times more just to re-rent it before you realize you could have bought two or three copies of the game if you had just paid for one life-time rental. I definitely say buy; I even bought the game before I played it, that's how much I support buying this game. Sure, it's good to try it I guess, but what good is that? If it's affiliated with Nintendo, it has to be good! Right? Oh wait, well some of them are.

- Challenge? -
Hmm, 85% or so, challenging aspects make this game rugged and not a pushover. Like, for instance, try playing with your CPUs set on the Brutal difficulty (or Hard, for non-CMPers), and play a 50-turn game on a board you don't particularly like - see who comes out on top. It's quite challenging to win when you're faced against evil CPUs!

- Conclusion -
I'll go ahead and wrap things up here with one final note: Mario Party 7 owns. It's just as good as the other Mario Party games with one undefiable exception - it is the newest version. And that in its own right, puts this game on top of the charts. I would write more, but I'm going to go play Party Mode now, cya.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/05