Mario Party 2

"Mario Party 2 improves all of the flaws from the first game..."

Mario Party 2 is the sequel to Mario Party and is also the second Mario Party on the Nintendo 64. Mario Party 2 was the first Mario Party game I ever got. Here is my review on Mario Party 2.

Story: 6/10

The game itself does not have it's own story, but each of the board maps in this game does have a story to it. For example, in Horror Land the Koopas in Horror Land are terrorized by Bowser who turns them into frogs. It is up to the first place winner of each board to beat Bowser. Although the stories for each board are cheap, the stories do match the boards themes. I give the story a 6.

Graphics: 9/10

The graphics haven't changed much since the first Mario Party game. The character designs look the same but one thing Nintendo did change is the board design. The boards are much more detailed and feature much more to look at. Sometimes it's interesting to use the map and look at all the details on every board map. I give the graphics a 9.

Sound: 10/10

I love the sound in this game! The music for each board fits perfectly. Boards like Horror Land and Mystery Land have the best music in the whole game. The music in the mini-games are the best also. No complaints from me about the sound, although they could've added more lines for the characters. I give the sound a 10.

Controls: 9/10

This is the part of the game Hudson really changed. The controls on the board are new with the use of items. The new controls are basic and easy to learn. The controls for most of the mini-games are good also. The big improvement is that Hudson got rid of the rotate-the-control-stick mini-games. The one thing that brings the controls down a point is the button mashing mini-games. The A and B button is tiny on the N64 controller so it's hard to use these buttons. I give the controls a 9.

Gameplay: 9/10

Like all my other Mario Party reviews, I will split up each componet of Mario Party 2.

First I will talk about the rules of Mario Party 2. First off four players must be chosen to start the game. After the characters are chosen then the board map, amount of turns, bonuses, etc mus be chosen. When the game starts a character must hit a numbered dice block and move the number of spaces on the dice block. When a player stops on one of the spaces, the player is subject to the affect of that space. Once all players are done moving, a mini-game starts depending on what colored spaces the players landed on. The winner of each mini-game is awarded coins. These coins are used to buy stars. The player with those most stars wins.

The board maps in this game feature much more events than the last game. Besides the Bank, con-star stealing Boo, and Toad, the boards have other kind of events. Horror Land for example is littered with events. The events make the boards more enjoyable. The boards also feature locked doors that cover secret paths. These locked doors can only be opened with a Skeleton Key.

The item system is a new system in this game. A character can buy an item from the Item Shop or win them in a Item mini-game. The items help enchanse the gameplay on the boards. The one downfall with the item system is that a character can hold up to one item and the items are so expensive!

The mini-games are the core of this game. Some mini-games return from the last game but are altered a little bit. Mario Party 2 features some of the best mini-games in the series. The mini-games are mixed with luck, puzzle, skill, etc. Unlike the last game, a character does not lose coins if he/she loses a mini-game.

Mario Party 2 features some extra modes like Mini-game Mode, Stadium, and Mini-game Coaster. These modes are good if you are tired of the main game.

Final Recommendation:

Mario Party 2 is a game that should be purchased if you still own a N64. The game is much funner with two or more players.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/16/07