Mario Party

"This Game is the True Super Star!"

Introduction
Mario Party is easily one of the best games available for the Nintendo 64 game console. Up to four people can play this wonderful game. You can choose between six of the most beloved Nintendo characters of all time. You can play as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, or Donkey Kong. Other favorites that make appearances in this game include Toad, Bowser, Koopa Troopa, and Boo. The countless mini games and game boards will surely bring you hours of fun. I would recommend playing this with at least one other person because it makes everything a lot more interesting.

Storyline
This game's storyline is very weak, but this is the kind of game that doesn't really need much of a storyline. One day, Mario and his friends had a party and were discussing what it took to become a Super Star. Everybody had a different opinion and they started to argue. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, and Donkey Kong all wanted to be the Super Star. Toad told them that they should compete in the lands beyond the Warp Pipe in Mushroom Village. So they all ran to Mushroom Village and many dangers and adventures.

Gameplay
In this game you can choose between several game boards to play on and how many turns you would like to play. You then select your computer controlled opponents and their difficulty levels. There are a total of four players per game. Those four then take turns rolling the dice and moving around the board trying to collect as many stars and coins as possible. In each board Toad can be found. He will trade you a star for twenty coins. Koopa Troopa will reward you ten coins each time you make it around the board. Beware of Bowser! He will sell you useless items and charge you a lot for them. In some of the stage you can find Boo who is willing to rob other players for you! He will steal coins(free) and stars(50 coins). At the end of each turn you play a mini game where all four compete for coins. There are 53 mini games in Mario Party and I found most of them to be very fun and entertaining. If you just want to play the mini games than you can go to mini game island. This is where you compete to see if you can make it all the way throught the island and beat every mini game in Mario Party. After you have collected enough coins you can purchase items to help you in your quest to become the Super Star. If you like one mini game more than any of the others and just want to play that game than you can go to the Mini Game House and buy that game! In the Mini Game House, you can also play on a game board where you try to get only coins and become the mini game champion.

Graphics/Sound
I was pretty disappointed by the graphics and sound on this game but how much can you expect from a game from this time period. The characters are a little patchy and sometimes there are small breaks in the sound. In my opinion, a game doesn't need to have amazingly realistic graphics or sound to be a good game. I will admit that the music can get very annoying after you have been playing the game for about an hour, but it's not too bad. Mario Party is one of the earliest games to come out on the Nintendo 64 Game console but it is still very good.

Buy or Rent?
I would rent this game first to see if you like it and if you do, go out and buy it! It is not a good game if you are looking for a long adventure quest or if you want a lot of violence. I think most people would probably like this game a lot.

In Conclusion,
Mario Party is a great game to play on a rainy day with two or three friends. I am sure it will be a favorite for years to come. It will always be one of my favorites! The mini games are fun and the game boards are creative. This is truly the perfect multi player game. Invite a few friends over and compete to see which one of you is the real Super Star! Of course, I believe that the true Super Star is this game!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/25/05