"They should change the title to "DK's Xtreme Kegger". That would move product."

So, then.

Graphics: 5/10

It's not horrid, but it doesn't look better to me than any of the good GCN games. It's certainly colorful and bright. There is this beach board, of course, and the water in it doesn't hold a candle to the water in the original Pikmin. That's sort of embarrassing. With Mario Party, you're not getting onboard for some graphtastic experience. You're playing because it's fun, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on the graphics score. What I'll do is give it a low score and tell you it really doesn't matter.

Also, I was going to give it a 6, but it gets a giant -1 for no widescreen during actual play. That may or may not be an issue for you, but not even having the option is inexcusable at this point in the course of human events.

Game Play: 9/10

The minigames are the best in the series because of the Wiimote functionality. They're easily on the same level as your Rayman or your Warioware. It's not just that you're waving a stick in the air for this particular Party, either; the games themselves feel a little more innovative. Great job!

My biggest complaint would be waiting for the other players. The eating candy animation, for instance, is only a few seconds long, but I am extremely impatient. I wish they would just get on with it. Another huge complaint I've heard about the entire series is that the winner is largely determined by luck, not skill or strategy. By now you know if that's a problem for you or not.

But no online? What year is this? This was supposed to be the future. I've seen a lot of people on boards complaining about people complaining about the lack of online and widescreen support. I suppose there are troglodytes out there who loathe the advance of technology yet have somehow taught themselves to navigate the Internet, I assume through years of tedious trail and error. At this point, you have no excuse for no online. And announcing that the game won't have it months in advance is not an adequate substitution for actual online game play.

Sound: 6/10

None of the text is spoken. You just get the “bluh bluh bluh” all the way back from Star Fox. The characters' voices are all intact, their little celebrations and execrations. The music is passable. Overall the sound is just alright, but, like graphics, you're not picking up Mario Party 8 for the aesthetic experience. You're picking it up to destroy The Very Hopes And Dreams of your fellow gamers.

Overall: 7/10

That's not the average of the scores above (though it's close); that's just the quantification of my overall feeling about the game. It's sort of fun one player, and a lot of fun multiplayer. Like any Mario Party, it's infuriating at times and a pure gigglefest at others. Either way, I'm excited for my brother to get back so I can again bathe in a pool of his bitter tears, which sustain my very soul. It's not often I feel this way. I'm sorry, I'm getting all sentimental.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/30/07