"Mario Party makes it's debut on the Wii."

Mario Party 8 is the eighth Mario Party game in the mainline series and is also Mario Party's debut on the Wii. With the new features of the Wii, Mario Party 8 takes a new direction in the Mario Party series. But are these new innovations taking the Mario Party series into a new direction?

The main theme for Mario Party 8 is a carnival. The carnival is hosted by none other than the eccentric MC Ballyhoo! The carnival contains a total of five different tents in which you can enter. In the Party Tent, you and your friends can start up a quick game while in Star Battle Mode you are pitted against computer players on different board maps. The Mini-game Tent and Extras Zone allows you to play the various mini-games that you have unlocked and/or bought. Finally, the Fun Bazaar allows you to buy new features and figurines in trade for your Carnival Cards.

The graphics in Mario Party 8 might look similar to the Gamecube versions of the Mario Party, but they actually have improved. The board maps for example are much more interactive and contain new themes. Unlike past Mario Party games, the mini-games include more details. For example, the mini-game "Grabbin' Gold" is played in an arcade. In the background of this mini-game has various Mario characters playing various games. The new detail makes the mini-games much more enjoyable.

The music once again is solid. The music on each board map fits each board maps theme perfectly. Also, the music for the mini-games fits the pace and mood for the mini-games. The characters also got new voices. Some of the characters voices haven't changed much, but the voices of Daisy and Toad are the ones that stand out from the rest of the characters. Daisy has the most unusual lines in the game. One of the most annoying lines of Daisy is when she screams "Neato!". Toad sounds like a girl when he wins and you often may confuse his voice for Toadette.

The controls take a new direction in Mario Party 8. The controls now revolve around the use of the Wiimote. The controls on the board maps even use the Wiimote. For example, to hit the dice block, you must push the Wiimote up into the air. Even with the use of the Wiimote, the controls are still pretty basic. You don't have to worry about the use of the Wiimote for every mini-game since some of the mini-games just use the control pad and buttons. The mini-games that do use the Wiimote have pretty simple actions like point and click or pivot the Wiimote. However, some of the mini-games, particularly the driving mini-games, have funky controls that take time to get use to.

The board maps in Mario Party 8 are an improvement from the past board maps. Like Mario Party 6 and Mario Party 7, Mario Party 8 has different ways to retrieve a star on a board map. For example, DK's Treetop Temple, has the characters traveling around the board map and trying to locate the star for twenty coins. In Shy Guy's Perplex Express, you start in a the back of the train and you must try to reach the front of the train, but the train is filled with events that will try to prevent you from reaching the front of the train. As mentioned earlier, the boards contain more happening events and interaction that make the boards more enjoyable.

Mario Party 8 also includes a new item system called the candy system. The candy system seems like a rehashed system of the Orb system from the past Mario Party games. The candy system is a mixture of the item system and the orb system. With the candy system, you cannot make the traps on the boards like the past Mario Party games. The most unique feature of the candy feature is the character's transformation. A character will have a different transformation for each of the candies.

Mario Party 8 contains 60+ mini-games that are more enjoyable then the past games. With the use of the Wiimote, Nintendo came up with new objectives for the mini-games. Some of the mini-games have simple objectives like to shake a can or point your Wiimote at the screen and shoot at Pink Boos. As mentioned earlier, some of the mini-games have horrible controls where either the Wiimote is unresponsive or the controls take a long time to adapt to. For example, in the mini-game Flip the Chimp, the Wiimote can be unresponive at times.

After you are done with a certain mode, then you are awarded Carnival Cards. The Carnival Cards can be used at the Fun Bazaar to buy new mini-games, figurines, and features. The Carnival Cards can be a hassle to earn. Sometimes you have to repetitively play a certain mode to get more Carnival Cards. However, the Carnival Cards keep you playing Mario Party 8.

The Extras Zone in Mario Party 8 is a good place to visit if you are tired of the main game. You can use your Miis in the Extras Zones mini-games too! Some of the mini-games in Extras Zone are addictive like Moped Mayhem. Moped Mayhem pits you against 29 other Mario characters in a bike race around the course. The courses are not simple since they are filled with turns. Some of the other mini-games are fun like Trial by Tile.

If you are a Mario Party fan, that I suggest that you buy Mario Party 8. The new controls and some of the similarities to past Mario Party games might throw you off. If you have played only played a couple of the Mario Party games or were not satisfied with the past two Mario Party games than you should give this game a rent. However, you should not go out and buy a Wii just for Mario Party 8.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/14/07