Mario Party 8

"A party you might not want to RSVP to."

Mario Party 8 is the latest entry in the long and tired series created back on the N64. To be honest I haven't played the seven games before this but I did play 1, 3 and 5. The only one I enjoyed was the original as the others bogged themselves down with terrible game play breaking rules. How does this 8th entry in this series hold up?

No plot is available here. It's just a carnival so just go with that idea even though some of the other games offered some sort of plot. Oh wait, sorry you enter a contest to win a year supply of candy... Yes, that's the real plot....

Graphically this game is pleasing to the eyes. It won't be something you bring out to show off but the crisp and clean graphics get the job done. Sadly the same can't be said about the stage designs as they are bland and uninteresting. Some of the worst boards I've seen in a party game yet.

I really hate the sound in this game. We get the normal voice cast with the simple vocal expressions. Besides that we get the most annoying announcer. He has the laugh of Peewee Herman and he speaks in gibberish. Music is alright though and fit the levels nicely enough.

Normally I don't hold control over the game play but in this case the control is very important as this is a mainly multiplayer game and the controls not only need to be easy but they also need to be explained by the game to anyone who's new to the controls.

Sadly Mario party 8 fails to tell the gamer exactly what to do with the Wiimote so those who are coming over for a quick game for the first time may be confused. Granted the game does inform you of how to hold the controller for each mini game but beyond that it doesn't tell you.

To add insult to it all the controls are either very stiff, almost feeling sluggish. While others are almost unresponsive to what you want it to do. Very rarely do the controls work just right and it's a shame because with perfected controls this could have been the best Mario Party yet.

Now the game offers a few different modes of play. We get a single player experience which is five boards that are one on one. In this mode you need to pay for stars with money. The rules seem a bit harsher here than in the more casual multiplayer. Too bad it's required to unlock a few different features in the game and it really shouldn't play different than the multiplayer.

For the multiplayer we get two options. Straight up mini game brawls which I find to be much more fun than the other choice.

The other choice is to play a board. You can pick the rounds. Lowest is ten rounds with highest being 40 or 50. This really drags the game on and it's a bit annoying because in this game they added candy. Think of these as draw cards. They have different effects. Three dice rolls or a twister that sends anyone you come into contact with back to the start. You can also use coins to hop around the board or even buy random candy.

Granted it can become really hectic but my problem is that it's really kind of boring when the meat of the game is its mini games.

The mini games seem to be more varied here than in the past game. Some require quick reflex while other require you to dodge or be able to pay attention to minor details. They aren't as thumb busting as the ones in the original Mario Party.

However as I said in the controls portion of this review. It really brings the game play down a notch or two. It really isn't user friendly and with no true explanations it hurts the overall game.

The game also lacks any on-line play which I think is needed by this point. However you can win cards for playing the game and cards are used to buy new mini games or buy little toys.

Mario party 8, like its previous entries should really be nothing more than bargain titles. If you constantly have friends over who want to sit in front of the TV then Mario party 8 might be up your alley but be warned that it isn't something most friends can just pick up and play due to the control issues.. Great weekend rental but I can't say you get your $50 worth out of this title.

Story - 2/10
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 6/10
Control - 6/10
Game Play - 7/10
Replay Value - 9/10

Final Score - 6/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 09/20/07

Game Release: Mario Party 8 (US, 05/29/07)