"Never Party Alone"

There was no “party” genre before Mario Party, released for the Nintendo 64. And when you think about it, this makes perfect sense. After all, video games, at least at first, didn't really seem to be all that great for a “party”. Can you imagine being invited to a party where the whole point is to play a video game? I couldn't…but now I can. And it's all thanks to Mario Party.

Mario Party games are rather straightforward. They pretty much just consist of playing through a variety of unique and fun that last a few minutes long. Some games have undeniably been better than others, but when Mario Party 8 was announced, gamers were geared up for the best Mario Party even -- even toppling the near-perfect Mario Party 2 from its pedestal. After all, the Wii's remote offered such numerous possibilities for new, motion-controlled mini-games. What isn't there to like?

Well, unfortunately, there is some stuff not to like, though you won't really get it until you've played the game for a while. In fact, at first, Mario Party 8 seems like everything that you could possibly want it to be. The graphics, while not incredibly noticeable, are slightly better than those of recent GameCube iterations of the Mario Party franchise. Colors are bright and crisp, and the graphics run smoothly and consistently. Characters are fairly detailed, and overall, the game is just nice to look at.

Along the lines of immersion, the music of Mario Party 8 also ought to be discusses. While it is certainly nothing incredible, it's decent. It's somewhat catchy and fits in nicely with the cheery, colorful environment of the game. There's a general musical theme for each board that you play on (more on that later, though), so it's sometimes annoyingly repetitive. Still, though, it gets the job done, although without any real flair or excitement.

The meat of the game is…you guessed it: partying (if it can really be called that). There are a number of different modes, the two most standard being the “Party Mode” (really creative, I know) and Free Play. Party Mode is what Mario Party really is all about. You select a game board, each with a different theme. Each board also has different objectives and goals. For example, on the Boardwalk Board, there's a very nautical theme, and the object is to amass as much treasure as possible. On the other hand, there's also a board set in a city, where the object resembles that of Monopoly: earn money to purchase and upgrade properties.

Once you've decided upon which board to play on, you will select a character. A number of characters from the Mario world are available to play, including Mario himself, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi, as well as many others. The one real downside is that there's no advantage or disadvantage to picking any character; they are just like playing tokens in a board game. Unlike a game like Super Smash Bros. or Mario Kart, characters have no special abilities, nor do they at all affect the outcome of any game that you will play.

Once you've got all that straightened out, it's time to actually party on. The game progresses in a rather simple and straightforward manner. Role a die, then move that number of spaces on the game board. Normally, you will obtain a certain number of coins, as long as you land on a proper-colored space. Some spaces, however, are a bit more interesting. Some will immediately launch you into a minigame, some will detract coins from you, some will award you a candy.

Candies are a somewhat interesting aspect of game play in Mario Party 8, but nothing really mind-blowing. You obtain candies either by randomly being awarded them or purchasing them on shops found on the game board. Different candies have different effects; some switch places with other characters, some steal coins from your opponents, others turn you into a ball and bowl over anyone in your way. Their sole redeeming value is that they can alter the course of a game, though they're nothing that can switch the tide of the game around instantly. Aside from that, really, they're rather forgettable.

Once everybody has had a turn rolling dice and progressing through the board, then a minigame ensues. Minigames can be one player versus three, a two on two team battle, or a game in which its every many for himself. There are more than 60 “all-new” minigames in Mario Party 8, all of which are somehow controlled by use of the Wii remote. Mini games usually remain relatively simple, some examples including breaking a statue with a hammer by waving the Wii remote around like a nut, lassoing barrels by swinging around the Wii remote and then releasing it, and performing construction jobs by emulating such actions as hammering and sawing with the Wii remote.

Sound fun? Well, I've got some bad news…it really isn't. While there is clearly some great potential in Mario Party 8, especially seeing what the Wii remote is capable of, Mario Party 8 fails to impress merely in terms of its game play. The minigames are of the same vein as those in just about every Mario Party game to date; if you're a fan of the franchise, you pretty much know what to expect, which is a real fundamental disappointment. When you think about the fact that the franchise itself was founded upon the basis of innovation and originality, it's a pity to see the same ideas being recycled over and over again.

Another problem is that the Wii remote's controls are nowhere near as fun as they should be. The Wii has proven that it's little remote is capable of huge things; Wii Sports, a freaking bundle title, has exemplified just how wonderfully immersive the Wii remote can make a game. And yet, for some reason, a 50 dollar game from a Nintendo-staple franchise refuses to acknowledge that fact. Controls are clunky and annoying, and sometimes don't even work properly. It's bad enough that the games are pretty boring and not at all original; the whole situation is made even worse once you find that sometimes you can't even play the game properly. It's rather clear that this one came into existence with the intent to be a GameCube title; the Wii controls feel incredibly tacked on, as if the developers didn't even work that hard toward getting it all right.

And because the minigames themselves aren't even all that fun, another flaw of the game becomes even more pronounced. You see, all Mario Party games have suffered from the fact that they were really designed to be multiplayer games; playing by yourself just doesn't yield the same gaming experience. That said, most past Mario Party games have been fun enough that you can still play by yourself and have an enjoyable time of it. However, Mario Party 8 is so annoying and genuinely not fun to play that you must be playing it with friends for it to be even remotely fun.

That said, though, the multiplayer does partially redeem the somewhat negative gaming experience that Mario Party 8 offers. While it's quite boring to play against computers, it's actually pretty fun to play all these wacky games if you've got some friends with you. In fact, it is probably fun enough with friends that, as long as you're playing multiplayer, you can overlook the major flaws that are present -- and amplified -- when playing single player. It doesn't redeem the game overall, but at least you'll know that as long as you are playing alongside some friends, this game won't be a complete flop. The problems are still there, but the human interaction helps to dilute them somewhat.

On this point, I'd like to bring up that there is, in fact, something that the developers could have done to make Mario Party 8 a real Wii blockbuster. What is that, you ask? Online multiplayer. Other Wii games have it, so why not Mario Party 8? I've already commented that the games flaws can be somewhat forgotten, at least when playing multiplayer, and an online party mode would have ensured that there's always somebody ready to play. Sadly, though, and due to what I believe to be laziness on the part of the developer, a WiFi play mode was omitted. As a result, Mario Party 8 really suffers.

To add on to the blatant lack of fun in Mario Party 8, there's seriously nothing to do that's at all fun, besides multiplayer gaming. Though there is part of the game that allows you to play all the minigames that you've accrued, without the boredom of having to play on a game board, it's no good by yourself. It may serve to satisfy you and your friends for a bit, but once you've played every game a few times, there's nothing much to go back to. There are no real unlockables in the game, and there's just no replay value. It's a pity, because with a game this poorly executed, it would be great if there were some sort of incentive for gamers to keep on playing.

Overall, Mario Party 8 is just not at all a fun game. Playing by yourself is easily one of the most boring video game experiences that you will ever partake in, and even multiplayer is not mind-boggling. The music and graphics are fine, but they're nothing that can pull up the game from the quicksand of mediocrity that it is shoulder-deep in. The minigames themselves, in fact, are rather unimaginative, and the Wii controls are poorly executed and feel tacked on. The $50 price tag is ridiculous, just considering the dearth of fun things to do in this game It's a pity, really, because with a bit more effort, Mario Party 8 could have been something really great. Instead, though, I can only label it a title that I would advise anyone against purchasing.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 10/08/07

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