"A new and innovative DS experience, with old elements of course"

As I stated in my review for Mario Party 8 for the Nintendo Wii, my friends and I are huge Mario Party fanatics. When I found out there was going to be a Mario Party game for the DS, I was ecstatic. This game truly blows me away and lives up to my expectations.

Story - 8/10
Mario Party DS actually has much more story than the more recent Mario Parties. In Story Mode, the Mario gang gets an invitation to a party held at Bowser's Castle, so of course in typical Mario fashion, they accept. They don't realize that it's a ploy to shrink them down to size, and the evil tyrant blows the group away. The player must then choose from one of the eight selectable characters (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Daisy, Wario, and Waluigi) and go through a series of events leading them back to their normal size. Old friends of Mario also appear in the adventure -- Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Toadette, and Wiggler, along with old enemies -- Kamek, Bowser Jr., Hammer Bro, and Dry Bones. All-in-all, the story mode did a great job incorporating elements from the Mario games.

Graphics - 9/10
The graphics of Mario Party DS are very reminiscent of the Nintendo 64 Mario Parties, which is great to me, as I love the nostalgia factor. This game really takes advantage of the DS's graphics with colorful cutscenes and in-depth stages. This is certainly no Mario Party Advance. The mini-games are also very different in design, and instead of the console versions of the game, during the mini-games you only see your character (or team, if it's a 2vs2 or 1vs3 game). The graphics are excellent for the DS and old fans of Mario Party will definitely love them.

Sound - 10/10
I found the music to be very catchy and hum-worthy, which is always nice. The character voice samples are also brand new (with the exception of Yoshi?), which also adds to the new-ness feel of the game. I don't really have much to say on the sound of the game other than it was excellent and I wouldn't have changed anything about it.

Gameplay - 10/10
The gameplay is where the game really shines, as most Mario Parties do. The mini-games are all new and exciting, utilizing the stylus and the microphone without losing the mini-games that require you to use the controls to move around and jump. One of the mini-games that really stands out to me is the one where you have to dance and press a certain button with your stylus if the spotlight is on you or on your enemy. Another is where you and a partner blow into the microphone to try and force a Thwomp down on the opposing team. Really, all of the mini-games are fresh and fun, and you can tell Nintendo really tried with these games rather than just rehashing a bunch of older games (which isn't hard to do... this is the 10th actual Mario Party, yet they keep cranking out new mini-games!). There are also new Boss Battle mini-games, which range from extremely easy (Hammer Bro) to extremely hard (Bowser). I seriously battled Bowser about twenty times before I was able to defeat him.

Replay Value - 10/10
Fortunately for DS owners, only one person has to buy the game in order for four people to play it. This allows for you and a bunch of friends to play the game any time you want when you're on the go. Plus, there's lots of little extras you can get by beating Story Mode, such as trophies and even new games. But, you have to beat the game with each character to unlock each different trophy, which can be frustrating, but adds to the replayability anyway. I would definitely recommend this game to any Mario Party fan or just someone with a DS and a few friends. It's a mad good time.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/07

Game Release: Mario Party DS (US, 11/19/07)