Mario Party DS

"The More the Merrier"

Luge racing, pipe climbing, cherry swinging, photo shooting - what do all of these things have in common? If you guessed at "nothing", you pretty much hit the bullseye. All of these events would seem totally out of place if cobbled together normally. But there's nothing ordinary about the Mario Party series, and now in its tenth console incarnation (excluding the e-Reader version), Mario and co. have decided to hit up the DS with yet another barrage of oddball mini-games tied to a simplistic board game adventure.

If you have never taken to any of the Mario Party games before, it is doubtful that Mario Party DS will change your mind. It really is a love or hate thing -- hitting up dice, taking turns to move around a board, setting hexes to trip other players up, spending coins to purchase all-important stars -- if it all sounds boring to you already, playing it won't make it any better.

I really don't see why the board game aspect is such a big deal; it's both slow paced and repetitive. However, what saves most of these Mario Party games from utter mediocrity are the mini-games, and Mario Party DS has some of the best I've seen to date.

Every single DS function is utilised throughout the seventy odd mini-games (apart from shutting it into sleep mode). You'll use the stylus to flick leaves away, roll a ball across an obstacle course, and rub your hero to prevent them from freezing into a snowman. There's a good dose of button mashing to drift through simplified Mario Kart/Wave Race-esque race tracks, as well as timed and coordinated tapping, for example, when activating magnets as close to the goal as possible, or in attempting to ascend a tall pipe whilst back to back with your partner. I haven't forgotten about blowing either; try to topple a Whomp onto the pair of players opposing you or breathe out an icy wind to chill Mario and co. into popsicles, it's all here.

There is a ton of variety and although most of them have been seen in some way of form before (just how many mini-game compilations are there?!), it doesn't subtract from its overall appeal. My favourites would have to be the race away from a rubbish-sucking vacuum cleaner and choosing the right lollies to submit to a pedantic Shy Guy, but there are many others which are just as good in this bucket of fun; few mini-games are actually worthless, which is surprising given the stagnation of the genre in recent times.

It's great that the mini-games are open to play at any time once you've unlocked them (from the rather unexciting board game adventure), and you can even face off against rival opponents at any time via DS download and play which sweetens the deal so much as only one game card is required. Multiplayer has always been where the Mario Party games excelled, and it is no different here; I don't recommend this if you intend on going solo only.

One thing that is ruined by the sweet single-card multiplayer, though, is that there is no record tracking. In this regard, Mario Party DS fails, but just like how it doesn't matter who wins the board game in the end (since it is still mostly governed by luck), score-keeping is rather trivial given that with every game that you have with a couple of mates, you're guaranteed to have a reasonably good time.

There isn't any Wi-Fi mode to speak of here and many have been quick to point this out as a big disappointment, but seriously - with the length of time that full games take (about half and hour or so) and issues with suspect drop-outs, I'm sure that it wouldn't have worked out as planned,

Mario Party has always been about socialising with your peers anyway. As I've said, it doesn't matter who wins or loses overall; it's all about the excitement you stir up yourselves during your gaming party.

What makes Mario Party DS stand above your average mini-game compilation is just how jam-packed with content it is. As if having over seventy mini-games wasn't enough, there are also a handful of classic Mario Party puzzle games available. While they may not be entirely original - most are poorly disguised rip-offs of well-known puzzlers such as Puyo Pop - they are ALL as good as your old man's Tetris and excellent time-sinks for when you don't have any DS-owning friends around. Sucks how there's no stylus control here, though.

If you have been an ardent follower of all things Mario Party, you'll definitely lap this up so long as you have a gaggle of friends who share similar sentiments. The crux of the game hasn't changed much, and although Mario Party DS is quite bulky compared to your usual standard DS fare, it doesn't step up enough from its brethren to differentiate and market itself towards those that have always been ignorant of the series. The portability is nice, though, and so is the single card multiplay which makes it very easy to set up DS parties with - you may even be able to convince Mario Party haters given time.

Despite lack of score tracking, and the archaic and camel-paced board game mechanics, there's much to love about Mario Party DS with the excessive amount of intriguing mini-games backed by a Mario flavour and yet another groovy, big-band score, and while you're waiting for your mates to grab their DS's or wanting to waste away a couple of minutes for whatever reason, the puzzle games are an entertaining contingent. While it's no substitute for a booze-filled bonanza, Mario Party DS is without a doubt one of the best parties that you can hold from the palm of your hands.

VERDICT - 8.0/10 Ditch the board game and build up an even more varied repertoire next time please (probably won't happen).

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/26/07

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