"No Wifi??? NO PROBLEM!!!"

Mario Party DS is not another handheld game; its the authentic and incredibly enjoyable Mario Party that we all love. Whats better is that it is portable! With 5 boards, 62 mini-games, 6 or more puzzles, and plenty of unlockables ("plenty" being an understatement), you can expect to be playing for a good long while, even if there is no wifi.

Story - 7/10

The story is much more sensible than the previous games, however it's definitely not a perfect story. Then again, one shouldn't suppose this to be a problem; after all, it IS Mario Party and the story really isn't that important. Diddy and Donkey Kong do show up, but they are hardly of much significance.

Sound - 9/10

The sound is great; fluent and consistent with no static-like annoyances. The music is good as well, classic tunes along with some new. Character voices are not bad

Graphics - 10/10

The graphics utilize the best out of the DS system, and although it may not be Halo 3 good, its probably at its best for the DS.

Gameplay - 9/10

Mini-games are revamped for the better. Out of them come various challenges; some requiring luck, skill, strategy, speed, and something generally new to Mario Party, cooperation. An example would be the game "soil toil", where 2 people share one race car and control the movement of separate wheels. Working together, they must move through and obstacle course and cross the finish line before the other team does. Mini-games are usually user-friendly, but there are 3 or 4 games that are a bit vague in instruction. This usually isn't a problem; one should be able to find things out in 1 or 2 plays. Aside the mini-games are boards and puzzles. The boards have their nice twists and turns without loosing too much linearity. The items are rather at few, but that isn't much of a disappointment. The puzzles are fun and challenging, along with control-friendly. The only exception to this is "Triangle Twisters"; it is plenty of fun and challenge, but the controls can be quite tedious.

Replay Value - 10/10

You will find yourself playing this game constantly, even when you're playing alone. There are seemingly endless badges, statues, and awards that one can obtain in this game. Furthermore, single-pack download play offers the whole package; every mini-game and every board. You and your DS buddies will find yourselves having fun for quite a while.

Overall - 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/26/07

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