Mario Party Advance

"Mario Ware?"

Mario Party is now hitting somewhere into I believe it's 7th installment with this new GBA game. The series has had, in my opinion, it's real ugly points, but that has not kept me from trying each new game that is put out in the series.

The Mario Party series is based off a sort of "Candy Land" board game idea. You roll a die on screen and move that number of spaces. Characters usually earn coins (points) by beating their friends in cute, short mini-games. Perfect game for a family with a Nintendo system and 2 or more children under the age of 12 (though some older kids will also enjoy this series).

Now, the GBA version on this game follows a somewhat similar formula, but it has its own interesting quirks as well.

Gameplay 8/10 - There are three general categories of play this time around: single player, multiplayer with one game cartridge and one to two GBAs, or mutliplayer with two GBAs and two cartridges.

The single player game actually was much better than what I had hoped for in this installment. Typically it's a ho-hum experience that is only meant to unlock other secrets in the game. While it is still true that you will open up most of the game in this mode of play, it never feels like a chore.

The only down side is that several of the mini-games that you are pitted against have MULTIPLE ways of losing the game rather than the classic "time runs out" idea. This can cause some frustration in the beginning, but after two to three tries it gets better. The ultimate goal is to complete each "quest" on the board. A quest will reward you with a "gadget" to play with (gadgets will be explained a little later on).

There is also two nice single player no-story mode that you can play and keep yourself fairly entertained with. One mode is similar to a "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" style (the further you go, the more coins you earn, but one loss means a game over with no coins). The second mode is a free play mode that you can play around with the games or "gadgets" you have unlocked.

The gadgets that you have unlocked in single player become open for use. This is where the game earns some negative and positive points, depending on your point of view. Gadgets range from small sports games that you may play by yourself (golf, basket ball, etc), to odd little "functions" (a snow globe and a design-your-own-cake mode rank amongst the most tame), to games you can play with your friends on one GBA (soccer, hungry-hungry hippos, etc). Most of these gadgets are entertaining, but many of them will seem weird to anyone who is not used to Japanese culture and often times take after ANOTHER comparable game from Nintendo called Wario Ware. Not everyone will like this, but keep an open mind and you might be surprised.

The single GBA multiplayer games is a great idea for everyone who loves the game, but can't find someone else who already has the game to play with. From love compadability, to a sliding block game, there will be at least one game mode you can get a friend to play with you on.

There is also a strictly multiple cartridge games that can also be played. This is really where Mario Party becomes it's most entertaining, but you MUST have two GBAs, TWO copies of the game, and ONE link cable. This can get a bit pricey, especially if you are buying this for your children.

Another interesting feature to the game is the "Passport" feature. You create your own at start up, including cute photo and all, and you can trade with friends. There is only ONE Passport per cartridge, so beware if you bought this for multiple people to play.

Graphics 9/10 - None of the graphics seem out of place and most things were beautifully rendered. The only downside is that there is an occasional graphic that leaves you wondering what it was meant to be.

Music 6/10 - It's a Mario game alright. None of the tunes are annoying, all of them are placed properly, some are kinda catchy. However, in this game, there isn't enough of it. In gadget mode, you are left soundless with very few exceptions. Makes a very unique idea fall a little short.

Replay 7/10 - It would take a while to get bored of the mutliplayer modes on this, but without a friend, single player can get old fast. It's fun for the first 6 hours it may take (depending on skill it can take less than that) to unlock everything on the single player game, but after that, you have to hope a friend wants to rock out with you.

Overall 7/10 - I personally enjoyed this version of Mario Party, but I was left disappointed in a few respects. However, if you are already a fan of the series or have a few kids you want to quell, the game is VERY worth the money. Wario Ware fans will also like this fresh port of Japanese-Craziness. Everyone else, try to borrow it from a friend first since I cannot guarantee that you will enjoy this one.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/31/05