How is it better than those other Gamecube and Wii titles? Definitely not by sticking to the old formula. The usual developer Hudson Soft has recently become part of Konami, meaning that Nintendo has had to find a different developer for the project. So, they chose Wii Play Motion developer Nd Cube. Nd Cube decided to not include the complex board game part of the game. Instead they replaced it with a new linear board system where all the players ride in the same car, with each player taking a turn at driving the car in alternation. This system works great, and means Mario Party games could take as little as half an hour. The mini games have also being improved, with most of them actually being enjoyable.
Graphics have also been improved, with Mario Party finally being converted into a widescreen game. There may only be 12 characters this time around, but they look great! Sound seems to be the only thing which hasn't been improved, with tunes that really just aren't memorable, yet they still sound slightly Mario-ish. Theres also one thing you need to enjoy this game- friends! This game is pretty much unenjoyable when you play by yourself. Let me tell you, it is much more enjoyable taking stars off your best friend!
So, to summarise it- This is the best Mario Party game to be released within the past ten years and has changed the game's usual formula to be faster and to have a focus on the mini games. If you enjoy having fun and have people to play it with, you'll love this game. So I'm giving it a-
8/10
