Mario Spin-off Games #15--Mario Party

On 02/19/2016 at 09:45 AM by The Last Ninja

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Platform: Nintendo 64

Released: 1999

Developer: Hudson Soft

Genre: Mini-game

I remember the hype for this game when it was being advertised. We had never had a game quite like this. In Mario Party, you would pick a character (Mario, Luigi, Peach, DK, Yoshi, or Wario) and a board. You would then compete to see who could get the most stars and coins. In essence, it was a virtual board game. The spots you landed on could make or break your chance at getting a star. Chance spots and Bowser spots could especially change things.

But the best part of the game was the mini-games. There was a great variety of different games, not to mention several different categories, such as 4 player, 3 Vs. 1, and 2 Vs. 2 mini-games. Many of the games involved knocking other players off of something or collecting the most coins. Others invloved precision in cutting, shaping, or simply moving. And of course, the game is infamous for a few mini-games which forced you to rotate the control stick in a circle as fast as you could. This would easily give your palm a nasty blister. Ouch!

Mario Party proved to be a fantastic multiplayer game. It spawned a huge series that is still with us today, although the formula needs some re-imagining, if you ask me. Still, some of my favorite gaming memories go back to the very first game on N64.

Cary Woodham

02/19/2016 at 01:40 PM

I got the original Mario Party. I also have one of the GameCube ones because I got it at a charity auction. And I have the Wii U one because it came with a special amiibo figure. But I don't have any of the other games. They're all the same, so I don't feel compelled to play them all.

The first one was pretty unique for its time, though. I remember Nintendo getting in a bit of trouble because many of the games in the first one required you to rotate the analog stick like a madman, and it rubbed people's hands raw and they complained. So no more spinning stick games after that.

I'm glad that they got Hudson Soft. to make this game. Hudson were experts with four player multiplayer games what with Bomberman. And when Konami bought out Hudson and squeltched them, Nintendo hired off a bunch of Hudson employees before that happened so they could continue making Mario Party games. So at least they didn't lose too many jobs when Konami did that. I'm still mad at Konami for doing that to Hudson.

The Last Ninja

02/20/2016 at 12:58 AM

You're right, Hudson was the right company to do MP. It's a shame they were bought out! Does this mean we'll never see another Bomberman game?

02/20/2016 at 02:50 PM

Well it's up to Konami now. I wouldn't get your hopes up.

KnightDriver

02/22/2016 at 01:59 AM

I played either 1, 2, or 3 because it was on the N64 back in the day. I wanted to like it, but I found the minigames just too darn simple.

02/22/2016 at 11:18 AM

Well, they have to be simple so everyone can understand them. Later games in the series, such as MP7 on GCN, have some really great mini-games. Most agree that MP2 is the best in the series.

02/23/2016 at 01:56 AM

I give one a try again sometime. Maybe 7.

PixlBit