Mario Party 8

Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Hudson Soft
Rated: Everyone
System: Nintendo Wii Exclusive
Genre: Party Game
Players: 1 - 4

Suggested Retail Price: $49.99
Release Date: May 29, 2007
Review Date: July 10, 2007
Review By Jeff McKinney

What It Is

Mario Party is an ongoing series of games from Nintendo that combine traditional board game elements with video game-play. Players select a Nintendo character in much the same way they would choose a Monopoly token, then “roll” the dice to see how far they will progress on the game board. Each round of four turns (one for each of the four players) ends with a wacky mini-game that can include anything from catching scoops of ice cream falling from the sky to evading the claw in a giant carnival game.

The latest edition, 8, is the first Mario Party game for the Nintendo Wii system. The rules and game play are the same as its predecessors but MP8 gets to take advantage of the Wii-remote, which adds a whole new twist to the game.

Why It’s Fun

Like board games, the Mario Party games are social events that bring people together. Each player’s turn moves quickly and everyone is involved in the mini-games. Even when it isn’t your turn, new Wii elements add to everyone’s enjoyment as you get to watch your fellow players role the dice by thrusting their remotes up in the air.

Who’s Going To Love It

You don’t have to know your Princess Peach from your Toad to enjoy this game. This is actually a great video game for parents looking for a way to interact with their kids in an activity that the kids really enjoy.

At the same time, older kids, teens and even adults without kids really enjoy the Mario Party games.

What To Be Aware Of

You only need the Wii-Remote to play this one so don’t worry if you don’t have the nunchuck attachment.

If you only have two players, you can choose to team up and battle against two computer-controlled characters. Although this and other Mario Party games are most fun when played with others, there is also a single player mode.

If I had to point out one drawback for Mario Party 8, it would be the graphics. Despite being the first MP game for the Wii, the graphics look nearly identical to those of the last generation GameCube games.