digibutter.nerr

[Popple]

http://www.gamespot.com/wii/puzzle/marioparty8/player_review.html?id=459433

Mario and his friends are back once again, this time bringing their minigame party to Wii. This time Mario and crew will be competing for a year's worth of free candy at the Star Carnival. The board and minigames are still here, but are there enough new features to warrant a purchase of the latest extravaganza?

Gameplay wise Mario Party is much better, The minigames are back, and they have never been better. The minigames in Mario Party 8 are a perfect match for the Wii controller and have never been easier to pick up and play. The boards are back as well. Although they are still the same as the last time, there are several Wii specific triggers in each. One of these is hat now to hit the die you must thrust the Wii controller up to make your character jump. it may not be a big change, but it makes the game much more interactive then then recent entries. The board are still about luck, but a good performance in minigames and efficient use of the new items, candy, will help you reach the top. The only thing that will usually keep you from losing if you perform well are the bonus stars which rely almost exclusively on luck. Luckily they can be turned off.

There are five different ways you can play these boards and games from the main menu. First off is the Party Tent where you can play a traditional game of Mario Party with a four player free for all. a tag battle, or a one on one match. The next is the single player game, the Star Battle Arena. Here you will pick a character and have a duel across all six board of the games boards in one on one duels leading to a final confrontation with Bowser. This mode is pretty much based on chance, as you will not be playing minigames every turn. Due to this, you will probably only play this game to unlock the two new characters and other extras. The third tent is the Extras Zone. Here you can play various minigames with your Miis or the Mario cast. These range from a 30 man moped race to a bowling game similar to Wii Sports. Next comes the Minigame Tent. Here any minigames you have unlocked and that's about it. Last is the Fun Bazaar. This is where you can spend carnival cards earned in other modes on minigames, figures, music, and even a harder difficulty.

My only problem with Mario Party 8 is the presentation. Nintendo has said in the past that they do not want to give voices to their characters because it would upset some people. The only problem is they have. Although the characters all have a few phrases they will say repeatedly, there is no other voice acting to speak of. Too top this off Mario Party 8 is also suffering in the visual presentation. Although I wasn't expecting much in terms of graphics, the game can not support true wide screen. Because of this it has a border on both sides of the screen which not only looks ugly, but can also disrupt gameplay on some smaller screens. Nintendo has really dropped the ball with the presentation, and although you will get used to it there is still no excuse for this sloppy presentation.

In the end, if you liked previous Mario Parties you will also like this one. It is still one of the best party games around even though its presentation suffers in this entry. It is still a solid game that with minigames that will keep you hooked for awhile, even if the true single player mode is lacking.

7/10

[vg]

My review, without the long explanation: 7.5 out of 10.

[Almaz]

Wow, you guys are soft. I've thought about it, and I'd only give it a 6. Bland graphical presentation, skim single player mode, annoying CPU's that usually happen to get numbers like 10's, lack of new board ideas, and, worst of all, somewhat lacking use of the Wii-mote (take the game with the robot Ukiki for example). I was underwhelmed, even 7 was better. However, I still enjoyed it because I just plain hated 2, 4, and 6 (why do I always hate the even-numbered MP's?)

[Popple]

I've been having fun with it. The Star Battle Arena is pretty boring, but the standard party mode is still a lot of fun.

[vg]

[Mushroommaniac2012]

Technically I'd say that it's good all thanks to the new minigames and characters 8.5/10

[Popple]

Characters do not change gameplay at all, therefore it is meaningless if there are more of them. Also the presentation is horrid with those stupid borders. This game deserves nothing above a 7.5.

[bobzearth42]

This game sounds awesome.

I am getting it. 3:|════׀