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Mario Party

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Boxart for the original Mario Party.

Mario Party is a popular party (multi-player) game featuring Mario series characters in which four human- and/or computer-controlled characters compete in a board game interspersed with minigames. The series was developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo (though the arcade version was developed by Capcom).

Since the release of the first Mario Party in 1999, the series had consistently put out a sequel every year for North America and Japan (much like the original Mega Man series), until 2006. The series has been praised for its party game elements, including the often-unpredictable multiplayer modes that allow play with up to four (and sometimes eight) human players.

Gameplay

Over the course of the Mario Party incarnations, gameplay has changed to suit the technology of the hardware, and there are also several modes available for play in each game, each of which provides its own rules and challenges.

Party Mode

Every game in the main series has a standard Party Mode in which up to four players play through a board, trying to collect as many stars as possible. In every turn, each player rolls a die and progresses on the board, which usually has branching paths. Coins are primarily earned by performing well in a minigame played at the end of each turn. On most boards, players earn stars by reaching a star space and purchasing a star for a certain amount of coins. The star space appears randomly on one of several pre-determined locations and moves every time a star is purchased, usually occupying a blue space.

Every Mario Party contains at least 50 to almost 110 minigames with a few different types. Four-player games are a free-for-all in which players compete individually. In 2-on-2 and 1-on-3 minigames, players compete as two groups, cooperating to win, even though they are still competing individually in the main game. Some minigames in Mario Party 1 are 4-player co-op, even though it doesn't say it. In most situations, winners earn ten coins each.

Battle minigames first appeared in Mario Party 2. These games are like the 4-player games, but are often more elaborate. Instead of winners earning ten coins each, each player contributes a randomly selected number of coins (or all coins if the player falls short of the pot amount). The winner of the minigame receives 70% of the pot, the second place winner receives the other 30%, and a random player occasionally gets a coin left over from rounding.

Duel minigames also debuted in Mario Party 2, and were omitted in Mario Party 4 (though the Story minigames were all duels), but returned again in Mario Party 5. Duel games pit two players against each other. In Party Mode, one player initiates the duel, wagering coins or even a star against another player. The winner of the duel receives all coins or stars wagered. Starting with Mario Party 7, the player no longer chooses the wager in a duel, rather, the duel takes place and the prize to the winner, if any, is randomly determined.

Minigame Mode

In addition to Party mode, every Mario Party has a minigame mode in which minigames are played with the board game. Minigame modes vary from game to game, but later games have many different variations. In one such example from Mario Party 5, each player tries to fill a board with as many spaces as possible in his or her color by winning minigames.

Games

Entries in the series have been released for the Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, the e-Reader, Wii, and the Nintendo DS.

Mario Party

Main article: Mario Party

The first game in the series, originally released in Japan on the Nintendo 64 on December 18, 1998. 53 minigames are found in Mario Party.

Mario Party 2

Main article: Mario Party 2

Originally released in Japan for the Nintendo 64 on December 17, 1999, Mario Party 2, seen on the "Horror Land" board, contains a precursor of Mario Party 6's day-and-night system. This game also introduced the use of items; a feature that has since been perpetuated in every installment in the series. It was also the first game to have the characters switching costumes to fit the theme of the board. A total of 65 minigames are in Mario Party 2.

Mario Party 3

Main article: Mario Party 3
Mario Party 3 box cover

Mario Party 3 was originally released in Japan for the Nintendo 64 on December 7, 2000. Although Mario Party 3 was the last installment in the series to be released on the Nintendo 64, it was the first installment to introduce the Story Mode, in which one player starts a campaign through every board, challenging computer-controlled opponents in a shortened version of Party Mode on each board. The player can control anyone from the original playable cast, and collect stamps in order to prove themselves worthy of owning the Millennium Star and being the greatest Superstar in the Universe.

Mario Party 3 also features duel maps, in which two players try to attack each other using non-playable characters, such as a Koopa Troopa or a Piranha Plant. This game also introduced mini-games based entirely on luck, as well as "rare" mini-games which can only be obtained once the player has achieved certain goals. Waluigi and Princess Daisy made their Mario Party debut in this installment, but they are unavailable for use in the games Story Mode. Mario Party 3 features 71 minigames, with some of these mini-games having multiple versions.

Mario Party 4

Main article: Mario Party 4

Mario Party 4 was the first Mario Party to be released on the GameCube. It was originally released in North America on October 21, 2002. The game features a total of 73 minigames. It is the only Gamecube Mario Party game to feature Donkey Kong as a playable character on game boards and mini games.

Mario Party 5

Main article: Mario Party 5

Mario Party 5 was originally released in North America for the GameCube on November 10, 2003. Donkey Kong was noticeably removed from the character roster (however he is playable in a limited capacity), but in the absence of DK as a playable character, DK spaces were added to the game boards. With these come a variety of bonuses available for characters who land on them. Regular items were exchanged for "capsules"; these can be obtained for free from capsule machines on each board, and can be thrown up to ten spaces ahead to turn a board space into a special board space. When a character lands on the space, certain events are triggered depending on the type of capsule thrown; some helpful, some harmful.

In the single-player mode, the player now competes against three Mini Bowsers, who move simultaneously and try to deplete the player's coins, while the player tries to do the same to them. Boo, Koopa Kid and Toad are no longer emceeing, but are made playable characters for the first time. There are a total of 75 minigames found in Mario Party 5.

Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party is an arcade version of this game released by Capcom in 2004, but with considerable differences.

Mario Party 6

Main article: Mario Party 6

Mario Party 6 was originally released in Japan for the GameCube on November 18, 2004. It was the first game to make use of the GameCube's peripheral microphone, which was packaged and sold with the game. The game contains a day-and-night setup -- the board and some of the minigames change with the sun and moon after every third turn (this is similar to the "Horror Land" board in Mario Party 2). Starting with Mario Party 6 and ending with Mario Party 7, capsules were replaced with orbs; while orbs act in the same manner as capsules, the player must pay for them. Donkey Kong was also removed from free play in this game and has not been playable since.

Each board also has a slightly different star-collecting method. In one board, players use coins to "rent" Chain Chomps, which can be ridden to trample other players and steal their stars. In the single player mode, the player walks across a board marked with spaces that lets them play minigames for quick coins, which can then be spent at a shop called the Star Bank. Toadette becomes a playable character in this installment. A total of 82 minigames are found in Mario Party 6.

Mario Party 7

Main article: Mario Party 7

Mario Party 7 was originally released in North America for the GameCube on November 7, 2005 and also makes use of the microphone sold with Mario Party 6. Toadsworth is the host of this game, which supports up to eight players at once (adding new 8-player minigames just for that purpose). Koopa Kid, however, is removed from the playable character list, and instead, he has a random space on the board. Birdo and Dry Bones are added to the list of playable characters. In Mario Party 7 every five turns in a game will make Bowser appear and change something around in gameplay, like putting up his own store or demolishing bridges. So far, this game currently holds the most minigames in a Mario Party game -- 88.

Mario Party 8

Main article: Mario Party 8
File:Character selection screen.jpg
The character roster for Mario Party 8

Mario Party 8 for the Wii was first revealed on the Japanese Nintendo site.[1] It should be noted that this is the first time since the series started that the release pattern is broken due to the fact that the Wii was under development; there was no time to make this game. No Mario Party game was released in 2006 (save Mario Party 7 in Europe and Australia, but the two continents already broke the pattern earlier, by having Mario Party 5 in 2003 and 6 in 2004). It had a subsequent release date and released first in North America on the Wii on May 29, 2007.

All 12 characters from Mario Party 7 returned, with Hammer Bro and Blooper as newcomers to the roster. Candy now take the place of blocks, hexes, orbs or capsules. The game features 81 minigames in all, most of which utilizing the Wii Remote's capabilities.

Spinoffs

Mario Party-e

See also: E-Reader § Other

Mario Party-e is a card game that makes optional use of the Nintendo e-Reader and was released on February 7, 2003. A significant departure from the series, Mario Party-e is a card game that involves trying to get three superstar clothes accessories, and getting a superstar to win. However, there are many cards that can stop the player from reaching this goal. Many of these cards contain "dot-codes" that, when scanned into the e-Reader allow players to play minigames similar to those found in the regular Mario Party series.[2]

The Mario Party-e contains a Play Mat, an instruction book and a pre-constructed deck consisting of 64 cards in the following assortment (cards marked with an asterisk ("*") are e-Reader compatible cards):

2
#01 Coin (x24)#02 Superstar's Hat (x4)#03 Superstar's Clothes (x4)#04 Superstar's Shoes (x4)
#05 Superstar (x4)#06 Mario#07 Super Mario#08 Luigi
#09 Super Luigi#10 Donkey Kong#11 Princess Peach*#12 Graceful Princess Peach*
#13 Daisy*#14 Lakitu*#15 Toad#16 Bob-omb
#17 Chain Chomp#18 Shy Guy#19 Goomba#20 Bowser*
#21 Koopa Troopa#22 Boo#23 Two Boo#24 Yoshi*
#25 Big Boo*#26 Waluigi*#27 Super Waluigi*#28 Wario*
#29 Super Wario*

Also, included in the June 2003 issue (#177) of GamePro magazine was Card #30 called Coin (Special Bonus Card).

Mario Party Advance

Main article: Mario Party Advance

Mario Party Advance was released for the Game Boy Advance on March 28, 2005. In this game, the player enters a large board map named "Shroom City" and is asked to solve mysteries and do favors for the locals. After completing a specified task, the player receives a "Gaddget" — a minigame, but even smaller. Mushrooms are used as dice; if the player runs out of mushrooms, the game ends. Four characters are playable: Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Princess Peach.

Mario Party DS

Main article: Mario Party DS

Mario Party DS was released on November 19th, 2007 for the Nintendo DS in North America. The eight playable characters are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Yoshi, and Toad. Many minigames need to be won by using the touch screen. There are also minigames where you must blow into the microphone. There are also still traditional minigames using the directional pad and control buttons. Instead of Orbs, there are Hexs and Blocks. There is a shop owned by a Monty Mole. There are a few new items and replacements. Like the mushroom that doubles movement are now called Double Dice Block and a Triple Dice Block. There is a Half Dice Block, a Warp Block, and a Star Pipe. 74 minigames are found in Mario Party DS.

Playable characters

Character Mario
Party		 Mario
Party 2		 Mario
Party 3		 Mario
Party 4		 Mario
Party 5		 Mario
Party 6		 Mario
Party 7		 Mario
Party 8		 Mario Party
Advance		 Mario
Party DS
Mario Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Luigi Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Peach Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Yoshi Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Wario Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Donkey Kong Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY1 Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Daisy Red XN Red XN Green tickY1 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Waluigi Red XN Red XN Green tickY1 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Toad Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY1 Green tickY1 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Boo Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY1 Green tickY1 Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN
Koopa Kid 3 Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY1 Green tickY1 Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Toadette Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY2 Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN
Birdo Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY2 Green tickY Red XN Red XN
Dry Bones Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY2 Green tickY Red XN Red XN
Blooper Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY2 Red XN Red XN
Hammer Bro. Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY2 Red XN Red XN
Mii Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY1 Red XN Red XN
Notes:
  1. Only available in specific areas of the game
  2. Unlockable for free-play
  3. Known as "Mini Bowser" in PAL territories

Controversies

In Mario Party, certain minigames require players to rotate the Analog Stick, including one which challenges the player to wind up Fly-Guy at the minigame house. This caused some players to get blisters and other hand injuries because of the fact that they could rotate the analog stick much faster with the palms of the hands than with only their thumb. The Analog Stick rotation is no longer used starting with Mario Party 2 (with the exception of one mini-game in Mario Party 5 where the player only needs to rotate it once).

The gambling type of minigame was introduced in Mario Party 2, but since the player only gave five of the in-game coins away, it didn't cause too much concern. However, Mario Party 3 introduced high-stakes gambling, causing concern that children are too young to be introduced to betting money. The player has to pay all of his or her coins to play. If he or she wins, they get double their original number of coins back. If he or she loses, they'll end up with no coins.

In July 2007, Mario Party 8 for Wii was withdrawn from United Kingdom game stores shortly after its release date.[3] This was allegedly due to a non-playable character using the word "spastic." Complaints were raised from consumers as the term is considered offensive and politically incorrect in the United Kingdom. In the UK, spastic means a mentally challenged person. In August 2007, Nintendo eventually re-released the game, with the word spastic removed.[4]

References

  1. ^ http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/software/lineup/index.html game page
  2. ^ Gameplay Video
  3. ^ Nintendo withdraws game that taunts 'spastics' | Times Online
  4. ^ Non-'spastic' Mario Party 8 returns Aug. 8 to Europe | Joystiq
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