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Mario Party 10 Review for Wii U

Mario Party 10 Review for Wii U

Itsa Party Time

I must confess, Mario Party and I have a long history together. We have been the best of friends and the worst of enemies. I have missed Mario Party – so much that I didn’t believe it was at my door, even while I held it in my hand. After the initial “I can’t believe it,” the next step was to gather people that I could either stand not being friends with ever again, or those that would get a deep satisfying joy out of punishing each other digitally. So naturally, I waited for my kids to get home. We played so long, the next day oddly they were too sick to go to school, and just like that my kids had the first game they “called in” to play. It was an awesome time. Mario Party was back and I couldn’t have been happier, and that was before I even played as Bowser!

It is important to say that this is Mario Party . If you’ve ever played one, you know what to expect. You and three other friends gallivant around a game board and play mini-games in hopes of being the ultimate victor. I’ve often described Mario Party the digital Monopoly. It’s the only equivalent of people having tremendous fun while also enjoying the fact they are screwing other players over constantly. This formula still holds true, especially in the Classic mode of the game.

With roughly 70 mini-games to play through, players are able to enjoy that aspect of what has made Mario Party a long-standing franchise. Some of the mini-games are a little recycled, but in my opinion having that familiarity helps the game’s potential staying power. If you’ve stayed with the series throughout you might have that extra, and sometimes needed, advantage when a game you recognize shows up. Just hope it’s not the game you sucked at before.

I know a lot of people have had issue with some of the ways mini-games were decided before, so rest assured that this Mario Party rewards skill. There are some instances on the board in which some questionable things can happen, but since you also have that same capability of “using the system,” it balances out. In the end, you can easily tell who will be the victor before the mini-game is over. For example, there’s a mini-game that is simply you moving from one platform to another, but the extra effort you put into stunning your opponents will help you ensure you are the winner.

Mario Party 10 Screenshot

There’s also a new mode, which incorporates the Amiibos. You know, those things you bought because they were cool statues, not because you planned on actually playing anything with them. You and three other friends can bring your Amiibos in a special play mode for them. The great thing here is that you can collect abilities throughout the game which will save to the Amiibo for you to use either during the current game you are playing, or surprising someone the next time you play. It’s a dirty, dirty tactic but well worth it for the surprise on other people’s faces when you reveal you can now steal their stuff with your plastic Peach.

Mario Party 10 Screenshot

However, the best mode, the mode I spent the most time with, is Bowser Party. Yeah, you get to take the Wii U gamepad and it’s you versus up to four other players. I cannot express how much fun this mode was. The mini-games in this mode are very Bowser-centric for the player as Bowser. You (literally) breathing fireballs at the other players, spinning them around in a giant hamster wheel (with electrified points), and the sickest version of quasi-Bingo I have seen. Your granny ain’t going to like this one.

Fortunately the fun doesn’t stop just in the mini-games for Bowser’s Party. On the actual board there are advantages to being the big bad. For example, Bowser wants to win so he’s going to do everything he can to stop the others, and one of the ways is through graffiti. Certain spots on the game board will have the “good guys” get an opportunity to go to a spot on the board which will reward them with extra hearts, special dice blocks, or punishing side effects. It’s your job to take the stylus and draw on the GamePad to distract and ultimately get the other players to chose wrong. Depending on the audience you are playing with, this could very easily become the best part of Mario Party 10 . I say we get a Nintendo-inspired Pictionary title in the works. Make it so, Nintendo.

Graphically, this game is exactly what you’d expect from Nintendo. There’s a lot of colors that are consistently pleasing to look at rather than irritating. You know, everything is cutesy, but not to the point at which you’d feel like you’d entered a field of My Little Ponies mixed with Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake all rolled into one. The character models are sharp and crisp and match with the environments. Simply put, Nintendo knows how to make their worlds look good and make you happy you visited the Mushroom Kingdom as often as we have.

Mario Party 10 Screenshot

If you were expecting this title to be the one where Nintendo decided to stray away from the familiarity of the sounds of the franchise, you’re in for a little disappointment. However, most of us know what type of sounds would come pouring out of this title even before we started, and this too is a comfort thing for Nintendo. The consistent familiarity of the sounds, graphics and gameplay is why both Nintendo and the Mario Party series have been around for as long as they have.

Mario Party 10 does not drastically change the mold. It does not evolve things into unfamiliar territory, nor does it become some gaudy, hollow version of its former self. It’s simply you everything you want it to be. I cannot rave enough about how important this simple approach is to the survival of Nintendo. Not just for this franchise, but the gaming industry as a whole. Mario Party 10 has reminded me of the purpose and importance of gaming with friends. These are the games that stand out in a field full of tortured heroes, fallen worlds, and apocalyptic destruction, and it is these games people are in desperate need of to get back to basics of gaming – having fun. It might not be that for everyone all the time, but if you ever find yourself on the brink of ending your gaming experience due to one reason or another, grab some friends and punish each other the old fashioned way with harmless fun. Mario Party 10 has that fun in spades, and will remind you why you are a gamer in the first place.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.0 Graphics
The look and feel of this game is crisp and enjoyable to watch even when not playing. 4.0 Control
Variances in the controls might sway some from time to time, but solid enough. 4.3 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Mario sounds in a Mario game, imagine that! 5.0 Play Value
If you like party games, this one will keep you and your friends playing for eons. 4.3 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • 70 minigames.
  • Play with your Amiibo.
  • BE BOWSER!!!

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