Mario Party 8 Wii - Review
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RRP: £39.99
Out 13 July
Anyone who’s ever played a Mario Party game in the last eight years knows what to expect. The series has always been solid without ever really throwing up any surprises. Mario Party 8 is fairly typical of the series – but in a world of excellent Wii party games, is it still good enough?
For those new to the series, this is a mini-games compendium with a board game twist. You can chose one of up to 14 characters from the Nintendo universe and up to four players can play on six different boards. Rather than the traditional viewpoint from above, you’ll now find yourself on the board with a more close-up and personal view. Players take turns throwing the dice to decide their number of moves, much like snakes and ladders, and at the end of each round there will be a mini-game to play. The winner is the character with the most stars at the end of the game. You can collect stars directly form the board, from winning mini-games and from using special moves.
Each board is very different: besides individual themes such as Donkey Kong’s Treetop Temple and Super Mario Sunshine, the boards have their own gameplay. One has you riding round on a train, in another you have to uncover the invisible board as you move along. The board-themed play could have been good but it’s all just too random, with the whole game resting on the turn of the dice.
The mini-games are nothing new and Wiimote use feels tacked on. The same sorts of mini-games have been done better in Wii Sports, WarioWare Smooth Moves and Rayman Raving Rabbids. If you’re going to have a party, don’t invite this Mario.
5/10
Review by Kirsten Kearney
