Mario Party 5 (GCN)
Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo
The Mario Party series prides itself on the number of new mini-games it can pump out with each release of the title. I'm not sure how many there are this time, but there are probably 60 or 70 mini games like the previous titles have had. Mario Party is simply a board game set in "Marioland" with everything pertaining to the mustached plumber and the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario Party 5 for the GameCube is the fifth in the series, and things seem to be getting a bit stale, but it's still fun to play. The gameplay is roughly the same in MP5 as it was in the first four, and the graphics haven't changed much either. I guess they don't want to change too much of a good thing.
Gameplay: 7.5
Mario Party 5 plays like a typical board game, where you roll the dice, you move several spaces on a game board, and things happen. In MP5, when you land on a space, a variety of things can happen from getting an item, playing a game, or simply getting coins. After the four players have taken their turn, a mini game occurs. It could be a 1 on 3, 2 on 2, or 4-way Battle Royal style mini game. The reward for the mini game is always the same, and it's coins. So why should you collect all these coins? Well, you need to collect coins in order to buy stars. 20 coins will buy you one star, providing you can actually get close enough the space on the board to pass by it. Once a star has been bought, a new one appears in another location on the board. Whoever has the most stars at the end of the game is usually the winner. That's the game in a nutshell.
While collecting stars on the board is fun, the variety of mini games presented in Mario Party 5 is astounding. You can usually play a 15 or 20 turn game (which takes like 2 hours) and not end up playing the same mini-game more than once. Most games are short, simple games designed for anyone to be able to play. Instructions are given at the beginning of each one, and you're even given the chance to practice first so that you know what you're doing. This is certainly an advantage.
The nice thing about this particular board game is the variety of game boards you have available to choose from. You're not always staring at the same board all the time, and the layout is completely different on every board. There are different themes such as Undersea Dream, Future Dream, Toy Dream and Pirate Dream. It's a pretty good variety. Besides different boards, there are also various play modes like Party Mode, Super Duel Mode and Story Mode.
The only thing really lacking in Mario Party is the simple fact that skill has nothing to do with playing the game. Sure, you can win a bunch of mini games, get tons of coins, buy lots of stars, but you can still lose. One person can land on a space that trades stars with you so that you lose 7 stars and they give you 1. Yeah, that seems fair. This kind of "Chance" event happens a lot during the last few turns of play. Luck is very important in winning, and it seems kind of annoying to lose a game in 30 seconds after you've been winning for 3 hours.
Graphics: 7
The graphics in Mario Party 5 were what was to be expected for the game. They're typical Mario style graphics, transplanted to a board game. I'm not sure how they could have done better with them, but they did feel a little dated. The first three games for the N64 looked almost as good as the two GameCube releases.
Sound & Music: 5
The sound effects in MP5 were good, but the music was terrible. It was a repetitive, happy-go-lucky type of background music that makes you want to throw stuff at your TV. Thank goodness I've got a CD player!
Story: 6
While MP5 does have a story mode, there's not much to it. You're really just playing a modified version of party mode, but you have to play all of the boards and beat the computer. It's really the same, just in a different format. Sometimes you play the computer in various mini games, sometimes you play multiple players on a board. It's not a great story, but it gives the game a little something extra.
Replay Value: 9
Mario Party has a lot of replay value if you're into this type of game. Games last a LONG time, and it's the kind of game you can put down for three months, then pick it up and play again. It's definitely fun to play with a group of friends or family.
To buy or to rent?This game makes an excellent rental, but it's also good to buy if you like it. As I said before, you can play it multiple times, but if you're not going to play it regularly, then rent it. If you're buying for multiple kids, then buy it. They'll probably like playing it over and over again.
Overall: 7.5
Overall, the game has the same look and feel as the previous games. While it is getting a little stale, it was still worth checking out simply for the new mini games. Those are loads of fun, and we did spend several hours playing the game. (It sure eats away time fast!) I'd rent it first, but it's definitely worth checking out.
Additional Information:
Genre: Board Game
Players: 1-4
Memory Required: 5 Blocks
Rating: E (for Everyone)
Extras: None
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