Nintendo’s popular party game can now go crazy in the palm of your hand in Mario Party DS.
The party game series that originally launched on the Nintendo 64 in 1999 has been going strong for nearly a decade now, but it finally is ready to pounce on the two-screened hand-held with all the minigame fun you come to expect from a Mario Party title. But this time it makes use of all the DS’ special features for a new way to play!
System: DS
Genre: Party
Release dates: November 19th 2007 (USA), November 23rd 2007 (EURO), December 6th (AUS)
Players: 1-4
Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Nintendo
Origin: Japan
Game storyline: You’d think years of defeat would get to a guy, but Bowser just doesn’t give up! He’s captured Mario and his friends in his pursuit of a crystal that the group collected when it fell from the sky, and he doesn’t hesitate to shrink them to miniature size to get rid of them and get his hands on the other four crystals. The mini-heroes have to find the crystals before he does, making their way through giant environments filled with enormous creatures.
How to progress through the gameplay modes: The single-player campaign takes place in five different settings, each of them ending with a boss. As usual, players have to collect coins and stars, at the same time escaping dangers such as Piranha Plants and other classic creatures from the Mario universe.
As they progress through the game, players also can unlock various mini-games, such as Rail Riders, Sweet Sleuth and Goomba Wrangler.
When players are tired of exploring the story mode, they can choose one of the other modes, like Puzzle and Minigame. And play with up to four friends on the DS’ local Wi-Fi and let the party begin!
Watch the Mario Party DS launch trailer.
So what are the main features in Mario Party DS?
* Beat Bowser in the race to the crystals.
* Single player story campaign in five different giant locations.
* Players can obtain Hexes, such as the Coin Swap Hex, then stick the traps on board spaces in the hope that other players stop on them. So try and score the highest on the Dice Block to go first or risk being at the whim of the others before you.
* Unlock mini-games as you progress.
* Play in Story, Puzzle or Minigame modes.
* Four person multiplayer option.
The different modes described:
* Story Mode: A single player must defeat the CPUs in several boards.
* Party Mode: Up to four players play a game on a chosen board.
* Mini-game Mode: The player plays mini-games in which they have unlocked.
* Puzzle Mode: The player plays one of five Mario-themed puzzle games.
See some Mario Party DS gameplay.
As a conclusion let’s rate this game on its fun-basis.
FUN FACTOR – 7.5
As with all Mario Party titles, the game is played by using a dice block numbered 1-10 that you hit to decide how many steps your players will take. There are many things such as mole shops and questionmark squares that can help or hinder your progress. As always, the ace up everyone’s sleeve is the unpredictability of who will win up until the last minute to make every last minigame count. The extra puzzle games (like a Puzzle de Pon clone), on top of the many minigames, are a welcome bonus. If you’re into Mario Party or minigame collections, this one’s a lot of fun, so it gets a thumbs up!
Graphics – 7.5
Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Daisy, Toad, Wario and Waluigi are all back, although shrunk down considerably. Overall the game looks good by giving each minigame and boss battle its own style. The comic-book style cut-scenes also spice things up.
Audio – 7.5
Fun upbeat tunes and the Mario universe voices and sound effects you’d expect are present.
Ingenuity – 8.0
Most minigames use the buttons, a lot use the stylus, and a few even use the microphone. Not all the games are completely new for DS owners, but what’s there plays solid. Additions like a board diagram to see where you’re at help make the game more user-friendly.
Replay Value – 8.0
The game has over 70 minigames that all use the DS’s capabilities, as well as 5 new boards, and 4 different modes of play. For multiplayer you only need one cartridge of the game to play with (up to) four players! A really amazing feature to have. It’s great to be able to take the party with you on the road. For a real single player challenge you’ll need to boost the CPU players to hard, but the best way to play is to find other people with a DS to play against on either a board or just your favorite minigames. Too bad there’s no online multiplayer, maybe in Mario Party DS 2?