Mario Party (video game)

Mario Party
Developer(s)	Hudson Soft
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64
Release	December 18, 1998 February 8, 1999 March 9, 1999
Genre(s)	Party
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer

Mario Party is the first in a series of board game style video games for Nintendo platforms, featuring the popular Mario characters. It was released on the Nintendo 64 in North America on February 8, 1999 following a Japanese release on December 18, 1998. It was released in Europe on March 9, 1999. The game has spawned six sequels with Mario Party 7 as the most recent one, as well as Game Boy Advance and e-Reader versions, making a total of nine games in six years.

Gameplay

Gameplay takes the form of a traditional board game, with players taking turns to roll the dice and move ahead the number of spaces shown. There are six different types of spaces players can land on, each producing a different effect. At the end of each round (ie. after each of the four players have taken their turn) there is a mini game.

The objective of the game is to collect stars and coins. At the end of the game the person with the most stars is declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the player with the most coins wins.

Only one star is present on the board at a time, appearing randomly on a space in the board where it remains until it is collected by a player. After a star is collected, a new one appears on a different space. To collect the star the player must pass its space and exchange 20 coins with Toad. Stars can also be stolen from other players by passing a Boo and paying it 50 coins.

At the end of each game there are three bonus stars, one given to the person who collected the most coins overall, one given to the person who collected the most coins in mini games, and one given to the person who landed on the most "?" spaces.

Coins are earned from landing on blue spaces, from passing the start point, and from winning mini games. They are lost from landing on red spaces, from passing Bowser and from losing mini games. They can also be stolen from other players who pay Boo to take coins from you.

Mini games happen at the end of each round or occasionally during a round when a player lands on bowser or 1 player mini game spaces. The mini games are generally short (about a minute in length), and fairly simple. There are 50 of them in all and they are divided into 4 different categories:

Four-player mini games may be divided into three types: the cooperative games, in which all four players collectively win or lose, the competitive free-for-alls, in which players must compete against each other in order to win a limited number of coins, and the non-competitive free-for-alls, in which players accrue coins independently of one another, and one player's loss is not automatically another's gain. 2-on-2 and 1-on-3 minigames place players in groups, so they have to cooperate with others in the mini game to win, even though they are against each other in the main game. 1-player mini games only occur during a round when a player lands on a 1 player mini game space. They give a single player an opportunity to earn (or lose) coins depending on his or her performance in the mini game. In most situations, the winner or winners of a mini game receive ten coins. In some mini games, the losing player(s) have to pay the winner(s).

File:Mariopartycharactermontage.jpg

The playable characters with various items related to the game.

Playable characters

• Mario
• Luigi
• Princess Peachwho is at a clear advantage as a result of the game's feminist overtones.
• Yoshi
• Wario who is at a disadvantage for unknown reasons
• Donkey Kong

Modes

Adventure Mode

The standard mode of play, as described in Gameplay above. Up to four players play a board game interspaced with mini games, trying to collect as many stars as possible by the end of a set number of turns. The coins and stars earned in Adventure Mode are transferred to a fund which the player can use to unlock things in the game.

• Special Items that appear during the Adventure Mode
  • Plus Block - appears randomly; adds the number rolled to the player's coins.
  • Minus Block - appears randomly ; deducts the number rolled from the player's coins.
  • Slow Block - appears randomly; restricts possible rolls to 1-3.
  • Speed Block - appears randomly; restricts possible rolls to 8-10.
  • Hidden Block - appears randomly after landing on a space. Reveals either Boo, Bowser, or Koopa Troopa.
  • Warp Block - appears randomly; switches the positions of two players.
• Spaces in Adventure Mode
  • File:Mpbluespace.gifBlue space - Adds 3 coins. (6 during the last 5 turns). Changes the player's panel color to blue.
  • File:Mpredspace.gifRed space - Deducts 3 coins. (6 during the last 5 turns). Changes the player's panel color to red.
  • File:Mphappeningspace.gifHappening space - Depending on the board and location of the space, its effects can vary. Changes the player's panel color to green.
  • File:Mpchancespace.gifChance Space - Takes the player to Chance Time: There are three spinning blocks which the player must stop. The first and the last show characters while the middle shows some exchange of stars or coins between the two. The outcome can sometimes go against the player who lands on it, but it is automatically enforced. Changes the player's panel color to blue.
  • File:Mpmushroomspace.gifMushroom space - A double or nothing chance where you'll be able to get another turn with a regular mushroom on the spot or lose a turn with a poisonous one. Changes the player's panel color to blue.
  • File:Mpstarspace.gifOne Player Minigame space - Appears blue with a white star upon it, but is not to be confused with spaces where stars can be purchased from toad. The person who lands on it has to play a 1 player mini game. Changes the player's panel colour to blue.
  • File:Mpbowserspace.gifBowser Space - A variety of events:
    • Bowser Revolution - Everyone's coins are divided evenly.
    • Coins for Bowser - The player that activated the Bowser Space lose coins.
    • Bowser's Face Lift - Same as Face Lift only the losers lose coins.
    • Bowser's Tug o War - Same as Tug o War.
    • Bowser's Chance Time - Same as regular chance time only one of the blocks has already been stopped with his face on it. It's up to the players to decide who loses coins and how many.
    • Bowser's Balloon Burst - Same as Balloon Burst but the losers lose coins, while the winner gains none.

Changes the player's panel color to red.

The type of mini-game (4 player, 1 vs. 3, and 2 vs. 2) is determined by what color the players' panels are. If all four players have the same color panels, a 4 player game is selected. If there is 1 blue panel and 3 red panels or vice versa, a 1 vs. 3 game is selected. If there are 2 panels of both colors, a 2 vs. 2 game is selected. If there is a green panel, the color will switch to either red or blue.

• Boards in Adventure mode

Mario Party contains the greatest number of boards in the series (discounting the duel boards in Mario Party 3). The boards in the game are non- linear, contain multiple paths, and offer things that can be bought or interacted with to provide the player with an advantage. After finishing a game, the winner fixes whatever trouble was taking place on the board in the ending celebration.

• • Mario's Rainbow Castle - Mario
  • Luigi's Engine Room - Luigi
  • Peach's Birthday Cake - Princess Peach
  • Yoshi's Tropical Island - Yoshi
  • Wario's Battle Canyon - Wario
  • DK's Jungle Adventure - Donkey Kong
  • Bowser's Magma Mountain (Unlocked by buying at the shop) - King Bowser
  • Eternal Star (Unlocked by collecting 100 stars)

Mini-game Island

A one-player mode in which the player navigates a world map and tries to win mini games in order to progress across the map. Winning mini games gives the player coins, and collecting 100 coins grants the player a life. Losing a mini game causes the player to lose a life. If the player loses all of his lives, the game ends, and the player must resume from where he last saved. The map is similar in style to that first seen in Super Mario Bros. 3.

Mini-game House

An area in which up to four players can compete by playing mini games. Players can select to play 1, 3, 5, or 7 mini games of any type in a row. At the end of the series of mini games, the player who has the most coins wins. In the Mini Game House, players can choose to play any mini games that they have previously played in Adventure Mode. They can play the mini games for free if they have purchased them (by paying a once-off fee varying from 100 to 500 coins), or by paying a rental charge of 5 coins if they haven't.

The Mini-game House also contains the Mini-game Stadium, a simple board map in which up to four players compete to try to earn the most coins by winning minigames. No stars are given out in this mode and no coins are gained or lost by landing on red and blue spaces.

The Mecha Fly Guy challenge, a game in which a player must rotate the control stick as many times as possible within a 10 second time period in order to make the Mecha Fly Guy fly as far as possible, is also found in the Mini-game House.

Minigames

The minigames are:

4 player

• Face Lift - Similar to playing with Mario's face in "Super Mario 64", players try to get their face to match the face in the center. The player with the closest match to the center face wins.
• Coin Block Blitz - 9 boxes give different amounts of coins, and players must jump at the boxes repeatedly in classic Mario style to get as many coins as possible.
• Platform Peril - Players jump from platform to platform towards a goal. Platforms fall after being landed on, so players must progress quickly to reach the end.
• Box Mountain Mayhem - A stack of boxes lay in a corner holding varying amounts of coins. Players break open boxes to reveal the coins.
• Mushroom Mix-up - Players must run to the same color mushroom as the color of the flag that Toad holds up.
• Musical Mushroom - After walking in a circular pattern, players run for the chest on the mushroom in the center as soon as the music stops.
• Balloon Burst - Players pump up and down to burst a bowser-shaped balloon. Rhythm is important.
• Hot Bob-omb - A bob-omb is passed between players until it explodes. Whoever holds the bob-omb when it explodes loses.
• Skateboard Scamper - Players rapidly tap B to skate along and A to jump over obstacles in a race to the finish.
• Crazy Cutter - Players must direct their characters to carve an outline displayed on the screen with a jackhammer.
• Treasure Divers - Players dive to gather treasure chests holding varying amounts of coins and bring them to the surface. They must avoid the sea creatures that float in their way. If they hit one, they are stunned and drop their chest if they are carrying one.
• Grab Bag - Players steal other players' coins by running behind them and rapidly pressing B.
• Bumper Balls - Players balance on balls on a small island and seek to knock the other players off the island. The winner is the last one left on the island.
• Tipsy Tourney - Players tilt a grid-square platform with their weight to move a Koopa shell across it. The objective is to move the shell across every square on the grid, so as to reveal a hidden image. The winner is the first person to accomplish this.
• Bombs Away - All four players run about on a topsy-turvey island while a ship in the distance fires cannonballs at the island. Players must survive the ship's cannonball attacks until time runs out. If one player is left when time runs out, they are the winner. If more than one player remains after time completely elapses, a draw is declared.
• Mario Bandstand - (One character conducts and the other three play the violin, trumpet, and snare drum. Players must follow the commands displayed on screen in order to hit the notes for their instrument with acccurate timing.
• Cast Aways - Players cast out fishing rods to reel in treasures varying from one coin to ten coins until the time runs out.
• Hammer Drop - Lakitu drops coins and hammers onto a platform. Players try to collect the coins while avoiding the hammers.
• Shy Guy Says - A Shy Guy holds two signs in each hand - one for "A" and one for "B". Players have to press the button matching the sign he holds up. As the game progresses, Shy Guy will attempt to fake players out by holding up both signs at once. The last player remaining wins.
• Key-pa-Way - A cooperative game. All four players must work together to get the key to the lock at the top of the screen. They must also avoid letting the spike koopas get the key, or else they lose.
• Buried Treasure - A treasure chest full of coins is located somewhere unknown on the screen and players dig towards it. Arrows may also be revealed as a result of digging, hinting at where the treasure lies.
• Running Of The Bulb - One player carries the bulb to the end while the other three seek to protect him from ghosts by punching them. If touched by ghosts, players become infected and seek to hinder this goal. Infected players can be released by punching.
• Hot Rope Jump - Players press "A" in time to jump over the skipping rope, which gradually speeds up. If anyone touches the flame, the game is over, and the person loses 15 coins which are divided amongst the other three. If all players survive, they all win.
• Slot Car Derby - Players must accelerate across a small race track by pressing the forward analog stick, but if they go too fast around a corner they will spin and lose time. The first person to reach the finish line wins.

1 vs. 3

• Pipe Maze - A quick overview of a maze-like pipe structure is given at start. A single player drops a chest into one of four pipes at the top. The chest then takes a predetermined route along the pipes to the bottom and ultimately comes out to reach one of the four players at the bottom.
• Bash 'n Cash - The single player gets their coins stolen by the others who hit the single player. The single player's goal is simply to avoid getting hit by the other three.
• Tug 'o War - Rotate the control sticks rapidly to try and pull the other players into the pit full of hungry piranha plants. Similar to the Tug of war.
• Bowl Over - The single player bowls a Koopa shell across an alley, attempting to knock down pins that represent the other three players. Other players can move their pins slightly by jumping. If a player's pin is knocked down, they lose 5 coins to the single player.
• Paddle Battle - A single player and three player team try to paddle a boat to the opposite sides of a river by rapidly rotating the control stick, and thus force the other team to lose coins.
• Coin Shower Flower - The single player is on top of a flower above the water, collecting coins that fall from the sky. The other three players are on leaf boats on the water, left to collect what the player lets fall to the bottom.
• Piranha's Pursuit - The single player skates rapidly to avoid the chasing piranha plant. The other three players stomp on a storm cloud to water the plant, thus causing it to go faster. If the Piranha plant catches the single player, they lose. If the single player makes it to the end, they win.
• Tight Rope Treachery - The single player walks across a tightrope while the other three players are in boats firing cannonballs at the single player in an attempt to knock the single player off.
• Coin Block Bash - The single player is equipped with a hammer, which the other three players do not have but are able to steal. There are 9 blocks, which take many jumps or one hit from the hammer to break. Once broken, they reveal coins to be collected.
• Crane Game - The single player is the crane and the other three are plush objects representing themselves that the single player can pick up. If the single player is able to drop one of the other players into the pipe, they lose 1/3 of their coins.)

2 vs. 2

• Handcar Havoc - Racing in mine carts across a sea of hot lava, one team must cooperate with correct timing and leaning to beat the other team to the finish line.
• Deep Sea Divers - Working in teams, one player dives on a line for treasure, while the other player reels him in after getting the treasure. The game ends when all of the treasure has been collected by the two teams.
• Bombsketball - A Bob-omb serves as the basketball in this game. The team that shoots the bomb into the net first wins.
• Bobsled Run - The launch onto the ice involves rapid button pressing in order to get a quick start. Then players must guide their bobsled as fast as possible to the bottom of the ice-covered course.
• Desert Dash - Players tap left and right with the controller stick to push a board along. If two players press different directions at the same time, they collapse and lose time. The first team to the finish wins.

1 player

• Memory Match - A typical memory game where the player must reveal pairs by stomping on cards before time runs out. Note, if you pound and reveal Bowser, your head spins, and it cost some time.
• Knock Block Tower - Thwomps and crates are stacked atop each other with a chest on top. In order to reach the treasure, the player must destroy the crates without hitting the thwomps. If a player hits a thwomp, they lose.
• Limbo Dance - The player presses B to limbo forward, slightly lowering their character. If they press B too many times in quick succession, they will fall. If they hit one of the limbo sticks, they will also fall. The player must reach the goal within the time limit without falling.
• Slot Machine - A typical slot machine game where the player must reveal three matching symbols to gain various amounts of coins.
• Pedal Power - The player must ride a bicycle as fast as possible by rotating the control stick in order to charge a light bulb before time runs out and Boo catches the player.
• Whack A Plant - The player jumps on Piranha Plants in order to get coins before the plants disappear back down their warp pipes. More and more plants gradually appear each time.
• Shell Game - There are four Koopa shells; one of them has coins (like one has a ball inside). They spin around and shuffle. The player must guess the correct shell after the spinning and shuffling takes place in order to win. This is much similar to the pricing game from The Price Is Right.
• Ghost Guess - The player is surrounded by a circle of Boos and must hit the Boo that moves first to win. The ghost's shadows give away the answer.
• Ground Pound - The player must pound all of the flat stumps into the ground, while avoiding the spiked ones. The stumps are covered with butterflies to make telling them apart nearly impossible, so a good memory is very important.
• Teetering Towers - The player must jump from falling tower to falling tower in order to reach the other side.

The following mini games do not appear in adventure mode:

• Bumper Ball Maze 1 - Players receive this game as a reward for completing Mini-Game Island; they must guide their character on a ball along a narrow path to the end of a maze without falling into the sea.
• Bumper Ball Maze 2 - Players receive this game as a reward for completing ALL mini-games on Mini-Game Island; a fork in the road makes it possible to finish the Mini Game Island without completing all the mini games. The gamplay for maze 2 is the same as for maze 1.
• Bumper Ball Maze 3 - Players receive this game after completing Bumper Ball Maze 2; gameplay is the same as Bumper Ball Mazes 1 & 2.

Minigame name puns

This game has fewer puns than its sequels, though a few do exist. However, most of the games are based on classic party games; the series hasn't hit a ludicrous streak just yet!

• "Key-pa-way" is a cross between Koopas, a key, and keep away.
• "Running of The Bulb" is a cross between a light bulb and the "Running of the Bulls" in Spain.
• "Bombsketball" is a cross between a bomb and basketball.
• "Whack-a-Plant" is a cross between a plants and Whack-a-Mole.
• "Bumper Balls" is a variation of bumper cars.

Development

In May 1998, Nintendo and Hudson began a strategic partnership to design and develop games together for both the N64 and the Game Boy. Mario Party was the first of the games that the partnership released. The game also marked the start of a move by Nintendo to franchise off the Mario series to other developers, including Camelot Software Planning. Hudson, the people behind the Bomberman series, was seen to be the strongest developer of multiplayer games, so they were given Mario Party to develop. The game was developed quickly, without much of the hype that traditionally followed Mario titles, with Perfect Dark and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time soaking up most of the attention that year.

Impact

Reception

Reviews and awards

Publication	Score
Famitsu	31 of 40
IGN.com	7.9 of 10
EGM	8.6 of 10
GameSpot	7.2 of 10
Compilations of multiple reviews
Game Rankings	76 of 100 (based on 11 reviews)
Metacritic	79 of 100 (based on 16 reviews)

Mario Party met mixed, though mostly positive reviews upon release, with most reviewers noting it must be played with friends to be truly enjoyed. There were some worries before its release about it being a lazy cash in, but these were largely swept away after the game was published. The main criticism of the game was that it wasn't much fun in single player mode. Gamespot accounts for this succinctly: "The games that are enjoyable to play in multiplayer are nowhere near as good in the single player mode. Really, it's that multiplayer competitive spark of screaming at and/or cheering for your friends that injects life into these often-simple little games, and without it, they're just simple little games." IGN took a similar line, saying that it was the interaction between players rather than the interaction with the game that made Mario Party fun. They also warned of the damage inflicted to controls by the more demanding games, humourously noting: "If you love your controllers, have your friends bring theirs when they come over to play this game." Another criticism leveled at the game was its dependence on luck rather than skill, but this was felt by most to add to the game's party atmosphere, with players who were winning comfortably suddenly finding themselves in last place over the course of one or two turns. Despite its poor single player mode, Mario Party scored reasonably high reviews, with most reviewers rating it between 7 out of 10 and 8 out of 10. The game was successful commercially too, though this was to be expected, given the Mario name. Mario Party also proved particularly successful in the rental charts.

Mario Party 3 confusion

Mario Party is sometimes confused with Mario Party 3 because on the box there is a die with the number 3 displayed directly below the title.

Stick rotation controversy

After Mario Party's release, the game was investigated by the Office of New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer over claims that mini games involving excessive analog stick rotation caused blisters and other hand injuries due to a common controller technique where players would use the palms of their hands to rotate the controller stick at a much faster rate than was possible using only one's thumb. In March 2000, Nintendo reached an agreement wherein it would provide up to four padded gloves to each owner injured by the excessive controller stick rotations required of the mini games. Subsequent versions of the Mario Party series did not include mini games involving stick rotation, but instead, had games that required players to rapidly press the A or B button.

Sequels

Mario Party has spawned six sequels with Mario Party 7 as the most recent one, as well as Game Boy Advance and E-Reader versions, making a total of nine games in six years, including at least one every year. The frequency of the sequels has led to some criticism regarding the games being unoriginal, as many ideas from previous installments of Mario Party have been recycled continuously throughout the series. One example of this is the fact that mini games in the later installments of the Mario Party series have not differed much altogether from the earlier Mario Party mini games. However, new Mario Party games have continued to sell well, staying true to the series' winning formula. Additions to the game in sequels include:

• The use of items in-game (Mario Party 2)
• Battle Mini-Games (Mario Party 2)
• Duels between individual players for stars and coins (Mario Party 2)
• A story mode in which a player starts a campaign through every board map. (Mario Party 3)
• Team Play (Mario Party 4)
• Introduction of the Orb Item System (Mario Party 5)
• Use of Microphone in a Mini-game (Mario Party 6)
• Collectible Shop (Mario Party 6 [Star Bank] and 7 [Duty-Free Shop])
• Up to 8 players during a game (Mario Party 7)

Features exclusive to each game:

• One Player Minigames, not counting Bowser games or item games (Mario Party)
• Item Mini-Games (Mario Party 2 and 3)
• Game Guy Mini-Games (Mario Party 3)
• Extra/Bonus Mode (Mario Party 4 and 5)
• Super Duel Mode (Mario Party 5)
• Day and Night phases (Primarily Mario Party 6, although there was one board in Mario Party 2 [Horror Land] that utilized a predecessor to this concept, with day and night switching places at the beginning of every turn.)
• Microphone mini-games (Mario Party 6 and 7)

See also

• Button mashing

External links

• Mario Party at MobyGames