Mario Party is my favorite video game series for two reasons: it combines a number of different characters and has multiple games inside of it as a part of the larger game. The Mario franchise has extended to everything from Golf to Go-Karting, so it seems like it was only a matter of time until a board game Mario game hit the market. The highly successful Mario Party series is now in its 8th incarnation and has been adapted for the Nintendo 64, the Gamecube and the Nintendo DS, among others.
Games that allow for interactions between characters from numerous different games are generally among my favorites. The Mario franchise has led the charge in this arena with such classics as Super Smash Bro’s, Mario Kart, and Mario Tennis. You can have Samus Aran shooting energy balls at Link having him deflect them into Kirby. Or you can have Bowser and Donkey Kong shoot shells at each other to win a race. And if you are playing Mario Party, you can have Yoshi and Wario duke it out in a mini game for coins and stars in a fake board game.
What sets the Mario Party franchise apart, however, is the mini games inside of the larger game. Mini games are certainly no new concept. They’ve been a part of RPG’s and other games for years. However, in Mario Party, the mini games take the starring role. Without the mini-games there is no Mario Party. Not only that, they are elaborate and engaging and could stand alone on a smaller platform. Whether you’re bumping each other off of floating islands in Bumper Balls in Mario Party 1 or racing to put a puzzle together in Photo Finish in Mario Party 4, the games are fun and really make the franchise.
All in all, the entire Mario franchise is usually great fun, and the Mario Party series is no exception to that rule. You get to witness interactions between all sorts of different characters and you get to try out a bunch of different games that appeal to every type of gamer. Perhaps the series has worn out its welcome at this point, but its legacy is indisputable. And thankfully for fans of the Italian plumber and his gang, rumors of Shigeru Miyamoto’s retirement are not entirely true. So, whether or not we will have another Mario Party, we certainly have not seen the last of Mario and friends.