Mario Party
Review

Mario Party (2010) is an interactive board game. Players roll a dice to move around a board and then compete in different mini-games to earn the chance to throw again or earn points. You play as Nintendo characters and take on challenges that make use of the specific hardware the game is played on.

Mario Party Superstars is the latest game in the series. It reintroduces the classic mini-games and boards from the previous games. They are each updated with a fresh lick of paint while maintaining the classic combination of board-game progress and miniature multiplayer challenges. Unlike Super Mario Party, that added new mechanics like character-specific blocks, Superstars eschews innovation in favour of simple two-button mini-games, no motion controls, and no character-specific advantages.

The favourite mini-games from the series feature. Bumper Balls, Face Lift, Bowser’s Big Blast and Mushroom Mix-Up return. These, like other examples, keep things simple and approachable so that even those who don't play many games can join in and do well. You can even just opt to play a collection of mini-games in the Mt. Minigames mode.

Whether you get the latest version, or find a second hand copy to run on older hardware, Mario Party is a lot of fun for the family, and a great way to spice up board game style competition. Wii Party (Nintendo Wii) and Wii Party U offer a similar experience with a broader focus on mini-games and different game modes.

Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Mario Party 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 4 months ago.