Mario Party DS Review

By Ellie Gibson Published 5 December, 2007

Should have stayed in.

Version tested: DS

No one would suggest reviewing games is ever as unpleasant as working in a coal mine or an abattoir or a Wetherspoons, but there are still days you want to have a little cry. Days when you've got to review your fifth mini-game collection in as many weeks. Days when the press release for the game includes the word "whimsical" and the phrase "crazier than ever" (twice). Days when the game says "Mario Party" on the box.

Being a Professional, and because you're paid to, you put your misery and prejudice aside. Maybe this one will be different, you think. It's on DS, for starters, so there's plenty of potential for fun new touch-screen-based mini-games. Maybe they'll finally have rejigged the stupid board system. And you'll be able to play against real people via Wi-Fi Connection, more than likely, so for once you won't need friends round to enjoy Mario Party. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

For those who aren't familiar, the Mario Party games see up to four players taking it in turns to roll a die and move round a game board. Many of the squares on the board have different effects, such as giving the player who lands on them bonus coins or transporting them to another square. You get the opportunity to earn coins by winning mini-games. When you land on a star square you can buy the star if you have enough coins. The overall winner is the player who has collected the most stars during the course of the game.

Board stupid

'Mario Party DS' Screenshot 1

Playing a board tournament takes about half an hour. Which you'll never get back.

It's the same set-up in Mario Party DS. This is a shame because it's a flawed and unfair system, particularly if you're playing solo. It's astonishing how often the other characters manage to land on the star squares. Far too frequently, new stars spawn just a few spaces away from them. Meanwhile, you'll often be within a space or two from a star when you're magically transported to the other side of the board. If you do somehow manage to get hold of a star, it's unlikely you'll hold onto it for long before another character gets a power-up which takes it off you. The star system makes it almost impossible to win a single-player game, even if you're victorious in all the mini-games.

But of course, Mario Party is not sold on the promise of a fulfilling single-player experience. It's more fun with friends, the more friends the better. So it's surprising to learn there isn't an online mode in Mario Party DS. You'd think it would be an ideal fit. If you can play Mario Kart DS online, why not Mario Party?

At least there are plenty of offline multiplayer options. You can set up traditional board-based tournaments with up to four players, go for mini-games only, play puzzle games or choose games specially designed for two players. Best of all, you only need one copy of the game to do all this. Up to four players can share pretty much everything Mario Party DS has to offer by wirelessly downloading from a single game card.

Which would be great, except Mario Party DS doesn't offer an awful lot of fun. There are more than 70 mini-games and they use a variety of control systems, from the stylus to the d-pad to the microphone. But too many of them are too simplistic, over too quickly or simply too dull to be enjoyable. If you're playing the board game (necessary to unlock mini-games in Free Play mode), it seems that for every minute of mini-game play you must sit through five minutes of boring turn-taking. Penalty squares, power-ups and the like only serve to slow the pace even further.

Party's over

'Mario Party DS' Screenshot 2

The puzzles are more fun than the mini-games, but that's not hard.

To be fair the game is nicely presented, with big bold graphics and all our old friends present and correct. The story goes that Bowser has shrunk Mario, Luigi, Peach etc. down in size, so there's a Micro Machines-style theme where everyday objects are huge by comparison and play key roles in the mini-games.

There are also some nice extras in the form of six puzzle games. Five of these featured in previous Mario Party games while Triangle Twisters is brand new. All of the puzzle games are entertaining enough to while away half an hour or so. If you're on your own, they're certainly more fun than playing the tedious board game. They're all derivative of other puzzle games, but none are quite as addictive as the originals so their appeal doesn't last too long.

Decent visuals and bonus puzzle games aren't enough to make Mario Party DS worth a purchase. It suffers from the same problems as the other games in the series. The mini-games, on the whole, are badly designed and boring. Watching other players take turns round the board is tedious. Even if you win every single mini-game, the stupid star system means you could still lose overall.

It would seem there are plenty of gamers who are happy to put up with all this, however - after all, Nintendo wouldn't keep churning out Mario Parties if people didn't keep buying them. If you're one of those who has enjoyed the series on console, you'll enjoy it on DS. Otherwise, steer clear.

4 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (39) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • morriss #1 4 years ago

    Ellie gets all the great jobs.

    Poor Ellie.

  • Fitzmogwai #2 4 years ago

    The "Give Ellie a good game to review" campaign starts here.

  • morriss #3 4 years ago

    It's more fun to write about them, but the work involved beforehand is simply mind-numbing.

  • mkreku #4 4 years ago

    I played Mario Party on the Gamecube. It blows.

    And is it possible for Nintendo too even TRY to release something that doesn't have Mario as its only attraction?? Geez, f-ing one-trick pony.

  • Hamflank #5 4 years ago

    The consumers are responsible for these releases.

    If crap like this and NFS ProStreet sell more than games that take years to develop and cost zillions to produce, like Mario Galaxy and Mass Effect, why would developers even bother with ambitious projects?

    You can't blame developers for consumers being stupid enough to buy shitty games instead of decent ones.

  • Dezm0nd #6 4 years ago

    The fun in Mario Party games relies on taking the piss out of your mates and expecting the banter back.

    Any Mario Party game can be fun but this game doesn't deserve a 4.

  • JYM60 #7 4 years ago

    I used to like Mario party until nintendo turned it into a pile of crap.

  • Triggerhappytel #8 4 years ago

    The "Give Ellie a good game to review" campaign starts here.

    Hasn't it been running for months?! Regardless, I second that notion.

  • Kazzahdrane #9 4 years ago

    Agreed, the first MP game on the N64 was really good fun (though I was much younger back then...) but it seems to have rolled downhill very badly. MP8 was just dire.

  • Canyarion #10 4 years ago

    Give Ellie Cosby a good game to review!!!

    :-P

  • dadrester #11 4 years ago

    i used to work in weatherspoons for 4 or 5 years. in the kitchen while i was at college and uni, and then while i was looking for a job. i even worked there for a few months when i first got into games, doing testing. i always had a laugh though, looking back but, yeah. shit job. making games is much more fun :D

  • Steroyd #12 4 years ago

    If crap like this and NFS ProStreet sell more than games that take years to develop and cost zillions to produce, like Mario Galaxy and Mass Effect, why would developers even bother with ambitious projects?

    That's my fear for the future. :(

    These companies need to make money to survive, and if they're not making money on very good games they make they have to get absorbed by big companies like EA just to stay afloat, and keeping the creativity they have/had to keep creating great games is hit and miss from that point on.

  • LetsGo #13 4 years ago

    I have to disagree 100% with this.

    This is FUN with 4 people, very FUN!

    This game would not work online;
    a) it would have to remove most of the 2v2 games which require teamwork
    b) all DS games are DESIGNED for short spurt online games. You would need to play for 35/40 minutes in an online game which would not work on the DS. People would disconnect.

  • Eighthours #14 4 years ago

    Ellie, are you a masochist who volunteers for terrible review assignments out of some kind of (unjustified) self-loathing, or do you need to consult your Union about the way your employer's treating you? ;)

    Ellie for the GTA4 review! I feel your pain at present, I really do. Poor thing. :(

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #15 4 years ago

    "Ellie, are you a masochist who volunteers for terrible review assignments out of some kind of (unjustified) self-loathing, or do you need to consult your Union about the way your employer's treating you? ;) "

    Actually we deliberately discriminate against Ellie for being a girl.

  • Ellie #16 4 years ago

    They said I could either review Mario Party DS or make the tea.

    I wish I'd put the kettle on.

  • TYtanium #17 4 years ago

    gamecentral gave this 8 out of 10.
    Edited by 1 at 05/12/07 @ 14:16

  • LetsGo #18 4 years ago

    ^^

    Thats cos its a great fun 4 player game.

    Not sure who ellie played with for this review however.....

  • Lemming81 #19 4 years ago

    LetsGo:"I have to disagree 100% with this.

    This is FUN with 4 people, very FUN!

    This game would not work online; "

    Wait...it's not even online? I was willing to believe Mario Party enthusiasts would like this game but that's just fucking stupid. It's a Party game. On the DS. Online should have been a no-brainer, and the mini-games could have been created to suit that idea. Missed opportunity for Nintendo, really.

    At least this might force them to think a bit harder for the next one. The MP games used to be alot of fun post-pub.

  • AliRay #20 4 years ago

    Strange. I heard this was selling a ton in Japan. And I thought they had some taste!

  • Pulsar_t #21 4 years ago

    This is why I ignore most first party Ninty games. It's either Mario, Zelda or Metriod. Why don't they give us their own Yakuzas, Virtua Fighters, Crazy Taxis etc?

    I know I'll never bother with a Wii unless it sells for a fiver.

  • Eighthours #22 4 years ago

    Actually we deliberately discriminate against Ellie for being a girl.

    Maybe you could set her on Ubi's "Catz" and "Dogz" stuff, and really take it to the next level. :)

  • Sulphur_Man #23 4 years ago

    A better review tagline would've been "And I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to"

  • mechamonkey #24 4 years ago

    I disagree with 4, its far better than that.

    a great multiplayer game, great sound and graphics, ability to play off 1 cart

    Grumpy gits!

  • Triggerhappytel #25 4 years ago

    Lemming81 - "At least this might force them to think a bit harder for the next one."

    Why would they bother when this shit sells millions in Japan?!

    Pulsar_t - "This is why I ignore most first party Ninty games. It's either Mario, Zelda or Metriod. Why don't they give us their own Yakuzas, Virtua Fighters, Crazy Taxis etc?

    I know I'll never bother with a Wii unless it sells for a fiver."

    I feel pretty much the same. Nintendo have so much creative talent; I just wish they'd develop different sorts of games more frequently.

  • Lemming81 #26 4 years ago

    @Pulsar_t: "This is why I ignore most first party Ninty games. It's either Mario, Zelda or Metriod..."

    Woah, woah, woah. Let's not get sidetracked here. This isn't a Ninty hate platform. It's one shit first party game. Mario, Zelda and Metroid games are continually AAA titles, whether you happen to like them or not.

  • therev #27 4 years ago

    I disagree that it's almost impossible to win a game in single player. I've played two and won one and my wife completed Story Mode in less than a day.

  • darc #28 4 years ago

    Mario Party was one of the first games I ever saw on a Gamecube, and it caused me to write off the console (and pretty much all consoles) as a children's toy. I definitely thought as much of the Mario franchise. Finally saw the light c/o Thousand Year Door, Partners in Time, and Galaxy, but the Mario Party series is does not exactly flatter the Mario franchise IMO. Boring and arbitrary. Plays like Candy Land on LSD but is not nearly as fun as that sounds like it ought to be. :)

  • BanjoMan #29 4 years ago

    I suppose we all have to accept that Nintendo sometimes make games for kids. And sometimes those games are pretty shit.

    No great loss, surely?

  • darc #30 4 years ago

    Has anyone ever watched kids play Mario Party? I'm just curious - do they get bored and/or frustrated as well? Or are the pretty colors sufficient?

  • Buenos_Estente #31 4 years ago

    My gf and a couple of my friends play all the Mario Party's together and its always quite fun to play with a few drinks and some viscous back stabbing and ganging up, but in the end the best player ie the one who wins most minigames does end up winning the majority of the time.

    But Mario party 8 was a lazy lazy version and all of the Mario Party's single player games are as tedious as can be.

    Mario Party DS is quite fun multiplayer and definatly an improvement on the Wii game, however its still got a few onvious flaws and no online mode was a bit of a dumb decision.

  • Buenos_Estente #32 4 years ago

    Oh and if kids I know are any way to judge they find the length of the game too long.....and they dont understand the drinking forfeits for losing a minigame......

  • jamiscool #33 4 years ago

    Mario Party could easily work online. You wouldn't have to do a full board game. A first to 5 minigames would suffice.

  • Hicksy #34 4 years ago

    Suprised by the low score tbh

    4 players off 1 cart
    great deal of variety
    yes the mini games are basic but this a game targeted at family play and all ages
    again the stars system is there to level the playing field as much as possible

    Theres 4 twenty somethings in my household and we had great fun playing this over the weekend

    My score taking the context of the games target market: 8/10

  • Pulsar_t #35 4 years ago

    I suppose we all have to accept that Nintendo sometimes make games for kids.

    Sometimes? Sometimes? Excuse me for missing out on all the mature stuff :S

    I still love my DS though.

  • smelly #36 4 years ago

    "Sometimes? Sometimes? Excuse me for missing out on all the mature stuff :S "

    Like metroid and mario galaxy?

    both up there as the best games of the year (galaxy probably IS the best game of the year)

  • Nikanoru #37 4 years ago

    Wait...it's not even online? I was willing to believe Mario Party enthusiasts would like this game but that's just fucking stupid. It's a Party game. On the DS. Online should have been a no-brainer, and the mini-games could have been created to suit that idea. Missed opportunity for Nintendo, really.

    At least this might force them to think a bit harder for the next one. The MP games used to be alot of fun post-pub.


    Yeah, no. It is indeed a party game. How can you have a party online? Half the fun of the MP games (well, early ones) is based on having your friends around, with beer and pizza. Way to miss the point.

  • davidbod #38 4 years ago

    Reviewer score: 4/10
    Average reader score: 7.8 / 10
    Metacritic average: 73%
    Game Rankings average: 71%

    Nomination for "most inaccurate review of the year"?

  • Nintega13 #39 1 year ago

    It might not be the greatest Mario Party in the series, but at least it beats Mario Party 8. That blowed.