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Mario Party DS Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Mario Party DS Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Mario Party in the palm of your hands!

There was a time, probably around Mario Party 4, that I completely believed that there was nothing better then Mario Party. I thought I could play this franchise forever, and looked forward to each new itineration of the series with great anticipation.

Mario Party DS screenshot

But then something happened. As unbelievable as it was, the Mario Party formula started getting stale. The minigames became really uninspired and the different boards suffered from a chronic sameness. It seemed that the franchise which I had always counted on to bring me fun party-style fun was running out of steam. And Mario Party DS, much like most of the Mario Party games that have been coming down the pipe lately, continues this trend of underwhelming fun.

At its heart, Mario Party DS is your typical Mario Party game. There are a total of five boards and scores of mini-games to keep you diverted. However, because Mario Party DS is a handheld title, there’s more of a focus on single-player based play then there has been in previous Mario Party games. In addition to party mode, Mario Party DS also features a mini-game mode, an all-new puzzle mode, battle mode, and story mode. The story mode is fairly thin, but it’s nice to see real effort to make a solid single-player mode for the Mario Party franchise. The story mode starts off with Mario and the gang being suspiciously invited over to Bowser’s place for a dinner party. And of course, in true Bowser fashion, it was all a trap. Bowser then proceeds to shrink everyone, and you’ll have to play through several mini-themed boards to get back to Bowser’s castle and reverse your current shrunken state. There are a total of five boards in the story mode, and after you conquer each board, you’ll have a “boss” mini-game that you have to defeat before you can move on.

One very interesting thing about the story mode is the replay ability. Although you might think it’s pretty obvious because of the mini-games for each mode, but there’s also a different ending for each of the different characters that you can play as. So if you love Daisy but also have a passion for Peach, you can experience the Mario Party DS story through both perspectives.

Mario Party DS screenshot

But if you want a shorter and more structured Mario Party experience, there’s also battle mode. What battle mode does is essentially let you design your own Mario Party. You get to pick five mini-games to play, and then you test you skill to see who can come out of your challenge on top. This mode is especially good if there are some mini-games that you feel especially good at or one that you really want to avoid.

In addition to the story mode and the battle mode, there’s also a puzzle mode that features some more lengthy puzzle-type minigames. This mode is great if you enjoy the puzzle-type genre (as I do) and just want to play these types of games. There’s also some vintage puzzle mini-games from past Mario Party games here as well, so that’s some good news for puzzle-lovers as well. My personal favorite has to be bomb-omb breakers, which made its debut on one of the GameCube version all those years ago.

Mario Party DS screenshot

One very interesting thing about Mario Party DS is how it deals with unlockable content. There is quite a bit of unlockable content in Mario Party DS, and it includes everything from trophies to unlockable mini-games. And the way that you earn most of these is by playing different modes and earning “MP Points.” You earn these points by doing well in different games, and the whole thing is reminiscent of the Xbox 360’s achievement system. However, once you unlock everything, the MP points become mostly irrelevant, and you’ll just find them accruing for no reason.

Mario Party DS screenshot

But as good as the single-player modes may be, Mario Party at its heart is a party game franchise. And the DS version totally lends itself to party-style play. You can do a download single-cart and play with up to four other people. This is great if you (like myself) have friends who always have their DS on their person. Mario Party is such a fast game that it only makes sense to make it multiplayer and portable so that families and friends who are out and about can enjoy a fast round of Mario Party DS without having multiple copies of the game. The only shortcoming of the multiplayer mode is that you’ll have to sit through some loading screens during the game, especially right before going into the various mini-games. But it’s a small price to pay to be able to play multiplayer single-cart.

As far as the overall look of the game, it’s a pretty generic DS look. Everything looks just as you would expect it to, and while there’s nothing bad about that, there’s nothing really to shout about either. It’s pretty much the same story with the control scheme as well. You’ll be using the stylus, face buttons, and occasionally the microphone to control the various mini-games. It’s great that there is a wide variety of control schemes, however they are all pretty predictable and don’t really add much to the game.

Mario Party DS screenshot

Overall, Mario Party DS is a great game for those who love the Mario Party franchise. Its best feature has to be the single cart multiplayer function because it allows you to take the party to the streets and play it with anyone who has a DS. The different modes also make it a very interesting and somewhat novel title to pick up. However, if you’ve grown a little too accustomed to the Mario Party formula over the years, then you’ll probably end up a little bit disappointed in Mario Party DS. At its base, it’s really just a recycling of old Mario Party mini-games, and just doesn’t feel new enough to be its own game. Here’s hoping that the next itineration of the Mario Party franchise will be new and inventive enough to rekindle some of the love we used to have for it back when it was new.

Features:

  • Single player story campaign in five different giant locations.
  • Unlock mini-games as you progress.
  • Play in Story, Puzzle or Minigame modes.
  • Four person multiplayer option.

    RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.5 Graphics
    Pretty much standard as far as DS games are concerned. Looks very nice, but nothing really stands out here. 4.0 Control
    Controls for most of the mini-games are pretty good. 3.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
    Music is lighthearted and whimsical, but not too much is really there. 4.2

    Play Value
    Different single player modes are great for the handheld title, and single cart download play is great.

    3.7 Overall Rating – Good
    Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

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