| Game Reviews From a Parental Perspective! | |
|
|
|
| Home | Forums | Review Archive | Columns | Feature Articles |
|
Home >
Review Archive >
Video Games
> Results: Mario Party 8
Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Scroll down for our Kid Factor. 
The ESRB Says
Mild Cartoon Violence: GamerDad saw lots of cartoon slapstick and silliness that one would be hard pressed to actually consider violence. Nintendo's innovative Wii console is shaping up to be a party-player's dream come true and that's why the debut of Nintendo's long running party game series, "Mario Party", is a big deal. "Mario Party 8" is structured like a board game. Up to four players (the computer can control up to three of them for smaller parties) controlling Nintendo's Disney-esque stable of characters (Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Wario, King Koopa, etc.,) roll virtual dice and land on spaces. The challenge is to win coins and most spaces unleash a fast and furious mini-game. At first this is challenging because you don't know what's going to be expected of you next. Will you use the remote to saw a log, vigorously moving it back and forth, or will it be a form of virtual fishing? Will you have to paint a picture or will it be a combat game? The games are usually funny and silly, most of them work well (though some are duds and some have control problems based, perhaps, on where you have the remote sensor placed). The boards are colorful and themed. Donkey Kong has the Treetop Temple with lush jungles and ruins, King Koopa's Tycoon Town is a metropolis and it plays a bit like Monopoly, just to name two. The only problems with the series are that it's getting long in the tooth and they need to do something about how a party game that seems to rely on skill, often comes down to a random chance, lucky space landings, and the results of dice. The other problem, of course, is that anyone who owns the game has a huge advantage over friends and family simply because they become familiar with the minigames. That kind of advantage can make a party a lot less fun then it should be. Still, the action comes at you as fast as the laughs, it's great for kids, and it's made the transition from gamepad controller play to the innovative Wii remote. Just be sure to grab a couple more remotes, it's a lot more fun with friends and family.  
Mario Party 8 is perfect for siblings, family play, or for friends who like to get together. This is geeky, cartoonish, Nintendo stuff, so adult friends unimpressed by videogame childishness might not want to play - but watching is fun too. Keep an eye on the kids though. Wii remotes are expensive and the game encourages wild thrashing about. It's all fun and games until someone gets clonked on the head, or loses a remote.
This review edited by Michael Anderson Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Mario Party 8 |
Read the GamerDad 2007 Holiday Guide!
|
Please Note: GamerDad is not intended to be read by anyone under 18. We stay clean, but be warned! Content Management System developed by Redbird Solutions. |
