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Wii

Mario Party 8 Released for Wii

by Jonathan Metts - May 29, 2007, 10:46 am EDT
Total comments: 22 Source: Press Release

It's time to party.

NINTENDO'S MARIO PARTY 8 BRINGS THE CARNIVAL TO TOWN

Nintendo is bringing the carnival to town, and this time the party is going to get players up and moving. Mario Party® 8 is the first Mario Party game for Wii™ from Nintendo, and the first in the series to incorporate motion controls.

In this carnival-themed excursion, players might use the Wii Remote™ to punch the air to chip away at a statue, point it at the screen to shoot at targets or balance it like a tightrope walker's pole. The amazing functions of the Wii Remote add a new level of hilarious competition. This new Mario Party installment includes new boards, characters, moves and minigames.

Since the original Mario Party debuted in 1999 on Nintendo® 64, the franchise has been a perpetual fan favorite, selling nearly 6.5 million in the United States alone. It's the video game version of a board game, where each player takes a turn moving spaces. Then everyone competes in a fast-paced minigame at the end of the round. Its controls are fun and easy enough that every member of the family can join in. Mario Party 8 lets players get into the action like never before, and is a great follow-up for gamers and families who had fun competing in Wii Sports™.

For more information about Mario Party 8, please visit www.MarioParty.com.

Talkback

KDR_11kMay 29, 2007

I wonder if anyone cares, this game does seem like a perfect fit for the Wii to me.

NeoThunderMay 29, 2007

ya, i can't wait to play it online with other people......OHH YA, there's no online play......how convenient

Nick DiMolaNick DiMola, Staff AlumnusMay 29, 2007

Well I'll be grabbing this up tomorrow, hopefully it is as good as it seems it can be with the Wii remote usage. It is still Mario Party unfortunately so I don't expect too much out of the ordinary, but we shall see.

NinGurl69 *hugglesMay 29, 2007

I heard the game was ASS with terrible wang waggle implementation.

confirm/deny

PaleMike Gamin, Contributing EditorMay 29, 2007

I know our review is in process Pro... I personally haven't played it yet so I'm also eagerly awaiting it.

NinGurl69 *hugglesMay 29, 2007

NWR's honor is riding on this review.

confirm/deny

vuduMay 29, 2007

Pro666 likes stirring up trouble.

confirm/deny

NWR_pap64Pedro Hernandez, Contributing WriterMay 29, 2007

I have the feelings that MP 8 is going to be yet another Wii game with mixed reviews simply because some truly understand the gameplay while others are angsty about it.

I have this game reserved back at home (although dad was the one that reserved it for me) and hopefully I will try it soon with SB, so we'll see.

TanookisuitMay 29, 2007

I will say this for Mario Party 8, somehow my 56 year-old mother knows about and is excited for this game. Commercials for Brange Age convinced her to get a DS, maybe now she'll get a Wii.

Spak-SpangMay 29, 2007

Nintendo's commercials are perfect for the non-gamer. Video Games have been seen as a single player experience for too many years. Even when you have online multiplayer games, that just stirs up images of a young adult with no social skills playing games in private.

But Nintendo shows families, friends, and people of all ages enjoying games together. I believe people are viewing video games as the new family board game and that is solely because of Nintendo's brilliant marketing.

Why wouldn't a Grandmother want to have a Wii and Mario Party 8 to share with her grand children?

Then if you can buy additional games like Brain Academy that can entire them, and give them their puzzles and mind games they like to play anyway. The system really does become a great product for them.

Smash_BrotherMay 29, 2007

I'm also curious to see how this turns out.

Hopefully, Gamefly will ship the bugger soon.

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorMay 29, 2007

Score for $10! Whoo! Too bad I'll be out of town for the next three days and won't be able to play. face-icon-small-frown.gif

SheckyMay 29, 2007

$10? explain....

IceColdMay 29, 2007

Whoa, this is out already? I thought it was coming in July.. awesome! Time to rent it..

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorMay 29, 2007

$40 at Circuit City.
Price Match at Best Boy.
$30 of Best Buy Rewards...

GoldenPhoenixMay 29, 2007

Well IGN gave it a 5.8, but I get the impression it isn't bad game, just nothing new.

Quote

Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix
Well IGN gave it a 5.8, but I get the impression it isn't bad game, just nothing new.


Sounds like the justification for rating blazing lasers... NOT RECOMMENDED... except for Kairon.

CericMay 30, 2007

Quote

Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix
Well IGN gave it a 5.8, but I get the impression it isn't bad game, just nothing new.


But that is something especially for a Mario Party game. By now I could probably get 1-7 at the bargain bin price so why pay if it brings nothing new to the table and feels shoehorned? (Which is what I'm hearing thats sort of terrible because Mario Party should have been THE game to show a lot of different ways to use the wiimote.)

GoldenPhoenixMay 30, 2007

Quote

Originally posted by: Ceric
Quote

Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix
Well IGN gave it a 5.8, but I get the impression it isn't bad game, just nothing new.


But that is something especially for a Mario Party game. By now I could probably get 1-7 at the bargain bin price so why pay if it brings nothing new to the table and feels shoehorned? (Which is what I'm hearing thats sort of terrible because Mario Party should have been THE game to show a lot of different ways to use the wiimote.)


Well I'm still getting it, I've got every iteration of the series since MP1, my family really loves the series and it has yet to get stale. Though I do admit I am disappointed that they didn't seem to take full advantage of the Wimote (Maybe the Mario Party series should be created in house?).

theratMay 30, 2007

Closing Comments
Hudson and Nintendo really need to rethink the Mario Party formula, but will they? Not as long as these games keep selling, no. Discerning players will find this latest effort still has its moments, but also that they are fewer and farther between. The game includes a robust list of minis, boards and modes and yet you'll quickly discover that little else has been changed. All of our complaints about previous games – the slow pace, the lackluster single-player affair, the loose attention to detail – all remain and with Mario Party 8 we can add another criticism: ignorance of the Wii remote. True, there are a dozen or more minis that do utilize Nintendo's new controller in a unique and enjoyable way, but there are dozens more that don't – that, in fact, were obviously born on GameCube and later ported to Wii with last-minute new motion systems added in. This lackadaisical approach to the franchise sequel bleeds over into the presentation, which doesn't impress as a GCN effort, let alone a Wii one.

In spite of our issues with the game, people who loved Mario Party 7 will probably enjoy Mario Party 8, too, but we've chosen not to reward Nintendo with an undeserved high score for a copy/paste sequel.

part that might make me wanna......rent it

5.0 Gameplay
The formula is wearing thin. Some of the new minis use the Wii remote in unique and fun ways. Most don't. The single-player game is like torture.
8.0 Lasting Appeal
If you can overlook its shortcomings, Mario Party 8 offers a robust list of minis and modes to keep you busy and everything is better with friends.

NinGurl69 *hugglesMay 30, 2007

Where did i hear that before.

SUPER PRIMATE BALL: WHITE PULPY FRUIT BLITZ

trip1eXMay 30, 2007

I got it. I like it so does my son. Nowhere near as bad as IGN says. I think the cpu moves alot faster than MP 4/5 which are the last ones I played. The graphics seems about the same maybe better in spots. The menus are kinda plain, but easy to use. I Like using the pointer to navigate menus and play. The mini-games are similar in spirit to the mini-games of the other MP games.

Anyway this is more of a family board game. SP is appealing to kids. MP also can be appealing to teens/early 20's too if you're drinking or are into playing party videogames.

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