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Mario Party 9 - cort's hands on impressions
I think this game might better be called Bowser Party. Why?
First, the game breaks from itsstale established formulae in a number of ways which I'll touch on later, but second, Mario actually has less to do with the game than Bowser. In fact, the King Koopa has so much clout that he can take a predictably unlucky gamer like me--who always trails far in last place in games of chance--and transform me into a first place "superstar" just 2-3 turns from the finish. I humbly bow before thee, sire.
I've taken a break from the Mario Party series since the N64 days, mainly because I am one of those solo gamers who generally doesn't have anyone to play party games with in the first place, but also because the series never really grew very much (and because losing horribly every time gets old quickly). Luckily, this ninth instalment chucks some of the old in favor of some much more engaging features (I don't know if they merit the label "innovative" though).
Instead of a free for all where each player progresses the board at their own pace collecting coins, all players travel together in a vehicle themed for that stage collecting mini-stars, and everyone takes a turn piloting the thing as captain. Being captain has pros and cons, which can definitely be a point of strategy; mini-game events can offer extra bonuses to captains, but other players might also use their turns and special die to put you in a position to lose stars or smash into hazards.
The concept of stages over boards isn't just semantic. Instead of doing laps around a board, the seven new stages are all effectively linear with fixed beginnings, middles and ends. To emphasize those milestones, you'll face a mid-stage boss and a final boss each game, which can affect the rankings, but in my demo, they didn't change anything. The mini-games often had the greatest effects, but even those aren't as common as they used to be; triggered randomly or by landing on marked spaces. Captains get multiple choice of which mini-game everyone plays, and oddly, few of the games leaned on motion controls, instead favoring NES-style button pressing. The assortment of new mini-games were satisfying, even when losing them all.
Going full circle; the greatest effect on our game was in the final stretch of the stage, where Bowser literally, physically lords over the goal, wreaking all manner of havoc on things. These can range from mini-games with distorted/altered rules such as the person who loses first wins the challenge and stars, to a list of any number of random outcomes (+10,000 mini-stars anyone?). Needless to say, upending the tea table a number of times at the end can have incredible results, though some might view that as making all of the game prior a bit irrelevant. Nothing in Mario Party is really fair, and in a way that is a kind of fairness. I later heard I was the only press person to win from any of the demo sessions, so thanks, Bowser. Long live the king.
First, the game breaks from its
I've taken a break from the Mario Party series since the N64 days, mainly because I am one of those solo gamers who generally doesn't have anyone to play party games with in the first place, but also because the series never really grew very much (and because losing horribly every time gets old quickly). Luckily, this ninth instalment chucks some of the old in favor of some much more engaging features (I don't know if they merit the label "innovative" though).
Instead of a free for all where each player progresses the board at their own pace collecting coins, all players travel together in a vehicle themed for that stage collecting mini-stars, and everyone takes a turn piloting the thing as captain. Being captain has pros and cons, which can definitely be a point of strategy; mini-game events can offer extra bonuses to captains, but other players might also use their turns and special die to put you in a position to lose stars or smash into hazards.
The concept of stages over boards isn't just semantic. Instead of doing laps around a board, the seven new stages are all effectively linear with fixed beginnings, middles and ends. To emphasize those milestones, you'll face a mid-stage boss and a final boss each game, which can affect the rankings, but in my demo, they didn't change anything. The mini-games often had the greatest effects, but even those aren't as common as they used to be; triggered randomly or by landing on marked spaces. Captains get multiple choice of which mini-game everyone plays, and oddly, few of the games leaned on motion controls, instead favoring NES-style button pressing. The assortment of new mini-games were satisfying, even when losing them all.
Going full circle; the greatest effect on our game was in the final stretch of the stage, where Bowser literally, physically lords over the goal, wreaking all manner of havoc on things. These can range from mini-games with distorted/altered rules such as the person who loses first wins the challenge and stars, to a list of any number of random outcomes (+10,000 mini-stars anyone?). Needless to say, upending the tea table a number of times at the end can have incredible results, though some might view that as making all of the game prior a bit irrelevant. Nothing in Mario Party is really fair, and in a way that is a kind of fairness. I later heard I was the only press person to win from any of the demo sessions, so thanks, Bowser. Long live the king.