Mario Party 8

Buy it for the multiplayer, pass on the single-player.

It's still plenty of wacky, crazy fun with four human players, but it's still a shame that it doesn't rise above the glut of other minigames compilations on the Wii despite its prestigious pedigree and the most impressive cast in all gamedom.

Despite these complaints, Mario Party 8's motion controls, fresh new options and accessible bonus content make it a party that shouldn't be missed -- not even by those who thought that the series' best days were already long gone.

Mario Party 8 is a great title to bring out if you want to have a good sit down, laughing experience with a game. Mario Party 8 is not perfect and leaves plenty of room for improvement in the future, but for those who didn't invest in a Gamecube and now have joined the large install base of the Nintendo Wii, Mario Party 8 is a good opportunity to check out what you have been missing.

A group of friends can still have fun with it, but it's just too similar to previous versions. [Aug 2007, p.88]

The biggest omission from Mario Party 8, and the one that kept it from achieving an even higher score, is online play.

There are some good minigames in Mario Party 8, but the overly familiar, chance-heavy board game wrapper gets in their way.

Some of the minigames are fun but the board game that frames the whole experience relies far too much on chance. [Vol 3, Issue 2, p.58]

Overall Mario Party 8 is mixed bag of experiences.

The problem is that the Mario Party franchise hasn't really evolved or changed much from its days on the Nintendo 64. Yes, there are new characters, stages, and mini-games, but despite their clever designs, they're quickly growing repetitive and stale.

It's just such a waste to see "Mario Party" get a frsh start here, only to have us turn the Wii-mote on its side to use it like any other motion-control-free controller. [Aug 2007, p.72]

The series is screaming for reinvention, and even the introduction of Wii control was not enough to invigorate it.

While unimpressive from a technical standpoint, and uninspired from a mini-games standpoint, the core Mario Party formula remains intact.

It’s safe to say that we’re all getting a little sick of mini-games on the Wii, but Mario Party 8 delivers a pretty good batch wrapped up in some interesting board designs. Perhaps they’ll work out the rest of the kinks in time for Mario Party 9.

Mario Party has never dazzled but this is the dullest it's ever been. [Aug 2007, p.48]

With brand new controls they had a chance to reinvigorate the franchise. They didn't. [Aug 2007, p.65]

The lacking options and point-and-click interface could have been so much better.

A really disappointing (but, as mentioned at the start of this review, inevitably still entertaining) Wii debut for the series. Perhaps the next game will truly take advantage of the Wii controls through and through.

The only thing that barely saves this is that it's a four-player game with some light competitive play. Otherwise, it's eminently missable - wait for something better unless you absolutely must have a Wii-based four-player board game.

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.

Besides the tired gameplay, Mario Party 8 has some serious presentation issues that will make you wonder if you’re still playing a Gamecube game.

It’s the same old formula with a few moments of motion-controlled inspiration. [Aug 2007, p.111]

Mario Party 8 has sold extremely well but it seems to be riding the crest wave of previous Mario Party titles, because there’s nothing worth coming back for.