Mario Party 8

 Wii
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 316 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 141 out of 316
  2. Mixed: 112 out of 316
  3. Negative: 63 out of 316
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  1. ToddS
    Nov 4, 2008
    4
    Mario Party 8 is a major disappointment. The minigames are simple and fun, especially when theres split screen multiplayer, but the series never really improved on it's flaws. The board game is luck based, requiring no skill at all. While it may seem like a perfect opportunity for anybody to jump in, it's moreso a waste of time. Any system which rewards failure and punishes Mario Party 8 is a major disappointment. The minigames are simple and fun, especially when theres split screen multiplayer, but the series never really improved on it's flaws. The board game is luck based, requiring no skill at all. While it may seem like a perfect opportunity for anybody to jump in, it's moreso a waste of time. Any system which rewards failure and punishes success is broken. The audiovisuals would have been acceptable 3-4 years ago, but in current standards, they are awful. I see little ways that this game has improved upon Mario Party 7 and even Mario Party 4. Most of the minigames you missed from the old games didn't come back. Nintendo put a very little amount of effort into this game. The final product shows.… Expand
  2. AlexC.
    Feb 20, 2009
    1
    Sheesh, Mario Party has gotten crap since the original. Playing minigames which aren't actually that good over and over again can get pretty boring, plus the game boards, whatever they're callled, are crap too. A once great series ruined by repetitive gameplay and a lack of good minigames.
  3. [Anonymous]
    Feb 2, 2010
    3
    Lame. I can't believe my wife wasted 50 bucks on this "game." The board game, as everyone else says, is 100% based on luck. No exaggeration. The saving grace of this game is supposed to be the minigames. Unfortunately the minigames are HORRIBLE. There isn't a single one I care to play more than twice. The controls are clunky and unresponsive. Contrary to the belief of some other Lame. I can't believe my wife wasted 50 bucks on this "game." The board game, as everyone else says, is 100% based on luck. No exaggeration. The saving grace of this game is supposed to be the minigames. Unfortunately the minigames are HORRIBLE. There isn't a single one I care to play more than twice. The controls are clunky and unresponsive. Contrary to the belief of some other reviewers, playing with more people does not make it more fun. Everyone ends up pissed because there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to who wins. Why does Nintendo let Hudson tarnish the Mario franchise with this trash?… Expand
  4. jnorth5834
    Sep 3, 2018
    2
    A lot of people did not like this one very much, because of a couple agreeable reasons: it's ugly and limited.

    I found this to be the worst Mario Party game in the series. I haven't played Mario Party Advanced, but I'm sure this can't be that much better.
    Comparison's aside though, this game just isn't fun. It's torturous and even laughable at times of how embarrassingly bad it is.
  5. Julian0505
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    The worst Mario Party ever made - disgusting graphics, horrid motion control mini-games, and terrible boards to boot. Truly a disappointment after the high heights previous titles were able to reach. If you want a Mario Party on Wii, then Mario Party 9 is better honestly.
  6. Tokyochuchu
    Mar 19, 2012
    3
    Mario Party 8 is a flat-out bad game. It comes nowhere near the franchise's peak (Mario Party 2) because the mini games have all taken a step backwards in terms of control. This was done to bring the Wii's motion controls into full effect. But basically speaking, they just don't work very well. They are so imprecise, that most of the time winning is a case of mere luck. It shouldn't beMario Party 8 is a flat-out bad game. It comes nowhere near the franchise's peak (Mario Party 2) because the mini games have all taken a step backwards in terms of control. This was done to bring the Wii's motion controls into full effect. But basically speaking, they just don't work very well. They are so imprecise, that most of the time winning is a case of mere luck. It shouldn't be titled 'Mario Party', it should be titled 'Thrash The Wiimote Around Randomly Party'. Utter drek.… Expand
  7. TipsyMcBee
    Nov 13, 2011
    3
    I gave Mario Party 8 a try at my friend's house and oh boy, this game disappointed me in many levels. I've enjoyed the Mario Party games in the past like Mario Party 3 on the N64 (one of my favourites from this Mario spin-off), but somehow this game left me with uninteresting junk in my loot bag for its tediously long board levels, dull mini-games and obnoxious computer A.I. Maybe kidsI gave Mario Party 8 a try at my friend's house and oh boy, this game disappointed me in many levels. I've enjoyed the Mario Party games in the past like Mario Party 3 on the N64 (one of my favourites from this Mario spin-off), but somehow this game left me with uninteresting junk in my loot bag for its tediously long board levels, dull mini-games and obnoxious computer A.I. Maybe kids under the age of 10 will enjoy playing this game, but no matter what, the fun will only last for less than 30 minutes in Mario Party 8.… Expand
  8. Ztride
    Jan 21, 2012
    2
    Apart from a few minigames, this game is so incredibly boring! And it is also so damn slow, just 1 turn takes several times longer than it should because of all the unnecessary in-game tips you get from the retarded host, who has to explain every minigame in detail over and over.
  9. BlogDog123
    May 25, 2011
    4
    Eight installments is enough. I played this, hoping to have a classic Mario Party formula, but I was really disappointed in the overall presentation. The minigames rely too much on luck rather than skill, and the graphics are a mixed bag. Some minigames have clunky and frequently unresponsive controls. Yes, there are a lot of unlockables, but those tend to be mostly sound tests. Lame.
  10. gorelequint
    Apr 24, 2013
    2
    There's one thing you need to know about Mario Party 8 before you buy it be prepared to do a lot of reading during the game! The game has an incredibly irritating interface whereby it bombards you with constant information throughout the game which can only be cleared by pressing the A key. Consequently, you spend most of the time repeatedly pressing the A key to get rid of the constantThere's one thing you need to know about Mario Party 8 before you buy it be prepared to do a lot of reading during the game! The game has an incredibly irritating interface whereby it bombards you with constant information throughout the game which can only be cleared by pressing the A key. Consequently, you spend most of the time repeatedly pressing the A key to get rid of the constant barrage of messages. In fact before the game even starts you are forced to read through an endless parade of information boxes that end up making things more confusing and leaving you wondering when on earth this game is going to start. For a game aimed at kids as well as adults I fail to see how any child would have the patience to read through so much claptrap before the game begins, it really is that tedious.

    After reading what seems like a small book worth of instructions, the game finally starts. This is where the next level of frustration begins, as Mario Party 8 is based around you playing a boardgame that is little more than glorified snakes and ladders and has zero skill. Playing a game of luck against a human opponent has some element of short-term fun, but against the computer, forget it. As a single-player game, Mario Party 8 is a non-starter and will bore you witless very, very quickly.

    Against a human opponent the boardgames are entertaining for a while and give some genuine laughs but the lack of skill needed soon gets annoying and you find yourself yearning for the mini-games to break up the monotony. But playing a mini-game, like everything else, relies on luck, you have to just hope that a roll of the dice lands you on a square which puts you into a mini-game. When the mini-game starts, your relief from the tedium is often very short-lived as many of the mini-games are over in less than a minute, then it's back to the wretched boardgame again. Another annoying touch to the game is that there are many pre-set animations that you are forced to watch without any option of skipping them, this just adds to the frustration of the game.

    But what of the mini-games themselves? Well, many are actually very good, some are horrible, but generally they're good fun and well designed. Unfortunately some mini-games have to be unlocked which can only be achieved by success on the boardgames. So if you're willing to have your patience pushed to the limit it's possible to unlock them, but you'll probably end up deciding another session on the boardgames is too much to bear.

    Mario Party 8 is a huge opportunity missed. The idea of loads of simple but fun party games is a good one, but the game design does everything it can to stifle this through the constant stream of pointless information that interrupts the game, and the woeful boardgames. It would have been better to either make the boardgames more skill-based, or just get rid of them completely, and let people just play the mini-games.    … Expand
  11. Shrekening
    Mar 7, 2017
    3
    I was really looking forward to a great Mario Party on a new system but the 8th one was so crap. Motion controls just ruin all fun and it's just MP 7 except less fun.
  12. RonaldChan
    Jun 20, 2017
    1
    The worst **** game ever completely based on luck and 0 skill whatsoever never buy this **** game. **** garbage game never buy it holy **** gimme a refund on this garbage crap
  13. SmashFan
    Jun 30, 2017
    1
    Thoughts on the series.
    1-3: AMAZING! Some of the best multiplayer games ever made.
    4: Extremely good.
    5-7: Pretty fun but not as good.
    8: Horrible! Terrible boards and lackluster gameplay make Mario Party 8 a huge disappointment.
  14. EastonReviews
    Mar 11, 2012
    3
    Hey! It's circus time! Drop Super Mario Galaxy and ride down to one of the worst games of 2007! Play as disturbing chatacters, moan at boring activites, and smash your Wii to peices! It's all comin' down at Mario Party 8!
  15. Nero97
    Jan 26, 2012
    3
    Mario party started as a great game, but just got worse and worse, and than Mario Party 8 was released. I played all mario party games, and this is the only one i hated. The mini games are boring, the medieval party style (yeah, for me, that's what it seems) failed and even playing multiplayer is boring...Let's hope 9 is better...
  16. VideoGameCritic
    Aug 3, 2013
    2
    This game is garbage. I know that this is a game for little kids but I played the all the Mario party games and this is one of the worst games out of the series! I remember the good days were the point was to get all the stars you can in twenty turns or twenty-five if you felt ballsy and hope that you are the player that killed Bowser. The game was really it is just unplayable. I hateThis game is garbage. I know that this is a game for little kids but I played the all the Mario party games and this is one of the worst games out of the series! I remember the good days were the point was to get all the stars you can in twenty turns or twenty-five if you felt ballsy and hope that you are the player that killed Bowser. The game was really it is just unplayable. I hate this game it deserves nothing less than what I gave it. The music is horrible, the idea for the game taking place at a carnival is just dumb, and the graphics look like garbage. This is horrible and i regret playing this game.… Expand
  17. BrazilReview
    Jan 4, 2015
    4
    This game is a huge disappointment. I thinked that it would great, but it is so boring. The minigames are pretty fun but you need to play several super boring modes to enjoy them. To avoid this, there is the Free-Play mode; but you need to unlock the minigames in the Party mode (that is VERY boring) before playing them in Free-Play. I'm a fan of Mario Party series, but I think that this isThis game is a huge disappointment. I thinked that it would great, but it is so boring. The minigames are pretty fun but you need to play several super boring modes to enjoy them. To avoid this, there is the Free-Play mode; but you need to unlock the minigames in the Party mode (that is VERY boring) before playing them in Free-Play. I'm a fan of Mario Party series, but I think that this is the worst of the all. I highly recommend Mario Party 3 for Nintendo 64 instead of this. Mario Party 8 doesn't worth the $60 (R$199 in Brazil), except for die-hard fans.… Expand
  18. AmACheeseburger
    May 12, 2014
    0
    Why did I ask for this game for Christmas 2007? I liked the GameCube installments better..............CURSE YOU NINTENDO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  19. RickS.
    Sep 8, 2007
    0
    I am an anti-gamer and bought the Wii because of the virtually reality aspects after playing my brohters bowling and baseball on Wii sports. As a point of reference the only games i have liked to are Wii Sports and Tiger Woods. My 7 yr old son received this as a gift and after multiple tries, this game was too complicated to set up and has never been played.
  20. JustinL
    May 29, 2007
    2
    I have never liked any Mario Party game, and I've played most of 'em. It's got stupid board-game mechanics that make no sense, too-long default game time, and mini-games that are mediocre at best. Played it with 3 friends -- this game's best-case scenario -- and still didn't really have any fun. I honestly can't see how anyone sober and over the age of 6 canI have never liked any Mario Party game, and I've played most of 'em. It's got stupid board-game mechanics that make no sense, too-long default game time, and mini-games that are mediocre at best. Played it with 3 friends -- this game's best-case scenario -- and still didn't really have any fun. I honestly can't see how anyone sober and over the age of 6 can enjoy this game.… Expand
  21. GlenP.
    Jun 22, 2007
    0
    The game is a mess. Long, slow board game that determines it's winner essentially by luck, is reqauired to play multiple times to unlock the mini games. The mini games themselves are a hodgepodge of styles, many making bad use of teh motion technology. Must play the worthless board game to get mini games. bad. Very bad. Pick up SuperMonkeyBall or Muppet Party Cruise for a much better The game is a mess. Long, slow board game that determines it's winner essentially by luck, is reqauired to play multiple times to unlock the mini games. The mini games themselves are a hodgepodge of styles, many making bad use of teh motion technology. Must play the worthless board game to get mini games. bad. Very bad. Pick up SuperMonkeyBall or Muppet Party Cruise for a much better set of mini games.… Expand
  22. CoreyK.
    Jun 13, 2007
    3
    God-awful. Unless you are under 10 years old.
  23. EthanR.
    Jun 28, 2007
    4
    I tried to like this game, i really did. But it's impossible. It's ironic, the creators of the mario party series promised new boards, minigames, characters and much more everygame. But it's exactly that premise that makes this version worse. They messed up the beloved formula by adding on to much things. I liked when we had regular items and now there's candy!? The I tried to like this game, i really did. But it's impossible. It's ironic, the creators of the mario party series promised new boards, minigames, characters and much more everygame. But it's exactly that premise that makes this version worse. They messed up the beloved formula by adding on to much things. I liked when we had regular items and now there's candy!? The boards used to be so cool and large... now they're straight and tiny. The single player game is terrible! It's not 4 players playing. It's 2 players playing. With barely any minigames. The only reason I gave this game a 4 was because the minigames. They use the intuitive wii remote to create fun to play minigames. But since you have to play through the dreadful game to get the minigames it's kind of a pain. I don't reccomend this game. :(… Expand
  24. IanI.
    Jun 5, 2007
    2
    Game is horrible. I loved it on the gamecube but on the wii its compleate crap. Some of the minigames are fun but the actual boardgame part of it has taken a huge step backwords to the point that its almost not a functioning game. Stick with the gamecube version, the only good games on the wii right now are minigame games, but this isn't one of them.
  25. Carlisto
    May 1, 2012
    4
    This is definitly the worst mario party,the boards are extremely boring and also the minigames,they are just a few good minigames and also the visual effects, but in general the game is boring dont ever go to buy it,although it is the most sold
    but that doesnt mean is good is just BORING,Even in multiplayer.
  26. knifeandfork
    Jul 18, 2013
    4
    Mario Party just sunk to a whole new level. As in any other Mario Party, you run around the party boards, throwing dice and landing on different spaces. It's just chance, with no strategy whatsoever, and it's always been a multiplayer experience. To be honest, it's often the party boards that let down mario party games, but at least the minigames were fun. The main problem with Mario PartyMario Party just sunk to a whole new level. As in any other Mario Party, you run around the party boards, throwing dice and landing on different spaces. It's just chance, with no strategy whatsoever, and it's always been a multiplayer experience. To be honest, it's often the party boards that let down mario party games, but at least the minigames were fun. The main problem with Mario Party 8 is how it tries to take advantage of the wii remote. In one minigame, you must shake the wiimote as fast as you can. Wow, so... fun. In other, you must control a chimp by flicking the wii remote, but controls are largely unresponsive. And some other minigames don't use the motion capabilities at all, and are just plain boring. It's needless to say playing on your own is terribly boring. Multiplayer isn't much good either, but at least it's slightly better. Just like any other Mario Party game, Mario Party 8 also features a 'story mode'. This is often actually fun because at least there's a goal to actually do something, unlike party mode. Except in Mario Party 8, it's terrible. Chance plays a bigger part than ever before, especially since minigames aren't even included in this mode. At the moment, I'm stuck on Boo's Haunted Hideway(and always will be beacause I've sold the game). Here the rooms are in a random pattern every time, and you don't know where anything is. There's alwaya a Whomp blocking a doorway somewhere, which requires you to pay coins to him to get past. Except once, the design was so bad, there was no way to get enough coins to pay Whomp, especially because of the 'no minigame' rule. There was only one coin space, so it took too long to possibly even get one star before the time ran out. This is the 'fun' you have in Mario Party 8.… Expand
  27. AlB.
    Aug 10, 2007
    2
    This game is so slow. I'm only interested in playing party style games with friends and you have to unlock most of the games by playing single player game first.
  28. IanV.
    Dec 9, 2007
    2
    A ridiculously horrible game. It is really quite hard to comprehend where nintendo was going with this one. I played this with groups of 3-8 people.........sometimes even using it as a drinking game; the "party" aspect does not redeem the utter lack of strategy. Everything about this game is random. A game based purely on luck gets real old, real fast.
  29. LisaH.
    Sep 2, 2007
    2
    The most boring mario game i have ever come accross. I can barely stay awake. I had to double check the box incase it was for under 3 year olds only.
  30. Mr.Anyomous
    Sep 22, 2007
    4
    Mario party for Wii? Nope. Just a port of a ment to be Gamecube game with half-assed controls. The Box art looks promising, but nothing like the game. First of all, The graphics suck. They're Gamecube Quality. I wouldn't mind this but guess what.........there's lag!!!!!!!!!! Are you serious, Lag! Well, secondly, The game play is terrible. It feels tedious. It's either Mario party for Wii? Nope. Just a port of a ment to be Gamecube game with half-assed controls. The Box art looks promising, but nothing like the game. First of all, The graphics suck. They're Gamecube Quality. I wouldn't mind this but guess what.........there's lag!!!!!!!!!! Are you serious, Lag! Well, secondly, The game play is terrible. It feels tedious. It's either two sensitive or to stiff, there's no in-between. I litteraly was doing a dance from Elite Beat Agents (Makes no differnce) and I beat the AI. I'm not kidding. Speaking of AI why is hard mode like playing with a 8-year old? However this game has a strange appeal to it that sucks you in and you can't get rid of the game. It's like quicksand. This game was desinged for little kids who think they have a cool game but get ripped off after playing it. One last thing I would like to add is, why is the game so slow? It took me two days to finish a 50 turn game and almost half an hour to finish a ten turn game! Then they give you the option to buy these figures of characters in the game. Why though, to show that you had enough patience to play through this game so can look at these action figues? I don't think so.… Expand
  31. BobC.
    Dec 29, 2007
    4
    Looks promising, but other than the mini-games, the wii-mote doesn't come into play other than deciding how many spaces you move on the board. The mini-games were too difficult to figure out in time to actually do them, and the computer players get unfair advantages over human players...every outcome is by totally random luck!
  32. AndyD
    May 31, 2007
    4
    The graphics are poor, and no widescreen. The minigames are rehashes of old ones, often same game with slapped on controls. The boards introduce little if any changes, cosmetic or otherwise. Very poor "minigame game" in an already crowded market (3-4 of these collections in 6 months). Overall definitely pass on it, not really even worth renting if you own any of the older ones.
  33. BryanM.
    May 31, 2007
    3
    The graphics are just awful like 64. ok maybe not that bad what yes they are. you can see blocks on there arms. and most mini games are boring and the borders trash. if you like mario party don't get this game keep to 7 or wait for it to go on sale.
  34. JackH
    May 24, 2008
    2
    Oh no, it's ANOTHER Mario Party game. I'd bet $1000 that Nintendo finds a way to stretch this series to Mario Party 15. The mini games would probably include sawing logs and opening cans. Oh wait, they've already done that! I enjoyed the first few Mario Party games, but this is just ridiculous. The fact is, the whole game is based on luck. You could win every stupid mini Oh no, it's ANOTHER Mario Party game. I'd bet $1000 that Nintendo finds a way to stretch this series to Mario Party 15. The mini games would probably include sawing logs and opening cans. Oh wait, they've already done that! I enjoyed the first few Mario Party games, but this is just ridiculous. The fact is, the whole game is based on luck. You could win every stupid mini game and still come in last. If you already have any of the Mario Party games, there is absolutely NO reason to buy this game. Unfortunately, there will always be people willing to buy these games, and will in fact buy Mario Party 9, and Mario Party 10, and Mario Party 11, and Mario Party 12, and Mario Party 13, and Mario Party 14, and finally Mario Party 15, which Nintendo will give some unimaginative new name to, like Mario's Big Bash.… Expand
  35. WarioOnion58
    Jul 20, 2020
    0
    Most lame Mario Party game I ever played, albeit I never played 9 and 10 due to how awful the car mechanic looked. It's just a port of the GameCube games with less skill required.

Awards & Rankings

58
#58 Best Wii Game of 2007
5
#5 Most Discussed Wii Game of 2007
5
#5 Most Shared Wii Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 41
  3. Negative: 7 out of 41
  1. IGN
    52
    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.
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  2. 1UP
    55
    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.
    Read full review
  3. GameSpot
    65
    There are some good minigames in Mario Party 8, but the overly familiar, chance-heavy board game wrapper gets in their way.
    Read full review
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