Mario Party 9

 Wii
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 254 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 122 out of 254
  2. Mixed: 84 out of 254
  3. Negative: 48 out of 254
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  1. toxicalien68
    Mar 22, 2020
    4
    It can still be fun for a short time, but if you want a true Mario Party experience, get 8. While the Gamecube titles were arguably incredible, MP8 is still a great game for a traditional experience. The new gimmicks in this game were too different from the traditionals that it feels like a game you'd see advertised on Nickelodeon.
  2. CaKeS
    Feb 24, 2014
    4
    I don't get it, Mario Party 9 just butchered the series, why did Nintendo do this? I love Nintendo to death, but this isn't acceptable. They watered the entire game down and made it playable for two-year-olds, and probably only enjoyable for two-year-olds. Any avid fan of Mario Party would question why they got rid of moving freely, a non-linear board (or a board at all), items, goodI don't get it, Mario Party 9 just butchered the series, why did Nintendo do this? I love Nintendo to death, but this isn't acceptable. They watered the entire game down and made it playable for two-year-olds, and probably only enjoyable for two-year-olds. Any avid fan of Mario Party would question why they got rid of moving freely, a non-linear board (or a board at all), items, good minigames, stars actually meaning something, and strategy altogether. The game is like 10 minutes long now, and there is no variation in the path you can take, beside going left or right. Items come down to a couple dice blocks that just change how far you move. Remember back to Mario Party 3? There were at least 15 normal items, and then about 10 more rare ones, they added diversity to the game and strategy, they did cool things and were fun to use and buy. In MP9 the biggest decision you have to make is "Should I go left or right?" or "Should I move 1-3 spaces, 1-6, or 4-6?" It's so simple it's boring as hell. The minigames in the older Mario Parties were so much more creative and enjoyable, however, MP9's strongest point is probably the minigames, but that's not saying much. And stars, what the hell happened with those? Buying a "big" star actually meant something, now there's just micro-stars that can be thrown from player to player so fast you can literally go from a huge disadvantage to winning by a mile in the last turn. But all of these complaints are nothing compared to my last one: WHY, oh WHY do we have to move together in a car???? This is the reason the items are dumbed down so much, and this is the reason the star system is terrible, because you made us all move together! There's no freedom, there's no variation. You can't use a Poison Mushroom on someone else if you're all moving together. You can't get to the star on your own if everyone's attached to you! EVERY GAME plays out the exact same way as the last, because you simply go in a straight line. Oh, and why no minigames at the end of every turn?

    This game is just so frustratingly stupid that it seriously angers me to see people rate it so high just because it's a Nintendo game. Big companies **** up, guys, and Nintendo did. You don't have to pretend it's a good game because you're a loyal fan, a loyal fan would tell them they ****ed up so they don't do it again. If you think MP9 is good then you've never played any of the other Mario Parties (or you've only played 8, which isn't that great either).

    I guess the only pros I can give it is it's charming graphics, and somewhat-decent minigames. I see what they were going for, I really do, but they shouldn't have been going for it in the first place. If they wanted to do something like this they should've started a different series, instead of butchering Mario Party. I really, REALLY want to like this game, and I've really tried to find something good in it, but at the end of the day I'm still asking the question: "Why Nintendo? Why did you do this?" I'm honestly baffled, and I'm not sure if they've released a statement on it, but it looks like this game has a good enough rating (SOMEHOW) to not raise too much attention for them to care enough. But if they did, I would love to see their explanation for this.    … Expand
  3. evangelism
    Sep 11, 2013
    2
    Simply put, a watered down, simple, baby's first version of Mario Party. There is no board play or strategy, seeing as everyone moves together and the entire map is linear. And very few aspects of the game actually rely on any for of skill. The winner of most matches are determined by who had the best luck over the course of the match. Even the bonus stars have been changed from thingsSimply put, a watered down, simple, baby's first version of Mario Party. There is no board play or strategy, seeing as everyone moves together and the entire map is linear. And very few aspects of the game actually rely on any for of skill. The winner of most matches are determined by who had the best luck over the course of the match. Even the bonus stars have been changed from things such as coin star and mini game star to things such as who had the highest rolls, or who used the most special dice blocks. Just stick to playing the older mario parties, this one is a joke.… Expand
  4. gameover5
    Mar 12, 2012
    4
    As much as I was looking foward to play this game I was very displeased with it. You don't have control with the turns like in the previous games. Everyone moves at the same time which makes the game weird and shorter time wise. Boss battles were a bit different but not as challenging. Most were just about luck rather than skill. Pointless to unlock vehicles. Graphics were awesome but thisAs much as I was looking foward to play this game I was very displeased with it. You don't have control with the turns like in the previous games. Everyone moves at the same time which makes the game weird and shorter time wise. Boss battles were a bit different but not as challenging. Most were just about luck rather than skill. Pointless to unlock vehicles. Graphics were awesome but this game would've been a lot better if it followed the previous games. Mario party 8 is way better!!!! Not worth the $50… Expand
  5. natsad11
    Apr 4, 2012
    1
    it's new episode does not look very spectacular and plus it's a game for kids who do not know what to do, it sucks. Especially their ball game that is extremely nil. In addition you get tired quickly playing the game. For me it is no better than Mario sunshine.
  6. YHWH
    Aug 26, 2012
    0
    No Fun Allowd Mario edition.
  7. emoney
    Nov 28, 2012
    3
    HOW did this game get a 6.3? this is like the 1000th one and they still keep making it thats retarded as hell i even won a game and i was like wtf? was i even doing
  8. AmACheeseburger
    May 9, 2014
    0
    THIS GAME SUCKS!!! This is the WORST video game EVER! They took out stars and coins and replaced them with MINI STARS! The courses END instead of having a certain amount of turns! The minigames SUCK!!!!!!!
  9. Tobi3440
    Aug 23, 2013
    4
    This game was mediocre. The car is not a good feature, and I´m glad they tried something new, but it just didn´t work. The minigames are boring rehashes of old Mario Party games, with the only fun one being Hazard Hold. The animations and layout of the game is also very simelar to Wii Party. I sometimes play this game, but it´s not one of the golden Mario Party games out there. If you loveThis game was mediocre. The car is not a good feature, and I´m glad they tried something new, but it just didn´t work. The minigames are boring rehashes of old Mario Party games, with the only fun one being Hazard Hold. The animations and layout of the game is also very simelar to Wii Party. I sometimes play this game, but it´s not one of the golden Mario Party games out there. If you love Mario Party, then give it a try, if not, then I recommend Mario Party 5 for gamecube.… Expand
  10. djknightime
    Dec 27, 2016
    4
    The last Mario Party game I had played prior to this installment was Mario Party 3 back on the N64. It's a game I still play occasionally despite coming out 16 years ago on a fifth gen console. So when my brother brought a copy of it over to play with my family, I was super excited to see how the series had progressed since my last venture. Needless to say I was extremely disappointedThe last Mario Party game I had played prior to this installment was Mario Party 3 back on the N64. It's a game I still play occasionally despite coming out 16 years ago on a fifth gen console. So when my brother brought a copy of it over to play with my family, I was super excited to see how the series had progressed since my last venture. Needless to say I was extremely disappointed overall.
    While the game looks great and the presentation is on par with other Nintendo titles, Mario Party 9 feels like it was made by a team that didn't know what made the first three games good in the first place.
    For starters, all four player characters are restricted to the same nearly-linear paths and travel together on a single vehicle, eliminating some of the more interesting elements that were part of the earlier board designs. There aren't any paths blocked off by special characters, very few Happening (now called "Event") spaces, and once your vehicle is headed down a certain path, everyone else is along for the ride. Some of the other spaces are back, such as Bowser spaces, Battle Minigame spaces, 1v3 spaces, and free-for-all spaces. However, other special events such as Item and Chance spaces (now combined into a single space with a roulette) are gone, Boo is no longer around to help you steal from other players, and Item shops are nowhere to be seen. Instead, random spaces or the Roulette space give you a chance at getting one of five dice: 0/1, 1-2-3, 4-5-6, a d10, and a 1-6 Slow dice. Part of why the Item shops are gone is because Coins and Stars have been replaced by Mini Stars, which can be obtained through minigames, boss battles, and (mostly) on the board itself. While a larger amount of Mini Stars can be obtained through minigames - boss battles and battle minigames specifically - normal minigames are infrequent enough and worth so little that when one finally comes around, it feels like a waste of time. This feeling is further reinforced when you win a minigame, then have an opponent blaze through a cluster of Mini Stars worth twice what you won. Alternatively, you can win a minigame and then immediately lose your winnings by being forced to go through a cluster of Mini Ztars. This is where my biggest frustration with the game comes into play. While there are elements of the game that require skill, a large portion of the game design is now focused on luck. Now before anyone gets on my case, yes, I am aware that the older titles had luck-based events and minigames. However, your chances of being placed into such a situation was something you had much more control over. In previous titles, you could avoid spaces on the board that could have a negative impact on your chances of winning. You could use items or other spaces to gain the advantage over other players. There was also a high chance of your success being attributed to how well you knew the board, how well you knew the minigames, and how to use this knowledge to your advantage. In Mario Party 9 there are skill-based minigames and some board elements you can control, but the ones that have the biggest payoff are almost entirely based on lucky guesses.
    The most memorable instance of this was playing the Bob-omb Factory in solo mode. Despite a few setbacks I had managed to make it through the first two maps while maintaining first place. In the third section, three spaces before the end, Waluigi landed on a Bowser space and got a battle mini game. Normally battle mini games only take three Mini Stars per player, but with Bowser he takes half of everyone’s Mini Stars. The game that was picked: Mecha Choice. Three doors, one of which is a dead end. Whoever makes it to the end, wins. Up until this point I hadn’t used enough special dice to get the Dice Star and because I had been in first, there was a very good chance that things could go south if I didn’t win. The only problem is that Mecha Choice is entirely luck based. There’s no strategy, no way of knowing if you’ll win or lose. Waluigi managed to win, boosting his rank from 3rd to 1st, and won due to the Dice Star. While this could potentially happen in Mario Party 3, the chances of it occurring were a lot lower because the player(s) had a lot more control over what happens. Each player was independent of one another and most interaction was done intentionally. In Mario Party 9, everyone is in the same space and there is very little you can do to change your situation once someone puts you between a rock and hard place. While I admire Nintendo for trying to change up the formula and inject new life into the franchise, Mario Party 9 feels like the worst way they could have done it. Most of the elements of a good Mario Party game are still there, but the spirit is missing.    … Expand
  11. thealexmott
    Mar 26, 2017
    4
    This is bad. This is really bad. Riding in cars together takes away some of the direct competition of maneuvering the board independently, racing to get stars. Booooooo. When Mario Party comes to the Switch, it needs to be good again.
  12. WaluigiFan
    Apr 15, 2019
    4
    For many, including myself, this was the beginning of the end of the mario party franchise. Why? Because for some ungodly reason, you all move around in a cart, which means when one person moves, everyone moves. What? Who thought this was a good idea?
    To be fair, the board designs are ok, the boss battle mini games are welcomed back (from mario party DS) warmly and the normal mini-games    For many, including myself, this was the beginning of the end of the mario party franchise. Why? Because for some ungodly reason, you all move around in a cart, which means when one person moves, everyone moves. What? Who thought this was a good idea?
    To be fair, the board designs are ok, the boss battle mini games are welcomed back (from mario party DS) warmly and the normal mini-games are just as good as mario party 8's.
    Overall, its bad. But can you blame nintendo for experimenting with new ideas?    … Expand
  13. Marolender
    May 25, 2019
    3
    I enjoy playing this with my friends, but that is kind of it. This game is a huge drop from the earlier Mario Party games, and there is a lot to support it.

    Everyone is stuck together in a car. Just why? I don't think Nintendo knows how fun it is to have everyone running around in random directions hoping one of them has the most coins. This takes me to another point, why would you    I enjoy playing this with my friends, but that is kind of it. This game is a huge drop from the earlier Mario Party games, and there is a lot to support it.

    Everyone is stuck together in a car. Just why? I don't think Nintendo knows how fun it is to have everyone running around in random directions hoping one of them has the most coins. This takes me to another point, why would you replace coins with "mini stars"? Is this a joke Nintendo? Mini stars just don't have the same feel to it as coins, as coins feel rewarding, meanwhile mini stars are just kind of like "woah I got another 20 of them, cool I guess".

    The characters. How do you have less characters than Mario Party 8? I mean, some weird characters like Hammer Bro and Blooper (why my boy Blooper) are gone, but now the character selection feels empty. There is no Donkey Kong, no King Boo, no Rosalina, just so many characters that are missing that could easily be in this game.

    Now I did mention that I like playing this game with my friends, but that is a bit of an overstatement. I slightly enjoy playing this game with my friends, because a lot of things just aren't much fun in this game. I only give it a 3 because at least it isn't Mario Party 10 and 11.    … Expand
  14. Raknner44
    Apr 13, 2021
    0
    Es increíble como le regala todos los números buenos en los dados al único jugador controlado por la consola. Pero llega a un punto donde ya es insostenible, se nos que es puro beneficio, también en minijuegos dónde sólo se gana por suerte.
  15. Oliver25
    Dec 3, 2019
    0
    This game disgusts me.

    It’s way too luck based. Get 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 or 8.
    I’d take motion controls over the cars anytime.
    Boring af, mini games are **** no items, orbs or candies it’s just roll dice, get lucky or not lucky then repeat. Captain events? Luck. Board? Luck. Boss battles? Luck. Everything is luck!! Music is **** except Bowser Jr. and the main intro theme.

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best Wii Game of 2012
2
#2 Most Discussed Wii Game of 2012
2
#2 Most Shared Wii Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
  1. Universo Nintendo
    May 23, 2012
    79
    Mario Party 9 is unlike anything in the series before, although it seems familiar.
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  2. Gameplanet
    Apr 30, 2012
    75
    For those looking for the complete reinvention of the wheel will have to wait a bit longer. But Mario Party 9 has had enough tweaked in it to breathe some much-needed life back into the series.
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  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Apr 25, 2012
    70
    Nice party game is filled with large amounts of enjoyable mini-games – the only cons are the great dependency on luck and missing online multiplayer. [Apr 2012]
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