Mario Party 9 Hands-On

"Mario Party 9 is a cornucopia of variety."


Developer: Nd Cube
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: March 2, 2012 (EU), March 11, 2012 (US)
Platform(s): Wii
Genre: Party
 

It doesn’t get more back to basics than Mario Party; the mothership when it comes to party games. It even says ‘party’ in the game itself, it’s like an Andrew WK endorsement. Anyway, Mario Party 9 tries to refresh its concept with a new game mechanic and tons of additions that make clever use of the Wiimote and multiplayer possibilities. With the colorful outlook of any of its franchise titles and its fitting good, clean fun, this is another title to look forward to for young and old.

 

 

While the board game aspect might remain the same, with special places to land on and all, the concept of racing to the finish is adeptly altered. Players now all take turns in 1 car that moves over the playing field, carrying everyone at once. This not only streamlines gameplay, but also opens up new tactical capabilities of getting into advantageous positions, while trying to drive the upcoming opponent into a corner. In doing so, players must collect Mini Stars collected across the field and collectible in mini-games. The winner is the Superstar that collects the most in the end, when all is said and done.

Furthering the tactical positioning, players can now also obtain special dice that have different counts, such as a dice with only 4-5-6 on it or even just 0-1. These increase the odds of landing where intended and that opens up a lot of possibilities on the playing field. For instance, players can try to avoid Mini Ztars that subtract from the total instead of adding them. But it’s also just possible to try and land on one of the many differing special bonuses, such as mini-games, boosts or spots that unlock bonus items. Not only do playing fields offer multiple roads to the goal, but there are also a ton of different modifiers available to land on.
 

2 Girls 1 Die - Sorry, I couldn't resist.
 

Mario Party 9 is a cornucopia of variety and that’s the key element towards keeping a game like this fresh and fun to play. This isn’t only applicable to the map itself and its many different options, but also in the mini-games available. Landing on a mini-game prompts a choice between 3 games that gets picked by the captain at that time. During our entire playtime, not once did we stumble on repetition. More so, there were still tons of games that we didn’t see yet. Sure, some might have a slightly similar concept or control scheme, but every single one felt like a singular event and that does a lot for the game.

 

Have an actual screenshot. God forbid a party game article would be any fun.

 

All mini-games have a certain theme and get controlled a certain way. Another strength for this game is just how many different ways it can present this element. The Wiimote can be used in the classic motion way, as a controller, as a steering wheel and so on. In addition, the mini-games can focus on skill, dexterity or luck to offer even more choices. Variety is the winning factor in Mario Party 9 and this alone pretty much guarantees its success. Even though this was just a preview build, it was a ton of fun to keep playing and get something different all the time.

In addition, special landing spots also trigger certain events, which alter the pace of the game and divert from the set path. As such, players get blasted to a different section of the field, where they can collect more Mini Stars, for instance. And the wow factor here is that there are even more elements to be played, such as using the multiplayer element to alter mini-games mechanics and making impromptu handicap battles and so on. There is a lot, is what it all boils down to.

 

2 screenshots even! Goomba bowling, you guys. Seriously, goomba bowling.

 

At the end of the game, the winner is the person that collected the most Mini Stars, but to keep it interesting until the last second, Mario Party adds modifiers to the end game as well, which can turn the tide.

Mario Party 9 makes a flawless appearance so far and takes into account everything it needs to not dull down after 9 releases. It alters the core mechanic, offers a ton of differing content and creates as much variety as it possibly can. There’s not much more that can be said other than that. Kudos.

Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed. (@Daavpuke)