Mario Party 8
The eighth game in a not so incredible series, this is the first Mario Party game to use motion sensing based controls and also seems to be an improvement over the typical ones which have came out before (Cough: Mario Party 5).
Characters
The characters in this game are generally those from the past Mario Party games, with the exception being that Koopa Kid is not a playable character. Hammer Bro and Blooper also join as playable characters. This makes the full list the one below:
- Mario
- Luigi
- Princess Peach
- Yoshi
- Wario
- Daisy
- Waluigi
- Toad
- Boo
- Toadette
- Dry Bones
- Birdo
- Blooper
- Hammer Bro
For some annoying reason, DK has not been playable since Mario Party 4. Which seems odd. Even more so that then was around the time Rare left Nintendo.
Board Maps
Although most don't seem as good as those in Mario Party 1-3 (I have some very nostalgic memories of those levels), the board game maps seem hell better than the ones from the Gamecube era. The boards are:
DK's Treetop Temple
This a jungle based level with the typical jungle spear guys and piranha plant enemies as well as much lush vegetation.
Goombas Booty Boardwalk
This is a beach resort type board which seems to have an Isle Delfino style tropical backdrop, with pirates, Piantas, various islands, palm trees and dolphins.
King Boo's Haunted Hideaway
A Haunted mansion type board with the usual Boo related obstacles and an objective being to chase down King Boo, this map supposedly changes after every star...
Shy Guy's Perplex Express
A train based board which in style seems quite similar to the Excess Express from Paper Mario 2, this board has you trying to reach the front car.
Koopa's Tycoon Town
A board where you must invest coins in hotels to own them and the star, this is set in the city and has many city based things such as taxis and bandits.
Bowser's Warped Orbit
The Bowser based board which requires stealing stars off of your opponents to win. Last board, an unlockable pretty much like Bowser's Magma Mountain, Eternal Star, Bowser Land, Waluigi Island, Bowser's Gnarly Party, Bowser Nightmare, Clockwork Castle and Bowser's Enchanted Inferno.
Mini Games
Most of these seem to use the Wii Remote, and are the usual short tasks; longer the Warioware Microgames but shorter than full length ones.
Modes
The modes in this game include the usual party modes, star battle and various mini game modes:
Mini Game Modes:
- Free Play Arcade
- Crown Showdown
- Tic Tac Drop
- Flip-Out Frenzy
- Test for the Best
Official site
The best official site is obviously the European one, which can be reached by the link below:
Visit Official European Site for Mario Party 8
Reviews
News about Mario Party 8
In the UK and probably other parts of Europe, Mario Party 8 has been recalled because it had a character say the word 'spastic'. This was literally one line in the entire game causing it to be removed from the shelves. You can read the full story below: