Mario Party Superstars

 The celebration of a series that destroys friendships is here. Mario Party Superstars, using five boards from across the Nintendo 64 titles, and minigames from across the entire series. I have played it both in a single player and with friends so now I want to share my experience. Is this game too late and should have come out years ago, or is it a ten out of ten dice roll for the franchise? Grab a snack, some friends, and pick your favorite character from the line up, because it is time to party!

Though there are not many modes, each one can be played with friends or by yourself, which is the main party mode and parts of Mt. Minigame only two modes are strictly single player, which is a minigame gauntlet. There are 100 minigames from across the franchise but you can tailor pick what you want, from specific console eras to different styles of minigames. This applies to the board as well which we will discuss later. The minigame selection is fantastic, a great variety whether picking nostalgic favorites from classic games past or diamonds in the rough from the later half from eight to ten. Each game with button controls, throwing away the joycon gimmicks from Super Mario Party and making things more traditional in the best way possible. 

The last Mario Party was a fun time, and step in the right direction but had a few gimmicks that were fun with friends but could also grow stale, the wifi connectivity came a little too late, and was a fun concept but I dropped it quick. A fun time but not without flaws. This game is not flawless but is a return to form for the series and has a been a game that I wanted the series to have since Mario Party The Top 100. 

The game controls, and plays great. Each minigame working fantastically and there is a ton of variety. The selection brings back a ton of fan favorites from over the series history, and with so many to pick from, two games even played back to back could have a selection of minigames sharing little to no similarities. This variety makes the minigames fun and exciting thing to look forward too, and with duels and battles on the board, there are a few extra ones thrown in as well. 

This is the first Mario Party game in some time that feels like a classic title, full of items, stage centered gimmicks, and many ways to make sure your friendship doesn't last the night. From classic elements, to items from all across the series, there are so many way a match can go that, even though there are only five boards, the content in the match heavily varies. 

The game works wonderfully on wifi, I played multiple boards, with options for minigames and bonuses, and experienced very little lag. With this I can see myself playing this game with friends both near and far for a long time, as this game has is so fun and has options for longer and shorter matches. And if any disconnects happen there is a save feature, drop in and out feature and more to preserve the party if you need to. There are so many features that have been missing that just including them makes this game a better time then some of the games that have proceeded it. 

 I have not spent much time with Mt. Minigames but it is there for those who want it. And that is one of the flaws this game has, without a single player mode or many options this game does not have a ton of content. The map which is a recreation of the one from Mario Party 1 is great but does not offer much for local or online play. Five boards from the N64 era greet the players and each one is a good pick, but this makes me hope for DLC and maps from the Gamecube era to add a bit more the package. There are achievements, and fun stickers that are great bells and whistles to tie the presentation together. 

The presentation and music are top notch, the models, boards, and minigames all look fantastic. There are even options to use the original music, but the remixes are simply great, and the new tracks are becoming new favorites. The game is full of callbacks and references, making it fun for newcomers but a true delight for longtime fans of the series. The winks and nods are amazing, each board full of life and detail that make each one fun to play on. The writing full of great call backs and some fun jokes (at the expensive of the very alive skeleton key item) that add another layer of charm. Whether it is a reminiscing Koopa Troopa or Bowser doing something cruel and hilarious at the same time, this game is a must for multiplayer and online gatherings with friends. 

This game is fun for newcomers but a true delight for those who have been partying since the Nintendo 64, though bare on content there is a ton of options for multiplayer, and a single player can go for achievements, party alone, or challenge random people online. There is not enough to justify sixty dollars if you mostly fly solo for gaming, but if you have friends who want to play near or far, this game is a must. 

This game is a return to form that I hope receives more content, and a few improvements such as being able to use names for players outside of online or creating a profile and maybe a single player mode. There is not a lot here but what is looks, sounds, and plays great. A party that if you have friends who love this series, is one that I will be going to for years and years to come.

4/5