 "Photo: Mario4party.com")
Welcome back everyone. To jumpstart the new semester, my new partner, Teddy Vath, and I are adding a new section to the video game reviews. Each week, along with a review of a newly released game, one of us will review an older game.
Why the change? We're college students, and games cost serious money, with the launch of the new consoles and their games' insane $60 price tags.
With the addition of this new section, even if your wallet is nearing empty, you can still satisfy that video gaming itch by rummaging through the used bargain bin at the local game shops.
I'd like to start off this new section with one of my personal favorites, "Mario Party 4" for the Nintendo Gamecube. Who doesn't love Mario? This favored mustachioed hero has been around before some of us were even born, yet he's still appearing in numerous games each year. Most of these games are spin-offs of his platforming origins, which brings us to the Mario Party series. This "board-game-esque" series has been milked for all its worth by Nintendo, however the fourth installment definitely deserves a try by any gamer.
As I mentioned previously, "Mario Party 4" is basically a board game played on your Gamecube. Each player takes turns rolling a die and moving around the board to collect coins and stars. The player with the most stars and coins at the end wins. Simple, easy to understand rules. This is Mario Party 4's appeal: anyone, from a five year old to a 95 year-old can play, and the game still retains its fun factor.
The highlight of "Mario Party 4" is the mini-games. Each player takes his turn, and at the end of the cycle a mini-game is played. There are dozens of mini-games, ranging from twitch based reaction games to team based efforts like rowing canoes and completing mazes. From "Tetris" to drag races, "Mario Party 4" has something for everyone.
Keep in mind most of "Mario Party 4's" fun comes from playing with a group of up to four people. Like its name suggests, it's a "party" game. Nothing beats sitting down with a group of friends and trash talking your way through the entire game, just to have the leader's stars and coins stolen on the very last turn, ultimately losing the game for him. In fact, I still have some friends that refuse to play with me because of "unfair last turns" and accusations of "bribing the Gamecube to play in my favor." But they're just sore losers.
The downsides to this game? If you happen to have no friends, you might not want to even cough up the $15 for this game. Playing alone against three computer characters is a depressing experience and simply doesn't have the same appeal and satisfaction you receive from playing with a group of friends. Also, this installment of "Mario Party" only has four game boards, far less than previous and future installments.
It's not a game you'll want to sit down and play for hours on end. It's not a game you'll want to play on a rainy Saturday morning alone at home. However, if you have a few buddies over, and you're all in the mood for trash-talking, fast paced mini-games and good old Mario fun, few games come as close as "Mario Party 4" does in being the perfect "party" game. And it's cheap now too.
So go down to your local game store, and check out how everyone's favorite Italian boy throws a party.
The bottom line: "Mario Party 4" for the Nintendo Gamecube 8/10.
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