Fourth version more than a kid's game

"Mario Party 4" is essentialy a board game played with Gamecube contollers. Playable with all the colorful characters in the Mario world, the new version features five "Party" boards and hundreds of mini-games. Players roll the dice and try to find the elusive star on each board. While doing this, players land on squares that transport them to mini-games to earn coins as well as bragging rights. The mini-games range from individual snowball fights to team rowboat racing. It is almost essential to play this game with human opponents, and because of this, four Weekend reviewers went head to head to battle it out, as well as review the ins and outs of this popular game. Their ratings will range from 1-100 gold coins, with 100 be the best.

Review #1

\n"Mario Party 4" continues the lighthearted board-game style gameplay that made the first three games successes. While the minigames are enjoyable, the gameplay suffers from slowness. Taking everyone's individual turns and learning new rules to all the minigames bogs it down. If you have a lot of time, the game is quite fun. The only real problem I had is the whole game is based on luck. Your commanding lead can be crushed faster than you can say "Mega Mushroom." This is a great way to kill a few hours with some friends, but don't get mad when you lose solely by chance.\n75/100 coins\n-Matt Seremet

Review #2

\nSo what if this game is designed for people half our age? The newest edition of "Mario Party" picks up right where its predecessors left off, ensuring that good times are had by all in its Gamecube form. \nThe most endearing part of this game (other than its use of quality characters such as Waluigi and Shy Guy) is the fact that it mixes elements of board games with video games. That's what makes it so fun for a large number of players.\nAnother part of the board game element is that luck plays a large role in who wins. Of course, some gamers might feel that this cheats them. But when you are as bad at the mini-games as I am, it makes "Mario Party 4" that much better.\n89/100 coins\n-Alex Hickey

Review #3

\nFirst off, play this game with a bunch of friends. It is entirely different, and a lot more fun, than just against the computer, mostly because one can trash-talk when your character's name is called as the winner (as mine was). The game is a lot of fun, but parts do need improving. The mini-games range from being more fun than anything to downright annoying, but luckily there are hundreds of them. The worst part is that the final winner is usually decided within the last few rolls of the dice, and this can be terrible to the person who led the entire game. Overall the game is a lot of fun, but in the future it may need some fine-tuning.\n85/100 coins\n-Mike D'Avria

Review #4

\nUntil this review, I had never experienced a "Mario Party" (on any platform). As such, I feel it is my role to provide the "newbie" perspective, something, I think, that is quite important for a game of this type. \nOverall I had an enjoyable time of it. Since the game is obviously catered to younger kids, and because the experience is best enjoyed with many people, there was obvious care taken to create a game anyone could jump into and have fun with. So if that intimidating "gamer" roommate of yours asks you to play, rest assured that you have a decent chance of victory. That, for me, given the game's context, is what makes it a success.\n87/100 coins\n-Parker Wittman