Games Revisted: Mario Party DS

[Sk8teland85]

I got this game about a year ago since I was in the mood for a party game for some reason. Sometimes I just get in the mood to play a simple party game and Mario Party has always been one of those series you just have to be in the mood for. I was in the mood to play this week and here are my impressions.

Now Mario Party DS is the second time that the series has been brought to a Nintendo handheld, the first being Mario Party Advance which was okay but not really that good overall. Mario Party DS on the other hand is actually a very nice game overall and really does do a nice job or translating the series to the handheld.

One of the first things I noticed is that the overall interface is very easy to use either by using the touchscreen or the buttons. All the modes are easy to get into and set things up in. While it may not have all the options and modes you would find in the later games in the series, there still is a fair amount of things to do.

As for the gameplay well first lets talk about the boards themselves. The boards while not bad are a bit on the small size. But other than that they are well designed and have some nice little gimmicks in them to mix things up. The camera is also a bit more zoomed in when compared to older games. But this is made up for with a full board map on the top screen.

The basic game screen

The next major gameplay element in a Mario Party game is of course the Mini Games. Now Mario Party DS has a good variety of them that is for sure. They come in all the usual types 4 player, 2v2, 1v3, Battle, and Duel. They also use specific inputs. Like some will use the face buttons, others the touch screen, and some even use the mic. Most of these overall work well but some do have issues from time to time.

One of the Mini Games that uses the DS mic

Now as a whole Mario Party DS is a very well made title. It plays well, the setup is nice, it can be very fun. But after all the party games that have come over the past few years it just seems to be a flooded market of them. I personally only feel like playing these games every now and then or when I have company over. Now I am not saying this is not worth getting since I do think it is a good game overall and is worth the money if you like these kind of games. It is just after all the party games I have played over the years the genre does feel a bit over crowded and in need of a break.