Videogame board games aren't a new thing.
From their genesis in translations of standards like Monopoly tooriginal 8-bit board games like Anticipation on the NintendoEntertainment System, gamers have had their chance to play ports oftheir favorites or original board games without having to worry aboutUncle Mike stashing a Boardwalk/Park Place fund in a box ofCheez-Its.
Nintendo's mainstay video board game makes its new generationconsole debut with Mario Party 4 on the Gamecube.
Adhering to the formula of the rest of the series, Mario Party 4pits up to four people against each other in a race around differentthemed game boards. Players can choose to be one of eight differentcharacters including the iconic plumber brothers Mario and Luigi,Donkey Kong, Yoshi and the purple-clad Waluigi. While the characterssupposedly have some different in-game strengths, the choice of whoto play is a concern more like figuring out who's going to be theracecar or the boot.
The goal is simply to hoard as many stars and coins as possible ina given amount of rounds. At the end of the game, stars, coins andother totals are tallied to determine a winner.
What makes the Mario Party series fun are the between roundmini-games where players go head-to-head in one-on-three, two-on-twoor everyone for themselves melees for coins. With hip, kitschy nameslike "Blame it on the Crane" and "Mario Speedwagons," the coincompetitions are fun, albeit relatively simple. Several of the lowskill, less entertaining mini-games are of the not-so-creative "hitthe A-button as fast as possible" ilk.
Maneuvering around the board often takes more strategy than thefun between rounds. As your character rushes past haunted pianos,beachfront cabanas or rollercoaster-plagued turns, numerousdiversions including shops, single-player mini-games and variousevent squares can help turn the tide in a player's favor.
The main drawback to Mario Party 4 is that it's not as much fun toplay on your own. In fact, playing Mario Party by yourself is arather lonely, anti-social task. Maybe it isn't that bad consideringthe single-player story mode allows you to unlock some hiddenfeatures, but the real fun in the game is interacting with living,breathing people who are also hitting the A-button as fast as humanlypossible.
For an idle, all-ages evening of mimicking Waluigi's "I win" tauntand yelling at a peel-hurling monkey, Mario Party 4 is worth theroll.
Mario Party 4 is now available.
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