Mario Party 10
If you’ve previously owned any of the Mario Party games, Mario Party 10 may come as a disappointment. This latest release fails to reinvigorate the series quite like Mario Kart 8 or Super Smash Bros Wii U did for their respective franchises. That being said, it is still an extremely fun party game that can be enjoyed with friends and family.
Players must once again compete against others to collect stars as they progress around a board. Along the way, they'll find themselves encountering a selection of strange items and mini-games that will affect each player’s individual star count. Whoever happens to have the most stars at the end of the board is the winner. Like most Nintendo games, Mario Party 10’s main success is its ability to appeal to all ages. The game may appear intimidating at first glance, due to the large number of rules, but it offers plenty of assistance to brief the player on how to play. This makes it an excellent title to play in big groups, as it is accessible to almost everyone.
There is also a brand new mode, Bowser Party, where one person plays as Bowser using the GamePad to try and catch their friends. It's a superb addition, which leads to some of the best mini-game experiences. One example of this is Bowser’s Roulette Rage, where the player controlling the GamePad hides bombs on a huge roulette wheel in order to try and trick their opponents into taking damage. Meanwhile, those using the standard Wii Remotes must continuously evade explosives until the set time limit runs out. It's a really enjoyable mini-game, which demonstrates the potential of the GamePad wonderfully. Therefore, it’s a shame that this control scheme isn’t used elsewhere in the game making it feel like a massive oversight by Nintendo.
In addition to the inclusion of GamePad controls, the game also supports Amiibo functionality. Amiibos allow the player to unlock a separate board more akin to the first Mario Party in gameplay, allowing characters to travel separately as opposed to together in a cart. This is another promising feature, but arguably it still isn’t a strong enough reason to invest in the playable figurines not least because Mario Party 10 gives an abundance of content as it is.
Whilst it has made some key improvements, Mario Party 10 still doesn’t feel like that much of a significant step up from its predecessors, notably because of its inconsistent GamePad support. Nevertheless, it's still a fantastic title, which will no doubt provide a pleasant alternative to the stuffy board games that it draws inspiration from. If you're in the mood for an enjoyable party game then Mario Party 10 is definitely worth a roll of the dice.