For those who have never experienced a Mario Party game before, the premise is simple. The game is designed for four players, but if you have less than that the computer will control the other characters. Each player rolls the die and moves across the game board that many spaces. There are a variety of spaces one can land on, some offer good results (like coins) while others can spell disaster (watch out for Bowser). After each player has taken his or her turn everyone will battle it out in a randomly selected mini-game. These can range from all four players competing against each other to 2 vs. 2 and even 1 vs. 3, which keeps things lively. The winner(s) of the mini-game will receive coins. The object of the game is to collect as many stars as possible in a set number of rounds. Coins are usually needed to purchase the stars, but it often comes down to luck whether or not the player will actually get to the right spot on the board to nab a star.

The Mario Party games have always been designed to allow any player to win the game regardless of how he or she performs in the mini-games. Certain board events can change the outcome of the game in a hurry and special items can upset the balance of the game at any time. These usually take the form of candy, which can be found on certain spots on the game board or purchased at stores throughout each level. There are different types of candy. Some will affect the dice block, allowing for more dice to be rolled so a player has a chance of moving more spaces. Others will morph your character and allow him or her to steal coins or stars from any player directly in the path. The rare blue candies can have a huge impact on the game by allowing up to 2 stars to be stolen from each character passed on a single turn. The bottom line is you never quite know who will win the game until the last round has been played, and even then bonus stars are given out to players based on events that occurred throughout the play session. This helps even the playing field so that gamers who aren’t quite as skilled at mini-games still have a chance at winning the overall competition.

The biggest improvements in Mario Party 8 are the mini-games and their integral use of the Wii’s Remote. Each mini-game uses the remote in different ways. One might have the players taking aim at the screen and shooting targets to earn points while the next has them holding the remote horizontally like a NES pad and steering machinery. One of my favorites is a river race where the player must use the remote as an oar to row the boat to the finish line. Each game makes full use of the controller and for the most part the remote works flawlessly. Each of the games is entertaining thanks to the remote and all of its various uses throughout.

The game looks and sounds like its predecessors on the GameCube. There are a few graphical improvements, especially in the boards themselves, which are flowing with tons of background animations. The closer camera angle makes the game feel more immersive as well. Unfortunately the game doesn’t truly support widescreen televisions. Instead, the game keeps a colorful border around the left and right sides of the screen, which is disappointing to say the least. The audio is standard fare, but it does support Dolby Pro Logic II.

The biggest omission from Mario Party 8, and the one that kept it from achieving an even higher score, is online play. The series has been practically begging for online play since the first game and now that we have a system with built-in Wi-Fi it’s boggling why the option is missing. I understand that part of the appeal of the Mario Party games is getting together with friends and family and playing in the same room. However, one can’t deny that it’s not always easy to get those people together to play and honestly the one player mode just doesn’t cut it. Another possible reason for leaving out online is that a typical round of Mario Party does take around an hour or more to play. So, what would happen if a player dropped out of the game? I think the best solution at that point would be for the computer to take over that character for the remainder of the game. It doesn’t sound too difficult for programmers to make this happen. Let’s hope that the inevitable sequel contains online options for those that would like to use them.

Mario Party 8 offers up more of the same, but with fun and exciting mini-games thanks to the Wii Remote. If you haven’t been a fan of the series in the past, chances are this one won’t convert you. However, I still think most people will have an entertaining time thanks to the motion controls and streamlined interface. Nintendo has done a wonderful job nabbing new and lapsed gamers with Wii Sports and Wii Play and I think Mario Party 8 is the game that will unite hardcore and casual gamers together on one sofa.