10-Nov-2001 It may be MP3, but it sure ain't music to our ears It may be MP3, but it sure ain't music to our ears
Next-gen mania has violently shoved N64 out of the window, but as the machine helplessly spirals down towards the console graveyard far below, there's still time for one last party, Mario style.
With buckets of new mini-games and a new Duel mode, you'd be forgiven for initially thinking this is an all-singing, all-dancing fresh experience. Which it ain't.
Though mindless mini-games are fun, after a few days of controlling the little plumber through tiny and restrictive scenarios, you'll be longing for the kind of meaty gameplay and free landscapes found in Mario 64. It's frustrating that Nintendo invested so much effort into the Party series, but denied us the joy of a second Mario 3D adventure on N64. That said, with GameCube and Mario Sunshine on the horizon, this should be time for celebration so let's at least try to get into the party spirit. Conga anyone?
ROYAL RUMBLE The Nintendo superstars from MP2 are all back as controllable characters, as well as Waluigi and Daisy. And in true Mario Party tradition, the entire game revolves around the heady figure of 70 new multi-player mini-games that litter the five differently themed boards. Nothing startlingly new or complicated here, but give the Battle Royal mode a bash with some mates and you'll have a good laugh as you get up to all sorts of crazy activities in some brilliant little games. However, though the games are great fun to play once or twice, they're pretty brainless and the novelty soon wears off. All the games are original, but they're still in the same vein as the previous Party games, so you never really feel dazzled by any of them.
PARTY FOR ONE The last two games didn't really focus on the single-player game, and MP3 has tried to remedy this with its Story mode. Though the action is more structured than before, playing against AI characters just isn't much fun. When you're playing with buddies you get to dig each other in the ribs and swear at one another as you button-bash through a race, and it's this feeling of constant silly interaction that's the best thing about MP3. But when you're on your own, it's hard to throw yourself into the single-player experience.
In the Duel Mode two-player option, you choose a partner from a selection of 12 Nintendo bad guys. You pay your hired mercenary partners by earning cash in mini-games with your main character, and your baddies fight it out on the board. It works quite well, but the gameplay is too bitty and nowhere near as fun or fast as something like Pokemon. And this sums up MP3.
The action is turn-based, but not quick and fluid. As you wait for others to have their turn and for mini-games to kick off, your attention will drift. The gameplay is far too stuttered unless you're with a pack of friends. The clue is in the title: Mario Party. Have you ever been to a party with fewer than four people attending and had fun? Thought not.
Michael Cooper
// Overview
Verdict
Loads of good mini-games don't make one great game. Fun in small bursts and with mates. But playing by yourself can become depressing and lonely.
MP3's motto is clearly 'variety is the spice of life', having thrown as many little games as physically possible into one cart without it exploding. But built within a boardgame structure of dice-rolling and turn-taking, you'll find yourself switching off unless you're in the thick of the action in a mental mini-game.
Sit on the board and wait patiently for the action to be served up and a rumble to occur. If you can stay awake until your turn, that is...
Practise each game first
Surf on shells in Motor Rooter
Treadmill Grill: 3D fun
As the playing area gets smaller it gets much harder to cling on, and even though the action is cool, the game's over before you know it
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