Game review: Mario Party 9

Previous Mario Party games have felt like a Mario-themed boardgame with generic mini-games skinned with Mario characters. Mario, the brand, is big business, but Mario Party has never reached the dizzying heights of other Mario titles because it just doesn't feel like playing a Mario game. Thankfully the latest release changes this tradition completely.

Finally, Mario Party feels like a bona fide Mario spin-off, complete with a healthy dose of platforming and boss and sub-boss battles. There are times when an uneducated eye could mistake Mario Party 9 for a stand-alone Mario adventure. To go along with this new ethos of attracting Mario fans rather than just party game fans, motion controls have wisely been kept to a minimum.

All players now drive around the game-board together in a car. There is no first to the finish goal as the only way to win is to earn the most coins.

The player whose turn it is becomes the driver of the car and only the driver will experience the bonus or punishment that landing on a special space dishes out.

So in typical board-game style, all players are really at the mercy of the dice. But because the whole game is a more polished and well-rounded Mario experience, moments like this are far more likely to induce laughter than rage.

Those looking for the complete reinvention of the wheel will have to wait a bit longer. But it has been tweaked enough to breathe some much needed life back into the series.Ian Knott

Mario Party 9

From: ND Cube

For: Wii

Rating: 4 / 5 stars