Mario Party 6's release sparked a big debate. Some people were glad to
see another title in the series, while others felt they should just lay
Mario Party to rest.
A Mario Party game has come out every year since 1999 with the first
release on N64. Since then we have seen three titles on the N64 and
three on the Gamecube. Games like Madden do not change much from year
to year. Every year there is a new title, however the only huge change
is the teams. While they do adjust graphics and other little aspects,
the game does not get a major overhaul each year. Yet, you do not hear
people outraged that they are releasing yet another Madden title, and
there have been far more than seven.
The most recent Mario Party 6 is my favorite of the series. I feel
that Nintendo is working to do more than just create the same title
over and over. Mario Party 6 has a lot of definite features that make
it different than past Mario Party games. The addition of the night
and day system was a big change. Depending on what time it is depends
on the layout of the board. In some boards certain paths are only open
at some times of the day, and sometimes the price of the star changes
from night to day.
Another big change is the addition of the microphone. The microphone
introduces new mini games controlled by voice. Sadly there are only a
few mini games controlled by the microphone and they are only 1 vs. 3
games. However, the microphone has another great use. There is a
trivia game controlled by the microphone. Toad is the host and you
answer questions in different categories including Memory, Comparison,
and Picture.
Nintendo also made minor adjustments regarding the use of the capsules.
In Mario Party 4 you had to purchase items, but they were free to use.
In Mario Party 5 items were free, but they cost money to use. In
Mario Party 6 they reached a happy medium; you can either get items for
free on the map, or purchase them. Either way the item is free to use.
I think that the solution for Mario Party 6 is a good one. Also, they
added an explanation that tells you where to use the items, on
yourself, on other player, or on the board. I cannot even tell you how
many times I used a capsule on myself and then got attacked losing
coins. Another minor change they made was with the speed of turns.
Often when I would play Mario Party 4 or 5 with my nephew, he would get
bored by how long the turns took. Mario Party 6 remedied that by
speeding up the characters? movement on the board. Even just a small
increase in speed affected the flow of the game greatly.
Mario Party games are going to continue to be produced every year. It
is a profitable franchise for Nintendo and gamers really enjoy the
series. While many people are annoyed that the series is living to see
it?s 7th installment, I am pleased to see what Nintendo will do to make
this one even better. Mario Party 6?s completely renovation proves
that Nintendo is not trying to just recycle the game every year. They
are giving it a complete makeover where necessary and adding great new
features. I for one cannot wait to get Mario Party 7 and play it with
a group of eight friends.
Mario Party: Overused? 
