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Good: Multiplayer, multiplayer, multiplayer

Bad: Single player, single player, single player

Still the best Nintendo character ever: Waluigi

Nowadays, it's a rarity to see a game series reach the point where there is actually a '7' in the title. Tony Hawk and Mortal Kombat started using subtitles, but Nintendo is apparently comfortable with making it obvious that Mario parties a LOT. Yes, the gang is taking another break from playing tennis and racing go-karts, and has decided to take a vacation. With the guidance of Toadsworth (who is hilarious, by the way), they board an extremely festive cruise ship and head out to sea. It seems that Bowser's invitation got lost in the mail, and he's extremely perturbed and vows to exact revenge on the bunch.

Obviously, the story is once again entirely unnecessary and ridiculous. That's not what this game is about. Rather, it's all about one thing multiplayer. In this aspect, Mario Party shines once again. A group of children can get together and have a blast with the gameplay, while college students can enjoy it just as much because of how ridiculous and funny it is (Worth mentioning: it's also very conducive to drinking games). The basics have changed very little since the original N64 title, but a bevy of minigames have been added.

As always, each character takes a turn on the 'board game' aspect, and a minigame starts once everyone has rolled. If all four characters are on blue spaces, the game is a four way free-for-all. If two are on blue and two are on red, a team game starts. Likewise, 1-on-3 games occur occasionally. Almost all of the minigames are enjoyable to some extent, and there is variance in depth. Dozens will simply feature moving and jumping, while others may involve picking specific halves of a symbol and assembling them. Landing on a DK Space will send your character into a specific set of banana-themed games, one of which is a direct homage to old-school Donkey Kong.

Mario Party 7 comes with an included Gamecube microphone (which thankfully plugs into the memory card slot). Occasionally, 'Mic Minigames' will pop up when everyone has completed their turn. Some of these can be fun, such as the ghost-shooting game. In this microphone challenge, a nine-square grid filled with numbers is presented on screen. Ghosts will fly around between the squares, and you must say the corresponding number into the microphone to shoot them. Others aren't so fun, such as Balloon Busters. In this, you must say "Bigger" into the microphone to inflate a balloon, and say "Stop" before it reaches the breaking point. This same objective could obviously be achieved with the A and B buttons, and the microphone utilization seems unnecessary.

The object of all minigames is to earn coins, which can be used to purchase the most important object in the game a Star. When all of the turns are completed, the player with the most Stars wins the game (although Bonus Stars at the end can heavily change the outcome). Stars are generally bought from specific places on the various maps, but some feature unique ways of obtaining them. For instance, the Neon Heights area features three treasure chests scattered across the board. Each of these costs 10 coins, but only one has a Star. The others hide coins or a Bob-Omb. Late in the game, Bowser throws a Dark Star into one of them, which takes away from your Star Count. It's inclusions like this that make Mario Party very unpredictable. Someone could have a 3-star lead on the rest of the pack, but a Dark Star or two and the Bonus Stars at the end could drastically change the game. There are always three Bonus Stars, and they'll be awarded based on certain stats (who moved the most, who bought the most Orbs, who landed on the most green spaces).

Orbs are either obtained through exploring the board or purchasing them at shops. These have varying effects. Some will warp opponents across the board, others will steal coins, give you extra rolls, etc. When they aren't used on yourself, orbs can be thrown to adjacent spaces. It's satisfying to lay traps all over the place and wait for other players to land on them.

While multiplayer is still a blast, the single-player aspect of Mario Party as as boring and tedious as always. Playing with three CPU opponents is yawn-inducing, and the board-based sections are absolutely terrible considering you have to watch all of their movements. Some single-player matches will pit you against a single opponent and end the game when one of you earns 2 stars, but it still seems like it takes forever.

Graphically, this game has barely changed since the N64 entries. Mario still looks like Mario, Bowser still looks like Bowser. Likewise, prepare to hear "I'm-a winner!", "Yahoo!", and Wario and Waluigi scream variances of "WAAAAAA!!" over and over again. Music could have been taken from every Mario title you've ever played before, and you wouldn't even notice.

In the end, if you liked the other Mario Party games, and you're in a position where you can easily get people to play the game with (college dorms, roommates, siblings, etc), then Mario Party is purchase-worthy. If you want a single-player experience, stay far far away from this title.

Graphics: C-

Sound: C+

First Play: B

Last Play: C+

Gameplay: B-

Overall: 78% C+