- N64 ››
- Action ››
- Mario Party 2
Mario Party 2
- March 29, 2006 17:32 PM PST
- Email this!
It's a party over here, and it stars your favorite characters from Nintendo. The sequel to last year's surprise hit doesn't offer much variation, but it does offer more of the same fun and excitement of the original. Get some friends and thumb bandages, because the party is starting right with Mario Party 2!
- GamePro Score
- User Score
- Write your review!
Hearty Party
The premise of Mario Party 2 is almost exactly the same - you play against three other characters (Peach, Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Wario, or Donkey Kong) in a simple board game, moving your character around and landing on spaces that will determine your fate. You play for coins (some spaces giveth, and some taketh away), and at the end of a round after all four players roll the dice, you all play in a mini-game for more coins. The coins go towards buying various items that help you out, and also for purchasing the all important stars that determine the winner at game's end.
The game's strength lies in the mini-games, which are creative and thumb-numbing, pitting you against all three opponents, or combinations of two-on-two and one versus three. Some of the mini-games have been included from the original, but there are several new ones, and a new mode that allows you to practice the mini-game before playing for real.
Although MP2's strength is definitely in these games, it's also one of the game's major flaws. Playing the mini-games against the computer is not fun - but playing against friends takes the party to a new level.
Drawing the Party Lines
The graphics in this new version are almost identical to the old version, but with minor nuances, like everyone wearing a themed hat or a battle against Bowser when the board is complete. But the action is pretty much drawn in the same Smash Brothers/Mario Golf/Donkey Kong 64 style, and a few new characters to choose from would have helped.
The sound is not exactly the life of this Party. You'll hear a few sayings from the characters, listen to some upbeat elevator music, and laugh at some of the effects, but in the long run you'd better keep the party stocked with livelier sonic stylings.
The control is solid, but you'd better be sure your controllers are in good condition. There's so much button bashing and analog stick flicking that you may end up buying new controllers when the party's over. Some of the new mini-games require more precision than the previous version, so practice what you Peach.
Chairman of the Board
They haven't made a better board game for the Nintendo 64 yet, so if you have three friends and some spare time, pop in the Party and go to town with Mario Party 2. You won't be board -- er, bored!
