fun for all

Reviewed by dahammer44 on January 11, 2008  |  report this review

To say that Mario Party DS is just a collection of competitive minigames is like saying the Louvre is just a warehouse of paintings. These quick tests of skill aren't the usual sort of generic button-mashers you'd normally find in games of this type. Nintendo and Hudson have come up with a spectacular set of "pick up and play" challenges for this handheld installment of the ongoing franchise. They've also crammed it full of play modes and have lavished it with the sort of cheerful polish you've come to expect from Nintendo-branded games. Best of all, the developers have made it so that you need only a single cartridge to get a party going with as many as four people.

For years, the Mario Party franchise has been well-known for its minigames that anyone can pick up and play right off the bat. The Nintendo DS rendition offers the same types of games and general ease of use, only in a portable package. There are more than 70 different quick tests of skill to pick from, broken down into categories that let you battle one-on-one, in free-for-alls, in two-on-two teams, or in lopsided three-against-one situations. Some of the games use the buttons, some require that you tap or scribble on the touch screen, and a few even have you blowing or shouting into the microphone. Instructions and demonstrations are shown onscreen for every game, but they're usually not necessary since the controls typically require that you perform a few simple actions at the right time or scribble the stylus as fast as you can. More importantly, the games themselves are hilariously clever. Dodging thwomps to see who can be the last one standing, throwing food onto a conveyer belt to try to hinder your opponents that are running on it, turning the crank on a music box to lure goombas toward you like a video game version of Hungry Hungry Hippos…these are just a few of the crazy tasks you'll perform.

party mode with friends is fun to play.

awesome

Reviewed by bsteven48 on January 20, 2008  |  report this review

Mario is the best Mario party game ever. It is like mario parties 1-8, but only is portable. Best mario party game EVER.

great adaptation

I was getting tired of Mario Party around like the 4th one. But when Mario Party DS came out i knew it was gonna be good. It is the same concept of all the others but put into a handheld system. The story is funny as well as fun. I love almost everysingle minigame there is. It has good mix of older style button mashing and new ones as well. They are easy to play and will keep you hooked for months. This new game makes great use of the DS features including the touch screen-stylus and the mic. More than 70 minigames will last a while. The boards fun and easy to navigate. The charatcers are pretty much the same as in all of them so you can use your favorite Mario character. There are many new features on this rendition. You get points for completeing levels and getting Stars. After so many points you get a badge you can display on your save file as well as a trophey of a character. Not just the playable characters but enemys of Mario as well. Also you can us one game card and play with three of your friends. Or you can simply go online. Overall this is one of the best games to come out for the DS to date and one of the best Mario Party games as well. If your looking for a Mario Pary experience this is the game for you

best game

Reviewed by hockeydude114 on March 03, 2008  |  report this review

mario party ds is the best game for the ds. this game is exactly like mario party1-8 except you bring it places. if you have a nintendo ds you should definetly get this game because it's awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! any one can play because it's fun for everybody. this is the best game i have played for the nintendo ds yet!!