Mario Party 5

The Good
Mario Party 5 is, at its heart, the same game it always has been. This time there are 70 new minigames which feature pretty good graphics and fun game mechanics. There are an assortment of well designed levels, each with exciting events specific to the level which can keep the game interesting. In addition to the standard Single Player, Party Mode, and Mini-game Modes (which are all well executed I might add) , there is a Bonus Mode which features a low-key version of Volleyball (fun, but don't expect any DOA:XVB depth to it), an ice hockey game (once again, fun but not much depth), and finally Card Party. Card Party is a fun mode which features a random board made of cards and basically can be described as Mario Party without the minigames and without coins. Despite how dull this may sound, it is actually quite fun.

The Bad
I did not enjoy the number of mini-games that were either luck-based or "press A as fast as you can." These two concepts were definitely overused in this edition of Mario Party. Also the inclusion of Capsules in Party Mode which takes the place of the Item Shop. These capsules come in basically two categories (in my mind): Complete Game Reversal, which can take you out of the lead like that, and Utterly Pointless, such as Lakitu who steals a capsule from another player (and that capsule is usually another Lakitu).

The Bottom Line
There seem to be two types of people: Those Who Love Mario Party and Those Who Hate Mario Party. If you are the former, this is essentially the same Mario Party-goodness you know and love. If you are a member of the latter group, then steer clear because this is essentially the same Mario Party-blandness you love to hate. If you have never played Mario Party, picture a board game mixed with brief 30-60 second battles for coins which are used to purchase stars (the determining factor of who wins). The mini-games are the portion which most people enjoy playing and can be accessed by their own through the mini-game mode.