Mario Party was possibly one of my first Nintendo 64 games growing up and it's still to this day one of my favorite Game Franchises of all time, albeit a spin off of the Super Mario franchise, but still to this day I enjoy *Most* of the games in this series. Today we'll be looking at one that I've both had a falling out with but have grown a much bigger appreciation for over the years and that's the original Mario Party itself.

The game was originally released on the N64 during early 1999, personally it's what helped grow the series to as big as it is now since the N64 was widely known for having 4 controller ports right out of the box and with the competitors you'd have to get an adapter in order to play Multiplayer with 4 people.

Mario Party's first entry on the list had a bit of controversy during it's hay day however and was infamously attached to it's legacy as a game that caused people to get blisters due to the Analog stick being a rough plastic and some of the Minigames requiring analog rotating which people would use their Palms instead of their thumbs. Due to this, a lawsuit was filed and Nintendo lost, having to give people gloves as compensation for damages and paying a hefty fine. To this day, this is why no new Minigames have any analog rotation which I think was for the better.

Anyways enough chat about what's behind the scenes of the game and get into it.

GRAPHICS

I think one thing that's really charming about the Graphics of Mario Party itself, while the models in the N64 era of Mario Party didn't change all that much, the in game boards were pre-rendered and it helped the boards stand out. The models themselves for characters and non pre-rendered areas in the games (Like the Hub, during Minigames, in extra areas, etc.) Look pretty fine. Some of them can look a bit rough around the edges, mostly in part due to texture work that I think could be easily fixed. Other then that, a pretty solid looking game especially for the time of release.

SOUND

I'm quite in love with the Music and SFX of this game. I guess you could say it's nostalgia talking, but the composition work done here just *can't* be unnoticed. I'd have to say a few of my favorite tracks in the game are Mario's Rainbow Castle, The Mushroom Shop Theme, Luigi's Engine Room, Move to the Mambo, (Sadly cut from the US version) and Wide, Wide Ocean. I would list more, but we'd be here all day. I can't say anything negative about the Music at all. The Sound design is really great as well, capturing just the essence of having a party.

ADDICTIVE

This category pretty much depends on if you're playing with friends or not. If you are playing with Friends, I'd say this is one of the most brutal experiences you can dish out and that's just due to how this Mario Party works over the others. It's still a really fun time however expect your friends to get pissed off at you more then ever if you choose the first game over the other 2 in the 64 line. If you're playing by yourself, that's a bit more tricky.

I think what makes this game great is just the fact that you can have multiple different outcomes and have different experiences with each time you play, however it's much more fun with friends if I'm being honest. The redeeming factor is the Minigame Island where you can put yourself through multiple Minigames until the Finish line. There are other things I would say in the section but it's best left to Depth.

You can even get new unlockable boards for a total of 8 of them which is the only time that one of the Mario Party games has ever achieved such a high number of boards to play on, however you can only buy Magma Mountain after playing on all 6 boards. You have to unlock the other one by collecting 100 Stars which is probably one of the most tedious things the game will put you through.

Coins can be gained by completing a Board Game and other things of the sort and are actually used for Minigames and Items from the Mushroom Shop which is completely fine though the only really noticeable ones are the Blocks that can do a few different effects and appear randomly through your game and some other items that allow you to disable Boo and Koopa. You can turn them off as you please.

STORY

Are you really expecting there to be any actual story to this game? Why are you reading this? You play Mario Party for the game not the Story, but I'll humor you and tell you the Story from what little there is.

Everyone argues about who's the best of their group and Toad tells everyone to stop arguing over it and instead decide to wager a bet by trying to see who would win in a party. Everyone agrees, everyone parties. The End.

The only real other story is that Bowser tries to take over the Eternal Star but that fails. Stop worrying about Story in your damn Mario Party and have fun!

DEPTH

This is where I'll talk more about some of the stuff I didn't in Addictive since they kinda clash with each other and kinda are how to gauge Weather or not you'll enjoy the game as a whole.

One of the key things is that this game while a Party game is also somewhat of a strategy game when you'll have to plan out what your next move is and you can also try to plan for Bonus Stars. They only have 3 in this game and only 3, so if you strategize enough you can prevent others from getting them. You could also just turn them off BUT who actually plays with them off, that's basically a cardinal sin.

There are also Minigames, which some are actually skill based and some are just pure luck. Just try your hardest and practice them out of you need to stretch your Minigame muscles.

These aspects aren't the only bits of the game that are important. but by far are the most important ones. The Boards also have their own mechanics and work differently from each other so it's a good idea to keep aware of what Happening Spaces do.

The biggest thing that everyone remembers from this game is Chance Time. These can pretty much range from small effects to completely game changers. They are the most efficient way to screw over your friend.

Overall there are just so many outcomes that can happen in this game that it's impossible to pin down a guaranteed way to win because it can usually be decided purely by luck. That's what makes this game just purely unique. It has so many varied elements and it's not going to be the same each time.

DIFFICULTY

I think this game is particularly more brutal then all the other Mario Party games as some of the games as mentioned are Stick Rotating Minigames which can easily cost your palm, but other games are luck based and you'll have to chance it out. One of the most prominent things about this game which only happened in this Mario Party is that there are games which you can lose your coins.

While the Minigames are kinda the bane of some peoples' existences I do think that the board game aspect itself isn't exactly difficult though there is a bit of a huge learning curve if you're wanting to master this game and "Get Good" as they say. I think you can really chalk this up to personal opinion. I think this game does have some tough spots though.

OVERALL...

While my least favorite of the N64 Trilogy, I still think it is a good game with some flaws that did get fixed in the next entry. My main problem is how rough this game seems in comparison to the other game in the series. There are just better games that fix the issues of this one and it makes looking back at this game really hard for me.

One thing I learned to appreciate though is that it's kinda what makes the game stand out, not in the best way though it has it's gimmick and it sticks to it pretty damn well. I'm still glad I own this game. It's a part of my childhood and I don't think I'd be as big of a fan of the series now if I didn't have it.

The original Mario Party has so much wrong with it by today's standards, that I'm surprised you gave it such a high score. I don't remember why, but I swear, it nearly gave me an aneurysm the last time I played it. I'm pretty sure most people prefer Mario Party 2, but honestly, I'm pretty partial to 3. Most likely due to having played it the least.

pennylessz : I kinda know what you mean, I wouldn't even rank it that high on my list of Mario Party games... but to be honest it's still a really fun game, just with a lot of other things that makes it particularly the worst entry in the series.

I guess an 8 *is* too high but there are just a lot of things I do like about it. Like I said I mostly liked all the games and this isn't any exception. Eventually when I do get to the 2nd game in a review i'll address how I feel about that game cause I absolutely love it but it does use a lot of the assets from MP1 which isn't exactly great in my eyes.