Mario Party is a game that can either strengthen or ruin friendships. It has always been a competitive game, with players competing to become the Superstar and earn the right to brag about their friends or family. The Mario Party series has been going on since 1998 the Family fights and storied rivalries have been brought on by the Nintendo 64 ever since. And, with the sobering news that Mario Party 4 — the series’ first GameCube entry — is 20 years old on 21st October 2022.
Although the series no longer receives the same level of acclaim as it once did, some fans still hold out hope that it will one day reach new heights. Let’s take a moment to reflect on the top 8 Mario Party games of all time.
You may be interested in The 19 Best Cheap Games On The Switch.
Mario Party Superstars
The only game that could surpass even the most blinded by nostalgia Mario Party fans who adore the N64 classics above all others is the one that combines the best of all of them into one new and contemporary package.
After Super Mario Party came close to recapturing the feel of the traditional board game style that made the older games the hits they were, and Mario Party: The Top 100 bringing back the best minigames but without that element whatsoever, this title finally brings together the best ideas of those two games into one dream package.
Though it’s better late than never, this game should have taken place years ago. Mario Party Superstars does what fans have been asking for for years and ditches all the weird board gimmicks, different dice types, and stinker minigames and looks back at all the great ones they’ve done and brings them forward onto the Boards from the original trilogy and games from the entire series are all brought back to the Switch here, from the entire franchise, but with the advantages of greatly improved controls, online play, and a great roster of Mario characters to play as.
There isn’t a better way to enjoy the best of Mario Party, whether you’re a seasoned veteran or brand-new to the series.
Mario Party 2
While Mario Party was a good game in its own right, the series really took off with the first installment. It added many new features that the series is now known for, had a much better selection of mini-games, and did not leave you with burned palms as the first game did. The board designs of this game really shine.
All characters would dress up for a specific theme that was specific to each board. The game is genuinely focused on turning the occasion into a party, featuring everything from cowboys to pirates. They were distinct locations with entertaining gimmicks that significantly influenced Mario Party’s more promising future.
Mario Party 3
The conclusion of the Mario Party series for the Nintendo 64 showed that the franchise had a bright future. With Daisy and Waluigi joining the fun, this game launched a single-player mode that is still fondly remembered today and marked the beginning of the game’s playable roster expansion.
But the introduction of mini-games was probably the biggest change it brought to the series. Quite a few of the entries in the first two games had a feeling of familiarity, but this game started to introduce fresh concepts.
Mario Party: Island Tour
Released for the 3DS, Mario Party: Island Tour looked to be an answer to original fans of the series, gearing towards a more independent style of play, allowing players to move separately.
While that is true, other changes that were made were much worse. There are many minigames and boards in this game that depend on luck. Each board assigns a mushroom ranking based on skill, luck, and minigames, though four mushrooms from luck would make more sense, to be honest. The game’s start-to-finish stages, Mini-Stars, and excessive reliance on luck, despite some inventive attempts (particularly with the Bowser board), make it poorly designed.
Mario Party: The Top 100
Over the years and across tons of Mario Party games, people are sure to have some favorites after all this time. However, it still doesn’t make much sense for Nintendo to release a compilation of the “best” mini-games on the 3DS.
Many think Nintendo is blatantly trying to cash in on this. Even though it includes some genuinely adored vintage mini-games, some of them really seem like unnecessary additions. A bigger issue is that the series lacks any game boards, which takes away one of its fundamental components. This makes it one of the more underwhelming Big N packages, especially when combined with the dearth of playable characters.
Mario Party 6
The day and night mechanic that was first used in the third Mario Party game on the Nintendo GameCube is still fondly recalled today. While Mario Party 2’s Horror Land board had a time-of-day system, every board in this game has levels that will shift based on the player’s turn.
A stronger selection of mini-games than in any of the other games was also present in this one. The boards, while not particularly innovative outside of the day and night system, make this the best GameCube entry overall.
Mario Party: Star Rush
Mario Party: Star Rush, is one of the most forgettable entries despite being on the unique 3DS hardware. It also makes the odd choice to deny players the ability to choose their own player. Even Mario Party: Island Tour has the respect to allow players to pick the character they want.
Toad Scramble, the game’s main mode, has players take on the role of Toad as they move around the board taking out bosses to earn stars and coins. A player can only play as Toad unless they pass by another character. As a result, the ally mechanic was developed, enabling players to enlist characters to assist them in minigames or in hitting dice blocks. This was also one of the most unbalanced mechanics—which was brought into Super Mario Party.
Mario Party DS
Mario Party’s debut on, to put it mildly, the Nintendo DS was not well received. One might have anticipated a much more interesting spin on the franchise given the potential of the special hardware features of the handheld. Given the lack of online support, the story mode, which is started off with Bowser shrinking Mario and his friends, is unimpressive and simplistic.
While present, the use of screens and touch controls isn’t particularly effective and doesn’t significantly enhance the experience. Even so, it’s challenging to ignore 74 minigames in addition to four-player wireless multiplayer support.