Mario Party DS

Moby ID: 33929
Nintendo DS Specs
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Description official descriptions

Mario Party DS continues the Mario Party gameplay on the Nintendo DS. It is a multiplayer game played as a board game. Each player can choose between well known characters from the Mario universe such as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Princess Daisy, Toad, Wario and Waluigi. Players play mini-games to earn stars. At the end of the game the player with most stars wins the game.

It is possible to play the game with four players in multiplayer. With download-play only one cartridge is required. Each round the players roll dice to advance on the board. Somewhere on the board a star is located, which can be collected by the first player to reach that spot. After each round the players play a mini-game, this can be free for all, 1 vs. 3 or 2 vs. 2. The game includes 74 different mini-games and some of them use the stylus or microphone.

At the end of each game more stars are rewarded for the player who for example won most mini-games.

Spellings

  • マリオパーティDS - Japanese spelling
  • 마리오 파티 DS - Korean spelling

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Credits (Nintendo DS version)

139 People (129 developers, 10 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 70% (based on 23 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.2 out of 5 (based on 14 ratings with 1 reviews)

Roll the DiSe

The Good
When Mario Party was released for the first time people didn't know for sure if the game was going to be successful. A game with a childish essence could not suit with some kind of gamers. However, those doubts soon were dispelled and one of the most important game series of this genre was born.

The concept of Mario Party is as simple as it sounds. A game for 4 players which is played on different boards (like board games) and facing a mini-game at the end of each round. The mini-games were never so important, a new dimension for this kind of games.

Mario Party is a game that doesn't need high technology. Graphics are simple, so, the DS has no problems on this matter. We're talking about one of the best games to be played with someone for the DS (as it happens in the other Nintendo game systems). What's more, we have new game modes like puzzles, new competitions, new mini-games (using the hardware of the DS) and a points system (points called MP points, how original...) that will unlock items.

The best thing of this game is that it doesn't lose its magic. It's still the same game with that strange mixture of lucky and skill (anyway, skill is not important because the lucky one usually wins), which is something that will start many fights between your friends (specially when one of them steals a star from you, many couples got divorced because of that!).

Mario Party is one of the essentials games in every Nintendo game system. Currently, there's no other game from another game system able to rival with this one. Every Mario Party is a step forward, with new mini games and new game modes, something that make this game a must-have if you want to play with more people.

The Bad
If you want to unlock all the items you'll need to finish the game many times, not just 5 or 6, I said MANY times, which is something boring.

Of course, the game is not the same if you want to play it alone. It's a good game to be played alone and it has a story mode, but just a good game and nothing more. You'll need to play it with more people if you want to enjoy it as it should be.

The hardest difficulty level is really hard. It's humanly impossible to win some mini games in that difficult level. Talking about that, the triangles puzzle mode is difficult and annoying! Thank goodness it's just an extra of the game.

The Bottom Line
If you're looking for an easy game to be played by anyone, Mario Party DS (and the other games of the series) is the perfect game. Up to 4 players, but you'll realize that with just 2 players the game can be a lot of fun. Indispensable for your game parties with many people, but it's possible that the rest of the time the game would be forgotten among other games in your shelves.

Nintendo DS · by NeoJ (398) · 2009

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by vedder.

Wii U added by Michael Cassidy.

Additional contributors: Sciere, gamewarrior, Grandy02.

Game added June 21, 2008. Last modified June 19, 2023.