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"The Jet Gamer" Game Review: Mario Party 7
9 years ago
Still Nintendo time here, though back to the Gamecube again we go.
Mario Party 7
Well then, I’m sure many of you have heard of this series before. I’ve played the games before, but this is actually the first time I’ve owned a game in the Mario Party series outright. Believe me as well, this game wasn’t exactly cheap either, despite it being on the Gamecube and not the 8-10 which you still find often. Still, this is final Mario Party that was released on the Gamecube and the last one for a few years before the Wii versions. Was this a good send off for the series on the Gamcube, or had the series started to lose some of its luster at this point. Let us take a closer look and find out shall we?
Gameplay
Mario Party 7 plays just like the other old school Mario Parties when it comes to gameplay. You have four players that roam around on a large game board as they try and collect stars and play mini games to see who can have the most stars by the end of the game. That concept had worked for many other Mario Parties in the past, so they continued to stick with it in seven. However, there are a few changes here and there to try and keep it fresh, but I will get to some of those later. There are twelve characters to play as that I was aware of, so you did have some variety in playing who you wanted to play as in this game, even if I just picture a certain dinosaur in these series and not usually anyone else. So pretty much when you start a game, each character hits the dice and then moves on the board to a new space. When all four players take a turn, a mini game is played and so on. However, they expanded on this process some over time and honestly, I do feel it has some disadvantages from doing this as well. There are quite a number of event spaces on the board, that when you or the AI land in, you have to either play a mini game or watch a mini game get played. This wouldn’t be a problem, if I didn’t feel that went a little overboard with this to the point that it can really slow the game down. There are dueling spaces where two players play a two player mini game where the winner gets a chance to steal from the other player. There are DK spaces where you play a mini game against Donkey Kong for a change at winning coins or even stars. There are Bowser spaces, which make you play games against Bowser where you could lose coins or even starts in rare cases. There are Koopa Kid spaces that randomize things on the field such as positions, and people’s coins and orbs for example. There are even mic spaces that let you play a mini game with the Gamecube Microphone that came with this game and Party 6. You see where I’m going with this? This is way too many mini game chances. Everyone could land on these paces instead of the traditional red and blue spaces and you have to constantly stop each time to play another game of chance. After a while, this sort of gets old and you end up wanting the game to just hurry up and move on already. I see what they were going for here with all these chances to earn more coins or to turn the game around, but I think they went a bit too far with it to the point it can get a little dull waiting for others turns to end. There are a couple of different modes in this game that do keep it interesting, but only change up the game so much. There is the main mode where as I said above you play the traditional four player game where you try and get the highest number of stars. This is changed up a bit as each level has you earn stars in different ways, be it the normal buying them, or having to find the stars in random chests or have you climbing a mountain to purchase them for different amounts as people buy them. This is neat, so it does change the game up from the normal game you are used to. That is a positive in my book. There is the second mode where you play one on one against another AI or person as you try and accomplish an objective on the board to end the game, such as finding all the hidden stars, fixing broken windmills, or even fighting against Bowser. Another interesting mode, if not a bit short. At least it is a bit faster than the other mode that’s for sure. There is also the eight player mode which has up to eight people playing mini games against each other. This is accomplished by two people sharing a Gamecube controller, one using the control stick, and the other using the c-stick while sharing the buttons. Yeah, this is going to create some interesting conflict with people, if you can actually get eight people to play the game at the same time. Playing against the AI isn’t too hard as all it does is make you use the control stick and such, which isn’t hard. Add in some other people though, and I can see this getting nuts rather fast. The only other mode is the mini game mode that just lets you play any of the mini games you want. This game has some interesting concepts, but honestly, I do find it a bit frustrating at times, not only due to the slowness in which turns can go, but also the severe luck that is involved as well. I know this game is all about strategy at times, but there is such a humungous amount of luck involved with some of these random events that it sometimes almost takes the strategy out of it completely. Whats the point in rushing around and doing well if you can just have everything taken away in an instant it seems. Yeah, this game has some good points to it, but I think there is just way too much luck in this game and it needs to pick up the pace at times. Fifteen turns should not take an hour and half or two hours to play. That’s just ridiculous.
Story
Not applicable, this is just a party game that doesn’t really have a connected story other than collecting starts and getting one over on Bowser. I’m letting this one pass.
Graphics
Honestly, sort of like many Nintendo Mario games, the game looks great. You can tell they put some real time and effort at least into making the game look wonderful and a treat to look at as you play the game. The mini games are short, but the backgrounds and areas they take place in are pretty detailed and do look like they belong in the areas they are supposed to be taking place in, such as forests or out in the sea. All the characters look good, and all the stuff from Bowser looks great too, even in its dark red areas and such. Really, the only thing I can say about the graphics is that sometimes the transitions aren’t as smooth as they could be between areas, where the graphics can look a little hazy when the transitions happen. I know some of this was likely done on purpose, but I think they could have done a better job at making them not look a bit on the sloppy side. Other than that though, everything else looks and is represented close to perfectly I would say.
Sound
The sound in the game is pretty good too. The characters all have their traditional few lines they spew out when they are doing good and bad. There are the traditional sounds from Mario Party as well, even if they sound just slightly different. All the music in the game is pretty good too, just honestly, I don’t think I could tell you what most of the sound tracks sounded like now as I write this. My only problem with the music is that I don’t think it is that memorable. It is good, but it doesn’t really seem to have that much of a lasting effect in my brain. This isn’t the Nintendo music that you will be listening to and being able to recognize instantly what game it is from when you hear it in a Nintendo music mix. I do think as well the characters could still use more voice clips, but that is just me. What clips they do have still work fine, just I feel there needs to be a few more for some variety.
Control
The mini games for the most part do control well, so I don’t have a problem with all of them. There are a few though that I think are a bit on the slippery side, but I do think some of this is a bit intentional. Some games being too tight could result in some pretty prolonged battled, so I do think some of it was done on purpose. Still, it does make a few games very finicky and makes it able to go any way when these games come up. I say this because some games are just so easy to master and win, and others just seem to be all over the place. This is also the area where I feel I can talk about the Gamecube Microphone accessory. While this isn’t necessary to play the game, it did come with my copy, so I feel it should be discussed. The Microphone actually does work to my surprise. I didn’t expect it to work as well as it does, but it does work. It isn’t perfect though, as there is a small delay from when you say something to when things happen in the game. While it also does work most of the time, you do have to hope that it is always going to understand you. It does most of the time, but there were a few times where it was acting up on me. The main game it was acting up on was a game where you had to say numbers. I would say five for example and it would shoot at the nine. This happened with a few other numbers as well. I don’t know if it is my slight accent, but still, I don’t think five and nine sound anything alike to me. The Microphone does work, but it isn’t perfect as well.
Replay Value
You sort of expect this game to have some pretty good replay value as this is a party game. You can play on your own, which has a different kind of replay value. When you play on your own, you play against the AI in either the normal games or the one versus one games I mentioned above. You earn points to be spent in the in game shop which can be traded in for extras in the game or for little figures to collect in the game. Once again as I’ve mentioned in other reviews, if you like collecting things, this will keep you interested in playing the game on your own for quite a while. Otherwise, I would say that after you beat the main levels of the game, I can see someone losing interest in this game after a while. If you have friends on the other hand, that is a bit of a different story. I can see people’s interest in this game lasting a little bit longer, especially if everyone is really getting into this game. Though I can see some of the problems I mentioned above appearing in multiplayer games as well. I can see friends starting to get bored waiting for their turns in this game as everyone is landing on event spaces that each player has to play through before the game can continue. I can also see this being one of those games that can really get people fighting as well. I think everyone knows about Nintendo game parties. Some of those games can really get people either fussing at each other, or getting really into the game depending on how the game is behaving. So really, this game could go either way, with some people have and others not. The heavy luck will really do that to people. Still, I can see some replayability here, but some of it does rely on having someone else to play with for the replayability to last over time.
Overall, I would Say Mario Party 7 is a good entry in the Mario Party series, but it does still have some flaws. This game isn’t perfect, but I do think they have gone a bit overboard with a few things. The turns taking forever to complete and the heavy reliance on luck based events and games really does serve to only slow the game down and frustrate people that want to rely more on skill and strategy and not on just luck. The replayability in this game is very situational as well. If you have a group of friends that enjoy this kind of stuff, grab them and play this game. I think there actually would be some enjoyment here, and likely a little frustration at times as well when things go a bit wonky with the luck of this game. Otherwise, I would say people should try it out if they enjoyed other Mario Party games. If you aren’t into luck based games though, that’s where I would say you should maybe pass. Otherwise, give it a try. Just be prepared to have some time to spend with this game, as rounds will take a little while. Just try and relax though, and I think most will have fun though.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Mario Party 7 an eight out of ten.
Gameplay: 6
Story: N.A.
Graphics: 9
Sound: 8
Control: 8
Replay Value: 8
Overall: 8
Mario Party 7
Well then, I’m sure many of you have heard of this series before. I’ve played the games before, but this is actually the first time I’ve owned a game in the Mario Party series outright. Believe me as well, this game wasn’t exactly cheap either, despite it being on the Gamecube and not the 8-10 which you still find often. Still, this is final Mario Party that was released on the Gamecube and the last one for a few years before the Wii versions. Was this a good send off for the series on the Gamcube, or had the series started to lose some of its luster at this point. Let us take a closer look and find out shall we?
Gameplay
Mario Party 7 plays just like the other old school Mario Parties when it comes to gameplay. You have four players that roam around on a large game board as they try and collect stars and play mini games to see who can have the most stars by the end of the game. That concept had worked for many other Mario Parties in the past, so they continued to stick with it in seven. However, there are a few changes here and there to try and keep it fresh, but I will get to some of those later. There are twelve characters to play as that I was aware of, so you did have some variety in playing who you wanted to play as in this game, even if I just picture a certain dinosaur in these series and not usually anyone else. So pretty much when you start a game, each character hits the dice and then moves on the board to a new space. When all four players take a turn, a mini game is played and so on. However, they expanded on this process some over time and honestly, I do feel it has some disadvantages from doing this as well. There are quite a number of event spaces on the board, that when you or the AI land in, you have to either play a mini game or watch a mini game get played. This wouldn’t be a problem, if I didn’t feel that went a little overboard with this to the point that it can really slow the game down. There are dueling spaces where two players play a two player mini game where the winner gets a chance to steal from the other player. There are DK spaces where you play a mini game against Donkey Kong for a change at winning coins or even stars. There are Bowser spaces, which make you play games against Bowser where you could lose coins or even starts in rare cases. There are Koopa Kid spaces that randomize things on the field such as positions, and people’s coins and orbs for example. There are even mic spaces that let you play a mini game with the Gamecube Microphone that came with this game and Party 6. You see where I’m going with this? This is way too many mini game chances. Everyone could land on these paces instead of the traditional red and blue spaces and you have to constantly stop each time to play another game of chance. After a while, this sort of gets old and you end up wanting the game to just hurry up and move on already. I see what they were going for here with all these chances to earn more coins or to turn the game around, but I think they went a bit too far with it to the point it can get a little dull waiting for others turns to end. There are a couple of different modes in this game that do keep it interesting, but only change up the game so much. There is the main mode where as I said above you play the traditional four player game where you try and get the highest number of stars. This is changed up a bit as each level has you earn stars in different ways, be it the normal buying them, or having to find the stars in random chests or have you climbing a mountain to purchase them for different amounts as people buy them. This is neat, so it does change the game up from the normal game you are used to. That is a positive in my book. There is the second mode where you play one on one against another AI or person as you try and accomplish an objective on the board to end the game, such as finding all the hidden stars, fixing broken windmills, or even fighting against Bowser. Another interesting mode, if not a bit short. At least it is a bit faster than the other mode that’s for sure. There is also the eight player mode which has up to eight people playing mini games against each other. This is accomplished by two people sharing a Gamecube controller, one using the control stick, and the other using the c-stick while sharing the buttons. Yeah, this is going to create some interesting conflict with people, if you can actually get eight people to play the game at the same time. Playing against the AI isn’t too hard as all it does is make you use the control stick and such, which isn’t hard. Add in some other people though, and I can see this getting nuts rather fast. The only other mode is the mini game mode that just lets you play any of the mini games you want. This game has some interesting concepts, but honestly, I do find it a bit frustrating at times, not only due to the slowness in which turns can go, but also the severe luck that is involved as well. I know this game is all about strategy at times, but there is such a humungous amount of luck involved with some of these random events that it sometimes almost takes the strategy out of it completely. Whats the point in rushing around and doing well if you can just have everything taken away in an instant it seems. Yeah, this game has some good points to it, but I think there is just way too much luck in this game and it needs to pick up the pace at times. Fifteen turns should not take an hour and half or two hours to play. That’s just ridiculous.
Story
Not applicable, this is just a party game that doesn’t really have a connected story other than collecting starts and getting one over on Bowser. I’m letting this one pass.
Graphics
Honestly, sort of like many Nintendo Mario games, the game looks great. You can tell they put some real time and effort at least into making the game look wonderful and a treat to look at as you play the game. The mini games are short, but the backgrounds and areas they take place in are pretty detailed and do look like they belong in the areas they are supposed to be taking place in, such as forests or out in the sea. All the characters look good, and all the stuff from Bowser looks great too, even in its dark red areas and such. Really, the only thing I can say about the graphics is that sometimes the transitions aren’t as smooth as they could be between areas, where the graphics can look a little hazy when the transitions happen. I know some of this was likely done on purpose, but I think they could have done a better job at making them not look a bit on the sloppy side. Other than that though, everything else looks and is represented close to perfectly I would say.
Sound
The sound in the game is pretty good too. The characters all have their traditional few lines they spew out when they are doing good and bad. There are the traditional sounds from Mario Party as well, even if they sound just slightly different. All the music in the game is pretty good too, just honestly, I don’t think I could tell you what most of the sound tracks sounded like now as I write this. My only problem with the music is that I don’t think it is that memorable. It is good, but it doesn’t really seem to have that much of a lasting effect in my brain. This isn’t the Nintendo music that you will be listening to and being able to recognize instantly what game it is from when you hear it in a Nintendo music mix. I do think as well the characters could still use more voice clips, but that is just me. What clips they do have still work fine, just I feel there needs to be a few more for some variety.
Control
The mini games for the most part do control well, so I don’t have a problem with all of them. There are a few though that I think are a bit on the slippery side, but I do think some of this is a bit intentional. Some games being too tight could result in some pretty prolonged battled, so I do think some of it was done on purpose. Still, it does make a few games very finicky and makes it able to go any way when these games come up. I say this because some games are just so easy to master and win, and others just seem to be all over the place. This is also the area where I feel I can talk about the Gamecube Microphone accessory. While this isn’t necessary to play the game, it did come with my copy, so I feel it should be discussed. The Microphone actually does work to my surprise. I didn’t expect it to work as well as it does, but it does work. It isn’t perfect though, as there is a small delay from when you say something to when things happen in the game. While it also does work most of the time, you do have to hope that it is always going to understand you. It does most of the time, but there were a few times where it was acting up on me. The main game it was acting up on was a game where you had to say numbers. I would say five for example and it would shoot at the nine. This happened with a few other numbers as well. I don’t know if it is my slight accent, but still, I don’t think five and nine sound anything alike to me. The Microphone does work, but it isn’t perfect as well.
Replay Value
You sort of expect this game to have some pretty good replay value as this is a party game. You can play on your own, which has a different kind of replay value. When you play on your own, you play against the AI in either the normal games or the one versus one games I mentioned above. You earn points to be spent in the in game shop which can be traded in for extras in the game or for little figures to collect in the game. Once again as I’ve mentioned in other reviews, if you like collecting things, this will keep you interested in playing the game on your own for quite a while. Otherwise, I would say that after you beat the main levels of the game, I can see someone losing interest in this game after a while. If you have friends on the other hand, that is a bit of a different story. I can see people’s interest in this game lasting a little bit longer, especially if everyone is really getting into this game. Though I can see some of the problems I mentioned above appearing in multiplayer games as well. I can see friends starting to get bored waiting for their turns in this game as everyone is landing on event spaces that each player has to play through before the game can continue. I can also see this being one of those games that can really get people fighting as well. I think everyone knows about Nintendo game parties. Some of those games can really get people either fussing at each other, or getting really into the game depending on how the game is behaving. So really, this game could go either way, with some people have and others not. The heavy luck will really do that to people. Still, I can see some replayability here, but some of it does rely on having someone else to play with for the replayability to last over time.
Overall, I would Say Mario Party 7 is a good entry in the Mario Party series, but it does still have some flaws. This game isn’t perfect, but I do think they have gone a bit overboard with a few things. The turns taking forever to complete and the heavy reliance on luck based events and games really does serve to only slow the game down and frustrate people that want to rely more on skill and strategy and not on just luck. The replayability in this game is very situational as well. If you have a group of friends that enjoy this kind of stuff, grab them and play this game. I think there actually would be some enjoyment here, and likely a little frustration at times as well when things go a bit wonky with the luck of this game. Otherwise, I would say people should try it out if they enjoyed other Mario Party games. If you aren’t into luck based games though, that’s where I would say you should maybe pass. Otherwise, give it a try. Just be prepared to have some time to spend with this game, as rounds will take a little while. Just try and relax though, and I think most will have fun though.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Mario Party 7 an eight out of ten.
Gameplay: 6
Story: N.A.
Graphics: 9
Sound: 8
Control: 8
Replay Value: 8
Overall: 8
Maxthewicked100
~maxthewicked100
A fair review. I was a little surprised there was no mention about the 'Bowser Time' aspect but this review made sense as someone who has played the game. I just look forward to your review on 9 or 10...I hate them two.
