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There is no question that Mario Party has been one of the guiltiest pleasures Nintendo has ever came out for their systems all the way back to the 90's. It has been a class act with gameplay, fun and characters that everyone loves from Mario and Luigi and Toad, as gamers race across boards trying t master challenges and compete against the simplest of games.The games have done well for Nintendo's home consoles over the years, the Wii, NIntendo 64 and Nintendo Gamecube, with bridging and interactive fun with others in board games that are absolutely fun and challenging. But, the feeling couldn't be said for the handheld systems. They have been heavily overlooked for the NIntendo DS, and Game Boy Advance through the years, and people never gave it the drive to succeed. Now, a new party has finally reached the Nintendo 3DS, and the question is that is it worth it for this party? The answer is yes with the roll of the dice.
Mario Party: Island Tour takes in on the fun as you play with as many as 3 other friends through 7 different game boards, and a whole lot of fun in the game. The game takes on the fun that works well just like the classic Mario fun as you play with Mario, Yoshi, Luigi and Boo among others. There are many great games for you to play where you can test the fun of the NIntendo 3DS action from goomba wrangling to slot car racing. There are 80 great mini-games to play and each one is fun with others well. There are also great game boards to play on from scaling Banzai Bill's Mountain, to going through a road to the finish on the stars in the Rocket Road, all the way up to scaling Bowser's tower of fury as you try and get to face him through a fierce showdown. The game plays nicely on the 3DS with good graphics, but doesn't have as well-rendered graphics on the 3D effect. It works well in fun on the Nintendo 2DS too. The control works well on the stylus, but the tilt controls on some games takes a bit of practice to get used to on some games, but can easily be mastered with time. The multiplayer works nicely with others, but could've had a bit more challenge as it could've included online gameplay through Wi-Fi, but that hasn't happened yet.
All in all, what you have gotten with Mario Party over the past 2 decades of games from Nintendo, you absolutely have definitely captured fun. While the games have had a lot of highs, and some strong lows, it has always a great centerpiece with interactive board game fun. There have been knockoffs that failed, but Mario still reigns supreme in on the fun. I absolutely recommend Mario Party: Island Tour not only because it is a good game with others, there has been a real lack of great games fr the Nintendo 3DS this past year, but this works well with others. This island hopping will work well for your Nintendo 3DS library.
Graphics: B
Sound: B 1/2+
Control: B 1/2+
Fun & Enjoyment: solo play B 1/2+; multiplayer B
Overall: B
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I am disappointed that I bought this as a download from the eshop, as after only one night, I would probably sell the game if possible. The last Wii game had no change in game rules from board to board, so I was glad to hear that this game would feature 7 boards, each with its own rules. First off, unless you have plenty of friends with a 3DS, consider this to have 6 boards, as the 7th requires at least 3 human players. My wife and I played through 5 of the 6 we could play, then she said she won't play it again, just 2 hours after I bought it. We used to play the old games for weeks! The rules for the boards ARE varied and generally good, however no board has classic Mario Party rules. You won't be collecting coins and stars and there are no bonus stars at the end of the round. These boards are mostly about getting to the finish line first, that's it. Obstacles and how you get there change, BUT the game has been shortened for handheld play to the point that it all seems more pointless than ever. These are boards with 20 spaces that can be beaten in 4-5 turns! When you add in the luck-factor of these games, the short boards ruin everything. Somebody rolls a 6 on turn 1 and they're 1/3 of the way to having won! One board is hilarious as it has you collecting "boosters" to multiply your dice roll. 3 turns in you play a mini game to win 3 boosters. I won, used the 3 boosters and immediately won the board. Whichever player had won that very first mini game would have won the board that turn without question. Only 1 of the 5 boards we played had any length to it at all, but we knew who the winner was well before the game was over. That was an issue with all boards, with no bonus stars, the winner was clear before they even crossed the finish line. It's very strange, as the rules are mostly unique and there are tons of mini-games that are of the same quality as past games in the series... It is only the length of the boards that kill the game. There is no concept of "catching up" as the game is over in 5 turns. You can however randomly shuffle players on the last turn and have someone instantly win with no effort. I am very confused why Nintendo couldn't just offer a short and long version of each board. All of the work they put into the game and it would seem like the easiest thing they could do was add 30 spaces to each board and let you choose between 20 spaces for a quick game or 50 spaces for a REAL game. Even if they used the same boards as is and let you choose the number of "laps" you had to make around those boards before it was over. That's a simple fix that would satisfy everyone! For now, the game is like choosing to flip a coin on game night because Monopoly is too long.Best Deals for Mario Party: Island Tour
This entry into the Mario Party universe was definitively done with portability in mind. Boards are short, games play quickly and there's not a whole lot of time to strategize. (Not that strategy ever paid off in Mario Party) You will see the fruit of lucky or unlucky rolls and awards present themselves immediately. There is almost no chance to recover or be overtaken depending on which side of fortune you find yourself on early in the game. That being said, the games last only a handful of turns or so, so you are not left frustrated (or bored with no competition) for long.Personally I feel the game is well suited for the handheld. The longer Mario Party contests can come later on the Wii U. I appreciate the adjustment made to the game to accommodate more mobile play and shorter gaming sessions.
A final touch which is seen less and less these days is the single cart download play. This means you can play with friends in the same room who do not own the game. I love this feature and I wish it were available on more games.
As a fan of Mario Party from the beginning, I would recommend this game to anyone who likes the series, board games and/or minigames (WarioWare)
Honest reviews on Mario Party: Island Tour
Bought this as as downloadable content, as the file is relatively small and I want to have it around when I'm around others who are playing in, but use the cartridge slot for a more single player title. That said, I've only played the solo-mode so far, as most of my friends only first day purchased Zelda.I see that as the bigger drawback to this title, being released the same day as an AMAZING looking Zelda game. By the time people start thinking of getting around to this, it'll be viewed as a "flop" game due to not having immediate sales. I'd say someone in the Nintendo marketing department dropped the ball on that, but with Pokemon X Y coming out and Zelda, there was no other good time to release this before the Christmas season. Hopefully this becomes the "Christmas present" game for the kids to play with each other while Zelda is the single player game of the season.
That said, this is a huge step up from the last Mario Party. The different boards have different mechanics, and the mini games give different rewards board wise. For example, the "standard" board gives a bonus dice for the winners of the mini-games, while the most "skill" board gives out specific move distance cards to use for your turn so you can know exactly where you're going.
Game has things to unlock with having played a bunch, but (as this is close to release date, not having played a bunch) they all look like graphic trophy type things, not used in game. There's also streetpass features, but again, not enough people own it quite yet (wait till they beat Zelda).
As for the minigames themselves, the computer is actually pretty good at most of them (doesn't ever beat me on normal, but there are 3 levels higher than normal). A few totally random ones, most involve skill. Not a fan of the "tilt the system" ones, but might just have been my angle at the time.
Ultimately I'm very happy I opted for the download version of this, as its going to be something I want to have to get streetpasses with all the time (like when I travel to airports or McDonalds). I just think its going to be a slow start, and pick up in popularity after Christmas (when a lot of people get it) rather than be that "have to have immediately" type game that Pokemon and Zelda are. But the fun and replay-ability of it (even single player) makes this a title I know people will be playing longer than the others
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