Nintendo Gamecube
w/ Mario Party 7, Mic
& Two (2) Controllers


Nintendo DS
w/ Mario Kart DS, 2 Stylus Pens
AC Adapter, Touch Strap
Mario Kart Wrist Strap

 

 

 
 


The party game is an invention than has done well for Nintendo. Nintendo is known for their characters, and they use those characters in a wide variety of games to add to the fun. They’ve managed to release seven versions of a game called Mario Party. And each is successful as the next.

Mario Party is a virtual board game aimed towards children, but it is fun for all ages.Each player rolls the die and goes a number of spaces trying to collect coins and buy stars (the player with the most stars at the end wins). After each player takes one turn, everyone plays a “mini-game,” which is a short game, battle, or competition to collect more coins. Some are sheer luck, some involve pushing a controller button as fast as humanly possible, and some require more complex skill. The sixth and seventh installments of this game even include a microphone and mini-games that have one player yelling commands into the Gamecube.

What makes this game fun is the numerous secrets, characters and stages you can unlock, as well as the element of luck, which allows your seven year old cousin to beat you at this game. Version seven utilizes the microphone, supports up to eight players and adds two new characters to the rooster (Birdo & Dry Bones). Mario Party v. 1-3 are tough to find, but available for the N64, while v. 4-7 are Gamecube Carts. On the go? Check out Mario Party Advance for the GBA

Mario Kart Double Dash is a cartoon racing game that anyone can win. This is game highlights serious skill in learning the subtleties of controlling a go-kart and also learning the tracks. As in every classic Mario Kart game, you also get weapons that tend to even the playing field. Last place racers will commonly get weapons like the “blue shell” that wipes out the first place driver, the “lightning bolt” that turns all his/her opponents into tiny drivers, or a batch three heat-seeking “red shells.” It would be more difficult for your seven-year-old cousin to beat you here, but it’s been known to happen. This game also has modes, stages, and characters to unlock, which never detracts from the amusement.

Wario Ware, Inc. is a whole new brand of party game, and after playing you may find yourself either addicted or in an epileptic fit, shivering on the floor. This game features the fast-paced mini-game. One or more players will have just moments to complete an action. Wario Ware uses classic games like Mario or Zelda to make these instantaneous mini-games more fun. Here are a few examples.

The screen will say “Connect” and there’s a crayon and a red dot. You have three seconds to connect the two.Then the screen will say “Squash” and suddenly you’re in the original Super Mario and you have two seconds to thwart a goomba. Next the screen will say “Trap,” and the little alien will walk across the screen towards your trap. Sometimes that alien will halt for a moment to throw off your timing. There are hundreds of these little mini-games and they are always getting faster. This game is a product of the 90s with eight and sixteen-bit technology, but it’s smooth and very quick. You’ll often find yourself laughing just because it speeds up so fast that by the end of a game, you may only win by luck.

These are a few games meant to amuse, and they do so with ease. Especially with four players, these games tend to incite reactions time and time again. They are fun one player as well, but nothing sparks the addictive quality in a game like four fiery competitors.