Mario Party 9 Critic Reviews

The Mario Party series might be a bit long in the tooth, but it shouldn't be counted out; there have been enough tweaks and changes to keep things interesting and the minigames are as fun as ever.

Mario Party 9 is a resounding success on so many levels, adding plenty of extra variety to differentiate itself from previous entries, whilst also learning important lessons from the limited-yet-fun Wii Party.

A wonderfully refreshing revamp.

The new developer combined new features with the good old gameplay. That's fresh and more enjoyable for party game fans. The singleplayer mode is merely solid, while the multiplayer is pure entertainment.

Mario Party 9 is yet another great opportunity to have a great time playing with your family and friends. It is a very approachable game that players with few experience in videogames can enjoy, although not as much as Wii Party. Mario Party 9 is midway between minigames compilations for experts and those for beginners and achieves to offer a very fun experience.

The game manages to keep the hectic and wild spirit Mario Party is known for while eliminating superfluous gimmicks and features that slowed the pace down instead of making it equally interesting for everybody.

Another worthy release in a successful series. They've stuck to a tried and true formula: beloved characters, fun, variety and a fast pace, which is easy to play for the whole family.

Much has been improved since the eighth iteration, and there's a slew of new content to unlock and explore. Even the skeptics should be charmed once they've played a game or two.

It's less predictable than its previous instalments, smartly ditching the dead wood in favour of a fresh approach that emphatically reminds us why the series has been going for 14 years.

It's been five years since the last game and the Mario Party series probably needed that. New developer Nd Cube has changed a lot of things, all to the better, and Mario Party 9 probably is the best game in the series.

If you lost interest some time around the umpteenth GameCube iteration, or the woeful Mario Party 8, MP9 is a good excuse to come back. Enough of the old concerns have been addressed and the game is more focused than ever, marking a return to simplicity that reminds us why we loved huddling around those old Nintendo consoles in the first place.

Mario Party 9 consists almost entirely of positive changes for the series. Sure, if you don't have any partying friends this won't be the game for you, but the challenges and simple layout of the game make this a brilliant Wii game.

Refreshing, but there's potential for even better things next time.

Mario Party 9 is a great way to heal a sick franchise. The new developer team has done a great job changing the main structure of the original Mario Party, creating a brand new experience with the perfect multiplayer mode.

Seasoned Party-goers and newcomers looking for an entry point into the prolific franchise, however, should consider crashing Mario's latest shindig.

The essence of the console version, but it doesn't carry over the explosive enjoyment.

Excellent game to play with your kids and really strange friends. Minigames work better than usual because they use less motion controls and focus more on fun ideas.

The randomness of some of the board effects can be frustrating; it's akin to Nintendo grabbing the chess board mid-match and throwing it across the room. It doesn't seem fair and there's nothing you can do about it except enjoy the experience while it lasts. And the kids liked it.

Mario Party 9 is unlike anything in the series before, although it seems familiar.

The ruleset has been completely revamped. You still need quite a bit of luck when it comes to the dice, but tactics and a hint of strategy have been added. Mario's get-together has never been better.