- Mario Party 9 Free Play
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- Mario Party 9 Free For All Minigames
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The art of the couch co-op game is one that has dwindled in popularly over the years. Ever since the dawn of mass online multiplayer games, the development of local co-op games has died a death. Much to the dismay of yours truly. However, we still have the ability to cast our minds back and reminisce and one game series that epitomises the joys of couch co-op is Mario Party. So today, we cast our minds back to the ninth iteration, Mario Party 9.
This game takes on the format of all the other games within the Mario Party series. Asking players to work their way around a board while competing it a series of wacky mini-games. However, looking outside the series, the game plays rather similarly to any of the Jackbox Party Packs, Marooners, Ultimate Chicken Horse or Overcooked. To be mentioned in the company of these games is flattering but does this one still over oodles of fun for all the family. We find out in our review of Mario Party 9.
Mastering the Hardware
Mario Party 9 has a total of 81 minigames. Free-for-All minigames. There is a total of 44 Free-for-All minigames. These games can be played with two, three, or four players. The games that are in this category are from the popular Nintendo character known as Mario, a plumber who must rescue the princess from the mushroom kingdom, the princess peach from the evil Bowser, who is a dragon that can throw fire through his mouth and among many others. Things more, this franchise became popular in 1983 when it was released for the NES console this game managed to win.
If you aware of the shortcomings of Mario Party 8, you’ll know how big a role the Wii remote played in its demise. The hardware basically rendered that game frustratingly unplayable at times. So obviously, fans feared the worse for the next instalment. Thankfully though, the developer manages to master the Wii Remotes idiosyncrasies and delivers a set of mini-games that are mechanically sound and genuinely very fun. These games live and die by their mini games and gameplay value, so this was a triumph for the developer and a return to form for the series.
Then to mix things up, the game also adds cooperative boss stages where you will have to work together with your competitors to succeed. This was a welcome change, whereas the linear map progression was perhaps a misstep. The developers have managed to take away all the nuance and strategy from past iterations, essentially making this a series of mini-games and little else. The board game format has always been this games core gimmick and to toss it aside was a bold move to say the least.
A Party for The Eyes
Mario Party 9 also makes big improvements to the overall aesthetic from the previous game in the series. Wii games have always had a reputation as looking rather rough around the edges. However, through using assets from Super Mario Galaxy 2 and generally just polishing up the title, the ninth outing really looks the part. Textures are more refined; animations are slick and there is less of that fragmented blur effect that Wii games are synonymous with.
Invitation Only
One tiresome feature of past Mario Party game was that no what, two and three player games would have AI players thrown into the mix to make up the numbers. Well, that is finally a thing of the past as this game finally lets you play smaller games with just your pals. The games are scaled based on your party size and it allows for a much more intimate experience.
The Verdict
Overall, Mario Party 9 does a great job of fixing the issues of its predecessor, while still adding some new features that add to the overall experience. The graphical enhancements, fun mini-games and scaled games for smaller parties are all great changes but the issue is that there is only so much you can do. This format has been running for what seems like an eternity and hasn’t really evolved since.
So, what we are saying is, this game is the best version of that we could have hoped for. However, as a series, Mario Party is a tired and worn-out machine that has been pushed to its limit. So, this novel addition to the roster is about as good as one could have expected.
Pros:
- A strong graphical overhaul
- Fun and varied minigames
- Fixes Wii related issues
- Smaller parties are more fun
Cons:
Mario Party 9 Free Play
- Board game format is oversimplified and linear
- The overall format is tired and desperately needs a revamp
Mario Party 9 Free Online
Mario Party 9 Free For All Minigames
Mario Party 9 has a total of 81 minigames. Free-for-All minigames[edit]There is a total of 44 Free-for-All minigames. These games can be played with two, three, or four players. 1-vs.-Rivals minigames[edit]There is a total of ten 1-vs.-Rivals minigames. They can be played with either four players, becoming 1-vs.-3 minigames, or three players, becoming 1-vs.-2 minigames. Bowser Jr. minigames[edit]There is a total of ten Bowser Jr. minigames. All of them involve two players only. Boss minigames[edit]There is a total of 14 boss minigames. Two to four players can participate. The amount of health that each boss will have depends on how many players there are; if four players participate, the boss will have more health than if only two players participate. The background for the minigame instructions screen for these minigames is also colored red instead of blue. Note: Diddy's Banana Blast and DK's Banana Bonus are not actually boss minigames, since they do not appear in Boss Rush. They are categorized under boss minigames in Free Play, however. Extra minigames[edit]These minigames can only be played in Extra Mode. The number of players that can participate can vary for each minigame.
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