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Video Games : Mario Party 4

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List Price: $49.99
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Sales Rank: 547; Release Date: 24 October, 2002; Media: Video Game; ESRB Rating: Everyone; Age Group: 5 years and up; Platform: GameCube

Accessories:
  • Nintendo GameCube Console Carrier
  • Controller- Spice
  • G-Force Controller- Clear Purple
  • G-Force Controller- Black
  • GameCube Monitor (Black)

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  • Customer Reviews
    Average Rating: 3.78 out of 5 stars

    Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - this is just a stupiud question, but........
    ... this game is ok, it just depends what kind of gamer u are. i had never played a whole game of any of the previous ones, because it sounds really boring. my freind got it, and invited me over, and of course he wants to play it. i wasnt to excited at first because it sounded like a board game on a screen. and those like the name suggests, are really easy games to get board on. I played any way, figuring i could squeze in an excuse to go play football or something more entertaining, but once i started, i was in for a big surprise. it was wwaayy funner than i thought it would be. now dont think that that makes it a great amazing game, or youre underestimating how bad i thought mario party was. The begining was really boring, just rolling the dice, but eventually, when all the rolling was done, we got into a mini game. Now, right about then i was ready to suggest going outside, because i was already bored. Now, most people might think that what i right next is what changed my mind about this game. actually it didnt. thw "mini game" was easy, and boring. all u did was try to press buttons really fast, and try to beat the other people who were pressing buttons really fast.

    BORING

    i asked my freind the question, because i was starting to think that this couldnt get any worse, and if it did, then i might not be able to even think about video games again. OK, that was a bit dramatic, but u get the point. He says sure (thank the LLOORRDD), but then asks if he could check a new mini game. He does, and this is what changed my veiw on the game. There is not just a lot of button pressing, but also a lot of stratigy. actually, theres none, really it is just a lot of button pressing, but what video game isnt? these games where fun to a cerain point, but im guessing it would get boring after a while. well, thats my review, and i hope nintendo seriously thinks about changing mario partys name.

    Rating 5/10

    I would have giving it a 3/5 stars, but i was afraid no one would see it if i did that.



    Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - mario party is back... more great multiplayer fun!
    Generally speaking, a good party consists of loud music, obnoxious people you don't really know, copious amounts of cheap vodka, and a few loose women. While Nintendo's Mario Party 4 doesn't rely on any of the above, it does provide a digital alternative to raging hangovers and vague memories of the previous night's activities. Although it's the fourth title in the series, it's the first Mario Party game on the GameCube, and it packs a decent four-player punch.

    Mario Party 4 goes a little above and beyond its previous incarnations, and thanks to some skillful development from Hudson Soft, eight of your favorite Nintendo characters are ready to do battle through over 50 nutty mini-games in order to win a juicy prize. Lending itself to a very simple gameplay premise, Mario Party 4 is best enjoyed with four human players -- the idea is to be guy that collects the most hidden stars and gold coins at the end of a party. Each party is played over a selectable number of turns (from between ten and 50 -- ten turns takes around 30 minutes to play) on one of five themed game boards.

    Some familiar faces are on hand to meet and greet the party-players. Toad, Shy Guy, Koopa, Boo, and Goomba all offer a game board with themes such as the "Seaside Soiree," the "Haunted Bash," and the "Jungle Jam." There are eight Nintendo-friendly guys and gals to choose from at the player select screen: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Daisy, and Waluigi. There are essentially two main modes of play in Mario Party 4.

    Party mode is where the most fun occurs and involves between one to four human players getting jiggy on any of the game boards. Story mode is the single-player component of the game and pits you against three randomly selected CPU-controlled guys. If you win the game, you'll be awarded a prize, and depending on which character you were playing as, it'll be different each time (e.g. Playing as Waluigi, I won Waluigi's Shelf, which is one of many unique pieces of furniture that can be found for his mini-apartment -- viewable in the prize room).

    One new feature to the series is the mini-mega system -- which manifests itself in the form of two different mushroom-based items. These items can be taken before you roll the die at the beginning of turn. A mini-mushroom will shrink you down, allowing you to access other areas of the board, but it'll limit your maximum die roll to five instead of six. Being mini will allow you to tackle some special "mini" mini-games too.

    Going the other route and taking a mega-mushroom, will in contrast increase the size of your guy, and it'll give you a combined roll of two dice, increasing your ability to travel further around the board. You'll also squish any players that you travel past, causing them to hemorrhage value gold coins. Being large also means you'll be immune to any event spaces on the board. The mini-mega system is cool in theory, but in actuality, it doesn't really add that much to the gameplay.

    There are a ton of new items, events, traps, and bonuses that are scattered through the game -- such as the Genie Lamp which costs 30 coins to buy -- but it'll warp you straight to the current star on the board. All these factors throw more uncertainty into the mix, with the final game experience getting more and more random compared to the first three games in the series. Is this a bad thing? It depends on your point of view, but it can be pretty frustrating to be on top for most of the game and then have it all snatched away at the last minute. There are a few constants; these arrive at the very end of the game in the form of stars awarded to the player that collected the most coins, won the most mini-games, and triggered the most event features.

    There's no doubt that Mario Party 4 sports classic multiplayer fun and all of the mini-games are a blast in their own right, but there's one hugely annoying factor -- the CPU controlled characters. In the single-player mode, you'll be forced to watch the CPU guys take their individual turns.

    This happens at a mind-numbingly slow pace, and after a few games you'll be begging to have bamboo shoots inserted under your fingernails to alleviate the tedium. Essentially, the single-player game exists to let you win the prizes -- something that becomes very unimportant all too quickly.

    Huge Mario gets ready to squash the others. Putting those issues aside, Mario Party 4 as an actual party game, works really well. Teamwork, smack talk, and cajoling come heavily into play, and it's certainly the best in the series to date. The GameCube provides the graphical grunt to take Mario Party 4 to the next level and all of the characters, boards, and mini-games display slick animation, special effects, and a sweet bouncy-cartoony look and feel. Controls for the most part are extremely simplistic, but this really only adds to the pick-up-and-play nature of the game as a whole. There's a myriad of nice Nintendo-tastic tunes, voices, and sound effects, which wrap the game up into a well-presented, good-looking game.

    For those that enjoy Nintendo's rich characters and imagination, Mario Party 4 is a great game to have. With four-players in tow, it's a total blast, but for those that are looking for some solid, non-anger-inducing solo play, you'd do well to swerve away from this one for sure.

    The Lowdown: More of the same great Mario Party multiplayer action.

    Pros: It looks great; the mini-games are a hoot; really good fun with four players.

    Cons: More features aren't necessarily a good thing; there's little fun when flying solo.

    BIG DAN's OVERALL RATING - 7.5/10



    Rating: 2 out of 5 stars - the worst party ever
    this game was horrid compaired to the first. when i upgraded from a n64 to a gamecube, i got this game. the only thing different was that they copyed every game except they made it worse and added some of the worst games ever. the graphics are an upgrade and they made items that help you around the board, but it goes to waste on really bad levels. they added 2 odd characters daisey and waligi, a copy off of peach and a cross between wario and luigi with conan o'brians legs and a purple suit. ehg
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    script by MrRat