Mario Party 9 for Wii Reviews by Gamers

I love the Mario Party series. I've liked most iterations of the line (3 and 6 are my favorites). I have played the single player for most of them, and enjoyed it unironically. But the changes made to this version, while well-meaning, make the game boring for me.

Everyone moves together, on a big car. You try to collect mini-stars as opposed to "big stars," so the potential to spread the wealth is there. The single player mode is frustrating, and can force you to repeat maps if you don't win, which is a kick in the teeth when the play-throughs are so boring.

The multi-player isn't much better. You move slowly, and the mini-games are too sparse, showing up only when a challenge spot is hit. there are mini-boss and big-boss battles on the maps, which are kind of cool I'll admit, but otherwise the game doesn't offer much.

I want to like it, but I can't imagine a scenario where any number of friends and I would enjoy playing this.

This version of Mario Party is a disappointment in comparison. Most the gameplay is left to dice rolls and sheer luck. There are very few games of skill.