Mario Party 3

P-A-R-T-Why? 'Cause we gotta! For Nintendo, it seems the party never stops. It certainly doesn't for Mario, who is about to return with all of his mates in Mario Party 3. The last two titles have been happy successes and so it only seems natural that the Big N carries on releasing them to keep the fans happy. If George Lucas can do it, then anyone can! But hey, I digress...

If you are expecting anything brand new or drastically different from this latest Party offering, then you can pretty much forget it. But then again, most sequels never offer anything too different anyway, otherwise the fans of the original might not look twice at the latest instalment. Can you imagine if in Terminator 2, instead of giving the audience more explosive, violent, cyborg-crazy, bullet-ridden madness, James Cameron had instead made a film about a butterfly fluttering across a pond? There would have caused an outrage, or at least some furrowed brows! And in Mario Party's case, why tinker with a format that has already proved successful? It's true what they say – if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

So what does this latest Party have that warrants us putting our hands in our wallets one more? Not much, if you already own one or both of the previous games! However, if you don't, then this might be the edition to wait for. Mario Party 3 has 70 new mini-games and ten different game boards for you to play on. In addition, you also get a few new characters to play with, one of whom is old favourite Wario's bad-boy brother, Waluigi.

The rules are exactly the same as in all the previous Party games. You pick a character, roll the die and proceed to march around the gameboard playing mini-games and collecting stars. In most cases, the games are variations or slight improvements on the older versions. This means there is still plenty of button-bashing and stick-wiggling (ooer!) to look forward to.

There are some games however, that look as though they may offer something a bit different. There is a roulette table, where chance is your only friend, and also a Tetris-style game to breathe a bit of fresh air into the proceedings! As before, what you get is a simple piece of innocent enjoyable fun, with lashings of humour and bright candy-cane colours! One novel little idea this time around is that you can also be given a 'helper'. This guy travels around with you in the Dual Map Mode and joins in when you have to battle for a reward. Of course, a party wouldn't be a party unless you had a load of mates with you, and with Mario Party 3, it's that old multiplayer mayhem that makes the game what it is!

The overall look and feel of Mario Party 3 is of a title which, although not revolutionary, is still the best of the bunch so far. Graphically, there is nothing too outstanding on show, but there are some touches of flair and the odd cool effect to prove to you that this is a cut above the rest. Could be well worth holding out for...

All the fun of a party without the clearing up afterwards! This is going to be a tough one. How to write a four page review about a game which, despite having a few minor improvements, is basically the same as its two predecessors? Without trying to repeat ourselves or stretching out the new information for as long as we can, we'll endeavour to craft an in-depth critique of Mario Party 3. Although why we should bother trying to write an in-depth and intelligent critique for the first time ever escapes us, so let's not bother.

Mario Party 3 is like Mario Party 2 and Mario Party in nearly every way. We say nearly because, in fairness, there are a few improvements in this third outing that deserve to be noted.

The games all involve you and three other players – CPU-controlled or friends – moving around a themed board playing games and collecting coins and stars. Both previous Mario Party games had a theme and this one is no different. The Millennium Star falls out of the sky and, erm, well, for some reason this means Mario and his pals have to roam around and play with each other. Wait, we'll rephrase that! Ah, forget it, you know what we mean! “It's nice to know that Mario Party and its sequels are still the leaders of the pack”

These Are A Few Of Our Favourite Things!

There are, as we've said already, 70 brand new games in Mario Party 3. Some are good, some bad, some plain stupid, but from the good ones, we've chosen these four examples:

• QUIZ

This game requires you to answer questions based upon the rules and actions in the main game itself. There are question about your own scores, your opponent's scores and the events that have already been completed... so keep your eyes open!

• FIRE

A bit like something out of Point Blank but not quite. Well, obviously there's no light gun or anything but you still have to have very quick reflexes to make sure that you hit as many correct targets as your opponent, if not more. Bang, bang!

• TUBE

Remember that game, ooh, what's it called again? That's right, STUN Runner. Well this mini-game is a bit like that, only shorter. It's fast, fun and a little bit too tricky, but it's darn good and that's all that really matters!

• JUMP

This game puts Mario back where he belongs, jumping from platform to platform, climbing ever higher to reach the goal! It's tougher then you think too! The platforms move, the jumping is tricky and it takes a fair bit of practice to master!

Party Line

We now know, graphically, what to expect from the Mario Party series. There are lots of lovely environments to explore and each of the characters is depicted in the traditional, cutesy style we have all come to recognise. On top of all these sugary, syrupy images, Nintendo has thrown in some nice new visual effects. It's nothing but cosmetic fluff to make this game look better than the last, but it's still rather cool to be subjected to loads of flashing, sparkling special effects to cover up the fact that the content isn't really anything new.

Again, the sound effects and pieces of music are pleasant but not exactly mind-blowing. This game could just as easily be played with the sound off and you wouldn't lose any of the gaming experience.

In a nutshell, Mario Party 3 is more accessible and features a collection of games which are cleverly created and bulging with more fun! If that is not good enough, the game also has 70 – count them, 70 – brand spanking, straight off the press, fresh as the morning milk, new as a newborn baby, minigames to play!

Party Pooper Scooper

The main strength of Mario Party has always been the imaginative minigames that are littered throughout. Although they were always fun, an awful lot of them...

It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To!

Mario's party is by no means the most famous party in the world. Why, that would be a ridiculous thing to think! But that then begs the question, "What is the most famous party in the world?" Here are our findings:

PARTY OF FIVE

That TV show that launched the careers of Neve Campbell of Scream fame and that other one, the one who was in I Don't Care What You Did Last Summer. Considering the show was called Party Of Five, there seemed to be far too many people in it! Party Grade: 4/10

BACHELOR PARTY

Not only is this a fairly humiliating event for all those involved in the pre-marriage ritual, but it also a film featuring Tom Hanks and that guy from Grease 2. This is not the kind of film you'd want to let kiddiewinks see, otherwise you'll hear the following question from them. "Dad, why is Tom Hanks running around after naked women while a donkey sniffs white powdery stuff?"

Party Grade: 7/10

NOEL'S HOUSE PARTY

...was possibly the most notorious party in the UK at one point. Now though, the world of Crinkley Bottom has disappeared. To describe it now, it would seem as though it had been invented by a drug-addled mind. For example: Little man owns a big, gunge-filled house. His flatmate is a large pink blob who attacks everyone. Little man hides secret camera in people's houses and embarrasses celebrities! Everyone in the surrounding village seems to hate the man. Comedy ensues. Hey, that's the early Nineties for you!

Party Grade: 9/10

FANCY DRESS PARTY

Rubbish! They are nowhere near as good as you think they should be. Despite the efforts of most people who attend, the whole event comes across like a Dr Who convention at a hostel. The worst offenders of all are those fancy dress parties that have a theme everyone must stick to. For instance, a 'come as a dead person' party. Anyone who turns up as Princess Diana or Mother Teresa is booed back home. Or even worse than that, a 'come as a movie character' party. This is guaranteed to see people desperately try to dress up like a Reservoir Dog, Princess Leia or Bruce Willis from The Fifth Element in the mistaken belief that it will improve their pulling chances!

Party Grade: 1/10 - WINNER: Noel's House Party!

Who'd have thought it? Guess the BBC was wrong to pull it from the TV schedules, eh? (No!) Chiefly concerned hammering away at a button until your vision blurred. In Mario Party 2 the challenges were a little more inventive, but a bit more convoluted as a result. This time the balance between challenging your brain and testing your reflexes to the limit is just right.

Some of the games are particularly cool. There is a rather interesting golfing game (Mario certainly enjoys his sports) that requires you to hit your ball as close to the hole as possible in order to win. Another rather manic game is styled closely on Tetris and is exciting, fun and colourful. One other game that made a big impression involves swimming away from a giant fish. Although you must bash your little B button to get away quickly, things are made even more thrilling when you discover that your character must dive under the water to avoid being blown up by mines as well!

All of the games test a whole range of the player's abilities from skill, through strategy to using your memory to answer questions about the game itself. The overall package is far more rounded than in Mario Party 2 and because of this, the game is incredibly satisfying!

Private Party

As for the main bulk of the gameplay... well it goes without saying that playing this title in party mode in single player is a bit pointless. Oh, sure, you can get used to the minigames and train your skills, but the problem with playing it on your own is that it can get a little dull at time. Single player mode means having to sit and watch the actions of the computer players as...

Mario Party 3 is clearly the best incarnation of the series so far, they hop, skip and jump around the board. It also means having to watch them play their own individual minigames. After a while this does get a little tiresome! No, little polygon-perplexed friends, the only way to get the desired fun from this game is to get your friends involved! Surely the point of a Mario Party game, and we are only guessing here, we could be wrong, is to have your four friends playing along with you so that the overall experience is (counts on fingers) four times as enjoyable?

There is a second way to play Mario Party however... oh yes!

If you don't have three friends to make up the numbers at your party, you can actually play a new game which is just as enjoyable on your own or with one extra friend. The Duel Map requires a little bit more strategy than the main game. It basically goes like this: you travel across the board, playing mini-games, collecting coins and other objects. On this journey you are accompanied by a partner (or two). These partners are there to battle against your opponent's partners and the ultimate aim of the game to ensure that you knock out all of the opposition without losing your own team. Okay, it's a little more complicated than that but you get the gist of it! At first the game is bemusing but once you have mastered the rules, it's actually surprisingly enjoyable!

Mario's Balls

Mario Party 3 is clearly the best incarnation of the series so far, and if you've resisted buying one of these games in the past, then now is your time to invest. Although there have been a few improvements (you don't have to pay anymore to play the opened mini-games, for example) Mario Party 3 still has its familiar faults, but these shouldn't be enough to put you off buying the game. With party games popping up on other – inferior – consoles, it's nice to know that Mario Party and its sequels are still the leaders of the pack. As the sun sets on the N64, and Mario and the gang move on to bigger and better things, you'd be doing yourself no harm in picking up this last Mario adventure for your favourite 64-bit beauty.

Pros

• Improved visuals
• Creative, fun games
• Gameplay isn't as much of a drag this time!
• Great excuse to find some friends... finally!
• Duel Map mode offers a nice change!

Cons

• Some sections can still be boring.
• Only worth buying if you don't own the first two games.
• If you can't find any friends, the game isn't as good!

BOTTOM LINE

CONTROLS

• L: Taunt
• R: View Board
• B: Cancel / Use Item
• A: Action / Roll dice
• C Buttons: Various functions depending on the minigame you're playing.
• D: Directions
• Z: Various actions

ALTERNATIVES

• Mario Party 2: Nintendo
• Pokémon Puzzle League: Nintendo

RATING

• Graphics: 4 / 5
• Audio: 3 / 5
• Gameplay: 3.5 / 5
• Challenge: 4 / 5

Mario Party 3 was one of the last games released for the Nintendo 64, right as the console refused to die in 2001. The third entry in the party Mario Party game series arrived right at the end of the Nintendo 64 lifespan. You surely know that even today, new Mario Party games are released. They've always been successful and among the most popular party games, so let's talk about the third entry and see what's all this about.

About the game

In terms of mechanics, the game is pretty similar to what we've seen in the past two games. Mario Party 3 combines board game mechanics with party minigames. Throw the dice and move through the blocks on board to earn more coins and stars. At the end of the game, the player with more points wins.

The minigames are varied and can be of teamwork, 2 vs 2, 3 vs 1, or everyone vs everyone. They are pretty fun and challenging, especially to play with friends. The game includes 70 different minigames. Some of them are completely new and some are remade from previous titles.

Throw the dice for the third time

In general terms, it is pretty similar to what we've seen before. There are minigames, amazing levels to compete on and tons of fun for everyone. It's an improvement over the first Mario Party game, some similar minigames, more characters available. There are some new additions for making the singleplayer game a bit more fun, but it's still not good enough for this game type.

Review

Mario Party 3 is, as the name implies, a full-blown party game. And as such, it should not be played in single-player mode. The minigames are boring and there's not really much of a challenge or excitement in playing it without more people.

The game will be boring and repetitive in no time if you don't have people to play it with. If you get some friends or family to play it with, Mario Party 3 is a great game, very fun and competitive. The game earns extra points as an excellent, solid title if you haven't played the other two games.

IIf you have played the other two games it's still great, but you might get a feeling that it's more of the same. Unlike future Mario Party games in which they completely changed the tabletop game mechanics.

• Graphics and visuals: The game looks ok, it's not the best looking game on the Nintendo 64, but it's enough to be enjoyable. The characters are all recognizable and the stages are very original and nice looking. And it's nice to see the colorful characters in the minigames.

• Gameplay: The gameplay is just as good as in any other Mario Party game. The minigames are solid and the levels are well designed. It's incredibly fun and exciting if you play it with more people. Playing it by yourself is boring, and will get repetitive in no time.

• Sound: The soundtrack is just as nice as in any other Mario game, it's nice and very cheerful. It fits perfectly with the whole style of the game.

Hudson and Nintendo have teamed up once again for a third Mario Party game, coming to Japan in December, this time with 10 map boards and 70 all-new mini-games. Twenty items and "Action Events" on the main map (that require button tapping) have been added to the Battle Royale mode and a dual map feature gives you the option of bringing along a helper in the single-player game. Sweet!