|
BlackIvory32's Mario Party DS (DS)
|
| [February 9, 2008 01:10:04 AM]
|
Game Entry #2
Gameplay:
Alright, since my previous gamelog entry, I have gotten my roommate, my girlfriend, and my friend to play Mario Party Multiplayer. Since we only have 3 DS's however, we were stuck alternating a DS (person in last place gives up their DS). Anyways, to describe the overall experience, in one word, would be say it was Incredible. What about it was incredible? Well to begin, the atmosphere. When playing Mario Party alone, I was not really into it. Granted it was entertaining, but compared to playing the game with actual people, Multiplayer rules, single player sucks. The atmosphere in the room was electric. We were yelling, groaning, and cursing each-other with excitement. Perhaps this sounds a bit exaggerated, but anyone who has gotten themselves involved in a serious game of monopoly (or any other board-game) knows that the spirit of competition can make even the most banal game riveting.
Apart from a change in competition, there was also a change in the game elements. Among the things that I didn't notice before are the use of items, traps, and "awards" given at the end of the game. The way those things tie into the multiplay aspect is that they allow the players to get ahead or sabotage one another. Also the inclusion of the "awards" makes the game unpredictable because even after the game is over, the person in second or third place can rise to first place if they get enough "awards" at the totaling up of points. Needless to say, the awards are somewhat arbitrary which gives the worst players a sense of hope and the best players a sense of doubt.
Game Design:
Overall I would say the game design was pretty good. The inclusion of lots of mini-games, game extras, and unlock-able content definitely brought value to the game. I would like to make of note of the mini-games in particular. Though the mini-games got redundant, the variety, including the options for the amount of players, made it fun. Also the mini-games made great use of the DS mic and touch screen. Some games required a lot of blowing (candles, wobbling bricks, etc...) as well lots of touching (leaves, pencil, roping, etc...).
The level designs (board designs?) were also well thought out. Each one was themed and had their own twist. The Library Board in particular had a neat concept of teleporting through books. The reason this was necessary is because parts of the puzzle were only accessible through teleporting. Also there is a race to find Stars, and in order to get to a place faster one might try teleporting (though it doesn't always work in your favor). Another thing I found neat about the levels was that a lot of the scenery was functional. That is to say, that almost everything you saw played some role in the progression of the game. Currently I am still discovering new mini-games and strategies to getting better at this game. Overall I would say that this game as High replay value and is recommended to anyone with a DS who likes party games.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 9th, 2008 at 01:12:37.
read comments (1)  -
add a comment 
|
| [February 8, 2008 01:16:28 AM]
|
Game Entry #1
Summary:
Essentially, Mario Party is a turn based board game with a Nintendoesque twist. The player roles dice, moves an avitar across a board, and tries to score points. In the DS version, the player has the option to choose from playing "Story Mode, Party Mode, Minigame Mode, Puzzle Mode, and Multiplayer". "Story Mode" has a very weak narrative revolving around characters from the mario franchise. "Party Mode" skips the narrative and allows the player to play on any of the unlocked "boards" or stages. "Minigame Mode" allows the player to play unlocked mini-games without playing on the board. "Puzzle Mode" allows the player to play puzzlesque games that are similar to bejeweled and SPF2. Lastly. "Multiplayer Mode" allows the player to play any of the above game modes in multiplayer (up to 4 players) via local wi-fi (and only one game card is necessary).
Gameplay
So last weekend I had a few bucks to kick around, and with no PS3 games interesting me, I though I'd get a new DS game. Needless to say the game I got was Mario Party for the DS. First off let me say I love how many options this game has. Its like buying a 100 games in one cartridge (but not really since there all mini-games) That said, this game is All mini-games with a board game concept connecting them. Sure there is a story mode, but all thats good for is unlocking more boards. When playing the "Story Mode" I felt the narrative was pretty cheap. Sort of an excuse to make the player play across all the boards and succeed. The reason it feels cheap is because it feels like it was tacked on to give the game purpose. Essential this is a board game. I feel that board games don't really have narrative. That said, the other game modes are really fun.
The boards themselves are also really fun. Instead of being stuck on a single track moving across the board, there are short cuts, special items, and traps that allow the player to move anywhere across the board (and sometimes to new a location thats not accessible via the normal path) Each board is themed, which I also really like. Jungle, Library, Castle, Garden, etc... Needless to say, each board theme has its own music which adds to the whimsicality of the game. I found the music to get annoying at times, but overall is something that fades into the background so you don't really notice it.
Another game element that keeps the game "upbeat" is the mini-games. The mini-games make great use of the touch screen and are overall fun to play. When I was playing the game earlier to day, I noticed that the games do get monotonous simply because you play them so much. Because this is a turn based game, you also have to watch all the other players (which are the computer) play out their turns. This can get boring and cause anxiety because your just waiting for your turn to come up. Im sure that the game is a lot more fun when you play Multiplayer, but I will leave that for my next Game Entry. Hopefully I can get some of my friends to come over with the DS and play (the single card option is a nice touch considering that no one else I know has this game).
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 8th, 2008 at 01:17:26.
add a comment
|
|
|
 |
BlackIvory32's Mario Party DS (DS)
|
|
Current Status: Played occasionally
GameLog started on: Thursday 7 February, 2008
|
 |
| other GameLogs for this Game |
|
This is the only GameLog for Mario Party DS. |
|
