Joystiq hands-on: Mario Party 8 (Wii)
by Julian Thomas 
{ Jan 26th 2007 at 1:25PM }
Like the early days of the DS, the Wii still hasn't really found its own identity just yet. Still lacking a Brain Training or a Nintendogs, minigames are de rigeur on the system at the moment. Certainly the Wiimote is well suited for minigames, and it's been hoped that it will breathe some new life into a rather tired Nintendo franchise. Yup, Mario Party 8.Joystiq got to play an incomplete version of the "ocho" at the Osaka leg of Japan's World Hobby Fair. Six different minigames were on display:
- Lasso the barrels: Swing the lasso (Wiimote) in a circle, once you've got some momentum going, throw the lasso forward, grabbing a barrels for points (don't throw Wiimote). Some barrels are worth more points than others.
- Ball tilt: Balls fall from ceiling. Direct bouncing balls to their correct container by rotating the wiimote. Green on the left, and purple on the right.
- Drink shaking: Simply shake the Wiimote up and down; fastest shaker wins.
- Target shooting: Just as in Wii Play, shoot targets with your Wiimote. The high score zone constantly changes so you have to think fast.
- Jet ski jumps: Move your jet skier to the ramps to pick up coins. The challenge comes from the difficult controls.
- Crank turning: Turn a crank as fast you can. Exactly the same as the similar WarioWare minigame.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
stiq of joy @ Jan 26th 2007 1:28PM
I love how people always say dont throw wii remote. It shows how stupid our society/country is sometimes. If you cant hold onto a stupid remote you need to just kill yourself now because thats the easiest thing in life youll have to deal with.
Krak Monkey @ Jan 26th 2007 1:43PM
Please Nintendo, No more minigames!
randomshagz @ Jan 26th 2007 1:30PM
I dont have friends to play this with.
Intentless @ Jan 26th 2007 1:30PM
It is sad that I can not wait for Mario Pary 8 more than Crackdown and close to Halo 3... Or FF13 and MGS4... Its on the same tier... why... Oh right... fun...
Sir Josh @ Jan 26th 2007 1:37PM
when are they gonna release some games that aren't dumbed-down?
Nate @ Jan 26th 2007 1:49PM
Was anyone else bored with the Mario Party series 5 installments ago?
I mean...you can only have the "same, but slightly different" minigames for so long.
Mario Galaxy is where the real fun looks to be.
Myke @ Jan 26th 2007 1:43PM
"when are they gonna release some games that aren't dumbed-down?"
As soon as morons like you prove that you can play the games without throwing the controller through your TV, a window, or a loved one.
Fred T @ Jan 26th 2007 1:56PM
Another top notch, million+ seller for Wii.
And, you guys wonder why you're not getting any real games (non spin-off, minigames, or half-ass ports) from third party developers.
dukemeiser @ Jan 26th 2007 1:45PM
Any word on online capabilities? That's the only way I would buy it.
Intentless @ Jan 26th 2007 1:46PM
I have never been disappointed by a mario party... well not when utilized for the multiplayer aspects... can't wait... Also note these make excellent drinking games. Its more fun to do the winner drinks as opposed to loser...
Heyasuki @ Jan 26th 2007 1:47PM
I'm worried about the Wii at this point seems like most games are a result of a pack of mini games, like going to Shockwave and playing a free trial for an hour 0.o
dukemeiser @ Jan 26th 2007 1:49PM
Any word on online capabilities? That's the only way I would buy it.
Tsalagi @ Jan 26th 2007 2:09PM
I'm so tired of mini-games.
Seighton @ Jan 26th 2007 2:07PM
Yeah, the mini-games need to stop. Nearly everything described in the Mario Party 8 demo can be found in either WarioWare (target shooting, drink shaking, ball tilt, crank turning) or Rayman RR (lasso).
The only acceptable mini-game type title that we're missing is "New Track and Field". Running and baton passing in relay multiplayer, swimming with wiimote and chuck, javelin, hammer thow, discus, shot put (watch those screens, idiots), high jump, triple jump, etc... that would rock.
Miniboss @ Jan 26th 2007 1:56PM
"I'm worried about the Wii at this point seems like most games are a result of a pack of mini games, like going to Shockwave and playing a free trial for an hour"
Yep, two months into its life and you can see precisely how the next five years are going to be...
Oh wait.
lebowsky @ Jan 26th 2007 2:14PM
MP 8 has been delayed until Q2 so hopefully they are adding an online component. The MP games are a blast to play with 4 people, and I won't hesistate to buy this if it is playable online, and I'll urge my in-laws to buy it if it isn't ;)
TRUTH @ Jan 26th 2007 1:56PM
I would buy this game just so I could break it.
Bearxor @ Jan 26th 2007 2:01PM
"Drink shaking: Simply shake the Wiimote up and down; fastest shaker wins."
Something tells me I'll have a significant advantage over my wife in this game, as most of men probably will.
Yoshi Likes Boys @ Jan 26th 2007 2:02PM
Truth wins this round.
Genius @ Jan 26th 2007 2:07PM
If this game doesnt have online Nintendo is downright stupid.
On another note as somebody else touched on, the Wii is so far simply a tech demo. All they are doing is spitting out minigames for this console to show how "cool" this remote is. How about some GAMES Nintendo, you know, those fun challenging things we used to play on the SNES that kept us talking about it for decades? The typical fanboys might be wowed by Nintendos slight of hand tricks, but im not, and its about time they actually put some content on this console (it should have launched with a mario game, pretty inexcusable).
roflcopter @ Jan 26th 2007 2:12PM
just for the sake of curiousity, can anyone point me to a thread where fred t or thruth posted something constructive or positive about a game or a system or anything? cause i really haven't seen one...
it's not like they are sony or ms fanboys at this point, it seems they belong to a new breed: the antifanboy. they resist everything thats fun, naturally incapable of love, but they sure know how to hate...
Zertoss @ Jan 26th 2007 2:16PM
Just thought I'd point out that before the Wii launched, I predicted that the first year would be full of mostly "tech-demo" type games, just like the DS was.
Mario Party has always been about getting your friend/family together and playing a board game filled with crazy yet simple minigames. I've enjoyed a few of the entries in the series. 7 was a lot of fun and shook things up a little with different rules for different boards and the mic, so I'm looking forward to 8.
MewMewtwo45 @ Jan 26th 2007 2:18PM
Mario Party 8 may still be listed as March 5 in some places, but Nintendo Press Site now says Q2 2007. They probably delayed it to add in online play.
MewMewtwo45 @ Jan 26th 2007 2:19PM
Ah, beaten by #21.
Cinder @ Jan 26th 2007 2:20PM
Agree with you whole-heartedly here, roflcopter. Although this site has always suffered from the odd fanboy, the amount of zealous concentration in the comment sections of pretty much every article has reached a new height; Hell, if an article was about marshmallows, comments would be full of the Wii's mini-game culture, Sony's arrogance and MS' glut of FPS'. Frankly, with the PS3 and Wii hardly out of the starting blocks, I can only see this getting worse.
Jake @ Jan 26th 2007 2:21PM
Color me not excited. Nintendo should show Mario Galaxy again. Now that game looks good. We are due for some Metroid and SSBM spoilage as well, aren't we?
Slaziman @ Jan 26th 2007 2:21PM
Minigames minigames, come on I want some singeplayer/online goodness, not MORE minigames. Wii Play, Rayman, Monkey Ball, Warioware, and now this? Come on.
Intentless @ Jan 26th 2007 2:21PM
I def do not think they should get online with this game. It looses the appeal online vs being in the same room and having politics involved... and drinking...
Martin @ Jan 26th 2007 2:30PM
I am looking forward to this game. It's always nice to gather the family for a rousing game of Mario Party. Except Mario Party 6, that one sucked. The night and day thing was el stupido. Yeah.
And Joystiq, this new comment system both rocks and sucks. It rocks 'cause I don't have to confirm emails anymore, and sucks because it screws up the "Your Site" URLs. Keep up the good work / fix the bad work.
dis_guy @ Jan 26th 2007 2:30PM
You don't need onlinemultiplayer for this type of game, just friends. It might sound fun, but it won't be when its your turn to roll the dice and the guy that goes after you decides to go take a shit, not knowing how long you'll take when it only takes like 5 seconds. Then everyone is just sitting there waiting on him to come back and roll. Thats why it can't work. In a shooter, if a guy leaves to take a shit, you can just go up to his character and kill him. But here you have to wait for him to roll the dice.
def PD @ Jan 26th 2007 2:37PM
Delayed? Crapola. I got this game on preorder for $30 too. =*(
otisgibbon @ Jan 26th 2007 2:44PM
I don't care if this game is online. Waiting for people to take their turn could be really boring. Unless they somehow fix that I probably would keep it to just playing with friends in person. Zertoss, I agree with you about the Wii starting out like the DS, however I don't think it'll be a full year before we start seeing the real games. I read an article on IGN. There are like 20+ games I would consider buying coming out this year. Most of them I wouldn't put into the Tech demo catagory.
As far as minigame compilations go. They can release as many as they want as long as we start to see more of other types of games since there's quite a list plus aparently a few unanounced games I'm not terribly worried about it.
slacker164 @ Jan 26th 2007 2:44PM
While I too would like to see some more variation in the Wii line up, I can’t really say anything bad about Nintendo pushing to get Mario Party out. It’s a huge franchise and the system just screams Mario Party. Nintendo would have to be completely insane not to release this game as soon as possible.
As for online… I’m going to guess no. Nintendo is after more casual gamers, and, especially with Mario Party, kids. The only people I know that play online games are the more “hardcore” FPS/WoW type. While most all of my friends have consoles and play games, only a small handful have any interest at all in online gaming. Nintendo just isn’t really targeting the online gaming crowd, but the more general audience that mostly doesn’t care about online. I’d be really surprised if we saw any big online push from Nintendo during the Wii’s lifetime. I could be wrong, but I think the Wii is really designed to be connected for content, not online multi-player. Online multi-player is of course possible, and I’m sure some games will use it, but I really don’t think it’s going to be a big part of the Wii. Nintendo is much more concerned with single player and real life mulit-player games.
baby sea tuna @ Jan 26th 2007 3:01PM
Wow...another Mario Party. Looks like it's back to the drawer for my Wii...
SynikaL @ Jan 26th 2007 3:18PM
"Nintendo is much more concerned with. . .real life mulit-player games."
Which is exactly where the general industry needs to return thier focus IMO. I find it hard to imagane how developers these days don't see the merit in more personal multi-player experiences.
The industry is just shoehorning in the concept of online play simply because they feel it's a natural evolution for the console sect. IMO this has no merit unless compared to the PC side of the industry, of which business and consumer social architecture are much, much different.
I love the flexibilty of online play as much as the next man, but only as a substitute for a personal social experience, not a replacement.
-SynikaL
Charles @ Jan 26th 2007 3:13PM
For those that like their Mario Parties, this is good news and long overdue. Last year there was no Mario Party release for the first time in the series.
For those that don't like/know much about the series, I can see how this type of game may feel like minigame overdose for Wii.
As for myself, I stopped playing the series at MP4, and based on that I feel MP3 was the best one to date. So for MP8, I'm thinking rental first, and we'll see what happens from there.
Jay @ Jan 26th 2007 4:39PM
Brilliant! I swear, with 3 mates round this is the greatest game on earth. Really like the boardgame style presentation. Last MP I got was 5, and that was for a measly tenner. Great, fun games.
Funny too. As a Halo and Mario Party addictee, I can easily look forward to MP more. Shame they buggered up Halo 2 really.
Number One @ Jan 26th 2007 3:27PM
Fred T and TRUTH are at it again... get a hobby guys.. unless bashing is your hobby.. get a fucking life...
Zertoss @ Jan 26th 2007 3:32PM
Online play has several advantages, such as having large numbers of people playing in one game and a lack of split-screen play for real-time games.
Mario Party 8 could have up to 8 players by sharing the controllers, right? With online capabilities, you could have that many or more without having to share controllers. Depending on how capable the game is, you could even put 2 Wiis on a LAN (or maybe they could even direct connect) and have 8 people playing in the same house on 2 TVs. Xbox and Xbox 360 have that capability too, right?
But like several others, I would expect it to at best be limited to online play only with people you have traded Wii Codes or whatever they're called.
Koekoenutt @ Jan 26th 2007 3:42PM
Mario Party has slipped away from being original after the 3rd one. They recently added the mic for the NGC version, and although it added a new element, it was still more or less the same. However, I do feel the Wii really needs this title, as the Wiiremote is the extra addition and element that was really needed in the other ones. Its sad the Nintendo has released so many Mario Parties without to much more into then, that now a lot of people feel they will all be the same. In a certain aspect, it will be more or less the same game, but I think this title will be a good hit. To me, This is what should have came out instead of WarioWare. I would like to see Online play, just as another option and element put into the game, for a larger audience. I think WarioWare really lacked the Multiplayer fun that Mario Party will have, and in that Im excited.
If anyone has bothered to look at the games coming out for the Wii in March/April, You guys will realize there is more than just tech-demos and ports. Actually, a lot of interesting games are coming up in the next 3-4 months. Unfortantly, It's probably easier to get mini-games out quicker, than a fresh-completely steamed out solid game, which is why the Wii first few games seem to be "Tech-Demos".
The real problem with Nintendo, and I wouldn't really even call it a problem, is they like to keep their new games are closed up as they can, until the realease is very close. This is why you see more news on the smaller games on the Wii, then the main titles that are being overlooked so far.
BPM @ Jan 26th 2007 3:34PM
If the reviews are really supportive of Mario Party 8, it might be the first Mario Party I've bought since... Mario Party 2 on the N64 (in fact, that was the ONLY one I bought; I didn't buy the first since I couldn't stand the stick-rotating mini-games).
Online would be nice, but that's something I think Mario Party 9 will have. MP8 is still a first-gen Wii game, and it's going to be a while before Nintendo gets the online wagon chugging for Wii (just like with DS).
farmok @ Jan 26th 2007 3:45PM
I look forward to Mario Party. At this point, these minigames show all the capabilities of the wii-mote. Once developers see this, they can create games based off those mechanics. The wii still has to prove what it can do, and the fastest way to do this is through mini-games.
Also, they are trying to attract as many people as possible and since many of the "hardcore" gamers have already purchased another system for the more hardcore titles, Nintendo is in no hurry to rush those kind of games, but they do need to prove what the controller can do so that more 3rd parties feel confortable with putting out great games rather than just badly done ports.
Shagittarius @ Jan 26th 2007 3:45PM
More mini games for the Wii...pretty much games made for the target audience. I certainly don't expect too many offerings beyond this scope...
Even Twilight Princess was esentially a collection of mini games / puzzles with travel time.
OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Jan 26th 2007 3:50PM
They need to call this Mario Party 8: The Ocho.
Koekoenutt @ Jan 26th 2007 3:52PM
Shit Shag, If you consider Twilight Princess just a collection of Mini games + Puzzles with travel time, Im sure you can say the samething about a lot of games on other systems. Guess you could really say any adventure game is a collection of Mini games. Is God of War a collection of mini games, becuase you have to do a combination of buttons for different areas, and figure out "puzzles" and dungeon/boss solving. Hell, Is Obvlivion just a huge world of mini-games that is open in to online play?
I really understand where you are coming from, but I think you are taking it to a different length. If you don't expect to many offerings beyond this scope, just a little before 3 months old, then obvioulsy you haven't payed attention to the 2007 line up. Honestly, after March and this title, Ther e really isn't anymore "Mini-Game" games coming out for the Wii.
crusher @ Jan 27th 2007 2:23PM
My biggest complaint with the Wii at this point (my only others being the lack of online multiplayer yet and the lack of HD graphics, both of which I expected and am willing to deal with) is the abundance of mini- and/or casual games. I mean, sure, they are great for showing off the concept of the Wii remote or for getting together with a bunch of non-gamer friends, but how many of these do we need?
99.9% of the time I play video games by myself. I bought the Wii for the great first party games that I have come to love and expect from Nintendo, and hopefully greater third party support this time around. I've really enjoyed games like Zelda, Excite Truck, Call of Duty 3, and Trauma Center, but I really hope this thing doesn't just turn into a Wii Sports (great as it is) and party game machine.
I think publishers have already found a way to be uncreative and unoriginal by putting together these party mini-game collections that dumb down the Wii remote. I understand Mario Party is a respected franchise, but after Rayman Raving Rabbids and WarioWare, it's just more of the same.
Shagittarius @ Jan 26th 2007 4:12PM
God of war had gameplay mechanics that you learned when you first started playing the game. As the game progresses your adding new abilities and encountering enemies that make you rethink strategies that you've been using from the begining however the basic gameplay mechanics of the game remain consistent throughout.
In a title like TP rather than the main mechanic being combat...there is no main mechanic...you go through the game encountering different equipment and puzzles that change constantly. The combat in Zelda is pedestrian at best (I played it on the Wii so maybe the wii controls hid the true challenge of the combat) its obvious that combat is not the main focus of this game. Even moments when combat could be used and challenging (like when the shadow beings teleport into the light word) rather than relying on game mechanics that you've been practicing over the course of the game they give you a minigame where you have to get the circle around all the remaining enemies at once.
I think that the new controls for the Wii are only partially to blame for Nintendo pursuing this avenue of game design, I think the DS has done the most damage to the way Nintendo makes games and the Wii simply suffers from their new game design theory already set in motion.
You might like these kinds of games, but I don't and I seriously hope the mass market rejects the Wii so that a hobby I've enjoyed for 28 years doesn't become something I'm no longer interested in. I'm all for new and unique gaming experiences, but I know its a lie to imply that creativity is dead beacuse were using old style controllers...its up to the game developers to give us good experiences and no controller is going to make that a reality.
Nope, Nintendo saw its sucess with the DS and incorrectly equated that to mini games and touch screen controls...so they emulated that the best they could with the Wii expecting to have the same impact on the home console market. So far people are eating it up, but I don't think its going to hold up over the long run.
I own all 3 consoles and I try to be objective but when something potentially threatens to casualize my favorite past time, I certainly hope for its failure.
Follisimo @ Jan 31st 2007 9:55PM
"Drink shaking: Simply shake the Wiimote up and down; fastest shaker wins."
Hmm I bet the lonely guys are gonna exceed at this one.
Nick S @ Jan 26th 2007 9:43PM
Maybe they should just make this the last Mario Party and then allow you to download more mini games, boards, content, etc... That would save them from having to make a new disc. Of course, the content would only work if you had the MP8 disc in the Wii. I'm actually very much looking forward to MP8. My friends and I have had lots of drunken weekends playing Mario Party (have 6 and 7). I just hope I can find a Wii before it comes out (I'm bitter about that!)
RogueJedi86 @ Jan 26th 2007 4:22PM
@15/Bearxor
Looks like you and I are the only ones who caught the sexual innuendo involved in one of the mini-games:
"Drink shaking: Simply shake the Wiimote up and down; fastest shaker wins."
Tell me you're not shaking it up and down the way I think you do.