I’m really not the best person to talk about Mario Party. I really personally dislike the board game parts of it, especially the roll and move aspect. That said, I can clearly see that Mario Party 2 is much improved from the first game in many areas.

For the boards, there is a bit more interactivity and routes to take, plus item shops so you can buy items to boost future turns. One thing I did find odd is that the Stars seem to be placed much closer to players, especially at the start of the game.

One new addition to the boards that I hated was the Koopa Bank. If you move past the space, you lose five coins, and if you land directly on it, you get all the coins. What I particularly disliked was that it was generally plonked right at the start, so people will tend to lose coins on their first turn.

One really nice touch, however, are the costumes. For each board (except the final, unlockable one), characters will wear outfits that matches the theme of the board – it’s a shame this lovely feature never cropped up again.

What Mario Party 2 excels in, though, is minigames. The minigames involving spinning the stick have been completely removed, while some of the better games from the first game make a return; sometimes with some visual or mechanical changes, sometimes exactly the same. One nice touch is that some minigames are also altered for the singleplayer minigame mode.

That said, a few of the duller minigames really felt like they went on for far too long. Toad in the Box (jump up at an extremely fast spinning box and hope for five Toad symbols) and Honeycomb Havoc (collect 1 or 2 fruit, avoid honeycombs) feel like they should be much shorter.

At the end of the day, Mario Party is a great way to spend a couple of hours with friends, as the randomness and taking turns means that people of different skills (and people not fully paying attention) can get a good laugh out of it. Mario Party 2 is still considered by many to be the best Mario Party. Personally, I would still love Mario Party to have a more involving board mechanic.

Fun

Admittdly, it’s not the most grount-breaking game in Mario’s illustrious history. Super Mario 64 single-handedly created a whole new genre, Mario Kart 64 took multiplayer gaming to new heights, and Mario Party 2… well, Mario Party 2 is a facsimile of Mario Party 1. A batch of new minigames, one or two cosmetic changes, and that’s it. But it’s fun.

Mark Green, N64 Magazine #42. Review Score: 87%

Remake or remaster?

A perfect Mario Party collection would include all the boards, have different rule sets, and let you mix and match minigames.

Official Ways to get the game

There is no way to buy a new copy of Mario Party, the only official way to play is to rent it via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

Re-releases

2010: Wii Virtual Console

2016: Wii U Virtual Console

2022: Nintendo Switch Online (Subscription Only)