Mario Party 10 Reviews
Such is the nature of a game that's trying to offer something for everyone; invariably, there's never going to be quite enough of the stuff you like. And perhaps Mario Party's desire to be truly inclusive will always hold it back from being a classic. This is, at least, in the upper echelons of the series: a little short of the Hudson Soft heyday, maybe, but better than every entry since the fifth, and certainly superior to the anaemic eighth entry and the pointless handheld versions. Wii U owners already have deeper and more substantial multiplayer options, but few - if any - of them are quite so welcoming to all.
'Mario Party 10' attempts to bring together a mix of old and new ideas in order to carve out a renewed identity for itself, encountering just as many stumbles as successes.
After 17 years, Mario Party 10 needs more than GamePad antics and amiibo support to keep the party going.
ND Cube repeats some of Mario Party 9's winning formula, but loses focus in trying to incorporate the GamePad and amiibo figures. Ultimately, it's more snake than ladder.
Mario Party is good at creating an excuse for jovial arguments and competition with friends, but it continues to favor random chance over identifiable mechanics and tactics
While there are some moments to be had with Mario Party 10's minigames, it doesn't have the depth or the challenge to hold your attention for long.
Mario Party 10 can be fun, but it can also be downright insufferable
Despite its flaws, it's hard not to have fun with Mario Party 10 in small doses. Obnoxious amiibo functionality and an overall lack of variety make it hard to recommend to anyone who's not already a fan of the franchise, but those who enjoy a bit of Mushroom Kingdom chaos with friends might just find reason enough to give it a shot.
While Nintendo could definitely have done more in terms of the new features it's implemented and the level of unique content, the overall package is good, honest fun, and the standard Mario Party mode still has a lot to offer. It's a great starting place if you've never played a game in the series before - if you want a light-hearted game to enjoy with a group of friends, regardless of their skill level, you could do a lot worse than this.
Mario Party 10 is fun with friends. Running around a field with water balloons is also fun with friends. Watching two squirrels run up a tree is also fun with friends. Out of those three, I wouldn't take Mario Party 10 first.
Great party game to play with non-gamers.
The game looks great, of course, with an aesthetic right in line with Super Mario World 3D. And everything is polished enough, functional. It just isn't quite enough game to justify the sticker-price, and certainly isn't for anyone hoping to play solo. I don't say this as someone who yearns longingly for the days of Mario Party yore, but rather as someon who comes to the series pretty fresh, and is still left wanting more.
In the end, if you have siblings or friends who you could play against, Mario Party 10 can end up being a roaring good time for a while. By yourself, however, I would recommend either skipping it altogether or at least know you are dipping into a more minimal title.
Mario Party 10 feels like waiting in a line that never moves forward. It's completely possible to go through an entire match as a passive observer and still win first place. Occasional mini-games spice things up but their appearance is far too rare. Don't RSVP to this party.
If you've bonded with the series before then it's a small concession to make. However, for first timers, Mario Party 10 isn't the immediate smash hit you may be expecting off the back of Super Mario 3D World and Mario Kart 8. Bringing the game to Wii U has meant a facelift and some nice new bells and whistles to fiddle around with. However, Mario Party 10 is much like the latest iteration of an established board game: although it may look different, love them or hate them, the rules are still very much the same.
Amiibo Party is a welcome step back towards the franchise's more enjoyable past, but the main modes aren't proper board games – they're just plain boring.
As a total package, Mario Party 10 is still good—very good, even. But it's easy to see where development took a wrong turn, where resources were allocated to the wrong areas, and why the game's stronger points aren't as fully fleshed out as they could have been.
There isn't much in Mario Party 10 to justify an upgrade over previous Mario Party games, but what's there is still just as enjoyable as before and Bowser Party ensures that at least one of your friends will have a great time.
Mario Party 10 has an admirable bundle of minigames and sidegames, but the lack of interesting boards and half-measure amiibo Party mode hurt the overall package. There is simply not enough meat on the core game modes, seemingly in favor of adding in a hodgepodge of concepts that are isolated from one another. It's time to give up the vehicle concept, Nd Cube, as it inherently limits the sprawling nature of the maps we once played for years on end.
Mario Party 10 still offers the same fun and random time that the series is known for. However, it isn't looking to fix any of the previous flaws of the series. If you want more of the same, with a cool new mode thrown in then definitely check this out.