Turns out that another of Mario's talents is throwing a killer party. The premise of Mario Party is a bit off-the-wall even by Mario's standards (after all, this is an Italian plumber that defeats a giant lizard king with the help of some questionable mushrooms) but it works. Mario Party plays like a boardgame where every player takes turns to move around; the goal is to obtain more stars than anybody else by the game's conclusion. In between rounds, a mini-game is played, and it's these that have come to define the Party series; some are insanely challenging, others are wildly confusing - most of them are brilliant though. Bowser's Big Blast is a fairly good example. There are five levers and each player must pick one. One of those five detonates the giant Bowser head at the back of the stage and picking that one will result in a loss for that player. It can get fairly tense as you move down the line when the last player effectively has a 50/50 chance of failing. Yes, it's all luck based but when we inevitably lose a game like this, blaming someone else's good fortune is a good excuse. With 65 minigames in total, there's a load of fun to be had with Mario Party 2. Better still, invite three friends round and you'll be able to start an intense rivalry between the four of you - this is the sort of game that makes or breaks friendships.
I have an addiction to achievements, a craving for new bands and a dream to become Captain America. I once finished second in a Mario Kart 7 tournament so I'm kind of a big deal.
