Mario Party Advance Review

While we all sit patiently for Marioâ??s next true console title or perhaps the joys of New Super Mario Bros on the DS, it seems that Nintendo are happy to pimp (for want of a better word) the moustachioed one out in virtually every genre known to man, presumably to ensure weâ??ve not forgotten the dungaree-duo when the Revolution finally lands â?“ case in question, Super Mario Strikers, Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix and Mario Baseball to mention but a few.

So the European release of Mario Party Advance is hardly going to have us jumping up and down proclaiming the triumphant return of Mario; however itâ??s welcoming to see that Nintendo have actually looked at the best way to bring the Party series to the GBA rather then just porting the board game structure of its predecessors. Focussing on the single-player aspect, the gameâ??s â??Shroom Cityâ? mode takes place on the standard board layout, but requires the player to achieve goals for various characters scattered across the map. The clever and equally devious aspect of this is that you only have a certain number of turns, which can be replenished by completing mini-games and the aforementioned goals. Thereâ??s an almost strategic feel to the game imposed by this, as you need to plan your steps and make sure to complete the challenges successfully â?“ given that youâ??re likely to be playing Mario Party Advance on your own, itâ??s reassuring that this aspect of the game has been so thoughtfully developed and results in an engrossing experience that can last anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour or so.

Completing mini-games and quests rewards you with the game to play in alternative modes along with various â??gadgetsâ?, which take the form of fun little things to do when youâ??ve got a spare five minutes; such examples include the â??Compat-I-Comâ?, which tests the compatibility between you and three other people, or perhaps the â??Morse Makerâ? for constructing Morse code. As youâ??d expect theyâ??re firmly rooted in the land of the bizarre in traditional Nintendo fashion; more-so a variety of them along with other mini-games allow up to four players to huddle around one GBA to compete in, along with laying claim to the most players on a single GBA in the â??100 Playerâ? Battle/Attack games and a variety of trading options to boot.

Mario Party Advance is hardly going to shake up the videogame industry; however the focus on creating a â??gameâ? out of the franchise is commendable and makes for a worthwhile purchase if youâ??re a GBA owner looking for something to keep you busy on the bus.