Mario Party(9) is finally back!

[Azure-Tranquility]

I played the first Mario Party when it was a new release, and not too much has happened to the gameplay since then.

I'd like to see Mario Party do something new, like what SMB3DL did to NSMB/SMG. Not likely though.

Hmm...

Mario Party is the original. It introduced the Star/Coin system, as well as the Red/Blue/? spaces.

Mario Party 2 had the costume gimmick, which admittingly didn't do much gameplay-wise, but I felt the boards were more inspired because of it.

Mario Party 3 had the enhanced duel system with the partners, as well as introducing Waluigi & Daisy.

Mario Party 4, being the first gamecube MP game, had fancier graphics, a presents system that made single player more interesting, a secret mode with a shit ton of extra mini games including volley ball.

Mario Party 5 is where the shit hits the fan. It's the first time that a character is removed; Donkey Kong is relegated to being the opposite version of a Bowser space. In his stead, we get Toad, Boo, and Koopa Kid.
In terms of gameplay, 5 introduced the Orb system as well as having that extra mode with the tanks. Only the Orb system is retained for the next games.

Mario Party 6 added some new single player modes that made single player fun to play again for the first time since 4. It also introduced gimmick boards, like the windmill board, and added Toadette as a character. There was also the day/night system, though I felt it could have been handled better.

Mario Party 7 is another fan shitting entry, though not nearly as much as 5 imo. They once again remove a character, but they give you Dry Bones & Birdo to make up for it. Gimmick Boards are enhanced even further, but at the removal of the Day/Night system. There is also "8-Player Mode", which was kinda wierd but at least you didn't REQUIRE 8 people. I thought controlling two characters at once was really unique, honestly.

Mario Party 8 is where the series really started to decline, though thankfully it was the last entry released before the series took its 5 year hiatus. All I can recall being added were Hammer Bro & Blooper, but at least they didn't remove characters. The mini-games also required wii waggle, which was a hit or miss, and there were mini-games for your Mii. Otherwise the weakest entry imho.

Mario Party Advance, being the first true portable Mario Party game, decided to focus almost entirely on single player. A wierd move, but it didn't end up nearly as badly as one would think. It was severely gimped in terms of character roster, however.

Mario Party DS on the other hand, was a console Mario Party game but watered down for a portable. It should have focused more on the single player, much like Advance. This is also a weak entry, but I'm being kinda lenient on it since it's a handheld game.

All in all, every Mario Party offered something, but some had better offerings than others.