Mario Party 9

Sorry for the unintended silence! Been so busy with work and school. But I recently bought Mario Party 9 and wanted to share my thoughts!

So I was very excited to get this new game, kinda crazy how it's the ninth! When did that happen?! lol

Pros:
-The graphics are much improved for what the Wii can do. Inspiration has been drawn from their recent blockbuster games.
-Less importance on rolling in the sense of getting to Stars because you all travel together in one vehicle. So players can obtain high scores of stars, but still relies on what blocks you land on. However mini games offer lots of stars to be won.
-There are many different modes. You can play on your own, on your own with computer players or with friends. This enables you to play mini games and earn points.
-A lot of fun with a group of friends.
-A huge diversity of new and exciting mini games.
-Different maps offer a good range of skill or difficulty in the environment.
-Boss levels are fun and change up the pace by working together to defeat the boss.
-Special dice blocks offer some strategy to an otherwise luck based game. For example you can get a 0-1; 1,2,3; 4,5,6; slow dice; or a 10 dice.

Cons:
-As with any Mario game, the standings aren't very solid and chances are, if you're in last place you'll win. Like in Mario Kart, you would get the blue shell and come up 1st :P Luck is a huge factor, and if I'm not winning, I'm not having fun and neither are you. lol It is too easy to lose half of your stars or go from last to first in an instant.
-Some of the mini games are pure luck but most of them are skill based and reaction time.
-Higgy is upset that Dry Bones is not a playable character, however he hopes he is a secret unlockable player.

Overall, I really enjoy Mario Party 9. There have been some great improvements. The draw backs are notoriously Nintendo, so I'm not too surprised. It's a lot of fun with friends. I feel that the few blunders can be overlooked but would appreciate a more skill based version rather than luck. I can't win on luck every time! IGN gave it a 7/10 with sound bringing it down because the "music is repetitive" and the "characters grunt and woohoo" which "feels dated". I personally never noticed and I've played it on my own in silence and with a group of rowdy friends.

I would be more generous and give Mario Party 9 an 8.5/10. I recommend you buy and play it with friends for a good time! :) Enjoy!