Mario Party 9

MARIO PARTY 9

Mario Party 9 is the next game in the series, rather notorious for being the introducer of a certain very unpopular game mechanic, but more on that later. The game also tosses out the whole stepping stone roster thing it had going, shaking up and building on the previous roster every two game, with only Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Birdo, Wario, Waluigi, and Toad returning, Toadette, Boo, Dry Bones, Hammer Bro, and Blooper being dropped, and Koopa Troopa, Shy Guy, and Magikoopa (or Kamek) being added in. The game follows the story of the characters watching shooting stars before they see Bowser sucking them all up and going after him to get them back.

Now for the elephant in the room. Rather than letting the characters move around the board on their own, this game introduced a special car that all four characters had to ride in together. Much and more has been said on this topic since its introduction, so I won't go into it here. The spaces are a bit different, with green, red, blue, and other such color spaces appearing, but with a slight variation on it. Blue spaces generally just mean something good for the player, reds are something bad, greens are pure neutral, yellow spaces cause minigames, and white spaces give you stars, generally speaking. While items this time are basically narrowed down to different dice blocks that help or hinder your progress.

Our stages this time include: Toad Road, a more-or-less basic Mario level; Bob-Omb Factory, a factory level; Boo's Horror Castle, a haunted house level; Blooper Beach, a water level; Magma Mine, an underground lava level; Bowser Station, an outer space level; and DK's Jungle Ruins, a more DKC Returns-themed stage. Each of these comes with both a mid-level boss and final boss: Lakitu and Wiggler for Toad Road; Whomp and King Bob-Omb for Bob-Omb Factory; Dry Bones and King Boo for Boo's Horror Castle; Cheep Cheep and Blooper for Blooper Beach; Spike and Chain Chomp for Magma Mine; Bowser Jr. and Bowser for Bowser Station; and Diddy Kong and Donkey Kong for DK's Jungle Ruins; against whom you'll have to play a specialized minigame.

Across the 78 minigames, you will: bounce on clouds, chop wood, roll balls, launch rockets, count Goombas, fly Bullet Bills, swim, climb a chain, platform, skip rope, avoid Mechakoopas, put together a jigsaw puzzle, grow vines, ride dolphins, butt bash, climb a wall, pull vegetables, play cards, hide, slip on ice, bowl, escape a haunted house, fire cannons, float in a bubble, paint, drive snowmobiles, feed Piranhas, open treasure chests, fish, balance, avoid Thwomps, look through binoculars, eat pizza, control fire jets, draw in sand, roll boulders, play football, drive cars, whack Monty Moles, sled, drive a mech, pop balloons, run a maze, climb on a cage, play Bumper Cars, and pedal. The boss minigames see Lakitu throwing Spinies, Whomp slamming down, Dry Bones playing cards?, Cheep Cheep just kinda swimming around, Spike tossing spike balls, Bowser Jr. piloting a giant robot, Diddy Kong shooting barrels, Wiggler storming around, King Bob-Omb throwing bombs, King Boo playing Bejeweled?, Blooper swimming around, Chain Chomp rolling, Bowser throwing blocks, and Donkey Kong collecting bananas. Most of that's pretty standard.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Gimmick Rep: play music, fight in a giant bubble, run on a conveyor belt, run up a tower, collect coins, snowboard, make a picture, look for ghosts, collect honey, shoot targets, smack Pokeys with a hammer, zap opponents, drive karts, pop a balloon, stop a clock, throw darts, do math, avoid bombs, spray water, shoot balloons, avoid a spinner, drive tanks, use a flashlight, use a slot machine, use a pickaxe, bounce on a pogo stick, run on a wheel, box with a giant robot, avoid a shark, avoid Bullet Bills, fly a bug, ground pound, work through a maze, play cards, pull crops, hop around, fly, roll a ball, shoot Piranha Plants, match puzzle pieces, shoot Piders, fly helicopters, avoid getting smacked by Monty Mole, get through a maze of pipes, drive a boat, avoid Cheep Cheeps, squash Goombas, run from Ukikis, jump across platforms, make smoothies, row a kayak, jump rope, throw hammers, ride rocking horses, fix pipes, play hot potato with a bomb, jump over barrels, climb vines, slide down a slide, collect bananas, roll on barrels, avoid Mechakoopas, open treasure chests, climb a wall, play air hockey, fight Bowser, capsule, spacesgraffiti, playing baseball, punching a statue, water skiing, raising a flag, cleaning a Chomp, driving karts, steering a leaf, platforming, shaking soda, setting a clock, driving a scooter, protecting an Ukiki, snowboarding, walking a tightrope, catching coins, dropping bombs, flying a plane, shooting snow, jumping rope, playing football, playing bumper cars, rowing, shooting paint, decorating a cake, playing King on the Mountain, shooting Boos, stealing plants, shooting cards, flying a flying saucer, getting a boat's attention, swinging a lasso, driving a minecart, slaloming in a space station, shooting lava, building things, balancing on a ball, blowing up King Bob-Omb, running around a Mr. I, shooting basketballs, snipping a rope to not get flung by a catapult (my favorite), trying to stay on an iceberg, stamping, and fighting Bowser, vehicle, bounce on clouds, chop wood, roll balls, launch rockets, count Goombas, fly Bullet Bills, swim, climb a chain, platform, skip rope, avoid Mechakoopas, put together a jigsaw puzzle, grow vines, ride dolphins, butt bash, climb a wall, pull vegetables, play cards, hide, slip on ice, bowl, escape a haunted house, fire cannons, float in a bubble, paint, drive snowmobiles, feed Piranhas, open treasure chests, fish, balance, avoid Thwomps, look through binoculars, eat pizza, control fire jets, draw in sand, roll boulders, play football, drive cars, whack Monty Moles, sled, drive a mech, pop balloons, run a maze, climb on a cage, play Bumper Cars, pedal

MC Ballyhoo and Big Top: second block, third block, slowing the roll, spring, zap opponents, turn into a vampire, 8-bit version, tornado, trio of tiny clones, ball, stone block, Bullet Bill, Bowser, fiery dueler.

Mario: fireball

Luigi: fireball

Peach: flower

Daisy: flower

Wario: vacuum

Waluigi: vacuum

Yoshi: egg

Birdo: egg

Toad: mushrooms

Toadette: mushrooms

Boo: magic wand

Dry Bones: magic wand, play cards

Hammer Bro

Blooper: swim

Koopa

Shy Guy

Magikoopa

Diddy Kong: barrel cannons

Donkey Kong: bananas

Koopa Kid

Bowser Jr: giant robot

Bowser: throw blocks

Lakitu: throw spinies

Wiggler: charge

Whomp: slam

King Bob-Omb: throw bombs

King Boo: play Bejeweled

Cheep Cheep: swim

Spike: throw spike balls

Chain Chomp: roll

Stages:

MSS Sea Star

Grand Canal

Pagoda Peak

Pyramid Park

Neon Heights

Windmillville

Bowser's Enchanted Inferno

DK's Treetop Temple

Goomba's Booty Boardwalk

King Boo's Haunted Hideaway

Shy Guy's Perplex Express

Koopa's Tycoon Town

Bowser's Warped Orbit

Toad Road

Bob-Omb Factory

Boo's Horror Castle

Blooper Beach

Magma Mine

Bowser Station

DK's Jungle Ruins

Items:

Capsules

Candies

Dice Blocks

Thanks for reading! Next up, Mario Party 10!

Mario Party 8

MARIO PARTY 8

Here's where we start to mix things up a bit. Mario Party 8's roster all returns, exactly as they stood in the previous game, but this time with Hammer Bro and Blooper added in. The plot of the game is built around a special Star Carnival coming to town, hosted by the magical imp MC Ballyhoo and his talking hat Big Top. Bowser ends up stealing the Star Rod that acts as the final reward, and you then have to fight him for it. You know, pretty standard.

The spaces in this game are now big pavement blocks of various color instead of the little buttons from before, but they still serve the same functions, with blue, red, event, duel, challenge, Bowser, and DK spaces, alongside the new Lucky space that takes you to a special Lucky Area where every space is a blue space and a free star. Items and capsules this time are traded out with special magic candies. Red candies affect the dice block, including adding a second and third block and slowing the roll. Green candies transform the player for a single action, allowing them to spring to new areas, lets you zap opponents and make them lose coins, and turn you into a vampire to take others' coins. Yellow candies transform the player for a full turn, turning them into an 8-bit version, a tornado that blows opponents back to start, a trio of tiny clones, and a ball. Blue candies are more offense-oriented, turning them into a stone block to run through opponents, a Bullet Bill, Bowser, and a fiery version that automatically gets into duels. I think we can feel comfortable in saying what a moveset for Ballyhoo would pull from.

Our stages include: DK's Treetop Temple, a Donkey Kong-themed stage; Goomba's Booty Boardwalk, a beach stage; King Boo's Haunted Hideaway, a haunted house level; Shy Guy's Perplex Express, set on a train; Koopa's Tycoon Town, very Monopoly-inspired; and Bowser's Warped Orbit, set on a space station orbiting a sun. Outside of that, we have the carnival and the various tents within.

We have 73 minigames here this time, featuring our characters doing: graffiti, playing baseball, punching a statue, water skiing, raising a flag, cleaning a Chomp, driving karts, steering a leaf, platforming, shaking soda, setting a clock, driving a scooter, protecting an Ukiki, snowboarding, walking a tightrope, catching coins, dropping bombs, flying a plane, shooting snow, jumping rope, playing football, playing bumper cars, rowing, shooting paint, decorating a cake, playing King on the Mountain, shooting Boos, stealing plants, shooting cards, flying a flying saucer, getting a boat's attention, swinging a lasso, driving a minecart, slaloming in a space station, shooting lava, building things, balancing on a ball, blowing up King Bob-Omb, running around a Mr. I, shooting basketballs, snipping a rope to not get flung by a catapult (my favorite), trying to stay on an iceberg, stamping, and fighting Bowser.

That's about it! Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Gimmick Rep: play music, fight in a giant bubble, run on a conveyor belt, run up a tower, collect coins, snowboard, make a picture, look for ghosts, collect honey, shoot targets, smack Pokeys with a hammer, zap opponents, drive karts, pop a balloon, stop a clock, throw darts, do math, avoid bombs, spray water, shoot balloons, avoid a spinner, drive tanks, use a flashlight, use a slot machine, use a pickaxe, bounce on a pogo stick, run on a wheel, box with a giant robot, avoid a shark, avoid Bullet Bills, fly a bug, ground pound, work through a maze, play cards, pull crops, hop around, fly, roll a ball, shoot Piranha Plants, match puzzle pieces, shoot Piders, fly helicopters, avoid getting smacked by Monty Mole, get through a maze of pipes, drive a boat, avoid Cheep Cheeps, squash Goombas, run from Ukikis, jump across platforms, make smoothies, row a kayak, jump rope, throw hammers, ride rocking horses, fix pipes, play hot potato with a bomb, jump over barrels, climb vines, slide down a slide, collect bananas, roll on barrels, avoid Mechakoopas, open treasure chests, climb a wall, play air hockey, fight Bowser, capsule, spacesgraffiti, playing baseball, punching a statue, water skiing, raising a flag, cleaning a Chomp, driving karts, steering a leaf, platforming, shaking soda, setting a clock, driving a scooter, protecting an Ukiki, snowboarding, walking a tightrope, catching coins, dropping bombs, flying a plane, shooting snow, jumping rope, playing football, playing bumper cars, rowing, shooting paint, decorating a cake, playing King on the Mountain, shooting Boos, stealing plants, shooting cards, flying a flying saucer, getting a boat's attention, swinging a lasso, driving a minecart, slaloming in a space station, shooting lava, building things, balancing on a ball, blowing up King Bob-Omb, running around a Mr. I, shooting basketballs, snipping a rope to not get flung by a catapult (my favorite), trying to stay on an iceberg, stamping, and fighting Bowser.

MC Ballyhoo and Big Top: second block, third block, slowing the roll, spring, zap opponents, turn into a vampire, 8-bit version, tornado, trio of tiny clones, ball, stone block, Bullet Bill, Bowser, fiery dueler.

Mario: fireball

Luigi: fireball

Peach: flower

Daisy: flower

Wario: vacuum

Waluigi: vacuum

Yoshi: egg

Birdo: egg

Toad: mushrooms

Toadette: mushrooms

Boo: magic wand

Dry Bones: magic wand

Hammer Bro

Blooper

Donkey Kong

Koopa Kid

Bowser

Stages:

MSS Sea Star

Grand Canal

Pagoda Peak

Pyramid Park

Neon Heights

Windmillville

Bowser's Enchanted Inferno

DK's Treetop Temple

Goomba's Booty Boardwalk

King Boo's Haunted Hideaway

Shy Guy's Perplex Express

Koopa's Tycoon Town

Bowser's Warped Orbit

Items:

Capsules

Candies

Thanks for reading! Next up, Mario Party 9, and, as I understand it, everyone's least favorite mechanic introduced to the franchise!

Mario Party 7

MARIO PARTY 7

Alright, Mario Party 7, let's do this! Mario Party 7 follows the previous trend in the series by having every odd-numbered game shake up the roster a bit. This time around, our original five Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, and Wario all return, as well as Daisy and Waluigi from numbers 3 and 4, and Toad, Boo, and Toadette from 5 on 6. Koopa Kid sadly does not return, shifting over to a board space like Donkey Kong before him. I'm also fairly certain this is the last time we will ever see the character. (Barring any handhelds that came prior. I mean real world chronologically, not "this blog" chronologically). Birdo and Dry Bones are added in as brand-new characters, giving everyone in the game a go-to partner. The game takes place on a cruise ship hosted by Toadsworth, who takes you to various islands to partake in the games.

Our red, blue, event, duel, Donkey Kong, Bowser, and character spaces all return, alongside a Mic space for mic minigames and a Koopa Kid space where Koopa Kid will challenge you to a game. The Orbs return as items, with Mushrooms, Super Mushrooms, Slow Shrooms, Metal Shrooms, Flutter, cannons, Lakitu, bones, Hammer Bros, Piranha Plants, Kamek, Toadies, Mr. Blizzard, Spinies, Amps, Tweesters, Thwomps, Warp Pipes, and Bob-Ombs all returning, alongside Spear Guys who take money, Bandits who steal from a windmill (?), and Pink Boos who steal stars. There are also character-specific orbs for each of the partner pairs. Mario and Luigi throw fireballs, Peach and Daisy will use a flower to avoid traps, Yoshi and Birdo will turn obstacles in their path into eggs, Wario and Waluigi will use a vacuum to suck up coins from other players, Boo and Dry Bones will use a magic wand to turn invisible, and Toad and Toadette will use three mushrooms. A Koopa Kid orb will cause more Koopa Kid spaces to appear.

Our stages this time, besides the MSS Sea Star you'd be traveling around on, include: Grand Canal, an oceanside level; Pagoda Peak, a mountainous, stereotypically Chinese-themed stage; Pyramid Park, a desert level; Neon Heights, a futuristic sci-fi stage; Windmillville, a picturesque Yoshi's Island type of stage; and Bowser's Enchanted Inferno. You get that one.

Across Mario Party 7's 88 minigames, we see our heroes: play music, fight in a giant bubble, run on a conveyor belt, run up a tower, collect coins, snowboard, make a picture, look for ghosts, collect honey, shoot targets, smack Pokeys with a hammer, zap opponents, drive karts, pop a balloon, stop a clock, throw darts, do math, avoid bombs, spray water, shoot balloons, avoid a spinner, drive tanks, use a flashlight, use a slot machine, use a pickaxe, bounce on a pogo stick, run on a wheel, box with a giant robot, avoid a shark, avoid Bullet Bills, fly a bug, ground pound, work through a maze, play cards, pull crops, hop around, fly, roll a ball, shoot Piranha Plants, match puzzle pieces, shoot Piders, fly helicopters, avoid getting smacked by Monty Mole, get through a maze of pipes, drive a boat, avoid Cheep Cheeps, squash Goombas, run from Ukikis, jump across platforms, make smoothies, row a kayak, jump rope, throw hammers, ride rocking horses, fix pipes, play hot potato with a bomb, jump over barrels, climb vines, slide down a slide, collect bananas, roll on barrels, avoid Mechakoopas, open treasure chests, climb a wall, play air hockey, and fight Bowser.

That should be about it! Here's all we've got so far:

Characters:

Gimmick Rep: play music, fight in a giant bubble, run on a conveyor belt, run up a tower, collect coins, snowboard, make a picture, look for ghosts, collect honey, shoot targets, smack Pokeys with a hammer, zap opponents, drive karts, pop a balloon, stop a clock, throw darts, do math, avoid bombs, spray water, shoot balloons, avoid a spinner, drive tanks, use a flashlight, use a slot machine, use a pickaxe, bounce on a pogo stick, run on a wheel, box with a giant robot, avoid a shark, avoid Bullet Bills, fly a bug, ground pound, work through a maze, play cards, pull crops, hop around, fly, roll a ball, shoot Piranha Plants, match puzzle pieces, shoot Piders, fly helicopters, avoid getting smacked by Monty Mole, get through a maze of pipes, drive a boat, avoid Cheep Cheeps, squash Goombas, run from Ukikis, jump across platforms, make smoothies, row a kayak, jump rope, throw hammers, ride rocking horses, fix pipes, play hot potato with a bomb, jump over barrels, climb vines, slide down a slide, collect bananas, roll on barrels, avoid Mechakoopas, open treasure chests, climb a wall, play air hockey, fight Bowser, capsule, spaces

Mario: fireball

Luigi: fireball

Peach: flower

Daisy: flower

Wario: vacuum

Waluigi: vacuum

Yoshi: egg

Birdo: egg

Toad: mushrooms

Toadette: mushrooms

Boo: magic wand

Dry Bones: magic wand

Donkey Kong

Koopa Kid

Bowser

Stages:

MSS Sea Star

Grand Canal

Pagoda Peak

Pyramid Park

Neon Heights

Windmillville

Bowser's Enchanted Inferno

Items:

Capsules

Thanks for reading! Next up, Mario Party 8!

Super Mario Bros. Roster, Updated

SUPER SMASH BROS. UNIVERSE

SUPER MARIO BROS.

Here's our next update with new characters from the Mario Party series. Here we have Koopa Kid, Tumble, and Brighton and Twila!

1. Mario
2. Fursuit Mario
3. F.L.U.D.D. Mario
4. Luigi
5. Vacuum Luigi
5e. Professor E. Gadd
6. Princess Peach
6e. Peachette
7. Princess Daisy
8. Rosalina and Luma
9. Pauline
10. Cappy
11. Toad
11e. Toadsworth
12. Captain Toad
12e. Toadette
13. Bowser
13e. Dry Bowser
14. Bowser Jr.
15. Shadow Mario
16. The Koopalings
16e. Koopa Kid
17. Wart
18. Tatanga
19. Mario Kart
20. Robo Mario
21. Wanda
22. Plum
22e. Kid
23. Alex & Nina
23e. Ace & Clay
24. Tumble
25. Brighton & Twila
26. Perry
27 Sprixie Princess
28. Koopa Troopa
28e. Dry Bones
29. Goomba
30. Piranha Plant
31. Boo
32. Buzzy Beetle
33. Bob-Omb
33e. King Bob-Omb
34. Cheep Cheep
35. Blooper
36. Pokey
37. Lakitu and Spinies
38. Ninji
39. Monty Mole
40. Spike
41. Hammer Bro
42. Chargin' Chuck
43. Wiggler
44. Chain Chomp
45. Thwomp
45e. Whomp
46. Mechakoopa
47. Ghost
48. Honeybee
49. Nabbit
50. Boom Boom
50e. Pom Pom
51. Birdo
52. Mouser
53. Petey Piranha
54. King Boo
55. The Broodals
56. Super Team

There we go! Next up, we'll start in on the second half of the Mario Party series. See you then!

Character Sheet: Brighton & Twila

 BRIGHTON & TWILA

Today, we have three brand new characters to add to our roster, all featured exclusively in the Mario Party franchise. One will be an echo, while the other two will be slightly more original and based on the various concepts and mechanics of the franchise as a whole. They are:

1. Koopa Kid

2. Tumble

3. Brighton & Twila

Going into this, these two were the ones I was going to leave out in the end. Koopa Kid worked as a more Party-centric echo of Koopa Kid, Tumble being a living dice worked as the best representative of the series as a whole, and MC Ballyhoo just happens to feature in a game where most of the mechanics were changed up and overhauled to be significantly different from the rest of the series, leaving just Brighton and Twila to be the ones lost and forgotten by this series. That said, there's always some slight adjustments made between my initial walkthrough viewings and the making of the blog posts, and this time, they just managed to find their way in.

Now, Brighton and Twila are literal manifestations of the sun and moon respectively. Although they spend Party 6 at odds with each other, they have similar body types and generally similar noted powers, so it's not too much of a stretch that they be color swaps. If you want them to be echoes, that's fine, but I feel we're just getting extraneous at that point. In the writing of the blog, I noticed that there was a whole section of space-themed mini-games, and considering they were literal celestial bodies, I had myself a bit of an epiphany. So, most of their moves will be based on those specifically. These include: piloting spaceships, blasting meteors with lasers, using a rocketpack, launching a rocket, ground pounding spaces that might electrocute you, swimming through space and away from a black hole, and . . . herding Boos, I guess. Maybe the Gaddlight can come in handy too. Either way, I think we've got plenty.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Asteroad Rage

Brighton or Twila will pull out a space-age laser gun and shoot at a meteor that will appear some distance away, destroying the meteor and sending debris flying around it. (I figured that would make it a bit more than just a laser blast).

Side B: Sumo of Doom-o

They will get into one of the cars from this game and push across the stage, trying to push anyone that happens to be in front of them off the stage.

Up B: Lunar-tics

The jetpack from this game will appear on their backs and carry them a little ways into the sky. Possibly tapping A a lot might help you go higher with this.

Down B: T Minus Five OR O-Zone

I like the premise of both. T Minus Five would have the character set down a rocket and it would launch after a countdown of five, targeting the nearest opponent. O-Zone would have the character throw down one of the panels from said game. When an opponent walks across it, an X or an O would pop up. The O will do nothing and they'll walk away scot-free. The X however will electrify and stun them.

Final Smash: Celestial Rivalry

While the Black Hole was an option, I prefer more of a move based on the opening cutscene. Brighton and Twila would get into an argument over who is better. They'd start pushing against each other, switching the stage from day to night and back again, and the characters on the stage would get flung around with the movement of the sky, ultimately ending in them all getting launched.

Entrance: They'd descend from above.

Taunts: Up, they'd wave their respective wand and either slightly brighten or darken the stage for a second. Side, the other one not on stage would peek out from behind the player's back and the two would glare at each other for a second. Down, they'd lay down and take a nap.

Thanks for reading! Now, let's update the roster!

Character Sheet: Tumble

TUMBLE

Today, we have three brand new characters to add to our roster, all featured exclusively in the Mario Party franchise. One will be an echo, while the other two will be slightly more original and based on the various concepts and mechanics of the franchise as a whole. They are:

1. Koopa Kid

2. Tumble

3. Brighton & Twila

Today, let's cover Tumble. Tumble is a living Dice Block seemingly created by the Millenium Star to host its games, but in the end turns out to contain the true Millenium Star the whole time. He later shows up in Mario Party advance as well. All things considered, I think he is probably the best possible option to represent board-specific elements, like dice, capsules, spaces, and so on. Our other hosts have other things they can best represent, so our living dice can have the game board you'd roll him on.

So first up, we have our dice block to be tossed. I feel like that should be a prominent thing. Also, if there were to ever be a character to reply on randomly generated options, it would be this one, despite some players' possible aversion to it. Then we'd have our spaces, but I don't imagine they'd offer up all that much really. We have a number of items pulled from capsules, blocks or just on their own. Some of the most prominent include Mushrooms, Lucky Lamps that summon a genie to transport you places, some form of warp space to do the same, items that both summon Boos and scare them away (although as Boo is a character, its hard to say the utility of that one), bags to hold items, and a MiniMegaHammer to shrink or enlarge an opponent.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Dice Roll

Tumble will throw a large die. It will act as a mild projectile, but depending on how it lands, one of Tumble's stats will be augmented. Sixes will be great for him.

Side B: MiniMegaHammer

Tumble will swing his hammer and smack an opponent. This will either shrink or enlarge the opponent at random. Item Bag was also a possibility, but I like this one better.

Up B: Warp Space OR Lucky Lamp

Really it would work similarly. It would just change how the move looks. Basically, Tumble would activate this move and it would teleport or simply carry him to a new location. I think I'm going to pass on making this a randomizer move, since I think we'd prefer to be able to rely on this one. If I did though, it would probably just randomize the distance you would travel with it, sometimes only a little ways, sometimes really far.

Down B: Capsule

Basically what I was thinking for Item Bag. Tumble would produce a capsule, and it would pop open, giving him a random item: sometimes healing, sometimes offensive, sometimes defensive, so on. It could be random Smash items, or it could be a selection of items appearing in Mario Party.

Final Smash: The Millenium Star

The Millenium Star will appear, cast its aura over the stage, shrinking all players besides Tumble down into lifeless dolls. They'd remain that way for a short period before turning back. I like this better than having it be random effects or anything.

Entrance: He could simply get rolled onto the stage

Taunts: Up, he'll hold up a "Welcome to Smash" banner. Side, he'll sort through some cards. Down, he'll open an item bag and pull out a capsule, looking it over.

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's see what we can do with Brighton and Twila!

Character Sheet: Koopa Kid

KOOPA KID

Today, we have three brand new characters to add to our roster, all featured exclusively in the Mario Party franchise. One will be an echo, while the other two will be slightly more original and based on the various concepts and mechanics of the franchise as a whole. They are:

1. Koopa Kid

2. Tumble

3. Brighton & Twila

Let's get the easy one out of the way first. I have always personally believed that the Koopa Kid of the Mario Party games was originally supposed to be the Koopalings, but since they didn't want to program all seven in or single out one from the rest, they created a sort of hodge-podge generic version of them all. So, it seems fitting to me that Koopa Kid be an echo of Koopaling, but all of his versions of their moves would be based on items that appeared in the Mario Party games.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Ring Toss

You know, I came into this going, yeah, there's totally enough moves to match all of the Koopalings' moves, but right out the gate, I can't remember any sort of ring toss game in any of those covered so far. Which is weird, since that would go so well with it. I'm sure there's something. Either way, Koopa Kid tosses projectile, it bounces around. There's plenty of that in Mario Party at least.

Side B: Bullet Bill Blaster

This one would be a bit more based on games that used Bullet Bill cannons, of which there were plenty. The cannon used would match the appearance of those.

Up B: Bouncy Ball

Rather than just being on top of the ball like Lemmy however, the Koopa Kid would be inside one of those ball suits from certain minigames common in the series and bounce with that.

Down B: Giant Mallet

I don't think I have to explain too much here, am I right? I'm sure everyone who's played a Mario Party game can think of at least one minigame involving you smacking something with a giant mallet.

Final Smash: Bowser Balloon Blowout

I shook up this one, because I liked the idea of using that minigame where you blow up a giant balloon of Bowser's face and whoever's turn it popped on lost. Basically, Koopa Kid would just run up to the pump, pump it as fast as he could while the Bowser face rapidly inflated, and then it would explode and throw everyone off the stage.

Entrance: He'd float down on that Bowser balloon he used sometimes.

Taunts: Up, he would dance around like he just won a game. Side, he'd rattle some dice and then toss them along the ground. Down, he'd flop down on his butt like he just lost a match.

Next up: Let's cover Tumble and try to parse things out a bit.

Smash Character Review: Mario Party Series (First Half)

MARIO PARTY SERIES

So, I won't lie, the Mario Party franchise has to be one of the most frustrating stretch of games I've covered here so far. Much like the sports games, all of the characters play the same, so nothing can really be tied directly to any of them. However, most of the minigames are heavily influenced by various aspects of the Mario series, so they can't . . . not. Obviously, the easy answer then would be a gimmick rep, like we have before, but the trouble is that we have four (actually five characters) that fit well. The Koopa Kid, Tumble, Brighton and Twila, and MC Ballyhoo and Big Top from Mario Party 8. We haven't gotten to them yet, but they still need to be part of my consideration here.

Now, much like all of the various styles of Kremling were easily divided up amongst Kritter, Krusha, and Klump, I suppose I could do the same here. Lord knows, there is plenty to work with, but there almost seems to be . . . too much. Like whatever I gave to any of them would be arbitrary at best, but at the same time, I'd hate to leave any of them out, since none are particularly more important than the others. After much deliberation, I think I've managed to parse out what to do, but I just want to give you all a bearing as to where I'm at with this one.

Anyway, on to the regularly appearing characters. The first six games in the Mario party series seemed to follow a pattern with their rosters. The first game featured Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Wario. The second game followed suit with no change. The third game added in Daisy and Waluigi but kept the roster the same. The fourth game, just like the second before it, featured no change. Then, just like the first and third, the fifth game added in new characters with Toad, Boo, and Koopa Kid all playable but changed Donkey Kong to a special space rather than a character. The sixth game almost followed the same pattern as the even numbers before it, keeping the roster basically the same, but adding Toadette as a secret unlockable player.

Outside of playability, several characters have constant recurring roles. Bowser almost always acts as a troublemaker on the boards, having a special space where he challenges a fighter to a special minigame or otherwise tries to upset your game. Toad, before playability, spent a lot of time as the game's host, when characters like Tumble or Brighton and Twila weren't doing it. Boo played a special role being able to steal items from one player and giving them to another, while Koopa Kid more often than not acted as a minion to Bowser, likewise causing trouble here and there. After being dropped from playability, Donkey Kong played a similar role to Bowser, but much more . . . benevolent, I guess.

Outside of that, the capsules, minigames, and shops all tend to feature a who's who of recognizable enemies. Basically every single one you could possibly think of: Koopas, Goombas, Bob-Ombs, Piranha Plants, Shy Guys, Cheep Cheeps, Bloopers, Whomps, Thwomps, Chain Chomps, Snifits, Mr Blizzards, Pokeys, Lakitus, Hammer Bros, Tweesters, Spinies, everything. Even Kamek pops up here and there. Most act pretty much as you would expect they would, but the series did prove pretty strong at finding creative ways to use those standard behaviors to make fun minigames. Finally, I should bring up the Star Spirits from Paper Mario, who acted as the hosts in Mario Party 5, marking possibly one of the only times in the entire series that RPG-original characters crossed over to another part of the series, at least in any kind of major role.

That's about it! Next up, let's cover the Koopa Kid!

Mario Party 6

MARIO PARTY 6

Alright, it's time for Mario Party 6, the last game before we take a break to gather our thoughts and tackle the second half of the main console games. The game stars our ten playable characters from before, but with Toadette as a secret characters. Hmm, is anyone else noticing a pattern here? We go two games with the same roster, then we get a couple added, then that stays for two games, rinse and repeat. Welp, I hope we at least stay consistent to that if that's the pattern we've established.

The game's plot involves Brighton and Twila, two divine beings representing the sun and moon respectively, getting into a, well, joystick-measuring contest, resulting in life becoming very difficult for everyone else. So, Mario and his friends decide to help out by competing in games to prove which one is better once and for all.

The game boards have both day and night modes, the stars won during each adding to Brighton or Twila's scores respectively. We have blue, red, chance, duel, Donkey Kong, Bowser, orb, and star spaces, alongside miracle spaces, acting like the miracle capsules in the last game, and character spaces. Capsules, or rather orbs this time, return, with their contents including Mushrooms, Super Mushrooms, Cursed Mushrooms, Bullet Bills, Warp Pipes, Wiggler (or rather Flutter now), Lava Bubbles, Tweesters, Bob-Ombs, Paratroopas, Spinies, Goombas, Piranha Plants, Klepto, Toadies, Kamek, Mr. Blizzard, Chain Chomp's bone, and the Gaddlight all returning. New ones include the Sluggish Mushroom, which will slow the dice roll; Metal Mushroom, which will turn opponents into metal; and Thwomps, which will stomp on an opponent.

We have a number of stages here, both for party mode, and some for solo mode if you're playing by yourself. The party boards include: Towering Treetop set on a tree; E. Gadd's Garage, which is awesome; Faire Square, a carnival board; Snowflake Lake, a snow level; Castaway Bay, a pirate-themed world; and Clockwork Castle, which I'm pretty sure is basically Brighton and Twila's home. The solo boards include: Thirsty Gulch, a desert stage; Astro Avenue, a space board; and Infernal Tower, because Bowser had to get a castle in there somewhere.

Our eighty-two minigames this time see our characters butt bashing, playing cards, finding differences, springing upward, running from a rock, running a race, catching letters, snowboarding, avoiding Whomps, retrieving sunken treasure, mowing grass, shooting cannons, catching notes, platforming, avoiding a giant Blooper, trapping Goombas, punching Pokeys, collecting money, golfing, riding a Chain Chomp, going down a water slide, throwing fruit, swimming, having a snowball fight, rolling a ball, avoiding electricity, popping a balloon, running on a conveyor belt, shaking a box around, blasting a light beam, dusting, launching fireballs, grabbing fruit, pulling a giant carrot, playing a slot machine, flying in a gondola, blowing a fan, building a robot, shooting targets, breaking rocks, cleaning, avoiding a bar, shooting a gun, driving a bug, stamping, rowing down a river, uncovering cakes, lighting torches, running on cogs, sumo wrestling, swinging on ropes, flying through space, using a jetpack, launching a rocket, shooting asteroids, herding Boos, navigating mist, collecting bananas, avoiding barrels, avoiding rocks, getting dizzy, avoiding fire, pulling a rope, playing Tetris, running a maze, and playing basketball.

Alright, let's see what we've got!

Characters: 

Gimmick Rep (Koopa Kid/Tumble/Brighton and Twila?): Happening Space, Chance Space, Mushroom Space, star space, plus block, minus block, speed block, slow block, warp block,  event block, parrot, No Koopa or No Boo sign, gameballs, digging, deep-sea diving, bomb, musical chairs, carving, messing with Bowser's face, inflating a balloon, hitting blocks, skateboarding, collecting coins, platforming, grab bag, bumper balls, tipping, instruments, Simon Says, fishing, key, lightbulb, jump rope, slot cars, hammers, bowling, tightrope, Crane Game, Tug of War, rowing, bobsledding, handcar, Slot Machine, biking, ground pound, limbo, Bank space, Mushrooms, Skeleton Keys, Plunder Chests, Dueling Gloves, Golden Mushrooms, Magic Lamp, Boo Bells, Bowser Suit, Bowser Bomb, pole-climbing, Dizzy Dancing, fruit-catching, windup Fly Guys, shell tank, sneaking, box-hitting, cake assembly, destroy a statue, sawing logs, magnet, Sky Pilots, Speed Hockey, Torpedoes, archery, Bob-omb cannon, fish relay, lightbulbs, Look Away, log-roll, blow up balloon, Bumper Balloon Cars, giant rake, Cellular Shopper,  Boo Repellent, Reverse Mushroom, Bowser Phone, Poison Mushroom, Lucky Lamp, Item Bag, Wacky Watch, Barter Box, Koopa Kard, Lucky Charm, golfing, ice-skating, parasol, rocking horses, snowball, drumming, become gigantic, cannon, hide, spotlights, causing waves, eat pizza, drawing, hydrant, chop wood, rocket, throwing Bowser, chasing chicken, popguns, swinging on vines, batting game, swinging, fortune space, mushroom space, warp space, Warp Pipe, MiniMegaHammer, Chomp Call, Boo's Crystal Ball, Gaddlight, Sparky Sticker, pull against a slime, ski, play dominoes, float with a balloon, ice skate, grabber, race in karts, giant tree stompers, soccer, run a maze, parasail, deliver food, catch butterflies, darts, puzzle, capsules, catch ice cream, chase Ukikis, guide a Chomp, avoid penguins, speedboat, will a plant back to life, triple jump, look under buckets, roll on a ball, drive mechs, pilot flying saucers, quilt, sled, fight with cards, defuse a bomb, open a can, clean a bus, submarine, pull a rope, blow a Tweester, miracle space, character space, springing upward, running from a rock, catching letters, snowboarding, mowing grass, trapping Goombas, punching Pokeys, riding a Chain Chomp, going down a water slide, shaking a box around, blasting a light beam, dusting, pulling a giant carrot, gondola, blowing a fan, building a robot, stamping, sumo wrestling, using a jetpack, launching a rocket, shooting asteroids, herding Boos, navigating mist.

Mario

Luigi

Princess Peach

Yoshi

Donkey Kong

Wario

Daisy

Waluigi

Toad

Boo: steal coins

Koopa Kid

Toadette

Bowser

Koopa Troopa: give coins

Thwomp

Whomp

Bob-Omb

Goomba

Shy Guy

Snifit

Piranha Plant

Chain Chomp

Mr. Blizzard

Game Guy

Millenium Star

Star Spirits

Stages:

DK's Jungle Adventure

Peach's Birthday Cake

Yoshi's Tropical Island

Wario's Battle Canyon

Luigi's Engine Room

Mario's Rainbow Castle

Bowser's Magma Mountain

Eternal Star

Pirate Land

Western Land

Space Land

Mystery Land

Horror Land

Bowser Land

Chilly Waters

Deep Bloober Sea

Spiny Desert

Woody Woods

Creepy Cavern

Waluigi's Island

Gate Guy

Arrowhead

Pipesqueak

Blowhard

Mr. Mover

Backtrack

Toad's Midway Madness

Koopa's Seaside Soiree

Goomba's Greedy Gala

Boo's Haunted Bash

Shy Guy's Jungle Jam

Bowser's Gnarly Party

Toy Dream

Rainbow Dream

Pirate Dream

Undersea Dream

Future Dream

Sweet Dream

Bowser Nightmare

Various Mini-Games

Items:

All listed above

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's go over our characters really quick and then figure out what exactly to do with all these potential reps (and another one I know is coming)!

Mario Party 5

MARIO PARTY 5

Alright, Mario Party, let's go! Round Five! Mario and his friends are invited to visit a special Dream Depot by the . . . Star Spirits? Like from Paper Mario? A Mario RPG character in a non-RPG Mario game? Is . . . is that allowed? And Miyamoto's head didn't explode? What is this witchcraft?

Okay, maybe that was a little mean. All jokes aside, our full playable cast from before returns, except for Donkey Kong, who got up-, um, down-, err, sideways-graded to a special space space on the board. Instead, Toad, Boo, and Koopa Kid are added to the roster, making a total of ten. Bowser and a couple of duplicate Koopa Kids act as troublemakers throughout, with Bowser getting a final battle where he breathes fire, throws balls of magic, grows into a giant, and pounds the ground. Of course, the star spirits act as your hosts.

Blue, Red, Happening, Bowser, and Star spaces all return, alongside the brand-new DK space, where Donkey Kong will appear and either give you coins, play a special DK minigame with you, or play dice roulette. Rather than regular items like the previous games, this game featured capsules containing various items and characters that would act as these items. Contents of the capsules included: Mushrooms, Super Mushrooms, and Cursed Mushrooms; Warp Pipes; Klepto, who will pick up opponents and drop them somewhere else; Lava Bubbles, that will chase an opponent ten spaces; Wigglers, that will take the player right to the star space; Hammer Bros that will hit opponents with hammers; a Coin Block; Spinies that will steal coins; Paratroopas that will make a character drop coins; a Bullet Bill that will let the player take coins from an opponent they pass; Goombas that will switch players' coins; Piranha Plants that will take half the player's coins; a Bob-Omb that will explode after being passed three times; the Koopa Bank capsule; Kamek who will shuffle all characters' capsules around; Mr. Blizzard, who will take all the player's capsules; a Magikoopa (or Toadie, I don't know why it's called that) that will swap two players' capsules; Ukiki, who will steal an opponent's capsules; Lakitu who can steal a single capsule; a Tweester that will move a star space; a Duel minigame starter; a Chain Chomp that basically takes over Boo's old role; a Bone that is basically Boo repellent; a Bowser space creator; a Chance Time space basically; and a Miracle Capsule that will take all of the player in first place's stars and give them to the player in last.

Our boards this time include: Toy Dream, basically a toy box/amusement park-style stage; Rainbow Dream, a sky stage; Pirate Dream, a pirate-themed stage; Undersea Dream, an underwater stage; Future Dream, a space-themed stage; Sweet Dream, a candy-themed stage; and Bowser Nightmare. I think you can guess the last one. Is it ever really anything different?

Alright, on to the minigames. The new way went really well last time, so I'm going to do that again. Over the course of these minigames, the characters: catch ice cream, ground pound, chase Ukikis, guide a Chomp, avoid penguins, platform on leaves, use a flashlight, watch Piranhas sing, navigate a maze, bat a baseball, speedboat, skate, will a plant back to life, triple jump, punch Goombas, catch coins, water flowers, throw bombs, fish, look under buckets, slide around, roll on a ball, roll dice, drive mechs, avoid fire, pilot flying saucers, balance on a tightrope, quilt, sled down a hill, do math, fight with cards, match a clock's hands, defuse a bomb, open a can, jump rope, catch berries, clean a bus, toss a ball, pilot a submarine, smack a mallet, play pinball, shoot Bullet Bills, play tug-o-war with Dorries, play a slot machine, avoid Amps, inflate a balloon, duel with pistols, mash buttons, pull a rope, play hot potato, shoot each other's balloons, blow a Tweester, fly planes, punch barrels, climb vines, collect bananas, and play volleyball and hockey.

That's about it! Here's what we've got so far:

Characters: 

Gimmick Rep (Koopa Kid/Tumble?): Happening Space, Chance Space, Mushroom Space, star space, plus block, minus block, speed block, slow block, warp block,  event block, parrot, No Koopa or No Boo sign, gameballs, digging, deep-sea diving, bomb, musical chairs, carving, messing with Bowser's face, inflating a balloon, hitting blocks, skateboarding, collecting coins, platforming, grab bag, bumper balls, tipping, instruments, Simon Says, fishing, key, lightbulb, jump rope, slot cars, hammers, bowling, tightrope, Crane Game, Tug of War, rowing, bobsledding, handcar, Slot Machine, biking, ground pound, limbo, Bank space, Mushrooms, Skeleton Keys, Plunder Chests, Dueling Gloves, Golden Mushrooms, Magic Lamp, Boo Bells, Bowser Suit, Bowser Bomb, pole-climbing, Dizzy Dancing, fruit-catching, windup Fly Guys, shell tank, sneaking, box-hitting, cake assembly, destroy a statue, sawing logs, magnet, Sky Pilots, Speed Hockey, Torpedoes, archery, Bob-omb cannon, fish relay, lightbulbs, Look Away, log-roll, blow up balloon, Bumper Balloon Cars, giant rake, Cellular Shopper,  Boo Repellent, Reverse Mushroom, Bowser Phone, Poison Mushroom, Lucky Lamp, Item Bag, Wacky Watch, Barter Box, Koopa Kard, Lucky Charm, golfing, ice-skating, parasol, rocking horses, snowball, drumming, become gigantic, cannon, hide, spotlights, causing waves, eat pizza, drawing, hydrant, chop wood, rocket, throwing Bowser, chasing chicken, popguns, swinging on vines, batting game, swinging, fortune space, mushroom space, warp space, Warp Pipe, MiniMegaHammer, Chomp Call, Boo's Crystal Ball, Gaddlight, Sparky Sticker, pull against a slime, ski, play dominoes, float with a balloon, ice skate, grabber, race in karts, giant tree stompers, soccer, run a maze, parasail, deliver food, catch butterflies, darts, puzzle, capsules, catch ice cream, chase Ukikis, guide a Chomp, avoid penguins, speedboat, will a plant back to life, triple jump, look under buckets, roll on a ball, drive mechs, pilot flying saucers, quilt, sled, fight with cards, defuse a bomb, open a can, clean a bus, submarine, pull a rope, blow a Tweester.

Mario

Luigi

Princess Peach

Yoshi

Donkey Kong

Wario

Daisy

Waluigi

Toad

Boo: steal coins

Koopa Kid

Bowser

Koopa Troopa: give coins

Thwomp

Whomp

Bob-Omb

Goomba

Shy Guy

Snifit

Piranha Plant

Chain Chomp

Mr. Blizzard

Game Guy

Millenium Star

Star Spirits

Stages:

DK's Jungle Adventure

Peach's Birthday Cake

Yoshi's Tropical Island

Wario's Battle Canyon

Luigi's Engine Room

Mario's Rainbow Castle

Bowser's Magma Mountain

Eternal Star

Pirate Land

Western Land

Space Land

Mystery Land

Horror Land

Bowser Land

Chilly Waters

Deep Bloober Sea

Spiny Desert

Woody Woods

Creepy Cavern

Waluigi's Island

Gate Guy

Arrowhead

Pipesqueak

Blowhard

Mr. Mover

Backtrack

Toad's Midway Madness

Koopa's Seaside Soiree

Goomba's Greedy Gala

Boo's Haunted Bash

Shy Guy's Jungle Jam

Bowser's Gnarly Party

Toy Dream

Rainbow Dream

Pirate Dream

Undersea Dream

Future Dream

Sweet Dream

Bowser Nightmare

Various Mini-Games

Items:

All listed above

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Mario Party 6!

Mario Party 4

 MARIO PARTY 4

Alright, let's cover Mario Party 4, the first game for the Nintendo Game Cube. All eight characters return, all of them participating in the story mode this time. Speaking of which, the plot involves Toad, Koopa, Goomba, Shy Guy, and Boo presenting the characters with a party cube for one of their birthdays, as a fun activity for them to compete in. (Hey, at least it's not an ego contest again). The five gifters act as hosts on the various boards, and Bowser and Koopa Kid show up to cause trouble, the way they always do.

Blue, Red, Happening, Bowser, and Battle Spaces all return, alongside Fortune Spaces that cause a random effect, Mushroom Spaces that give either Mega or Mini Mushrooms, and Warp Spaces that act like the warp item from previous games. The Mega Mushroom, Mini Mushroom, Swap Card, Item Bag, Magic Lamp, and Bowser Suit all return, alongside a Warp Pipe that lets characters switch places, the MiniMegaHammer that can give the effect of a Mushroom to another player, a Chomp Call that summons a Chomp to chase the star space to a new location, Boo's Crystal Ball which is the resident Boo summoner, a Gaddlight which is basically Boo Repellent (but Luigi's Mansion is a thing now), and a Sparky Sticker that lays a trap for other characters.

The game boards include: Toad's Midway Madness, an amusement park world; Koopa's Seaside Soiree, a beach world; Goomba's Greedy Gala, a casino-themed world; Boo's Haunted Bash, a haunted house world; Shy Guy's Jungle Jam, a jungle world; and Bowser's Gnarly Party, the Bowser's Castle world.

Now for the mini-games. We have sixty this time, and . . . there has got to be a better way to do this that doesn't take hours and give me a headache. I think I'm just going to list the general activities and forego the names and stuff. Yeah, maybe that'll work. Let's see! Across the minigames, the characters swim, pull against a slime attached to their back, ski, play dominoes with Whomps, float with a balloon, shoot balloons, play basketball, reveal a picture, ice skate, play Tetris basically, use a grabber, race in karts, dive, fight in the dark, make waves, fire each other from cannons, drive giant tree stompers, fish, hop inside balloons, collect coins, play soccer, play a crane game, deflate a balloon, mess with conveyor belts, row a boat, climb a cliff, run a maze, parasail, deliver food orders, run an obstacle course, trace, avoid a Chain Chomp, walk a thin path, blow up a balloon, catch butterflies, play darts, feed Bowser, whack with a hammer, play a matching game, wrestle, avoid fire, put together a puzzle, and play volleyball. Oh yeah, that was much better.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters: 

Gimmick Rep (Koopa Kid/Tumble?): Happening Space, Chance Space, Mushroom Space, star space, plus block, minus block, speed block, slow block, warp block,  event block, parrot, No Koopa or No Boo sign, gameballs, digging, deep-sea diving, bomb, musical chairs, carving, messing with Bowser's face, inflating a balloon, hitting blocks, skateboarding, collecting coins, platforming, grab bag, bumper balls, tipping, instruments, Simon Says, fishing, key, lightbulb, jump rope, slot cars, hammers, bowling, tightrope, Crane Game, Tug of War, rowing, bobsledding, handcar, Slot Machine, biking, ground pound, limbo, Bank space, Mushrooms, Skeleton Keys, Plunder Chests, Dueling Gloves, Golden Mushrooms, Magic Lamp, Boo Bells, Bowser Suit, Bowser Bomb, pole-climbing, Dizzy Dancing, fruit-catching, windup Fly Guys, shell tank, sneaking, box-hitting, cake assembly, destroy a statue, sawing logs, magnet, Sky Pilots, Speed Hockey, Torpedoes, archery, Bob-omb cannon, fish relay, lightbulbs, Look Away, log-roll, blow up balloon, Bumper Balloon Cars, giant rake, Cellular Shopper,  Boo Repellent, Reverse Mushroom, Bowser Phone, Poison Mushroom, Lucky Lamp, Item Bag, Wacky Watch, Barter Box, Koopa Kard, Lucky Charm, golfing, ice-skating, parasol, rocking horses, snowball, drumming, become gigantic, cannon, hide, spotlights, causing waves, eat pizza, drawing, hydrant, chop wood, rocket, throwing Bowser, chasing chicken, popguns, swinging on vines, batting game, swinging, fortune space, mushroom space, warp space, Warp Pipe, MiniMegaHammer, Chomp Call, Boo's Crystal Ball, Gaddlight, Sparky Sticker, pull against a slime, ski, play dominoes, float with a balloon, ice skate, grabber, race in karts, giant tree stompers, soccer, run a maze, parasail, deliver food, catch butterflies, darts, puzzle.

Mario

Luigi

Princess Peach

Yoshi

Donkey Kong

Wario

Daisy

Waluigi

Toad

Bowser

Koopa Kid

Koopa Troopa: give coins

Boo: steal coins

Thwomp

Whomp

Bob-Omb

Goomba

Shy Guy

Snifit

Piranha Plant

Chain Chomp

Mr. Blizzard

Game Guy

Millenium Star

Stages:

DK's Jungle Adventure

Peach's Birthday Cake

Yoshi's Tropical Island

Wario's Battle Canyon

Luigi's Engine Room

Mario's Rainbow Castle

Bowser's Magma Mountain

Eternal Star

Pirate Land

Western Land

Space Land

Mystery Land

Horror Land

Bowser Land

Chilly Waters

Deep Bloober Sea

Spiny Desert

Woody Woods

Creepy Cavern

Waluigi's Island

Gate Guy

Arrowhead

Pipesqueak

Blowhard

Mr. Mover

Backtrack

Toad's Midway Madness

Koopa's Seaside Soiree

Goomba's Greedy Gala

Boo's Haunted Bash

Shy Guy's Jungle Jam

Bowser's Gnarly Party

Various Mini-Games

Items:

All listed above

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Mario Party 5!

Mario Party 3

MARIO PARTY 3

Today, let's cover Mario Party 3, the third game in the Mario Party franchise. Our six main characters all return, once again carrying on their joystick-measuring contest, but this time vying for possession of the Millenium Star, a powerful magical item that fell from the sky. Upon hearing their argument, the Millenium Star shrank them all down and transported them inside of a toy box, having them all compete in games to determine who is enough of a superstar to own it.

Besides Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Wario, Daisy and Waluigi have been added as playable, though not in the Story Mode. The Millenium Star oversees most of the games, while a strange dice creature named Tumble (the true Millenium Star *spoilers*) takes over Toad's role as the host. Bowser and Koopa Kid both show up frequently, challenging you for each star stamp you collect.

All of the major spaces return: Blue, Red, Item, Happening, Chance Time, Bank, Battle, Bowser, and Star Spaces, with a new space, the Game Guy space added. Game Guy's space will challenge you to a double-or-nothing minigame for your full coin count. The Mushroom, Warp Block, Dueling Glove, Golden Mushroom, Magic Lamp, Bowser Suit, Plunder Chest, Boo Bell, and Skeleton Key all return, alongside: the Cellular Shopper, letting you visit Toad's shop from anywhere; Boo Repellent, to keep Boos away; the Reverse Mushroom, which will force a player to go backwards on the board; Bowser Phone, basically a portable Bowser space you can force on other players; the Poison Mushroom, which will reduce the amount a player can roll; the Lucky Lamp, which can move a Star Space; an Item Bag to carry items; the Wacky Watch, which will reset the game to five moves left; the Barter Box, which lets you trade items; the Koopa Kard, which lets you access the bank; and the Lucky Charm to summon Game Guy.

The game features six boards this time around, including: Chilly Waters, an ice world; Deep Bloober Sea, an underwater world; Spiny Desert, a desert world; Woody Woods, a forest world; Creepy Cavern, a haunted underground world; and Waluigi's Island, a tropical world. There are also six smaller Duel Boards to face off against a single opponent. These include: Gate Guy, with gates requiring money to pass; Arrowhead, featuring multiple shortcuts to the start space; Pipesqueak, with multiple warp pipes; Blowhard, with a Blowhard in the middle that blows players up and randomizes where they land; Mr. Mover, featuring a conveyor belt taking players right or left depending on its color; and Backtrack with reverse spaces.

The Duel Boards have some unique mechanics, including Power-Up Spaces that boost your stats and Reverse Spaces. You also have a number of partners who you can use to attack opponents. These include Koopa, Goomba, Toad, Bob-Omb, Boo, Whomp, Snifit, Piranha Plant, Chain Chomp, Thwomp, Mr. Blizzard, and Koopa Kid.

Let's get on with our minigames, shall we? We have seventy-one this time, all original, though they follow many of the basic premises. These include: Aces High, a flying game; Awful Tower, a climbing game; Bounce n' Trounce, a last-man-standing game; Cheep Cheep Chase, swimming away from a giant fish; Chip Shot Challenge, a golfing game; Curtain Call, a memory game; Frigid Bridges, a slippery obstacle course; Ice Rink Risk, an ice-skating game; Mario's Puzzle Party, a Tetris game; Messy Memory, a memory game; MPIQ, a quiz; Parasol Plummet, drifting down on a parasol; Picture Imperfect, messing with a portrait; Pipe Cleaners, smacking Koopa Kid with a hammer; Rockin' Raceway, a racing game with rocking horses; Snowball Summit, pushing around a snowball; The Beat Goes On, mimicking a specific beat; Toadstool Titan, using a mushroom to become gigantic and stomp your opponents; Treadmill Grill, a treadmill game; Water Whirled, a survival game in a swirling vortex of water; Boulder Ball, running up a hill while avoiding boulders; Coconut Cork, trying to trap an opponent in a cannon with a coconut; Crazy Corks, avoiding Bullet Bills while on spinning platforms; Hand, Line, and Sinker, a fishing game with an extendable hand; Hide and Sneak, basically hide-and-seek; Ridiculous Relay, a relay race; River Raiders, a rowing game; Spotlight Swim, swimming to avoid spotlights; Thwomp Pull, think a dogsled race but with Thwomps (awesome); Tidal Toss, causing waves to knock the others out; Baby Bowser Broadside, shooting cannons at a Koopa Kid balloon; Cosmic Coaster, basically the handcart game again; Eatsa Pizza, I think you get it; Etch and Catch, a drawing game; Hyper Hydrants, putting out fire; Log Jam, a wood-cutting game; Picking Panic, picking fruit; Puddle Paddle, collecting coins; Pump, Pump and Away, launching a rocket; Slot Synch, basically a slot machine; All Fired Up, avoiding fireballs; Eyesore, taking out a Mr. I; Locked Out, matching keys to doors; Merry Go Chomp, trying not to get eaten by a Chain Chomp; Slapdown, using giant hands to slap items; Stacked Deck, a card game; Storm Chasers, following a storm cloud; Three Door Monty, a memory game; Baby Bowser Bonkers, basically Whack-a-Mole with Koopa Kid; Bowser Toss, throwing Bowser at a bomb; Crowd Cover, uncovering an image; End of the Line, a train track choosing game; Fowl Play, chasing a chicken; Motor Rooter, an obstacle course through a pipe; Popgun Pick-Off, shooting popguns; Silly Screws, running on screws; Tick Tock Hop, avoiding moving clock hands; Vine with Me, swinging on vines; Bobbing Bow-Loons, shooting balloons with arrows; Dorrie Dip, pounding on Dorrie; Hey Batter Batter, a batting game; Swinging with Sharks, swinging over shark-infested water; Swing n' Swipe, smacking Koopa Kid with a hammer again to steal a chest; Winner's Wheel, think Wheel of Fortune; Dizzy Dinghies, a rowing game; Mario's Puzzle Party Pro; and Stardust Battle, avoiding stars.

I think that's it! Here's what we've got so far:

Characters: 

Gimmick Rep (Koopa Kid/Tumble?): Happening Space, Chance Space, Mushroom Space, star space, plus block, minus block, speed block, slow block, warp block,  event block, parrot, No Koopa or No Boo sign, gameballs, digging, deep-sea diving, bomb, musical chairs, carving, messing with Bowser's face, inflating a balloon, hitting blocks, skateboarding, collecting coins, platforming, grab bag, bumper balls, tipping, instruments, Simon Says, fishing, key, lightbulb, jump rope, slot cars, hammers, bowling, tightrope, Crane Game, Tug of War, rowing, bobsledding, handcar, Slot Machine, biking, ground pound, limbo, Bank space, Mushrooms, Skeleton Keys, Plunder Chests, Dueling Gloves, Golden Mushrooms, Magic Lamp, Boo Bells, Bowser Suit, Bowser Bomb, pole-climbing, Dizzy Dancing, fruit-catching, windup Fly Guys, shell tank, sneaking, box-hitting, cake assembly, destroy a statue, sawing logs, magnet, Sky Pilots, Speed Hockey, Torpedoes, archery, Bob-omb cannon, fish relay, lightbulbs, Look Away, log-roll, blow up balloon, Bumper Balloon Cars, giant rake, Cellular Shopper,  Boo Repellent, Reverse Mushroom, Bowser Phone, Poison Mushroom, Lucky Lamp, Item Bag, Wacky Watch, Barter Box, Koopa Kard, Lucky Charm, golfing, ice-skating, parasol, rocking horses, snowball, drumming, become gigantic, cannon, hide, spotlights, causing waves, eat pizza, drawing, hydrant, chop wood, rocket, throwing Bowser, chasing chicken, popguns, swinging on vines, batting game, swinging.

Mario

Luigi

Princess Peach

Yoshi

Donkey Kong

Wario

Daisy

Waluigi

Toad

Bowser

Koopa Kid

Koopa Troopa: give coins

Boo: steal coins

Thwomp

Whomp

Bob-Omb

Goomba

Snifit

Piranha Plant

Chain Chomp

Mr. Blizzard

Game Guy

Millenium Star

Stages:

DK's Jungle Adventure

Peach's Birthday Cake

Yoshi's Tropical Island

Wario's Battle Canyon

Luigi's Engine Room

Mario's Rainbow Castle

Bowser's Magma Mountain

Eternal Star

Pirate Land

Western Land

Space Land

Mystery Land

Horror Land

Bowser Land

Chilly Waters

Deep Bloober Sea

Spiny Desert

Woody Woods

Creepy Cavern

Waluigi's Island

Gate Guy

Arrowhead

Pipesqueak

Blowhard

Mr. Mover

Backtrack

Various Mini-Games

Items:

All listed above

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Mario Party 4!

Mario Party 2

 MARIO PARTY 2

Mario Party 2 is the sequel to the smash hit Mario Party. It follows heavily in its predecessor's footsteps, once again starring the same six characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Wario. The plot follows them as they work together to build an amusement park, but then start to argue over which one of them the park should be named after. Toad declares that the park would be named after whoever took down Bowser and thus the games begin.

Much of the same basic game mechanics return, with Toad acting as a referee, Bowser acting as a boss, and Koopa Kid helping Bowser out. Blue, Red, Happening, Chance Time, Bowser, and Star spaces all return, joined by Item spaces that let you use items, Battle spaces that start a battle minigame, and a Bank space that they will deposit five coins into and can then draw them out later. Items include Mushrooms that let you roll two dice, Skeleton Keys that unlock gates, Plunder Chests that steal items from others, Dueling Gloves that challenge specific players to duel you, Warp Blocks that warp you around, Golden Mushrooms that give you three blocks, the Magic Lamp that summons a genie to take you straight to the star space, Boo Bells to summon a boo to steal from opponents, a Bowser Suit that disguises you as Bowser, and a Bowser Bomb that turns Koopa Kid into Bowser.

The game boards this time include six theme-park sections each with a different theme (think Tomorrow Land, Frontier Land, and Toon Town in Disneyland). These include Pirate Land, a beach world; Western Land, a desert world; Space Land, a sci-fi world; Mystery Land, an Indiana Jones expedition-style world; Horror Land, a haunted house world; and Bowser Land, the Bowser's Castle world.

This game has 65 mini-games, 21 returning from the first game. They include: Abandon Ship, a pole-climbing game; Bombs Away; Bumper Balls; Deep Sea Salvage; Dizzy Dancing, a game with intentionally wonky controls; Hexagon Heat; Honeycomb Havoc, a fruit-catching game; Hot Rope Jump; Lava Tile Isle, with you forcing your opponents off; Mecha Marathon, a race with windup Fly Guys; Platform Peril; Roll Call, a counting game; Shell Shocked, a tank battle game; Shy Guy Says; Skateboard Scamper; Slotcar Derby; Sneak n' Snore, sneaking past a sleeping Chain Chomp; Tile Driver, uncovering an image; Tipsy Tourney; Toad in the Box, a box-hitting game; Totem Pole Pound, a ground-pound game; Balloon Burst; Bobsled Run; Cake Factory, a cake assembly game; Destruction Duet, a statue-destroying game; Dungeon Dash; Handcar Havoc; Loony Lumberjacks, sawing logs; Magnet Carta, a coin-collecting game; Sky Pilots, an aerial obstacle course; Speed Hockey; Toad Bandstand; Torpedo Targets, a target-shooting game; Archer-ival, an archery game; Bob-Omb Barrage, sort of a monkey-in-the-middle kind of game; Crane Game; Filet Relay, with the heroes dressed as penguins using fish instead of batons; Lights Out, a game where you try to smack opponents with a hammer to destroy others' lightbulbs; Look Away, an anti-follow-the-leader game; Move to the Music, an instruction-following game; Quicksand Cache, a coin-collecting game; Rainbow Run, basically Tightrope Treachery; Shock, Drop, and Roll, a log-rolling game with electricity; Bowser's Big Blast, a balloon-inflating game; Bumper Balloon Cars, about what it sounds like; Crazy Cutters; Day at the Races, a race using Boos, Whomps, Thwomps, and Bob-Ombs as the racers; Face Lift; Grab Bag; Hot Bob-Omb; Rakin' Em In, think Hungry Hungry Hippoes with giant rakes; Item Minigames for each world that give you items; Duels for each world (swords for Pirate Land, guns for Western Land, you get it); and a special Driver's Ed minigame.

Here's everything we've got so far:

Characters: 

Gimmick Rep (Koopa Kid?): Happening Space, Chance Space, Mushroom Space, star space, plus block, minus block, speed block, slow block, warp block,  event block, parrot, No Koopa or No Boo sign, gameballs, digging, deep-sea diving, bomb, musical chairs, carving, messing with Bowser's face, inflating a balloon, hitting blocks, skateboarding, collecting coins, platforming, grab bag, bumper balls, tipping, instruments, Simon Says, fishing, key, lightbulb, jump rope, slot cars, hammers, bowling, tightrope, Crane Game, Tug of War, rowing, bobsledding, handcar, Slot Machine, biking, ground pound, limbo, Bank space, Mushrooms, Skeleton Keys, Plunder Chests, Dueling Gloves, Golden Mushrooms, Magic Lamp, Boo Bells, Bowser Suit, Bowser Bomb, pole-climbing, Dizzy Dancing, fruit-catching, windup Fly Guys, shell tank, sneaking, box-hitting, cake assembly, destroy a statue, sawing logs, magnet, Sky Pilots, Speed Hockey, Torpedoes, archery game, Bob-omb cannon, fish relay, lightbulbs, Look Away, log-roll, blow up balloon, Bumper Balloon Cars, giant rake.

Mario

Luigi

Princess Peach

Yoshi

Donkey Kong

Wario

Toad

Bowser

Koopa Kid

Koopa Troopa: give coins

Boo: steal coins

Thwomp

Whomp

Bob-Omb

Stages:

DK's Jungle Adventure

Peach's Birthday Cake

Yoshi's Tropical Island

Wario's Battle Canyon

Luigi's Engine Room

Mario's Rainbow Castle

Bowser's Magma Mountain

Eternal Star

Pirate Land

Western Land

Space Land

Mystery Land

Horror Land

Bowser Land

Various Mini-Games

Items:

All listed above

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Mario Party 3!

Mario Party

MARIO PARTY

So, um, not going to lie, I'm about as intimidated by this series as I was by the RPGs. Possibly even more so, considering I at least had my own personal experience with the RPGs to help me contextualize and make sense of all the content. The Mario Party series, however, I have little to no personal experience with them prior to all this, so I only have the research I did in preparation to rely on. Wish me luck!

The Mario Party series is probably one of the most popular spinoff franchises of the Mario series, after Mario Kart of course. The game plays out like a board game on steroids, with Mario characters moving around on a map, rolling dice to determine how far they move, and with certain spaces having certain effects. In order to gain points, the characters compete in an assortment of simple mini-games. Now, this is where it all gets difficult, as its sort of in this weird halfway state where, like the sports games, all the characters compete in all the events and so none of it can be necessarily attributed to any one of them, but unlike those sports games, all of the mini-games are generally built around various elements of the Mario series and its characters, so it technically all can be attributed to them, and I just . . . I . . . I don't know, man. I'm going to do my best.

Our playable characters in the game include Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Wario, and Donkey Kong. Basically, the Mario Kart Eight, without Toad and Bowser, who act as the referee of the game and final boss respectively. The plot revolves around the six players arguing over . . . what basically amounts to a joystick-measuring contest, if you know what I mean. Toad cuts in and decides that the only way to decide which one of them is the best is by having them compete in a series of games. Bowser and his minions try to crash the party and cause trouble, including an original character (sort of) called Koopa Kid, which I'm pretty sure was supposed to be the Koopalings but the programmers didn't want to have to program all of them or single any one more them out so they just made a generic sort of mishmash of all of them.

Anyway, the game takes place on a series of game boards based on each characters. We have: DK's Jungle Adventure, a jungle-themed board; Peach's Birthday Cake, a delicious-looking board I just want to run my finger through; Yoshi's Tropical Island, generally taking inspiration from Yoshi's Story; Wario's Battle Canyon, a board split into five distinct sections and full of bombs; Luigi's Engine Room, a factory-style board with a number of warp pipes; Mario's Rainbow Castle, a sky/Peach's Castle-themed world; Bowser's Magma Mountain, a standard Bowser's Castle-type world, and Eternal Star, a space-themed world like you often see as the final level of a lot of Mario games.

Across the boards, you have a number of special spaces. Blues are pretty basic and give you three coins for landing there, Reds take three away, Happening Spaces cause board-specific events to occur that shake up the game, Chance Spaces will cause the player to play a quick game of chance, Mini-Game Spaces will activate a mini-game, Mushroom Spaces will give them a roulette block that will either give them an extra dice roll or cause them to lose a roll, Bowser spaces will cause you to play a special mini-game against Bowser, and a star space will give you a star when you pass it.

Several items can also be used in the board game section, including: the plus block, giving you coins; the minus block, taking away coins; the speed block, giving you large amounts of coins; the slow block, giving you only small amounts of coins; the warp block, to let you change position on the board; the event block, which causes Boo, Koopa Troopa, or Bowser to appear, Koopa to give you coins, Boo to steal coins from a competitor, or Bowser to take coins from you; a parrot to mimic characters' voices; a No Koopa or No Boo sign to stop Boos and Koopas from appearing on the board; and gameballs to unlock mini-games.

The game has fifty total mini-games all across the board. I'm going to do my best to cover them. We have: Buried Treasure, with the characters digging to get to treasures first; Treasure Divers, with the characters deep-sea diving; Hot Bob-Omb, playing hot potato with a bomb; Musical Mushroom, basically musical chairs; Crazy Cutter, carving out an image of a Boo; Face Lift, basically just messing with Bowser's face; Balloon Burst, inflating a Bowser balloon; Coin Block Blitz, trying to hit the most blocks; Skateboard Scamper, trying to avoid getting hit and falling into lava; Box Mountain Mayhem, trying to collect the most coins; Platform Peril, jumping across falling platforms; Mushroom Mix-up, trying to not fall in water; Grab Bag, collecting coins; Bumper Balls, trying to knock everyone else off; Tipsy Tourney, trying to uncover a full image; Bombs Away, avoiding bombs coming at the stage; Mario Bandstand, playing the right notes at the right time; Shy Guy Says, basically Simon Says; Cast Aways, fishing for coins; Key-pa-Way, trying to keep a key away from your opponents; Running of the Bulb, trying to get away from a giant Boo; Hot Rope Jump, basically jump-roping with fire; Hammer Drop, avoiding a Lakitu's hammers; Slot Car Derby, racing around a track; Pipe Maze, trying to get through the right route; Bash and Crash, smashing opponents with hammers; Bowl Over, bowling against your opponents; Tight Rope Treachery, crossing a tightrope with projectiles trying to hit you; Crane Game, I think you get that one; Piranha's Pursuit, running from a walking Piranha Plant; Tug of War, over a giant Piranha Plant; Paddle Battle, rowing down a river; Coin Shower Flower, collecting coins; Bobsled Run, pretty obvious; Desert Dash, running down a course; Bombsketball, basketball with bombs; Handcar Havoc, racing down a track on a handcar; Memory Match, a memory game; Slot Machine, pretty obvious there too; Shell Game, avoiding spinning shells; Ghost Guess, finding the Boo's leader; Pedal Power, biking to keep a ghost away; Whack-a-Plant, Whack-a-Mole but with Piranhas; Ground Pound, pounding in pegs; Teetering Towers, getting through a course of unstable platforms; Knock Block Tower, knocking away Thwomps; Limbo Dance, a limbo game; and Bumper Ball Maze, a balancing game.

Phew! Please tell me that's it. Um . . . yeah, I think so. There's a couple of alternate modes but those mostly seem to let you explore the content already listed in other ways.

Here's what we've got so far:

Gimmick Rep (Koopa Kid?): Happening Space, Chance Space, Mushroom Space, star space, plus block, minus block, speed block, slow block, warp block,  event block, parrot, No Koopa or No Boo sign, gameballs, digging, deep-sea diving, bomb, musical chairs, carving, messing with Bowser's face, inflating a balloon, hitting blocks, skateboarding, collecting coins, platforming, grab bag, bumper balls, tipping, instruments, Simon Says, fishing, key, lightbulb, jump rope, slot cars, hammers, bowling, tightrope, Crane Game, Tug of War, rowing, bobsledding, handcar, Slot Machine, biking, ground pound, limbo.

Mario

Luigi

Princess Peach

Yoshi

Donkey Kong

Wario

Toad

Bowser

Koopa Kid

Koopa Troopa: give coins

Boo: steal coins

Stages:

DK's Jungle Adventure

Peach's Birthday Cake

Yoshi's Tropical Island

Wario's Battle Canyon

Luigi's Engine Room

Mario's Rainbow Castle

Bowser's Magma Mountain

Eternal Star

Various Mini-Games

Items:

All listed above

Thanks for reading! Next up we have Mario Party 2, and SO MANY more to follow. I think this is going to get a little rough.