MC Ballyhoo and Big Top

Although the first seven entries in the Mario Party series tended to follow the same formula, things started to change with 2007’s Mario Party 8. The Koopa Kids disappeared, never to be heard from again, and much of the core mechanics and board designs were changed up here. The game’s story revolved around a carnival, the various minigames being hosted by a grinning emcee and his talking hat.

This is MC Ballyhoo and his faithful companion Big Top. They only appeared as the hosts of this game, but they left enough of an impression that they are still remembered as the faces of Mario Party to this day.

As characters, they will be jumpy and erratic, with good speed and jumping ability that will likely require some skill to master. Their moves will pull from the unique mechanics only seen in their home game, such as the magical candies that replaced the items of games past.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause

Hammer Bro

Having survived their harrowing encounter with Lakitu, players will soon find themselves struggling against another of Bowser’s more annoying minions to fight, this time in the form of a pair of heavier set Koopas wearing armor and helmets, jumping up and down and throwing lines of hammers that can be a nightmare to try to predict.

These are the Hammer Bros, elite forces of the Koopa army who frequently act as lines of defense before you reach Bowser’s final hideout. Though the hammer-throwing variant is their most common form, they have been seen to branch out into throwing boomerangs, fireballs, iceballs, bulking up and throwing bigger hammers, and even becoming sumo wrestlers and learning to stomp the ground hard enough to send fire and lightning through it.

As a fighter, Hammer Bros will be heavier and stronger than their Koopa cousins, though still quite speedy with solid jumping abilities. Though they will carry the moniker of Hammer Bro, their moveset will use the abilities of the Boomerang, Fire, Ice, Sledge, and Sumo Bro, and any other Bro you happen to meet along the way.

Likelihood rating: Could happen

Blooper

Disappointed by your lack of princess, you move on to World 2, where you encounter your first water stage. Not more than a few seconds in and you are faced by a white squid swimming around in an erratic fashion difficult to predict.

This is a Blooper, originally known as a Blooper, a species of squid native to the Mushroom Kingdom. Though often just the erratic swimmers of the first game, later games have also shown them capable of spraying toxic ink, surfing at high speeds, and launching themselves high into the air. A particularly large member of their race, a giant squid named Gooper Blooper, has made multiple appearances as a boss and will certainly be represented here.

As a player, Bloopers will be slow and difficult to work with on the ground, but swift naturals in the air, swimming through it as if it were water. Their moveset will make use of their tentacles and their ink, as well as their intense speed in the air and water, alongside the extra abilities demonstrated by Gooper Blooper.

Likelihood rating: Piranha Plant clause

Character Sheet: MC Ballyhoo & Big Top

MC BALLYHOO & BIG TOP

So, we only have one newcomer today, who will join Koopa Kid, Tumble, and Brighton & Twila as individual reps for different aspects of the Mario Party series as a whole. Specifically, MC Ballyhoo and Big Top will represent the candy mechanic presented in, and only in, Mario Party 8, the game that they were the hosts of. Among these candies, there were four different variants: reds that influenced your dice rolls, greens that transformed the player for a very short time just to perform a specific action, yellows that transformed the player for the duration of their roll, and blues that would attack other players. The reds we probably don't have to worry about much, but for the record, one gives you an extra block, one gives you two, and one slows down your roll speed. The green candies turn the character into a spring, electrify the character to zap others, and turn the character into a vampire to drain coins from an opponent. Yellow candies turn the character into an 8-bit render of themselves that gives them a coin any time they jump, a tornado that sends opponents back to start, three mini-clones of themselves that mob an opponent to steal candy, and a ball. Finally, blue candies turn the character into a stone block of the character's head, a Bullet Bill, Bowser, and a fiery version of the character that challenges any opponent they come across to a duel. That's about it.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Cashzap Candy

MC Ballyhoo will become electrified for a short time and will zap anyone who he passes by, and drain a small bit of their HP, adding it to his own.

Side B: Bloway Candy

MC Ballyhoo will become a tornado and speed forward. Any character caught in the wind will be blown straight up into the air and have to come back down again.

Up B: Springo Candy

MC Ballyhoo will turn into a spring and spring straight up into the air.

Down B: Thwomp Candy

MC Ballyhoo will transform into a giant rock-version of his and Big Top's own head. This will act in a similar manner to Kirby's Stone ability

Final Smash: Duelo Candy

MC Ballyhoo will become fiery. They will be able to walk around the stage in that state until they encounter another player, at which point they will automatically challenge them to a short one-on-one minigame. If Ballyhoo wins the game, their opponent will be KO'd. If Ballyhoo loses, they . . . might be KO'd or they might simply have some significant drawback added. (We don't want the player to avoid using the Final Smash if they're afraid to take the chance, so I'm not sure there)

Entrance: MC Ballyhoo will appear in a burst of confetti.

Taunts: Up, Big Top will float up and swirl around playfully for a second. Side, Ballyhoo will check his mike, sound-checking it. Down, Ballyhoo and Big Top will turn into a ball.

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

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!