Mario Party DS

Mario Party DS (マリオパーティDS) is a 2007 party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the second handheld game in the Mario Party series, as well as the last game in the series to be developed by Hudson Soft, as all subsequent titles have been developed by NDcube. The game was re-released on the Virtual Console for the Wii U in April 2016.

Like most installments in the Mario Party series, Mario Party DS features characters of the Mario franchise competing in a board game with a variety of minigames, many of which utilize the console's unique features. Up to four human players can compete at a time, though characters can also be computer-controlled. The game also features a single-player story mode as well as several other game modes.

Mario Party DS received mixed reviews, with general praise for its minigame variety and criticism for its absence of online multiplayer. The game has sold more than nine million units, making it the 11th best-selling game for the Nintendo DS. Mario Party DS was succeeded by Mario Party 9 for the Wii in 2012.

Gameplay
Much like other games in the Mario Party series, Mario Party DS allows up to four players to compete in an interactive board game, rolling dice to move between one and 10 spaces at a time. There are eight playable characters (Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Princess Daisy, Toad, Wario, and Waluigi) and five game boards. Characters can be controlled by human players as well as artificial intelligence.

The players' objective is to collect more Stars than their opponents, though the method of obtaining them varies depending on the board. However, most Stars require coins to be purchased, which can be obtained by landing on certain spaces, as well as by winning minigames. Coins can also be spent on items to help players win. Once there are five turns remaining, an event known as the "Final 5 Frenzy" occurs in which Bowser aids the player in last place by giving them coins or a Star, depending on the outcome of a roulette. This event also adds spaces that allow two players to duel for Stars or coins via a minigame. At the end of each game, the player with the most Stars is crowned the "Superstar". Additional Stars based on randomly selected criteria (such as winning the most minigames or using the most items) are awarded post-game if Bonus Stars are enabled.

Mario Party DS features a total of 73 minigames, most of which utilize the unique features of the Nintendo DS. While some minigames simply use the buttons and control pad, others make use of the console's built-in microphone, dual screen and touch screen mechanics, or motion sensitivity. Each minigame is a short event that rewards players with coins for completing an objective. During board games, a minigame is automatically played every time each player has taken a turn, as well as whenever a "Duel Space" is landed on. The type of minigame played depends on the color of the space each player lands on. Mario Party DS's minigames are categorized into five different types, including four-player free-for-alls, teams of two, and three against one. There are also "battle" minigames in which all players compete for a communal jackpot, as well as five "boss" minigames in which villains from the Mario series, such as Bowser, are fought.

Mario Party DS includes a single-player story mode in which all of the game's playable characters are significantly shrunken down. This detail is reflected in the game boards and minigames, in which characters ride on rubber ducks, drive wind-up cars, and glide across a backyard on clothes hangers. To complete the game's story mode, the player must defeat three other characters, all of whom are randomly selected and computer-controlled, on all five game boards, in addition to clearing all five boss minigames.

There is also a "Party Mode" that allows up to four players, human or computer-controlled, to compete on any of the five game boards, either independently or in opposing pairs; unlike with "Story Mode", the number of turns, the difficulty levels of the computer-controlled characters, and the number of Stars each player starts the game with can all be adjusted. "Minigame Mode" allows players to play any minigames that have been unlocked by playing through "Story Mode" and "Party Mode". A "Free Play" option allows any minigame to be played at any time; there are also five other games with different rulesets. Most of the games allow up to four players to play minigames that are either randomly selected, manually chosen, or part of a predetermined set. One of the games, "Boss Bash", is a single-player challenge in which one player must complete all five boss minigames as quickly as possible. "Puzzle Mode" allows players to play puzzle games from previous installments of the Mario Party series: "Mario's Puzzle Party" from Mario Party 3, "Bob-omb Breakers" from Mario Party 4, "Piece Out" from Mario Party 5, "Block Star" from Mario Party 6, and "Stick and Spin" from Mario Party 7. A new game, "Triangle Twisters", can be unlocked by completing the game's story mode for the first time. "Extras Mode" features two additional games in which players can either work together or compete against one another.

The game also includes a number of collectibles that can be unlocked in various ways, such as completing the game's story mode with different characters, playing on specific game boards, and clearing one of the game's boss minigames a certain number of times. Mario Party DS also introduces a new game mechanic known as "Party Points", which can be collected from playing through the game's story mode and used to purchase some of the aforementioned collectibles. Players can view any collectibles they have unlocked and listen to in-game audio – including music, jingles, and character voices – in the game's gallery.

Although online multiplayer is absent in Mario Party DS, the game uses the Download Play functionality of the Nintendo DS to enable up to four people to play together wirelessly using only one game card.

Plot
One night in the Mushroom Kingdom, five Sky Crystals fall to the ground. One of them is found by Mario, who shows it to all of his friends the following day. Suddenly, Kamek flies overhead, dropping party invitations from Bowser, inviting everyone to a feast in his castle to apologize for his villainy. Although the gang is initially suspicious, they travel to Bowser's Castle anyway, only to be trapped by Bowser, who steals Mario's Sky Crystal. Bowser also uses a device known as the Minimizer to shrink Mario and his friends down to minuscule size. Bowser, planning to find the four other Sky Crystals on his own, then orders Kamek to throw the pint-sized heroes out to a distant location.

The crew treks back to Bowser's Castle, recovering the four remaining Sky Crystals along the way by defeating a Piranha Plant in Wiggler's garden, stopping a Hammer Bro from destroying Toadette's instruments in her music room, helping Diddy Kong free DK after the latter was turned to stone by a Dry Bones, and freeing a Koopa's grandfather, who had been trapped in a book by Kamek.

Once the heroes make it to Bowser's Castle, he traps everyone inside his pinball machine before preparing to use the Minimizer on them again. However, DK and Diddy, who also received an invitation to the castle, albeit by accident, arrive just in time. While looking for the food, DK bumps into Bowser, causing him to drop the Minimizer, which DK then steps on, causing it to break in half, returning Mario and his friends to their rightful sizes.

In a last-ditch attempt to defeat the heroes, Bowser uses another device, known as the Megamorph Belt, to transform himself into multiple different forms made up of blocks, initiating another boss minigame. After defeating Bowser, the crew takes back the stolen Sky Crystal and places it with the other pieces. The crystals connect to form a crystal DS, unlocking a new game mode, "Triangle Twisters" (if Story Mode has not already been cleared). In a surprising move, Mario and his friends invite Bowser and his son Bowser Jr. to play with them. They accept the offer, making everyone happy, including DK and Diddy Kong, who have eaten the entire buffet.

Development
Like most games in the Mario Party series prior to Mario Party 9, Mario Party DS was developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo. The game was not showcased at Nintendo's E3 2007 press conference, though a short trailer revealed that up to four people could play wirelessly with only one game cartridge.

Mario Party DS was released in 2007 as the second handheld game in the Mario Party series; the first handheld title, Mario Party Advance, was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2005. Mario Party DS is the only game in the series to be released for the Nintendo DS, though several Mario Party games were later released for the Nintendo 3DS. It is also the last game in the series to be developed by Hudson Soft, as all subsequent titles have been developed by NDcube.

Mario Party DS was succeeded by Mario Party 9 for the Wii in 2012. The game was re-released on the Virtual Console for the Wii U in 2016.

Critical response
Mario Party DS received "mixed or average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 33 out of 40. The game's minigame variety was generally praised, while criticism was largely directed at the game's lack of Wi-Fi connection, which heavily restricted the multiplayer aspect of the game. Several reviews alluded to Mario Party DS being superior to its predecessor, Mario Party 8.

The variety in Mario Party DS's minigame control schemes was consistently praised by critics. Some reviewers expressed concern toward certain minigames requiring usage of the console's built-in microphone, though also complimented the ability to exclude such minigames from normal play if desired. Response toward the design and pacing of the minigames was more mixed; GameSpots Frank Provo stated that a majority of the minigames were engaging, Game Informers Bryan Vore wrote that they were "suitably amusing", and Eurogamer's Ellie Gibson described them as "too simplistic, over too quickly or simply too dull to be enjoyable", as well as "badly designed and boring".

Mario Party DS's additional game modes also attracted a mostly positive response from critics, particularly "Puzzle Mode", despite most of the puzzles originating from previous games in the series. Nintendo Life's Dave Frear, in a review of the Wii U's Virtual Console version of the game, referred to these puzzles as "quite addictive", while Ellie Gibson of Eurogamer stated that the puzzle games were more entertaining than the actual board game. Michael Cole of Nintendo World Report offered a less positive response toward the puzzle games, describing them as "simplistic and cumbersome".

The game's single-player focus and absence of online multiplayer were widely panned by critics,   especially due to the inclusion of an online mode in Mario Kart DS despite the game being released two years earlier. However, the game's local multiplayer aspect was generally complimented. Mario Party DS's artificial intelligence was also poorly received, particularly due to its poor cooperation and reactivity with human players, as well as the competence of characters controlled by AI varying widely depending on difficulty level. IGNs Patrick Kolan also expressed criticism toward a perceived lack of game boards, while GameSpys Bryan Stratton spoke of a lack of both game boards and playable characters.

The presentation of Mario Party DS was also a frequent topic of discussion. The game's graphical style was referred to as "big" and "bold" by Eurogamer Ellie Gibson, while Nick Tan of GameRevolution described the graphics and music as "appropriate and whimsically imagined". GameSpot's Frank Provo stated that the presentation "reflects the cheerful attitude you'd normally expect a game starring Mario to have". Provo also praised references to previous Mario games, such as one minigame featuring a music box that plays a rendition of Super Mario Bros.'s World 1-1 theme.

As with most Mario Party games, the win condition only involving Stars elicited criticism from reviewers, with Eurogamer's Ellie Gibson referring to the system as "flawed and unfair". Bryan Vore of Game Informer expressed dismay due to luck remaining a "key gameplay mechanic" that could determine the outcome of a game, even during the last turn, while Michael Cole of Nintendo World Report noted that some minigames were "pure chance".

IGN's Patrick Kolan and Craig Harris summarized the game as "a worthwhile party outing for gamers who are new to the series" and "a solid multiplayer mini-game experience with a lot of the flaws of the previous versions", respectively.

Sales
Mario Party DS became the most-sold game during the first week of its release in Japan, selling 230,000 copies. According to Famitsu, as of July 9, 2008, the game had sold 1,700,000 copies in Japan. It was the 18th best-selling game in Japan in 2008. By March 2011, the game had sold more than eight million copies worldwide. By September 2015, Mario Party DS had sold more than nine million units worldwide, making it the 11th best-selling game for the Nintendo DS.