I’m not going to lie, I’m a big fan of the Mario Party franchise. Its releases have been a staple in my gaming library for more than 10 years, and I know I’m not the only one.
Although Mario Party 10 will be the first release in the franchise to include HD visuals, I can’t help but feel that it’s going in a bad direction after checking out its latest Overview Trailer. Priced at $59.99 and arriving in less than a month, it is not the game I want. After discussing it with other Mario Party fans, I’m convinced that it may very well become the worst iteration in the franchise.
Also See: Gold Mario Amiibo Bundle Only Available at Walmart
So why am I devoid of hope for Mario Party 10? Below I’ll go over the key reasons why.
5 Reasons Mario Party 10 is Shaping Up For Disappointment
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Five game boards... FIVE
Mario Party 10 is without a doubt a regression in terms of content. It will come packaged with a total of five boards, making it the most bare bones console release Mario Party in history. Since games can be completed in less than an hour, you're looking at around four hours to see all the areas that the game has to offer.
The only other game in the franchise that had five boards was Mario Party DS, a $39.99 handheld title. Every major iteration has had between six and eight boards, making Mario Party 10 stand out in a bad way.
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amiibo DLC extravaganza
amiibos have been a highlight of Nintendo last fiscal quarter, selling millions of units and giving fans a new way to express their appreciation of its roster. But the truth is that Nintendo is still struggling with finding a way to meaningfully integrate them into their software line-up. Mario Party 10 is without a doubt the worst incarnation of amiibos since their inception.
Mario Party 10 doesn't have much content, so its Amiibo Party Mode could be looked at as a significant portion of its offerings. Sadly, the mode is exclusive to those who own Amiibos. At launch a fair share of content will be locked away, leaving those who don't spend a chunk of change on Nintendo's plastic toy line-up to entertain themselves with limited content.
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The fan-hated car is back
The Wii's Mario Party 9 took the franchise in a bold new direction with a controversial vehicle system, which placed all players in a single car that moved around the board. Many complained that it compromised the "board game feel" of the series' most beloved titles, where each player had their own board piece to move around.
Despite the mountains of negative feedback, Nintendo chose to further pursue the system with Mario Party 10. That can't be good.
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There is no story mode to speak of...
If you don't regularly have friends over, you might be better off staying away from Mario Party 10. It makes no effort to entertain solo players, foregoing any form of story or campaign mode to instead focus entirely on four player local multiplayer. And at $59.99, that's a tough sell.
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...and no online functionality
It's 2015, folks. Games that are as multiplayer driven as Mario Party should really have some form of online play. Surprisingly, Mario Party 10 doesn't have online functionality, or even a way to compete for high scores on a leaderboard. If you end up enjoying it and becoming a Mario Party 10 pro, the only way to show off will be to invite your friends over and pummel them.
