Post: #1

Game Informer - 5.75/10 - "There are things about Mario Party 9 that make it a better experience than previous entries, but overall it’s still a disheartening experience. The best times I experienced with the game were the times when co-workers and I were laughing at each other’s stupid mistakes while playing, but you really don’t need a video game to fuel stupid mistakes worth laughing at."

IGN - 7/10 - "The Mario Party games are meant to be played with a room of friends (and the total lack of online play reflects this). But every party will always be subverted by this entry's reliance on randomness to "shake things up," as Bowser puts it when he is about to do something awful to you. This is especially irksome for me because I can envision what Mario Party 9 could be -- a clever, strategic board game with mini-games interspersed would be truly awesome. Some of my fondest gaming memories involve too many hoppy beers, a mass of tangled GameCube cords and a rowdy pack of non-gamer friends playing Mario Party 5. During sessions with Mario Party 9 I was still able to suppress my critical instincts and lose myself in its charms -- but booze was perhaps more essential than ever."

VideoGamer - 7/10 - "Essentially, Mario Party 9 is a great leveller. No matter if you play games for a living or only touch a controller when one is forced into you hand, chances are you'll be in with a shot of winning come the end of the each game. The Wii has always been about bringing people together to play, and Mario Party 9 does that considerably better than I thought it would."

GamesRadar - 8/10 - "Mario Party 9 remains true to its roots, even with some dramatic (and sorely needed) changes to the traditional board game formula. It's not going to convert you if you aren't into party games. But if you lost interest some time around the umpteenth GameCube iteration, or the woeful Mario Party 8, MP9 is a good excuse to come back. Enough of the old concerns have been addressed and the game is more focused than ever, marking a return to simplicity that reminds us why we loved huddling around those old Nintendo consoles in the first place."

UGO - A- - "The Mario Party series might be a bit long in the tooth, but it shouldn’t be counted out; there have been enough tweaks and changes to keep things interesting and the minigames are as fun as ever. So grab your friends, draw them in close, then stomp their existence from the Mushroom Kingdom."

Post: #2

How awkward that Luigi didn't get invited for the cover shot, at least he's actually at the party though.

Post: #3

I don't think I've played Mario Party since 4 or 5. Definitely some fun times though. I have a permanent scar on the palm of my left hand from the wildly spinning that unforgiving N64 analog stick in the first one.

Post: #4

I have horrible memories of the game giving stars away to last place and allowing them to win... despite them in no way deserving it.