Superstar Showdown

Superstar Showdown is the final minigame being played at the end of the Story Mode, or Star Battle Arena found in Mario Party 8. Bowser is good to his word and gives the player back the Star Rod. At the last second, Bowser has second thoughts and challenges the player to the final match. The player is pitted against him in the deep depths of space. Thankfully, the player has the Star Rod to protect themselves.

This minigame is unlocked only when the Star Battle Arena is completed, and then it is playable in Minigame Mode. And once discovered in Star Battle Arena you can play it as many times as you like.

Introduction
Bowser and the character are each in space, and the character has the Star Rod in his or her hand. Bowser is riding in the Koopa Clown Car, and the player is on a Warp Star-like platform.

Phase 1
This is a one-player game. Bowser has 10 life points, and the player has five. While Bowser blasts fireballs, the player must hold the Wii Remote up, and swing it around to charge up the Star Rod, while dodging Bowser's flames. After it is charged, the player will swing down his or her arm to throw the energy ball. After hitting Bowser three times, the game goes to Phase 2.

Phase 2
Now Bowser has two Bullet Bill launchers. They fire around 6 Bullet Bills each time. This makes it harder for the player, as he or she has to dodge the missiles. After hitting him three times again, the battle enters Phase 3.

Phase 3
This is the last phase. Now, in addition to the weapons he had before, the vehicle he is riding in will have a laser blaster, which will rotate, sending beams out. The only way to dodge these is to get in between two of them. Also, the Bullet Bills will become red and move faster. When Bowser has two lives left, he will fire a large fireball, in addition to the other attacks. After blasting Bowser one more time, the player beats the game.

Ending
After being hit by the final blast from the Star Rod, Bowser, still inside the Koopa Clown Car, is sucked downward into a Black Hole-like vortex.

Controls

 * Wii Remote
 * Move left / right
 * Hold down /  to build up energy
 * Throw energy ball
 * Buttons
 * Press /  to raise the rod

In-game text

 * Rules – "Bring down Bowser!!! Wave the Star Rod over your head to build energy. Shoot once you're charged up!"
 * Hint – "Watch Bowser carefully. When he launches an attack, go on the defensive, even if you're charging up."

Tips

 * If the player charges up an Orb but it doesn't get shot then the next time the player charges up, their attack will do more damage. It will only do more damage if the Orb is still there so charge one big then charge again.
 * If the player is defeated at any time they can actually try again. If the player starts again and they've damaged Bowser, he will still have the same amount of damage the player dealt to him before they were defeated, so this will always give the player the key advantage to beat the Star Battle Arena easily.
 * The void seen at the end of the minigame is very similar to the one in Bowser's Galaxy Generator, of the second phase of the final battle.