Mario Party 8

Mario Party 8 is the eighth installment of the Mario Party series on a home console, the first Mario Party game for the Wii, and the tenth game overall in the series. It is also the last Mario Party home console game to be developed by Hudson Soft before Nd Cube took over, though Nd Cube's team retains notable developers from the Mario Party series. The game is notable for its strong use of the Wii Remote and its motion control capabilities in minigames, as the players can wave it, point and shoot, and use it for many other motion-sensor actions. Player-created Miis are featured prominently in this game, where they often show up as part of a crowd, as well as being the player character who appears in the beginning of some minigames such as Sugar Rush and are even selectable characters in Extra Mode. Players can collect Carnival Cards to unlock new features of the game by winning minigames, playing in the Party Tent, or playing in the Star Battle Arena, where the player must win in all of the boards against a CPU.

The game features 6 boards. Though one of them features the classic conditions for obtaining a star (reaching a star and paying coins), all other boards feature unique conditions for obtaining stars. This game also features items called Candy, replacing Orbs from previous installments, that can transform characters, but cannot be set up as traps on boards.

Story
In Mario Party 8, a ringmaster named MC Ballyhoo and his talking hat Big Top have invited Mario and the rest of the crew to his carnival, the Star Carnival without inviting Bowser. Ballyhoo has promised to whoever wins is crowned the Superstar and receives a year's supply of candy. This begins the battle between characters in the boards to retrieve the prize.

However, after the player has defeated the last opponent, Ballyhoo claims he promised something even better than a year's supply of candy, which is the Star Rod. However, Bowser comes and steals the Star Rod and runs away to his new board, Bowser's Warped Orbit. After the character beats one of his minions (one of the unlockable characters in the game), which is either Hammer Bro or Blooper, the character then challenges Bowser to a fight. After the fight, Bowser falls into a hole and the character returns with the Star Rod and the game ends. After that, the unlockable character is unlocked as a playable character. If the player completes the Star Battle with that first unlockable character, they unlock the second one.

Gameplay
Following tradition, Mario Party 8 takes the social, strategic game play of board games and adds breaks for quick, action-oriented minigames. In the main mode, players travel across six boards in search of Stars, landing on spaces that are either helpful or a hindrance by rolling Dice Blocks with numbers 1 to 10. Unlike previous Mario Party games, the spaces on each board take different shapes, depending on the board. Several variations for these boards tweak the main goals to enhance game play for solo sessions, two-player games and three to four-player games.

Like in the preceding Mario Party games, there is a last five turns event called Chump Charity. The event is only limited to a free Duelo Candy or 30 coins to the last place player, unlike the previous wheels that have been used. Also, every space that doesn't have a player standing on it will have coins released by MC Ballyhoo on top of them for the players to collect. Every normal space gets one coin on top of them, and every red space gets five coins for who ever passes them in the form of a coin sack.

Just like the previous Mario Party games, there are also Bonus Stars that the player can receive if the bonuses are turned on. Just like recent Mario Party games, there are a variety of bonus stars to collect, ranging from winning the most minigames to landing on the most red spaces. Only three of these stars are handed out at a time and they are randomized each play-through.


 * Minigame Star: The player who wins the most coins in minigames; basically, whoever won the most minigames, since coins are rewarded to the winners of a minigame.
 * Candy Star: The player who uses the most Candy will receive this star. This not only counts buying Candy, but also using the Candy the player currently has in the inventory.
 * Green Star: The player who landed on the most green spaces earn this star. Since Happening Spaces are the only Green Spaces available in this game, it is earned for players who landed on the most Happening Spaces.
 * Running Star: The player who advanced the most spaces will earn this star. It does not count if the player used a teleporter such as a Springo Candy or certain Green Spaces; it only counts if the player advances through a certain amount of spaces. Using Twice or Thrice Candy can help accomplish this star.
 * Shopping Star: The player who spent the most coins in the Candy Shop earns this star. It is easier to obtain for 1st place players, since they have to spend more money than lower place players for the same candy. The player has to visit shops and purchase candies than run through Candy Areas for this star. Simply visiting shops won't count for the Shopping Star either.
 * Red Star: The player who landed on the most Red Spaces earns this star. Landing on Bowser Spaces do not count for earning this star, as they are recorded separately. Otherwise, this star has a straightforward description: who ever lands on the most Red Spaces will get this star.

With motion control, players can row their way through a river race, punch a statue to pieces, steer race cars, mopeds and go-karts and handle a balancing pole while walking a tightrope. By using the pointer the player can shoot at Red Boos in a haunted house, drag and drop toppings in a cake-decorating competition, select the correct answers in game show challenges. Using the Wii remote's buttons players jump and pummel their way through a football brawl, hop and run across a field of spinning platforms.

Playable characters
Mario Party 8 has a total of 15 playable characters (14 on the main roster). All 12 characters from Mario Party 7 return, and three new characters (Blooper, Hammer Bro, and Mii) have been added. Miis can only be played as in the Extras Zone.

It is notable that the new unlockable characters both make multiple appearances in previous Mario Party installments. Blooper has appeared in various minigames along with Hammer Bro, who also appears as an Orb and a Capsule in Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 7. To unlock them, a player must complete the Star Battle Arena with any character to randomly unlock one of the two unlockable characters (Blooper or Hammer Bro), which is revealed in Bowser's Warped Orbit. They then must complete the Star Battle Arena with the first unlockable character in order to unlock the second.

Team names
Ever since Mario Party 5, players can fight in a tag-team match. In said matches, two players are paired together. In Mario Party 6, but not Mario Party 7, team names are chosen depending on which two characters are paired together. This is a returning feature. Here are all of the possible name combinations:

Star Battle Arena
Star Battle Arena is a solo mode in Mario Party 8. The player can first choose a character. Then, the player competes with another CPU controlled character. It is similar to the Duel Battles, as the player only plays against 1 CPU player. The player advances through the boards in order: DK's Treetop Temple, Goomba's Booty Boardwalk, King Boo's Haunted Hideaway, Shy Guy's Perplex Express, Koopa's Tycoon Town, and Bowser's Warped Orbit, with the rules of Duel Battle instead of Battle Royale. As the player progresses, the computer gets more difficult. Just like in Duel Battle, after 30 turns Ballyhoo will force the battle to stop and declare it a tie.

After completing Koopa's Tycoon Town, the player will then compete against either Hammer Bro. or Blooper, the unlockable characters, to win. After defeating them, the player will challenge against Bowser in his final minigame. After defeating Bowser, credits will roll and the player will earn two hundred Carnival Cards, unlock the Bowser's Warped Orbit board, unlock whomever the player defeated on this board as a playable character, and open the Minigame Wagon. If the player replays the Star Battle with the first unlockable character, the second unlockable character will appear as their final opponent.

Boards
The game contains six new boards, all with their respective elements.

Candy
There are fourteen different Candy power-ups in Mario Party 8. Players can obtain a candy from a Candy Shop or a Candy space on the board. Some are not found on all boards, however. There is a Bonus Star for eating the most candy.

Other features

 * Minigame Tent: In this mode, players can play minigames they have unlocked elsewhere. They can play just one minigame or set up a competition using specific minigames or a set of minigames. Completing minigames earns the player cards for the player to spend at the Surprise Wagon.
 * Free Play Arcade: The Free Play Arcade allows players to play specific minigames they have unlocked elsewhere. They can obtain minigames by either competing in the Star Battle Arena, playing in Party Mode, or buying them out at the Minigame Wagon.
 * Crown Showdown: Up to four players compete for the crown which can be achieved by winning either 3, 5, or 7 minigames. Players select the rules of play including number of player, number of wins needed, and the set of minigames to be played. Minigames from a set are chosen randomly.
 * Flip-Out Frenzy: Up to four players complete in this mode. For each minigame won, players choose panels on a grid board to flip. When the player chooses a panel, all horizontal and vertical grids right next to it will also get flipped. The player with the most panels wins.
 * Tic-Tac Drop: This mode is limited to two players. The players play duel minigames, with the winner permitted to drop a ball of their own color into a a Tic-Tac-Toe grid. The first player who get all three of their balls in a row win.
 * Test for the Best: The player has to unlock certain minigames to play this and they must buy in from the Surprise Wagon at the Fun Bazaar before playing it. The player competes for the best score from playing ten minigames. It is similar to the Minigame Decathlon from previous Mario Party games, except only one player can play at a time.
 * Extras Zone: In this mode, the player can play extra minigames such as Moped Mayhem. The player can also use their Miis to participate in the Extras Zone.
 * Fun Bazaar: The Fun Bazaar is a place where the player can exchange cards for items, modes, and minigames or check records.
 * Records Board: The player can view minigame sets or the best records here. The player can also view the Staff Records after they bought them from the Surprise Wagon.
 * Minigame Wagon: Minigames can be bought here using Carnival Cards. The wagon is only accessible after completing the Star Battle Arena.
 * Carnival Wagon: The player can view any Carnival Figures they collected and watch them in a Carnival Parade.
 * Surprise Wagon: The player can trade Carnival Cards for various items such as Sound Tests, Extra Minigames, Carnival Figurines, and other stuff. Unlike what the instruction booklet says, it's always available.
 * Carnival Calliope: The player can listen to music, sounds, and voices by accessing here. Some features must be bought at the Surprise Wagon first before listening to it.

Minigames
Mario Party 8 has a total of seventy-three minigames, most which make use of the Wii Remote and its motion control capabilities, though some also require the controller to be held in a more traditional way. Unlike other Mario Party games, all minigames rather than a randomized select few are displayed in a single, large roulette corresponding to what type of minigame they are.

Critical reception
After its North American release on May 29, 2007, the game sold 314,000 units in the United States in three days, making it the best-selling home console game in the country that month. As of March 31, 2008, the game has sold 4.86 million copies worldwide. In Japan, Mario Party 8 has sold 1,239,716 copies as of the end of Q2 2008, according to Famitsu. Mario Party 8 is the 11th best-selling game for the Wii, selling 7.6 million copies worldwide, as of March 31, 2014.

As with most Mario Party games, reviews have been mixed. One of the biggest criticisms was the lack of wi-fi and widescreen. Matt Casamassina of IGN referred to the single-player mode as "torture" and commented on the visuals as "graphics don't even impress as a GCN title".

Controversy
The launch of Mario Party 8 in the United Kingdom had several difficulties. Originally scheduled for release on June 22, 2007, Nintendo announced on June 19, 2007 that the UK version of the game had been delayed to July 13 of that year due to a production issue.

Furthermore, upon the release on July 13, 2007, the game was immediately recalled. Nintendo gave a reason for the withdrawal in a press release: "[Mario Party 8] was launched in the UK today. Unfortunately we have discovered that a small number of games contain the wrong version of the disk due to an assembly error. We have therefore decided to recall all copies of the game from UK retailers so that this mistake can be corrected. We will re-launch Mario Party 8 in the UK as soon as possible and will announce a new launch date shortly. We very much regret any inconvenience caused." The European retailer GAME confirmed, that the game was withdrawn from shelves because some copies included an offensive line as part of a magic spell used by Kamek in the board Shy Guy's Perplex Express: "'Magikoopa magic! Turn the train spastic! Make this ticket tragic!'" Due to "spastic" being considered a highly offensive word in the United Kingdom, the game was declared banned and immediately recalled. Mario Party 8 was eventually re-released in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2007, with the offensive statement altered. Copies without the word "spastic" use the word "erratic" instead.

Although it is unknown if Mario Party 8 is the direct catalyst, nearly all first-party Nintendo games released after it have had some English localization differences between the American and PAL releases, rather than the American English text being used for all regions. A similar offense in Super Paper Mario with the word "shag" was preemptively altered for the PAL release.

References to other games

 * Super Mario Bros.: Sprites of Mario and Bowser appear in Bowser's Warped Orbit and sprites of Mario appear at the Star Battle Arena, printed on the toybox of Mosh-Pit Playroom and on the wrapper of Bitsize Candy.
 * Super Mario World: The Koopa Clown Car returns.
 * Super Mario Sunshine: Piantas appear in Goomba's Booty Boardwalk, with their voice clips being recycled from this game.
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: The dinosaur from Dino Dino Jungle appears in DK's Treetop Temple. When a player lands on a Bowser Space in Shy Guy's Perplex Express, the Bowser face on the front of the train resembles the face on the front of the Koopa King, Bowser's signature kart.
 * Mario Power Tennis: Boo's voice clips are recycled from this game.
 * Super Mario Strikers: Hammer Bro's voice clips are recycled from this game.

References in later games

 * Mario Party DS: The playable characters' profile models and voice clips are reused in this game.
 * Mario Party 9: All the playable characters (except Toadette) reappear, with Boo, Dry Bones, Hammer Bro and Blooper becoming supporting characters. Also, some of the characters' voice clips are reused.
 * Super Mario Run: Princess Peach's artwork is reused.
 * Mario Party: The Top 100: Three minigames return in this game. A cover version of the minigame completion theme plays when completing any of the three Mario Party 8 minigames. MC Ballyhoo and Big Top make a cameo in the Characters section of the Series Guide.

Differences from other Mario Party games
This is the only Mario Party game:
 * without Koopa Kid (known as Mini-Bowser in PAL regions) or Bowser Jr..
 * where the players' stats while playing in a board is not in the four corners of the screen; it is shown in a column in the top right corner.
 * to show all minigames from a selected category on the roulette wheel, instead of only three, four, or five.
 * in which the design of the spaces varies from board to board to fit their surrounding aesthetics better.

Trivia

 * The NTSC and PAL versions use different fonts for text; the font used for the main text in the PAL version is the same as the font used from Mario Party 4 to Mario Party 7.