Lurker > Kamekguy

Super Mario RPG

Hell yeah Metal Slug let's go.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Metal Slug

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Dark Pit

No one cares about him in Smash AND no one cares bout Uprising on this site! It's a win-win of futility!

Good theme music though.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Wave Race 64

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Ten different Nintendo games that have NN'ers in them.

Then Pokemon RBY

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Elder Scrolls

Though my brain made me read the prompt backwards, so technically my first thought was Kirby? Y'know despite being the opposite of this.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Donkey Kong Country 3

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

2B came to mind first, almost immediately followed by Captain Falcon.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals

Like I love Crash Bandicoot to death, but definitely the N. Sane release. That original release's continue system and the gems in general... yikes.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)
Tetris Attack (Super Nintendo)

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Super Nintendo)
Diablo (PC)
Tetris Attack (Super Nintendo)
Twisted Metal 2 (Playstation)

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Doc Louis (Punch-Out!!)
King K. Rool (Donkey Kong)
Admiral Bobbery (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)
Enguarde the Swordfish (Donkey Kong)

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Resident Evil (Playstation)
Nights Into Dreams (Sega Saturn)
Metal Slug (Arcade)
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64)

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

I legitimately think the Sonic fanbase would rally it to win out of adoring hatred.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie's Double Trouble! (Super Nintendo)
Quake (PC)
Guardian Heroes (Sega Saturn)
Kirby Super Star (Super Nintendo)
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (Super Nintendo)

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

League of Legends

I mean, lol, but whatever it popped in my head.

It's probably, like, Smash 64 or Doom II or Animal Crossing New Horizons or Castlevania 1 or something, but whatever.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)
Mega Man X3 (Super Nintendo)
Crash Bandicoot (Playstation)
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (Super Nintendo)

Rough draw for Alpha 2, deserves to go out better than this, but Lufia 2's pretty damn great.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Dying Light, which I only remember for being shocked at it being in the contest and refusing to learn anything else about it.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Leonhart4 posted...

Guybrush Threepwood

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Time Crisis (Arcade)
Tetris Attack (Super Nintendo)
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War (Super Nintendo)
Twisted Metal 2 (Playstation)

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Way To Fall

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Super Nintendo)
Fire Pro Wrestling S: 6Men Scramble (Sega Saturn)
Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara (Arcade)
Pilotwings 64 (Nintendo 64)

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Waku Waku 7 (Arcade)
Metal Slug (Arcade)
Mortal Kombat Trilogy (PS1, N64)
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64)

Hell yeah go Metal Slug

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Donkey Kong Country

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

I think it's consistently really strong, but it doesn't have the budget to make its big, setpiece levels really stand out. I had a ton of fun with a bunch of levels, particularly the auto-scrollers and one of the later airship levels, but Hell if I can tell you anything specific about any given level other than the Impossible Lair itself (which is fantastic - way to make a level that preys on player nerves to be hard rather than just abusing cheap enemy placement).

I find it's a game that's more than the sum of its parts, but fails to really stand out aside from the overworld and its main gimmick, which makes it hard to talk about outside of "platforming good, play game".

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

There were more disappointing individual performances (Undertale, Skyrim against Mario Kart, Pokemon HGSS compared to that performance), but Three Houses just looked like it had its hands around its own neck for three straight rounds.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Metal Gear came to mind first

Like, Hell, just the fluctuation between contests for Metal Gear Solid 4 on its own is wild enough. Toss in that series decaying over the past five years and I don't think I could tell you with confidence that any numbered MGS game could beat something within its projected strength range.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Hey, as usual, thank you very much for your hard work! Always great to get perspective back on these, and always appreciate that strong balance between historian and that personal edge.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Morrigan

For other TJF examples, I at least look at their face.

Morrigan there's only two options with.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

So you're saying if he could fly, like some kind of robot with a jetpack, he'd be better...

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

I've always felt that Kirby Super Star is more beat 'em up than platformer. Because if you're basing it on the level design that doesn't involve beating stuff up and solving puzzles with powers, lol.

DKC2 > Mario World > MMX >> Yoshi's Island otherwise. Kirby hangs in a weird nebula of simultaneously better and worse than all the other games.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Witcher. Think it would beat any other Western series in a Series contest just because its baggage is just "early game jank" and not "the fanbase actively is divided/hates it".

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

I think Nier just got to the point that Persona got when P4 started getting its spin-offs and becoming a "big deal"; really desperate for validation now that their niche little series had even somewhat mainstream appeal. I love the game, but the two loudest camps for that game tend to be "look at this robot's butt" and "art through the medium you simply MUST experience this life-changing event", and often the butt people come out as more level-headed.

Dunno why anyone would expect more than 'solid midcard' status unless it caught fire and won a tight match. Nier and DQXI stand out as some of the most middle-of-the-pack games we could get in a balanced games bracket; good enough to put a show on decent fodder, then bow out respectfully in Round 3 or so. Always felt that Nier would only win due to Pokemon's weakness and not its own strength.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

From what I can tell, MK11 just collapsed post-release. It put a lot of its eggs into the "custom moveset" basket that Smash 4 did before it, but only some of those moves ended up being tournament-legal, and then one character with a boring, predictable, safe playstyle (Geras) came to prominence, only SonicFox really keeping a public eye on the game. It was also TOO violent for YouTube, like even the trailers would get demonetized, so its word of mouth died quickly because no one in that sphere really wanted to make content for the game unless they were already heavy into Netherealm products. And then reports came out that devs were diagnosed with PTSD by therapists after working on the game because of how accurately they made the fatalities and the "study material" necessary for that, to the point where a dev admitted he couldn't see his dog without looking at the organs and viscera inside, which was REALLY bad press. The game fizzled out super fast and got no EVO spotlight until its good netcode carried it over the broken bodies of Smash and Street Fighter. Plus the usual predatory practices, even if they went away, kneecapped it.

Honestly I'm more shocked that it made the contest over MKX! Compare to a game like Odyssey, where all the bad you can say about it is "in retrospect, it isn't QUITE as amazing in the post-game" or "sand world too big", and it getting smashed as hard as it did was more an inevitability than the simple comparison of Tekken Vs Mortal Kombat would lead one to believe. Not that I didn't take Odyssey > Smash in second chance - I totally did based on the Tekken/MK comparison - but the game had every reason to suffer.

Thanks for putting these out, by the way, super engrossing reads! Would love to hear your opinion on DQXI sometime, I rather greatly enjoyed my time with that game and am curious as to your disdain for it. You do the words good.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Bowser was the first thought, but that's been years of wishful thinking. Was pushing for Bowser > Crono so hard last contest.

Zelda at the moment, though I think Pikachu's ceiling is higher and Pokemon would be more likely to get a release mid-contest season that bolsters it.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Tough debate between Super Mario World and Dragon Quest V... I'll say SMW today.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

General Scales - Star Fox Adventures

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

I can confirm, after doing video game character voices so much, it's either Big the Cat, Albert Wesker, or Funky Kong's voice from the DKC Cartoon.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Thought process:

-Spearow, Pikipek, and Rookidee can learn Drill Peck, making them better than the others because Drill Peck's amazing.
-Every time I try to nuzlocke and get a Spearow it dies before I get Fearow. So not him.
-I'm a disgusting person who likes Skill Link scum more than high defense/stalling scum, so Toucannon.
-Funny giant bird has funny name.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Depends on how many sidequests you do. I ended up doing most of them and got about a 45 hour game, but not all of them are strictly necessary - a few are great, and all of them link thematically, but we aren't Witcher 3 here. You could probably shave 10 hours off if that if you went lighter on sidequest content, or add 10 if you add in the arenas and other post-release DLC.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

And I'm gonna call it a topic! Thank you to everyone for entertaining my weird fascinating with the series, this was a fun and daunting little timesink! Here's the final rankings!

Bowser Tier
Bowser
Bowser Land (MP2)
The DK Rap
BOWSERs Big Blast (MP2)

Millennium Star Tier
Shy Guys Perplex Express (MP8)
? Space
Reverse Mushroom (MP3)
Wario
E Gadds Garage (MP6)
Boo Bell
Wacky Watch (MP3)
Horror Land (MP2)
Booksquirm (MP4)
Shy Guy Says
Bonus Stars
Control Schtick (MP6)
Donkey Kong
Leaf Leap (MP5)
Castaway Bay (MP6)
Strawberry Shortfuse (MP6)
Hot Rope Jump (MP2)
Beach Volleyball (MP5)
Beach Volley Folly (MP4)
Mario Party 2 OST
Snow Whirled (MP6)
Board Ending Stories (MP2)
Cube Crushers (MPDS)
Sluggish/Slow Shroom Orb (MP6 & MP7)
Bowser Revolution (MP1)
Hexagon Heat (MP2)
Mushroom Mix-Up (MP1)
Peak Precision (MP9)
Dokapon Kingdom
Dungeon Duos (MP4)
Magic Lamp
Pushy Penguins (MP5)
Peach
Warios Oh my God! and Doh I missed!
Bowser Party (MP10)
Fortune Street
Game Guy (MP3)
Dry Bones
Golden Mushroom
Day At The Races (MP2)
Mario's Rainbow Castle (Song)
Waluigi
Last Five Turns Event
The Pipe Flipping Over (MP2)
Taunts
Mini-Game Island (MP1)
Luigi
Bowser Phone (MP3)
Clockwork Castle (MP6)
Boo (Playable)
Stake Your Claim (SMP)

Super Star Tier
Ice Rink Risk (MP3)
Fish Upon A Star (MP5)
Team Names (MP8)
MISS Music (MP1)
Daisy
50-Turn Games
Garden Battle (MP9)
Bubba The Fish (MP1)
Space Land (MP2)
Bowser Bomb (MP2)
Toad's "OKAY"
Faire Square (MP6)
Mini-Game Decathlon (MP5)
Faster Than All (MP1)
Neon Heights (MP7)
Balloon of Doom (MP4)
Bowsers Magma Mountain (MP1)
Sexy Bowser (MP3)
Time To Shine (SMP)
Mushroom Genie
Yoshis Tropical Island (MP1)
Bowser Tube (MP1)
Costumes (MP2)
Stamp By Me (MP6)
Unique Character Dice Blocks (SMP)
Frozen Frenzy (MP5)
Bash n Cash (MP1)
The Pity Coin In Battle Games
Coney Island (MP5)
Hidden Star Blocks
Team Names (MP5 & MP6)
Domination (MP4)
Pirate Guys
Lights Out (MP2)
Waluigi's Island (MP3)
Couldnt Be Better (MP2)
Candies (MP8)
Luigi Wins By Doing Absolutely Nothing
Spiny Desert (MP3)
Blooper (MP8)
Koopa Troopa (MP1)
Bob-omb X-Ing (MP4)
TOAD In The Box (MP2)
Toad Boat
Partner Party (SMP)
Shroom City (MPA)
Luigi on Mario Party 9s Box Art
Rockin' Raceway (MP3)
Monty Mole (SMP)
Baby Bowser Host (MP2)
Locked Out (MP3)
Cry Bones (MP8)
Toad (Playable)
Saving Courage (MP1)
Mecha Fly Guy (Mini-Game House)
Slapparazzi (SMP)
Super Hard CPUs
Book It! (MPDS)
Skateboard Scamper
Crazy Cutter (MP1 & MP2)
Plunder Chest (MP2 & MP3)
Chance Time
Day/Night Mini-Game Differences (MP6)
Super Duel Mode (MP5)
Towering Treetop (MP6)
Insectiride (MP6)
Fowl Play (MP3)
Shell Shocked (MP2)
give me the ball papa
Western Land (MP2)
Petey Piranha
DKs Treetop Temple (MP8)
Happening Star

Happening Star Tier
Yoshi
Koopa Kid
Bowser Suit
Grand Canal (MP7)
Face Lift (MP1 & MP2)
Bowser Nightmare (MP5)
Bowsers Bigger Blast (MP4)
2003
Super Mario Party
MC Ballyhoo
Dunk Bros (MP6)
Cake Factory (MP2)
Controlling Your Character On The Mini-Game Info Screen
Honeycomb Havoc (MP2)
Block Star
Grab Bag (MP1)
Bumper Balls
Mario Party 4
Soap Surfers (MPDS)
The Big Boo (MP2)
Pyramid Park (MP7)
Plush Crush (MPDS)
Commercial (MP1)
Goombas Greedy Gala (MP4)
Opening Cinematic (MP1)
Tiny Characters (MPDS)
Baby Bowser
Item Bag (MP3)
Rocket Rascals (MPDS)
Bowser In Story Mode (MP3)
Card Party (MP5)
Pedal Power (MP1)
Lottery Shop (MP4)
Kamekguy
"Good Choice!" (MP3)
Toy Dream (MP5)
Aces High (MP3)
Hudson-Soft
Practicing Mini-Games
Bowsers Unique Enemy Dialogue (MP10)
Mushroom
Ridiculous Relay (MP3)
Control Stick Spinning (MP1)
Mt. Mariomore (MP3)
Pirate Land (MP2)
Text Speed Option
Random Ride (MP5)
Poison Mushroom (MP3)
Hedge Honcho (MPDS)
Mario's Puzzle Party (MP3)
Drivers Ed (MP2)
Choosing Not To Buy A Star
Look Away (MP2)
Skeleton Key (MP3)
Shake It Up (MP8)
2v2 With One Hard CPU on one team and an Easy CPU On The Other
Bumper Balloon Cars (MP2)
Mario Party 8
DK Space
Mushroom Shop Clerk (MP1)
ND-Cube
Platform Peril
Duel Via Last 5 Turns Event
Mix-And-Match Amiibo Party Boards (MP10)
NEW RECORD!
What Goes Up - Daytime (MP6)
Bombs Away

Red Star Tier
Lucky Lamp
Goombas Booty Boardwalk (MP8)
Steamer
Conveyor Bolt (MP6)
Creepy Cavern (MP3)
Mario Party Boss Battles
Wiggler (MP2)
Toadette
Guest Characters In Mario Party
Windmillville (MP7)
Talking Parrot (MP1)
Heeheehee, I Got It! - Mario
Toadsworth
Mystery Land (MP2)
Piranhas Pursuit (MP1)
Chilly Waters (MP3)
Goomba Idols (MP8)
Snowflake Lake (MP6)
Toads Post-N64 Voice
Twila (MP6)
Hotel Goomba (MP5)
Mario Party 1 Cartridge
Blowhard (MP3)
The Inflatable Thwomps From The Great Deflate (MP4)
Accidentally Hitting Start During Rotation Mini-Games (MP1)
Luigis hat
Ice Hockey (MP5)
Snifit Patrol (MP2)
Sizzling Stakes (SMP)
Mic Easter Eggs (MP6)
Woody's 777 Coins Message (MP2)
Marios hat
Mario
Deep Bloober Sea (MP3)
Shy Guys Jungle Jam (MP4)
Lava Tile Isle (MP2)
Snowball Summit (MP3)
King Boo's Haunted Hideaway (MP8)
4 Easy CPU Game
Monopoly
Default 10-Turn Games (SMP)
Tumble (MP3)
Instruction Manual (MP7)
Warukio
Gathering Coins Mid Mini-Game
Crane Game
Warp Pipe
Fun Gus (MP1)
Stacked Deck (MP3)
Ztar
Chance Time Music (MP3)
MiniMega Hammer (MP4)
Red Star
Abandon Ship (MP2)
Big Top Drop (MP5)
Rosalina
Brighton (MP6)
Bowser Toss (MP3)
Aliens (MP5-7)
Koopas Seaside Soiree (MP4)
Coin Block Blitz (MP1)
Stardust Battle (MP3)
Hammer Bro
The Miracle Book (MP6)
Pirate Dream (MP5)
Shock, Drop, or Roll (MP2)
Mushroom Jeanie
Mini-Game Shop (MP1)
Coward Gloves (MP1)
Curvy Curbs (MP5)
The Car (MP9 & MP10)
Toad's Midway Madness (MP4)
Peachs Birthday Cake (MP1)
Birdo

Mario Party DS Tier
Sonic Shuffle
Kamek Capsule (MP5)
Pause Buffering On Warios Battle Canyon (MP1)
Duel Mode (MP3)
Dueling Glove (MP2)
Luigis Engine Room (MP1)
Granite Getaway (MP6)
Amiibo Party Mode (MP10)
Mario Party 8s UI
GameCube Microphone (MP6 & MP7)
Rules Land (MP2)
M.P.I.Q. (MP3)
Kamek (MP2)
Competing For Last
Being The Party Star (MP4)
Dizzy Dancing (MP2)
Battle T
Playing Mario Party Alone
Eternal Star - 50 Turns (MP1)
True Millennium Star (MP3)
Crossroads Both Leading To Red Spaces
Motion Controls
Memory Match (MP1)
Future Dream (MP5)
Banning Waluigi because he gives you an unfair advantage
Sparky Sticker (MP4)
Sweet Dream (MP5)
Shrek Super Party
Koopa Banker
Crate & Peril (MP6)
Duel Game Themes (MP6)
Spotlight Swim (MP3)
The Beat Goes On (MP3)
Big Top (MP8)
Bowser Cake
Rudder Madness (MP8)
Miracle Capsule (MP5)
Spike Koopa
End Of The Line (MP3)
Mario Party DS
No Boo (MP1)
Cast Aways (MP1)
Kamek's Library (MPDS)
Smash Tour (Smash Wii U)
Mario Party: The Top 100
Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Koopa Troopa (MP1)
For something that NEVER returned in any other Mario Party, this sure does save a lot of maps. Yoshis Tropical Island and DKs Jungle Adventure basically NEED the 10 coin bonus in order to not be awful, as it just makes the starting area of the board actually viable for trying to farm the Coin Star instead of purely a time waster. Marios Rainbow Castle and Peachs Birthday Cake benefit greatly from it with the sheer amount of coins they take away from you, and it even basically gives you one free shot at a shortcut in Bowsers Magma Mountain. Yeah, it kinda just causes coins to snowball in Luigis Engine Room and Warios Battle Canyon is just a crapshoot, and getting the 20 coin bonus for being the 10th person to pass Koopa is basically ONLY possible to game in DKs Jungle Adventure, but for a game that loves to take your coins away, he keeps the economy going. Hes a good lad. Almost makes up for him not giving a random player money in the Last 5 Turns.

Pirate Guys
Im glad that this is gonna be my last write-up for the topic (hopefully, if I didnt miss anything again). Shy Guys are my absolute favorite generic enemy race, and Shy Guy Says was a big reason why. I just loved the idea of a self-important minion capturing the whole Mario cast and making them play a game in order to not be sent out to sea and have their choice of starving or drowning to death. Just the aesthetic of the longcoat too big for his body, complete with the stupid eyepatch over his mask, makes them so cool. They are a bit annoying in Pirate Land, I will give you that, and I think their presence in the bottom left section of the board is totally unnecessary, but man pirates are cool. Shy Guy is cool. Mario Party has a knack for making you fall in love with the dumbest things, and these guys are up there for me.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Soap Surfers (MPDS)
I mean, its Bumper Balls but they fixed it so that people actually die. But then also youre controlling it with a d-pad instead of a stick so it feels less good. Was that an acceptable trade-off maybe? A little? Due to the naturally slippery controls of controlling a bar of soap, it feels less momentum-based than Bumper Balls and more like whenever Disney parks bring back those anti-gravity floaty cars for, like, three years before remembering when theyre a bad idea. Its TECHNICALLY improved, but Im less of a fan.

Crossroads Both Leading To Red Spaces
Honestly I just dont get the point. If the debates between a Red Space and Bowser, yeah, thats understandable. But having both ends of a junction lead to Red Spaces just seems worthless? Like, the point of a Red Space should be willing to take the hit so you get closer to a Star. Having one go in both directions just kinda feels hopeless, oh boo hoo you rolled the poverty number, no way to avoid it.

? Space
The most important space in the series, bar none. Boards live and die based on their Happening Space gimmicks and how you adapt to them. Space Land can be an absolutely miserable experience if you decide not to get the proper items to handle a row of Happening Spaces. Boos Haunted Bash is kind of a miserable board that only has two ? Spaces on it and no one ever lands on them. Mystery Land straight up requires ? Spaces to function in the slightest. The best boards utilize them strategically, with Bowser Land using them as escape options for the parade route, Shy Guys Perplex Express shuffling the train car order to evoke total chaos, and E. Gadds Garage featuring just a myriad of economic, movement, and orb-based options. Starting with Party 5, ? Spaces tended to be less frequently stretched together, making them harder to farm for the Happening Star. However, the introduction of the Sluggish Shroom in 6 alleviated this immensely, now giving you a guaranteed ? Space when you need one, and often one of increased power compared to the previous games. But then you still have ones like those at the end of Pagoda Peak and Booty Boardwalk that are a terror that you just have to pray you get past so youre not returned to start. Yeah, these are absolutely the most important board elements. They create a secondary objective to work toward AND can utterly mess with the game state, posing the question if its really worth it to go for them. Do they have an utterly pristine track record? No, theres some real stinkers in there (Future Dream especially), but games that remove the Happening Star as a guaranteed objective are far less enjoyable to plot out. This little guys a game changer.

Lucky Lamp
A great item thematically damaged only by the game that its in. Flavor-wise, having an antithesis to the Magic Lamp is fantastic, love it, and it makes sense for Baby Bowser to be selling the loser version of the lamp. Being able to move the star at will is pretty strong, especially if you memorize the star spawn locations and know that itll reshuffle to one that hasnt been used yet, basically being able to hedge your bets as to what part of the map the star will appear in. Its strictly a denial play, of course - youre only moving the star because you cant get to it but someone else can - but it can be an intensely frustrating one. Unfortunately, it appears in Mario Party 3, the absolute king of movement options. Between board events, the Reverse Mushroom, the cheapness of the Golden Mushroom, and just how quickly players load up on items, the Lucky Lamp just isnt a safe enough bet, and is never a desirable option for purchase when compared to even a Reverse Mushroom. Denying one star for 10 more coins doesnt equate to a potential 3 or 4-Boo swing on a later turn, and is certainly less valuable than the flexibility of a Boo Bell. Its one of several items in MP3 thats good if you HAPPEN to get it, but youre never specifically gunning for it.

Bowser Nightmare (MP5)
Bowser tries his absolute best to make something out of Mario Party 5, but even his magic falls a bit short. This is a MEAN board in all the best ways that really builds up the strength of Bowser. Theres tons of junctions so that capsule throwing has actual flexibility, the Mecha-Blooper Carousel from Bowser Land makes a return in the form of a stage filled with Red Spaces (and potentially Bowser Spaces), essentially surrendering at least two turns and a guaranteed net loss for two Happening Star points, but far more brutally than in games past, and the Happening Space events are just delightful. Bowser making you choose between the Red Pill and the Blue Pill to either go back to Start or lose half of your coins is yup the game sure did come out in the first half of the 2000s, but the best event has to be Bowser takes a walk. The guy just stomps from one side of the board to the other, down a linear path with the least junctions in between, and anyone in his path gets squished like its Mario Party 4, losing 10 coins, AND he turns all of the Blue Spaces in his way into Red Spaces. This Bowser board takes elements from all the previous Bowser boards to try to meld them into one, and its pretty solid aside from the shortcomings of Party 5 itself, of course. It doesnt have any real mobility options with its Happening Spaces other than a 50/50 at being sent back to start, more just okay take your lumps and move on. Proof that a good board can absolutely be held back by the game its in.

Monopoly
I get why people like Monopoly. It feels good to own something, it gives the illusion of investing in something and hoping you make a big return really well, and its far more based on negotiation to mitigate luck than some would like to argue. Its a a reputation and a game where you just roll dice and lose money, and I only find that true if youre playing with people who dont want to be playing Monopoly. However Im sorry, Im just not a fan, As you can probably tell from any given boards write-up, I love it when flexibility and decision making is the star of the show; being given two unenviable positions and trying to choose the lesser of two evils. Monopoly basically requires everyone to become a mustache-twirling aristocrat trying to scheme out disadvantageous deals in order to work that out, and building that up is almost entirely done by chance. Fortune Street has basically totally phased Monopoly out for me, as just adding junctions and adding the simple act of get four suits and return to start having a far stronger benefit than Go ever could and then TEMPTING you to go toward a dangerous district as opposed to REQUIRING it like Monopoly adds so much more for me. Monopoly is a game entirely based around the company you keep to be a good game, and while I admit its a better choice than something like Risk if youre going for pure negotiation and mind games, at that point Id rather play something story-driven with the company Im keeping. I get the appeal, but its often my last choice. I mean, you can make Candy Land interesting with house rules (deal those cards out Sonic Shuffle style and make it so you can only use opponents cards if you get stuck on one of the trap spaces - makes for a much better time!).

Super Hard CPUs
Honestly a really fun thing to unlock. If youre stuck in a 3-player game, throwing one of these guys into the mix makes for a fun time, because no matter how much you may hate your friends, NO ONE wants to lose to the computer. Its just a cute little thing to slot in every so often, and I like the little rainbow finish the difficulty sometimes gets. Is it a cheater? Absolutely, but cheaters are fun to destroy and mock your friends for losing to.

---

Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Bowser Tier
Bowser
Bowser Land (MP2)
The DK Rap
BOWSERs Big Blast (MP2)

Millennium Star Tier
Shy Guys Perplex Express (MP8)
Reverse Mushroom (MP3)
Wario
E Gadds Garage (MP6)
Boo Bell
Wacky Watch (MP3)
Horror Land (MP2)
Booksquirm (MP4)
Shy Guy Says
Bonus Stars
Control Schtick (MP6)
Donkey Kong
Leaf Leap (MP5)
Castaway Bay (MP6)
Strawberry Shortfuse (MP6)
Hot Rope Jump (MP2)
Beach Volleyball (MP5)
Beach Volley Folly (MP4)
Mario Party 2 OST
Snow Whirled (MP6)
Board Ending Stories (MP2)
Cube Crushers (MPDS)
Sluggish/Slow Shroom Orb (MP6 & MP7)
Bowser Revolution (MP1)
Hexagon Heat (MP2)
Mushroom Mix-Up (MP1)
Peak Precision (MP9)
Dokapon Kingdom
Dungeon Duos (MP4)
Magic Lamp
Pushy Penguins (MP5)
Peach
Warios Oh my God! and Doh I missed!
Bowser Party (MP10)
Fortune Street
Game Guy (MP3)
Dry Bones
Golden Mushroom
Day At The Races (MP2)
Mario's Rainbow Castle (Song)
Waluigi
Last Five Turns Event
The Pipe Flipping Over (MP2)
Taunts
Mini-Game Island (MP1)
Luigi
Bowser Phone (MP3)
Clockwork Castle (MP6)
Boo (Playable)
Stake Your Claim (SMP)

Super Star Tier
Ice Rink Risk (MP3)
Fish Upon A Star (MP5)
Team Names (MP8)
MISS Music (MP1)
Daisy
50-Turn Games
Garden Battle (MP9)
Bubba The Fish (MP1)
Space Land (MP2)
Bowser Bomb (MP2)
Toad's "OKAY"
Faire Square (MP6)
Mini-Game Decathlon (MP5)
Faster Than All (MP1)
Neon Heights (MP7)
Balloon of Doom (MP4)
Bowsers Magma Mountain (MP1)
Sexy Bowser (MP3)
Time To Shine (SMP)
Mushroom Genie
Yoshis Tropical Island (MP1)
Bowser Tube (MP1)
Costumes (MP2)
Stamp By Me (MP6)
Unique Character Dice Blocks (SMP)
Frozen Frenzy (MP5)
Bash n Cash (MP1)
The Pity Coin In Battle Games
Coney Island (MP5)
Hidden Star Blocks
Team Names (MP5 & MP6)
Domination (MP4)
Lights Out (MP2)
Waluigi's Island (MP3)
Couldnt Be Better (MP2)
Candies (MP8)
Luigi Wins By Doing Absolutely Nothing
Spiny Desert (MP3)
Blooper (MP8)
Bob-omb X-Ing (MP4)
TOAD In The Box (MP2)
Toad Boat
Partner Party (SMP)
Shroom City (MPA)
Luigi on Mario Party 9s Box Art
Rockin' Raceway (MP3)
Monty Mole (SMP)
Baby Bowser Host (MP2)
Locked Out (MP3)
Cry Bones (MP8)
Toad (Playable)
Saving Courage (MP1)
Mecha Fly Guy (Mini-Game House)
Slapparazzi (SMP)
Book It! (MPDS)
Skateboard Scamper
Crazy Cutter (MP1 & MP2)
Plunder Chest (MP2 & MP3)
Chance Time
Day/Night Mini-Game Differences (MP6)
Super Duel Mode (MP5)
Towering Treetop (MP6)
Insectiride (MP6)
Fowl Play (MP3)
Shell Shocked (MP2)
give me the ball papa
Western Land (MP2)
Petey Piranha
DKs Treetop Temple (MP8)
Happening Star

Happening Star Tier
Yoshi
Koopa Kid
Bowser Suit
Grand Canal (MP7)
Face Lift (MP1 & MP2)
Bowsers Bigger Blast (MP4)
2003
Super Mario Party
MC Ballyhoo
Dunk Bros (MP6)
Cake Factory (MP2)
Controlling Your Character On The Mini-Game Info Screen
Honeycomb Havoc (MP2)
Block Star
Grab Bag (MP1)
Bumper Balls
Mario Party 4
The Big Boo (MP2)
Pyramid Park (MP7)
Plush Crush (MPDS)
Commercial (MP1)
Goombas Greedy Gala (MP4)
Opening Cinematic (MP1)
Tiny Characters (MPDS)
Baby Bowser
Item Bag (MP3)
Rocket Rascals (MPDS)
Bowser In Story Mode (MP3)
Card Party (MP5)
Pedal Power (MP1)
Lottery Shop (MP4)
Kamekguy
"Good Choice!" (MP3)
Toy Dream (MP5)
Aces High (MP3)
Hudson-Soft
Practicing Mini-Games
Bowsers Unique Enemy Dialogue (MP10)
Mushroom
Ridiculous Relay (MP3)
Control Stick Spinning (MP1)
Mt. Mariomore (MP3)
Pirate Land (MP2)
Text Speed Option
Random Ride (MP5)
Poison Mushroom (MP3)
Hedge Honcho (MPDS)
Mario's Puzzle Party (MP3)
Drivers Ed (MP2)
Choosing Not To Buy A Star
Look Away (MP2)
Skeleton Key (MP3)
Shake It Up (MP8)
2v2 With One Hard CPU on one team and an Easy CPU On The Other
Bumper Balloon Cars (MP2)
Mario Party 8
DK Space
Mushroom Shop Clerk (MP1)
ND-Cube
Platform Peril
Duel Via Last 5 Turns Event
Mix-And-Match Amiibo Party Boards (MP10)
NEW RECORD!
What Goes Up - Daytime (MP6)
Bombs Away

Red Star Tier
Goombas Booty Boardwalk (MP8)
Steamer
Conveyor Bolt (MP6)
Creepy Cavern (MP3)
Mario Party Boss Battles
Wiggler (MP2)
Toadette
Guest Characters In Mario Party
Windmillville (MP7)
Talking Parrot (MP1)
Heeheehee, I Got It! - Mario
Toadsworth
Mystery Land (MP2)
Piranhas Pursuit (MP1)
Chilly Waters (MP3)
Goomba Idols (MP8)
Snowflake Lake (MP6)
Toads Post-N64 Voice
Twila (MP6)
Hotel Goomba (MP5)
Mario Party 1 Cartridge
Blowhard (MP3)
The Inflatable Thwomps From The Great Deflate (MP4)
Accidentally Hitting Start During Rotation Mini-Games (MP1)
Luigis hat
Ice Hockey (MP5)
Snifit Patrol (MP2)
Sizzling Stakes (SMP)
Mic Easter Eggs (MP6)
Woody's 777 Coins Message (MP2)
Marios hat
Mario
Deep Bloober Sea (MP3)
Shy Guys Jungle Jam (MP4)
Lava Tile Isle (MP2)
Snowball Summit (MP3)
King Boo's Haunted Hideaway (MP8)
4 Easy CPU Game
Default 10-Turn Games (SMP)
Tumble (MP3)
Instruction Manual (MP7)
Warukio
Gathering Coins Mid Mini-Game
Crane Game
Warp Pipe
Fun Gus (MP1)
Stacked Deck (MP3)
Ztar
Chance Time Music (MP3)
MiniMega Hammer (MP4)
Red Star
Abandon Ship (MP2)
Big Top Drop (MP5)
Rosalina
Brighton (MP6)
Bowser Toss (MP3)
Aliens (MP5-7)
Koopas Seaside Soiree (MP4)
Coin Block Blitz (MP1)
Stardust Battle (MP3)
Hammer Bro
The Miracle Book (MP6)
Pirate Dream (MP5)
Shock, Drop, or Roll (MP2)
Mushroom Jeanie
Mini-Game Shop (MP1)
Coward Gloves (MP1)
Curvy Curbs (MP5)
The Car (MP9 & MP10)
Toad's Midway Madness (MP4)
Peachs Birthday Cake (MP1)
Birdo

Mario Party DS Tier
Sonic Shuffle
Kamek Capsule (MP5)
Pause Buffering On Warios Battle Canyon (MP1)
Duel Mode (MP3)
Dueling Glove (MP2)
Luigis Engine Room (MP1)
Granite Getaway (MP6)
Amiibo Party Mode (MP10)
Mario Party 8s UI
GameCube Microphone (MP6 & MP7)
Rules Land (MP2)
M.P.I.Q. (MP3)
Kamek (MP2)
Competing For Last
Being The Party Star (MP4)
Dizzy Dancing (MP2)
Battle T
Playing Mario Party Alone
Eternal Star - 50 Turns (MP1)
True Millennium Star (MP3)
Motion Controls
Memory Match (MP1)
Future Dream (MP5)
Banning Waluigi because he gives you an unfair advantage
Sparky Sticker (MP4)
Sweet Dream (MP5)
Shrek Super Party
Koopa Banker
Crate & Peril (MP6)
Duel Game Themes (MP6)
Spotlight Swim (MP3)
The Beat Goes On (MP3)
Big Top (MP8)
Bowser Cake
Rudder Madness (MP8)
Miracle Capsule (MP5)
Spike Koopa
End Of The Line (MP3)
Mario Party DS
No Boo (MP1)
Cast Aways (MP1)
Kamek's Library (MPDS)
Smash Tour (Smash Wii U)
Mario Party: The Top 100
Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival

---

Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Text Speed Option
There should only be two text speeds: the default, which should be 'fast', and then 'instant'. I am glad that it exists, as players should be able to feel like they're upping the text speed for games like this, otherwise no matter how fast it is, they'll feel it's too slow because the option just isn't there. But only lazy people and monsters play it on anything but 'fast' and true horrors play it on 'slow'.

Plush Crush (MPDS)
It's a fun game that ends up as a much more balanced version of Tree Stomp from Mario Party 4. Three players try to crush a single player underneath various plushes, unable to move their plushes past other crane arms or on top of other plushes. It's a simple game and an inventive concept, but it's another one of the 'dodge' games where I just find it too easy for the single player. This really just comes down to the bottom screen grid; dodging objects on a top down and judging distance from there is MUCH easier than doing so in 3D space. The soliton radar in the first two Metal Gear Solids works very similarly, and it's just so easy to read movement to dodge things. CAN you corner the single player? Yes, but that requires a ton of coordination that often doesn't happen in the scant 30 seconds that players have to crush with plushes. One of more than a few games that's actually damaged a bit by the hardware, but surprisingly not one damaged purely by gimmicks.

Duel Via Last 5 Turns Event
Honestly, this ends up being more of an accident than it is intentional, at least most of the time. Stuff like the cannons on Pirate Land, the space cops on Space Land, Mystery Land in general, the ice in Chilly Waters, the quicksand in Spiny Desert - basically board gimmicks were the reason that these happened, and they tended to be more of a waste of time than something that you could bank on and strategize with. So for most of its life, dueling via landing on the same space wasn't all that great.

Mario Party 6 said "screw that, I'm going to make this the most intense thing ever". Not only did Mario Party 6 allow the option to duel for Stars, it introduced the Sluggish Shroom so that you could target specific spaces. Suddenly, dueling someone for all they were worth wasn't just a viable strategy, it was an incredible gamble, turning the Last Five Turns from "I hope the roulette picks something cool" and talking about who Koopa Troopa or Bowser think will win for, like, a turn into a hectic game of keep away. Sure, some duels could end up being luck based, but could you really take the chance of being paired up in an unfavorable match-up and losing a Star just like that? 7 reverted this into duel rewards being randomized, and that's just not NEARLY as fun as the absolute chaos that 6 could provide. Generally, this feature has been adequate to annoying, but for one, shining moment, it was absolutely king.

Hedge Honcho (MPDS)
... yeah not gonna lie that's a pretty amazing pun. Honestly, the perspective in this mini-game is really cool, pushing leaves out of the way in a first-person view, really sells the shrunken-down aspect of Mario Party DS. However, I will admit that I find "move the stylus in a direction" less engaging than I do pushing the proper button at the right time. Your hand always resets to the same position with the stylus, and you can see what direction you're gonna have to push a leaf in next just due to the way the leaves are layered, making the whole process feel a lot more rhythmic and automatic than reaction-based. Somehow this makes it feel a bit more like busywork to me rather than a more tense test. I don't have beef if you disagree, it just doesn't do it for me in the way due to the lessened tension. Still good, of course, but I think I would've preferred it if each leaf had a button for you to press that was revealed with each previous leaf being pulled out of the way, and had the whole game made a bit shorter to compensate.

Guest Characters In Mario Party
There is a LOT of talk about just making a bunch of games "Nintendo Party" or "Nintendo Kart", and I... am honestly not the biggest fan of that. Like, if you want it so bad, just let Kirby and Zelda and Pokemon have their own party games. Making a giant crossover out of everything always brings up the discussion of 'worthiness', and then we're just seeing the same 30-50 or so Nintendo faces in every spin-off, wondering if maybe Pit or Shulk will make it in this time. The Mario cast has been able to develop really fun and distinct identities through the Mario Party series (some more than others - Bowser, Wario, Waluigi, Peach, etc.), and some generic characters who would NEVER get spotlight otherwise have made memorable and fun appearances (Dry Bones, Monty Mole, Blooper, etc.). I think widening that net too greatly damages the brand a bit - already we have the debate on what DK series characters deserve or should get in. If it's kept to a few characters that fit the series' style, that's fine, I'm not gonna complain that Mr. Game & Watch showed up for a party. But I think that Nintendo's individual IP's shine brighter than being enveloped in the Nintendo brand as a whole would, and considering that love for those IP's has been EXTREMELY uneven in the past two decades, I'd polish some of them before focusing too much on more crossovers. That said, if K Rool is in Mario Party, I am buying that game on Day 0, so this isn't the hardest of stances.

Hudson-Soft
Hudson's always been a weird company. They made Bomberman, and Bomberman is good, but anything else they made always had some weird hitboxes. Milon's Secret Castle, Adventure Island, Mickey Mousekapade, Bonk's Adventure - anything that they ended up touching had a weird floatiness to it that felt just a tad less polished than the standout titles of the era. But, they made Bomberman and published Bloody Roar, and those series are awesome. This kinda "weird but charming" status extended to Mario Party as well, with some just weird hitboxes and, yet again, floaty platforming controls. I feel like Hudson always enjoyed experimenting with the Mario Party series, but they would never stray TOO far from one title to the next, so whilst Mario Party 7 would end up very different from Party 4, the path to getting there ended up feeling incredibly same-y. I do think that worked against the series as a whole and gave it a poor reputation, especially with yearly installments, but they did do a really nice job of using each game as a blueprint for the next, translating some elements that worked into whatever new idea that they had cooked up. And whatever new idea they had cooked up usually needed another game to actually make it GOOD, but then they made Mario Party 6 and were like "oops, almost all good!" So all in all, they were a good dev for Mario Party - weird, constantly making mistakes, but always willing to try something just the slightest bit new and improve. And that's... admirable? I think?

---

Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Bowser Tier
Bowser
Bowser Land (MP2)
The DK Rap
BOWSERs Big Blast (MP2)

Millennium Star Tier
Shy Guys Perplex Express (MP8)
Reverse Mushroom (MP3)
Wario
E Gadds Garage (MP6)
Boo Bell
Wacky Watch (MP3)
Horror Land (MP2)
Booksquirm (MP4)
Shy Guy Says
Bonus Stars
Control Schtick (MP6)
Donkey Kong
Leaf Leap (MP5)
Castaway Bay (MP6)
Strawberry Shortfuse (MP6)
Hot Rope Jump (MP2)
Beach Volleyball (MP5)
Beach Volley Folly (MP4)
Mario Party 2 OST
Snow Whirled (MP6)
Board Ending Stories (MP2)
Cube Crushers (MPDS)
Sluggish/Slow Shroom Orb (MP6 & MP7)
Bowser Revolution (MP1)
Hexagon Heat (MP2)
Mushroom Mix-Up (MP1)
Peak Precision (MP9)
Dokapon Kingdom
Dungeon Duos (MP4)
Magic Lamp
Pushy Penguins (MP5)
Peach
Warios Oh my God! and Doh I missed!
Bowser Party (MP10)
Fortune Street
Game Guy (MP3)
Dry Bones
Golden Mushroom
Day At The Races (MP2)
Mario's Rainbow Castle (Song)
Waluigi
Last Five Turns Event
The Pipe Flipping Over (MP2)
Taunts
Mini-Game Island (MP1)
Luigi
Bowser Phone (MP3)
Clockwork Castle (MP6)
Boo (Playable)
Stake Your Claim (SMP)

Super Star Tier
Ice Rink Risk (MP3)
Fish Upon A Star (MP5)
Team Names (MP8)
MISS Music (MP1)
Daisy
50-Turn Games
Garden Battle (MP9)
Bubba The Fish (MP1)
Space Land (MP2)
Bowser Bomb (MP2)
Toad's "OKAY"
Faire Square (MP6)
Mini-Game Decathlon (MP5)
Faster Than All (MP1)
Neon Heights (MP7)
Balloon of Doom (MP4)
Bowsers Magma Mountain (MP1)
Sexy Bowser (MP3)
Time To Shine (SMP)
Mushroom Genie
Yoshis Tropical Island (MP1)
Bowser Tube (MP1)
Costumes (MP2)
Stamp By Me (MP6)
Unique Character Dice Blocks (SMP)
Frozen Frenzy (MP5)
Bash n Cash (MP1)
The Pity Coin In Battle Games
Coney Island (MP5)
Hidden Star Blocks
Team Names (MP5 & MP6)
Domination (MP4)
Lights Out (MP2)
Waluigi's Island (MP3)
Couldnt Be Better (MP2)
Candies (MP8)
Luigi Wins By Doing Absolutely Nothing
Spiny Desert (MP3)
Blooper (MP8)
Bob-omb X-Ing (MP4)
TOAD In The Box (MP2)
Toad Boat
Partner Party (SMP)
Shroom City (MPA)
Luigi on Mario Party 9s Box Art
Rockin' Raceway (MP3)
Monty Mole (SMP)
Baby Bowser Host (MP2)
Locked Out (MP3)
Cry Bones (MP8)
Toad (Playable)
Saving Courage (MP1)
Mecha Fly Guy (Mini-Game House)
Slapparazzi (SMP)
Book It! (MPDS)
Skateboard Scamper
Crazy Cutter (MP1 & MP2)
Plunder Chest (MP2 & MP3)
Chance Time
Day/Night Mini-Game Differences (MP6)
Super Duel Mode (MP5)
Towering Treetop (MP6)
Insectiride (MP6)
Fowl Play (MP3)
Shell Shocked (MP2)
give me the ball papa
Western Land (MP2)
Petey Piranha
DKs Treetop Temple (MP8)
Happening Star

Happening Star Tier
Yoshi
Koopa Kid
Bowser Suit
Grand Canal (MP7)
Face Lift (MP1 & MP2)
Bowsers Bigger Blast (MP4)
2003
Super Mario Party
MC Ballyhoo
Dunk Bros (MP6)
Cake Factory (MP2)
Controlling Your Character On The Mini-Game Info Screen
Honeycomb Havoc (MP2)
Block Star
Grab Bag (MP1)
Bumper Balls
Mario Party 4
The Big Boo (MP2)
Pyramid Park (MP7)
Commercial (MP1)
Goombas Greedy Gala (MP4)
Opening Cinematic (MP1)
Tiny Characters (MPDS)
Baby Bowser
Item Bag (MP3)
Rocket Rascals (MPDS)
Bowser In Story Mode (MP3)
Card Party (MP5)
Pedal Power (MP1)
Lottery Shop (MP4)
Kamekguy
"Good Choice!" (MP3)
Toy Dream (MP5)
Aces High (MP3)
Practicing Mini-Games
Bowsers Unique Enemy Dialogue (MP10)
Mushroom
Ridiculous Relay (MP3)
Control Stick Spinning (MP1)
Mt. Mariomore (MP3)
Pirate Land (MP2)
Random Ride (MP5)
Poison Mushroom (MP3)
Mario's Puzzle Party (MP3)
Drivers Ed (MP2)
Choosing Not To Buy A Star
Look Away (MP2)
Skeleton Key (MP3)
Shake It Up (MP8)
2v2 With One Hard CPU on one team and an Easy CPU On The Other
Bumper Balloon Cars (MP2)
Mario Party 8
DK Space
Mushroom Shop Clerk (MP1)
ND-Cube
Platform Peril
Mix-And-Match Amiibo Party Boards (MP10)
NEW RECORD!
What Goes Up - Daytime (MP6)
Bombs Away

Red Star Tier
Goombas Booty Boardwalk (MP8)
Steamer
Conveyor Bolt (MP6)
Creepy Cavern (MP3)
Mario Party Boss Battles
Wiggler (MP2)
Toadette
Windmillville (MP7)
Talking Parrot (MP1)
Heeheehee, I Got It! - Mario
Toadsworth
Mystery Land (MP2)
Piranhas Pursuit (MP1)
Chilly Waters (MP3)
Goomba Idols (MP8)
Snowflake Lake (MP6)
Toads Post-N64 Voice
Twila (MP6)
Hotel Goomba (MP5)
Mario Party 1 Cartridge
Blowhard (MP3)
The Inflatable Thwomps From The Great Deflate (MP4)
Accidentally Hitting Start During Rotation Mini-Games (MP1)
Luigis hat
Ice Hockey (MP5)
Snifit Patrol (MP2)
Sizzling Stakes (SMP)
Mic Easter Eggs (MP6)
Woody's 777 Coins Message (MP2)
Marios hat
Mario
Deep Bloober Sea (MP3)
Shy Guys Jungle Jam (MP4)
Lava Tile Isle (MP2)
Snowball Summit (MP3)
King Boo's Haunted Hideaway (MP8)
4 Easy CPU Game
Default 10-Turn Games (SMP)
Tumble (MP3)
Instruction Manual (MP7)
Warukio
Gathering Coins Mid Mini-Game
Crane Game
Warp Pipe
Fun Gus (MP1)
Stacked Deck (MP3)
Ztar
Chance Time Music (MP3)
MiniMega Hammer (MP4)
Red Star
Abandon Ship (MP2)
Big Top Drop (MP5)
Rosalina
Brighton (MP6)
Bowser Toss (MP3)
Aliens (MP5-7)
Koopas Seaside Soiree (MP4)
Coin Block Blitz (MP1)
Stardust Battle (MP3)
Hammer Bro
The Miracle Book (MP6)
Pirate Dream (MP5)
Shock, Drop, or Roll (MP2)
Mushroom Jeanie
Mini-Game Shop (MP1)
Coward Gloves (MP1)
Curvy Curbs (MP5)
The Car (MP9 & MP10)
Toad's Midway Madness (MP4)
Peachs Birthday Cake (MP1)
Birdo

Mario Party DS Tier
Sonic Shuffle
Kamek Capsule (MP5)
Pause Buffering On Warios Battle Canyon (MP1)
Duel Mode (MP3)
Dueling Glove (MP2)
Luigis Engine Room (MP1)
Granite Getaway (MP6)
Amiibo Party Mode (MP10)
Mario Party 8s UI
GameCube Microphone (MP6 & MP7)
Rules Land (MP2)
M.P.I.Q. (MP3)
Kamek (MP2)
Competing For Last
Being The Party Star (MP4)
Dizzy Dancing (MP2)
Battle T
Playing Mario Party Alone
Eternal Star - 50 Turns (MP1)
True Millennium Star (MP3)
Motion Controls
Memory Match (MP1)
Future Dream (MP5)
Banning Waluigi because he gives you an unfair advantage
Sparky Sticker (MP4)
Sweet Dream (MP5)
Shrek Super Party
Koopa Banker
Crate & Peril (MP6)
Duel Game Themes (MP6)
Spotlight Swim (MP3)
The Beat Goes On (MP3)
Big Top (MP8)
Bowser Cake
Rudder Madness (MP8)
Miracle Capsule (MP5)
Spike Koopa
End Of The Line (MP3)
Mario Party DS
No Boo (MP1)
Cast Aways (MP1)
Kamek's Library (MPDS)
Smash Tour (Smash Wii U)
Mario Party: The Top 100
Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival

---

Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Bowser Tube (MP1)
Actively hilarious, probably the second-best of Bowser's Bogus Items. Perfectly relates to the story situation at hand, has the brutal cost of 30 coins, and just the comment of "have you gotten fatter?!" from Bowser is the icing on the cake. Like WOW, man, way to say it in the rudest way possible after trying to shove both of DK's biceps through it. YTI Bowser is one of the best, and has one of the best items to boot.

I think I've always lived in a reality of "either you owned 2 of the 3 big 2003 racers during the Gamecube's life cycle and bought the third later, or you only like two of them". Otherwise you're probably nuts and think games like Mario Party deserve analysis, lol. KAR > GX > MKDD here, though if you're going purely by track design that order is probably reversed.

Stamp By Me (MP6)
Cake Factory, but excellent. That's oversimplifying the game a bit, but I love games where you have to account for your character's recovery window. It's like a basic fighting game challenge turned into an endurance match, and gets people REAL pissed off that you always win at Totem Pole Pound despite it looking like a tie because you know the frame that DK can jump again on. Stamp By Me's that, but with adaptation, creating a rhythm between two conveyors of different speeds. Are there ways to improve the game? Yeah, making it a survival game based on reaching a certain, ever-growing threshold might've kept it more competitive, but then it wouldn't have worked as well as a battle game. It's one of those great, simple, replayable games where you curse yourself for missing just one. I do think the MP3 "hammer reaction time" game is better, but it's fun.

Minigame Testing
Sorry, what are you referring to here? Renting in MP1? Test For The Best in MP8? Practice mode? My bad I'm just not remembering what exactly this is supposed to be!

ND-Cube
The second google search for this is "ND-Cube Ruined Mario Party", so you're in good hands here. Do I think that's necessarily true? Well, I absolutely believe they have no sense of board design and are relying, essentially, on constant gimmicks to make boards appealing, thus greatly reducing the shelf life of the series. However, they're pretty great at designing mini-games that often use a variety of enemies from the Mario series in fun ways, make pretty charming animations for their characters, and made Bowser Party, which is excellent. They're trying a lot of new ideas, and not all of them are sticking. I find it hard to hate a company unless they're actively evil, and even then it's easier to usually blame one studio head or individual. They've put out more misses than hits, and Top 100 was actively a scummy game, but they definitely do care about the franchise and are looking for clever, creative ways to present it. Incompetence isn't as bad as negligence to me. Plus they made an adequate F-Zero game.

MISS Music (MP1)
Eight notes of objective, absolute failure. The way that it slowly gets more discordant with every couplet before the late note wavers like it's ashamed of itself... mwah, beautiful. The way that the fade pairs perfectly with every character's failure line? Masterful. It's hard for me to choose whether this or the Game Guy Loss theme is stronger, probably this compositionally, but Game Guy just has all the bells and whistles.

Rocket Rascals (MPDS)
It's a really interesting mode, but not my absolute favorite of the competitive Mario Party modes. I like the idea of competing for random bridge pieces to get to the center of a grid, and capitalizing on your opponent getting pieces you can either block off or take advantage of, but it's just a little... slow for my liking? A well-made bridge being totally blocked off by an unsavory piece is pretty hilarious, but it does serve to prolong what's already a pretty dang long mode. It's a good idea, it just moves a bit too slowly for me. Not so much a diversion as it is a replacement for a full board... which considering this is Mario Party DS, isn't a terrible idea.

Sexy Bowser (MP3)
I wish he appeared every time you used the Bowser Phone, like you're giving him a house call and he's just READY. It's such a fun touch that randomly gives Bowser a ton of personality. I'm kind of amazed that when Bowsette was a huge thing, this pose wasn't redrawn ALL over the place. I'm sure SOMEONE did it, but it seems like such an obvious extension of that meme. Not that you can improve on perfection, of course. I just wish I knew what the odds are of getting the pose and what triggers it, I want to amaze people with my knowledge of the odds of Bowser being hot for me.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

Bowser Tier
Bowser
Bowser Land (MP2)
The DK Rap
BOWSERs Big Blast (MP2)

Millennium Star Tier
Shy Guys Perplex Express (MP8)
Reverse Mushroom (MP3)
Wario
E Gadds Garage (MP6)
Boo Bell
Wacky Watch (MP3)
Horror Land (MP2)
Booksquirm (MP4)
Shy Guy Says
Bonus Stars
Control Schtick (MP6)
Donkey Kong
Leaf Leap (MP5)
Castaway Bay (MP6)
Strawberry Shortfuse (MP6)
Hot Rope Jump (MP2)
Beach Volleyball (MP5)
Beach Volley Folly (MP4)
Mario Party 2 OST
Snow Whirled (MP6)
Board Ending Stories (MP2)
Cube Crushers (MPDS)
Sluggish/Slow Shroom Orb (MP6 & MP7)
Bowser Revolution (MP1)
Hexagon Heat (MP2)
Mushroom Mix-Up (MP1)
Peak Precision (MP9)
Dokapon Kingdom
Dungeon Duos (MP4)
Magic Lamp
Pushy Penguins (MP5)
Peach
Warios Oh my God! and Doh I missed!
Bowser Party (MP10)
Fortune Street
Game Guy (MP3)
Dry Bones
Golden Mushroom
Day At The Races (MP2)
Mario's Rainbow Castle (Song)
Waluigi
Last Five Turns Event
The Pipe Flipping Over (MP2)
Taunts
Mini-Game Island (MP1)
Luigi
Bowser Phone (MP3)
Clockwork Castle (MP6)
Boo (Playable)
Stake Your Claim (SMP)

Super Star Tier
Ice Rink Risk (MP3)
Fish Upon A Star (MP5)
Team Names (MP8)
Daisy
50-Turn Games
Garden Battle (MP9)
Bubba The Fish (MP1)
Space Land (MP2)
Bowser Bomb (MP2)
Toad's "OKAY"
Faire Square (MP6)
Mini-Game Decathlon (MP5)
Faster Than All (MP1)
Neon Heights (MP7)
Balloon of Doom (MP4)
Bowsers Magma Mountain (MP1)
Time To Shine (SMP)
Mushroom Genie
Yoshis Tropical Island (MP1)
Costumes (MP2)
Unique Character Dice Blocks (SMP)
Frozen Frenzy (MP5)
Bash n Cash (MP1)
The Pity Coin In Battle Games
Coney Island (MP5)
Hidden Star Blocks
Team Names (MP5 & MP6)
Domination (MP4)
Lights Out (MP2)
Waluigi's Island (MP3)
Couldnt Be Better (MP2)
Candies (MP8)
Luigi Wins By Doing Absolutely Nothing
Spiny Desert (MP3)
Blooper (MP8)
Bob-omb X-Ing (MP4)
TOAD In The Box (MP2)
Toad Boat
Partner Party (SMP)
Shroom City (MPA)
Luigi on Mario Party 9s Box Art
Rockin' Raceway (MP3)
Monty Mole (SMP)
Baby Bowser Host (MP2)
Locked Out (MP3)
Cry Bones (MP8)
Toad (Playable)
Saving Courage (MP1)
Mecha Fly Guy (Mini-Game House)
Slapparazzi (SMP)
Book It! (MPDS)
Skateboard Scamper
Crazy Cutter (MP1 & MP2)
Plunder Chest (MP2 & MP3)
Chance Time
Day/Night Mini-Game Differences (MP6)
Super Duel Mode (MP5)
Towering Treetop (MP6)
Insectiride (MP6)
Fowl Play (MP3)
Shell Shocked (MP2)
give me the ball papa
Western Land (MP2)
Petey Piranha
DKs Treetop Temple (MP8)
Happening Star

Happening Star Tier
Yoshi
Koopa Kid
Bowser Suit
Grand Canal (MP7)
Face Lift (MP1 & MP2)
Bowsers Bigger Blast (MP4)
2003
Super Mario Party
MC Ballyhoo
Dunk Bros (MP6)
Cake Factory (MP2)
Controlling Your Character On The Mini-Game Info Screen
Honeycomb Havoc (MP2)
Block Star
Grab Bag (MP1)
Bumper Balls
Mario Party 4
The Big Boo (MP2)
Pyramid Park (MP7)
Commercial (MP1)
Goombas Greedy Gala (MP4)
Opening Cinematic (MP1)
Tiny Characters (MPDS)
Baby Bowser
Item Bag (MP3)
Bowser In Story Mode (MP3)
Card Party (MP5)
Pedal Power (MP1)
Lottery Shop (MP4)
Kamekguy
"Good Choice!" (MP3)
Toy Dream (MP5)
Aces High (MP3)
Practicing Mini-Games
Bowsers Unique Enemy Dialogue (MP10)
Mushroom
Ridiculous Relay (MP3)
Control Stick Spinning (MP1)
Mt. Mariomore (MP3)
Pirate Land (MP2)
Random Ride (MP5)
Poison Mushroom (MP3)
Mario's Puzzle Party (MP3)
Drivers Ed (MP2)
Choosing Not To Buy A Star
Look Away (MP2)
Skeleton Key (MP3)
Shake It Up (MP8)
2v2 With One Hard CPU on one team and an Easy CPU On The Other
Bumper Balloon Cars (MP2)
Mario Party 8
DK Space
Mushroom Shop Clerk (MP1)
Platform Peril
Mix-And-Match Amiibo Party Boards (MP10)
NEW RECORD!
What Goes Up - Daytime (MP6)
Bombs Away

Red Star Tier
Goombas Booty Boardwalk (MP8)
Steamer
Conveyor Bolt (MP6)
Creepy Cavern (MP3)
Mario Party Boss Battles
Wiggler (MP2)
Toadette
Windmillville (MP7)
Talking Parrot (MP1)
Heeheehee, I Got It! - Mario
Toadsworth
Mystery Land (MP2)
Piranhas Pursuit (MP1)
Chilly Waters (MP3)
Goomba Idols (MP8)
Snowflake Lake (MP6)
Toads Post-N64 Voice
Twila (MP6)
Hotel Goomba (MP5)
Mario Party 1 Cartridge
Blowhard (MP3)
The Inflatable Thwomps From The Great Deflate (MP4)
Accidentally Hitting Start During Rotation Mini-Games (MP1)
Luigis hat
Ice Hockey (MP5)
Snifit Patrol (MP2)
Sizzling Stakes (SMP)
Mic Easter Eggs (MP6)
Woody's 777 Coins Message (MP2)
Marios hat
Mario
Deep Bloober Sea (MP3)
Shy Guys Jungle Jam (MP4)
Lava Tile Isle (MP2)
Snowball Summit (MP3)
King Boo's Haunted Hideaway (MP8)
4 Easy CPU Game
Default 10-Turn Games (SMP)
Tumble (MP3)
Instruction Manual (MP7)
Warukio
Gathering Coins Mid Mini-Game
Crane Game
Warp Pipe
Fun Gus (MP1)
Stacked Deck (MP3)
Ztar
Chance Time Music (MP3)
MiniMega Hammer (MP4)
Red Star
Abandon Ship (MP2)
Big Top Drop (MP5)
Rosalina
Brighton (MP6)
Bowser Toss (MP3)
Aliens (MP5-7)
Koopas Seaside Soiree (MP4)
Coin Block Blitz (MP1)
Stardust Battle (MP3)
Hammer Bro
The Miracle Book (MP6)
Pirate Dream (MP5)
Shock, Drop, or Roll (MP2)
Mushroom Jeanie
Mini-Game Shop (MP1)
Coward Gloves (MP1)
Curvy Curbs (MP5)
The Car (MP9 & MP10)
Toad's Midway Madness (MP4)
Peachs Birthday Cake (MP1)
Birdo

Mario Party DS Tier
Sonic Shuffle
Kamek Capsule (MP5)
Pause Buffering On Warios Battle Canyon (MP1)
Duel Mode (MP3)
Dueling Glove (MP2)
Luigis Engine Room (MP1)
Granite Getaway (MP6)
Amiibo Party Mode (MP10)
Mario Party 8s UI
GameCube Microphone (MP6 & MP7)
Rules Land (MP2)
M.P.I.Q. (MP3)
Kamek (MP2)
Competing For Last
Being The Party Star (MP4)
Dizzy Dancing (MP2)
Battle T
Playing Mario Party Alone
Eternal Star - 50 Turns (MP1)
True Millennium Star (MP3)
Motion Controls
Memory Match (MP1)
Future Dream (MP5)
Banning Waluigi because he gives you an unfair advantage
Sparky Sticker (MP4)
Sweet Dream (MP5)
Shrek Super Party
Koopa Banker
Crate & Peril (MP6)
Duel Game Themes (MP6)
Spotlight Swim (MP3)
The Beat Goes On (MP3)
Big Top (MP8)
Bowser Cake
Rudder Madness (MP8)
Miracle Capsule (MP5)
Spike Koopa
End Of The Line (MP3)
Mario Party DS
No Boo (MP1)
Cast Aways (MP1)
Kamek's Library (MPDS)
Smash Tour (Smash Wii U)
Mario Party: The Top 100
Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival

---

Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

2003
2003 is a lot like 2013 in that there's probably one BIG video game that came out for it that everyone will point to, (Star Wars: KOTOR and The Last Of Us, respective) and then a bunch of "love or hate" games leading to a super uneven year. You've got a fantastic set of Gamecube racing games to choose from, with a choice of Kirby Air Ride, F-Zero GX, or Mario Kart: Double Dash to pick a favorite of and hate at least one of. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow was out there secretly being the best available Metroidvania for a while, with Fire Emblem and Advance Wars 2 propping up the GBA as fantastic strategy games that everyone forgets about when discussing games they love unless they had a crush on Lyn or Sami, and Superstar Saga also existed to start a series that might or might not ever top it depending on how well you tolerate Bowser's Inside Story's gimmicks (I don't very well as I had weak lungs at the time of playing and couldn't beat some Giant Bowser sections). Viewtiful Joe happened and was forgotten about as soon as Okami came out two years later and became emblematic of that studio. Silent Hill 3 and Fatal Frame II sat around and ate up all of the scraps of love and acclaim that Eternal Darkness and Silent Hill 2 left for them. Disgaea was a thing and was great before it was utterly run into the ground and now I can't even keep track of which version of Disgaea is "the good one". Mario Party 5 came out and decided to be the worst one for some reason, in spite of not having to try all that hard to be better than Mario Party 4. KotoR was REALLY good at establishing a universe for Obsidian to pick up and make better, Jak II was REALLY good at sucking all of the life and charm out of its flawed original, Final Fantasy X-2 was REALLY good at putting girls in less outfits, and then DOAX showed up and was like "hold my beer". Ratchet Going Commando was there to keep steadily improving that series from "a'ight" to "great", and Beyond Good and Evil and Sands of Time came out so that everyone could either universally praise or totally ignore them.

Really a mixed bag of a year. There are some classics that COULD be favorites, but nothing that particularly stands out as incredible. A shocking about of "AA" games instead of blockbusters, which is a rarity that the industry has almost entirely grown out of. I used to view this as a weak year for games, but looking back, it's more a cozy one, the industry settling in and gearing up for the huge releases that 2004 would bring whilst the B-teams get to flex their muscles. Insofar as stopgap years go, this one's got a lot more strength than 2013 or 2014, for sure.

Leaf Leap (MP5)
What I like about Leaf Leap is that it's basically the Shy Guy Says of platforming. You have a binary choice of "jump up" or "jump to the other side". You jump up, you either go to the next leaf or waste the time you would've otherwise spent jumping. You jump to the side, you either go to the next leaf or fall all the way down to where the last leaf on that side spawned, making it a huge risk. This makes it feel like a reaction game with catch-up; constantly testing your reactions and trying to break the focus of those next to you. It is the absolute perfect game to compete for high scores on, as you FEEL every mistake, and the satisfaction of passing the golden leaf (the marker of the highest point you've reached) is sooooo nice. It's the limitations that make this game shine as a twitch reflex game.

What Goes Up - Daytime (MP6)
Yeah Leaf Leap wins. You need very specific limitations on platforming games in Mario Party to make them work, and that comes from a risk/reward of thinking if the risk of jumping toward a moving platform at the end of its cycle is worth it. Lift Leapers is a great example of this. Awful Tower is a mediocre example of this. What Goes Up is... unfortunately not a very good example. Whilst it's nice to have a cloud every few dozen meters to have a safe place to climb to, Paratroopas are just not very good platforms. Due to being rounded enemies, their hitboxes are just a bit unclear, and needing to jump from moving Paratroopa to moving Paratroopa just doesn't feel as clean with how floaty and slippery Mario Party characters can be. Add in that it just doesn't LOOK right for certain characters like Waluigi and Boo to be performing as they are due to universal playable character hitboxes, and it's just a bit uncomfortable. Not a bad game per say, but one where floundering feels like less your fault and more Paratroopa's.

Accidentally Hitting Start During Rotation Mini-Games (MP1)
Again, the N64 controller was built by demons who enjoy the pain of others and hilarity. It is actually, and rather often, NOT someone's fault if they bash the start button on accident during a rotation. Everyone will groan and be in pain and it'll be hilarious because everyone is equally disadvantaged. However, this is far less innocent than other accidents, and opens up an annoying Pandora's Box where of course SOMEONE is going to hit that button again to be hilarious, or because their palm needs a break, and then the joke stops becoming funny and it's a witch hunt. And a less fun one than witch hunts usually are.

Mini-Mega Hammer (MP4)
This SHOULD be the redeeming item for the Mini-Mega System. An item that forces a player to either be Mini or Mega, used at the player's discretion, ready to absolutely ruin someone's day, AND it's only 10 coins! Unfortunately, it serves as a very poor substitute for the Poison Mushroom and Reverse Mushroom it's functionally replacing. For one, it cannot target the player who uses it, only an opponent, so it's already less flexible than its "negative" predecessors and fails to be the "two for the price of one" item it touts itself as. Secondly, the MiniMega Hammer works on a roulette system, meaning you have to properly time your A press or win a coin flip in order to get your desired result. I do not remember how fast this roulette goes, but that's because no one ever used this item because item shops are spread so thin in MP4 that the only things people ever got were Super Megas, Super Minis if the star was in a REALLY inconvenient location, Crystal Balls, Gaddlights, and Magic Lamps. Add in the fact that it's super situational AND can benefit your opponent if they go Mega (they skip board events like stars, sure, but they still roll double and get 10 coins from anyone they pass) and it's a good idea of an item that's just not worth its cheap investment compared to just holding onto your coins.

---

Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor

It's more that I was wondering if Metal simply being a robot would overcome Mercs Sonic's shortcomings in "dies to gunfire and AoE and I mean what damage can he actually do he run into things real fast I guess", and was wondering if "loses to Sonic" was more of a Dracula/Belmonts situation where they're just people who can actually hurt the damn guy rather than him being strictly weaker.

Plus Metal's got some fun bullshit to pull from, but just needed to know if the base was worth anything/building that up, as I'm not want to introduce ANOTHER overpriced, overvalued Sonic character just because I personally think they're fun.

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Mario Vs Cloud 2002: A Video Retrospective - https://youtu.be/1dx4t6H_K9Y
Full Channel Available Here!: https://www.youtube.com/c/designingfor