LogFAQs > #950456074

24. Mario Party 2 (N64, 2000)

Immediately upon its release in 1999, I was in love with the Mario Party series. The combination of board and video game, and its delicate balance of luck and skill, combined with the varied mini-game challenges, was an immediate winner (and a huge success). I've played every mainline game (1-10, Super) and the DS release, and I've enjoyed all of them in some capacity, but Mario Party 2 is still easily my all-time favorite. I figured it would be too difficult to try to figure out exactly how many of these games I really wanted to place in the Top 100, so instead I set aside a spot as ostensibly a series entry, and I'm putting MP2 in because it's undoubtedly the best.
Mario Party 2 sets right nearly every complaint about the original, and adds several new features that would become series staples. Obviously, control stick-rotating games got nixed entirely. Punishing mini-games like Bash N Cash and Crane Game are either removed or revised to have a fixed payout. The boards rely far less on big swings of punishment and even when they have potentially damaging mechanics (like Space Land's mega laser or Bowser Land's parade) there are many opportunities to swing the event in your favor and lots of time to plan ahead. Items and Item Mini-games make an appearance, and while they're important and relevant, there's a good balance - they're not as overwhelmingly baked into everything like the capsules/orbs from 5-7. Duel and battle mini-games also are added, giving opportunities for big swings directly from mini-games, rather than through Chance Time or the boards themselves. And the themed boards with character costumes and story sequences are lovely, charming, and add a bit of color to the board play itself.
The mini-games in 2 are great, too; it's the only MP game (not counting the trainwreck that is Top 100) that extensively brought back games from prior entries, and although its a bit of a mixed bag, they generally improved upon most of the original designs. And basically all the iconic games are here - Bumper Balls, Bombs Away, Hexagon Heat, Shy Guy Says, Face Lift, Slot Car Derby, and many others. There's something to be said about the charm of jumping into a Game of MP2, where everything is familiar - basically everyone I play with knows the games and the boards really well, so it gets super-sweaty and competitive fast.
There's not a lot to complain about with 2 - I think you could reasonably argue that sequels had better mini-games, more content, better balance, or more variety - but it does everything so effortlessly well, that even its hang-ups seem like such minor annoyances. Undoubtedly, there's a little nostalgia here; MP2 was the first MP game I bought, and I have only played 4 anywhere near the amount I did this one. But as I said, every part of the package is just very good - it's absolutely a significant amount greater than the sum of its parts because it does every little bit well. And I think there's no coincidence that fans of the series keep wanting the games to return to the roots of this game: its board designs, structure, and mini-game style; it's such a memorable classic that still holds up excellently.
Top 5 MP2 Mini-games: Hexagon Heat - Bumper Balloon Cars - Face Lift - Shell Shocked - Speed Hockey
Top 5 Mario Party (series) games: MP2 - MP6 - MP3 - MP9 - MP4

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