• Publisher: Nintendo
  • Release Date: Oct 21, 2002
Metascore
70 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 26 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 26
  2. Negative: 1 out of 26
  1. Does exactly what it sets out to do, and as such it comes highly recommended to anyone with more than one controller to their name.
  2. 90
    If you’ve got the warm bodies, Mario Party 4 will bring great gameplay.
  3. The minigames are just as goofy as ever, with only one or two clunkers amid dozens of fun challenges. [Nov 2002, p.218]
  4. It's kind of a letdown that the only major difference in MP4 is the sharp GameCube visuals. [Jan 2003, p.187]
  5. 83
    As a single player game, it's kinda boring. [Jan 2003, p.59]
  6. A lot of fun, and definitely worthwhile if you have a lot of friends. For solitary gameplay though, you might want to pass this one up.
  7. If your house is party central, you can’t go wrong with Mario Party 4. It’s got everything the previous games had (plus more) to keep GROUPS of two or more happily playing.
  8. Though the mini-games are all new, things haven't changed much from the previous entries. [Dec 2002, p.82]
  9. 75
    With four-players in tow, it's a total blast, but for those that are looking for some solid, non-anger-inducing solo play, you'd do well to swerve away from this one for sure.
  10. The best game in the series yet. But that isn’t saying a whole lot when you consider that the sequels have always felt more like continuations than they did actual sequels.
  11. While more accomplished gamers may find some of the minigames too simplistic, this accessibility ensures that Mario's party is one that just about anyone can enjoy.
  12. 71
    The designers didn’t make the modifications to make this more than an N64 game with a different controller, and the changes that were made hurt the game rather than help it, for the most part.
  13. There’s no doubt that this is an absolutely great game for multiplayer, but we’re upset that HAL didn’t really put their all in with the visuals or on making a more streamlined game.
  14. While some mistakes were made in the making of this game, not enough were made to make it bad.
  15. There are extra little features that make Mario Party 4 the best of the bunch, but nothing that makes it soar above the rest.
  16. It's worth noting if you've still got your N64 hooked up, there's not enough new and exciting here to make it worth the purchase.
  17. 69
    Outside of... basic upgrades, there's nothing new about Mario Party 4... An absolute must-rent if you have a few friends over for the weekend.
  18. The formula is getting just a little stale. [29 Nov 2002, p.114]
  19. 60
    Its strength is that it gives fans exactly what they expect. But the whole concept is getting a little long in the tooth.
  20. The GameCube version is, not surprisingly, the best looking of the four games, but it’s not the huge leap in visual quality it could have been given the dramatic improvement in technology.
  21. Really meant for four players and is simply a game you either love or hate.
  22. The franchise has become an exercise in monotony.
  23. The mini-games have different faces but they play ostensibly the same, and even with the visuals buffed to a sparkle the overall effect is very much ‘more of the same’.
  24. 50
    Mario Party though is not a particularly good game and it's up against much better titles like "Super Monkey Ball" that manages to bridge this age gap by having inspired game play and a quirky feel. Most Nintendo games have this quality but it is sadly missing here.
  25. Another flaw with the game is it's lack of A.I. I'm not talking about the computer controlled characters, but rather the unfairness that occurs throughout any standard 4 player match.
  26. If anything, the game did show me how much torment I can put up with before breaking down, sobbing, and pleading to make it stop. [Dec 2002, p.125]
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 20
  2. Negative: 3 out of 20
  1. After 3 games, is getting old. Feels boring because of the lack of new game mechanics. One thing sure: if you play with friends, is still very funny. The main problems are the reduced number of mini games (maybe around 70) and the reduced number of playing zones. Full Review »
  2. A great family game! Me and my cousins used to always play this together! I just wish it wasn't so boring when playing alone....the mini games were mediocre and the board games could have been longer... Full Review »
  3. JackH
    8
    Believe it or not (most probably do believe it), the Mario Party series gets progressively worse with each new game. Mario Party 4 was my first Mario Party game, and therefore my favorite. See how it works? If you played the first Mario Party, then you probably think this game sucks, and rightfully so. Personally, I think Mario Party 5 is alright, Mario Party 6 is bad, Mario Party 7 is awful, and Mario Party 8 (which I do not own, thank god) probably deserves the scrap heap. The final boss battle in MP4 is great (although it has nothing to do with the concept of the game), and it took me awhile to defeat Bowser on his big cube that's floating in who knows where. Full Review »