Metacritic Games

Mario Party 7 (GameCube)

Explore the world with six brand-new game boards! As Mario and friends embark on an around-the-world cruise, each board serves as an exotic port of call--China, the Netherlands, Egypt, Venice, the United States and Bowser World! Each one is a lovely vacation spot in the real world...but Bowser has other plans. Up to eight players can participate in the action—four more than the previous Mario Party titles. In a four-player game, each participant will have his or her own Controller. In an eight-player match, two players will share one Controller. 86 all-new mini-games, 10 of which use the GCN Microphone. Exchange your “mileage points” and items for awesome unlockables and other fun prizes. From leaping over electrified hurdles to avoiding a mole with a giant hammer, each game is a party in itself! The addition of two new playable characters, Birdo and Dry Bones, adds to the fun. [Nintendo]

Nintendo
Party, Action
Players: 8
E (Everyone)
Developer: Hudson Soft
Released November 7, 2005

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

64 / 100

Critic Reviews

85 NintendoWorldReport
The game is very challenging, and trying to collect all of the mini-games is rewarding. I will be playing this one even on my Revolution next year.
80 GameSpy
It's better than the last game but not all that innovative. Of course, until somebody else steps up and makes a great party game, Mario Party's the only gig in town.
80 GamePro
For those of you who party religously, you won't be disappointed. [Jan 2006, p.80]
75 Kombo
Mario Party 7 offers much love to everyone that will take it. The mic is accurate and responsive, no complaints there, though it would have been nice to have a few more mini-games that actually involved it.
75 Nintendo Power
Adds some nice new features to the tried-and-true formula. [Jan 2006, p.110]
74 eToychest
This is yet another sequel for the fans of the series that don't want anything more than a comfortable dip in the same old pool.
70 Yahoo! Games
For new players or rabid fanatics, Mario Party 7 is a respectable addition to the series. But for anyone expecting to have a great time with less than four people, this release can kill the party instead of starting it.
70 IGN
To its credit, the title delivers some fun new boards and mini-games, and the multiplayer experience is as robust and enjoyable as ever. But it in contrast dishes out a worthless single-player mode marred by tediously slow computer-controlled character interactions.
70 DarkStation
The seventh iteration crams even more mini-games than you care to count, but sadly shies away from offering something truly innovative for loyal Mario fans.
69 BonusStage
Probably is the best game overall in the franchise to date, however it simply doesn’t do enough new to warrant a definitive purchase.
68 My Gamer
Unless there is a vested interest in this game, it is not really worth getting.
67 Gaming Horizon
Looks, feels, and plays exactly like every other Mario Party ever made. The new 8-player games, new boards, and new minigames aren’t enough to differentiate it from anything else you’ve seen served up by the pudgy plumber and friends.
65 Pelit (Finland)
Takes you back to the world of minigames. It seems like the best ideas are already used, though. Only the mic games are slightly refreshing. [Jan 2006]
65 GameSpot
It's not dramatically different from Mario Party 6 or, frankly, any of the other Mario Party games, but as a cheery collection of simple pick-up-and-play minigames that's well suited for younger and more-casual players, it still works.
60 Cheat Code Central
The storyline is so lame that the game would have been better off without it.
60 Electronic Gaming Monthly
The minigames are simply too short - newbies might find a game ending just when they've gotten the hang of it. [Jan 2006, p.125]
60 N-Europe
Basically Mario Party 6, but with less fun and [fewer] new ideas.
60 Deeko
Doesn't offer up anything different here, with the exception of some new minigames and a freshly themed game board.
60 G4 TV
And what’s with all the text? One thing that continually aggravated our group of casual gamer test subjects (relatives we roped into playing) was the inordinate amount of text you need to wade through while you’re playing.
60 AceGamez
Mario Party 7 probably is the best game overall in the franchise to date; however, even with that being the case it simply doesn't do enough new to warrant a definitive purchase.
50 Games Radar
For the eighth installment we recommend a speed play option; until then the party will have to get along without us.
50 GamerFeed
This latest Party shows too many similarities to last year's part six, and not nearly enough improvements. Fans can dig in, but the rest of us need a livelier Party.
50 Game Informer
There are plenty of better ways to do a bunch of crap with your friends that isn't ay fun and doesn't make any sense, like hiding batteries in people's shoes. [Dec 2005, p.178]
40 1UP
The problem with Mario Party is this: the downtime is completely ridiculous. In a game where the sole purpose is to entertain you in a party-like environment, sitting out for periods of up to 10 minutes at a time, waiting for everyone to roll the dice, run around, shop for items, use said items, compete in stale, single-player mini-games, pointless microphone games and other random events drives one to tears of boredom.
30 Eurogamer
It's such a shame that Nintendo - the creator of Mario Kart, which is arguably the most fun you can have with platonic friends - just can't seem to sort Mario Party's problems out, even for the seventh instalment in the series. Roll on number eight, eh.

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