Mario Party 4
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox video game Mario Party 4Template:Efn is a 2002 party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the fourth installment in the Mario Party series and the first one to be released for GameCube. Like the previous games in the series, it features eight playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Princess Daisy, and Waluigi from the Mario franchise, who can be directed as characters on six themed game boards. The objective of the game is to earn as many coins and stars as possible. Each character's movement is determined by a roll of a dice, with a roll from each player forming a single turn. Each round is followed by a minigame in which characters compete for coins they can use to purchase items and stars. Besides the standard multiplayer mode, the game also features a singleplayer campaign in which the player plays the game with artificial intelligence-controlled players.
Mario Party 4 was announced in March 2002 and was later showcased at E3 2002. The game was released in North America on October 21, 2002, Japan on November 8, 2002, and in PAL regions on November 29, 2002. The game received mixed or average reviews, with complaints going to the singleplayer mode, the design of game boards, and sound effects, while the graphics and controls were praised. It won the Family Game of the Year award at the Interactive Achievement Awards of 2003. The game was followed by Mario Party 5 for the same console in 2003.
Gameplay
Mario Party 4 is a puzzle and party video game based on an interactive board game played by four characters from the Mario franchise.<ref name="Eurogamer review">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="GR review">Template:Cite news</ref> The game features eight playable characters in total, Mario, Princess Peach, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Princess Daisy, Yoshi, Wario, and Waluigi.<ref name="Eurogamer review" /> In the game, which features six game boards, players roll a dice and walk on squares which either add or subtract player's coins or randomly trigger one of the 50 minigames.<ref name="Eurogamer review" /><ref name="GR review" /> The goal of the game is to collect the most coins and stars;<ref name="Eurogamer review" /> stars can be acquired when a player reaches a square with a star on it,<ref name="NLife review">Template:Cite news</ref> or by either winning the most minigames, most coins, or landing on the most "Happening Spaces" squares.<ref name="GR review" /> A minigame is played at the end of each round.<ref name="GSpot review">Template:Cite news</ref> There are two types of mushrooms that the player can acquire: a mega mushroom, which gives the player an extra dice, increases the player's size, and the ability to steal 10 coins from another player, and a mini mushroom, which shrinks the player and limits the dice to first five numbers, but allows the player to go through pipes, which allow the player to access shortcuts on the board.<ref name="Eurogamer review" /> Items that can additionally be bought from a store include pipes, a genie lamp,<ref name="GR review" /> which teleports the player to a star on the board,<ref name="GSpy review">Template:Cite news</ref> and the Boo's crystal ball, which allows the player to steal another player's star.<ref name="NLife review" /> The length of a single game can vary; it can last between 10 and 50 turns.<ref name="GSpot review" />
The six game boards are interactive and feature various designs, such as a ghost-themed or tropical-themed board. On the Koopa's Seaside Soiree game board, the player can interact with animals that can either allow the player to access shortcuts or randomize the player's direction,<ref name="IGN review">Template:Cite news</ref> while on the ghost-themed Boo board, a ghost train transports the player around the board.<ref name="NLife review" /> The "reversal of fortune" space on the board allows the player to switch coins and stars with a random player.<ref name="NLife review" /> Mario Party 4 features a variety of minigames, categorized as either a deathmatch (free-for-all) mode, a two-on-two, or one-on-three battle mode; these modes include games such as drag racing, skiing,<ref name="Eurogamer review" /> dominos,<ref name="IGN review" /> soccer, and snowball dodging.<ref name="GSpot review" /> Booksquirm is a minigame in which the player has to avoid being crushed in a book, while Dungeon Duos has two players travel through a passageway.<ref name="GR review" /> Most of the minigames fall under the free-for-all mode. Upon winning a minigame, a player receives coins as a prize,<ref name="IGN review" /> while upon completing the entire game, the player will win a special prize depending on the player's character.<ref name="GSpy review" /> Mario Party 4 introduces the ability to practice minigames before playing them in a game with other players.<ref name="GP review">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Besides the standard multiplayer mode, the game offers a "pure minigame mode" and a singleplayer campaign called the "Story Mode",<ref name="IGN review" /> which allows the player to play alone with three artificial intelligence (AI)-controlled players.<ref name="Eurogamer review" /> The game supports progressive scan for HDTV players.<ref name="IGN review" />
Development and release
Mario Party 4 was developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> It is the first Mario Party game to be released for GameCube.<ref name="IGN review" /> The game was first announced in a March 2002 Nintendo press conference in Tokyo, with the announcements made by Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was targeted as part of the 2002 roster of Nintendo games, which they rated as their "biggest year" for software at the time. Nintendo presented a playable demonstration of the game at E3 2002, featuring a limited set of minigames.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The game was released on October 21, 2002, in North America, November 8 in Japan, and November 29 in Europe.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Reception
Template:Video game reviews Mario Party 4 received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.<ref name="Metacritic">Template:Cite web</ref> In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 30 out of 40.<ref name="Famitsu score">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Reviewers positively received the minigames of Mario Party 4.<ref name="GSpot review" /><ref name="IGN review" /> Fran Mirabella III of IGN praised the minigames as entertaining due to their "freshness...in combination with unbridled multiplayer action", while Johnny Liu of GameRevolution commended the Booksquirm and Dungeon Duos minigames.<ref name="GR review" /> Andrew Reiner of Game Informer, however, described the boards as confusing and "poorly designed", and the minigames as having bad design and control system.<ref name="GI review">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer disliked the "reversal of fortune" space, calling it "unfair", and the big size of game boards, adding that "interest wanes very quickly in a group of four".<ref name="Eurogamer review" /> Michael Cole of Nintendo World Report commended the "mega-mini" system with mushrooms.<ref name="NWR review">Template:Cite news</ref> Reviewers also disliked the singleplayer mode for having the player watch AI-controlled players take turns.<ref name="Eurogamer review" /><ref name="GR review" /><ref name="GSpy review" /><ref name="GP review" /> Ryan Steddy of Nintendo Life described the singleplayer mode as a "dull add-on".<ref name="NLife review" />
Additionally, reviewers commended the improvement of the game's graphics, particularly those of the characters.<ref name="Eurogamer review" /><ref name="IGN review" /><ref name="GP review" /><ref name="NWR review" /><ref name="egm" /> Liu and Mirabella III noted that the graphics were an improvement of the previous installments featured on the Nintendo 64.<ref name="GR review" /><ref name="IGN review" /> Ryan Davis of GameSpot praised the lighting and particle effects.<ref name="GSpot review" /> Liu, however, also noted that the graphics were not greatly detailed.<ref name="GR review" /> Although Bad Hare of GamePro commended the music,<ref name="GP review" /> Mirabella III did not consider it to be fun.<ref name="IGN review" /> Bramwell and Mirabella III disliked the sound effects,<ref name="Eurogamer review" /><ref name="IGN review" /> while Cole disliked the voice acting.<ref name="NWR review" /> Scott Alan Marriott of AllGame had mixed opinions on the sound effects.<ref name="AllGame review">Template:Cite news</ref>
Bramwell, Hare, and Bryn Williams of GameSpy praised the game's controls.<ref name="Eurogamer review" /><ref name="GSpy review" /><ref name="GP review" /> However, Bramwell noted that if a player's reaction is slow it would ofen result in losing minigames.<ref name="Eurogamer review" />
TheGamer ranked Mario Party 4 the best entry in the series.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Den of Geek viewed it as the fourth best game in the Mario Party series, citing its minigames.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sales and accolades
Mario Party 4 won "Family Game of the Year" during the AIAS' 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.<ref name="Awards">Template:Cite web</ref> It was nominated for GameSpotTemplate:'s annual "Best Party Game on GameCube" award, which went to Super Monkey Ball 2.<ref name=bestworst2002>Template:Cite web</ref>
The game sold 1,100,000 units from its release to December 27, 2007, in North America,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and an additional 900,000 copies in Japan, bringing its overall sales to 2,000,000.<ref name="japanchartsgc">Template:Cite web</ref>
Notes
References
External links
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