Playtest: Mario Party 8

To say the Wii Remote has reinvented the Mario Party franchise is an understatement. Although Mario Party has seen its share of innovations since its debut on the Nintendo 64 (including the inclusion of a microphone for Mario Party 6 for Nintendo GameCube), nothing has jolted the franchise like the Wii Remote has.

The result is an ultra-fresh, fun game that literally anyone can play. This is because the mini-games found within Mario Party 8 deal with activities that most people have attempted in their lives. People have shaken soda cans to erupt. People have hammered nails, many have rowed boats. Is there anyone who hasn't shined a flashlight on an object?

What makes Mario Party's implementation of these motions work is the speed in which a player must perform the actions. Sure, you may have used a flashlight on a dark night to find your way, but you weren't given a time limit to find ghosts with it, were you? When you're sitting next to your opponent, you can feel the pressure to perform these tasks (no stress, it's all in fun).

Take the game Shake It Up as an example. In this game, your on-screen character grabs a can of soda. The goal is to shake that can vigorously so that when the character opens the can, the eruption from the can shoots higher into the air than the competition. Your job is to shake the Wii Remote as if it were that can of soda. You could shake that can furiously, but that might not be the best method. Maybe a more methodical motion is needed to generate the greater eruption. With your opponent sitting next to you, you can witness their shaking methods which could help you when you partake in the mini-game in the future.

It's that kind of competitive spirit that really makes Mario Party 8 an exceptional party game. Whether the game involves a lot of motion or very little, the different gaming styles and the combativeness of many of the games makes Mario Party 8 just as fun to observe as it is to play.

Mario Party 8 is in shops 22 June, only on Wii.