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Slush's First Mario Party 3 Impressions
Time Played: 2 hours
Okay, I guess first things first. I want to clear up that if this was the first Mario Party game, or even the second, then I would consider it a lovely piece of software. However, it's neither. It's the third in a series that was unbelievably rushed into stores in a period of a little over two years. What we're left with is something that seems like the longest game in history, stretched out over three cartridges. Nintendo and Hudson Soft should just face facts. The party died hours ago, everyone drank too much and passed out, the house is trashed, and the parents are coming home in six hours.
I think the story of Mario Party 3 is the most contrived of the series yet. Honestly, this superstar motiff is going nowhere, and it would probably help matters in a tiny way if Hudson Soft could come up with a new reason why they have to play "Mario Party." Speaking of which, after spending a couple hours with the game, I'd have to wonder why any reasonable video game character would want to put themselves through this more than once. Have you ever noticed how in Mario Party games the characters are tossed around like rag dolls? Whether it's getting their molecules shrunk down, being rammed into tight little cars or boats, getting cracked over the head with a mallet, being flattened like a pancake, or thrown off a ledge on a moving train, I've never see anyone take so much punishment in a feeble attempt to stroke their own ego with superstar jargon. If I was Donkey Kong, I'd demand to the Millennium Star to take me back to Donkey Kong Island before my body chemistry gets altered to the point where I can't bear children.
Moving on, graphics and music have never been an entirely strong point for the MP series, and the same holds true for MP3. I'm also convinced they came up with the idea of the characters being stuck in a toybox just so they could run with their lazy, flat graphics in every part of the game and explain it away as simply being part of the plot. Oh well, it could be worse. This could be Paper Mario Party, although I wouldn't put it past Hudson Soft at this point. As for music, just think of the sounds from the first two, shake your head around until you hear a ringing noise, and there you go.
I'm not really thrilled with any of the new boards. As I've said before, it's not that they're neccesarily bad, but the concept is simply tired. There isn't really much innovation on the boards since the second game, with the exception that it's now incredibly easy to get items, which makes things especially frustrating when your opponents can carry three magic lamps. On the other hand, the mini-games just might be this game's saving grace. Sure, the concepts are simple as hell, and some of them are incredibly similar to old ones, but by not including any carry-overs from MP and MP2, it at least gives this part of the game a fresh aspect and appeal. Plus, for a nerd like me, having a Mario Party trivia mini-game is perfect, since I know all the answers before Toad can finish his questions.
I just got done spending the better part of four months or so soaking up Conker's Bad Fur Day, which I consider to be one of the few nearly flawless games ever made. No, I wasn't expecting Conker's Bad Fur Day with Mario Party 3, but one thing it was hard to adjust to was the play control. Some mini-games are made hard just because of the floaty jumping scheme, which goes a long way to annoy you after having trouble hopping over the minute hand of a giant clock, but mastering jumping through lasers while being shot at by teddy bears only weeks earlier. When Mario Party 4 (God help us all) is released, I hope control is one issue Hudson Soft looks at the hardest, with Diddy Kong being the second. Hudson Soft, if you put Diddy in Mario Party 4, I will be your submissive male sex slave. Think about it.
Before I go, I must share this little experience I had with the game about an hour through my playing time. I was in the Chilly Waters board, and before I knew what hit me, I began crying like a little baby. Yes, for some reason or another, Mario Party 3 reduced me to tears. I'm not sure what it was. Maybe it was the fact that I realized I was probably the only person on the planet that was playing Mario Party 3 with a geniune desire to beat it, or maybe it was other aspects of my life manifesting themselves throug hidden imagery in the game, which then triggered such a response. Whatever it was, Mario Party 3 made me cry. Perhaps you should consider that before you run out and buy it, which I'd only suggest to you if you hadn't bought either MP game yet, or you're a DKU or Mario completist. Plus, you should keep in mind that while we're all DKU completists here at the Vine, I'm the only one so far who's bothered to waste his time obtaining it. Proceed with extreme caution.
by Slush
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