It’s been eight Mario Party’s and there has yet to be any changes. But why change something that works perfectly? Mario Party 8 is a fun-filled board game, that is packed full of entertaining mini-games. They really make good use of the Wii’s controller.

In Mario Party 8, you travel to the carnival of MC Ballyhoo and his trusty top hat, Big Top. Once you're past the carnival themed menus, you'll jump into the game world. If you haven’t played any of the other seven Mario Party games, they are played like a board game. Each of the four players roll a die to see how much they move, you collect coins and stars, and you play mini-games. Each player partakes in a mini-game at the end of each round.

Unfortunately, Mario Party 8 does not have as many of these games as Mario Party 7. Also, unlike Mario Party 7, you can only have four players, not eight. What saves the game is the clever use of the Wii Remote. Holding it sideways (like a classic gamepad), balancing yourself while you walk a tight rope, lassoing items and even hitting baseballs are some of the things you will be doing. The Wii Remote helps give the mini-games a new feel and truly helps break from the old. Some of the min-games give tribute to past games like Luigi’s Mansion.

The mini-games, as in all Mario Party games, are never complicated - switching from one vs. one, to one vs. three, to just a total free for all. Mini-games being too simple is great when you have family over who don’t game much, they will easily enjoy the simple and addicting games.

There are six themed boards in Mario Party 8. To name a few, you have: Donkey Kong, Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion, and a level that looks like the Super Smash Bros. Melee Earthbound level. Some of the levels have unique elements to them. For instance, in Luigi’s Mansion, the board is a mystery level, which you have to go to each room to hunt for the stars. This brings new exciting features to the regular board game atmosphere of Mario Party.

With any Mario Party game, the game is based on chance. You can always roll that one number you do not want and land on a bad space. This can bring you from first to last, especially if you lose a star. This game of chance is what makes Mario Party so fun; Knowing, that you can lose your position in a split second. This makes the game more exciting, and not one person can dominate all.

Mario Party 8 is a fun-filled game for the family. Its simplicity is perfect for a party or family gathering. Gamers will find some of the games too easy and not fun though. In all, the game is for people who want to have a pick-up-and-play game for when the family is around.

Mario Party 8 is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB for Mild Cartoon Violence.