Rating: E
Players: 1-4
Price Range: ~$64 USD
The fifth game of the Mario Party Series and the second on the GameCube.
There are four, count them, four Mario Party games on this system that have never been rereleased.
However, to be honest, in my opinion, Mario Party 5 is easily the weakest out of the four. Not bad per se, but it has a lot of issues.
For starters, the Party Mode, more specifically, the boards and mechanics.
You see, Mario Party 5 has the unfortunate distinction of having arguably some of the worst boards to ever be conceived of, not because they are bad mechanically, but because they have nothing to offer.
Besides layout, every board plays the same. Just get twenty coins to get the Star at its space. They also feel extraordinarily bland and forgettable.
Like Deep Sea Dream.
What do you imagine Deep Sea Dream to be like?
If you imagined anemones, corals, reefs, and seabeds, you'll be right!
...In this...Mario game.
There is barely anything that would make this or any of the boards a part of the world of Super Mario besides the odd Cheep Cheep, Dorrie, or...clam with eyes on it.
Even 4 had more than this.
This ultimately makes every board feel shockingly boring and almost unplayable with how little they add to the table or make an impact, especially in addition to the Capsule system.
You see, this game introduced the Capsule system that was used for the rest of the GameCube Mario Party games, and in my mind, it was poorly executed the first go around.
These curious items have a variety of effects, but here's the issue.
The only way you can get these is through random dispensers, that's right, you never get to choose.
And, in a very baffling design decision, you either have to throw these on a space and hope you or another land on it, or you pay to use it on yourself. That's right, you have to pay your hard-earned coins on an item...to use it on yourself.
Look, you could argue that this gives 5 the most strategy of any Mario Party game, but...here's the problem.
You don't get to choose which capsules you get, so you feel like your money is not going in the right place at all. Unlike 6 and 7, which have shops and spaces where you get random orbs anyways that all can be used for free, it makes this feel so, so wrong and annoying.
It especially doesn't help that many capsules have the same space icon once you throw it.
Getting a Mushroom capsule and having to pay to use it and being able to throw it on a space just feels...forced and alien. I do not like it at all.
Also, the single player is easily the worst out of the four games by far. Fighting against the Koopa Kids and over coins is just underwhelming.
Even the music and sound effects just sound...bad to me.
Okay, so, if the Party Mode, what everybody comes to play, is bad, then what does this game offer?
Well, Mario Party 5 has easily some of the best side modes of any Mario Party, period.
Minigame Wars and Minigame Circuit, which was the first rendition of Roll 'em Raceway from Jamboree, which combines Mario Kart with Mario Party, are easily some of the best Minigame modes the series has to offer.
Also, Super Duel Mode might be the single best one of the bunch. You see, with points accumulated from minigame types, you can purchase and build your very own battle machine with a set of wheels, a body, and a weapon, to fight computer opponents or another player, and it is so much fun. Sure, it is quite unbalanced, I mean, Lakitu's Cloud has high speed and isn't affected by stage hazards, but only give you one Heart, so...yeah, but this is not only creative and enjoyable, but is a great incentive to play the Party mode to get more Minigame Points to purchase more parts.
In fact, the only problem is that it doesn't allow more than two players to play, which was a missed opportunity.
Also...Card Party.
Imagine Mario Party stripped down to remove items, boards, and Minigames, and simplify it to its bare essentials, and you got the closest the series ever got to being an actual board game. Sure, some may see it as boring and bland, but me and one of my siblings always have a great time with this mode. Truly special.
Also, some of the Minigames are quite stellar, with some definite fan favorites here, with Night Light Fright, Fish Upon a Star, Coney Island, Hotel Goomba, and especially Pushy Penguins being great standouts.
Overall, besides the fact that Mario Party obviously should be played with others, this game has a great deal to offer, even if the Party Mode, the main selling point, and its price leave something to be desired.

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