Review cover Mario Party: The Top 100 (Nintendo 3DS)
Official GBAtemp Review

Product Information:

  • Release Date (NA): November 10, 2017
  • Release Date (EU): December 22, 2017
  • Release Date (JP): December 28, 2017
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Developer: Nd Cube
  • Genres: Party

Game Features:

Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative
A loving homage to half of the Mario Party series.

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Originally announced in September during a Nintendo Direct, the idea of Mario Party: The Top 100 took me back to a time when the series was pure. A time before the dreaded car of Mario Party 9, a time where I could spend hours roaming the same paths, yet draw from them a refreshing and unique experience nonetheless. It took me back to the days where Mario Party truly was a game to end friendships, to break controllers. For all the steps and missteps Mario has taken since this golden age, can The Top 100 reignite the flames of this smoldering series?

Games of Gods

The premise of The Top 100 is made clear in its name; a collection of minigames that for so long served as the backbone of the series. To be considered a top 100, these games had to be the best of the best, and yet be balanced in a way so not to leave fans of any single Mario Party game dissatisfied. Be it through intense focus testing or simply the passion of the development team, I felt a connection to the 100 chosen. Far more frequently than I had anticipated, I found myself transported to a state of child-like excitement, recalling moments of my favourite games appeared before me at a critical point of a party. Of course, akin to its predecessors, The Top 100 doesn't give you access to every one of the games from the start, instead relying on a key game mode as means of progression.

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Welcome to the Island

Minigame Island is quite unremarkably home to the game's mass storage of classic gems. Starting with as few as 55 minigames, it lies on your shoulders to work your way through the challenges of this unforgiving climate, and rise above the rest to reveal the bulk of the game. The nature of the island is really quite simplistic; each space representing a different minigame. Depending on how you fare in said game, you'll get between one and three stars, as well as the game being added to your collection. While this mode does nothing revolutionary, it provides you with an opportunity to work through the games you perhaps don't recognise, and may have otherwise overlooked. As well as this, it allows you to set a high score for each game before challenging your friends, giving them something real and competitive to play against; in oppose to the ridiculously low standards set by default. 

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Board Games

The evolution of Mario Party is something really quite interesting. From its humble N64 beginnings, it's seen fancy dress, stamp collecting, dream hopping, even a simple birthday party. Though the theme may have changed, the core gameplay remained a constant and consistent joy. A great number of factors contributed to this end to create something brilliantly unpredictable, where even those who have been behind from the start have a chance right up to the last turn. This chaos is in my opinion the foundation of a successful Mario Party game; and it is in this The Top 100 is flawed.

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Minigame Match is a mode where players have the opportunity to traverse a simple board, collecting coins and exchanging them for stars as they go. The formula sounds right; it feels like the basic level required for a Mario Party game to be well received. Where the game falls short is in its modern approach to board games. No longer can a player losing catch up in a twist of fate befitting a lottery draw, nor can a person be knocked from their pedestal should they forge a solid lead. I would compare it to removing the Blue Shell from Mario Kart; it ultimately aims to create an experience far more reliant on skill than luck, and ultimately takes away the very spirit of Mario Party. This isn't a trait unique to The Top 100, the board design lifted from the previous release Star Rush. Wait, what rush?

A Jaded History

Perhaps the most charming part of this game comes not from the gameplay, but from the menus, and a small series guide nestled away within the collection. For younger players who saw Mario Party 8, or even 9 and 10 as an entry point, a look back at what they missed—to put a face to the owner of the minigames they aren't familiar with—it's a fantastic idea. Or at least, it had the potential to be a fantastic idea. 

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For reasons beyond my comprehension this series guide remains incomplete, disregarding portable entries into the series. While I can appreciate the minigames of Mario Party Advance being relatively obscure in nature and ill-suited for a game like this, I find myself unable to reason its omission in this context. Mario Party DS I share similar feelings, however struggle to even justify its lack of minigame representation, especially with the 3DS being so well suited to the nature of these games. It would be easy to write it off by saying it simply has no games befitting of a top 100, but when housing such joys as Rail Riders, Camera Shy, and Peek-a-Boo, the argument swiftly weakens. While I fail to recall minigames from the 3DS entries, I echo my disappointment of their absence in the series guide. I understand this isn't necessarily a big deal for most, but for a game to be celebrating a series, and yet so blatantly ignore a portion of it is something I feel should be brought to attention. 

In Closing

Ultimately, Mario Party: The Top 100 is a fun game. If you've been a fan of the series as long as I have (or perhaps even longer), I guarantee there is some joy to be found in reliving the minigames that once tore you from your friends. Of course, this must be balanced with the disappointment of how the games have turned away from the very nature of events that lead to the aforementioned fallings out; perhaps for the better? I think not. While its shortcomings don't necessarily hold it back as an individual entity, its place in the larger scope of the series puts an unexpected spotlight on them. 

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Mario Party: The Top 100 Trailer

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Excellent choice of minigames
  • Good representation from each game
  • Minigame Island gives you a chance to experience each game before giving access to everything
  • Download Play means only one person will have to buy it
What We Didn't Like ...
  • Lackluster boards will leave traditional fans disappointed
  • No representation from handheld entries
7
Gameplay
The minigames themselves are as mechanically solid as they've ever been. The best have clearly been chosen; however outside the minigames, the shell holding the game together feels sometimes lacking. A traditional board would have gone far in this respect.
8
Presentation
Each minigame feels refined, reworked for a new generation; yet still captures the original look and feel in a way I couldn't help but smile at.
7
Lasting Appeal
The lasting appeal is evident as soon as you open the first game, and realise the ride you're in for. For long-standing fans of the series, you will blitz through a rollercoaster of nostalgia. For newcomers, the appeal will lessen; but it should be noted these minigames were chosen for a reason. They're worth playing, nostalgia aside.
7
out of 10

Overall

Mario Party: The Top 100 delivers on what it sets out to, providing a modern way to play 100 classic minigames, each legendary in its own right. Where the game falls short is in delivering what fans yearn for, almost teasing them with half of what made the series so brilliant. Were this game to embrace the chaos and beautiful madness many have come to love the series for, it would have potential to be the greatest entry yet.
I wonder just how popular are compilation games, especially nostalgia ones like this. I mean not that it is bad, but how well could something that is a bunch of games sell compared to one huge game on its own? Though to be honest i wish this was a console game since its how I'm used to playing mario party but with no board game i guess it doesn't have to be. Least you can't ruin your friendship with this. :P
 
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I thought mario party stop being fun after hudson soft stopped being involved with it :ninja:
(Almost) every game you played on your childhood is fun.
I played MP8 for hours and hours when I was a kid, and the fact that there are only 3 games from MP8 on MPTT100 irritates me a lot.
EDIT: Also, Nintendo, noone liked that minigame where you had to raise the flag the first on MP8 :)
 
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I strongly dislike how they only put 3 minigames from MP8
the first to games the the series i played were ds and 8 and about 4 year later i went back to play every other game and i gotta say 8's minigames were pretty lacking
 
I always found funny how there are two empty spots on the second page in the Series Guide section, where both Mario Party Advance and Mario Party DS would fit perfectly. Looks as if done on purpose...
 
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Used FreeShop to try this Game, it irritated me a lot.
First, boards are not fun to play with, its all in fixed positions. Oh, you need coins to buy a Star?
Move your character to the bottom of the "board" and then, make your way up to the star in less than 10 turns, because that's how many turns you have in order to beat the Game.
And one can easily say: Just win at the Minigames to get your coins.

Fun thing is, there's no minigames to play. You only get to play minigames twice or thrice in the whole Game.
Which by the way, when the Game feels that it's time to finally play a minigame, it makes you choose out of 8 or 10 fixed minigames, on top of that, if any character has more coins than you, they have better chances to get their minigame choosen.

It sucks, it doesn't even adds something to the Nostalgia factor and the Island board sucks.

I'm glad things like Freeshop exists, if I were to buy this Game before trying it, I would be really disappointed.
Not even free.
 
I would pay $40 for this game if it had at least all the Mario Party games from the 64. Granted it would not be profitable to have all Mario Parties but it feels like a low-ball to only have select games. Bahumbug!
 
I would pay $40 for this game if it had at least all the Mario Party games from the 64. Granted it would not be profitable to have all Mario Parties but it feels like a low-ball to only have select games. Bahumbug!
It does? All the main console games are represented in some way or another, it's the handheld games that were ignored.
 
I like the minigames they chose overall. But I'm very disappointed in the lack of real gameboards, they were a huge reason I loved the classic Mario Party titles.

I strongly dislike how they only put 3 minigames from MP8

Keep in mind that 8 had a massive emphasis on wiimote controls, and while the 3DS is capable of emulating some of those things with the accelerometer, a lot of motion controls and especially the pointing were not nearly as easy to faithfully replicate on the 3DS.
 
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It does? All the main console games are represented in some way or another, it's the handheld games that were ignored.
I kinda would have liked to play all the boards along with the mini-games. My favorite boards are where the mushrooms play a role in where you can go on your turns, -ooh! Or the boards where you use chain chomps to fight for stars. (sigh)... but I guess Reggie doesn't want us to be happy. >.>
 
i hate 3ds ghrapics. worst than a GC.
Not really. Aside from the resolution, a 3DS can achieve pretty decent graphics, as its computing power is around 4 GFLOPS vs. 8 for the GC. But Ninty never really took advantage of the additionnal power of the New 3DS which would allow more things...
 
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Used FreeShop to try this Game, it irritated me a lot.
First, boards are not fun to play with, its all in fixed positions. Oh, you need coins to buy a Star?
Move your character to the bottom of the "board" and then, make your way up to the star in less than 10 turns, because that's how many turns you have in order to beat the Game.
And one can easily say: Just win at the Minigames to get your coins.

Fun thing is, there's no minigames to play. You only get to play minigames twice or thrice in the whole Game.
Which by the way, when the Game feels that it's time to finally play a minigame, it makes you choose out of 8 or 10 fixed minigames, on top of that, if any character has more coins than you, they have better chances to get their minigame choosen.

It sucks, it doesn't even adds something to the Nostalgia factor and the Island board sucks.

I'm glad things like Freeshop exists, if I were to buy this Game before trying it, I would be really disappointed.
Not even free.
You are a pirate
 
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you know what would have made this game even better? instead of taking JUST THE MINIGAMES from each game why couldnt they have taken a board from each game too ..just think 10 boards sure..some games had diffrent mechanics on their boards than others BUT they could have made some work arounds on the boards better than the ones they have here
 
you know what would have made this game even better? instead of taking JUST THE MINIGAMES from each game why couldnt they have taken a board from each game too ..just think 10 boards sure..some games had diffrent mechanics on their boards than others BUT they could have made some work arounds on the boards better than the ones they have here
That's what I was saying! Haleluyah someone understands! lol The Boardssss!!!
 
That's what I was saying! Haleluyah someone understands! lol The Boardssss!!!
you know what would have made this game even better? instead of taking JUST THE MINIGAMES from each game why couldnt they have taken a board from each game too ..just think 10 boards sure..some games had diffrent mechanics on their boards than others BUT they could have made some work arounds on the boards better than the ones they have here
It's not just you y'know?
I miss them too.
 
@Scarlet that Deck card game is so awful, is like very unlikely to come in first to earn the 3 stars in. That must been torture to keep playing. HOW IS THAT PART OF "TOP 100 MINI GAMES" Who voted for these, who votes for a game based on luck to win as their fan favorite! :blink:
 
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@Scarlet that Deck card game is so awful, is like very unlikely to come in first to earn the 3 stars in. That must been torture to keep playing. HOW IS THAT PART OF "TOP 100 MINI GAMES" Who voted for these, who votes for a game based on luck to win as their fan favorite! :blink:
lol There's always bound to be a bad one or two. Would've been interesting for Nintendo to have run a poll or something, but creating a survey of every MP minigame seems like a logistical nightmare.
 
lol There's always bound to be a bad one or two. Would've been interesting for Nintendo to have run a poll or something, but creating a survey of every MP minigame seems like a logistical nightmare.
Logistical nightmare, but more satisfying than calling it "TOP 100" When we don't even know who's list this belong to, who? WHO EXACTLY? Is not mine, is not yours, is not any of the 100,000 + people who played it for all these years. So then who's is it! :blink:

I hope that if they do make this for the switch, that is gonna have 100 more and will be a poll of fan favorites.
 
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Logistical nightmare, but more satisfying than calling it "TOP 100" When we don't even know who's list this belong to, who? WHO EXACTLY? Is not mine, is not yours, is not any of the 100,000 + people who played it for all these years. So then who's is it! :blink:

I hope that if they do make this for the switch, that is gonna have 100 more and will be a poll of fan favorites.
Were they to make a Switch version, it seems like the kinda thing they could easily build from. Say they started with the same 100 minigames, and actually bothered to acknowledge people want old boards. From there, they could run promo on voting for minigames and boards to add in, and get more money selling them as DLC to people who would clearly pay extra for them.
 
Were they to make a Switch version, it seems like the kinda thing they could easily build from. Say they started with the same 100 minigames, and actually bothered to acknowledge people want old boards. From there, they could run promo on voting for minigames and boards to add in, and get more money selling them as DLC to people who would clearly pay extra for them.
So is come to this, we have to go for broke when trying to buy a quality game. This is what game industry lead us to? I figured they learn after that 1980 video game crash. When history repeats itself, I am gonna be glad to witness it. :ninja:

When will people learn that fans make the sales for the games you want to sell people, without them, what is left to target? :teach:
 
Review cover
Product Information:
  • Release Date (NA): November 10, 2017
  • Release Date (EU): December 22, 2017
  • Release Date (JP): December 28, 2017
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Developer: Nd Cube
  • Genres: Party
Game Features:
Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative

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