Don't you just hate it when a brand name of video games wears out its welcome? This is very rarely the case with Nintendo, but, on occasion, even they have their examples. For instance, Donkey Konga. The first game? Likable. Not a classic, but it had some great tunes and fun modes for multiplayer, not to mention some use for its bongo peripheral. Donkey Konga 2? Ehh, grated on the nerves thanks to crappy song selection and not nearly enough change. And now we have another brand clearly working against Nintendo's favor, and that's Mario Party.

Originally conceived by Hudson Soft for the Nintendo 64 years ago, the series has since seen release after release, with two more games on the 64, and every one since on the GameCube (aside from Mario Party Advance, which I'll kindly skip over). With each year, Hudson and Nintendo have succeeded in introducing new mini-games and boards to continue to keep the hordes of fans coming back for more, but the general concept has remained the same.

The game works like this. You choose a character and then take part in an interactive board game across a series of six boards. This time around, the theme is a bit tropical, taking place across wondrous islands and a few mystery locales. You get there via cruise ship, complete with mushroom waitresses (hoho!) and your guide, Toadsworth. It seems Mario and company have made the party a success, but, again, Bowser has to crash things and ruin the fun, leading to the game. As you proceed to move around from space to space and deal with the positive (and sometimes negative) results from each spot, you'll run into mini-games. Some can be played with a solo player, while others work with all the players taking part in a competition.

Mario Party fans know the drill. You must complete a certain goal in order to win the game, like obtaining two stars or reaching a certain point with so many coins in hand. Getting there is the interesting part, as you'll interact with your fellow board players, as well as Bowser, Toadsworth, Donkey Kong, and more. Hudson's done some decent design work with the boards, and the 65 mini-games do offer something new to fans. Some of them even get taken straight from Nintendo's heritage, including a wonderful little stage where you're jumping barrels like the old days from Donkey Kong.