After years of neglect Josh reconnects with his gaming roots.
Ah, Mario Party 2. This was actually the first dedicated multi-played game I ever purchased. I can thank this game for giving me my competitive nature. After not having playing the game in years, I finally saved a little green ($10) and bought it on Virtual Console. I invited a few friends over the other night and as the screen came to life, so did my love for the game.
The game is the second in the Mario Party franchise, obviously. Four players are placed on a game board and must collect coins via events and mini-games in order to purchase Stars. The player who has the most Stars at the end of the game, wins.
Even after years of not playing Mario Party, the rules were still simple enough to grasp the first time around. The game board is easy enough, each one different in its own way, some harder to navigate than others. Each board came along with a set of costumes for each character as well, a part of the Mario Party games that I wish they had kept for longer than just one game. It wasn’t really the different styles that grabbed me; it was the mini-games which held my attention.
I mean, it is pretty attention GRABBING. Eh?The mini-games in Mario Party 2 continue to be some of the best of the series. Each one is very unique. For example, Hexagon Heat is a game where you have to stand on the right colored hexagon as the rest of the hexagons drown in lava, knocking out any player that can’t reach the right color within the time limit. Another great game is Bumper Balls, where you’re located at the top of an icy mountain (don’t ask me why) and you must, while balancing on your own ball, knock other players off the side of the mountain.
The game was originally released for the Nintendo 64, so I was a bit hesitant to buy it on Virtual Console. But lo and behold, when the game prompted me that I could use a GameCube Controller (which I had four of) my heart filled with joy. The translation from Nintendo 64 controller to GameCube controller is seamless and actually made some games much easier than I remembered. This also might be because I was a young lad when the original came out.
I’m glad I picked up this game again. It’s fun, creative and surprising at times. Not to mention, you can play as a dinosaur dressed as a pirate.
He's adorable no matter what you dress him in.
