Mario Party: The Top 100
Mario Party: The Top 100 | |
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![]() International promotional artwork | |
Developer(s) | NDcube |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Director(s) | Tsutomu Komiyama |
Producer(s) | Keisuke Terasaki Toyokazu Nonaka Toshiaki Suzuki Atsushi Ikeda Kenji Kikuchi |
Designer(s) | Takeru Sugimoto |
Programmer(s) | Shinji Shibasaki |
Artist(s) | Susumu Kuribayashi |
Composer(s) | Masayoshi Ishi Sara Sakurai |
Series | Mario Party |
Platform(s) | Nintendo 3DS |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Party[1] |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Mario Party: The Top 100[a] is a 2017 party video game developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the fifth handheld game in the Mario Party series, as well as the third and final Mario Party game for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. The game was first released in North America in November 2017, and was released in PAL regions and in Japan in December 2017.
Mario Party: The Top 100 is primarily a compilation of 100 minigames from across the series, specifically ones from the home console installments. However, the game sees traditional Mario Party gameplay with up to four characters from the Mario franchise, controlled by humans or artificial intelligence, competing in an interactive board game interspersed with the aforementioned minigames.
The game received mixed reviews, with much of the criticism being directed toward its lack of content aside from the minigames. A similar entry, Mario Party Superstars, which also features 100 minigames from the home console games, was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2021.
Gameplay
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/de/Mario_Party_The_Top_100.png/220px-Mario_Party_The_Top_100.png)
Mario Party: The Top 100 is a party video game that mainly serves as a compilation of 100 minigames that were introduced in earlier games in the Mario Party series, namely the home console entries.[1] Most of the minigames received upgraded graphics and audio,[5][6][7] and several minigames that appeared in Mario Party games for the Wii were reworked to properly function on the Nintendo 3DS, which lacks the Wii's motion controls.[8] The game boasts eight playable characters:[5] Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Yoshi, and Rosalina.[9] These characters can be controlled by human players as well as artificial intelligence (AI).[6][7]
Mario Party: The Top 100 offers several game modes, most of which are hosted by Toad or Toadette, who guide the players through each mode and explain the rules when needed.[9] In Minigame Match, players roll dice to move around a single game board simultaneously, with the goal being to hold the most coins and Stars by the end of the game, as in prior Mario Party titles. Items on the board can be collected to help the player gain an advantage over their opponents.[1][10] Unlike in previous Mario Party installments, rather than automatically being played at the end of each turn, minigames are played whenever certain items are used[8] or a player pops a Minigame Balloon.[6][7]
Another game mode, Minigame Island, revolves around playing through pre-selected minigames to advance along a linear path in four worlds.[5] Playing through Minigame Island is required to unlock 45 of the game's 100 minigames.[1][7][10] Completing this mode for the first time unlocks a harder challenge mode, and collecting every Star by getting first place unlocks the hardest computer-controlled character difficulty setting, "Master".[8] Championship Battles involves playing three or five minigames from a selected pack, with the player(s) winning the most minigames being declared the winner(s). Decathlon consists of playing five or ten minigames to earn the most points.[5] Mario Party: The Top 100 also includes a free play mode, in which the player can choose which minigames to play.[7][8][10] Additionally, the game features a collection menu, where players can listen to music and view characters from the series.[1]
Mario Party: The Top 100 supports multiplayer for up to four players, through either the use of individual copies of the game or the Nintendo 3DS#Download Play functionality of the 3DS, with only one player being required to have a copy of the game.[1][5][6][7][8] The game also has Amiibo compatibility.[11]
Development and release
[edit]Mario Party: The Top 100 was developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo.[1][5] The game was first announced in September 2017 during a Nintendo Direct.[2][7][3][12][13] An overview trailer was released the following month.[14]
Less than two months after it was announced, Mario Party: The Top 100 was released in North America on November 10, 2017.[2][13] It was subsequently released in PAL regions and in Japan on December 22, 2017, and on December 28, 2017, respectively;[1][4] it was originally set for a release in Europe on January 5, 2018.[15] An installment similar to Mario Party: The Top 100, Mario Party Superstars, which also features 100 minigames from the home console entries, was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2021.[16]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | 59/100[17] |
Publication | Score |
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Computer Games Magazine | 5/10[7] |
Destructoid | 5/10[6] |
Nintendo Life | 6/10[5] |
Nintendo World Report | 4.5/10[1] |
Hardcore Gamer | 3.5/5[8] |
Common Sense Media | 2/5[18] |
According to the review aggregation website Metacritic, Mario Party: The Top 100 received "mixed or average" reviews.[17] Although the game's premise and sense of nostalgia were praised by multiple critics, it generally received criticism for its lack of game boards and additional content.[1][5][7][8][10]
The concept of a minigame compilation was lauded by several critics,[1][5][6][8] including Polygon's Allegra Frank, who referred to the all-minigame premise as "genius". Frank also praised the game's sense of nostalgia,[10] with Destructoid's Caitlin Cooke agreeing that the experience "was a solid trip down nostalgia road".[6] The graphical and audio enhancements of the minigames were also generally complimented.[5][6][7][8]
Critics were divided on the game's minigame selection. Nintendo Life's Michael Koczwara believed that Mario Party: The Top 100's goal of being a compilation of the best minigames in the series "was accomplished with great results",[5] Destructoid's Caitlin Cooke felt that the game "did a fairly decent job" representing the most fun and popular minigames from the series,[6] and Common Sense Media's David Wolinsky noted that most of the minigames were "very approachable".[18] Conversely, Computer Games Magazine's Jordan Biordi wrote that there were "maybe 15-20 good minigames" from three of the first four installments in the series.[7] Moreover, Nintendo World Report's Matt West criticized the presentation of the minigames as "somewhat disconnected", and suggested that the control schemes for some minigames did not transfer well to the 3DS.[1]
The lack of game boards was panned by critics,[5] including Matt West, who described the only board map as "pathetically underwhelming" and stated that it "lacks the personality that earlier games in the series were known for".[1] Although Kirstin Swalley of Hardcore Gamer believed that Minigame Match would be the most familiar mode to fans of the series as well as the most fun for multiplayer, she also wrote that the only map "quickly gets dull".[8] Reviewers also tended to find disappointment with the other game modes,[1] especially Minigame Island, which was criticized for being too linear.[6][7][10] Nintendo Life's Michael Koczwara, who referred to Minigame Island as "a fun but simple mode", stated that it could be completely finished in around two to three hours and lacked an incentive to replay.[5]
As with most entries in the Mario Party series, reviewers criticized the game's reliance on luck,[1][5][7] particularly the traditional system of determining a winner, which is almost entirely based on Star and coin amounts.[10] Other topics of criticism included the game's AI, which Jordan Biordi of Computer Games Magazine referred to as "horribly inconsistent" and "pathetic", as well as its absence of online multiplayer,[5][8] which Biordi believed was the game's "most glaring problem".[7]
In concluding his review of the game for Nintendo Life, Michael Koczwara wrote: "Mario Party: The Top 100 may hold the record for the most minigames, but it certainly has the least amount of content and the lowest replayability."[5] Looking ahead to the future of the series as a whole, Destructoid's Caitlin Cooke wrote: "Hopefully Nintendo can keep the series alive and perfect the spirit of Mario Party for the Switch, but for now I think Mario Party games are officially dead for the 3DS."[6]
Sales
[edit]Mario Party: The Top 100 sold 52,000 copies within its first week on sale in Japan, which placed it at #5 on the all-format video game sales chart.[19]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q West, Matt (November 10, 2017). "Mario Party: The Top 100 (3DS) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
- ^ a b c Joshi, Arjun (September 13, 2017). "Mario Party: The Top 100 Will Combine The Best Of The Series On 3DS". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Goldfarb, Andrew (September 14, 2017) [September 13, 2017]. "Mario Party: The Top 100 Announced for 3DS". IGN. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- ^ a b "「マリオパーティ」シリーズ歴代ミニゲームの決定版、発売決定!" (in Japanese). Nintendo. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Koczwara, Michael (November 20, 2017). "Mario Party: The Top 100 (3DS)". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cooke, Caitlin (November 28, 2017). "Review: Mario Party: The Top 100". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Biordi, Jordan (November 13, 2017). "Mario Party: The Top 100 (3DS) Review". Computer Games Magazine. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Swalley, Kirstin (November 19, 2017). "Review: Mario Party: The Top 100". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on November 23, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
- ^ a b "Playable Characters". Nintendo. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Frank, Allegra (November 10, 2017). "Mario Party: The Top 100 is the series at its best and worst". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
- ^ Nintendo 2017, p. 15–16.
- ^ Pereira, Chris (September 14, 2017). "Mario Party: Top 100 Brings Together The Series' Best Mini-Games For 3DS". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ a b Favis, Elise (September 13, 2017). "Mario Party Top 100 Brings Series' Best Minigames To 3DS". Game Informer. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Whitehead, Thomas (October 17, 2017). "Mario Party: The Top 100 Trailer Showcases Modes and amiibo Functionality". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Romano, Sal (November 13, 2017). "Mario Party: The Top 100 release date brought forward to December 22 in Europe". Gematsu. Archived from the original on August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ Purslow, Matt (June 15, 2021). "Mario Party Superstars Announced, Comes to Switch in October - E3 2021". IGN. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ a b "Mario Party: The Top 100". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 26, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
- ^ a b Wolinsky, David (2017). "Mario Party: The Top 100 Game Review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Romano, Sal (January 9, 2018). "Media Create Sales: 12/25/17 – 12/31/17". Gematsu. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
Booklets
[edit]- "Mario Party: The Top 100". Nintendo. 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2024.