Mario Party is the first board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console. The game was released on February 8, 1999 in North America around two months after its inaugural release in Japan on December 14, 1998. Europe saw its release on March 9, 1999.

It's a simple traditional board game of moving ahead on the spaces of the board by rolling the dice. Spaces where the players land have something or the other in store for the players on them.

The aim of the game for the players is to collect as many stars as they can. The one with the highest number of stars in possession becomes the winner as the game comes to end. At one time there is only one of it on the board, which the players need buying by paying a certain number of coins. Once it is bought, a new one appears on the board for the players to vie anew for it.

Stars and coins can be stolen from other players with the help of Boo who charges his fee for the help offered for stars whereas coin stealing is free. Coins are earned by landing on the blue spaces as well as by winning mini games which are there 56 in numbers. Landing on red spaces or on a Browser space loses coins as well.

There are six playable characters named Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, Wario, and Yoshi. Mini games that are played at the end of each round of turns along with some other situations are divided in four categories named four-player, 2-on-2, 1-on-3, and one-player.

The popularity of Mario Party - the first board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console - led to its seven sequels named by numbers added to it as Mario Parties 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, along with Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and E-Reader versions as on date, all of them being hot cakes to sell.

Associated Deals on eBay

MARIO PARTY NINTENDO 64 N64 GAME N 64 CARTRIDGE marioparty    US $25.97

Mario Party (Nintendo 64, 1999)    US $13.50

GBA Spiel Mario Party Advance (nur Modul)    US $21.09

GBA e-reader -Mario Party Card Game (CIB) + E-reader!    US $65.00

Mario Party 2 is the second board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console. The game was released on January 24, 2000 in North America more than a month after its inaugural release in Japan on December 17, 1999. Europe saw its release much later on October 12, 2000.

There are six playable characters named Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Wario, and Donkey Kong who all keep changing their costumes as the new boards keep coming in the play. Bowser and Koopa Troopa never appear on the board though they have other roles to play.

There are many mini-games categorized as four-player, one vs. three, two vs. two, and battle games that come under play depending on the number of characters either gaining or else losing the coins and the stars. If all the four players are either gaining or losing coins, four-player is played. If three are gaining and one is losing or vice versa, one vs. three is played and so on. In all 43 new mini-games are introduced in the second version of the party keeping the old ones intact and some of them renamed. Three new types of mini-games are also introduced named as the Battle mini-game, the Item mini-game, and the Duel mini-game.

New buildings - the Item Shop and the Koopa Bank - as well as new spaces - the Battle Space, the Item Space, and the Bank Space - have been introduced in the game too. They mostly deal with initiating mini-games, depositing and disbursing coins in/on them.

Mario Party 2 - the second board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console - has been welcomed all over with its new features that it has come up with.

Associated Deals on eBay

Nintendo 64 Spiel MARIO PARTY 2 - N64 #476    US $39.76

Tappetino Mouse Pad Mario Bros Party 4 Luigi YOSHI #2    US $13.18

Nintendo 64 Spiel MARIO PARTY 2 OVP - N64 #698    US $44.12

N64 Nintendo 64 MARIO PARTY 2 Great Game !!!    US $25.99

Mario Party 3 is the third board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console. The game was released on May 7, 2001 in North America exactly three months after its inaugural release in Japan on February 7, 2001. Europe saw its release much later on January 16, 2002.

There are eight playable characters named Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, and the newly-added Waluigi and Princess Daisy. The game has duel maps in it where the players engage themselves in duels aiming at lowering the opponent's stamina to zero with the help of non-playable characters, e.g., Chain Chomps.

The players hit a dice block and move their characters around the board in order to win coins and stars. After a full round of turns is over, a minigame automatically comes into play.

In the Story Mode, one single player initiates a campaign through every board trying to defeat the computer controlled opponents and earn stamps from the Millennium Star. After 7 stamps are successfully acquired, the player has to defeat the Millennium Star in the final duel of a minigame called the Star Dust Battle. The final target is to turn your character into a Miracle Star that makes you win the game.

In the standard party mode, up to four players play through a board and try to win against one another or else, in teams.

Mario Party 3 - the third board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo 64 console - won the Console Family Award at the 2002 Interactive Achievement Awards.

Associated Deals on eBay

MARIO PARTY 3 + Box! / Japanese Import / Japan Nintendo 64 / JP N64    US $30.00

NINTENDO DS DSI 3DS XL 55 GAME LOT MARIO PARTY PRINCESS PEACH SONIC HARVEST MOON    US $399.99

Mario Party 3 (Nintendo 64, 2001)    US $34.99

Mario Party 3 Nintendo 64 Cartridge    US $22.00

Mario Party 4 is the fourth board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo GameCube console. The game was released on October 21, 2002 in North America and on November 8, 2002 in Japan. PAL region saw its release on November 29, 2002.

Eight characters can be directed on six game boards in the game. Players try to earn the maximum number of stars through purchasing them from a specific space on the board. The roll of a die initiates a turn and after each turn is over; it's time to play a minigame in order to earn money for characters for buying stars and other things.

The playable characters in the game are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Daisy, and Waluigi; out of which any four are chosen by the players.

Minigames fall under any one of the four categories named "four-player", "1 vs 3", "2 vs 2", and "Battle". Battle cannot be played after every turn is over but only after landing on a particular space on the board, in which the players are supposed to contribute their money in a single pool and then later reclaim it by winning the minigame as well as earn more of it.

The story-line of the game is not a very well-knit one and makes it compulsory for the players to pass through the Story Mode to earn birthday presents from the characters, which are to be paid back for by defeating the giver in a one-on-one Story minigame.

Mario Party 4 - the fourth board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo GameCube console - won the Family Game of The Year award of the year 2003.

Associated Deals on eBay

Mario Party 4 (Nintendo GameCube, 2002)    US $14.99

Mario Party 4 (Gamecube) WITH STRATEGY GUIDE - PLAYS GREAT    US $24.99

Mario Party 4 (Nintendo GameCube, 2002) PLAYS ON NINTENDO Wii    US $30.00

Tappetino Mouse Pad Mario Bros Party 4 Luigi YOSHI #2    US $13.18

Mario Party 5 is the fifth board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo GameCube console. The game was released on November 10, 2003 in North America and on November 23, 2003 in Japan. PAL region saw its release on December 5, 2003.

The multiplayer game mode comprises four players playing seven board games along with many minigames trying to win stars and coins in order to win the game.

The single-player story mode puts a challenge to the sole player to win against the Koopa Kids so that Bowser could be stopped from conquering the Dream Depot.

The characters in the game are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Daisy, Waluigi, Toad, Boo and Koopa Kid. Toad and Boo along with Koopa Kid are new ones coming from their debut in Mario Party 4 and Donkey Kong appears only in DK space.

The Star Guards invite Mario and party to Dream Depot for their skill in dreaming big. They are supposed to challenge the Koopa Kids winning from them in the board games in order to prevent Bowser from replacing dreams with his nightmares.

The target is to deplete the Koopa Kids of their coins in each board game, done so by winning minigames against them.

The game enjoyed quite positive critic reviews as well as many international awards making it a part of Nintendo Player's Choice label in 2004.

Associated Deals on eBay

Super Mario / Party Troopa 5" plush doll SANEI Japan    US $12.99

Mario Party 5 (Nintendo GameCube, 2003)    US $21.99

GAMECUBE Platinum System+5 Games-Zelda Collectors Ed/Mario Party 5/Sonic Collect    US $129.99

Mario Party 4 & Mario Party 5 Nintendo GameCube Complete with Strategy Guides    US $59.99

Mario Party 6 is the sixth board game in the Mario Party series as party video games for Nintendo GameCube console. The game was released on December 6, 2004 in North America and on March 18, 2005 in the European Union. Australia saw its release on September 15, 2005 whereas Japan was first country where it was released as early as on November 18, 2004.

The game is designed to be played by up to four players taking turns to move on the board through various stages including more than 80 minigames divided into 4-player, 1-vs.-3, 2-vs.-2, Battle, Duel, DK, Bowser, Mic and Rare; in order to collect as many stars and coins as possible.

The roles to be played are those of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Daisy, Waluigi, Toad, Boo and Koopa Kid along with a new secret character introduced in the series, named Toadette.

Players can also collect or buy orbs at the Orb Hut, which they can use for stealing coins from opponents, obstructing their competitor's advance, or earning stars in a fast mode.

Brighton and Twila representing the sun and the moon argue over the question of popularity in the Mario Party world, on which Mario suggests to collect as many stars as possible and settle the battle; and thus gets the game set rolling!

Associated Deals on eBay

Mario Party 6 (game only) (Nintendo GameCube, 2005)    US $19.99

Mario Party 6 Nintendo GameCube    US $22.49

Mario Party 6 (Nintendo GameCube, 2004) BIG BOX MIC INCLUDED CHECK PHOTO RARE    US $63.99

Mario Party 6 (Nintendo GameCube, 2005) COMPLETE playable on Wii & NGC    US $27.95

Mario Party 8 is one of the latest party video games for Nintendo Wii console. It is the 11th game in the Mario Party series. The game was released on May 29, 2007 in North America and on June 22, 2007 in the European Union. In UK it was released on July 13, 2007 but then was recalled and later re-released on August 3, 2007. Australia saw its release on July 19, 2007 and Japan, on July 26, 2007.

The game is designed to be played by four players playing four different characters. If the players are less than four, the computer can take over this role on its shoulders defined by the difficulty level and the handicap it is going to play at/with. The dice is rolled and the players move on the game board trying to collect as many stars as they can.

Toward the end of the game, the stars are replaced with coins to be used as a tiebreaker. You can also trade coins for stars at certain locations like in hotels that award stars only if you are making the highest current investment. The player with the maximum number of stars becomes the winner.

There are also some random elements like Shy Guy's Perplex Express, which can reorder the game board through reordering its train cars making them up in case you land up on a certain location. It can just change the entire scenario of the relative positions of all players as they were till the moment of change!

You can also surpass the game board altogether and play as many minigames as you feel like playing, adding their winnings up to the final victory in the game overall. There are eight of them in all named 4 player free-for-all, 1 vs. 3, 2 vs. 2, Battle, Duel, Challenge, Extra, and Last.

Mario Party 8 has been a real big hit in the genre of party video games on Nintendo Wii and is one of the bestselling games in the international markets at the moment.

Associated Deals on eBay

wii game lot mario party 8 wii sports and wii sports resort free fast shipping    US $77.00

Mario Party 8 ITA Wii NUOVO    US $65.81

MARIO PARTY 8 NINTENDO WII *LUIGI WARIO PEACH DAISY BOWSER YOSHI BUU TOAD* GAME    US $69.99

Mario Party 8 (Wii, 2007)    US $54.99

Party video games on Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles are popular as party games both among kids and adults alike. It all started in 1981 when Starpath came up with Party Mix for the first time in this genre through braving the famous video game crash of 1983.

Right now Mario Party series is going most popular in parties as well as other gatherings where its games are played in multiplayer mode.

Different games are played on different consoles, which are handheld electronic controllers controlling the visual output of a physical action on a video monitoring screen.

These interactive games gathered momentum with the introduction of Super Spike V'Ball in 1989 on the console named Nintendo Entertainment System, which further developed as Super Nintendo Entertainment System with the introduction of Super Bomberman in 1993.

Then came Nintendo 64 with Mario Party series in 1999, and along came a horde of new console with new games like Crash Bash on PlayStation in 2000 and Fuzion Frenzy on Xbox in 2001, with Nintendo developing to Nintendo GameCube with the introduction of Super Monkey Ball in 2001.

Once it gathered its full momentum in the year 2002, there was no looking back and newer consoles with still newer games proverbially with every passing day have become the craze of the day today.

I'll be covering them all in my posts to come.

Associated Deals on eBay

RESIDENT EVIL CODE VERONICA X GAMECUBE-GAME CUBE/WII 1°ver NEW_SIGILLATO_ITA!2 3    US $158.14

Nintendo Wii Workout Bundle W/ Wii Fit Games    US $250.00

LED HDMI Multimedia 1080 Projector Home theater Game Film PS3 Xbox Wii Laptop    US $298.00

NINTENDO WII CONSOLE SYSTEM+WII FIT PLUS 2 PLAYER    US $348.95