Top Ten Most Underrated Mario Party Games

Mario Party is one of the most known sub-franchises of the Mario series, being developed by Hudson Soft and ND Cube, consisting of Mario and friends partying together on a board-style game. Unfortunately, it also has one of the most toxic fanbases in the Mario games, praising the first few installments like gods, and demanding the newer titles to be the same as them, or else they're not good.
The Top Ten
Mario Party 9

Out of the console entries, 8, 9, and 10 are the most hated of the bunch, with 10 being the most hated and 8 being the least of the trio. Although I won't deny 10 does have its fair share of flaws that make the game slightly boring most of the time, I put 9 higher on the list instead. That's because Mario Party 9 is actually an AMAZING game.

While it was my first Mario game ever, even now, trying to look from an unbiased perspective, it really isn't bad. It changed the formula because it was necessary. Even if the car isn't as fun as walking freely, it still has things it did better than in the older games. By the way, the minigames and minigame mode are legendary in this game (especially High Rollers)!

Mario Party 8

People hate it for being "too different" from the previous seven and the Kamek incident. Nitpicking at its finest.

Tied for best one with Superstars.

Mario Party: Star Rush

Both this game and Mario Party 9 could compete for the #1 spot. In my opinion, they are some of the most well-made entries in the series. Despite this, they receive criticism for minor reasons, such as not using the original formula. This criticism disregards an unbiased perspective.

Comparing the two games, 9 gets a lot of hate but also some praise, plus it's relatively well-known. Mario Party: Star Rush, on the other hand, is one of the most forgotten titles in the franchise. While the few people who did play it liked it, it still has its detractors for being on the Cube. It's really unfair and biased, the situation these two games are in the fandom. I'd go as far as saying Star Rush's Toad Scramble mode is even better than the classic formula. For this reason, Mario Party: Star Rush is #1 on this list.

Mario Party DS

So, Mario Party 8 and DS are interesting games in terms of the fandom. When they were released, no one remembered or liked them, but fast forward a decade later, everyone LOVES them. Yes, it's because of nostalgia and because they still at least used the classic formula, which puts this game just barely on the list.

While it's super loved, it's also on a handheld, and most people don't remember the handheld games. While it's not very innovative, it did many good things, such as adding boss battles. The big-house theme made sense on the boards, and the music is pretty chill. Overall, this game is #10.

Mario Party: Island Tour

Even though Mario Party: Island Tour and 10 are much more hated than 9 and Star Rush, they aren't that bad. However, I do believe they have more problems than the above games, which diminishes them a bit. But Island Tour is still an immensely underrated title, often criticized because of luck.

Even though luck has always played a huge role in Mario Party, I'd say it's handled much better in Island Tour than in the older titles. That's because the boards in this game revolve around a certain type of gimmick. One has you reaching the end first, another has you choosing risk versus reward, and another has you collecting the most mini-stars.

One thing people overlook in this game is the soundtrack, which I believe is the best in the entire Mario Party franchise.

Mario Party Advance

This game is actually amazing. Sure, the multiplayer is practically nonexistent, but before you say this game is trash, play Shroom City. It's actually a pretty good "story mode" with interesting side-quests.

It's not just fetching, but it's pretty varied, with quests from raising flags to call UFOs, to having a "footrace" with bullet bills. All the dialogue is funny. You don't have to force yourself to laugh like in that one comedian mission to get a chuckle out of this. And the guy that composed MP3 and MP4 returns, resulting in spectacular music. If you haven't tried it because of the internet, you're missing out on a lot.

Mario Party: The Top 100

It's an okay game, just poorly executed. I like the idea of having a lot of classic minigames all in one game, but they don't feel as special now.

Mario Party 6
Mario Party 5
Mario Party 10

Mario Party 10 is kinda meh, but is it an abomination? No. I won't deny the HD graphics actually make the game feel more bland, in contrast to 9's popping colors. The HD on the Wii U made most things look very plastic.

That, in addition to an immense lack of content for a console game, is just embarrassing. Mario Party DS was released nearly a decade before with much more to do. But Mario Party 10 can still be fun. The standard car party isn't as great as it was in 9, but it's playable. Bowser Party was a unique addition too, as you either play as Bowser trying to eliminate everyone on the car or you play as someone on the car, trying to get as far away from Bowser as possible. Overall, another underrated game.

The Newcomers

? Super Mario Party

People aren't a fan of this one, but I like what they incorporated.

? Mario Party 3
The Contenders
Mario Party 7
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