Mario Party 2 is a 1999 party video game created by Hudson Soft and released by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the second game in the Mario Party series. The game was first sold in Japan on December 17, 1999, in North America on January 24, 2000, and in PAL regions on October 13, 2000. Critics gave the game mostly positive reviews, noting improvements over the first game, fun multiplayer activities, and minigames. However, some reviewers said the game lacked original ideas, and opinions about the graphics were divided, with some people liking them and others not.
Mario Party 2 includes six characters: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Wario, and Donkey Kong from the Mario series. These characters can be controlled on different themed game boards. The goal is to collect the most stars by buying them from a specific spot on the board. Players move by rolling a die, and each roll represents one turn. After each turn, players compete in a minigame to earn coins, which can be used to buy items and stars.
Mario Party 2 was followed by Mario Party 3 in 2000. It was later made available again on the Wii Virtual Console in 2010, the Wii U Virtual Console in North America in 2016, and the Nintendo Classics service in 2022. The game’s content was included in updated versions of Mario Party: The Top 100 for the Nintendo 3DS, Mario Party Superstars, and Super Mario Party Jamboree for the Nintendo Switch.
Gameplay
Mario Party 2 is a party video game with six playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Wario, Princess Peach, and Donkey Kong. In the game’s story, Mario and his friends build a world from their dreams and argue about its name. When Bowser invades, they follow Toad’s idea to name the world after the "Super Star" who defeats Bowser. The game is played like a traditional board game with five themed boards. A sixth board becomes available later in the game. The game supports multiplayer, with each board game having up to four players, including at least one human. Non-human players are controlled by the computer. The computer’s skill level can be set to "Easy," "Medium," or "Hard." Players choose the game length: "Lite Play" (20 turns), "Standard Play" (35 turns), or "Full Play" (50 turns). At the start, players roll dice blocks to decide turn order, with the highest roll going first.
The goal is to collect the most Stars within the set number of turns. Stars are bought from Toad using coins earned by playing one of 65 mini-games after each turn. Each time a Star is purchased, Toad moves to a new location. Players roll dice blocks to move spaces on the board, with movement ranging from one to ten spaces. Spaces on the board have different effects: blue spaces give three coins, red spaces take three coins, and these amounts double during the final five turns. Some blue spaces hide blocks that reward extra coins or Stars. Green "!" spaces trigger mini-games where players exchange coins or Stars. Green "?" spaces cause events that help or hinder players. Red spaces with Bowser’s symbol summon Bowser, who moves and takes coins from players. Green spaces with a coin bag require players to deposit or withdraw coins. Green spaces with lightning bolts start four-player Battle mini-games where coins are taken and given to the winner.
Players can carry one item at a time, using it before rolling dice. Items like the Skeleton Key allow shortcuts. Items are bought from shops or won by landing on treasure chest spaces. Baby Bowser takes five coins from players who pass him, and the Bowser Bomb turns Baby Bowser into Bowser, who moves and takes coins from players in his path. Boo can steal coins or Stars for other players, costing five coins for coins or 50 coins for a Star. Players can limit the amount stolen by tapping the A button repeatedly.
After all players move, a mini-game begins based on the spaces they landed on. Green spaces assign players to "blue" or "red" teams, and the mini-game type is chosen randomly. Winners earn ten coins. The process repeats until the game ends. During the final five turns, players can duel if they land on the same space or use the Dueling Glove item. After the last turn, three awards are given: most coins, most "?" spaces, and the "Super Star" (player with the most coins and Stars). If tied, a dice roll decides the winner. If the "No Bonus" option is enabled, hidden blocks and extra awards are skipped.
The main menu has a "Coin Box" where players store coins. Coins can buy mini-games from Woody, who can be played anytime. After buying enough mini-games, two modes appear: Mini-Game Stadium (four players compete on a board with only blue and red spaces, earning coins by winning mini-games) and Mini-Game Coaster (one player completes mini-games, losing lives if they fail). Completing all mini-games in Coaster unlocks a bonus mini-game.
Development and release
Mario Party 2 was created by Hudson Soft and released by Nintendo. Development began in July 1999, several months after the original Mario Party game was released. A playable version of the game was shown at Nintendo Space World in August 1999. At that time, the game was 70% complete. Mini-games that require rotating the control stick, like those in the original Mario Party, were not included in this version because of possible injuries, such as blisters, caused by moving the stick too quickly. This issue was part of a lawsuit related to the first game.
In Japan, Mario Party 2 was released for the Nintendo 64 on December 17, 1999. It was released in the United States the following month, on January 24, 2000. Before its U.S. release, Nintendo gave copies of the game to the Latin American Youth Center.
In Japan, Mario Party 2 was re-released in November 2010 as a downloadable Virtual Console game for the Wii. The next month, it was released for the Virtual Console in North America and Europe. In North America, it was re-released as a Virtual Console game for the Wii U on December 22, 2016. The game was re-released again on November 2, 2022, through the Nintendo Classics service.
Reception
Mario Party 2 received a 76% score on the review website GameRankings. Some reviewers praised the game’s new features, especially the mini-games. However, some critics who did not like the first game also criticized the sequel, even though it had improvements. Some reviewers thought the graphics were better than the original, while others said the graphics were similar to the first game.
Scott Alan Marriott of AllGame wrote that Mario Party 2 "fixes problems from the first game while adding enough new ideas to interest even disappointed players." He added, "When people look back at the Nintendo 64, they will remember its multiplayer games most, and Mario Party 2 is one of the best examples of this."
GamePro said the game was only fun when played with friends. GameRevolution wrote, "If you play alone or with one friend, the computer controls the other two or three players. This makes it hard to enjoy the game because you will just watch the computer take its turn." Peyton Gaudiosi of Gamecenter said playing alone was "not very good" because the game felt repetitive.
GameRevolution noted the game relied too much on luck, like the first game. Levi Buchanan of GameFan said the mini-games were not as good as those in the original Mario Party and that new features "take away from the simple fun that made the first game special." Joe Fielder of GameSpot said the game had more replay value than the first one and praised the variety of mini-games, saying "even the weakest mini-games are still enjoyable." Matt Casamassina of IGN said the game had more content but "does not have enough new ideas to make it worth buying again."
Michael Wolf of Next Generation gave the Nintendo 64 version three stars out of five and said, "The game does exactly what it promises: it offers a simple, fun board game and enjoyable mini-games for four players."
Some critics praised the Wii re-release. Chris Scullion of Official Nintendo Magazine UK called it "arguably the best in the series" and said it had "fun mini-games and simple boards." Corbie Dillard of Nintendo Life said, "There is something about the simple fun of Mario Party 2 that makes it hard to stop playing," but warned that it can be "tedious" when played alone. Lucas M. Thomas of IGN praised the re-release but noted it only worked with the GameCube controller or the Classic Controller.
Looking back, some critics have called Mario Party 2 one of the best games in the series, saying it was better than the original. They cited improvements like a new item system, new mini-game modes, and new game boards with unique themes. Mario Party 2 was also the most popular game in Mario Party Superstars’ in-game statistics.
According to PC Data, Mario Party 2 sold 700,000 units in 2000.