Mario Party 6 [with Microphone] [GC]

Someone once said: Just like the mailman, Mario always delivers. And when it comes to a solid party game, the jumping plumber does it again with Mario Party 6, this year's installment of the multiplayer-focused series. This season's package came to our doorstep, filled with more than 70 all-new mini-games and the most interesting addition of all, a new GameCube microphone to use with a handful of voice-controlled games.

For those unfamiliar with the series, Mario Party is played on game boards in the main party mode, where the player must roll the dice and beat a barrage of easy-to-learn mini-games. The mini-games vary in content and skill required. Most of the games are designed to be quick to pick up and play, making them extra friendly to video game novices. We can definitely see some game design recycles from previous games, but that's hardly a surprise considering the many hundreds of mini-games Hudson Soft has designed in the past six years.

The main party mode has a new twist. Game boards change depending on whether it's day or night time (which changes every three rounds). The day-night cycle alters the type of mini-games played and even changes paths on the board. The new system seems refreshing at first, but is ultimately quite trivial as there's no way to use these elements to strategize your play. Another minor game enhancement is faster movement through the game boards. This much-requested feature speeds up the pace of the game and reduces the dreaded down time between turns.

The one new feature we were anxious to try was the microphone and voice-controlled mini-games. These games are played separate from the main party games and are divided into 3 sections -- a quiz show, a racing game, and a mini-games collection. In the quiz show, you're presented with a Jeopardy-like game where you vocalize the answers -- not terribly innovative.

The second voice game is a single-player horizontal racing game where you must run 3 different courses holding a star and giving various voice inputs, such as "Run!", "Move Down!", "Jump!" or the crowd-pleasing "Mario Party!". The third section, a collection of different mini-games, is our favorite and best showcases the variety of gameplay available with the microphone. For example, in one game, the player holding the microphone is piloting a giant contraption and giving voice commands for firing the different weapons while attempting to eliminate the other three players.

Overall, the voice recognition technology works very nicely, especially in the mini-games collection. We did run into some trouble in the racing game, especially with multi-word commands like "Get the star!" Unfortunately, while the new voice games are fun and unique, the short list prevents them from becoming the true killer feature. One can only hope we'll see better and more voice-controlled games in future Mario Party titles.

Another disappointment lies in the game's lackluster presentation. While bleeding-edge graphics are never expected from this franchise, it is nonetheless disappointing to see recycled graphics from earlier versions. The sounds are also predictable and rehashed, with almost exactly the same chimes and character voices as before. Fortunately, the whole game still manages to be vibrant and full of personality and contains the usual Nintendo charm.

Ultimately, just like grandma's fruitcake, Mario Party 6 is a love it or hate it affair. If you've never been a fan of the series, or if you are deprived of living, breathing friends, this latest version won't win you over. On the other hand, if you're a Mario Party devotee surrounded with human companionship, Mario Party 6 will offer hours of entertainment and a satisfying way to spend a social evening. Hopefully, Nintendo can shake things up and bring in truly new and refreshing gameplay elements in the inevitable Mario Party 7.