Software:Mario Party 5

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Short description: 2003 video game
Mario Party 5
North American box art
Developer(s)Hudson Soft
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Kenji Kikuchi
Producer(s)Hiroshi Sato
Atsushi Ikeda
Designer(s)Shinichi Nakata
Composer(s)Aya Tanaka
SeriesMario Party
Platform(s)GameCube
Release
  • NA: November 11, 2003[1]
  • JP: November 28, 2003
  • PAL: December 5, 2003
Genre(s)Party
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Mario Party 5 (Japanese: マリオパーティ5, Hepburn: Mario Pāti Faibu) is a 2003 party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the fifth installment in the Mario Party series, and the second game in the series to be released for the GameCube. The game is set in the fictional Dream Depot, consisting of seven game boards. The single-player "Story" game mode involves the player winning multiple games against the Koopa Kids to prevent Bowser from conquering the Dream Depot. The main multiplayer game mode consists of four characters from the Mario series playing a board game, with each board having a set theme. The game also features several minigames, which are played after every set of turns. Mario Party 5 introduces the "Super Duel" mode to the franchise, which requires players to assemble and control custom made battle vehicles which can be used in combat against other machines. The game features 10 playable characters, with playable debuts to the series from Toad, Boo, and Koopa Kid.

Mario Party 5 was released in North America on November 11, 2003, Japan on November 28, 2003 and in PAL regions on December 5, 2003. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who enjoyed the new minigames of the series, although a perceived lack of originality was criticized. The game became part of the Nintendo Player's Choice label in 2004, and won the Console Children's Award at the 2004 Interactive Achievement Awards. It was followed by Mario Party 6 in 2004.

Gameplay

The "Sweet Dream" game board is themed to reflect cakes and other desserts.

Mario Party 5 retains the fundamental gameplay featured in previous installments, which is based upon a themed board game played by characters of the Mario series. The player's objective is to obtain the most stars by the end of the board game, which are purchased for twenty coins when passing the designated star space on the game board.[2] There are 77 minigames, through which most coins are earned. A randomly-chosen minigame is played after all players have rolled the die. "Party Mode" is the main multiplayer mode,[3] and involves four characters competing in a standard board game either independently or in opposing pairs. As with its predecessors, players can adjust the number of turns in a game by multiples of 5 up to 50 and determine the difficulty of artificial intelligence opponents, among others.[citation needed]

Mario Party 5 features ten playable characters, including three additional characters to the series: Toad, Boo, and Koopa Kid. Hudson omitted Donkey Kong as a playable character from the series in this installment, instead featuring him in the "DK space", which initiates an event granting the possibility of a star or coins whenever landed on.[4] Like previous installments, blue and red spaces add or deduct three coins from players when they land on them. "Bowser spaces" return from Mario Party 4. While the series' predecessors used item shops as a means to obtain items, Mario Party 5 introduces the capsule system. Capsules are containers that hold a single item which are acquired when passing the "Capsule Machine" on the board. The items contained within them serve a variety of purposes, from increasing the range of the Dice Block and thus movement, to deducting ten coins from an opponent.[5] The capsules can only be thrown up to ten spaces ahead of the current position. During a game, the gameplay is altered for the last five turns with the options selected randomly via a roulette wheel; such changes include tripling the coin benefit or deficit from coloured spaces.[6]

The game's boards incorporate the theme of the Dream Depot, with each having "Dream" at the end of the board's title, except for the "Bowser's Nightmare" board. Themes of the boards include dreams of toys and treasure hunting, among others. Each board consists of multiple types of spaces, some of which grant special types of minigames that cannot be accessed regularly. Some spaces, specifically "happening" spaces, will incorporate the relevant theme; for example, a giant robot resembling Mecha Bowser will shoot any character back to the start when landing on its "happening" space in the Toy Dream board.[citation needed]

Players can choose to play minigames separate from the board game context via "Minigame Mode". The minigames are categorized by their character structure with "4-player", "1 vs. 3", and "2 vs. 2" available.[7] Besides these standard versions, there are also the "DK" and "Bowser" minigames, which are themed to reflect their titular character; "Battle" minigames are retained from the previous three Mario Party games. "Duel" minigames, which involve two players competing against each other, are re-introduced. The set of minigames are available without a structure ("Free play") in this mode, but can be formatted into tournaments and separate objectives like in "Mini-game circuit", involving the characters winning minigames to reach the finish line first. A total of 75 minigames can be played, but they all must be unlocked via "Party mode" and "Story mode" before they can be played in "Minigame Mode". In "Bonus Mode", a set of three larger games that do not appear in usual play can be accessed; this involves a card-based board game ("Card party"), as well as beach volleyball and ice hockey.[8]

Mario Party 5 introduced the "Super-Duel Mode", a game involving the player assembling and controlling a combat vehicle. Each component of the vehicle can be bought separately; these do not necessarily have to fit with other parts stylistically, and contribute to the vehicle's general statistics regarding fields such as health and speed.[9] Once the vehicle is assembled and named, it can engage AI or human opponents in a single match or in tournaments. Variants of this are available, including a capture the flag mode and another requiring the player to shoot mechanical rabbits.[10]

The story mode in Mario Party 5 is completely different from the story modes of Mario Party 3 and 4. Players face the Koopa Kid trio (red, green, and blue). The only way to defeat them and clear the board is to take all their coins away, mostly by beating them in minigames. Players must take all coins from a Koopa Kid to defeat him. If players lose all of the coins or don't defeat the Koopa Kids within fifteen turns, the game is over. After players win five boards, they face Bowser in a final stage mini-game called "Frightmare", which is a 1-on-1 mini-game with Bowser. There are four parts to the battle. First, players go against Mechakoopas (robotic versions of Koopa Troopas). Next, players have to move and jump around to avoid three rings of fire for a short time. Then players face Bowser directly; they must make him jump onto a tile three times to clear the third part. The final part of the minigame is the final battle, where Bowser grows. After throwing fireballs and hitting Bowser with them five times, the game is cleared and the final board is unlocked. Also, just like in Mario Party 3, the new playable characters are unplayable in this mode.[citation needed]

Development

Like its predecessors, Mario Party 5 was published by Nintendo and developed by Hudson Soft. Nintendo first unveiled the game at the E3 conference in 2003,[11] where eight mini-games were available in a playable demonstration.[12] A demo of the game was released via a special edition bonus disc packaged with Software:Mario Kart: Double Dash (2003).[13][14] Following the game's release, Nintendo announced Mario Party 5 as a "Player's Choice" title, which is a label for Nintendo titles that had sold more than one million copies to be sold at a bargain price.[15]

Reception

Critical response

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic69/100[16]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Edge5/10[17]
EGM8/10[18]
Eurogamer5/10[19]
Game Informer2.25/10[20]
GamePro3.5/5[21]
GameRevolutionC[22]
GameSpot6.9/10[23]
GameSpy3/5[24]
IGN7.9/10[25]
Nintendo Power4.2/5[26]
Nintendo World Report6.5/10[27]

Mario Party 5 received "mixed or average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[16]

Game Informer's Andrew Reiner cited the example of coin redistribution in the game, which meant that "You could win every minigame and collect the most coins but still end up in last place", when giving a second opinion of the game.[20] While acknowledging issues relating to the waiting times during board games, IGN's Peer Schneider praised this installment for relieving the problem slightly, specifically referring to the Koopa Kids, who all take their turns at the same time in "Story" mode.[25] The quantity and accessibility of the minigames was lauded by GameSpot, although the reviewer Ryan Davis proceeded to note "If you bought Mario Party 4 last year, Mario Party 5 is hard to recommend", noting a lack of change to the series formula.[23] Generally, critics cited having a fun experience in Mario Party 5, although the minigames received a more enthusiastic reaction than the actual board game,[23][24] with GameSpy commenting that "the sheer volume can keep you compelled. If only you didn't have to deal with all that BS in-between" when referring to gameplay of the actual board game.[24]

Features introduced in the game received a mixed response. The three games in "Bonus" mode were praised, although reviewers were least enthusiastic about "Card Party", with GameSpot commenting that "This mode is proof that the minigames are really what make Mario Party fun, as it's pretty dull."[19] The capsule system was generally criticised as the pertaining animations seemed to exacerbate the game's slow pace.[25] Despite other reviewers' claims that the capsule system contributed to the game's dependence on chance, IGN commended the system for contributing to a more dynamic game board experience.[25] The "Super Duel" mode was praised as a reasonably fun feature, although the gameplay was rated as "sluggish".[25] GameSpy noted the seemingly increased board sizes from previous installments, which apparently made obtaining stars and using ranged items more difficult[24]

The game's graphics received a mediocre response, with GameSpot commenting that the presentation is "starting to seem a bit antiquated" when noting that the character models did not seem to have been updated from Mario Party 4.[23] Despite this, IGN commented that Mario Party 5 "isn't a bad looking game", noting the level of detail and variety given to the game's board game's and maps.[25] GameSpot noted that the game's audio did fit the game, although they commented that it "is largely recycled from Mario Party 4".[23] IGN criticized the "cheesy" and unadventurous soundtrack, as well as a lack of voice acting.[25]

Sales and accolades

Despite the mixed reception, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Mario Party 5 with "Console Children's Game of the Year" at the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.[28]

It sold 800,000 copies in the US.[29]

References

  1. ↑ "Mario Party 5 Now Available - Press Release". http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/pr/9120/mario-party-5-now-available. 
  2. ↑ Vanessa Barfield (28 March 2012). "Mario Party 5 Wiki Guide (Guide part 2)". http://www.ign.com/wikis/mario-party-5/Guide_part_2. 
  3. ↑ Mario Party 5 Instruction Booklet, pg.14
  4. ↑ Vanessa Barfield (28 March 2012). "Mario Party 5 Wiki Guide (Guide part 3)". http://www.ign.com/wikis/mario-party-5/Guide_part_3. 
  5. ↑ Mario Party 5 Instruction Booklet, pg.20-23
  6. ↑ Mario Party 5 Instruction Booklet, pg.26
  7. ↑ Vanessa Barfield (28 March 2012). "Mario Party 5 Wiki Guide (Guide part 10)". http://www.ign.com/wikis/mario-party-5/Guide_part_10. 
  8. ↑ Vanessa Barfield (28 March 2012). "Mario Party 5 Wiki Guide (Guide part 9)". http://www.ign.com/wikis/mario-party-5/Guide_part_9. 
  9. ↑ Vanessa Barfield (28 March 2012). "Mario Party 5 Wiki Guide (Guide part 8)". http://www.ign.com/wikis/mario-party-5/Guide_part_8. 
  10. ↑ Mario Party 5 Instruction Booklet, pg.40
  11. ↑ Calvert, Justin (November 11, 2003). "Nintendo Announces Mario Party 5". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-announces-mario-party-5/1100-6027616/. 
  12. ↑ IGN staff (May 15, 2003). "E3 2003: Mario Party 5". http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/16/e3-2003-mario-party-5. 
  13. ↑ Calvert, Justin (April 12, 2005). "Double Dash!! bonus disc details". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/double-dash-bonus-disc-details/1100-6076471/. 
  14. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (October 8, 2003). "Mario Kart bonus disc contents". https://www.eurogamer.net/news081003mariokart. 
  15. ↑ David Adams (October 14, 2004). "Fun Gets Cheaper in Europe". http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/10/14/fun-gets-cheaper-in-europe. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Mario Party 5 for GameCube Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/mario-party-5/critic-reviews/?platform=gamecube. 
  17. ↑ Edge staff (January 2004). "Mario Party 5". Edge (132): 109. 
  18. ↑ EGM staff (January 2004). "Mario Party 5". Electronic Gaming Monthly (174): 159. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Tom Bramwell (January 9, 2004). "Mario Party 5". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_marioparty5_gc. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Justin Leeper (December 2003). "Mario Party 5". Game Informer (128): 154. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/812E7AA9-CC71-4580-A7A6-D760C349F47D.htm. Retrieved July 26, 2008. 
  21. ↑ Dan Elektro (November 10, 2003). "Mario Party 5 Review for GameCube". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/gamecube/games/reviews/31662.shtml. Retrieved May 21, 2016. 
  22. ↑ GR Chimp (December 2003). "Mario Party 5 Review". GameRevolution. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/mario-party-5. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 Ryan Davis (November 11, 2003). "Mario Party 5 Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-party-5-review/1900-6081810/. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Jon Gibson (November 20, 2003). "GameSpy: Mario Party 5". GameSpy. http://cube.gamespy.com/gamecube/mario-party-5/6403p1.html. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 25.6 Peer Schneider (November 7, 2003). "Mario Party 5". http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/08/mario-party-5. 
  26. ↑ "Mario Party 5". Nintendo Power 175: 155. January 2004. 
  27. ↑ Cole, Michael (February 23, 2004). "Mario Party 5". https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/4198/mario-party-5-gamecube. 
  28. ↑ Curt Feldman (March 5, 2004). "Call of Duty nabs Game of the Year at D.I.C.E.". http://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-duty-nabs-game-of-the-year-at-dice/1100-6090754/. 
  29. ↑ "Nintendo GameCube Software Best Seller Ranking". Shrine of Data. 2005-02-11. http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~hokora/gcrank.html. 
  • Official website
  • (in Japanese) Japanese official site
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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