Mario Party is one of my favorite Nintendo franchises of all time. Playing Nintendo 64 with my brothers and friends were the best moments of my childhood. Mario Party is not a game for the weak. This game was cut throat, full of challenges, and only the strongest could overcome. No matter if you were friend or foe, you were always one turn away from being betrayed by your friends and getting your star stolen from the dreaded Boo. Mario Party minigames were perfect displays of pure fair and sometimes unfair competition. The entire game was a sure way to create enemies and ruin your friendships with some of your closest friends and family. Here is the top ten Mario Party minigames of all time
10. Awful Tower
This game was a fast paced race to the top of the most ridiculous tower of all time. With hammer bros throwing hammers down at you as you climb, this game was a true test of timing and finesse. After fighting your way through the moving blocks and the two most annoying hammer bros of all time, nothing is sweeter than seeing your character at the top of the tower first.
9. Bombsket Ball
One of the better 2v2 games in the series Bombsket Ball is a slower paced game of basketball with a bomb instead of a ball. Sheer speed would not win it for you this time. Only power plays and teamwork could put you and your teammate 10 coins ahead of the opposition. The look on your friends face when the bomb explodes in the basket was always priceless.
8. Lights Out
What is better than watching your helpless friends run away from you while you lurk in the darkness waiting to appear and crush them with your abnormally large yellow hammer? Once there is no light in the arena and no light in the hearts of your friends you know you have emerged victorious.
7. Bowser's Big Blast
"Pretty Color?" Battle games were the best. Every normal game leaves only 10 coins on the line but in battle games you wager almost your entire reserve of coins on a single game against your friends. This game in particular was one of the best because it left the fate of yourself to placement and probability. You choose one of five colors and crossed your fingers that Bowser's head would blow out smoke and not send you to your doom. At times it came down to a 50% chance of living or dying making the game ultimately exhilarating.
6. Day At the Races
Speaking of games of chance, this game was completely chance. Goomba would put your coins on the line and you would get a 25% chance of winning without any skill required. You had to put all your coins down on whatever character you felt would finish the race the fastest. It was hilarious to be screaming and cheering on your character like you would at a horse race with all your money on your horse to win.
5. Aces High
Dog fighting hadn't been this fun since Star Fox 64. It was so satisfying watching your friends fall out of the sky and watching the goofy plane with your character's head on top of it fly away into the abyss.
4. Bobsled Run
"Ready? Go!" The second most competitive 2v2 game in the series this game was so good they had to remake it again for Mario Party 2. The controls were perfect! You had to work as a team to drive the bobsled because otherwise the opposite team would take the lead and you wouldn't be able to avoid falling off the map. The strategies of cutting off opponents and hitting the boosts without falling were imperative. Beating your friends was cool but beating the record was sweeter.
3. Hot Rope Jump
Another game so good that it had to be put in the second game. This game was all about timing your jumps perfectly to avoid the the impending doom that was the fire rope. Not only did you have to survive, but it also showed how many jumps you had successfully completed. This game was truly a Mario Party masterpiece.
2. Speed Hockey
The #1 2v2 game ever made by the creators of Mario Party has to be Speed Hockey. No other competitive game could put so much skill, timing, positioning, and luck into a mini game than this one. What ever position you played, you had to change your entire mentality and strategy of positioning in order to ensure the best chance of making 3 goals before the opposing team. This game was everything Mario Party needed and was a good way to win 10 easy coins when playing against an unseasoned team.
1. Hexagon Heat
This 4-player deathmatch gave each player a fighting chance of taking home the spoils. In this game you had to anticipate where you will need to be standing when Toad shows his colored flag by either standing in the middle or taking your chances on a different color. You then fight to your last breath to make sure you are standing on the right color platform when all the others fall to the burning lava. Once on the correct platform, it is up to you to make sure the other players do not make it on the same platform. The sweetest victory in the entire series made you feel accomplished and ashamed to see all your opponents burn in the lake of molten rock.
Honorable Mentions: Fowl Play, Boulder Ball, Cake Factory, Cast Aways, and Vine With Me.
