Mario Party 8
North American box cover For alternate box art, see therelated gallery.
Developers	Hudson CAProduction Nintendo SPD Group No.4
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform	Wii
Release dates	Original release: May 29, 2007[1] June 20, 2007[?] June 20, 2007[?] June 22, 2007[2] July 19, 2007[?] July 26, 2007[3] August 3, 2007[?] February 1, 2008[?] July 12, 2008[4] July 12, 2008[5] November 6, 2008[?] Nintendo Selects Release: March 22, 2013[?]
Languages	English (United States) English (United Kingdom) Japanese French (Europe) German Italian Korean Spanish (Europe)
Genre	Party
Ratings	ESRB: - Everyone[?] CERO: - All ages[?] PEGI: - Three years and older[?] USK: - Six years and older[?] ClassInd: - General audience[?] GRAC: - All ages[?] ACB: - General[?]
Modes	Single player, multiplayer
Format	Wii: Optical disc
Input	Wii: Wii Remote
Serial codes	RVL-RM8J-JPN RVL-RM8E-USA RVL-RM8P-EUR

Mario Party 8 is the eighth home console installment of theMario Party series and the thirteenth overall. It was first released in North America on May 29, 2007 for theWii. It is the lastMario Party home console game to be developed byHudson Soft beforeNDcube received control of the series.

Certain parts of the game, such as board gameplay, are displayed in a 4:3 ratio, fitted with borders on the left and right parts of the screen, while other portions such as the main menu, are matted to 16:9 widescreen.

Story

Yoshi is declared the winner of the Star Battle Arena, receiving a year's supply ofCandy, the title of Superstar, and theStar Rod.

The exuberant ringmasterMC Ballyhoo and his talking hat,Big Top, have invitedMario and the rest of the crew to theStar Carnival. Ballyhoo holds a special event, the Star Battle Arena, in which a contestant must win five successive party duels across the five standard boards. The winner will be crowned the carnival's Superstar and receive a year's supply ofCandy.

Once the player has claimed victory in all five duels, Ballyhoo holds an award ceremony to present the year's supply of Candy in addition to a special reward, which is revealed to be the magicalStar Rod. Before the player can receive their reward, however,Bowser swoops in and steals the Star Rod before retreating to his own board,Bowser's Warped Orbit. The player and Ballyhoo then follow Bowser to his board for one final duel.

After the player triumphs over Bowser's chosen minion (eitherBlooper orHammer Bro), he begrudgingly returns the Star Rod, only to quickly change his mind and challenge the player toa final showdown for the Star Rod. Using the Star Rod's magical powers, the player defeats Bowser, then returns to the carnival with Ballyhoo, where they are declared the Superstar.

Gameplay

The title screen displays the 12 characters available from the start.

Mario Party 8 uses theWii Remote and its motion control capabilities inminigames, performing gestures such as pointing-and-shooting, turning, waving, shaking, and twisting the Wii Remote. Player-createdMiis are also featured, often within crowds, in certain minigames, and as the player's character in Extra Mode. By playing regular party games, minigames, and completing the Star Battle Arena mode, players can earnCarnival Cards, which in turn can be spent to unlock figures and game features.

Mario Party 8 combines the social, strategic gameplay of traditional board games with quick, action-orientedminigames. Players can collect and wincoins to trade them for Stars, buy Candy, and trigger special events on the board. Each board has a unique way of obtaining Stars, though most require finding a uniqueStar Space and trading a certain number of coins for one.

Before each game starts, MC Ballyhoo introduces the board, and each player rolls aDice Block to determine the order of play. On every turn, each player rolls a Dice Block numbered one to ten to move along the game board. Prior to rolling, players can use Candy (if they possess any) and study the game board.

Party Tent

The Party Tent

The Party Tent is the main attraction of theStar Carnival inMario Party 8. It appears in the lower right of the carnival and is the second-biggest tent. In this tent, characters can play on the sixboards and play as any of theplayable characters, not countingMiis. There are three game types.

Battle Royale and Tag Battle

In Battle Royale, everyone is pitted against each other, with each player having their own coin and star count. Each player can hold up to 3 pieces of Candy; if any more is collected afterwards, one of them has to be discarded to lower it back to 3. The color of the space each player lands on at the end of everyone's roll determines which type of minigame will be played, with Blue Spaces and DK Spaces putting the player in the blue category, Red Spaces and Bowser Spaces putting the player in the red category, and other spaces and non-space stops randomly putting the player into either the red or blue category. For instance, if two players are onRed Spaces and the other two players are onBlue Spaces, the minigame arrangement will be 2-vs-2.

In Tag Battle, players choose two teams of two and go head-to-head. Each team shares coins and stars, and can hold up to 5 pieces of Candy shared between the two members of the team. In Koopa's Tycoon Town, each Hotel now has two icons at the top, with both members of the team being shown if they own the Hotel. Minigame types are no longer determined by spaces; rather, they are randomly chosen between 4-Player and 2-vs-2 minigames, with the latter always pairing players based on their teams, and the prize money is given to each member rather than each team.

In both cases, at the end of everyone's roll, a minigame starts, and is randomly chosen in a wheel of all available minigames of said type. The prize for winning the minigame is usually 10 coins, given in full to every player who wins, including to each player in teams of two or three. However, there are also coin minigames in which players (or teams) collect coins in the minigame itself, which are then added to the coin counter of each player (or team in Tag Battle). InWinner or Dinner, the coins will be paid in full to each team member, rather than being divided between the two, and inGrabbin' Gold, each player in the 3-player team will similarly receive the full amount of coins the team collected. Rarely, however, a Battle Minigame will start, with each player waging coins determined by a roulette, which then get distributed back to the players based on their rankings in the minigames. Battle Minigames also occur in Tag Battle, although each team, not player, wages coins. Coins are still distributed via placement, rather than to the team with the victor.

Battle Royale and Tag Battle feature an event similar to theLast Five Turns Event from previousMario Party titles, known as Chump Charity, which occurs once there are five turns remaining. During this event, MC Ballyhoo reviews the player (or team) rankings and offers the player (or team) in last place a free piece ofDuelo Candy (in Koopa's Tycoon Town, the last-place player or team receives 30 coins instead); if multiple players are tied for last place, all of them receive the last-place prize. Before gameplay resumes, coin bag pickups are placed on every red space and single-coin pickups are placed on every other space. These pickups may only be collected once by the first player who reaches the space they are on. In King Boo's Haunted Hideaway, these coins and coin bags are removed once King Boo shuffles the board.

If a player crosses paths with an opponent while under the effects of a Duelo Candy (if multiple opponents are on the same space, the attacker can choose who to duel or let the game pick randomly), they will duel the opponent in a one-on-one Duel Minigame. The winner throws a dart at a spinning wheel to determine what prize they receive from the loser. If the attacker wins, they will be able to take Stars or coins, while if the defender wins, they will only be able to take coins.

After the last turn, a ceremony is held at theStar Carnival Stage, and if theBonus Stars option is turned on, MC Ballyhoo announces Bonus Stars to players (or teams) who reach certain qualifications for them; if multiple players (or both teams) tie for a single ranking, all of the players who reached said qualifications receive the Bonus Stars. After the ceremony, the winner (or winning team in Duel Battle), which is the player (or team) with the most Stars and coins, becomes the Superstar. If multiple players (or both teams) tie for first place, the placement is then decided by dice rolls; the player (or team) who rolls the highest wins the battle.

The Bonus Stars that may be awarded at the end of a party are as follows:

• Minigame Star: Awarded to the player(s) who won the most coins in minigames played at the end of each turn. Typically, this qualifies as the player who won the most minigames.
• Candy Star: Awarded to the player(s) or team(s) who used the most Candy. This Bonus Star replaces the Orb Star fromMario Party 6 andMario Party 7.
• Green Star: Awarded to the player(s) or team(s) who landed on the mostGreen Spaces.
• Running Star: Awarded to the player(s) or team(s) who traveled the most spaces. Teleportation mechanics and other means of movement besides dice rolls do not count toward this bonus.
• Shopping Star: Awarded to the player(s) or team(s) who spent the most coins inCandy Shops.
• Red Star: Awarded to the player(s) or team(s) who landed on the most Red Spaces. Landing onBowser Spaces does not count toward this bonus.

Duel Battle

In Duel Battle, all boards are smaller than in Battle Royale and Tag Battle (except King Boo's Haunted Hideaway, which is larger) and offer different objectives, similar to Solo Cruise inMario Party 7. Minigames start only upon landing onVs. Spaces orChallenge Spaces. Duel Spaces initiating a duel minigame between two players, with the loser forced to give coins to the winner afterward, while Challenge Spaces allow a player to throw a dart to earn a certain number of coins after winning a single-player Challenge Minigame. After a player is close to achieving either the most coins or Stars, a roulette is spun to reward whoever is likeliest to lose, possibly either Candy or coins (depending on the board played), or nothing. If neither player has completed the objective after 30 turns, Ballyhoo end the game in a tie, but if the player does fulfill it, they earn 20Carnival Cards.

The winning conditions for each board is as follows:

• DK's Treetop Temple andKing Boo's Haunted Hideaway: Collect two Stars.
• Goomba's Booty Boardwalk: ReachCaptain Goomba with at least 50 coins.
• Shy Guy's Perplex Express: ReachHolly Koopa with at least 50 coins.
• Koopa's Tycoon Town: Collect four Stars.
• Bowser's Warped Orbit: Reduce the opponent's Star count to zero.

Star Battle Arena

Star Battle Arena is the single-player mode ofMario Party 8. The player chooses a character and competes against five COM-controlled characters over five separate duels. The five standard boards are played in order:DK's Treetop Temple,Goomba's Booty Boardwalk,King Boo's Haunted Hideaway,Shy Guy's Perplex Express, andKoopa's Tycoon Town. The sixth, unlockable board,Bowser's Warped Orbit, is played for a final showdown. The rules of Duel Battle are used for all six duels (players take turns without regular minigames), and each duel has a different victory condition from the Party Tent's Battle Royale and Tag Battle. As the player progresses through the duels, their CPU-controlled opponents become more adept.

After completing Bowser's Warped Orbit, Bowser challenges the player to the Last Minigame,Superstar Showdown. Defeating Bowser completes the mode. The reward for completing Star Battle Arena mode is 200Carnival Cards. Additionally, Bowser's Warped Orbit and the Minigame Wagon (in the Fun Bazaar) will be unlocked, as well as either Blooper or Hammer Bro, depending on who was fought against in Bowser's Warped Orbit. At least two playthroughs of Star Battle Arena are required to unlock both unlockable characters, which will always be random unless one of the unlockable characters is the player character, in which case, the other one will forcefully be the opponent.

Minigame Tent

The Minigame Tent

In the Minigame Tent, players can play all of theminigames they have unlocked in theParty Tent orStar Battle Arena. Duel and Challenge minigames can only be unlocked in the Star Battle Arena during solo play, or in the Party Tent when using aDuelo Candy or playing Duel Battle. Completing minigames earns the player cards for the player to spend at the Surprise Wagon. There are a total of five ways to play the minigames, as detailed in the sections below.

Free Play Arcade

Free Play Arcade

“Welcome to Free Play Arcade! You can play any minigame! Any you've previously seen on the party boards, that is! So many minigames! So much fun! Let your minigame mania run wild!”

—MC Ballyhoo,Mario Party 8

Free Play Arcade is a game mode where the players can freely choose any minigame to play. However, minigames will first need to be unlocked by playing in Party Tent or Star Battle Arena, or purchasing them from the Minigame Wagon at theFun Bazaar. In this mode,Miis often appear as spectators, often replacing species likeGoombas andKoopa Troopas.

Crown Showdown

Crown Showdown

“Crack open Crown Showdown yet? Head there to see who's truly the minigame champion!”

—MC Ballyhoo,Mario Party 8

Crown Showdown is a game mode that involves players trying to win the most minigames. At the beginning, the player can choose between 4-Player minigames and Duel minigames. If the player chooses the 4-Player minigames, they can then choose to play between 4-Player minigames, 1-vs.-3 minigames, 2-vs.-2 minigames, or random. The player also can choose how many wins are required to win the showdown from 3, 5, or 7. Each time, the game randomly selects a minigame that the player has already unlocked. Whoever wins the game receives a point, and whoever reaches 3, 5, or 7 points first is the winner.

In-game rules

"In Crown Showdown, you'll race to win a set number of minigames before competitors do it first! What type of minigames? Up to you! Or select Random and leave it to chance!"

Flip-Out Frenzy

Flip-Out Frenzy

Flip-Out Frenzy is a game mode set in a small pond with a 6×6 board containing thirty-two gray squares and four black ones. The objective is that players must compete in minigames and color the entire board. Once a player wins a minigame, they get to pick which squares they want to flip over to match their emblem/color. When a player picks a square, the horizontal and vertical rows of the square next to it get colored as well. If more than one player wins a minigame, or a tie occurs, no one gets to pick. After all the squares are colored, MC Ballyhoo turns two black squares at random into normal squares. Once those ones are colored, the game mode ends, and the player with the most squares of their emblem/color wins.

Players can color over other players' colored squares as well, but cannot flip squares if one of the horizontal or vertical rows has a black square.

In-game rules

"To win Flip-Out Frenzy, you must own the most tiles by game's end. Each time you win a minigame, you'll pick a tile. It and tiles in all four directions will flip to show your mark. There's a late-game shake-up, too!"

Tic-Tac Drop

Tic-Tac Drop

“Found your way to Tic-Tac Drop yet? Go there to face off against a rival in a twisted spin on the classic!”

—MC Ballyhoo,Mario Party 8

Tic-Tac Drop is a game mode similar totic-tac-toe, except it is played with minigames, and the balls that are put into the board drop into place, rather than staying in the middle or top rows. The game begins with MC Ballyhoo initiating a random duel minigame, after which the contestants compete to win the minigame. The winner of the minigame gets to drop a ball into the board in the location of their choice. Additional minigames will continue to be played until a winner is eventually declared. The first player to form a horizontal, vertical or diagonal row with their respective colored balls wins the game.

In-game rules

"To win Tic-Tac Drop, you must make a line up, down, or diagonally by dropping balls through the board's slots. You'll get one ball for each minigame win. If you reach a stalemate, you can start a fresh game."

Test for the Best

Main article:Test for the Best

In Test for the Best, the player competes for the best score by playing ten minigames. The player has to unlock certain minigames to play this and they must buy in from the Surprise Wagon at the Fun Bazaar before playing it. It is similar to the Minigame Decathlon from previousMario Party games, except only one player can play at a time.

Extras Zone

“Before us lies a zone of extras! A realm of more! A state of surplus! They're minigames seen only here!”

—MC Ballyhoo,Mario Party 8

The Extras Zone

The select menu in the Extras Zone

The Extras Zone is a tent where players can play one of eight minigames with either theMario Party 8 roster orMiis that they have created on theWii's Mii Channel or by using the default guest Miis. Initially, only four of eight minigames are available. The other four need to be purchased in theFun Bazaar in order to unlock them. Up to four players can play in this mode, but only one minigame allows up to four players to play. Another will allow only a single player.

Minigames

Fun Bazaar

Main article:Fun Bazaar

The Fun Bazaar is a place where the player can exchange cards for items, modes, and minigames or check records.

• Records Board: The player can view minigame sets or the best records here. The player can also view the Staff Records after they bought them from the Surprise Wagon.
• Minigame Wagon: Minigames can be bought here using Carnival Cards. The wagon is only accessible after completing the Star Battle Arena.
• Carnival Wagon: The player can view any Carnival Figures they collected and watch them in a Carnival Parade.
• Surprise Wagon: The player can trade Carnival Cards for various items such as Sound Tests, Extra Minigames, Carnival Figurines, and other stuff. Unlike what the instruction booklet says, it's always available.
• Carnival Calliope: The player can listen to music, sounds, and voices by accessing here. Some features must be bought at the Surprise Wagon first before listening to it.

Characters

Playable

The character selection screen showing all 14 main playable characters available

Mario Party 8 features a total of 15 playable characters (14 in the main roster). All 12 playable characters fromMario Party 7 return, alongside the introduction of Blooper, Hammer Bro, andMiis, the lattermost being usable only in the Extras Zone. This marks the first playable appearance of Blooper in theSuper Mario franchise, as well as the first (and currently only) playable appearance of Blooper in theMario Party series.

Mario	Luigi	Peach	Yoshi	Wario	Daisy	Waluigi
Toad	Boo	Toadette	Birdo	Dry Bones	Blooper	Hammer Bro

Blooper and Hammer Bro can be unlocked by defeating each of them in Star Battle Arena. One of the two characters will be randomly chosen to compete against the player in the duel on Bowser's Warped Orbit, unless the player has selected one of them as their character, in which case the remaining character will be their opponent.

Team names

FromMario Party 4 toMario Party DS, players could fight in a tag-team match, in which two teams of two players are formed. InMario Party 5 andMario Party 6, team names are chosen from specific character pairings. This is a returning feature inMario Party 8, following an absence inMario Party 7. Below are the possible name combinations in English and in French:

Other

These characters primarily act in supporting roles, with most of them only appearing on one board.

Boards

The board selection screen

There are six boards, five of which are available from the start of a new save file. Only one board,DK's Treetop Temple, uses the common format of paying 20coins for aStar at theStar Space, with the other boards having their own unique methods.

Image	Board	Description
		Star acquisition: The only board with the traditional format of placing the Star somewhere random, costing 20 coins to purchase, before a different Star appears elsewhere once it has been obtained. DK Space:DK sends the player to the Star. Bowser Space:Bowser warps the Star elsewhere. Star Battle Arena orDuel Battle: The object is collecting two Stars before one's opponents.
		Star acqusition: A straightforward board whereCaptain Goomba gives a free Star to the player before gulls with a wooden plank return them to the start. Dolphin Expresses help bring the player closer to Captain Goomba, for a fee depending on their position, though last place does not need to pay. DK Space: Gives the player a chance to earn coins. Bowser Space: May cause the player to lose coins. Star Battle Arena orDuel Battle: Whoever reaches Captain Goomba first to pay 50 coins for a star wins.
		Star acqusition: Players try to find King Boo, who is in one of three rooms, and purchase a Star from him for ten coins. The rooms without King Boo includeRed Boos that throw the player in a hole, returning them to the start. Once a player has purchased a Star, the mansion and its rooms shuffle. DK Space: If the player lands on a DK Space, DK will cover up the hole and offer the player who comes to an empty room a free Star. Bowser Space: Bowser will cover up the hole and will steal a Star (or all their coins during Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle) from the player who comes to an empty room. Star Battle Arena orDuel Battle: To win, the player has to obtain two Stars from King Boo for 10 coins each by finding him twice.
		Star acqusition: Players take a linear path to obtain a Star from the conductor for 20 coins. Afterward, the player travels on top of the train before returning to the start. DK Space: DK takes charge of the train and gives a free Star to whoever reaches him first. Bowser Space: Bowser takes charge but steals a Star (or half their coins during Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle) from whoever makes it to him. Star Battle Arena orDuel Battle: Players compete to obtain the Star from Holly Koopa for 50 coins, but the conductor now just gives ten coins.
		Star acqusition: Players invest coins into hotels for Stars. Hotels with 20 coins are upgraded to offer two Stars, then again upon reaching 50 coins to offer three Stars. DK Space: DK invests coins in a player's hotel. Bowser Space: Bowser takes away coins from a hotel of choice. Star Battle Arena orDuel Battle: The player has to obtain four Stars by investing in hotels to win.
		How to unlock: Completing the entire Star Battle. Star acqusition: Players do not receive Stars from this linear board, but each receive five Stars at the start on Battle Royale (ten Stars in a team on Tag Battle). Players have to useBullet Candy andBowser Candy (which are exclusive to this board) to steal stars from opponents. DK Space: DK gives the player a free Star (or a free Candy during Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle) to the player. Bowser Space: Bowser takes away a Star from the player. Star Battle Arena orDuel Battle: The player and their opponent each begin with three Stars. The winning condition is to reduce their opponent's stars to zero stars by eating candy to steal stars from them.

Spaces

Image	Space	Description
	Blue Space	The most common of the spaces, Blue Spaces earn the player three coins when landed on.
	Red Space	The opposite of Blue Spaces, taking away three coins when landed on. They are somewhat uncommon but not to the extent of others. One of the bonus stars is from landing on the most Red Spaces.
	Green Space	Triggers an event, which varies by board and location and either helps or hinders a player. One of the bonus stars is from landing on the most Green Spaces.
	DK Space	Donkey Kong appears and causes something positive to occur, depending on the board. DK Spaces become Bowser Spaces after usage.
	Bowser Space	The opposite of a DK Space, whereBowser shows up and causes a negative effect (never a Bowser Minigame, unlike previous installments). There are cases where Bowser may give the player ten coins if they have no coins or Stars. Bowser Spaces appear only in place of DK Spaces, which they revert to after being landed on.
	Lucky Space	Lucky Spaces are adorned with sparkling particles and take a player to a lucky area with only Blue Spaces, each containing either a free Star when landed on or an easier method to reach the Star. The only difference is with Bowser's Warped Orbit, which has three? Candies that always give outBullet Candy orBowser Candy.
	Vs. Space	Exclusive to Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle, Vs. Spaces begin a Duel Minigame between both players, with the winner gaining coins from the loser.
	Challenge Space	Another space exclusive to Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle, Challenge Spaces begin a Challenge Minigame. The winner gets to throw a dart at a wheel for 5, 10, or 20 coins, or otherwise nothing. These spaces are the only way to unlock Challenge Minigames.

Candy

Main article:Candy (Mario Party 8)

Candies replaceOrbs fromMario Party 5,Mario Party 6. andMario Party 7. They are either bought from a Candy Shop for coins or collected freely from random? Candies on the board. Each board provides a different, partial subset of the 14 Candy types (in the Candy Shops and on the board itself). Candy may only be used before a player's dice roll, so it cannot be placed on the board. Players can hold a maximum of three Candies, while teams can hold a maximum of five, which are shared between the two teammates.

Red Candies

These Candy items alter theDice Block in some way.

Image	Candy	Availability	Description
	Twice Candy	All boards	"Lets you hit 2 Dice Blocks."
	Thrice Candy	All boards except Bowser's Warped Orbit	"Lets you hit 3 Dice Blocks"
	Slowgo Candy	All boards except Goomba's Booty Boardwalk and King Boo's Haunted Hideaway	"Lets you hit a slower Dice Block that lets you move only 1 to 5 spaces."

Green Candies

These transform the player, who then performs a certain action by shooting at the dart wheel, then reverts to their normal form after the effect has been done.

Image	Candy	Availability	Description
	Springo Candy	All boards except Shy Guy's Perplex Express and Bowser's Warped Orbit	"Jump to the space of another player. You'll throw a dart to choose your victim."
	Cashzap Candy	DK's Treetop Temple, King Boo's Haunted Hideaway, and Koopa's Tycoon Town	"Destroy half of someone's coins. You'll throw a dart to choose your victim."
	Vampire Candy	All boards except DK's Treetop Tower and Shy Guy's Perplex Express	"Take coins from other players. You'll throw a dart to decide how many."

Yellow Candies

These transform a player for the duration of their turn, then they return to normal. While under the effects of a Yellow Candy, they cannot receive Candies from? Candies, nor visit Candy shops, but can still interact with other board events.

Image	Candy	Availability	Description
	Bitsize Candy[a]	All boards except Goomba's Booty Boardwalk and Bowser's Warped Orbit	"Coin Blocks appear out of thin air! You'll bash up 3 coins each space you move."
	Bloway Candy	DK's Treetop Temple and Goomba's Booty Boardwalk	"Turn into a tornado! Every player caught in your path flies back to the start."
	Weeglee Candy[a]	DK's Treetop Temple and Shy Guy's Perplex Express	"Take 1 Candy from every player you pass."
	Bowlo Candy	All boards except King Boo's Haunted Hideaway and Bowser's Warped Orbit	Battle Royale: "Bowl over each player you pass, taking 10 coins from each victim." Duel Battle: "Bowl over each player you pass, taking 20 coins from each victim."

Blue Candies

These are like Yellow Candies but are more offense-based.

Image	Candy	Availability	Description
	Thwomp Candy	Goomba's Booty Boardwalk, King Boo's Haunted Hideaway, and Shy Guy's Perplex Express	"Destroy half of the coins of each player you pass."
	Bullet Candy	Bowser's Warped Orbit	"Hit the Dice three times and take 1 Star from each player you pass."
	Bowser Candy	Bowser's Warped Orbit	"Hit the Dice two times and take 2 Stars from each player you pass."
	Duelo Candy	All boards except Koopa's Tycoon Town and Bowser's Warped Orbit[a]	"Roll two dice, and duel with the first player you meet."

Appearances

Board	Twice Candy	Thrice Candy	Slowgo Candy	Springo Candy	Cashzap Candy	Vampire Candy	Bitsize Candy	Bloway Candy	Weeglee Candy	Bowlo Candy	Thwomp Candy	Bullet Candy	Bowser Candy	Duelo Candy
DK's Treetop Temple
Goomba's Booty Boardwalk
King Boo's Haunted Hideaway
Shy Guy's Perplex Express
Koopa's Tycoon Town
Bowser's Warped Orbit

Minigames

At the Chomp Wash, one of the minigames inMario Party 8

Main article:List of Mario Party 8 minigames

Mario Party 8 has a total of seventy-three minigames, most of which make use of theWii Remote and its motion control capabilities, though some also require the controller to be held in a more traditional way. Unlike otherMario Party games, when a minigame is being selected, all minigames of that type will be displayed in the roulette, rather than a randomized select few. It is also the firstMario Party game to have duel minigames that are modified 1-on-1 versions of some 4-Player or 2-vs.-2 minigames.

Quotes

Main article:List of Mario Party 8 quotes

• "Mario Party 8!" –Mario Party 8 cast
• "Welcome to theStar Carnival!!" –MC Ballyhoo
• "Calling all winners! Calling all losers! We've got a shake up coming!" –Big Top
• "Get ready for a reversal, ya crooks! Let's do the crime warp again! Bwahaha!" –Bowser

Differences from otherMario Party games

• This is the only installment in theMario Party series:
  • to show all minigames from a selected category on the roulette wheel, instead of only three to six.
  • in which the design of the spaces varies from board to board to fit their surrounding aesthetics better.
  • to have the minigame win/loss/tie themes on an infinite loop.
  • to use different framerates for different parts of the game: menus and most minigames run at the regular 60fps/50fps, while the boards and final results run at 30fps/25fps.
  • where the host speaks directly after a Battle minigame.
• This is the firstMario Party game:
  • that does not have the minigames rules hosted by the host of the board/game, instead put as a separate section in the minigame rules screen. FromMario Party toMario Party 7, the minigames were all hosted by the hosts of the board and/or the game.
  • that has certain minigames that fit into more than one category (notably Duel minigames).
  • to not count out star and coin totals before the final results announcement.
  • in which in Battle Royale, players retain their player colors based on what player number they were prior to the turn order decision, regardless of turn order number.
  • sinceMario Party 4 to implement new losing animations.Mario Party 5 toMario Party 7 reusedMario Party 4's animations.
    • Additionally, this is also the firstMario Party game sinceMario Party 4 to have a different announcer in Japanese, as the Japanese releases ofMario Party 6 andMario Party 7 used the female announcer fromMario Party 4 andMario Party 5, rather than the new male announcer used in international releases.
• This is one of twoMario Party games:
  • where the players' stats while playing in a board are shown in a column in the top right corner, the other beingSuper Mario Party.
  • to not feature eitherKoopa Kid orBowser Jr., the other beingMario Party-e. However, Koopa Kid's model and portraitcan still be found in the game files.

Staff

Main article:List of Mario Party 8 staff

The game was directed by Shuichiro Nishiya, who previously worked onMario Party 6 andMario Party 7 in the same role.Steven Grimm voiced the announcer andSteven Weyte voiced MC Ballyhoo.Satoru Iwata and Hidetoshi Endo, president of Hudson Soft at the time, are credited as executive producers.

Reception

As with mostMario Party games, reviews ofMario Party 8 were mixed. Common criticisms forMario Party 8 included the lack of Wi-Fi, limited graphics, and absence of widescreen for the main game. Matt Casamassina of IGN referred to the single-player mode as "torture" and commented on the visuals as "graphics don't even impress as aGCN title".

Andy Myers ofNintendo Power gave the game a 7.5/10.^[6] He praises the inclusion of motion controls and how the minigames which use it each has a different approach. However, he states that the visual presentation is the weakest aspect of the game. He explains that the front-end interface is confusing, the lack of a true widescreen mode is disappointing, and the graphics leave much to be desired even though they have been slightly improved fromMario Party 7. Despite these criticisms, he thinks the game takes its place alongside other party games likeWii Sports andWarioWare: Smooth Moves.

Sales

After its North American release on May 29, 2007, the game sold 314,000 units in the United States in three days, making it the best-selling home console game in the country that month.^[7] In Japan,Mario Party 8 has sold 1,239,716 copies as of the end of Q2 2008, according to Famitsu.^[8]Mario Party 8 has sold 8.85 million copies worldwide, making it the 12th best-selling game on the Wii and the third best-selling game in theMario Party series (behindMario Party DS andSuper Mario Party).^[9]

Controversy

"Spastic" in the North American version ofMario Party 8

The launch ofMario Party 8 in the United Kingdom had several difficulties. Originally scheduled for release on June 22, 2007,Nintendo announced on June 19, 2007 that the UK version of the game had been delayed to July 13 of that year due to a production issue.^[10]

Furthermore, upon the release on July 13, 2007, the game was immediately recalled. Nintendo gave a reason for the withdrawal in a press release:^[11]

"[Mario Party 8] was launched in the UK today. Unfortunately we have discovered that a small number of games contain the wrong version of the disk due to an assembly error. We have therefore decided to recall all copies of the game from UK retailers so that this mistake can be corrected.We will re-launchMario Party 8 in the UK as soon as possible and will announce a new launch date shortly. We very much regret any inconvenience caused."

The European/British retailer GAME confirmed^[11] that the game was withdrawn from shelves because some copies included an offensive line as part of a magic spell used byMagikoopa in the boardShy Guy's Perplex Express:

"Magikoopa magic! Turn the trainspastic! Make this ticket tragic!"

Because "spastic" has a highly negative connotation in the United Kingdom, the game was declared banned and immediately recalled.Mario Party 8 was eventually re-released on August 3, 2007, with the offensive statement altered; PAL copies use the word "erratic" instead and American copies use a completely different statement: "Let me use my magic to make this all a little more interesting!"

Although it is unknown ifMario Party 8 is the direct catalyst, several first-party Nintendo games released after it have had at least a few English localization differences between the American and British releases instead of using the American English text for all regions. A similar offense inSuper Paper Mario with the word "shag" was preemptively altered for the PAL release.

Pre-release and unused content

Hammer de Pokari

Main article:List of Mario Party 8 pre-release and unused content

Three minigames go unused in the game's files. They do not have an English name nor a gameplay demonstration on the explanation screen. One of them is titled "Hammer de Pokari", a 4-Player minigame. It takes place on a sandcastle which does not appear elsewhere in the game. The objective is to swing a hammer at opponents by swinging the Wii Remote sideways. A coin counter is present, but it is not affected by the characters' actions. The minigame ends when one player is hit five times. The player who hit the most wins.

Regional differences

• The NTSC and PAL versions use different fonts for text; the font used for the main text in the PAL version is the same as the font used fromMario Party 4 toMario Party 7.
• In the English version, when starting a minigame, the announcer shouts "Go!" with the word "START" appearing onscreen. Additionally, when tying a minigame, "Tie" appears on the screen with the announcer calling that. In the Japanese version, "Start!" is shouted instead at the start of a minigame, and when a minigame is tied, "DRAW" appears onscreen with the announcer calling that.
• In the PAL version of the game, when one player wins a minigame, the text "Win" appears instead of "Wins".
• In the PAL version of the game, there is no "×" displayed before the star and coin count in the player panels, even when a player has fewer than 10 stars or 100 coins.
• In the PAL version, many of the targets inTest for the Best are more lenient than in the NTSC version.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:Mario Party 8.

• 

  Mario

• 

  Blooper

• 

  Hammer Bro

• 

  Donkey Kong

• 

  Bowser

• 

  MC Ballyhoo & Big Top

Multimedia

For the complete list of media files for this subject, seeMultimedia:Mario Party 8. For this subject's sound test, seeMario Party 8 sound test.

Welcome to Mario Party

File info 0:27

Haunted Hideaway

File info 0:30

Do It, DK!

File info 0:30

How to Play

File info 0:30

Feelin' Cyber

File info 0:30

Fun Bazaar

File info 0:30

Disc Startup Screen (Mario Party 8)

File info 0:05

Help:Media file •Having trouble playing?

References to other games

Nossie in DK's Treetop Temple

Super Mario Bros.

• Sprites of Mario and Bowser appear inBowser's Warped Orbit and sprites of Mario appear at theStar Battle Arena, printed on the toybox ofMosh-Pit Playroom and on the wrapper ofBitsize Candy.

Mario Party /Mario Party 2

• The minigameFlagging Rights is based on the minigameShy Guy Says from these games.

Super Mario Sunshine

• Piantas appear inGoomba's Booty Boardwalk.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

• The dinosaurNossie fromDino Dino Jungle appears inDK's Treetop Temple.
• When a player lands on a Bowser Space in Shy Guy's Perplex Express, the Bowser face on the front of the train resembles the face on the front of theKoopa King, Bowser's signature kart.

Mario Party 4 toMario Party 7

• Many animations from these games and the game engine are reused.

References in later games

Mario Party DS

• The playable characters' profile models are recycled in this game.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• MC Ballyhoo & Big Top appear as a trophy and sticker.
• Artwork of aChain Chomp andDice Block fromMario Party 8 appear in this game as stickers.

Mario Kart Wii

• Daisy's artwork forMario Party 8 is reused, but with her kart added to it.

Super Mario Run

• Princess Peach and Bowser's artwork are reused.

Mario Party: The Top 100

• Three minigames return in this game.
• A new arrangement of the minigame completion theme plays when completing any of the threeMario Party 8 minigames.
• MC Ballyhoo and Big Top make a cameo in the Characters section of the Series Guide.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• MC Ballyhoo and Big Top appear as aspirit.
• Luigi and Daisy's fighter spirits use theirMario Party 8 artwork.

Mario Kart Tour

• Dry Bones and Hammer Bro's artwork are reused in this game.

Mario Party Superstars

• Two minigames and rearrangements of their respective music return.

Super Mario Party Jamboree

• Night Lights andChomp Wash are heavily based onCrank to Rank andAt the Chomp Wash, respectively.

Names in other languages

References

External links

Mario Party 8 coverage on otherNIWA wikis:

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MiiWiki

NintendoWiki

StrategyWiki

Wikipedia has an article onMario Party 8.

• Japanese website
• American English website
• British English website
• Australian website
• North American instruction booklet (EN/FR/ES)

• Mario Party 8
• Games
• Wii games
• 2007 games
• 2008 games
• Nintendo Selects

• Stubs
• Articles with unsourced dates
• Articles with unsourced ratings
• Pages with audio files