Unlocking ancillary content in a game (alternate costumes, superfluous characters and items, and maybe even the odd vehicle or map here and there), while naturally progressing through that game, is perfectly acceptable. Unlocking the game itself (the core content through which you would normally play in any other game) through extended play of a not fun, apparently meta experience of sorts, however, is unacceptable.

And when the ‘game itself’ consists entirely of singleplayer and multiplayer mini-games - all of which hardly add up to a solid, tangible game experience - unlocking that game is made all the more tedious, as though you’re wading through the chuff to unlock the fun parts, such as actually playing the game you’re presented with, accompanied by friends the way it was supposed to be ‘enjoyed.’

Mario Party DS, just as all of the Mario Party games before and after, forces players to do just this, testing your patience in a singleplayer boardgame which runs the gamut of all of the available mini-games, before you’re given access to the same mini-games to play on their own or in multiplayer. Unacceptable.

Continue reading El33tonline’s review of Mario Party DS.