Parents' Guide to

Mario Party 9

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Simple party game creates great fun for the whole family.

Game Nintendo Wii 2012
Mario Party 9 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

age 4+

Based on 1 parent review

age 4+

Very good!!

This game is so fun!! It is alot better than its MP8.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (16 ):

The upshot of all the changes in Mario Party 9 is that much of the chaos that marked previous Mario Party games is gone. There's no surprise switching of spots with other players just as they are about to collect a star, and less pilfering of game-winning stars already earned. Plus, the board's linearity means players can anticipate which spaces and events are coming up next and plan accordingly. For example, special dice of varying values can be used to make the vehicle hang back and avoid detrimental spaces or zoom ahead to get to beneficial spaces, such as a captain event, boss battle, or a cloud of mini-stars.

But even with its many modifications, Mario Party 9 is still very much a Mario Party game, all the way down to the way it cleverly levels the playing field for players of varying abilities. That's good for those comforted by familiarity, but it also means that folks still exhausted by previous entries (there have been more than 10 Mario Party games to date once you factor in portable editions) probably won't find much of lasting interest here. It isn't essential in the way many games headlined by Nintendo's red-capped superstar tend to be, but it's still fine entertainment for families who want to play together.

Game Details

  • Platform: Nintendo Wii
  • Available online?: Not available online
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Release date: March 11, 2012
  • Genre: Party
  • ESRB rating: E for Mild Cartoon Violence
  • Last updated: August 29, 2016

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