History YMMV / MarioParty

* FirstInstallmentWins: Regardless of the arguments about the quality of the many sequels the game has, the original three on the Nintendo 64 are widely regarded as the best in the series. Though somewhat averted since most fans prefer the second title over the first. Mostly since ''2'' has updated versions of ''1''[='=]s more popular minigames, better maps, and none of the infamous spinning minigames that plagued ''1''. Additionally, ''3''[='=]s late release in western regions has caused it to be [[Main/AcclaimedFlop underplayed]].

* FirstInstallmentWins: Regardless of the arguments about the quality of the many sequels the game has, the original three on the Nintendo 64 are widely regarded as the best in the series. Though somewhat averted since most fans prefer the second title over the first. Mostly since ''2'' has updated versions of ''1''[='=]s more popular minigames, better maps, and none of the infamous spinning minigames that plagued ''1''.

* HypeBacklash: The N64 entries have gotten this over the years from fans starting from ''4'' onward. While many do agree that they're still good games, they've been receiving criticism for having mechanics that have not aged well that the [=GameCube=] Era games fixed. Most infamously, the control stick spinning minigames from the first game are considered to be a major sour point regarding the N64 games given the legal fiasco Nintendo got themselves into because of it.

** The lack of the official Bowser minigames introduced from ''Mario Party 4'' onward in ''Mario Party Superstars'' has become noticeable by fans. In a game celebrating the entire series with a plethora of returning minigames throughout its entire history, ''Superstars'' only has two official Bowser minigames: "Pit Boss" and "Dark n Crispy", both of which are from ''Mario Party 6''. Many fans are disappointed with this lack of variety, citing a missed opportunity to include some of the more notable Bowser minigames from the series to flesh out its library, like "Fruits of Doom" (''Mario Party 4''), "Rain of Fire" (''Mario Party 5''), and "Funstacle Course" (''Mario Party 7''). The game does, however, treat Bowser minigames the same way the first ''Mario Party'' does by treating minigames with some sort of Bowser or Bowser Castle theme in them as a Bowser minigame.[[note]]Face Lift, Tug-o-War, Quicksand Cache, Bombs Away, Balloon Burst, Bowser's Big Blast, Sky Pilots, Cheep Cheep Chase, and Dungeon Duos are the other minigames you can potentially get as a Bowser minigame.[[/note]]

** One of the problems several people had with ''The Top 100'' was an uneven distribution of minigames between the 10 represented titles. With 100 slots total, you'd expect to see 10 minigames from each game, which ended up not being the case in the final game. [[labelnote:Just how poor is this distribution?]]''5'' has the biggest number with 17, with ''4'', ''2'', ''3'', ''6'', and ''7'' lagging slightly behind with 14, 13, 9, and 12 respectively. On another end of the stick, ''1'' has 6 minigames, ''10'' has 4, and ''8'' has 3, with ''9'' being the only game to have a solid 10.[[/labelnote]] While the collection of minigames in ''Superstars'' was far better recieved, it didn't improve upon the distribution between the games, and if anything made it even worse.[[note]]Without counting 5 additional item minigames from ''2'' and ''3'', the number of minigames from the N64 era takes over half of the minigames, with ''1'' having 12, ''2'' getting 19, and ''3'' being upped to a whopping '''24'''. The [=GameCube=] Parties have a total of 36 minigames, with ''5'' being the one to have 10 minigames this time, ''6'' getting a slightly better 12, and ''4'' and ''7'' being decreased to 8 and 6. The Wii and Wii U installments have it the worst with only 9 minigames combined. (''10'' has 3 and ''9'' was cut to just 4, which leaves ''8'' at the least of any title with only '''2''' minigames.) While they might be some of the worst-received games retrospectively, they still have their fans, who were obviously disappointed with the lack of minigames from said titles, and only further increased resentment towards the N64 games.[[/note]]

* MemeticBadass: Luigi. He has the power to [[WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing win minigames by doing absolutely nothing]].

** Wario, though less for his poor luck and more for his line, "SO EIN MIST!" In Japanese we hear [[BigOMG "OH MY GOD!"]]

** Even if you're the most skilled player who is in the lead, the chance of landing on the Chance Time or Bowser Spaces will haunt you throughout the game, waiting to turn the tables in someone else's favor. The sheer stress that Chance Time induced in players may have been a large reason why it was removed from the series between ''7'' and ''Superstars''.

** ''Mario Party 10'' decides to up the ante by adding a ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-jtm3xoP8I Bowser]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5w3juLC6No Party]]'' mode, which is exactly what it says: Lets a player take control of '''''Bowser.''''' It's simple: Mario and his friends must get to the end of the board and claim the Power Star while being chased by Bowser. If Bowser catches you, he'll force you into a minigame. If he takes out all of your characters, you lose. At first, it seems like a delightful spin on the GoKartingWithBowser trope until you start to think about it from the perspective of Mario and his friends. Essentially, they are being relentlessly pursued by their ArchEnemy, and if he catches them, he gets to ''torture'' them in very sadistic minigames. [[note]]I.E. smashing them with a hammer, chasing them as they climb a tower, breathing fire on them while they run helplessly, crushing them underneath him, placing them on a moving platform while he tries to hit them with fire bars, placing them on a wheel with electric amps and stopping the wheel to make them run into the amps and electrocute themselves, placing them on a literal Pinball game, and more.[[/note]] Even in a light-hearted spinoff game, Bowser can still be a terrifying piece of work when he wants to be.

** '''Chance Time.''' Seeing your hard work getting flushed down because of pure luck is very, ''very'' frustrating to players. Got a lot of Coins or Stars? Chance Time could take it all away!
** It was at its worst in ''Mario Party 3'', since there, and only there, one of the slot options would cause an unlucky donor to hand over ''all'' their coins to a given recipient. An even nastier slot option from the same game would also force the donor to give '''every single star they had''' to another player, giving the lucky recipient a massive star lead. ''Mario Party 4'' severely [[{{Nerf}} reduced its power]], ''Mario Party 5'' and ''Mario Party 6'' reduced it even further, and ''Mario Party 7'' outright removed it. It would take until ''Superstars'' for Chance Time to make a return to the series, where it was once again reduced in power compared to its incarnation in ''3'' (albeit more in line with how it was in ''1'' and ''2'').

* SelfImposedChallenge: Some players would impose "race to 4th", which means purposely throwing minigames and so on in order to finish last. Some custom rules would also be applied, such as requiring players to accept stars if they have enough coins.

** The first three installments tend to [[FirstInstallmentWins be regarded as the best]], with ''2'' being the most loved. [[HypeBacklash Though this has softened over time.]]

* ThatOneAchievement: In ''Superstars'', the Top-Tier Gamer achievement requires you to earn at least 1,000th place in a single minigame. While this was already difficult when the game first released, it's an achievement that is going to get harder over time as more and more players get high scores on each of the minigames, decreasing the margin of error and rewarding players who got the game early.

** Minigames that had a variation that came back in ''Mario Party: The Top 100'' now only have one version. The background music from a few minigames has been changed, too. The latter was rectified in ''Superstars''.

** Cooperative four player minigames have been phased out after the very first game, which itself only had two (Running of the Bulb and Key-Pa-Way). Minigames where you steal coins from players (Grab Bag, Cash Bash, the 1v3 and 2v2 minigames as a whole), as well as just making a player lose coins outright (Bowser's Cash Bash) have also been removed, with the returning minigames that appeared in the second that were based off this changing so no coins change hands outside of the battle minigames, which themselves don't have you directly steal them.

* {{Woolseyism}}: It may be religious {{Bowdleri|se}}zation, but "SO EIN MIST!" feels a lot more Wario and is a lot funnier than the slightly {{O|utOfCharacterMoment}}OC "OH MY GOD!" Granted, this is partly due to the sheer amount of people (one particular one who comes to mind is LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}}) who mishear the replacement line as "D'OH I MISSED!"

** The control stick-spinning minigames of the first ''Mario Party'' became the stuff of legends among fans over time for their infamy at injuring players who used their palms for maximum efficiency. The jokes returned in full force when the "Tug 'O War" and "Cast Aways" minigames returned in ''Superstars'' with the exact same control scheme and only a cursory warning against the tactic, on [[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch a console]] with control sticks notorious for gaining input drift when overused. Taken to its full extreme with the first ''Mario Party'' coming to Nintendo Switch Online, control stick-spinning minigames and all, and no actual disclaimer unlike ''Superstars''.

** '''Chance Time.''' Seeing your hard work getting flushed down because of pure luck is very frustrating to players. Got a lot of coins or stars? Chance Time could take it all away!

** ''Mario Party Superstars'' has been praised for going back to the series' roots, with faithful recreations of boards from the N64 games, 100 returning minigames, and the return of the original dice blocks, Star prices, and other game mechanics. All this then comes with the modern system's much more polished look. Oh, and Donkey Kong is still a playable character for those who enjoy using him, and Birdo has returned after being left out of all entries since ''9''! Suffice to say, fans have expressed hope that the series retains this style of gameplay going forwards.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** ''Island Tour'' seems to be a compromise between the mechanics of ''Mario Party 9'' and those of the games made before it.
** Toys/{{amiibo}} Party in ''10'' for those who want the classic ''Mario Party'' style back.
** ''Star Rush'' throws out the car mechanic completely and returns to the "star collecting" mechanic like the classic ''Mario Party'' titles; while the gameplay in Toad Scramble remains different from the main modes in previous ''Mario Party'' games, the mode Balloon Bash is the closest thing to the classic ''Mario Party'' mode. ''Super Mario Party'', the first console ''Mario Party'' since ''10'', also ditches the car, as does ''Island Tour'' to a much lesser extent (while vehicles are still a prominent feature in gameplay, each character moves individually, similar to the older titles).
** Games starting with ''Star Rush'' heavily cut down on luck-based elements and [[ComebackMechanic Comeback Mechanics]], focusing on strategic play instead.
** While ''Super Mario Party'' still has a four-player cooperative mode in the form of River Survival, the mode is completely skill-based, players are in control at all times, and cooperation is heavily emphasized. This is in contrast to how [[LuckBasedMission the overly luck-dependent and possibly rigged car]] prevented much real choice in cooperating or competing, although how much skill River Survival entails lies entirely in the player's ability to complete each minigame within the time limit.
** After being seemingly abandoned for two years, Nintendo suddenly released an update to ''Super Mario Party'' that enables full online multiplayer for the Party, Partner, and Free Play modes. Later, ''Superstars'' would launch with online play from the start.
** Many players didn't like seeing Donkey Kong removed as a playable character starting in ''5''. His eventual return to playability in the ''10'' was met with open arms. And luckily it seems to have stuck, with DK being playable in all of the following installments (barring ''Top 100'') as well.
** After ''The Top 100'' was widely lambasted for having only a single board map, ''Superstars'', another game featuring 100 classic minigames, was announced to have five boards taken from the Nintendo 64 games. ''Superstars'' also supports traditional button controls with a Pro Controller, something that ''Super'' lacked.
** Peach's Birthday Cake is redesigned in ''Superstars'' to lessen some of its punishing aspects that the first game's boards were notorious for. The Flower Lottery you're forced to pay 10 coins to play has been moved to where the two splitting paths on the board converge instead of where they intitially split which in turn removes the chance to lose coins from Bowser before reaching the Star Space, a new event space lets players skip the lottery if they land on it, and Bowser's section now serves as a risky shortcut for players who end up on it, letting them avoid Piranha Plants and cut across most of the board for another Star if they can spare the cost of Bowser's item. Piranha Plants are also easier to use, since it's possible to set up smaller ones that only steal coins at a much lower cost.
** The "Tug of War" minigame is infamously known for requiring to use the palm of the hand to turn the joystick to be granted a victory. As a result, many people contracted blisters. ''Superstars'' adds a warning telling player that this is [[DontTryThisAtHome uncessary and dangerous]] to do so. However, many fans felt like removing the minigame entirely was the true solution.

* AccidentalInnuendo:
** In ''Mario Party 8'', one of the minigames is called "Shake It Up", where you must shake the soda can harder and faster then your opponents, and the one who can shoot the highest soda fizz wins. Now remember that this game heavily uses motion control. [[ADateWithRosiePalms Really think about that for a moment.]] It doesn't help that the tutorial shows you how you're supposed to shake the soda can.
** Yoshi's ''Superstars'' "Whaaat?!" sticker earns a lot of snickering for its resemblance to an O-face. The 2D artwork originated from ''Star Rush'' (as do all of the playable characters minus Birdo's sticker artworks), which also made an innuendo in that game, especially when Yoshi gets inked by a Blooper in Coinathlon mode.

** ''Mario Party 8'' allowed you to use Miis in some game modes. Nintendo then made ''VideoGame/WiiParty''. [[RecursiveAdaptation The developers of]] ''[[RecursiveAdaptation Wii Party]]'' [[RecursiveAdaptation then went off to make]] ''[[RecursiveAdaptation Mario Party 9]]'' [[RecursiveAdaptation and all subsequent entries in the series]].

** MC Ballyhoo from ''8'' is co-hosted by a [[VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey talking hat with eyes]].
** On the subject of ''Odyssey'', the entire theme of ''7'' revolved around Mario and friends travelling to different countries a good 12 years before that game even existed.
** The North American ads for ''6'' featured kids playing pranks on Bowser, including scribbling on his face while he sleeps. Come ''[[VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury]]'', [[spoiler:Bowser Jr. does the same thing to his dad, kicking off the plot of ''Bowser's Fury'']].
** The minigame "Paint Misbehavin'" from ''8'' is a team competition to see who could paint the most amount of Goombas. This was years before [[Franchise/{{Splatoon}} an actual video game]] ran with this idea.

** In Spector Inspector from ''8'', once one player successfully finds three of the five creatures, the room lights up and the winner stands with all five as they all wave happily at the player. And then the camera zooms back to show that they're all trapped inside a painting in a dark room, as ghosts leer at it. Remember, this is for the ''winner''...

*** LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}} has twice managed to win Cut from the Team by way of the WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing strategy. He came one cut away from a third.

* SpecialEffectFailure: In "At the Chomp Wash" in ''Mario Party 8'', the grass in the background doesn't meet the flower patch behind it, resulting in a black void between them that can be seen in the intro and ending. This was fixed in the minigame's ''Top 100'' incarnation.

** The biggest example has to be '''Blooper''' (of all characters) joining the party in ''8''. While Hammer Bros were [=NPCs=] in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' and ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'', Blooper never had any friendly representation in the ''Mario'' series aside from a disgruntled partner of Luigi in said game.

* TierInducedScrappy:
** The Genie Lamp, Flutter Capsule/Orb, and the Star/Golden Pipe, depending on the game. Each of these items can bring its user onto the location of the Star or very close to it, which is very convenient for its user but quite unfair to every other player. They are at least the most expensive items in their respective games, which combined with their use meaning you have to pay the toll for a star makes it hard to overuse them unless you have a lot of coins.
** ''Super Mario Party'' introduces Character Dice Blocks, which are exclusive to a character and can always be used in lieu of the standard dice block. Character Dice break the standard rules of the dice block, which in this game is six-sided like ''9'' and ''10'', and so a character can have a die with a higher average for certain numbers, +6 spaces, 0 spaces, or gaining or losing coins (but you don't move). [[https://rankedboost.com/super-mario-party/best-characters/ Generally]], high-risk, high-reward dice like Bowser (two -3 coins, 1, 8, 9, 10), Donkey Kong (+5 coins, three 0s, and two 10s), and Boo (two -2 coins, two 5s and two 7s) sit high on the tier list while character dice with low rolls like Shy Guy (five 4s and one 0) and Monty Mole (he has the standard die but with the 1 replaced with a +1 coin, which also acts as a 0) sit at the bottom. How they work as Allies is also important, as they can add to your final dice roll.

* IdiotPlot: ''DS''[='=]s plot happened because Mario and his friends fell for Bowser's obvious trap.

** ''Mario Party 10'', for the Wii U, introduces a new 'Bowser Party' mode (where the Gamepad user takes on an antagonistic 'Bowser' role to create obstacles for the other 4 players during minigames) as well as keeping many of the changes introduced in ''Mario Party 9''. Reactions are quite mixed.
** ''Star Rush'' [[SoOkayItsAverage has been received better than its three predecessors, although it's still not seen as anything special]].

** The general consensus on ''Super Mario Party'' is that, barring a few shortcomings (the control scheme is locked to detached Joycons; the matches tend to skew a bit shorter in run-time, etc.), it's a triumphant aversion for the most part and a return to form for the franchise. Then came ''Superstars'' which, as a whole, is generally considered to have completely averted this, being hailed as comparable to the N64 titles in quality and a bigger return to the series' traditional formula. Overall, the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch proved to be very benefitial for the series.

* SpecialEffectFailure: In "At the Chomp Wash" in ''Mario Party 8'', the grass in the background doesn't meet the flower patch behind it, resulting in a black void between them that can be seen in the intro and ending.

** ''Island Tour'' seems to be a compromise between the mechanics of ''Mario Party 9'' and those of the games made before it.

** In ''Mario Party Advance'', when Bowser is accused of stealing a painting called "Toads at Twilight", Bowser says that he doesn't like Toads and he hates Literature/{{Twilight}}.
** Just before the ''Advance'' minigame "Goal Tenderizer", Bowser calls himself the world's best GK, and Koopa Kid adds that he means "goalkeeper" and not "good kitty". Cue the final stage of ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', in which Bowser indeed attempts to be the best kitty, good or otherwise.
*** During the other Bowser encounters in ''3D World'', you fight him by kicking exploding soccer balls at him. His goalkeeping prowess came back to bite him!
** Also from ''Advance'', the characters move around the boards in a car that eerily resembles the one in ''9'' and ''10''.

* {{Sequelitis}}: After about a dozen or so {{Mission Pack Sequel}}s, the series has gone up and down in quality game by game.

** Single player-focused ''Advance'' is seen as alright on its own merits, albeit nowhere near as good as the other games.

** The general consensus on ''Super Mario Party'' is that, barring a few shortcomings (the control scheme is locked to detached Joycons; the matches tend to skew a bit shorter in run-time, etc.), it's a triumphant aversion for the most part and a true return to form for the franchise.
** ''Superstars'' as a whole is generally considered to have completely averted this, being hailed as comparable to the N64 titles in quality and a true return to the series' traditional formula.

** In ''Mario Party 8'', one of the mini games is called "Shake It Up," where you must shake the soda can harder and faster then your opponents, and the one who can shoot the highest soda fizz wins. Now remember that this game heavily uses motion control. [[ADateWithRosiePalms Really think about that for a moment.]] It doesn't help that the tutorial shows you how you're supposed to shake the soda can.

* FirstInstallmentWins: Regardless of the arguments about the quality of the many sequels the game has, the original three on the Nintendo 64 are widely regarded as the best in the series. Though somewhat averted since most fans prefer the second title over the first. Mostly since ''2'' has updated versions of ''1'''s more popular minigames, better maps, and none of the infamous spinning minigames that plagued ''1''.

** In ''Mario Party Advance'', when Bowser is accused of stealing a painting called "Toads at Twilight," Bowser says that he doesn't like Toads and he hates Literature/{{Twilight}}.

* FirstInstallmentWins: Regardless of the arguments about the quality of the many sequels the game has, the original three on the Nintendo 64 are widely regarded as the best in the series. Though somewhat averted since most fans prefer the second title over the first. Mostly since ''2'' has updated versions of ''1''’s more popular mini-games, better maps, and none of the infamous spinning mini-games that plagued ''1''.

** In ''5'', ''6'', ''7'', and ''8'', someone on the dev team had the [[SarcasmMode brilliant]] idea of making battle games count towards the mini-game bonus star… which means if you ever get the [[GoldenSnitch very rare but still possible 50-coin battle game]], the person who wins it clinches that bonus star and possibly the whole game, unless the game is long enough for other players to catch up.

** Whoever plays as Bowser in ''Mario Party 10's'' Bowser Party mode [[TheJuggernaut is virtually unstoppable]]. The rest of you [[YouWillNotEvadeMe really don't want to be caught]] by that player, as your crew desperately tries to put distance between each other. Bowser is giant, so all his mini-games [[{{Kaiju}} hit like a ton of bricks]], especially if he becomes angry, and can potentially KO the lot of you in one round. [[GiantEqualsInvincible In most cases, you're all powerless to fight back.]] You have to be extremely lucky to survive, thus the core of the problem is exacerbated [[FakeBalance by how unbalanced it all is]]. Usually, Bowser only can roll after all non-KO'd party members roll, but Bowser gets ''4'' dice to work with (which can reach up to ''six'' with the random "Helper Jr." event and special spaces) to nearly always catch the party. And if he gets a bad roll, Bowser can ''reroll'', and if the reroll isn't enough to catch the car, Bowser gets angry, which changes the skill-based minigames into minigames that involve luck or incredibly painful attacks.

** In Spector Inspector from ''8'', once one player successfully finds three of the five creatures, the room lights up and the winner stands with all five as they all wave happily at the player. And then the camera zooms back to show that they're all trapped inside a painting in a dark room, as ghosts leer at it. Remember, this is for the ''winner''…
** Bowser's Big/Bigger Blast from ''Mario Party 2'' and ''4'', and Cut From The Team from ''Mario Party 8''. The tension alone makes the heart race in fear. Who will die first? Will it be you, or your friends? You're at the mercy of Lady Luck as you slowly step forward and meet destiny… ''Superstars'' adds an extra layer of tension by randomly spacing out when you're given the results of your choice, making every second feel like an eternity.
*** LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}} has twice managed to win Cut From the Team by way of the WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing strategy. He came one cut away from a third.

** The Bowser Revolution, which averages out the coins/mini-stars of the players. This can be particularly vexing if it occurs late in the game, as it has the potential to nullify all progress made to date and [[DownToTheLastPlay make the last mini-game the only one that matters]]. The issue has been exacerbated in the most recent titles, since — unlike when Stars determined the winner — mini-stars are the only deciding factor in the victory ''and'' Bowser spaces are more plentiful towards the end of the board, making a Bowser Revolution more likely to come up in the dying turns of the game.

** Bowser Jr. Breakdown in ''9'' is hated for being a boss mini-game that's [[LuckBasedMission purely luck-based.]] While Whomp Stomp and Bombard Big/King Bob-Bomb were also luck-based, they at least had an element of strategy to them.[[note]]When playing with human players, anyway.[[/note]] All Bowser Jr. Breakdown consists of is hitting a dice block, and hoping that you'll hit the right number.

** Mini-games that had a variation that came back in ''Mario Party: The Top 100'' now only have one version. The background music from a few minigames has been changed, too. The latter was rectified in ''Superstars''.

** ''Mario Party Superstars''' has been praised for going back to the series' roots, with faithful recreations of boards from the N64 games, 100 returning mini-games, and the return of the original dice blocks, Star prices, and other game mechanics. All this then comes with the modern system's much more polished look. Oh, and Donkey Kong is still a playable character for those who enjoy using him, and Birdo has returned after being left out of all entries since ''9''! Suffice to say, fans have expressed hope that the series retains this style of gameplay going forwards.

** Bowser's Big/Bigger Blast from ''Mario Party 2'' and ''4'', and Cut From The Team from ''Mario Party 8''. The tension alone makes the heart race in fear. Who will die first? Will it be you, or your friends? You're at the mercy of Lady Luck as you slowly step forward and meet destiny…

** The minigame "Paint Misbehavin'" from ''8'' is a team competition to see who could paint the most amount of Goombas. This was years before [[Franchise/{{Splatoon}} an actual videogame]] ran with this idea.

** In ''Mario Party 8'', one of the mini games is called "Shake It Up," where you must shake the soda can harder and faster then your opponents, and the one who can shoot the highest soda fizz wins. Now remember that this game heavily uses motion control. [[ADateWithRosiePalms Really think about that for a moment.]] It doesn't help that the tutorial shows you how you're supposed to shake the soda can. [[https://youtu.be/JCV7wXqUOro?t=9m17s Witness for yourself.]]

** The control stick-spinning minigames of the first ''Mario Party'' became the stuff of legends among fans over time for their infamy at injuring players who used their palms for maximum efficiency. The jokes returned in full force when the "Tug 'O War" and "Cast Aways" minigames returned in ''Superstars'' with the exact same control scheme and only a cursory warning against the tactic, on [[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch a console]] with control sticks notorious for gaining input drift when overused. Taken with full extreme with the first Mario Party coming to Nintendo Switch Online, with those minigames back and no actual disclaimer unlike ''Superstars''.

* ThatOneLevel: Every installment of the ''Mario Party'' series has a few mini-games and boards that seem solely designed to test players' patience. There are so many examples, [[ThatOneLevel/MarioParty there's a page listing them all]].

** ''Island Tour'' seems to be a compromise between the mechanics of ''Mario Party 9'' and those of the other games.

** ''3'' removed the board appropriate costumes featured in ''2''. Though merely aesthetic, fans found the costumes charming and some are still upset they've yet to be reintroduced since their debut.

** After appearing in ''8'', Miis aren't playable in any installments from ''9'' onwards, despite being on systems that support them. This wouldn't be much of a problem, except that the developers of the ''Mario Party'' games from ''9'' onwards also made ''Wii Party''. Then again, that might be why they aren't playable here...
** Though Donkey Kong Spaces kept DK involved in the series as Bowser's GoodCounterpart, most fans agree that they liked him better when he was playable. Eventually, Nintendo got the message and Donkey Kong has rejoined the roster.

** The Genie Lamp, Flutter Orb, and the Star/Golden Pipe, each of these items can bring its user onto the location of the Star or very close to it, which is very convenient for its user but quite unfair to every other player. They are at least the most expensive items in their respective games, which combined with their use meaning you have to pay the toll for a star makes it hard to overuse them unless you have a lot of coins.
** ''Super Mario Party'' introduces Character Dice Blocks, which are exclusive to a character and can always be used in lieu of the standard dice block. Character Dice break the standard rules of the dice block, which in this game is six sided like ''9'' and ''10'', and so a character can have a die with a higher average for certain numbers, +6 spaces, 0 spaces, or gaining or losing coins (but you don't move). [[https://rankedboost.com/super-mario-party/best-characters/ Generally]], high-risk, high-reward dice like Bowser (two -3 coins, 1, 8, 9, 10), Donkey Kong (+5 coins, three 0s, and two 10s), and Boo (two -2 coins, two 5s and two 7s) sit high on the tier list while character dice with low rolls like Shy Guy (five 4s and one 0) and Monty Mole (he has the standard die but with the 1 replaced with a +1 coin, which also acts as a 0) sit at the bottom. How they work as Allies is also important, as they can add to your final dice roll.
* ToughActToFollow: FirstInstallmentWins aside, the first three ''Mario Party'' games on the Nintendo 64 are considered the finest games of the series due to the quality of the minigames, the wide variety of game modes, and in the case of ''Mario Party 3'', the addition of a pretty interesting story mode. The [=GameCube=] games and ''Mario Party 8'' had a difficult time following them up, though they were eventually VindicatedByHistory, thanks in part to the controversy surrounding the modern games.

** ''Mario Party Superstars''' has been praised for going back to the series' roots, with faithful recreations of boards from the N64 games, 100 returning mini-games, and the return of the original dice blocks, Star prices, and other game mechanics. All this then comes with the modern system's much more polished look. Oh, and Donkey Kong is still a playable character for those who enjoy using him, and Birdo has returned after being left out of all entries since ''9''! Can you really blame fans for hoping that this continues on in subsequent entries?

** the "Tug of War" minigame is infamously known for requiring to use the palm of the hand to turn the joystick to be granted a victory. As a result, many people contracted blisters. ''Superstars'' adds a warning telling player that this is [[DontTryThisAtHome uncessary and dangerous]] to do so. However, many fans felt like removing the minigame entirely was the true solution.

** The control stick-spinning minigames of the first ''Mario Party'' became the stuff of legends among fans over time for their infamy at injuring players who used their palms for maximum efficiency. The jokes returned in full force when the "Tug 'O War" and "Cast Aways" minigames returned in ''Superstars'' with the exact same control scheme and only a cursory warning against the tactic, on [[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch a console]] with control sticks notorious for gaining input drift when overused.

** The Sluggish/Slow 'Shroom Orb in ''6'' and ''7'' was overpowered due to downright neutering a fundamental random tenet of the game. It allowed you to roll from 1 to 10, except that the dice rolled slowly enough for players to pick any roll (and thus land on ''any'' nearby space) they liked. Want to spite another player? Land on a Round of Miracles (a reskinned Chance Time) and try your luck, or perhaps land on a Duel Space and try to beat your target for coins or a star. Want lots of money fast? Turn on Mic Minigames in ''7'' and land on a Mic Minigame space, then bet and win as much money as you can. Want a chance at the Happening or Red Star? Just deliberately land on such spaces with the Orb. A star is up to 10 spaces away from where you are that it is possible but unlikely to roll high enough to reach it in one turn? Just use the orb to guarantee moving enough spaces to nab the star. Had a disappointingly low roll lately? Just use this orb to get a [[ThrowTheDogABone reprieving 10]]. Such an item allowing players to land on any nearby space they wish, in a game series where dice blocks are supposed to randomize each player's movement, proved to be so powerful that ''Mario Party 8'' {{nerf}}ed a similar candy, the Slowgo Candy, to only allow players to move 5 spaces ahead. ''Super Mario Party'' and ''Mario Party Superstars'' brought this item back in the form of the Custom Dice Block, and it's as powerful as ever, especially in the latter game, since many of the maps in that game have game-changing event spaces.

** The Sluggish/Slow 'Shroom Orb in ''6'' and ''7'' was overpowered due to downright neutering a fundamental random tenet of the game. It allowed you to roll from 1 to 10, except that the dice rolled slowly enough for players to pick any roll (and thus land on ''any'' nearby space) they liked. Want to spite another player? Land on a Round of Miracles (a reskinned Chance Time) and try your luck, or perhaps land on a Duel Space and try to beat your target for coins or a star. Want lots of money fast? Turn on Mic Minigames in ''7'' and land on a Mic Minigame space, then bet and win as much money as you can. Want a chance at the Happening or Red Star? Just deliberately land on such spaces with the Orb. A star is up to 10 spaces away from where you are that it is possible but unlikely to roll high enough to reach it in one turn? Just use the orb to guarantee moving enough spaces to nab the star. Had a disappointingly low roll lately? Just use this orb to get a [[ThrowTheDogABone reprieving 10]]. Such an item allowing players to land on any nearby space they wish, in a game series where dice blocks are supposed to randomize each player's movement, proved to be so powerful that ''Mario Party 8'' {{nerf}}ed a similar candy, the Slowgo Candy, to only allow players to move 5 spaces ahead.

** "Gimme Equality!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]The ''Mario Party DS'' equivalent of Bowser Revolution. The phrase was adopted the LGBT community.[[/labelnote]]

* GoodBadBugs: In the ''Superstars'' version of [[VideoGame/MarioParty3 Ice Rink Risk]], a player who gets knocked out still has collision as they're flying, meaning it's possible for another player to touch their model and get shoved out of the rink. This causes them to infinitely fall, which means they can no longer play... but they're not eliminated because of this bug, so it's impossible to get hit by any Spinies, which guarantees a victory.

** Thanks to the intensely competitive nature of the games — a competitiveness not helped by random events that can cause major lead changes — the series has developed a memetic reputation for [[GameNightFight causing fights]] and destroying friendships. Even Nintendo joked about it twice - In an ad for ''10'', claiming that the [[http://www.gamnesia.com/news/nintendo-calls-mario-party-the-friendship-wrecker-in-new-advertisement-camp friendship wrecker returns]], and in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MUtYv7_7N0 A Completely Normal Mario Party Superstars Trailer]]" for ''Superstars''.

** Thanks to the intensely competitive nature of the games — a competitiveness not helped by random events that can cause major lead changes — the series has developed a memetic reputation for destroying friendships. Even Nintendo joked about it twice - In an ad for ''10'', claiming that the [[http://www.gamnesia.com/news/nintendo-calls-mario-party-the-friendship-wrecker-in-new-advertisement-camp friendship wrecker returns]], and in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MUtYv7_7N0 A Completely Normal Mario Party Superstars Trailer]]" for ''Superstars''.

** In ''Mario Party 8'', one of the mini games is called "Shake It Up," where you must shake the soda can harder and faster then your opponents, and the one who can shoot the highest soda fizz wins. Really, [[ADateWithRosiePalms think about that for a moment]] (it doesn't help that the tutorial shows you how you're supposed to shake the soda can). [[https://youtu.be/JCV7wXqUOro?t=9m17s Witness for yourself.]]

** The minigame "Paint Misbehavin'" from ''8'' is a team competition to see who could paint the most amount of Goombas. This was years before [[VideoGame/{{Splatoon}} an actual videogame]] ran with this idea.

* BreatherLevel: "Tunnel of Lava" from ''7'' is by far the easiest single-player Bowser minigame when compared to "Treasure Dome" (TrialAndErrorGameplay) and "Slot-O-Whirl" (a LuckBasedMission). In it, your goal is to seek out the Mechakoopa who swallowed the key among a group of circling Mechakoopas, which isn't hard to do since you just have to chain-stomp them until you eventually find the one that has the key. They'll occasionally light up red to breathe fire, but there's no real penalty for taking a hit from them, making this minigame a breeze. If all your coins or a star is at stake, getting "Tunnel of Lava" is a guaranteed save.

** ''7'' has the Special Orbs for each designated character pair. Of the 6, there are 2 that are considered above the others.
*** Yoshi and Birdo's Egg Orb turn any character space walked onto into eggs which turn into orbs after your turn is done. This allows you to avoid any traps especially if you're near a star and able to use the orbs against your opponents back.
*** Boo and Dry Bone's Magic Orb doubles whatever number you rolled for 2 turns and turns them invisible, allowing them to avoid all roadblock orbs placed.

* GeniusBonus: Windmillville from ''Mario Party 7'' is an economics-themed board where ownership of windmills is rewarded with stars at the end of the game. Only one player can own each windmill, and Bowser can destroy a windmill outright, so escalating investments and crushed dreams are both likely. The board is adorned with tulips, a reference to the 17th-century Dutch [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania Tulip Mania]].

** "Balloon Burst" from ''Mario Party 7'' puts the three players besides the one who was last to inflate the balloon at risk. In spite of it going out of its way to remove the scary imagery of the similar Bowser minigame "Balloon of Doom" (as it's no longer one anyway, instead being a Mic minigame), the players still cringe in anticipation once the balloon starts reaching its limit, and it's fairly hard to predict when exactly it's going to explode.

** The final battle of ''7'', Bowser's Lovely Lift, is so hard that in Solo Mode, your progress on it is saved if you lose. Just hope that you didn't get to the 99th floor and your opponent gets the next shot at it. To make matters worse, in the Free Play Sub, you need to do it all in one go.

*** "Gimme Equality!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]The ''Mario Party DS'' equivalent of Bowser Revolution. The phrase was adopted the LGBT community.[[/labelnote]]

** [[http://youtu.be/m6PxRwgjzZw "Luigi wins by doing absolutely nothing"]], a series of videos in which the player, using Luigi, sets the controller down and yet beats several minigames anyway, be it through ArtificialStupidity or the grace of the RandomNumberGod. Also available for ''[[http://youtu.be/Ke5upQDA7yE Mario Party 5]]'', ''[[http://youtu.be/l9eeX2Lx1pE Mario Party 9]]'', and ''[[http://youtu.be/Meq_DXruBkY Super Smash Bros.]]'' And here's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fVeBXXifdg the entire series]]. It even inspired [[WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing its own trope]]. A later strain of this was developed, called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i241voDInT8 Peach loses by doing absolutely everything]]", wherein [[ButtMonkey Peach]], well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin loses by doing absolutely everything]].
** "We play for mad cash!". This originated from LetsPlay/{{pokecapn}}'s Let's Play of the series whenever anyone in his group would gamble with all of their coins. This in turn was frequently referenced by LetsPlay/TheRunawayGuys in their playthrough.
** "Takin' your star bro!". This came from [[http://media.nintendo.com/nintendo/bin/n_OyCW_WP5lCezLfWIjdLD67_WREt11K/9IQGgjnUpxUJBDo3FPehmCFKyousqPiO.png artwork for Mario Party 10]] that depicts Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser playing with an amiibo board. Mario is moving his piece and looking smug, Luigi is fretting over what is unfolding, Peach looks shocked, and Bowser is contemplating the situation intensively.
** Thanks to the intensely competitive nature of the games — a competitiveness not helped by random events that can cause major lead changes — the series has developed a memetic reputation for destroying friendships. Even Nintendo joked in an ad for ''10'' that the [[http://www.gamnesia.com/news/nintendo-calls-mario-party-the-friendship-wrecker-in-new-advertisement-camp friendship wrecker returns.]]

** Luigi the criminal/Luigi pirates video games[[labelnote:Explanation]]In all of the Mario Party DS Anti Piracy videos ([[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness except the first]]), the player is always controlling Luigi, which results in the characters accusing him of being a criminal. As such, people have made jokes about Luigi being a horrible monster who deserves the cruel and unusual punishments he receives, be it getting mauled by Monty Mole or SwallowedWhole by Shy Guy.[[/labelnote]]
** The LGBT community has adopted "Gimme Equality!" from ''DS''.[[labelnote:Explanation]]If you land on a Bowser Space, one possible action he'll dole out is taking everyone's coins and redistributing them equally with this title. (Yes, this is the same thing as the aforementioned Bowser Revolution.)[[/labelnote]]

* MemeticTroll: Peach. Many fans claim that an AI-controlled Peach, even with the AI set at "Easy", always manages to cheat her way to victory, whether that'd be in minigames or getting stars and/or coins. This is also a bit of an AscendedMeme in ''Mario Party 4'', as the manual refers to Peach as "surprisingly mischievous". LetsPlay/TheRunawayGuys have even formed an anti-Peach alliance just to stop her.

** The Genie Lamp, Flutter Orb, and the Star/Golden Pipe, each of these items can bring its user onto the location of the Star or very close to it, which is very convenient for its user but quite unfair to every other player.