The Unpopular Opinion 5: Games SPC Liked That Many Did Not

Opinions are like tadpoles... or something that rhymes with that. Anyway, not every opinion in the world is a popular one, especially when it comes to games, which is the whole focus of SuperPhillip Central! Over the nearly nine years SuperPhillip Central has been around, we've occasionally taken the road less traveled on our opinions. Now, it isn't done to rock the boat or be difficult. Sometimes, SuperPhillip Central just likes or dislikes a game that many love or hate just because that's how we're wired. The Unpopular Opinion series of articles hits its fifth installment, detailing more games that weren't widely well received, but ended up being games we enjoyed.

For past installments for your convenience, check out these links:

The Unpopular Opinion
The Unpopular Opinion 2
The Unpopular Opinion 3
The Unpopular Opinion 4

Star Fox Zero (Wii U)

Listed by some outlets and critics on their picks for most disappointing games, SuperPhillip Central had a different take on Star Fox Zero. Now, let's not lie here and say that the unorthodox controls are for everyone. You have to sometimes turn your attention to both screens, the TV and the Wii U GamePad, but many times you're just taking a quick glimpse at the cockpit view to get a beat on surrounding enemies or to quickly shoot at an off-screen foe. With practice, this becomes second nature, and if it didn't, then I wouldn't have acquired all of the game's medals through proficient play. Perhaps it's not the Star Fox game that many wanted, but SuperPhillip Central will be darned if Star Fox Zero was a fun experiment.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force (3DS)

Fools and children are the types of people who look at a list, see one or two games on it that they don't agree with, and then dismiss the opinion of someone immediately. These people probably shouldn't read SuperPhillip Central or sites like it, then (aka Stay off the Internet). Metroid Prime: Federation Force, like Star Fox Zero, wasn't the Metroid game fans were expecting, but unlike Zero, Federation Force wasn't like any traditional Metroid game. Instead, it was a squad shooter, best played with friends. Of course, playing the game by oneself was very much possible, and this reviewer actually did that to start, finding no problems with doing so. While Federation Force was not like Metroid at all, what it was like was a much more action-focused Metroid Prime game, having missions that rarely repeated their objectives. One you'd be luring ice titans into cages to lock them inside while another you'd be exiting your mech, stealthily entering a Space Pirate stronghold. The point here is that Metroid Prime: Federation Force wasn't what even SuperPhillip Central was expecting from Nintendo, but the end result was hardly an abomination. Instead, it was great fun.

Killzone: Shadow Fall (PS4)

Killzone is a tale of a video game franchise that had so much potential, but was marred with games that just didn't do anything too special. Though, if we're talking about the PlayStation Vita exclusive entry, Mercenary, then that's a totally different story. That game rocked. With the PlayStation 4 launch title, Killzone: Shadow Fall, what players got was more open-ended level design and pretty standard first-person shooting gameplay. Although much of Killzone: Shadow Fall was "been there, done that", a cool addition to the formula was that of OWL, a robotic buddy that could be used to temporarily stun enemies with a quick jolt, something to summon an electric shield, and a tool to create a makeshift zipline to access faraway portions of levels. The campaign was enjoyable enough to play through multiple times, even doing a no-death run, and the multiplayer wasn't too shabby either, though, developers, stop forcing multiplayer achievements and trophies into your games-- PLEASE. Anyway, Killzone: Shadow Fall might not astonish in any one area, but all in all, it's a thrilling game and fine initial showpiece of the PS4's hardware power.

LittleBigPlanet 3 (PS4, PS3)

Despite launching as a buggy piece of crap, LittleBigPlanet 3 eventually went on to become another enjoyable entry in the series. Introducing some new concepts to the aging formula (seriously, we need a shake up with the series!) like new playable character types, new gadgets, and multi-tiered levels that could stretch back 16 layers instead of just 3, LittleBigPlanet 3 continued to show off the creative tool set that Media Molecule originally created back with the very first LittleBigPlanet. Creating levels and other goodies can be as simple or as complex as a creator wants it, and the end result is something one can easily be proud of, sharing it with the still-very-active community. While there are still some bugs and glitches to be found in the game, LittleBigPlanet 3 is far from the monstrosity it was when it originally launched.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U, 3DS)

The Mario & Sonic series always sees two of the most iconic characters in gaming history team up for some friendly Olympic fun*. (*Your results may vary.) While the latest Olympic release starring the portly plumber and the Blue Blur improves upon the formula in some ways, in others it wasn't so successful. Talking about the latter first, the lack of Dream Events, fantasy versions of Olympic events set in Mario and Sonic's various worlds, was very disappointing. The Duel events that replaced them weren't nearly as good substitutions. Regardless, the events play better for those who can't stand any type of motion controls. Instead, those were replaced with all analog controls, so instead of shaking a Wii Remote like a madman, you can mash on a button like a madman. Sure, some events weren't nearly as fun without motion controls, but they all still provided a certain level of fun. The local multiplayer allowed for up to four players to participate in solo events or the career mode, a nice, challenging change of pace, all adding up to a multiplayer game that remains enjoyable even long after the real Rio Olympics ended.

Mario Party 10 (Wii U)

ND Cube took over from former Mario Party developer Hudson Soft, who was swallowed up Konami. ND Cube has since tried to change up the Mario Party formula to varying degrees of success. With Mario Party 10, the formula from the Wii's Mario Party 9 continued with players sharing the same car, and depending on who was the driver, different actions would happen along the five major boards. While a traditional Mario Party experience would have been better (as seen in the Amiibo-compatible mode), there was a stronger focus on skill than usual, especially compared to Mario Party 9. The mini-games were a strong point, something that ND Cube continues to do really well with the series, and the addition of a mode where the Wii U GamePad player controlled Bowser changed things up for a nice side mode, though a short-lived one. Ultimately, Mario Party 10 was a worthwhile installment, although it's very easy to see why it wasn't liked by every player who came by to join the party.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Wii)

A launch title for Nintendo's mega-hit Wii, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz was part of Sega's milking of the franchise, one that would see games on a wide range of platforms within a very limited range of time. Regardless, Banana Blitz saw multiple new mechanics to the Super Monkey Ball series, such as the motion control movement, which worked as advertised; the ability to jump, which made for some interestingly designed levels; and boss battles, engagements that delivered crafty encounters and heavy hijinks. While the multiplayer featured an overabundance of lame mini-games, the ones that did shine shined rather bright. Couple that with a colorful art style and one of the most infectiously catchy soundtracks on the Wii, and you have a Super Monkey Ball entry that wasn't perfect, but something that SuperPhillip Central ended up enjoying.

ModNation Racers: Road Trip (Vita)

Sure, the lack of traditional online play seems and was a ridiculous exclusion that would have made the game much more appealing, but ModNation Racers: Road Trip possessed some worthy qualities to almost make up for that. For one, the much more streamlined single-player campaign featured wonderful track design and an AI that was fun to race against and seldom overly irritating. The item progression and drifting to get boost or shield energy made for a fairer kart racing experience than many Mario Kart games. Then, you had the ability to create, share, and download custom tracks and racers, many showcasing the amazing creativity of the small but active ModNation Racers: Road Trip community. All of these aspects of Road Trip made for a PlayStation Vita launch title that was an enjoyable and deep racing experience.

Best Boss Battles in Gaming History - Part Fourteen

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THE FOLLOWING GAMES:

• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS)
• Rayman Legends (Multi)
• Ratchet & Clank (PS2)
• Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U)
• Mario Party 10 (Wii U)

Welcome to the fourteenth installment of the long-running series of articles, Best Boss Battles in Gaming History. This is where you, me, and anyone else who wants to join in delve into some of the most climactic, enjoyable, entertaining, clever, and downright fun boss battles in the history of gaming. Whether it's a hardcore final boss or a creative take on a normal boss, these boss battles are some of the best gaming has to offer.

If you missed out on a previous entry of Best Boss Battles in Gaming History, look no further than these links:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six 
Part Seven
Part Eight
Part Nine
Part Ten
Part Eleven
Part Twelve
Part Thirteen

Catch Part Fourteen after the break due to spoilers and all!

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly of Nintendo's DLC Strategy

Like many online-related things in gaming, Nintendo took their sweet time entering into the world of downloadable content, or as I'll shorten it to DLC for my own sanity's sake. Starting off, the company showed great promise in the way they were testing the waters. Nintendo has approached DLC in a multitude of different forms and ways. Some good, some bad, and some really undesirable. 

First off, Nintendo seemed to be doing all the right things with DLC with the Wii U. The three major games featuring DLC are Mario Kart 8, Hyrule Warriors, and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. This trio of games offers tremendous value to the buyer already, but the added DLC only makes the packages all the more enticing. 

For instance, Mario Kart 8 owners are able to purchase one or both of the DLC packs, each featuring eight new tracks, three new characters, and three new vehicles. Buying both at the same time gives a discounted price that is cheaper than buying both separately, despite both packs not being out at the same time. In fact, the second DLC pack is set to release next week, offering eight more remixed and brand-new tracks into the equation. Thus, you're essentially buying another half of Mario Kart 8 for less than $15. That is one heck of a deal, especially since the actual content is so desirable.

Moving onto Hyrule Warriors, Nintendo seems to have a great handle on making a compelling season pass if this Omega Force-developed title is anything to go by. Unlike Mario Kart 8, there is a staggering amount of content already on the disc that would make anyone who purchases it fulfilled without needing to fork over any extra cash. Though, don't get me wrong, what Mario Kart 8 has content-wise is nothing to honk one's horn at; it's just that any game compared to Hyrule Warriors' content would seem like slim pickings in comparison!

Hyrule Warriors was the gift that kept on giving to those who purchased the season pass. New characters which completely different strategies and play styles for players to learn, new adventure maps which allowed players even more fun completing each mission, and the brand-new weapons made for a game that could easily make players lose hundreds of hours of real life time, and I say that in a good way. Maybe not so much if you have an unhealthy addiction to playing video games, though.

Finally, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the third game from Nintendo that I believe does DLC well. Recently (as in yesterday), the first of two announced DLC characters, Mewtwo, was released for people who purchased and registered on Club Nintendo both the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U copies of the newest Super Smash Bros. games. A lot of time and effort goes into creating a new character, as you can probably imagine. I mean, after all, there is balancing the new character against the entire roster, making the character work on all of the stages and with all of the items in the game. It's a lot of work, for sure. 

While Mewtwo will be available for purchase for everyone else later this month, another DLC character was announced at this past Nintendo Direct a couple of weeks ago, Lucas from the unlocalized Mother 3. This enables fans to purchase and play as these returning fighters for a fair price while not putting players who don't pay for them at any kind of disadvantage besides not having the coolness that is Mewtwo and Lucas in their personal roster of available characters.

These three examples are good forms of DLC practice because they aren't already on the disc completely, they weren't held over from the base game to get people to pay more for cut content, and they were created long after the initial development of the base game was over.

However, Nintendo started to slide into more, well, sleazy forms of what we can essentially also call DLC. It all began with one term-- amiibo. Many games recently released by Nintendo have features of the game locked away by an amiibo paywall-- that is, one needs an amiibo figure to unlock that content. Therefore, things like having a member of the Fire Emblem squad join you in Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. is locked behind not only owning a New Nintendo 3DS XL but also owning one of the amiibo figurines. The latter is more important factor to focus on. You're basically forced to buy a $12-$13 figure for something that could have been unlocked with a much cheaper DLC digital key. Speaking of keys, not only is the content already in the game itself, this expensive physical amiibo serves as the key to unlock this reward for players. 

The most egregious (and this is where it starts to get ugly) example of hiding something behind an amiibo paywall is Mario Party 10's amiibo Party mode. To play this mode, at least one amiibo is required. This makes essentially one-third of Mario Party 10 locked away from players without an amiibo, and considered the price of amiibo, that makes a $50 investment turn into an over $60 one. That is pretty slimy to me.

What's worse here is that a lot of the amiibo are too difficult to find. To get Mii costumes in Mario Kart 8, for instance, requires some of the rarer amiibo like Captain Falcon and Fox McCloud. Good luck getting those at a reasonable price, but even at the standard price of, again, $12-$13, it's a huge expense compared to just being able to go on the Nintendo eShop and just pay for a key to unlock all of the costumes yourself with a pain-free, scalper-free transaction. 

Things don't seem to be getting better with the amiibo front either. Wave 4 figure pre-orders sold out incredibly quick, new amiibo were announced for upcoming games like Splatoon and Yoshi's Woolly World (the former locking exclusive costumes and missions away from non-amiibo buyers), and the hope of restocking for most of the rarer amiibo seems hopeless. 

It's my wish that Nintendo leans more toward the good path of DLC (i.e. Mario Kart 8, Hyrule Warriors, and Super Smash Bros.) rather than the amiibo route. Sadly, as the figures continually sell out and are in great demand, these make Nintendo a lot of money. In turn, this reinforces Nintendo's desire to go the amiibo route with adding optional, but usually much desired content to its future lineup of software. Seeing my disgust with trying to even find amiibo figures or make pre-orders, if this were a card game (funnily enough Nintendo wants to make a line of card-based amiibo), I'd definitely say "deal me out."

Review Round-Up - March 2015

Mario Party 10 was fun for the whole family
(and the whole Mushroom Kingdom crew, too).

First off, I hope everyone enjoyed my April Fools' prank for SuperPhillip Central this year. In the past, Filbert from Animal Crossing took over the site, a special edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs was had, and several games were given my judgment in the Review Round-Up.

Now that April Fools' 2015 is over and done with, let's check out the games SuperPhillip Central covered and reviewed for my multiplayer madness month of reviews last month!

Eleven reviews were documented and placed inside my ever-growing SPC Review Archive. As for today, SuperPhillip Central has seen 576 individual reviews!

We kicked off this multiplayer-centric review month with the PlayStation 2 version of Unreal Tournament. While enjoyable, this version is the weakest available, getting a B-. Next, on again, off again contributor Bean and I took looks at both the Wii U eShop and 3DS eShop versions of Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars, which received a B- from yours truly. If you're interested in some levels created by me, check them out here.

Five more eShop games were reviewed in a row: the 3DS eShop's KAMI (C+), the Wii U eShop's excellent Trine: Enchanted Edition (B+), the disappointing 3DS eShop game Zombie Incident (C-), the brightest eShop game on either Wii U or 3DS with Elliot Quest (A-), and the 3DS eShop's fun and engrossing Adventure Bar Story (B).

More multiplayer madness was had with TimeSplitters 2, shooting and warping its way to an A-; Mario Party 10, which partied hard to a respectable C+; XIII, which was a heavily stylized cel-shaded shooter that got a B-; and finally, to cap off the month with a disappointing game, IronFall: Invasion, which proved that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but flattery will only get you so far. The game received a less than fantastic D+.

With that, March 2015's month of multiplayer madness reviews has come to a close!

Unreal Tournament (PS2) - B-
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars (Wii U eShop, 3DS eShop) - B-
KAMI (3DS eShop) - C+
Trine: Enchanted Edition (Wii U eShop) - B+
Zombie Incident (3DS eShop) - C-
Elliot Quest (Wii U eShop) - A-
Adventure Bar Story (3DS eShop) - B
TimeSplitters 2 (PS2, GCN, XBX) - A-
Mario Party 10 (Wii U) - C+
XIII (PS2, GCN, XBX) - B-
IronFall: Invasion (3DS eShop) - D+

Luigi doesn't want Mario getting his mitts all over
his collectible "Mario" amiibo.

Mario Party 10 (Wii U) Review

The work week ends and the weekend begins with celebratory fashion. Party hard with Mario and friends in the tenth installment of the Mario Party franchise, Mario Party 10. Is this party worthy of RSVPing to? Find out with my in-depth review!

Bowser's crashed this party. It's recommended

that you go ahead and crash it, too.

Mario Party games used to be like Maroon 5. It was everywhere, and you couldn't get away from it no matter how much you'd want to and how many times you'd smash your head against a brick wall to suffer enough brain damage to forget it forever. However, over the years and with a change of development team (Hudson to ND Cube, which to be fair is made up of former Hudson employees), Mario Party has dialed it back a bit. For instance, the Wii only had two Mario Party games released for it when the Nintendo 64 and GameCube had three and four respectively. Now, over 15 years later since his very first party, Mario is back with friends (and a ticked off Bowser) in Mario Party 10, the first entry to hit the Wii U. Does this party deliver a fiesta of fun?

Mario Party 10's main mode, the aptly titled Mario Party, is structured similarly to Mario Party 9's. It has all four players riding along a fairly linear board, occasionally offering a duo of paths to venture down, in the same vehicle. The player whose turn it is controls the vehicle by rolling a die, and whatever spaces they land on or events they pass through happen solely to them. The goal of the Mario Party mode is to possess the most Mini Stars by the end of the board. This is performed through playing mini-games which happen sporadically through landing on special spaces, collecting coins from special event spaces, and a myriad of other means.

Mushroom Park, the first of only five boards.

Captain events from Mario Party 9 are absent, but this is seen by me as a good thing. Captain events had the player who controlled the vehicle upon reaching the event the choice of trying to influence the game with some strategy. However, these events generally took so long that they became annoying on repeated play-throughs. With Mario Party 10 removing these, play is much faster.

The player in control of the vehicle is about to get
that bundle of Mini Stars laying there.

In fact, play in general in Mario Party 10 is much faster and streamlined. Gone is the waiting for a CPU player to choose a special dice block in their possession and slowly rolling it. Instead, the block is chosen without any scene showing them selecting it, and they roll. Mini-games load faster, offering simple explanations via a quick video and short, scrolling description. There's little "now what button do I press again?" in this Mario Party.

The Mushroom Kingdoms crew will do just
about anything for their daily dose of Vitamin C.

In the Mario Party mode, there are five boards to play on, a departure from past games that usually have six full boards at the very least. These boards feature plenty of chances for the tides to turn, allowing some players to make a daring comeback-- perhaps TOO many. It can seem sometimes that the first 75% of a board has little bearing on the outcome of a game when the last 25% has a heavy influence on who is deemed the winner and who goes home a last-second loser... and an understandably bitter one at that. When one board has it where if you end up in the path of a fireball near the end and you lose half of your Mini Stars-- which is very easy to do-- games can be decided a bit unfairly at times. What's the point of playing the first three quarters of a board, you might ask? That would be a good question, in all honesty.

Halfway through and at the end of each Mario Party mode board is a fortress that serves as a place in a game for one of two boss mini-games. These pit four players against one boss with the goal of earning the most hits against the boss to earn the most points. There are mini-games where you try to memorize and avoid the locations of Boos to traverse a series of tiles leading to one of many spotlights to shine in King Boo's naught face, and games where you try to stumble your way through a maze to reach one of four cannons first to blast a colossal Monty Mole.

A barrage of bombs are blasted in Petey
Piranha's unattractive mug.

Meanwhile, Bowser Party pits four players against Bowser, once again highlighting the Wii U's ability to use asymmetrical gameplay in a beneficial way. The four players use Wii Remotes while the Bowser player utilizes the Wii U GamePad for rolling die and controlling one of ten specially made mini-games for this mode.

Each player on the competing side begins in the same vehicle with a set amount of hearts. Each player rolls a die, earning a special and quite helpful dice block when they land on a blue space. These can be used strategically to gain create some distance between the players and Bowser. Once the players roll, Bowser gets several dice blocks to roll at once. Depending on how well or poorly the Bowser player does, the always loyal Bowser Jr. either assists his father with the addition of more dice blocks or to cause havoc for the other players.

Faced with the other option of being destroyed
by Bowser, I think it's understandable to run away.

When Bowser catches up with the other players, a mini-game begins with the goal of Bowser to defeat the other players (or at least rough them up real good) and for the other side to just survive. The mini-games have Bowser employing a varied amount of means to damage the other players, costing them hearts in the process. All the while the players need to evade Bowser's assaults. One mini-game has the players needing to quickly alternate between the A and 2 buttons to climb up a tower to avoid Bowser's advances, who pursues and shuffles up behind them. The majority of the mini-games are all about dodges Bowser's attacks with just one of them being based on luck for both sides. The mini-games seen in Bowser Party are fun to play, much like the other mini-games in general, but I can't help but wish there were at least five or ten more. With only ten mini-games total in Bowser Party, one can fly through all of them within one or two games.

Careful, Mario and friends, or Bowser
is going to hand it to you-- literally!

The most controversial mode in Mario Party 10 is Amiibo Party, controversial due to the fact that it's hidden behind a paywall, the price of an amiibo figurine. This is closest to the traditional Mario Party rules of old. There are ten turns, and four players roll the die to move around a square board. The goal is to earn coins either through the mini-games that play after each round of turns is over or through landing on special spaces and areas to afford Power Stars. The player with the most Power Stars at the conclusion of ten turns is deemed the winner.

Depending on the Amiibo used, the board in
Amiibo Party will have different properties to it.

While it definitely stinks that you have to possess a $12-$13 figurine to play this mode, it sort of is offset by Mario Party 10 costing $50 MSRP instead of the full $60. Buying a figure makes it so you're basically paying the price of a full game anyway. Those mental and financial gymnastics by me aside, this isn't optimal for most people, especially those on a budget. It definitely is geared towards those who collect amiibo like myself. It's sort of underhanded by Nintendo and ND Cube to have a mode locked behind requiring a $12 toy.

Mario Party 10's mini-games are one of the best batches in series history. There are a lot of things you can slight developer ND Cube for with their installments of the Mario Party series (9, 10, and the Nintendo 3DS's Island Tour), but the mini-game selection is not one of them. Games are played in a free-for-all setting, 2 vs. 2 team setting, or 1 vs. 3 setting. Thankfully, the majority of these are skill-based with maybe just one relying a little on luck.

I don't want your honey-- honest! Leave me "bee"!

The games presented here in Mario Party 10 are generally really fun. Bob-Omb Bogey, for instance, has players trying to be the first to hit a golf ball that appears onto a tee to earn the most points. However, occasionally a Bob-Omb appears, which takes away points if it's hit by a player. Beeline Shrine features a challenge of avoiding bees that appear in various patterns. Meanwhile, Snake Block Party is a bit of platforming peril, having players scurry along in the sky on moving snake blocks, trying to reach the goal first.

Mario fans finally get that paintball game
that they have been wanting.

Outside of the three main modes, there are multiple miniature modes in the mix as well, such as Coin Challenge that pits four players to compete in a series of seven randomly selected mini-game to determine the winner by coin amount at the very end. There are also two more complicated mini-games in the form of Badminton Bash and Jewel Drop.

This mini-game looks simple enough,
but then you get tilt controls to worry about.

In addition to the modes presented in Mario Party 10, you can spend Mario Party Points earned from playing the game on various in-shop items in Toad's Room. From two secret characters to different vehicles for Mario Party mode, backgrounds and character models for the Photo Mode (which you can share your pics with folks on Miiverse), and music, there's a lot to spend your hard-earned points on. There are also challenges that unlock when specific conditions are met, earning players hundreds of Mario Party Points and adding some longevity to Mario Party 10 in the process.

Ground pounds are a hazard to your butts, kiddies.
Make note of this.

Many of the modes in Mario Party 10 offer a more streamlined approach, and it seems that has bled over into the presentation of the game, too. Basic and minimalist menus are what Mario Party 10 delivers, and while they look serviceable enough, I do miss the personality that was apparent in the presentation of past Mario Party games. What is present in Mario Party 10 is much more sterile in comparison. The visuals are quite pleasant on the other hand, possessing tremendous amounts of character and polish. This is best displayed in the mini-games, which are bursting with personality. The music features competent melodic tunes with a suitably amount of cheeriness to them, though nothing that I could currently hum back to you. They just aren't that memorable this time around.

Mario Party 10 might not be the great game that fans were hoping for the milestone tenth installment, but it's a fun game in small doses and solely if you have other friends to play with. A lack of online play of any kind-- even if just for mini-games, is pretty much inexcusable in 2015, once again showing Nintendo's archaic stance on online play, and hiding Amiibo Party behind a $12 paywall is sort of slimy. However, with some of the best mini-games ever seen in a Mario Party game, great boards, and a wide selection of playing choices, Mario Party 10 manages to make for a hearty party.

[SPC Says: C+]

Mario Party 10 (Wii U) Bowser Party TV Commercial

Despite a lack of online play, which in 2015 is pretty much inexcusable, I'm still very interested in the local multiplayer madness which Mario Party 10 will bring players. This particular ad for the game focuses on the Bowser Party mode, where the player with the GamePad controls Bowser, unleashing heck and havoc onto the other four players. Mario Party 10 hits store shelves in North America on March 20.

Mario Party 10 (Wii U) Japanese Overview Trailer

In less than one month the latest home console Mario Party game will arrive on Wii U with Mario Party 10. With over 70 new mini-games, a brand-new Bowser Party mode, and Amiibo functionality, the Mushroom Kingdom all-stars are certainly going to party hearty when Mario Party 10 releases in March in North America.

Mario Party 10 (Wii U) E3 2014 Announcement Trailer

After a fun and successful party with Miis in Wii Party U, Mario and the gang return for another installment of the Mario Party series, the first on Wii U. The game seems to follow Mario Party 9's example, offering one vehicle that all players travel together in. However, the really cool addition is the ability for a fifth player to control Bowser via the GamePad. Special mini-games and events allow the Bowser player to become the enemy of every other player in the room.