Mario Party 2

Template:Redirectshere Template:Infobox Mario Party 2 is the sequel to the original Mario Party for the Nintendo 64. The objective is simple and similar to the previous Mario Party: obtain stars and defeat Bowser. This game introduces the first use of collectible items in Mario Party's history; the first game had items, but they simply added optional rules or game modes to the game. Each board has its own tricks and turns, and the playable characters, as well as Bowser, wear different outfits based on the theme of the board.

Battle, Item, and Duel minigames are introduced in Mario Party 2. Battle Minigames give every player a chance to win 70% of the stocked Jackpot taken from players (usually a set amount). The top two get a 70/30 share, while the bottom two get nothing; a leftover coin is given randomly. Additionally, players can no longer lose coins in normal minigames.

Story

The cast argues over what to call their new land.

The game opens on a stage where Toad comes out to welcome guests and introduce the story of the play.

The story, from the instruction booklet:

Story: The Legend of Mario Land

Mario and Luigi, Wario and Peach, DK and Yoshi all gathered in speech. Sharing their wishes for all they had seen, saying "Let's make a world built on all of our dreams!" Combining their talents, they sweated and strained, completing that world, Mario Land by name...

Alas, but Wario stepped forth and said, "This world should be named for a Super Star, instead. Wario Land is a far better name!" And so they all argued the depth of their fame, "Peach Land is better!" And "My name is best!" Toad could not believe the words of the rest!

But as they debated who was more grand Bowser invaded that Mario Land!!! "There's no time to argue and no time to fight! "The task is before us," Toad said with a fright, "This land shall be named for the Super Star who defeats evil Bowser and saves us all, too!"

So Mario and friends took on this new quest, to defeat the King Koopa and prove who's the best! They went deep into space, met ghosts and pirates, bust always on Bowser their keen sights were set. No adventure more trying, no reward more grand... So speaks the legend of Mario Land!

One day Mario and friends (save for Wario) decide to create a new world. They name this new world Mario Land. But Wario is unhappy with that name, and introduces his own name; Wario Land. Thanks to Wario, an argument breaks out on what to call this new world. Peach suddenly interrupts the group claiming she has a name they can all agree on. She reveals her name to be Peach Land and the characters double over in irony. As the group continues to argue, a sinister event is taking place on the other side of the unnamed world.

Bowser invades Mario Land.

Bowser has set his sights on this new land, and quickly begins taking it for himself because the group is still arguing. A lone Koopa sees his invasion and then arrives to warn the group about Bowser's plans. However, since they are fighting they do not hear him. Toad then gets everyone's attention by saying whoever can beat Bowser will have the new land named after them. The cast quickly runs off to defeat Bowser and claim their prize.

Bowser is defeated.

The story then takes the characters across six lands ending in Bowser Land. Bowser meets the group in a showdown showing his Metal Bowser power up and claims he is invincible. The character (depending on who won the board) then fights Bowser and with the power of the stars, is able to throw him into orbit.

The game then resumes to the stage format with Mario and friends triumphantly standing over a defeated Bowser. Toad exclaims that they live in peace in the new Mario Land (which does not change depending on the character). The curtain falls and each character comes out for one final bow, followed by the whole cast.

Playable characters

red		blue
Favorite Item	Mushroom	Favorite Item	Skeleton Key
pink		green
Favorite Item	Plunder Chest	Favorite Item	Warp Block
purple		964B00
Favorite Item	Dueling Glove	Favorite Item	Bowser Bomb

Items

Items can be bought at item shops. The offer of the shop varies with the number of turns played and the current rank of the player. Items are also procured by playing item minigames.

Item		Description	Price
Items that can be bought in item shops
File:MP3 Mushroom.png	Mushroom	When used, this item allows the player to roll two Dice Blocks instead of one. The two digits that the player rolls are added up together, and the player will move that many spaces. If the two digits match (e.g., two nines), the player will obtain ten Coins. This is Mario's favourite item.	10 Coins.
File:SkeletonKey.JPG	Skeleton Key	This item is activated automatically whenever a player who possesses it is about to run into a locked gate. The key will open the gate – the player will be let through, and the gate will be locked again. Unlike in Mario Party 3, where the player can discard this item whenever they would like it, this option is not present in this title. This is Luigi's favourite item.	10 Coins.
File:MP3 PlunderChest.gif	Plunder Chest	When this item is used, the player using it will steal the item from a randomly chosen opponent. This is Princess Peach's favourite item.	15 Coins.
File:MP3 DuelingGlove.gif	Dueling Glove	When used, the player using it will summon a Goomba. The player will then choose an opponent to duel in a duel minigame. After this, the player will have the option to choose how much is to be duelled for. This is always Coins. The amount of Coins the player can choose is equivalent to the amount of Coins the participant who has the least amount of Coins prior to the duel. This item is Wario's favourite item.	15 Coins.
File:WarpBlock.JPG	Warp Block	When used, the Warp Block will appear above the player using it. The player will then hit the block – the result of this is that the player will warp with a randomly chosen opponent. This item is Yoshi's favourite item.	15 Coins.
File:MP3 GoldenMushroom.gif	Golden Mushroom	When used, the player using it will roll three Dice Blocks. The digits of all three rolls are added together, and the player will move equally much. If all the digits match, the player using it will receive twenty Coins (e.g., three tens).	20 Coins.
File:MagicLamp.JPG	Magic Lamp	When used, the player using it will directly be taken to the Star Space where they will be asked whether they want to purchase a Power Star or not.	30 Coins.
Obtainable only through item minigames, when landing on an Item Space
File:MP3 BooBell.gif	Boo Bell	When used, the player using it will summon Boo. Boo will then ask the player whom to steal from, whether it be Coins (this costs five Coins), or a Power Star (this costs fifty Coins).	N/A
File:MP3 BowserSuit.gif	Bowser Suit	When used, the player using it will masquerade themselves as Bowser. The masqueraded player will then roll the Dice Block, and any players whom are passed will have to give twenty Coins to the masqueraded player.
File:Bowser-Bomb.gif	Bowser Bomb	When a player obtains this item in an item minigame, Bowser will use it at the end of the current turn. When used, Koopa Kid will transform into Bowser. Bowser will then roll three Dice Blocks, and will move accordingly. Any player that Bowser passes will lose all of their Coins. This is Donkey Kong's favourite item.

Unlike future Mario Party titles, a player can only carry one item at a time.

Spaces

Space		Description	Rarity
	Blue Space	When a player lands on this space, the player will receive three Coins. During the Last Five Turns Event, the amount of Coins is doubled.	Common
	Red Space	When a player lands on this space, the player will lose three Coins. During the Last Five Turns Event, the amount of Coins is doubled.	Semi-common
File:Happening Space.JPG	Happening Space	When a player lands on this space, a board-specific event will unfold.	Semi-common
	Chance Time Space	When a player lands on this space, Chance Time will be initiated.	Rare
	Bowser Space	When a player lands on this space, Bowser will be summoned. An event from a number of events will then unfold.	Semi-rare
N/A	Star Space	When a player passes this space, Toad will ask the player passing by whether they want to purchase a Power Star for twenty Coins or not.	One per board
	Item Space	When a player lands on this space, a board-specific item minigame will be initiated. The minigame will not be initiated if it is the last turn, or if the player already has an item. If both criteria are met, the minigame still will not be initiated.	Semi-rare
	Battle Space	When a player lands on this space, a battle minigame will be played.	Semi-rare
File:Bank Space.JPG	Bank Space	When a player passes by this space, they will have to pay five Coins (if the player does not have five Coins, they will have to pay as much as they can) to the bank. If a player lands on it, the player will acquire all previously deposited Coins. However, this is reverse in Bowser Land; they will obtain five Coins if the player passes by the same space, adding up a loan to the bank and they will have to pay the full loan (or as much as the player can pay if the player does not have enough) if the player lands on the same space.	Two per board

List of boards

Board		Description	Difficulty	Villain
File:Piratelandlogo.jpg File:Pirate LandMap.jpg	Pirate Land	Pirate Land is the first board of Mario Party 2. The players are dressed in a pirate garb, and they are assigned the title "Captain." If a player lands on one of the Blue Spaces that is on a dock, Sushi will appear. Sushi will then take the player to another dock on the board. The Happening Spaces make any player who is placed on the two corresponding bridges shot by a cannonball, which will send them back to the start space. There are a few short-cuts on this board, all guarded by Thwomps. For players to pass a Thwomp, they must pay a fee of one Coin. The fee will then increase by one Coin.	1 out of 3.	Cap'n Bowser
File:Westernland.gif	Western Land	Western Land is the second board of Mario Party 2. Players are dressed as cowboys and have "Deputy" as their title. The main gimmick of this board is Steamer, who runs along the perimeter of the board. Players who want to ride Steamer have to pay a fee of five Coins at a toll. While riding Steamer, the player riding Steamer will hit a block, assigning what direction Steamer should move – either forward or backward. Steamer will move on his own if a player lands on a Happening Space. Any player hit by Steamer will be sent back to Start. There is also a milk shop run by Wiggler. When a player passes it, it will ask if the player wants to have a hootenany for 20 coins. Accepting the offer brings every other character to the shop for a hootenanny.	1 out of 3.	Bowser the Brash
File:Spacelogo.gif	Space Land	Space Land is the third board of Mario Party 2. Players are dressed as astronauts, and are members of the Space Patrol. The main unique feature of this board is the Bowser-faced junction in the very middle of the board. Every time the junction is passed, the number showing will decrease by one. When it reaches zero, the villain will fire a laser beam in the diagonal pathway that starts at the north-east corner of the map, and ends at the south-west corner of the map. Every player blasted by the beam will lose all of their Coins. The Happening Spaces make a Whomp and a Thwomp chase the player who lands on the space to the other side of the map. Any other player caught by the Whomp and the Thwomp will also be chased to the other side of the map. If a player passes by the Snufit Police, they will ask whether the player wants them to set up a speed trap on the board. Should the player accept this, the player has to pay a toll of five Coins. While the speed trap is active, the Whomp and Thwomp will be caught by Snifits, further sending away the chased players.	2 out of 3.	Black Hole Bowser
File:Mysterlandlogo.gif File:Mystery Land map.png	Mystery Land	Mystery Land is the fourth board in Mario Party 2. Players are dressed as archeologists, but are not given a title. The main feature of this board is the four islands that make up the board. For players to move from one island to another, they must land on a Happening Space. This will take any player who landed on the Happening Space to the next island in a clockwise manner. The other way for players to access other islands is for the player to pay a Bob-omb ten Coins. Another feature of this board is Shy Guy's Curse House, which – when players pass – they can pay five Coins to make the Shy Guy to put a curse on the player that the player passing chooses. The curse includes in making the selected player only being able to roll a one to three on their next turn.	2 out of 3.	Bowser Sphinx
File:Horlogo.gif	Horror Land	Horror Land is the fifth board in Mario Party 2. Players are dressed as wizards and are assigned the title "Wizard." The main unique feature of this board is the day and night mechanic. The time of day will change every two turns, or whenever players land on Happening Spaces. Players may also change time from day to night only if they pass by the "Mystery Mansion" on the northern corner of the board where they will be greeted by Kamek. Kamek will then ask the player to ask the player to pay a fee consisting of ten Coins. Should they accept this, the time of day will change to night-time. During the night, if players pass by the dancing floor they are greeted by a few Boos and a Mr. I. For a fee of twenty Coins, they will dance to make it day-time. If players pass by Mr. I, he will ask them to pay a fee of either ten Coins during the day, or five Coins during the night. Should they accept this, they will be taken to the north-west corner of the board. Another feature in this board is the Whomps. When passed by, they will change their position. During the night, they will not be able to move. Another feature is the Big Boo on the north-east corner of the board. Should players pass by him during the night, he ask the player passing to pay three times the usual fee. Unlike normal Boos, he will steal from all players at once.	3 out of 3.	Wizard Bowser
File:Bowserland.jpg	Bowser Land	Bowser Land is the sixth and final board in Mario Party 2. Players are not dressed in any particular way other in their usual costumes, and they are not assigned a title. The rules of the game is turned around on this board. The effect this has is that, when a player passes by a bank, they will gain five Coins instead of them having to pay the equivalent sum of Coins. This will add up to a loan to the bank. Also, unlike in other boards – where any player who lands on a Bank Space will receive all previously deposited Coins – they will have to pay the full loan (or less, if they do not have enough. If they have no coins, they will lose a Star). There is also an item shop where the owner, Baby Bowser, will force the player passing to buy an item he selects. While these features are prevalent, the main feature of this board is the Bowser Parade. After each five turns, the parade will start. Any player caught in the parade will lose two Coins per space, and they will eventually be sent back to start. For players to control the path the parade will take, they can manipulate tiles with arrows on them. They can change the direction of the tiles by passing a Baby Bowser and paying him a fee of five Coins. The Happening Spaces near a red Warp Pipe make players warp to the next red Warp Pipe. Players who land on a Happening Space near the Bloober at the north-west corner of the board will be taken to a "ride," where they will go in a circle until they manage to land on another Happening Space.	3 out of 3.	Bowser

Minigames

Main article: List of Mario Party 2 minigames

Mini-Game Land

Main article: Mini-Game Land

Here players can buy minigames from Woody to play them. They can play freely or in the Mini-Game Stadium. The player can also participate in the Mini-Game Coaster, which can unlock Item and Battle minigames in the Free Play mode.

Staff

Main article: List of Mario Party 2 staff

Game Director

• Kenji Kikuchi

Programmers: Mini-Games

• Isao Kobayashi
• Hiroyuki Makabe
• Satoshi Ezaki
• Atsuko Koike
• Yoshikazu Kita
• Yukio Ohde
• Akira Matsumoto
• Norifumi Hira
• Kazuhiko Hagihara
• Tetsuma Yoshida
• Hidekazu Matsunouchi
• Norio Suzuki
• Tomohiko Shiraishi

Music

• Hironao Yamamoto
• Syohei Bando
• Kazuhiko Sawaguchi
• Yasunori Mitsuda

Gallery

• 

  Mario

• Peachparty2.jpg

  Peach

• 

  Group artwork

• 

  Yoshi in Space Land

• 

  Shy Guy Says

• Usine de Gateau.png

  Cake Factory

Reception

Sarcastic message sent by Nintendo of America to Game Informer over their review of the game.

Mario Party 2 received mostly positive reviews from critics. It was praised for its additions to the original game's foundation and generally considered a moderate improvement. This praise, however was somewhat offset by the unchanged formula from the first game - in particular, the somewhat important factor of luck and lack of enjoyment playing alone.

GameSpot gave the game a 7.8/10, stating that it has much more replay value than the previous game, and that the minigames are much less annoying. IGN rated the game 7.9/10 (the same score they give the first game), saying that while the game had more content, and it "sticks with the same winning formula...there really isn't enough new here to warrant another purchase."

Nintendo of America sent the gaming magazine Game Informer a sarcastic certificate over the publication's negative review of Mario Party 2 and its predecessor.

Mario Party 2 is the 14th best selling game for the Nintendo 64, selling even more copies than its predecessor, having sold 2.33 million copies worldwide, 1.26 million in the US, 1.07 million in Japan, as of December 31, 2009.

Trivia

• This is the first Mario Party in which the characters can hold one item. In later games, characters can hold generally three items.
• This is the first Mario Party game to not feature minigames that involve rotating the Control Stick. This is because the first Mario Party gave many players blisters on their hands from playing these types of minigames.
• The Goomba House shows up on every map in the game.
• This is the only Mario Party game where characters dress according to the theme of the board.
• The coin-collecting mini-games (Deep Sea Salvage, Quicksand Cache, and Magnet Carta) do not show up until the last 15 turns.

External Links

• Official Mario Party 2 Japanese website