First Impressions: Mario Party 2

TOKYO - One of the titles attracting large crowds at the Space World show was definitely Mario Party 2. The original game was very well received in Japan, and gamers were anxious to get their hands on the sequel.

While not much has really changed for this next party game, Nintendo has come up with 64 new mini games to play through. One of the new ones we saw had Mario and crew being chased down a hallway in a dimly lit castle by a large ghost. Using skateboards, the characters must keep speed high while evading obstacles on the floor. Another game had the gang dressed up in penguin suits for a race very similar in style to the ones found in Pen Pen on the Dreamcast. One other cool looking game was one where you played on a mini hockey table. Essentially Pong, you'd have to defend the hockey puck from entering the goal on your side by sliding up and down. With four players it was kind of cool, since you have two people defending each side. And one last mini game that caught our eye was one where Mario and his cohorts would hop into mini tanks and move around a board filled with sewer tunnels, blasting at each other.

Mario Party 2 is currently 70 percent complete and carries as December 1999 release date in Japan.