Don't believe those bad reviews...they just want Mario to die!!!
As I stated, ALL of the boards maps are short and small, and because of that, the game's a bit embarassing. But don't let the looks fool you (aparrently all the bad review people were fooled), this game has a lot more to offer. There's a brand new Solo Mode that's short, but it's quite fun and challenging at times. It's actually played out differently than the normal game is.
The graphics and sound are a bit "cute", and that's what turned many players off. Hello!!! It's a freakin' dream-theme game? What're you expecting, Suicidal Bombing Nightmares? If so...just no, don't even. But the soundtrack isn't as addictive as I thought it would be.
A rather bad move Nintendo made was not making DK a playable character anymore! What was up with that? Ah, but fret not, he's still in the bunch. Now he has his own space, which will give you some great stuff! It's the exact opposite of a Bowser Space.
A huge improvement in this game is the capsule system. Albeit that makes the game a bit more luck-based, you'll pass those capsule machines MANY times before the game ends. So you won't have to worry so much. Of course, they're other ways to get capsules... anyways, the whole system brings a brand-new strategy into the mix. I've got strategies coming out of the wazoo from this system, and it tests your ability to work with the items provided instead of just buying one great item repeatedly. Many think, no, it sucks... well, just wait till Wario hears this! Then he'll use his Nuclear Fart on all of you flamers! (evil laugh) Sorry, off topic.
The new mini-games here are quite fun and there's plenty of them this time! You won't tire so much from these games as the Mario Party 4 ones. The duels are back and more evil than last time, since now you can bet stars!!! That'll teach those punks that always steal your stars! You can just take them back! A pretty bad idea is that now Battle Games come randomly anytime a 4-Player Game would be played...um, not the best idea, but I could understand why they did that...since most people could make 3 or 4 Battle Games happen in one turn and they win them all (cheap!!!). Otherwise, there's no real excuse for it. They also added a great Super Duel Mode that's pretty entertaining. The downside is that getting all th parts to build your machine for battle is very annoying, as you have to play games like there's no tomorrow.
With all the little flaws in there, Mario Party 5 is a really great game. A lot better than 4, but not so great as 6. It's what might've saved the Mario Party series from drowning, but since 7 rolled around, the ship's starting to sink again. I'm just telling you not to believe the negative remarks from others. The game is solid and will not disappoint, but if you can get Mario Party 6, it's probably the better choice.