The "Mario Party" series is never one that I find myself getting the most excited about, but they can be fun on occasions, especially if you have a large group of friends to play them with. When "Mario Party 10" was announced for the Wii U, I didn't exactly place it very high on my radar, especially since it came out so close to "Super Smash Bros. for Wii U" as well as the DLC packs for "Mario Kart 8," but I still thought it might be fun to give it a shot. As it turned out, the game left me conflicted.
"Mario Party 10" succeeds the most when you're playing it with five players in the Bowser Party mode. This is a fresh spin on the series, and having an extra player to compete against is just plenty of fun. Per usual, the game also features some very fun and memorable minigames that, despite being occasionally centered around luck, are still accessible while still providing some fun challenge. The visual design is also fantastic and loaded to the brim with bright colors that are just lovely to look at.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of things holding this game back: for starers, the new Amiibo Party mode is completely useless. Even if you own the compatible Amiibo figures, this mode is one of the most bland offerings that any "Mario Party" game has offered to date. The main Mario Party mode also brings with it some of the additions that weren't as fun in "Mario Party 9," and while Bowser Party is definitely the highlight, it suffers from having too few minigames to last.
Overall, there's some fun to be had with "Mario Party 10," and being one of the few Wii U games that supports five players helps up the multiplayer fun, but this is one of the most inconsistent "Mario Party" games yet. Some modes are great, some are lackluster, and it unfortunately lacks the fun of some of the best entries in the series. If you're looking for a game you can play with five players on the Wii U, this might be solid, but if that's the case, you might just be best left sticking with "Nintendo Land."
Final rating: 6 out of 10 "Decent"