Mario Party 10 Tries to Mix Things Up with Bowser Mode - Preview

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The Mario Party series is generally regarded as being one of Nintendo's least innovative franchises. For years now, each entry has felt like something of a rehash, with only a minimal level of improvement and changes made from one entry to the next. In attempt to change this perception Nintendo has introduced a new Bowser Mode in Mario Party 10. It's a mode which puts one player in control Bowser and their objective is to use the GamePad to hamper everybody else's progress.

The person playing as Bowser is tasked with beating the other players in 1v4 styled mini-game madness, as well as on the board itself in a way not yet revealed. Two mini-games were demonstrated at E3, both of which used the GamePad's gyroscopic abilities.

The first required the Bowser player to tilt the GamePad to shoot fireballs at the players in a limited space. Each player gets five lives as Bowser tries to take everybody out. The second game was very similar, and required the Bowser player to move the GamePad in various directions, breathing a stream of fire at the other players. Meanwhile, a more standard Mario Party mode is also available for players that prefer a more traditional experience.

While the demo was brief, neither mini-game left much of an impression on me. It's certainly nice to see the gyroscopic controls put to good use, but Bowser Mode itself felt no different than a standard 3v1 mini-game from past entries in the series. Nintendo will have to reveal that there's much more in store from this new game mode if it's to truly shake things up enough to keep the series fresh. 

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