How Super Mario Party Jamboree’s Review Scores Compare to Past Games

The Mario Party games are often criticized for being light on content, but the most recent addition to the series, Super Mario Party Jamboree, aims to address this issue. This title, which is the third installment in the MP franchise on Nintendo Switch, was recently released on October 17, 2024. Super Mario Party Jamboree has been billed by Nintendo as the "biggest Mario Party game to date," and judging from the amount of features that have been packed into it, this statement may very well be true. The game has, for instance, a roster of 22 playable characters, which is the most that any entry in the series has ever had so far. In addition to this, Jamboree includes more than 110 minigames, around 37 items, and over 10 modes.

In the world of video games, bigger doesn't always mean better, but in the case of Super Mario Party Jamboree, it seemingly does. The latest entry in the Mario Party franchise has garnered glowing reviews from several outlets. At the time of writing, the game is currently sitting at an 81 on OpenCritic, with approximately 85% of critics recommending it. Meanwhile, on Metacritic, it boasts a commendable score of 82 based on 63 critic reviews. These ratings may not make Super Mario Party Jamboree a forerunner for Game of the Year, but they're still impressive nonetheless, especially when compared to previous mainline entries in the long-running Mario Party series.

Super Mario Party Jamboree is Getting Great Reviews, Especially Compared to Previous Entries in the Series

The Mario Party Games Have Had Some Major Highs and Lows

Nintendo has released 18 Mario Party games since 1998, so the franchise has unsurprisingly had a lot of ups and downs over the years. The first installment in the series, simply titled Mario Party, was developed by the now-defunct studio Hudson Soft and received a score of 79 on Metacritic, in addition to a 78% rating on GameRankings, when it released on the Nintendo 64 back in the day. Mario Party 2 and 3, which also debuted on the N64, garnered similarly decent reviews at the time of their respective launches; the former got a 76 on Metacritic, while the latter got a 74.

Hudson Soft continued to churn out Mario Party games on a near-annual basis during the sixth console generation. Mario Party 4, 5, 6, and 7 were all released in quick succession for the Nintendo GameCube from 2002 to 2005. Most of these games are well regarded nowadays, but their aggregate rankings at the time weren't much to write home about. Mario Party 4 received a 70 rating on Metacritic, while Mario Party 5, 6, and 7 received 69, 71, and 64 ratings respectively.

The Mario Party series entered a bit of a slump during the Wii and Wii U generations. Mario Party 8, the last home console MP title helmed by Hudson Soft, garnered a measly 62 on Metacritic. Its NDCube-developed successor, Mario Party 9, fared a bit better critically, as it got a 74 rating on the site. However, Mario Party 10, which is the only Wii U-exclusive entry in the franchise, was panned by both reviewers and fans in 2015, receiving an underwhelming score of 67 on Metacritic and a 65 on OpenCritic, with a mere 16% of outlets recommending it.

Aggregate Rankings of All Mario Party Games

Super Mario Party Jamboree is the Highest-Rated Mario Party Game of All Time

Nintendo's flagship party game series has performed significantly better on the Switch compared to previous console generations, both critically and commercially. Out of the three installments that have been released on the platform, 2018's Super Mario Party was the worst-reviewed of them all, garnering a 77 rating on OpenCritic and a 76 on Metacritic. The 2021 compilation title Mario Party Superstars, meanwhile, has a top critic average of 79 with 77% of outlets recommending it, according to OpenCritic. Super Mario Party Jamboree has a higher OpenCritic score than either of these two titles, which not only makes it the best-rated Mario Party game of its generation, but also the best-rated entry in the franchise of all time, handheld spin-offs included.

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Super Mario Party Jamboree

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OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 89%

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Released

October 17, 2024

ESRB

E For Everyone

Developer(s)

Nintendo

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Engine

NintendoWare Bezel

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer

Franchise

Mario Party

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Join the latest Mario Party™, a jamboree of seven boards and over 110 minigames

From running through merry-go-rounds to motion-control minigolf, this jamboree is jam-packed with more minigames than any Mario Party game to date. With seven boards in all, you can go with the flow in Goomba Lagoon, search the mall for stars in Rainbow Galleria, or revisit the classics of Western Land and Mario’s Rainbow Castle.

Check out all kinds of additional modes, like the 20-player online* Koopathlon

Race across the party board in Koopathlon, a series-first 20-player online* competition to see who can rack up the highest scores in minigames like the fast-paced Lane Change. The higher your score in each round, the faster you’ll get to the goal.

Koopathlon is just one of a slew of additional modes**—there’s something for every kind of Mario Party enjoyer!

Platform(s)

Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2

Genre(s)

Party Game

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

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