The cream of the crop?
Test your memory, speed, and luck in a variety of multiplayer minigame types. With Download Play, up to 4 players can party on their own system with just 1 Game Card. This time the fun comes faster, thanks to some fresh features, including a Favorites option for quicker minigame selection and streamlined instructions. Start playing and pretty soon you’ll find there’s only enough room for the best at this funfest.
I was in two minds about The Top 100 when I first heard about it, one was that it’d be great to play all these old mini-games, but the other half was wondering why it was on the 3DS. Surely a Switch experience would have been better? But I went in and despite my worries on it being on the 3DS, The Top 100 is a superb collection of Mario’s best mini-games.
The only criticism is that it would have been nice to have the traditional Mario Party board games to boot, maybe a mixture of the older ones for that classic feel of original Mario Party. There is a minigame island that feels like a homage to the original game’s own minigame island, but it does feel like a missed opportunity to me.
Having the game on 3DS does limit the experience as well, it would have been amazing on the Switch alongside your friends on the sofa. Maybe Mario Party 11 will give us some classic Mario Party action? I mean classic as in stealing Power Stars from your friends, potentially ending your friendship…The collection of mini-games are definitely the cream of the crop though, so it’d be nice for the next entry to bring these across along with whatever new ones they have cooked up. We can only hope…
Visually, the game is strong for the 3DS and even uses the 3D…something rare from first-party Nintendo games these days. The music is typical of the Mario series, as are the sound effects as you can imagine.
The Verdict
Mario Party: The Top 100 is a great collection of Mario’s best mini-games, but it does feel like a missed opportunity. I feel like it would have been so much better on the Switch for that classic couch gaming experience that I grew up with. Also, the lack of any classic boards or traditional modes is a letdown. On the whole, it’s great for nostalgia and it’s great fun…but definitely could have been so much more.