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Turn up the Andrew W.K., grab some brewskis, and invite over the strippers. It's time to party! What do you mean it's not that type of party? Mario must not be as cool as we thought. Just in time for the holiday season, Nintendo trots out the latest release in its successful "Mario Party" series. On this episode of "X-Play," we attend the safest shindig this side of the bingo parlor.

Party like it's 1999

Another year, another "Mario Party." The cynic in us can't help but see this as another example of Nintendo's conservative holding pattern. Overall, this second "Mario Party" entry for the GameCube isn't much different than its predecessor, or even the 1999 original for that matter. But the key to this series has always been new minigames that appear in each version, and it's here that "Mario Party 5" continues to shine.

It's like a game, only smaller

It's funny to think that what we now call "minigames" were once complete enough to stand on their own in the early days of Atari. Now we need dozens of them just to stay entertained. And entertained we shall be with more than 70 diverse minigames, including team rope-jumping, crazed penguin-dodging, electrified maze-solving, and Shy Guy hide-and-seek, just to name a few.

The board game concept is, of course, little more than an excuse to string all the minigames together. When you look at it from that perspective, it gets the job done efficiently. The level of luck involved in this portion can be frustrating, though, since you can do everything right and still end up losing because of some freak event. This unpredictability is what makes it exciting for everyone, though, and it's consistent with the game's tabletop heritage. This is one of the few games that really isn't about winning or losing, it's just about having fun.

There's plenty of variety and customization to keep the game fresh. The single-player story mode; the multiplayer party mode; the super duel mode, in which you create battle machines; the bonus mode, with ice hockey, beach volleyball, and card party; and finally, the minigame mode, in which you're able to play all the mini-games you've already unlocked. The team option within the party mode, which allows two players to play cooperatively, is a nice alternative for playing with your less-skilled acquaintances when faced with the awkward choice of beating the pants off them or letting them win.

Dream a little dream

"Mario Party 5" is cute with a capital C, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, embellished with lace, and surrounded by puppy dogs. There's no getting around it. Everything is smooth, bright, and colorful. Even Koopa, a turtle-like creature, is cuddly. The overall theme of the game is dreams, with sub-themes of toy, rainbow, pirate, undersea, future, and sweet for each board. Did we mention it's cute? While the visuals won't win any awards, they attractively depict the honey-coated world in which the eternally cheerful characters reside. The sound effects are downright primitive, though, with assorted screams, grunts, and cheers accompanying the festivities.

Party hearty

Perhaps it's time Nintendo took a cue from sports game publishers and started naming their sequels by year. "Mario Party 2003" doesn't sound quite as desperate as "Mario Party 5," now does it? In any case, the game sure won't help to change Nintendo's image of catering to younger audiences, and it won't win any converts to the series. With that said, the game is still highly enjoyable and far exceeds anything its many competitors ("Shrek Super Party", "Pac-Man Fever", etc.) have been able to accomplish. And on a rare personal note, this is the only game other than "Dance Dance Revolution" and "Animal Crossing" my wife has wanted to play. That has to count for something.

"Mario Party 5" (GCN)