Mario Party 1–3

If there is a series that has broken up more friendships than any other, it is this one. Mario Party on the Nintendo 64 laid the foundations of the video board game genre, in which friendship turns into ruthless rivalry over stars. The trilogy of the first three installments defined everything we understand today under the Mario Party brand.

The principle is ingeniously simple. Up to four players move around a board, roll a virtual die, collect coins and try to obtain as many stars as possible. Between individual rounds, however, a minigame breaks out in which players compete against each other in quick, inventive contests for coins and advantages. It is precisely this combination of board strategy and hectic minigames that makes the series such a phenomenon of shared fun.

Each of the three installments brought new boards, dozens of new minigames and gradual refinement of the whole concept. From the first installment, which set the rules, through the second with costumes and themed worlds, to the third, which brought the series on the Nintendo 64 to its peak, it was a clear evolution. Random elements, whether event spaces or stars that move around the map, ensure that victory is never certain until the very end.

Unpredictability is precisely the heart of the whole experience. A player who has led the entire match can lose everything in the final round, and an underdog can win thanks to bonus stars. This ability to turn the game on its head in the last moments provoked stormy emotions at the table, laughter and mock betrayal, and that is exactly what made Mario Party a legend of party gaming.

The Mario Party series launched an entire subgenre and continues to release new installments on newer consoles to this day. But the first three on the Nintendo 64 remain the place where it all began, and for many players they represent the peak of shared fun in front of a single screen.

Why play it: For the best party entertainment for four players, in which board rivalry and crazy minigames turn friends into opponents.