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43-904: Mario Party: Island Tour is a 2013 party video game developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS . The third handheld installment in the Mario Party series, the game was first announced during a Nintendo Direct in April 2013, and was released in North America in November 2013, in Europe and Australia in January 2014, and in Japan in March 2014. Like most entries in

86-415: A gamemaster refereeing tabletop role-playing games . The player character functions as a fictional, alternate body for the player controlling the character. Video games typically have one player character for each person playing the game. Some games, such as multiplayer online battle arena , hero shooter , and fighting games , offer a group of player characters for the player to choose from, allowing

129-406: A playable character or PC ) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not controlled by a player are called non-player characters (NPCs). The actions of non-player characters are typically handled by the game itself in video games, or according to rules followed by

172-408: A broad category of action games, referring to a variety of games that are driven by the physical actions of player characters. The term dates back to the golden age of arcade video games in the early 1980s, when the terms "action games" and "character games" began being used to distinguish a new emerging genre of character-driven action games from the space shoot 'em ups that had previously dominated

215-456: A general lack of difficulty from the game's AI, particularly during mingiames. On the topic of the game's aesthetics, David Letcavage of Nintendo Life described the visuals as "satisfactory, getting the job done without doing anything to wow", stating that the stereoscopic 3D neither contributed toward nor interfered with any aspects of the game. Kimberly Keller of Nintendo World Report added: "The graphics are crisp and utilize 3D well, while

258-456: A green Toad, must advance up the tower, defeating bubble clones of every playable character, as well as periodical bosses. On the final floor, the player must defeat Bowser in a boss minigame, after which the player's character is able to reach the top of the tower and destroy the machine creating bubble clones. However, Bowser appears shortly thereafter and informs Mario and the Toad that the machine

301-488: A larger number of player characters to choose from, with some basic moves available to all or most characters and some unique moves only available to one or a few characters. Having many distinctive characters to play as and against, all possessing different moves and abilities, is necessary to create a larger gameplay variety in such games. Similarly to MOBAs, hero shooters emphasize pre-designed "hero" characters with distinctive abilities and weapons that are not available to

344-476: A memorable entry in the franchise." Writing for Shacknews , Steve Watts stated that the 3DS was "an odd choice", arguing that multiplayer-oriented party games like those in the Mario Party series conflicted with handheld systems being "innately a singular experience". The variety in the game boards, particularly the differing win conditions, was frequently praised, though a few reviewers noted that most of

387-654: A player character is more properly an avatar as the player character's name and image typically have little bearing on the game itself. Avatars are also commonly seen in casino game simulations. In many video games, and especially first-person shooters , the player character is a "blank slate" without any notable characteristics or even backstory . Pac-Man , Crono from Chrono Trigger , Link from The Legend of Zelda , Chell from Portal , and Claude from Grand Theft Auto III are examples of such characters. These characters are generally silent protagonists . Some games will go even further, never showing or naming

430-413: A player typically creates or takes on the identity of a character that may have nothing in common with the player. The character is often of a certain (usually fictional) race and class (such as zombie , berserker , rifleman , elf , or cleric ), each with strengths and weaknesses. The attributes of the characters (such as magic and fighting ability) are given as numerical values which can be increased as

473-690: A side-scrolling playfield. Examples include beat 'em ups like Kung-Fu Master and Double Dragon , ninja action games like The Legend of Kage and Shinobi , scrolling platformers like Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog , and run and gun shooters like Rolling Thunder and Gunstar Heroes . "Character action games" is also a term used for 3D hack and slash games modelled after Devil May Cry , which represent an evolution of arcade character action games. Other examples of this sub-genre include Ninja Gaiden , God of War , and Bayonetta . Fighting games typically have

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516-518: Is also a free play mode, in which the player can freely select which minigames to play. Mario Party: Island Tour offers seven game boards, most of which are hosted by Toad . Each board is rated based on skill, luck, and number of minigames. Additionally, an expected play time is shown for each board. One of the game boards can be unlocked by completing five of the other boards, while another can only be played with three or four human players. The boards have unique gimmicks and different rulesets, forgoing

559-567: Is being given a mission briefing or debriefing; the player is usually addressed as "general", "commander", or another military rank. In gaming culture, such a character was called Ageless, Faceless, Gender-Neutral, Culturally Ambiguous Adventure Person, abbreviated as AFGNCAAP; a term that originated in Zork: Grand Inquisitor where it is used satirically to refer to the player. Character action games (also called character-driven games, character games or just action games) are

602-412: The Mario Party series, wherein two to four players compete in a virtual board game . Players roll dice or use cards to advance on a game board , with the space each player lands on potentially triggering an event or minigame . The game features a total of 81 minigames, all of which are brand-new four-player free-for-alls. A few minigames require the use of augmented reality cards, StreetPass , or

645-525: The 24th-best-selling game for the Nintendo 3DS . Party video game Party video games generally consist of short-term experiences which may be played in succession, and are sometimes characterized in the form of minigames . These experiences may be played singularly or in a group, and usually feature several players competing simultaneously. The first party video game is thought to be Olympic Decathlon , releasing in 1980. In 1983, Party Mix

688-695: The Mario Party series, Mario Party: Island Tour features characters of the Mario franchise, controlled by human players or artificial intelligence , competing in a board game with frequent minigames . In total, there are seven game boards , ten playable characters , and more than eighty minigames to choose from. There are also several game modes , including a single-player story campaign. Unlike with most Mario Party games, Mario Party: Island Tour ' s game boards have varying objectives, none of which involve collecting Stars or coins. Mario Party: Island Tour received mixed reviews, with general praise for

731-442: The Nintendo 3DS 's built-in microphone , gyroscope , or touch screen controls. In addition to being played throughout parties, minigames can be played in three separate game modes . One of the game modes, Time Attack, tasks the player with completing the same set of 10 minigames as quickly as possible, while another mode, Hot-Air Hijinks, features players competing to win three, five, or seven minigames before their rivals. There

774-540: The Nintendo 64 . Its launch eventually brought about the rest of the Mario Party franchise , in wake of the game's success across markets. Mario Party 2 was released in 1999, and Mario Party 3 was released in 2000. The launch of the Wii in 2006 led to the creation of Wii Play , a minigame collection that was bundled with certain copies of the Wii console. Player character A player character (also known as

817-465: The arcades in the late 1970s. Classic examples of character action games from that period include maze games like Pac-Man , platformers like Donkey Kong , and Frogger . Side-scrolling character action games (also called "side-scrolling action games" or "side-scrollers") are a broad category of character action games that were popular from the mid-1980s to the 1990s, which involve player characters defeating large groups of weaker enemies along

860-525: The Kamek's Carpet Ride board, players use cards instead of dice to progress. On most of the boards, players race to the finish, collecting and using items to increase their chances of winning by enhancing the number of spaces moved or hindering opponents. Although the Mini Star system introduced in Mario Party 9 returns, it is exclusive to one game board, and characters once again move independently around

903-534: The Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in the region alongside The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds for the 3DS and Super Mario 3D World for the Wii U . The game was later released in Europe on January 17, 2014, in Australia on January 18, 2014, and in Japan on March 20, 2014. Mario Party: Island Tour received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic . In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave

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946-463: The Party Islands, which are located in the sky. All of the characters happily accept and are promptly transported to the islands via bubbles. The gang is enjoying their time on the islands when Bowser suddenly appears and, out of jealousy over not being invited, builds his own tower nearby and creates bubbles that steal the fun from the Party Islands. The player's chosen character, accompanied by

989-601: The boards simply revolved around players attempting to reach the end first. Critics also appreciated the ratings for factors such as luck and skill, as well as the estimated play times, though some questioned the reliability of these statistics. Certain reviewers expressed disappointment with the series's traditional Star and coin system not returning in any of the boards. The short lengths of the boards were noted by several critics, including Nintendo Life ' s Dave Letcavage, who felt that this resulted in fewer minigames being experienced during each game. Other reviewers criticized

1032-454: The boards, as in traditional Mario Party titles. The game provides 10 playable characters , who can be controlled by human players as well as artificial intelligence (AI). Nine of the characters are available from the start: Mario , Luigi , Princess Peach , Princess Daisy , Wario , Waluigi , Yoshi , Boo , and Toad. The last character, Bowser Jr. , is unlocked by completing the game's single-player campaign, Bowser's Tower, in which

1075-445: The game a total score of 32 out of 40. Writing for Nintendo World Report , Kimberly Keller concluded: " Island Tour is a fine entry in the series that should bring out the competitive streak in all Mario Party fans, old or new." Hollander Cooper of GamesRadar+ added: " Island Tour isn't the Mario Party you remember, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. That said, there are definitely some missing pieces that keep it from being

1118-400: The game modes. Although Mario Party: Island Tour lacks an online multiplayer mode, the game utilizes the 3DS's Download Play functionality, permitting multiple nearby people with the system to play together using only one game cartridge . Mario and his friends are relaxing in front of Princess Peach's castle when they notice a descending bubble that contains a letter inviting everyone to

1161-556: The game play style different. Characters can learn new abilities or augment existing ones over the course of a match by collecting experience points. Choosing a character who complements the player's teammates and counters their opponents opens up a strategy before the beginning of the match itself. Playable characters blend a variety of fantasy tropes, featuring numerous references to popular culture and mythology . In both tabletop role playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons and role-playing video games such as Final Fantasy ,

1204-413: The gamer progresses and gains rank and experience points through accomplishing goals or fighting enemies. In many sports games , player characters are often modelled after real-life athletes , as opposed to fictional characters. This is particularly the case for sports simulation games , whereas many arcade-style sports games often have fictional characters instead. A secret or unlockable character

1247-597: The minigames were "among the best we've played", and Polygon ' s Danielle Riendeau lauded the selection as not only the game's "greatest asset", but "possibly the best in the series". Numerous reviewers commended the implementation of a wide range of Nintendo 3DS capabilities. However, IGN ' s Scott Thompson was more critical of the minigame selection, stating that the motion control made some minigames awkward to play. Thompson also noted an absence of non-four-player free-for-alls, such as teams of two and three against one, which he referred to as "an odd departure for

1290-511: The music fits each game and board without becoming monotonous." Keller also mentioned the game's collectibles, writing: "It's a nice touch, but it's nothing more than a mildly interesting bonus." Likewise, Kevin Schaller of GameRevolution found the collectible system "pointless" due to it mostly consisting of music tracks and character voice samples that can be heard elsewhere in the game, with Jeff Hoard of The Oakland Press agreeing that it

1333-420: The other characters. Hero shooters strongly encourage teamwork between players on a team, guiding players to select effective combinations of hero characters and coordinate the use of hero abilities during a match. Multiplayer online battle arena games offer a large group of viable player characters for the player to choose from, each of which having distinctive abilities, strengths, and weaknesses to make

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1376-445: The pacing of the boards, attributing this to having to wait for the other players to complete their turns, including the computer-controlled characters. Critical response to the minigame selection was also generally positive, with Letcavage calling it "one of the tightest collections of mini-games to be featured in the Mario Party series, optimized perfectly for pick-up-and-play sessions". Digital Spy ' s Liam Martin agreed that

1419-449: The player character at all. This is somewhat common in first-person videogames, such as in Myst , but is more often done in strategy video games such as Dune 2000 , Emperor: Battle for Dune , and Command & Conquer series. In such games, the only real indication that the player has a character (instead of an omnipresent status), is from the cutscenes during which the character

1462-468: The player must defeat three computer-controlled characters in one of two minigames on each level as they ascend Bowser 's 30-floor tower, encountering a boss every five levels and dueling against Bowser at the top. The game also features a variety of collectables—including character voice recordings, music tracks, and figurines —which can be unlocked via StreetPass or purchased with Mario Party Points, which are in turn accumulated by playing through any of

1505-552: The player to control one of them at a time. Where more than one player character is available, the characters may have distinctive abilities and differing styles of play. A player character may sometimes be based on a real person, especially in sports games that use the names and likenesses of real athletes. Historical figures and leaders may sometimes appear as characters too, particularly in strategy or empire building games such as in Sid Meier 's Civilization series. Such

1548-548: The series". A handful of reviewers also spoke favorably of the minigame-focused game modes, especially the free play mode. Reception toward the game's single-player campaign, Bowser's Tower, was more mixed; although the boss minigames were found enjoyable, the low and unchangeable difficulty levels of the player's AI opponents elicited criticism. GameSpot ' s Heidi Kemps referred to this mode as "a nice diversion" but "weak" in comparison to Mario Party DS ' s story mode, Nintendo Life ' s Dave Letcavage wrote that it

1591-419: The series's traditional win condition, which revolves around Star and coin totals. For instance, on one of the boards, Banzai Bill's Mad Mountain, players climb a mountain and hide in caves to avoid a Banzai Bill, which is launched whenever its icon is rolled, reducing the progress of anyone in its path. Another board, Bowser's Peculiar Peak, features players attempting to finish in last place rather than first. On

1634-516: The tentative title Mario Party . It was indicated that Luigi would play an important role in the game due to it being released during the Year of Luigi . A subsequent Direct in October 2013 revealed that the game's release in Europe had been delayed from the winter of 2013 to early 2014. Mario Party: Island Tour was released in North America on November 22, 2013, marking Mario Party ' s debut on

1677-433: The variety in its game boards and minigames as well as criticism for its lack of an online multiplayer mode. The game has sold 2.95 million units worldwide, making it both the 24th-best-selling game for the Nintendo 3DS and a Nintendo Selects title. Mario Party: Island Tour was succeeded by Mario Party 10 for the Wii U in 2015. Mario Party: Island Tour is a party video game similar to previous installments in

1720-460: Was "mostly fluff in its repetitive and lengthy design", and IGN ' s Scott Thompson derided it as "laughably bad". Critics widely panned the game's reliance on luck, especially in its minigames. The absence of an online multiplayer mode was also heavily criticized, though many reviewers also complimented the game's local multiplayer via Download Play, despite a couple of them noting occasional connection issues. Certain critics also complained of

1763-537: Was "nothing spectacular". Mario Party: Island Tour sold more than 132,000 units within the first week of its release in Japan, making it the best-selling 3DS title that week. As of April 9, 2014, the game had remained the best-selling title in Japan, selling an additional 47,000 copies for a total of 257,000 units. The game became a Nintendo Selects title in Europe on October 16, 2015, and in North America on March 11, 2016. As of December 31, 2021, Mario Party: Island Tour had sold 2.95 million copies worldwide, making it

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1806-401: Was merely a decoy before launching both of them off the tower, then challenging the player to take him on again. Like all installments in the Mario Party series beginning with Mario Party 9 , Mario Party: Island Tour was developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo . The game was announced by Satoru Iwata during a Nintendo Direct in April 2013, at which time it was simply known by

1849-573: Was released for the Atari, and consisted of an anthology of five multiplayer games, which began the format of party video games releasing as a series of individually-selectable minigames. In 1995, You Don't Know Jack was released, the first of the You Don't Know Jack franchise and the precursor to the Jackbox Party Pack collection in 2014. In 1998, Mario Party was released on

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