This is considered the best entry in the Mario Party franchise for the N64 and was my personal favorite on the system. There's a reason it's considered a classic and a fan favorite.
One day, Mario and his friends discover a new world and get into yet another argument on who it should be named after. Bowser gets wise to this and decides to be a jerk, invade the land, and name it after himself. So now, Mario and company throw another competitive party, the winner of which judged by whomever collects the most stars and defeats Bowser in each of the six worlds the heroes enter.
Mario Party 2 expanded greatly on the games formula and introcuced new aspects to the system still used today. Each board not only has a different theme but provides the characters with new outfits as well. The boards also have more unique gimmicks that made the game more challenging. For example, in Pirate Land, you'll have to avoid cannonballs fired from a Shy-Guy ship, Horror Land introduces Mr. I, who can teleport you and change the time of day, and Bowser land has the Koopa bank spaces that force the player to pay five coins every time they pass, but if their turn ends on the Bank Space, they receive all the coins that have been deposited.
New features in Mario Party 2 made it far superior to the first entry. For starters, the item system was introduced and allowed the player to purchase mushrooms, skeleton keys, warp blocks, and others to assist them. These features introduced a more complex and strategic style of gameplay as opposed to the first games more straightforwardness. There were improvements to the mechanics as well, like the fortunate removal of those irritating mushroom spaces, and a lack of single player minigame spaces, strengthing the multiplayer experience.
The minigames were a fun combination of recycled classics from the first game and new ones; Shell Shocked and Speed Hockey were my favorites. Of course, there were frustrating, not-so-enjoyable ones, like Day at the Races. But, that's a given for Mario Party. There's always going to be a few games you don't like.
If you're a younger gamer exploring Mario Party's past installments, you can check this one out on the Nintendo Switch. Don't forget to play with your friends for maximum fun.
