Glen-i

Nope, 5 of the initial duel boards are unlocked from the start. As for the final one, Dcubed and I are playing through Story Mode, so I'll make sure we're in separate matches for the final game. Of course, nothing is stopping you from playing Story Mode yourself if you want some practice. But, you won't need to unlock anything because Dcubed and I have that covered.

I composed this just for you.

With that said, the first Duel Board we'll be playing is... Gate Guy A pretty standard board to start off with. You can cut through the middle by paying one of the Gate Guys 5 coins when you pass it. You can cut through the middle via either the top or bottom gate, so be careful about who's in front of you. Now these boards are 1 V 1, so I'll be designating opponents for each of you. I'd usually do this randomly, but seeing as @Dcubed and I have played this game wayyyyy too much, this will be the setup for the first match. @BowserBasher VS @S.C.G @Glen-i VS @Dcubed Think that's the fairest setup while you learn the ropes. Yeah, it means we're gonna have to swap who's hosting in between each game, but that's fine. Don't worry, Duel Mode is a lot shorter then a standard game, so 2 games won't take too long. Dcubed is working next Friday, so we'll have to do this next Thursday, after Mario Kart.

Right, we've been waiting for over a year, we're wringing this bad boy dry! Next week, we're busting open Duel Mode. Duel Mode Duel Mode is nothing like normal Mario Party, it's a 1 V 1 mode where the object of the game is to kill the other player. If 20 turns pass, and no-one is dead yet, then the person with the most stamina left wins. Each player has 5 stamina points, you deplete your opponent's stamina by using "partners". Partners can be placed either in front of you (Offense) or behind you (Defense). Partners in front of you can attack the opponent, while those behind you will block most attacks against you. Partners have three separate stats: The Attack Stat is denoted by the fist, and determines how huch damage they deal. The Stamina Stat is denoted by the heart, and shows you how much health a partner has, when it reaches 0, that partner disappears. The Salary Stat is denoted by the coin, and tells you how many coins you must pay that partner at the start of your turn. If you don't have enough, then your partner ditches you, but not before taking the rest of your money anyway. Jerks... Here are the spaces that appear in Duel Mode. If you stop on a Basic Space, then it changes to your space. If an opponent lands on your space, you steal some of their coins. The reverse is also true, if you land on their space, they take coins off of you. If you land on your own space, you receive coins. The amount of coins these spaces give you goes up as the game progresses. Turns 1-5 - 3 coins Turns 6-10 - 5 coins Turns 11-15 - 8 coins Turns 16-20 - 10 coins Yeahhhhh, it can get pretty pricey. Try and commadeer as many basic spaces as you can. The Mini-Game Space forces both players to play a Duel game. The winner gets 10 coins. Simple, really. The Game Guy Space is also in Duel Mode. DEAR LORD, DON'T LAND ON THE GAME GUY SPACE! If you do, then Game Guy will take all of your coins and make you play a Game Guy Minigame. It's effectively gambling, and well, you know that saying about how the house always wins? The Power Up Space doubles all the stats of your partners. Yes, this includes the salary. This can backfire in your face if you're poor, but can be devastating if you're rich. The effect wears off when you pass your starting point. The Back Space makes you roll another dice, but you go backwards instead. Happening Spaces are also in Duel Mode, but they all do the same thing, no matter what board you're playing on. When you land on one, a roulette is rolled and different things can happen. If you pass by Belltop, the number on his head counts down. When it reaches 0, your opponent will be teleported to Belltop, and you will play a Duel game. The winner will get either 20 or 30 coins. When you make a lap around the board and return to your corner, you get 10 coins, (Much like the Koopa in Mario Party 1), you also get to choose another partner. If you currently have no partner, you can choose which position to place them in. But if you have a partner, then you must choose the position before you know what partner you're getting. The partner you get is chosen by roulette. You can time it, but good bloody luck. Every third time you return back to your starting point, you get to spin the lucky roulette. It goes much slower then usual, so you can actually time this one. A great opportunity! If you manage to get the same partner in both the front and the back, then those partners get an extra 1 attack. This applies before the double stats that you get from a Power Up Space, which can be very powerful! If you pass, or land on the same space as your opponent when you have a partner in front of you, then you'll attack them with that partner. If the attack power of your partner is more then the health of your opponent's defending partner, then the remaining damage is applied to your opponent directly. That said, there's a random chance that your attack will miss. Sucks to be you if that happens. BTW, if you happen to be moving backwards and pass an opponent, then the partner that's behind you attacks instead. Keep that in mind. And if you have no partner that can attack when you pass them, then nothing happens. There are 12 partners in Duel Mode, and most of them have special abilities.

I'd say wrong thread, but nah, that game was mad, even by Mario Party standards. People need to see it.

Oh yeah, and that, he got a Barter Box on the third turn!?

We finished Kirby quick, so there was time for a Party! And miracles happened! And just like that, Mario Party 3 is @BowserBasher's favourite Mario Party. @Dcubed just couldn't get his tunnel vision off of me, even though I wasn't first, and well, I had no hope and I didn't want him to win when I have no GIF's left. I'm still fuming about that. 5% chance! @S.C.G went for those same odds later on, and lost. The house always wins, don't land on Game Guy Spaces!

10 minute heads up for @BowserBasher and @S.C.G. Kirby time soon.

Yes, you do. But because you're taking up multiple slots, you only see enough ghosts to fill out the rest of the slots. So if you're playing 2 player, then you'll only see 2 ghosts in a course at once. If you're playing online with friends (Which we should totally do at one point, because you can have races and win useless trophies) however, you don't see random people, as it's effectively a private room.

Already did ages ago! Geez, get off my back, dad! It's a solid collection though!

Now, we still have Kirby and the Amazing Mirror to finish, so we likely won't be playing this week. We'll want to finish off Kirby, because after Mario Party 3, we won't be friends anymore. So I'm gonna take this opportunity to detail some changes to how MP3 works compared to 2. The biggest change is that you can carry up to 3 items now. This, combined with the fact that all items are cheaper then in Mario Party 2 makes MP3 a very dynamic game. All of the items from MP2 return in this game, except for the Bowser Bomb, because Baby Bowser (Nope, not Koopa Kid anymore, he's gone back to being called Baby Bowser) has a different role in this game. There's actually 2 item shops in Mario Party 3. One is Toad's, one is Baby Bowser's. They both have a 50% chance of appearing, and you won't know which one it is until you get there. Toad generally sells items that are beneficial to you, while Baby Bowser focuses on items that hinder other players. (In theory, anyway) Let's look at the items, there's quite a few new ones. I won't be covering the MP2 items that are functionally the same as before. But I'll list what shop you can get them from for reference. Remember that they're all cheaper now. Toad's Shop - Mushroom, Warp Block, Dueling Glove, Golden Mushroom, Magic Lamp Baby Bowser's Shop - Bowser Suit, Boo Bell Cellular Shopper (Toad's Shop) The Cellular Shopper allows you to shop at either Toad, or Baby Bowser's shop whenever you like. The key thing to note is that you can choose which shop you call. Handy if you really need a specific item. Boo Repellant (Toad's Shop) Pretty self-explanatory item. The Boo Repellant prevents Boo from stealing from you. It's used automatically, so just holding on to one is a great defensive measure if you feel like you're a target. Still, it's an actual counter-play to Boo! Very good item. Reverse Mushroom (Baby Bowser's Shop) The Reverse Mushroom allows you to pick a player (including yourself), and force them to go backwards on their next turn. Eh, it's alright, I guess. Certainly not game breaking or OP or anything like that, no sirree! Poison Mushroom (Baby Bowser's Shop) Remember the Slow Curse from Mystery Land on Mario Party 2? Well, now it's an item. The Poison Mushroom lets you choose a player (including yourself) and force that player to roll a dice block from 1 to 3. Quite useful, this one. Whether you need to land on a specific space close to you, or slow someone else down. Something to keep in mind with the Reverse and Poison Mushrooms. If they get used on you, you can actually cancel the effect by using a Mushroom, Golden Mushroom, Warp Block, or Magic Lamp. You can't override a Reverse Mushroom effect with a Poison Mushroom though, or vice versa. Those two effects stack. Bowser Phone (Baby Bowser's Shop) The Bowser Phone effectively lets you prank call Bowser. He'll ask who's calling, and you can choose any player (including yourself). That player will then have to spin the Bowser Roulette, much like if they landed on a Bowser Space. It's worth remembering that landing on a Bowser Space when you have no coins is quite a good move, and the same applies if you call Bowser on yourself. Actually, this is a good time to mention another change from Mario Party 2... The Bowser Roulette is not random! Seriously, you can time it in this game! It's difficult to pull off, but the option it's hovering over the moment you press A is what will be selected. That said, we are playing online, so err on the side of caution if you plan on using this trick. Lucky Lamp (Baby Bowser's Shop) The Lucky Lamp moves the star somewhere else. It's a simple effect, but the implications of doing so speak for themselves. I shouldn't need to tell you when the best time to use it is. But be careful of the risk of moving it to someone you really don't want it to go to. Plunder Chest (Baby Bowser's Shop) Yes, this item was in MP2, but how it works has changed. You can choose who you steal from this time! The downside is that players can hold up to three items now, and the item you steal is chosen at random, so you might not get what you want if they have more then 1 item. It's still good, but it doesn't completely shut down the item game like it did in MP2. Skeleton Key (Both Shops) Much like in MP2, this lets you open gates to take alternative paths. The key differences in this game are that it doesn't take up all your item space because you can still hold 2 other items, and you can choose to throw it away by using it at the start of your turn! That last point makes it much more viable! Keep an eye on where gates lead to, it might just clinch you a star! Item Bag (Both Shops - Never appears anywhere else) When you buy this item, you immediately fill all of your item slots with random items from the corresponding shop you bought it from. Obviously, it's best bought when you have no items in the first place. But keep in mind, that you only get items that match the shop you bought it from. You're never getting a Boo Bell from a Toad Item Bag. It's also worth noting that the lower your placing, the better your chances of getting a good item are. The chance also goes up the less turns are left. Last 5 turns can get 4th place some really amazing stuff! Speaking of really amazing stuff. It's time to talk about the rare items. Rare Items Rare items are not easy to get, you can't purchase them, and it's likely you'll go an entire game without ever seeing them. For good reason, they're very powerful! Wacky Watch (Gotten rarely from Toad on an item space, or from a hidden block) If the Wacky Watch is used, then after the next minigame, there will be 5 turns left, no matter what. Suffice to say, this is an amazingly powerful item, no matter where you are. Got a massive lead on Turn 5? Make it the last five turns, so others can't catch up! Final turn and you're about to lose? Use the Wacky Watch, and extend the game 5 more turns! Be careful though, if you use it on the last turn, then all 5 of those turns will act like it's the last turn, so no-one can get more items from shops or item spaces. Barter Box (Gotten rarely from Toad on an item space, from a hidden block, or an item bag bought at Toad's Shop) The Barter Box allows you to trade all of your items with another player of your choice. This trade is non-negotiable, and the amount of items each player has doesn't matter. For example, if you only have the Barter Box and trade with someone who has three items, then they get nothing, and you get everything. Makes the MP2 Plunder Chest look a bit crap, huh? Luckily, it is rare, but get one, and no-one will dare have multiple items with you carrying that sucker! Koopa Kard (Gotten rarely from Toad on an item space, or an item bag bought at Toad's Shop) The Koopa Kard allows you to take all the coins currently in the Koopa Bank just by passing it. It's one-time use, but you can choose not to use it if the bank has a low amount of coins. If you choose not to use it, then you still have to pay 5 coins like normal. Lucky Charm (Gotten Rarely from Toad on an item space, from a hidden block, or from an item bag bought at Baby Bowser's shop) The Lucky Charm lets you force a player (including yourself) to play a Game Guy minigame. This is a dangerous item for everyone, as Game Guy Minigames are chaotic at the best of times. More on that in a bit. Spaces are generally the same as in MP2. That Goomba space is the Battle Space. It mostly functions the same as it does in MP2, however, playing for 0 coins is one of the possibilities. If that happens the Battle Game is cancelled. Just like in MP2. The person who wins the battle game gets the lion's share of the coins bet, with 2nd place getting the rest. The random pity coin is still a thing though. That Toad space is the Item space. If you land on it, then you either play an item minigame, or Toad/Baby Bowser visit you and ask a question. Depnding on how you answer these questions, you can get some real nice stuff, but be mindful of who is asking the question, you'll want to give an answer they approve of. That last space is the Game Guy space. DEAR LORD, DON'T LAND ON THE GAME GUY SPACE! If you do, then Game Guy will take all of your coins and make you play a Game Guy Minigame. It's effectively gambling, and well, you know that saying about how the house always wins? And that about covers it. That said, we still have Kirby to finish first, so it'll probably be next week when we get started.

It's finally here! Which means, it's time to post the results of the last Mario Party 2 game! Wario and an exorbitant amount of coins, name a more iconic duo!

I mean, yeah, it took me a few attempts. But the Flower was kinda screaming at you, so I got it on my third attempt.

Player's Choice tonight at 8pm.

Oh, that one? Yeah, you still don't need a badge. Hell, it's way safer to not use badge shenanigans for that one.

Nothing needs the badges in this game. (Apart from the Badge Challenges, duh)

He's wrong, it's the second best Mario Party. 6 is better. He is right about the Reverse Mushroom though...

What the hell have I stumbled into?

Ducklett? It's from Black/White. Generation 5.

Trust me, so is DCubed. It goes to show how accurate the hurtboxes on characters are, because I guarantee if I stuck with the golf club, that would've definitely hit you at least. Can't be mad though, it is funny, and there's been more then a few moments when I've avoided something by just ducking. It's swag as hell! As for changing the time, I'm obviously OK with it, seeing as it's what I originally suggested.

Sign of a good party.

OK, I'm clearly missing it, so you're gonna have to point what I should be looking out for.

Yup, I remember you, helps that you're on my Switch friends list. Can't say I remember that person though, probably before me joining. And yeah, forums provide better conversation opportunities then Social Media ever can, hard to look back through past comments there. Can't really write up lengthy thoughts, either. And I like me some lengthy posts!

No way! That's awesome, I can definitely hear it now!

Nah, too busy playing Digimon Survive, which I can already tell is far more engaging! Most of the time, Digimon pales into comparison with the Pokémon equivalent, not this time. It's surprisingly good!