4/5 ★ – DanteSnowcone's review of Super Mario Party Jamboree.

I would say that the second SMP fixed basically all of the problems that people cited with the first one while building on the good stuff it did and creating some cool new things. It’s great as a party game and has a good amount to offer solo players as well. The maps and dice are back to normal. I personally liked the character dice gimmick, but I get why they had to get rid of it. The changes to the buddy system balance things out a lot more, and pro mode keeps the game more exciting. They definitely screwed up the online matchmaking system though, because most of my online games have been with 0-1 real people. Why can’t I just pick pro rules for a random map and be put right in a group of four? I have played about 5 games with friends in person and it’s chaotic and fun, but the turns take so long that a 10 turn game feels like the only reasonable option for a group of adults, and that’s just not enough time for the boards to open up and the game to kick into the next gear. It’s still fun at 10 turns, but it feels like it’s just a taste of what the game is supposed to be. There’s also a lot of repetition of games from session to session. Jamboree boasts more minigames than ever, but they’re split across so many different modes that it actually feels like there aren’t that many if you play any modes multiple times. The extra modes are pretty good, all things considered. Lots of different ways to basically just play minigames. Rhythm kitchen is still great, the item factory was fun, and flight school is entertaining. The story mode is fine, and I didn’t particularly care for kaboom squad. But my favorite thing of all is the Koopathlon. Twenty competitors trying to get the highest score possible in a triathlon of minigames. At least 2/3 of my play time in this game is koopathlon. It can get repetitive, but I just love going for high scores. Each round is 15 minutes, so I play 1 or 2 a day after work. This mode alone would have been enough extra content for me, but they really did a good job with the variety. Jamboree is definitely a great mario party game with a solid collection of minigames and a ton of ways to keep the party going. It’s of course most fun with friends, but there’s plenty to do alone, so it’s a worthwhile purchase for all types of players. Play time: 30 hours Played on Nintendo Switch