Prerelease:Mario Party 8
This page details prerelease information and/or media for Mario Party 8.
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Being one of the first Mario games to launch on Nintendo's newly released Wii console, Mario Party 8 was speculated by many to be a GameCube title ported over to the Wii later in development with added motion-controls. However, there are no evidence of the game's development being initially started as a GameCube title. However, it does run on the same engine as GameCube Mario Parties, which makes sense due to the Wii basically being an amped-up GameCube in terms of internal hardware.
Regardless, Mario Party 8 had a rough release. A very rough release; with delays, recalls, and plenty of controversy surrounding this party.
Contents
Development Timeline
2006
- Sept. 10: The game is teased at a New York event on September 13, 2006. However, no gameplay was shown in this event.
- Nov. 3: The game was formally announced at Nintendo World 2006 in Nagoya, Japan. Playable demos of the game were featured in Nintendo World 2006 events throughout the month.
The game was also set to be released February 8th, 2007 in Japan, February 23rd, 2007 in Europe, and March 5th, 2007 in North America. However, it would be later on delayed by a few months.
2007
- Mar. 5-9: The final release dates were given at the Game Developers Conference, being around 4 months off from its original schedule.
- May. 29: The game is released in North America.
- Jun. 19: Three days before its release in Europe, the game was delayed in the UK by a few weeks due to a production issue.
- Jun. 22: The game is released for the rest of Europe.
- Jul. 13: The game is released in the UK, only to be recalled on the same day. This was due to some copies of the game containing the word "spastic", which was considered to be offensive towards the disabled in the UK. Nintendo issued a statement that same day, citing an 'assembly error' as the reason the recall was made. The company also stated that the game will be re-launched in the UK as soon as possible.
- Jul. 19: The game is released in Australia.
- Jul. 26: The game is released in Japan.
- Aug. 3: The game is finally re-released in the UK, nearly half a year after it's intended release date of February 23rd.
2006
Nintendo World 2006 (November)
Nintendo World 2006 was held around Japan in November of 2006. It was held in three locations throughout Japan: Nagoya on November 3rd, Osaka on November 12th, and Tokyo on the 25th and 26th. Visitors were able to try out upcoming games for the Wii and DS systems, and trailers and sizzle reels were also shown off, showcasing Nintendo's upcoming games for the 2006/2007 year.
It would be presented at all three locations and featured a playable demo with six minigames: Shake it Up, Water Ski Spree, Crank to Rank, Aim of the Game, Blazing Lassos, and Ion the Prize. The version showcased at the event is the same demo that was left in the final game's files, but with several other differences (due to also being an older version of the game) that can't be seen in the demo mode through the game's debug menu.
Minigame Instructions
| Nintendo World 2006 Demo | Mario Party 8 Release |
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The minigame instructions menu that appears before every minigame starts has undergone a lot of changes since this demo of the game. Compared to the final version, the background pattern fades out at the middle of the screen, instead of the edges. The star emblem that appears throughout the game is also not visible in the demo. There are six buttons laid out at the bottom-center of the screen. From left to right, top to bottom, they read Team Division, Rule, Control, Start, Training, and Return. Instead of the currently selected menu being highlighted on the bottom, the current category is displayed on the top in blue text, below the minigame's title. The character portraits are also spaced differently, along with the borders being more reflective. The control method indicator is displayed in an orange box on the top left corner, instead of being displayed in a green box below the minigame portrait like in the final game.
Breakneck Building
| Nintendo World 2006 Demo | Mario Party 8 Release |
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An early version of the Breakneck Building minigame. The player's paint colors are more bright and pastel than the final version. The positioning of the trees is also different, as more of it is visible in the background. The shadow of the leaves is also directed towards the inside of the fenced area. The most interesting change is how the minigame used to time players for records. For some reason, this was removed in the final version, as you cannot set a record in this minigame.
