Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is a hideous title for a video game and possibly even a little misleading. According to early reviews, the base game remains essentially unchanged and doesn’t take advantage of the new hardware’s extra power, while the $20 Jamboree TV add-on is essentially a siloed DLC. Its mini-games may be a great tech demo for the Switch 2 camera but they sound like a mixed bag for fans of Mario Party.
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The top-level issues with Jamboree TV are outlined by Logan Plant in his IGN review. It’s loaded from a separate menu and doesn’t overlap with the base game at all, and is missing things from it like Pro Rules and record tracking. Super Mario Party Jamboree, meanwhile, remains unchanged from its Switch 1 version.
Plant writes, “Jamboree TV runs in 1440p docked, but Jamboree is 1080p docked and still a noticeable 720p handheld.” There are no mouse controls added to the base game either.
That seems like a big missed opportunity, and the Jamboree TV section doesn’t sound substantial enough to make up for it. While a few of the new modes and mouse control mini-games clicked with some reviewers (there are no new boards, unfortunately), the Bowser TV section, which uses microphones and webcams to incorporate players directly into the chaos, is a bit thin.
“It’s a great idea in theory, especially because it’s an absurd riot to see my friends’ bodies emerge from warp pipes on screen,” writes Giovanni Colantonio for Polygon. “The catch is that there are barely any minigames to support it all.”
It sounds like a glorified tech demo that points to where Mario Party will evolve in the future but isn’t quite worth the price of admission right now. There’s probably a world out there where Nintendo combined Jamboree TV and Switch 2 Welcome Tour into a single pack-in that came free with the console and showcased all of its new features. But that’s not the one we’re living in. Here’s what other reviews are saying:
All in all, the Switch 2 upgrade for Mario Party Jamboree isn’t the value add that it was for both the open-world Zelda games. The majority of the new minigames are fun, and the novelty of a first-party release that uses all of the new console’s bells and whistles will provide you with some fleeting entertainment. But spending an additional $20 for a few tricks and half-baked modes doesn’t make this party any better than it was the first time around. —Trone Dowd
While the base game of Super Mario Party Jamboree remains a must-have, the Jamboree TV expansion for Switch 2 is take it or leave it. For the price, the new Carnival Coaster mode and mouse minigames are a fun time, and the new rulesets for Mario Party are a welcome inclusion. Alas, Bowser Live struggles to make good use of the camera and microphone, CameraPlay is only worth it if you have friends or family to play with online, and the increased resolution is not supported with any of the original side modes. Just one new game board would have added so much value, but Jamboree TV doesn’t even have that. —nintendojam
Speaking of which, Jamboree TV adds two great rulesets to try out alongside the original that put fun spins on the classic dice-rolling action. The first is Tag-Team Rules, which pits two teams of two against each other. Every player still takes their own turn, but each pair shares the same pool of stars, coins, and items, so you need to work together on every decision to come out on top. It’s a fun way to shake up the traditional format and it builds even further upon the strategic foundation of the base game. — Logan Plant
The upgrade winds up falling on the inessential side – especially since it misses a chance to add some new maps or characters – but the full package is one of the Switch 2’s smartest value propositions at present. Super Mario Party Jamboree now stands as a robust party game that makes up for its shortcomings in sheer variety. Sure, Carnival Coaster isn’t something I’ll want to play for an hour at a time, but it works as one small attraction in a larger amusement park. I hope that its successor puts a bit more work into the best rides of the bunch, because there’s a whole playground of potential here. — Giovanni Colantonio
Although the overall quality of the additions is inconsistent – especially if you don’t have ideal room conditions for the Switch 2 camera – the introduction of mouse controls and faster-paced modes, in particular, undoubtedly elevates an already great game. Whether that’s worth the $20 / £17 upgrade for existing Jamboree owners, though, will very much depend on how much you love Mario Party. —Andy Robinson
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