Mario Party 8

Mario Party 8
Developers: Hudson Soft, CAProduction Publisher: Nintendo Platform: Wii Released in JP: July 26, 2007 Released in US: May 29, 2007 Released in EU: June 22, 2007 Released in AU: July 19, 2007 Released in KR: November 6, 2008 This game has unused areas. This game has unused modes / minigames. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused models. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has regional differences. This game has revisional differences.

To do: There are a lot of game-specific OSREPORT messages printed on startup. Gecko codes for the debug menu and unused minigames, if possible.

Mario Party 8 is the first Mario Party game for the Wii, and the only one to be developed by Hudson Soft. The next Mario Party game for the Wii would come out five years later!

Debug Menu

Replace m802.bin (data Folder) and m802dll.rel (dll folder) with selmenu.bin and selmenudll.rel, or use the Gecko code 041D1890 801D1748. Start the Swing King mini-game. Once the game starts, you should boot into a debug menu.

This is the last time this unused font was used by anyone thankfully.

Four games later, they're still using the same debug menu. The expected completion date is added and the mini-game titles are changed once more. However, this is the final Mario Party where this same debug menu is present.

Press Up/Down to select a mini-game, and Left/Right to switch between pages.
The A / Start Button chooses a mini-game, and the B Button goes to the previous menu.
(There is no Page 1 of the debug menu - it skips to 2).

After an absence in Mario Party 7, this pregame character select screen is back! And it is still the same as it was in Mario Party 4!

The last option on Page 9 is "MII - GAME SELECT", which leads to a debug sub-menu.

This menu tests mini-games that the Miis can participate in. The only real difference is that the Mii characters are in the character select screen.
Press the B Button to return to the main debug menu.

Pages 13 and 14 have special options.

Page 13

• DEMO BOOT (Demo title screen)
• DEMO (Demo menu)

Page 14

• MESS CHEK (Message debug)
• SPEAKER CHECK (Taunt debug)
• SOUND CHECK
• MOTION CHECK (Animation debug)
• CANDY CHECK (Candy animation debug)
• RVLPAD CHECK (Wii remote debug)
• ACTMAN CHECK (Action Debug / Test Map)

Demo Menu

Choosing the "DEMO" option leads to a setup menu used in a demo of the game (possibly E3?)

The demo is mostly in Japanese, including the Japanese logo. All of the initial playable characters pose on a simple white background.

All of the mini-game titles are still in Japanese. Six mini-games are available to play:

• Shake It Up
• Water Ski Spree
• Crank to Rank
• Snipe for the Picking
• Blazing Lassos
• Ion the Prize

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Action Debug + Test Map

This is the physics / terrain test from Mario Party 7.

NOTE: The game assumes that the Wii remote is held sideways.

• +Control Pad: Move.
• A Button: Jump.
• A Button (in air): Ground pound.
• B Button: Punch.
• B Button (in air): Kick.
• + Button: Exit map (Bugged - ends gameplay but does not exit the map).
• C and Z Nunchuk buttons: Zoom in and zoom out

Animation Debug

A test of all of the player characters' animations. The controls at the top of the cube are not only incorrect, but they still reflect the GameCube control scheme, never represented correctly from Mario Parties 4 through 7!

• +Control Pad: Rotate camera.
• A Button: Load next animation.
• B Button: Load previous animation.
• B Button + Left: Zoom camera in.
• B Button + Right: Zoom camera out.
• B Button + Up / Down: Move camera up / down.
• 1 Button: Change quality of character model (0-3, 3 being worst).
• 2 Button: Load next character.
• + Button: Exit menu.

Candy Debug

A test of all of the player characters' candy animations. The controls at the top of the cube are actually incorrect and once again, have the GameCube's control scheme.

• +Control Pad: Rotate camera.
• A Button: Load next character.
• B Button: Load previous character.
• B Button + Left: Zoom camera in.
• B Button + Right: Zoom camera out.
• B Button + Up / Down: Move camera up / down.
• 1 Button: Change CANDY_MOTION variable (doesn't seem to do anything).
• 2 Button: Change candy animation.
• + Button: Exit menu.

Message Test

This is a test of every message in the game. Textual excitement!

• A / 1 Button: Next message.
• B / 2 Button: Previous message.
• +Control Pad: Change INSERT_MES (doesn't seem to do anything)
• - Button: Previous message bank.
• + Button: Next message bank.
• - Button & + Button: Exit menu.

Sound Test

A pretty complex sound debug mode.

Controls (all menus)

• 1 Button: Stop sound.
• 2 Button: Play selected sound.
• + Button: Exit sound test.

Main Menu

This is where the magic happens.

Controls

• Up / Down: Choose between sub-menus.
• A Button: Select sub-menu.

Snd Select

Play sounds / music tracks here (provided that their sound group is loaded).

Controls

• Up / Down: Scroll through sounds.
• A Button: Select a sound.
• B Button: Go to main menu.

Param Set

Change various sound options.

Parameters

• Volume: Adjust volume.
• Pan: Change sound panning (Positive = Right speaker, Negative = Left speaker).
• Surround Pan: Change surround sound panning.
• Pitch: Adjust pitch of sounds / music tracks.
• Low Pass: Alters the Low-pass filter settings.
• FX_Param: ???
• FX_Send: ???
• Reset: Sets all parameters to their default values.

Param Val Set

Change the 16 global sound variables. Purpose of these variables is currently unknown.

Controls

• Up / Down: Select value.
• Left / Right: Change value.
• B Button: Go to main menu.

3D Param

Adjustments for the game's 3D sound engine.

Parameters

• Interior: Adjusts center of sound.
• Max Volume: Adjust maximum possible value of sound.
• Unit Distance: Set distance of sound (distance of player is assumed 604.07)
• Reset: Sets all parameters to their default values.

Group Load

This is where the different sound groups are loaded.

Controls

• Up / Down: Select sound group.
• Left: Go to previous page.
• Right: Go to next page.
• A Button: Load sound group.
• - Button: Unload all sound groups.
• B Button: Go to main menu.

Environment

The final sub-menu, adjusts master sound variables.

Parameters

• Output Mode: Choose output type (Types are Monaural, Stereo, Surround, and DPL2)
• FX_Param: ???
• FX_Send: ???
• Reset: Sets all parameters to their default values.

Taunt Debug

A taunt test. Tauntest?

NOTE: Applies to all four controllers.

• 1 Button: Taunt #1.
• 2 Button: Taunt #2.
• A Button: Taunt #3.
• + Button: Exit menu.

Wii Remote Debug

A simple diagnostic test of up to 4 Wii remotes. The + Button exits the menu.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Mini-Games

Three mini-games are still on the disc, but unused. Their Japanese names are included on the debug menu, but they can't be selected there due to a disabled flag. It's still possible to play them by replacing other mini-games with the unused ones.

All of the preview demos for these games have been replaced by copies of Speedy Graffiti's demo. They have no English names and no game explanations of any kind.

M809 - Hammer de Pokari

Replace m801dll.rel (dll folder) with m809dll.rel to replace Speedy Graffiti with this unused 4 player mini-game.

In this game, players must swing the remote horizontally to swing their hammer. The collision detection is a bit off in this mini-game. Each player has a displayed coin counter, but in this game's current state it doesn't actually signify anything and doesn't change at all during gameplay without a patched version. https://www.dropbox.com/s/i9kpkhcz5sxab3m/m809DLL.rel?dl=1 is the download to the patched .rel file with a more accurate UI for the NTSC version.

The game ends when one player is hit 5 times. The player who got the most hits in wins the game.

M813 - Guru-guru Kataduke

Replace m815dll.rel with m813DLL.rel to replace Rudder Madness with this unused 4 player mini-game.

In this mini-game, the players must move their Wii remotes in a clockwise fashion to roll up their ribbons.

Whoever rolls theirs up first wins the game, and their ribbon is tied around the top of the giant present.

A minigame very similar to this later appeared in Wii Party U.

M853 - Ochiruna Rodeo

Replace m856dll.rel with m853dll.rel to replace You're the Bob-Omb with this unused Duel mini-game.

Players must tilt their remotes in the direction of the mechanical bulls or risk flying off. The last person on the bull wins the game. Incidentally, a game with similar rules and controls (but featuring Miis) is found in Wii Party U.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Graphics

Hotel Owner Texture

If you view the hotel models in a model viewer you will see these unused textures for where the owner icon should be instead of a blank icon. The text translates to "Dummy 1" and "Dummy 3".

bmgcall.bin

To do: Translations of text on textures

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Three placeholder images using Swing King's thumbnail, intended for the three unused minigames.

mg810.bin

A texture that translates to "Monitor Screen Dummy".

m867.bin

A circle with the number 1.

mgdota8.bin

A blank minigame thumbnail, of which there are several.

Unused Models

candychk.bin

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  The odd one out.

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Every character has an early version of their Bowser Candy outfit, looking more like the real Bowser than the used plush suit.

mdota.bin

mdota.bin seems to be an early version of the Fun Bazaar, and has some differences in its models.

Surprise Wagon

Early	Final

The Surprise Wagon had its textures changed.

Minigame Wagon

Early	Final

The Minigame Wagon also had its textures changed. Most interesting is that strange image of two humans dressed as Mario and Toad on the television. It was changed to minigame screenshots.

Records Board

Early	Final

The Records Board also went through texture changes.

Carnival Caliope

Early	Final

A Koopa Troopa was added to the side, and the top hat's color was slightly darkened. The used one also seems to have some texture issues not seen in the early one, most visibly at the base.

Unused Wagon

Penguin Wagon?

One wagon didn't seem to make to make the final cut. It appears to be based on the Surprise Wagon's model but with different textures and a tank with penguins. Purpose unknown.

candy.bin

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Three unused candies are present. The first two's purposes are unknown, while the third may be a dummy.

w03.bin

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A wheel with primitive textures, one side reading first person (ひとりめ) and the other second person (ふたりめ).

Bumper Balloons

To do: Add image. There's also an out-of-bounds Goomba and unseen blue curtain in the Fun Bazaar, and more.

The garage in Bumper Balloons contains objects such as tires and crates, which are never seen in-game since the garage door never opens.

(Source: Mario Party 8 - Boundary Break)

Memory Usage Meter

Using the Gecko code 04008524 60000000 in any region of the game will print some information about the current Memory Usage in a box in the upper-left. This debugging feature exists in all Hudson Mario Party games as well.

Overscan Border Display

Enter the Gecko codes 040111CC 60000000 (PAL) or 0401122C 60000000 (NTSC) and you will see the screen surrounded by red borders which specify the region of the screen that is safe for UI elements to use. The borders specify that within 16 pixels from the horizontal edges and within 40 pixels of the vertical edges are not safe to use. The borders specify that within 48 pixels from the horizontal edges and within 46 pixels of the vertical edges should be treated with caution.

Regional Differences

To do: Identify the behavior of each version and revision.

During Shy Guy's Perplex Express, Kamek says, "Magikoopa magic! Turn the train spastic! Make this ticket tragic!". However, since the word "spastic" is offensive in the United Kingdom for being a pejorative term against disabled people, Nintendo was forced to recall all copies of the game on July 13, 2007 from all UK retailers, the same day which was released in the UK as well. The game was later returned to shelves on August 3, 2007 with all copies having the word "spastic" replaced with the word "erratic".

This incident actually caused enough of a stir to kick off a decade-long trend of Nintendo games featuring completely different localizations for the NTSC and PAL regions, dooming people from one region to have no idea what the other is talking about, and making our jobs a lot more tedious than they need to be. Naughty Kamek!

(Source: Super Mario Wiki)

Other Differences

• The US and EU versions use different fonts for text; the font used for the main text in the EU version is the same as the font used from Mario Party 4 to Mario Party 7.
• The minigame announcements are different between versions. On the international versions, when starting a minigame, the announcer shouts "Go!" with the word "START" appearing onscreen. Additionally, when tying a minigame, "Tie" appears on the screen with the announcer calling that. On the Japanese version, "Start!" is shouted instead on the start of a minigame, and when a minigame is tied, "DRAW" appears onscreen with the announcer calling that.

Revisional Differences

To do: Some versions of the game use a fixed-width dialogue font, others are variable-width.

With the Wii set to 16:9, some US and EU versions used a maligned graphical border for 4:3 segments of the game. Other versions have standard black bars, since the graphical border was criticized for causing screen burn-in if the game was played for too long.