Post
The series made everybody share one car and split the fanbase down the middle.
Mario Party 9 is the great structural gamble of the series, replacing individual movement with a shared vehicle that drags the whole group through the board together. Some players hate that loss of classic board agency; others like the faster pace and tighter match flow.
Example
Boss battles give the game a more event-like climax, which fits the car structure better than the traditional star race would have.
Why it matters
It matters because it is one of the few Mario Party games willing to risk alienating veterans in pursuit of a cleaner structure.
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