Mario Party 5

Mario Party 5 is a 2003 party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the fifth installment in the Mario Party series, and the second game in the series to be released for the GameCube. The game is set in the fictional Dream Depot, consisting of seven game boards. The single-player "Story" game mode involves the player winning multiple games against the Koopa Kids to prevent Bowser from conquering the Dream Depot. The main multiplayer game mode consists of four characters from the Mario series playing a board game, with each board having a set theme. The game also features several minigames, which are played after every set of turns. Mario Party 5 introduces the "Super Duel" mode to the franchise, which requires players to assemble and control custom made battle vehicles which can be used in combat against other machines. The game features 10 playable characters, with playable debuts to the series from Toad, Boo, and Koopa Kid.

Mario Party 5 was released in North America on November 11, 2003, Japan on November 28, 2003, and in PAL regions on December 5, 2003. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who enjoyed the new minigames of the series, although a perceived lack of originality was criticized. The game became part of the Nintendo Player's Choice label in 2004, and won the Console Children's Award at the 2004 Interactive Achievement Awards. It was followed by Mario Party 6 for the GameCube in 2004.