Super Mario Party Jamboree Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV Review

For those kicking-on, Mario’s hosting a precise afterparty with microphones and rollercoasters.

Super Mario Party Jamboree arrived late in the original Switch’s life, rekindling our love for chaotic, competitive multiplayer with a couple of Joy-Con split in half and passed around four players. While Switch 2 has continued Nintendo’s multiplayer focus with Mario Kart World, nothing sparks neighbourhood noise complaints quite like a fully committed round of Mario Party.

Less than a year later, Super Mario Party Jamboree returns with a Switch 2 edition – and this time it’s all about new content. Unlike the Zelda upgrades, which drastically improved performance on Switch 2, Jamboree’s glow up isn’t about how it plays, it’s about what you’re playing.

As an AUD $30 upgrade (USD $20) regardless of if you buy it bundled off the shelf or as an upgrade, this is effectively DLC for a Switch 1 game that’s exclusive to Switch 2 – but for good reason. The new additions focus on the Switch 2’s unique hardware: the Joy-Con 2’s mouse controls, improved rumble, camera connectivity and the in-built microphone that works flawlessly across the room.

It’s a smart, and optional way, to add in a collection of mini-games that may well have started life as a proof of concept for those features, without waiting for Mario to send out invites to his next soirée. Jamboree TV is very much its own thing and asks you to select the original game or the new content from the main menu.

Here you’ll find three main avenues: traditional Mario Party rounds across Mushroom Kingdom boards with new mini-games mixed in the existing collection, or focused modes that showcase the camera and microphone games or the mouse-based mini-games. Taking a rollercoaster between games, the latter seriously impressed me with the pitch-perfect sound the Joy-Con 2’s rumble makes with strong vibrations mimicking the twists and turns of a rollercoaster cart.

Mouse mode clearly takes priority, providing the bulk of the new content, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the games feel very different to those that use motion control. They are very waggle heavy akin to the Wii era, whereas the mouse games rely heavily on precision. Games are normally smaller scale, yet still often hectic, with tight motor skills required to scoop ice cream or play air hockey. 

Admittedly, I’ve only played with millennials who grew up on Microsoft Paint and removing pool ladders in The Sims, but I imagine Jamboree TV will present a learning experience for kids who’ve only known touchscreens and trackpads. But that’s exactly who Jamboree TV is for: families and siblings looking for more variety and with the time for regular Mario Party sessions.

For my Mario Party crew – the same friends I played endless rounds with on N64 – new novelties are inevitably turned off in favour of classic button-and-stick mini-games designed for couch multiplayer. We only really play once or twice a year, and for anyone in the same boat, the base game provides the best content.

For less familiar gamers, we also found the new ways to play provided too many control options. It’s already strange being handed a controller snapped in half, but jumping between horizontal mode using buttons, to motion controls, to mouse games – where they still tried to use motion movements – and a Kinect-lite experience within a few minutes became a little overwhelming, which reaffirms that Jamboree TV adds additional content for familiar players.

Aside from the new content, Jamboree TV also tries to better adapt Mario Party into an online game. With a camera connected, it provides a live feed of up to 4 players so you can see their reactions and attempt to recreate trash talk over the internet.

As with everything GameChat, I can see a great use case for cousins or friends who’ve moved interstate, but it’s pointless when you’re all in the same room, and that’s definitely still the best way to play Mario Party Jamboree. With fewer games even bothering to include local play, I hope that doesn’t change with the next instalment just to push GameChat.

Super Mario Party Jamboree Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is a clever way to add fresh content to a recent multiplayer favourite, without coercing anyone to buy the more expensive edition just because they’re playing on Switch 2. For most players, I’d recommend buying the cheaper base game first. It includes some of the best Mario Party boards and mini-games in years and it runs well on Switch 2 without the upgrade. When you’re ready for more – and have enough Joy-Con 2s for four players – kick-on with Jamboree TV as DLC for a more precise afterparty.

Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV was reviewed using a promotional code on Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch 2 Camera, all as provided by the publisher. Click here to learn more about Stevivor’s scoring scale.