Mario Party 8 is a 2007 developed by and published by . The game is the eighth installment in the , and the first title in the series released for the . Like previous Mario Party titles, Mario Party 8 features characters in which four human- or computer-controlled characters compete in a board game interspersed with . This Mario Party title is hosted by MC Ballyhoo and his talking top hat Big Top. During the standard game, four different characters compete on one of six themed boards. When playing with fewer than four people, players select which characters the computer will control, as well as their difficulty level and handicap. Players can also select from five different areas to play on from the Play Choices screen by selecting the Select File screen in the beginning. Here, the player is given the choices of five different areas to play on: Party Tent, Star Battle Arena, Minigame Tent, Extras Zone, and the Fun Bazaar. The Party Tent allows for characters to compete on boards in three kinds of battles: