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Super Paper Mario  PDF Print E-mail
Game Reviews Nintendo Wii
Written by NexGen   
Friday, 23 November 2007
Editor's rating
10.0
out of 10
Reviewed by:
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Friday, 23 November 2007
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Flatter than your girlfriend's chest, but 3 times as fun!
Super Paper Mario started it's life as a Gamecube title and later moved onto the Wii. You might say “oh dear god another port” but I can assure the title is much more than that. I'll try to keep this article short and sweet, after all you need to buy this game ASAP, not read about it.



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Flatter than your girlfriend's chest, but 3 times as fun!
Super Paper Mario started it's life as a Gamecube title and later moved onto the Wii. You might say “oh dear god another port” but I can assure the title is much more than that. I'll try to keep this article short and sweet, after all you need to buy this game ASAP, not read about it.
Super Paper Mario, admittedly, starts out a little slow. You do the basic platforming thing and the game is actually rather simple. Once you get to the 3rd world (out of 8 in total) things really start to spice up. Puzzles are top notch, incorporating your pixls (helpers you gain along the way), character abilities (mario can go from 2D to 3D, Peach can float, Bowser is... awesome), and just plain out confusion. Trust me, this game is not a walk in the park and while harder games are out there, don't expect to breeze through this in a day.
One of the best aspects of this game is the way it mocks video game life. For instance, before you face the first boss (a robot dragon thing), the wii shop channels blue circle shows up in it's eyes as it starts spewing out nonsense about system error's. Another mini-boss you fight even goes so far as to seem like they are making fun of Sony, mainly due to his bragging about inventing “dimension D”, or in sony's words, “4-D gaming”... in the 3rd world you face a nerdy frog...thing. Before facing him though, you are forced to admit that you talk smack about games you've never played.
The graphics are very crisp and clean, almost no jaggies in any sense, and level design is top notch. If you want something to truly just enjoy this is the title for you. I've played it for 9 hours thus far and can say the game is worth every penny and possibly the best in the series.

Hope you enjoyed my review :)
Editor review : Mario's mustache never looked so good.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

Overall rating
10.0
The newest installment in the Paper Mario series gathers up the elements which made Thousand Year Door a success and adds some new elements of its own to create a fresh title that is both an entertaining and challenging endeavor. Players take control of the red clad hero to once again rescue a kidnapped Princess Peach. In an odd turn of events, Bowser turns out to be innocent of the kidnapping, and is rather upset that somebody beat him to the punch and stole his thunder. Instead, villainous
egocentric Count Bleck is responsible for the Princess Peach's recent disappearance.

Like many Wii titles out there, gameplay is where this installment shines. Players hold the Wii remote sideways like an old school Nintendo controller. The D pad moves Mario, the 2 button is used to jump, and the 1 button is used to activate the powers of various pixls you will come across. These pixls' powers range from a platform to carry Mario to an ability to lay bombs. All of these pixls become integral to accessing the many hidden areas scattered within the game's 8 chapters. Another new addition to the franchise are the style points. When players jump on an enemy, they can shake the remote while in mid air to gain the crowd's approval and earn style points to assist in the leveling up process. This game retains the RPG element well, with leveling up and the gathering of different items to help Mario power up. However, the turn based fighting found in the other intallments is nowhere to be found here. Nintendo opted to go with classic real time fighting, and this game really is an action RPG crossed with a platformer at heart. The combination works quite well in this case. For the first time Paper Mario player, the controls are easy to learn and very intuitive, since there really isn't much to learn in the first place.

Another new element is the ability to switch from 2D to 3D with the press of the A button. This becomes integral to gameplay and essential to finding the many hidden paths and areas in each chapter. Players must explore every nook and cranny carefully if they are to discover everything the game has to offer. There is a trade off, however. Once in 3D your energy bar begins to drain. Once it drains, you lose one hit point, the bar fills back up, then begins to drain again. A quick flip back to 2D will fill the bar back up, so no worries there. It's just something the player must respect and be aware of. Once you explore an area in both 2D and 3D and see the differences, you'll be hooked on the new mechanic.

The graphics are beautiful as far as the Paper Mario franchise is concerned. The game retains the classic paper look to it, while adding elemens of 3D to compliment everything. Bosses are rendered nicely and move very smoothly. The enemies and the environment are full of color, and the different environments you encounter are quite gorgeous and done very nicely. Once you flip to 3D, the terrain becomes a little more bland, but that is to be expected and really doesn't detract from the experience too much. You'll more than likely be too busy searching for hidden pipes, paths, tunnels, and platforms to really notice or care all that much.

The game's sound isn't too shabby either. Throughout the levels you'll hear variants of the classic Super Mario Brothers theme song, rearranged and given a fresh style to fit the game. Sometimes you have to listen closely to hear, it, but once you find it you realize how clever it is. Some of the tracks are done very nicely, while others could almost be cast out in favor of better ones. The sounds of Mario jumping on enemies as well as the crowd cheering the style points is done fairly well too, and the silly aspect of it all is still there. One thing gamers will notice is Mario doesn't talk much. He makes noises of excitement, surprise, pain, or disappointment, but there isn't much dialogue from the plumber himself. He's taken on a role similar to Link, playing the mute hero of sorts. Whether this is a good or bad thing, I'll let individual players decide for themselves. Overall the sound is done nicely.

The game's lasting value is pretty prevalent as well. This game spans a good 20 or so hours, and that doesn't take into account the fact that players will be re-visiting levels with new pixl powers and finding hidden sectrets. This game will keep players busy for a while, and I suppose eventually one will find everything hidden in the game. It certainly won't happen overnight, and Nintendo did a great job of creating a fun and challenging adventure that won't end too quickly and will keep players immersed in it for quite some time.

This game is a must for any Mario fan and highly recommended. Go buy it. Yes, you. Right now. Stop reading this. Go to the store. Buy the game. Do it.
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