Super Paper Mario

"This game is so hi-technical!"

This is one of the first games I wanted to buy for the Nintendo Wii. I'm pretty sure a lot of people here are Paper Mario fans. I mean, who isn't? Well, you got your Wii Remote, your Wii and you're wondering if you should get this or not. I mean, it IS a Paper Mario game. Go ahead and read.

Story: 10/10

- This story is... absolutely touching. Especially the ending. You start at your home with Luigi, then hearing Toad nearby. The Mario Bros ask him why he's acting like that.... but did they have to? Because we all know Princess Peach's castle has been raided, she got kidnapped, etc. Later, you go to Bowser's castle (it's automatic, you don't move at all till it's over). At that time, Bowser's only PLANNING to attack Peach's castle and kidnap her. They realize that Bowser didn't kidnap her when the real criminal shows up... Count Bleck! He sends everyone to a different dimension, except Mario who already got damaged for trying to jump on the Count. A while later, a Pixl named Tippi finds you and takes you to the Flipside. It's not a dimension, but it's a place BETWEEN dimensions... which is exactly what was said by Merlon, the person you're supposed to meet to help you in your journey, who will also explain to you what's going on.

- What's going on in that other dimension? Just to let you know, it's exactly what happens before you see the title screen. Peach suddenly wakes up... to find Bowser in a wedding suit?! She's in a huge wedding hall! Bowser x Peach fans are happy!... or were supposed to be. Sadly for us, - Peach refuses to marry Bowser. Did I mention the Count started the wedding? However, the Count's secretary, Nastasia, uses her mind control ability to force Peach to say "I do.". Peach resists... till she does it again. What, you expected everyone to be happy and Peach with a wedding ring? No. What, then? Get the game. Yes, I do realize it's part of the game's opening, but I can't say it, as that would spoil something that you know about later in the game.


Controls: 9/10

- This game uses the Wiimote only, turned sideways like a NES controller. In other words, the Wiimote points to the left, the + pad is on the left, 1 and 2 are on the right, and + and - are in the middle. The controls aren't that bad, you don't need to move slowly or anything in this game, you also don't have to worry about angles and such. Why? I'll explain that later in the Gameplay part. Anyway, you mainly use 2 for jumping, 1 for using Pixls, why will also be explained in the Gameplay section, A for flipping as Mario, and the + pad for moving around. You can also point the Wiimote at the screen to point at objects/enemies/NPCs and examine them with Tippi. You can also find some invisible stuff with it. Oh, and you can shake the Wiimote to perform stylish moves and increase the effect of certain items. The controls aren't horrible unless you tend to lose control of YOURSELF, which shouldn't be a normal gamer's problem.

Graphics: 9/10

- The graphics, you should know by now, look all... papery. They're smooth, the characters look great and... weird, but that's because they ARE weird... I mean, the weird characters only. Bowser looks cooler this time. Also, when you flip to 3D, most 2D objects will either show up as 3D objects, or won't show up at all (probably due to being flat). Nothing much to say here. They definitely didn't go wrong with the graphics

Sounds: 8/10

- Lots of background music in this game are worth listening to. Some just make you wanna laugh, especially if you link sounds with graphics. Play chapter 4-4 and you'll see what I mean. All characters have voices to a certain extent. No, not voices in cut scenes or something, as in voices while performing actions and such, think of Link. Also, Luigi FINALLY gets a bit of voicing in a Paper Mario game! They kept the stomping sound from Paper Mario TTYD, which makes things feel... jiggly, if you know what I mean. Sound effects from other attacks are still in, such as bombs, Bowser's flames, hammers, etc. Here's a little secret: you can make sound effects go retro after obtaining a certain thing. Good luck looking for it.

Gameplay: 10/10

- If the trailer didn't make you believe it, yes, this is no longer a turn-based RPG. Hence the name "SUPER Paper Mario. Think of Super Mario Bros, but Paper Mario-like. They still kept other RPG elements, such as the HP, items, attack power, defense, action commands, stylish moves (except they're done to increase your score this time) and some other stuff. Sadly, badges no longer exist, but they're not very useful even if they did. One thing I didn't mention is moving around. Normally in this game, you can move only left or right. As dull as that sounds, it's better than you think. In addition, you can use Mario to flip into 3D, but you can only stay in 3D for a few seconds, otherwise you'll keep losing HP. Though you only use a D-pad, you won't have problems moving around. Things will feel different while in 3D. In fact, 90% of the times you're stuck, you probably have to try flipping to 3D first. THEN try other methods.

- Normally, you attack by stomping on your enemies and such. All playable characters have this attack. You can also attack by using Pixls. Before I get on with that, let me explain what they are as I have already promised. Pixls are like fairies, except they look a bit computer-ish. Each Pixl has a certain use, from getting past obstacles, to attacking and some *secret* effects. The automatically obtained Pixl you get, Tippi, helps you examine things. It's more useful than it feels. She also stays out all the time, so you don't have to switch to her.

- Collectibles are still in this, and this time there's more. Back then you only had to get star pieces, recipes and badges. In this game, star pieces and badges say goodbye. So what is there? They introduced a new "card" feature. Basically, if you get a card of an enemy (other obtained as is, bought, or used a Catch Card to catch an enemy ONLY; you can't catch people. >_>) your attack is doubled on that one enemy. Getting 2 cards of a certain enemy deals triple damage and so on. There are over 200 different cards to be collected, some which can only be obtained through the card shops and other obtainable only by going to a secret pit in the game.

- Finally, there's another small feature they added, treasure maps. Someone sells treasure maps for a price that varies. There are over 40 maps to find. Once you get to the location shown on the maps, use a certain Pixl to get the treasure. You can obtain items, cards and other things by doing this. You don't get anything special for finding all of them, except for what you actually got in the first place.

Difficulty: 7/10

- I found almost NO difficulties playing this game, besides the "pit" I was talking about. An average Paper Mario player should know almost everything there is to know even with the new game style. I'd like to recommend that you don't try some easy level-up method, that'll only make things worse. All in all, this game is easy for the veteran, yet it can be difficult for those who aren't used to the game's style. Don't worry, it's easy to get used to it.


- Now that we're finally done with all the detailed stuff, it's your turn to decide. In my opinion, you should buy this game, it's very fun, it has a deep story. If you only wanna see what this game's like and wanna know the story, then you can rent it. If you can play it all day, you should finish the story in less than 3 days. The choice... is yours.

Overall rating: 8.8/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/29/08

Game Release: Super Paper Mario (US, 04/09/07)