"Princess Peach gets her own game...anyone surprised?"

Throughout the years, plenty of Mario's supporting characters have had starring roles in their own self-titled video games. Luigi, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, the list goes on. Well, it was bound to happen: the next Mario superstar with their own game is the beloved Princess Peach. Personally, I've always loved the character, ever since using her in Super Mario Bros. 2 and watching her on the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. So naturally, when I found out about this game, I was ecstatic. And I must say, my hopes were definitely high for this, and I didn't walk away disappointed.

STORY - 7/10
Super Princess Peach doesn't have much to offer story-wise. Bowser kidnaps Mario, Luigi, and Toad while Peach is off on a walk with Toadsworth. So, Peach takes up the role of Mario to save her friends, along with her talking umbrella, Perry. There are actually quite a few cutscenes in the game, from the long intro to the little scenes with Perry after each world is complete. It adds for a cute atmosphere and mucho Mario lore. I would have liked for Peach to get her own villain instead of them recycling Bowser once again, but this game does introduce new villains (such as the main Hammer Bro. and the Ice Queen) while bringing in familiar baddies like Petey Piranha and Kamek. Also, the fact that all of Bowser's minions from the previous games (Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Cheep-Cheeps) make an appearance in some way or another. It definitely makes the die-hard Mario fan ooze with satisfaction.

GRAPHICS - 9/10
Many people might be upset that the graphics are in 2-D instead of the full on 3-D that the DS is known for utilizing. I was completely happy that they went the 2-D route, as it makes the game feel much more nostalgic. Everything is so crisp and colorful. Peach's sprites are full of emotion and are absolutely adorable to watch, along with other characters like Perry or Toadsworth, who also have a wide range of sprites reflecting their emotions. The graphics are, to sum it up, very similar to Mario & Luigi 2: Partners in Time. All of the monsters are extremely detailed, and the environments are all very reminiscent of the older Mario games.

SOUND - 9/10
The sound has no problems that I can think of. The only thing that might quirk me is that none of the music tracks are very memorable. I'm not that far into the game -- I'm on the third world -- but as of yet, I haven't been wow'd by any of the songs. However, the fact that they included Peach's own band, "Peach Hi-5" or something, makes it all worth while. She and her bandmates play music tracks that you collect throughout the game. It's really cute, actually. Peach's voice is the same as it always is, obnoxiously high pitched but very fitting nonetheless.

GAMEPLAY - 8/10
Super Princess Peach takes the aspects of the original Mario games and adds in a new function: the Vibes. I actually think they could have gotten rid of the entire Vibe idea and just had a side-scroller where Peach had to go through various obstacles and it would have sold just as well without offending people about "Peach is the PMS Princess!" and whatnot. I also found it very difficult to keep up with all the different moves that each emotion could do, and instead opted to just beat up goombas. Unfortunately, you need to use the emotions to get by in the levels. It's not so bad, though. You get used to it, I'm sure. There's also a lot of buzz about the game being too easy. I disagree -- I have had a lot of trouble with the game so far. I guess it might be because I'm not a die-hard gamer, which if you are, then it *might* seem like a very easy game. But for us NORMAL people (wink, wink), the difficulty is just right.

REPLAY VALUE - 9/10
There's a lot to do in Super Princess Peach, from collecting puzzle pieces to playing mini-games to filling up your monster guide. It'll keep a player going for hours. Also, the worlds are very large and the levels very complex, so it makes it fun to explore each and every place very intricately. All in all, Super Princess Peach is a very fun game and if you're not too wimp to buy it (believe me, there are a LOT of people like that), you should go for it. You won't be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/02/06