Paper Mario (Wii, 2007)

Gameplay - 8 -

The way the game's played has changed drastically since the previous two installments. The game plays a lot more like a Mario game instead of a role playing game which may disappoint some, but I thought it was an interesting idea. There are some still some RPG aspects in this game such as leveling up by scoring a certain number of points. Some of the other new elements include the ability to switch from 2D to 3D which allows a lot more exploration and is one of the major abilities you will use throughout the game. You will also get creatures known as Pixls that will aid you on your journey. Their abilities range from grabbing objects, to shrinking you to the size of a dot. In addition to the pixls, some of Mario's friends (and enemies) will join him on his journey, all of which with an unique ability. At one point or another, you will need to use your abilities you've earned to progress further into the game. One thing I thought that would have been better is to be able to flip 2D/3D with all the characters because it's used so frequently and constantly changing between members can be quite a hassle sometimes. It can also be difficult to judge certain jumps while in 3D. As, for length, the game contains 8 Chapters, all of which comprise of 4 sections. So as you can imagine, the game can last you quite a while. Each section of the game is vastly different, so the action never gets old. One complaint I do have though is the things the game makes you do sometimes. A few of the tasks can be boring and tedious and make you simply want to move on to the next part, fortunately these sort of errands are not too frequent in the game. I also thought the game could have been a little bit more challenging, although it does noticeably increase between chapter 3 or 4.

Graphics - 8 -

The graphics are once again presented in a paper style which has always been one of the main attractions of the series. The environments are pretty much different for each chapter, and some of the chapters are designed after stages from the original Super Mario games which I really liked. The graphics don't show any drop in quality in 3D either and does a good job representing both "dimensions". The bosses are also quite detailed and some even take up the whole screen! There's sure to be at least one thing that will visually impress you about this game.

Sound - 8 -

I found no problems with the music. There are many varied tracks used throughout the game, all of which are well suited to the situation. There are also some familiar tunes but in the game for nostalgic purposes as well. You also have your traditional Mario sounds effects, all of which fit nicely. If you look around enough, you'll even find a way to get the retro Mario sound effects which was a cool idea.

Control - 10 -

The controls are simple and easy! You hold the Wii Remote sideways, much like the NES controller. Aside from the menus and such, the game is controlled much like the original Super Mario games. You can also point the Wii Remote at the screen to get information on enemies or find hidden passages.

Final Verdict - 8 -

So if you're really into RPGs and/or classic Super Mario games, Super Paper Mario is a highly recommended game to pick up. Even if the game doesn't follow the same RPG formula that's been used for the past two games, it still doesn't fail to impress.