Evan Griffin has been playing “Super Paper Mario”
Wii
So, it’s pretty obvious that everyone enjoys a good Mario game, but I also find it quite funny when people complain that they only ever see the same old thing when a new Mario game releases. The Paper Mario series, made initially on the Nintendo 64 to re-brand the RPG style for the franchise started by Square Enix on the SNES. The third in the franchise was Super Paper Mario, which combined Action-RPG elements and Zelda style environmental puzzles with the traditional Mario run-and-jump gameplay. This is mainly centered around Paper Mario’s newfound capability to flip into a third dimension, giving the previously flat world a Z axis to additional puzzles and secrets. The gameplay offers variety not just through this dimension flip, but also different party members with the likes of Peach and Bowser, each with their own unique abilities, (a-la Super Mario Bros. 2) plus Mario’s guiding pixel pals that he uncovers throughout the game, giving different combat abilities to the heroes throughout.
I’m also beginning to realize that I glossed over the fact that Bowser is both playable in this game and aligned with Mario in it. This is also one of the few Mario games out there that presents itself with a really well put together storyline, namely in that a new threat in an inter-dimensional space named Count Bleck, and his team of equally strangely named accomplices, decide to take over the Mushroom Kingdom in some grandiose doomsday scheme. The best of the story through this game however, is the personalities of every character, both major and very very minor, as their identities shine through with body language and a simple scrolling text box. It’s also heart wrenching to see Luigi be hypnotized and turned into the dastardly “Mr. L” against his own brother. Poor Luigi can never catch a break.
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