Hours Played: ~5 hours
World Currently On: 4-2
Paper Mario games have done much in the past to revitalize Nintend’s biggest franchise. These games in the past have given us all the chance to see some of our favourite Mario characters in an RPG setting (this was also done by Mario RPG for the SNES, and the Mario & Luigi games for DS and GBA, but who’s counting?). The newest Paper Mario game takes the Mario franchise back to its roots. Good old platforming. While I don’t normally enjoy platformers, I must say that Super Paper Mario has been one of the most refreshing and entertaining games that I’ve played in a long time. Super Paper Mario (SPM) is also one of the best Mario games I have ever played.
One of the first things that quickly becomes evident about SPM is that it has a great sense of humour. Not only are there many parodies of past Nintendo games (Bowser’s upset that someone besides him steals Peach), but there are also jokes thrown in for the more 1337 amoung us. Clever gamers will catch references to old Zelda games, Windows errors, and past Nintendo systems at many points in the game.
The next thing that is evident about this game is that the developers must have has fun making it. This game exudes charm that could not have been produced by a group of guys just sitting around and painstakingly coding everything to ensure that the poly-count on Mario’s mustache isn’t too low. That’s not to say that the game doesn’t look good. The widescreen and 480p support were well-appreciated by me due to the fact that I have an HDTV.
The fact that all of the characters, environments, and enemies are made out of paper is played upon even more in SPM. Many clever new abilities, such as the ability to switch to the third dimension, are used heavily throughout the game. New items are also present in the game, including one that surrounds your character with 8-bit Marios to help you along your way, and a new-and-improved Super Star that will rock your 8-bit world.
There were moments in this game so far when I had to pause the game just because I was laughing so hard that I couldn’t play. This game proves that the magic of the Mario series still hasn’t disappeared after more than 20 years of Mario games. There are few games out there using old franchises that still feel fresh and new, but I can definitely say that SPM is one of them. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Mario game I’d suggest picking this game up, especially if you’re one of us lucky ones who have actually been able to get a hold of a Wii.
