Super Paper Mario
Publisher: Nintendo
Console: Wii
7.0
Originally shown a year ago as a GameCube title, Super Paper Mario immediately caused gamers to light up with excitement. Looking like a cross between the Nintendo DS hit New Super Mario Bros. and the well-respected Paper Mario series, there seemed to be no way this game could miss. Yet while Super Paper Mario is peppered with bits of brilliance, the game as a whole falls quite short of greatness.
Super Paper Mario certainly starts out with a bang. Its biggest feature is Mario's ability to "flip" the 2D settings to 3D, uncovering hidden routes, items, and other secrets. And while this is certainly a "neat-o" feature, it isn't able to carry the entire game and after a while the flipping will becomes old hat. By the time you reach the second world, you'll almost know exactly when flipping is required. Walk into an empty room? Press A. Come to a dead end? Press A.
Nintendo no doubt attempted to address the situation by adding multiple characters and companions to the game, but this only manages to disrupt the flow. In order to switch between your playable characters or use a different "Pixl", you're required to open up a menu. This becomes incredibly tedious as many levels require a great deal of character swapping. I suspect that had the game stayed on the GameCube, your four playable characters could have been "hot-keyed" to the D-Pad, and your Pixls could have been cycled through with the shoulder buttons. However, the button limitations of holding the Wii remote on its side doesn't allow these conveniences.
Speaking of which, Nintendo did add some nice Wii remote functionality to the game, despite how much of an afterthought these additions may have been. Pointing the remote at the screen has a "flashlight" effect, allowing you to uncover hidden doors, stairs, and other things. Also, shaking the Wii remote just as Mario pounces on an enemy increases your points, which will eventually allow you to level up. These are nice little touches that don't add a lot to the game, but also don't get in the way.
While having its moments in terms of presentation, there is nothing in Super Paper Mario that approaches the beauty of what's found in past games in the series; Chapter 2 of The Thousand Year Door, for instance, is far above and beyond the visuals in Super Paper Mario. In fact, many levels are downright bland, lacking anything resembly the artistry and detail the series has shown in the past.
The same can be said of the situations and NPCs you'll find along the way. Remember the excellent train mystery from The Thousand Year Door? Don't expect to find that sort of riveting scenario here. And while Level 3-4 may go down as one of the funniest moments of dialogue in recent gaming history, that's where the game peaks, less than halfway through the adventure. Though the series has always been about tongue-in-cheek humor and self-parody, Super Paper Mario sometimes forgets to balance parody with fun. For example, holding right on the D-Pad for five minutes straight while Mario runs in a gerbil cage may have sounded funny in concept, but not so much in execution. And all those levels that require you to traipse to the very end to retrieve a key that opens a door back at the beginning? Hilarious. Utterly hilarious.
Again, it's not all gloom and doom for Super Paper Mario. I did rate the game a 7, after all. While the platforming certainly doesn't compare to games in the "proper" Mario series, and the RPG elements found here are almost unnecessary, there are some brilliant puzzles to be found. Level 4-4 will wreck your brain as you walk on walls and the ceilings while constantly shifting perspectives. And, as mentioned, the dialogue is absolutely top-notch and will keep you entertained even if the game itself is making you doze off. Furthermore, as with past games in the series, there's a ton of stuff to find, items to collect, and secret passages to uncover.
So, despite the holes, Super Paper Mario manages to be one of the better Wii titles we've seen since launch. It simply needed more polish, better level design, and more of that trademark Paper Mario charm. As is, it hasn't surpassed the mark set by The Thousand Year Door, or even the N64 original.
Bottom Line: Brilliant in some spots, dreadfully boring in others, this is just an "ok" Mario game.
Article By: John
Super Paper Mario certainly starts out with a bang. Its biggest feature is Mario's ability to "flip" the 2D settings to 3D, uncovering hidden routes, items, and other secrets. And while this is certainly a "neat-o" feature, it isn't able to carry the entire game and after a while the flipping will becomes old hat. By the time you reach the second world, you'll almost know exactly when flipping is required. Walk into an empty room? Press A. Come to a dead end? Press A.
Nintendo no doubt attempted to address the situation by adding multiple characters and companions to the game, but this only manages to disrupt the flow. In order to switch between your playable characters or use a different "Pixl", you're required to open up a menu. This becomes incredibly tedious as many levels require a great deal of character swapping. I suspect that had the game stayed on the GameCube, your four playable characters could have been "hot-keyed" to the D-Pad, and your Pixls could have been cycled through with the shoulder buttons. However, the button limitations of holding the Wii remote on its side doesn't allow these conveniences.
Speaking of which, Nintendo did add some nice Wii remote functionality to the game, despite how much of an afterthought these additions may have been. Pointing the remote at the screen has a "flashlight" effect, allowing you to uncover hidden doors, stairs, and other things. Also, shaking the Wii remote just as Mario pounces on an enemy increases your points, which will eventually allow you to level up. These are nice little touches that don't add a lot to the game, but also don't get in the way.
While having its moments in terms of presentation, there is nothing in Super Paper Mario that approaches the beauty of what's found in past games in the series; Chapter 2 of The Thousand Year Door, for instance, is far above and beyond the visuals in Super Paper Mario. In fact, many levels are downright bland, lacking anything resembly the artistry and detail the series has shown in the past.
The same can be said of the situations and NPCs you'll find along the way. Remember the excellent train mystery from The Thousand Year Door? Don't expect to find that sort of riveting scenario here. And while Level 3-4 may go down as one of the funniest moments of dialogue in recent gaming history, that's where the game peaks, less than halfway through the adventure. Though the series has always been about tongue-in-cheek humor and self-parody, Super Paper Mario sometimes forgets to balance parody with fun. For example, holding right on the D-Pad for five minutes straight while Mario runs in a gerbil cage may have sounded funny in concept, but not so much in execution. And all those levels that require you to traipse to the very end to retrieve a key that opens a door back at the beginning? Hilarious. Utterly hilarious.
Again, it's not all gloom and doom for Super Paper Mario. I did rate the game a 7, after all. While the platforming certainly doesn't compare to games in the "proper" Mario series, and the RPG elements found here are almost unnecessary, there are some brilliant puzzles to be found. Level 4-4 will wreck your brain as you walk on walls and the ceilings while constantly shifting perspectives. And, as mentioned, the dialogue is absolutely top-notch and will keep you entertained even if the game itself is making you doze off. Furthermore, as with past games in the series, there's a ton of stuff to find, items to collect, and secret passages to uncover.
So, despite the holes, Super Paper Mario manages to be one of the better Wii titles we've seen since launch. It simply needed more polish, better level design, and more of that trademark Paper Mario charm. As is, it hasn't surpassed the mark set by The Thousand Year Door, or even the N64 original.
Bottom Line: Brilliant in some spots, dreadfully boring in others, this is just an "ok" Mario game.
Article By: John
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Enjoy!
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Check it out on this week's Team Fremont Live!
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Check it out here.
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