Imagine you're smack in the middle of the side-scrolling greatness that is the Nintendo Entertainment System's “Super Mario Brothers” series. Jumping from one platform to the next, pouncing on Koopas' heads and popping red mushrooms out of golden blocks is its own fun adventure.
“Super Paper Mario” for the Wii revisits that classic formula and the accompanying nostalgia, then adds a whole new dimension - literally. Although the majority of the game is played on a two-dimensional plane, at times it calls for a “flip” into the third dimension.
The perspective switch not only freshens up the game play, it leads Mario through several tricky spots in each chapter of “Super Paper Mario.” For instance, the flip may reveal a hole in the floor or a pipe passage behind a row of blocks.
Mario can only remain in the third dimension for a few seconds before his health starts taking hits. Regardless, the two-dimensional view is equally necessary to navigate the levels. It is the balance between each perspective that makes the game play in “Super Paper Mario” such a blast.
Mario's quest in this game focuses on Count Bleck, the evil genius to longtime Mario enemy Bowser's evil monster. Bleck actually kidnaps Bowser - and Princess Peach, as per usual - to fulfill a prophecy in the Dark Prognosticus, an ancient book of evil forecasts.
By marrying Bowser and Peach, Bleck believes he will create a mystical object called the Chaos Heart that will bring about the end of existence. Mario must collect the pieces of the Pure Heart in order to stop Bleck.
Mario travels to different worlds of desert, aquatic and underground topography on his mission to collect the pieces of the Pure Heart. He also rounds up tiny Pixls that give him various abilities, such as planting bombs and passing through cracks (he is paper-thin, after all).
When players point the Wiimote at objects and people on the screen, they can read background information provided by Tippi, the Pixl that accompanies Mario on his journey from the beginning. At other points in the game the player can shake the controller to break free of ice attacks or inflict extra damage on enemies.
Eventually Peach, Luigi and Bowser are added to Mario's party. Like “Super Mario Brothers 2,” players can use any character in the course of a level, and each has their own unique skills. “Super Paper Mario” incorporates other role-playing game elements like HP levels and artifacts that restore health (Shroom Shakes) and empower Mario with attacks (Shell Shocks).
Clever dialogue from the game's cast of characters guides “Super Paper Mario” along its mythic plot. Count Bleck ends all his remarks with “BLECK!” and his assistant, Nastasia, spouts all her lines with Gen-Y speech staples such as “like” and “M'Kay?” And at several points in the game characters break the fourth wall by mentioning the player as “the person in control of all.”
The game is presented in a well-polished cartoon-like look with vibrant animations, such as the colorful explosions that occur when Mario collects a Pure Heart or a new Pixl.
The game play in “Super Paper Mario” is just as engaging. In addition to the exciting platform elements that the Mario series established in mainstream gaming, the flip - like the Wii itself - goes beyond gimmickry and genuinely opens up the action to new possibilities.
Staff writer David Wilcox reviews video games for The Citizen. He can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
“Super Paper Mario”
Score: A-
Parental rating: E for Everyone
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Wii
Retail price: $49.99
Features: 1 player
Life span: Approximately 15 hours to complete
The final boss: “Super Paper Mario” ushers the classic Mario of the 8-bit Nintendo days into the third
dimension for a lively and unique new adventure
The perspective switch not only freshens up the game play, it leads Mario through several tricky spots in each chapter of “Super Paper Mario.” For instance, the flip may reveal a hole in the floor or a pipe passage behind a row of blocks.
Mario can only remain in the third dimension for a few seconds before his health starts taking hits. Regardless, the two-dimensional view is equally necessary to navigate the levels. It is the balance between each perspective that makes the game play in “Super Paper Mario” such a blast.
Mario's quest in this game focuses on Count Bleck, the evil genius to longtime Mario enemy Bowser's evil monster. Bleck actually kidnaps Bowser - and Princess Peach, as per usual - to fulfill a prophecy in the Dark Prognosticus, an ancient book of evil forecasts.
By marrying Bowser and Peach, Bleck believes he will create a mystical object called the Chaos Heart that will bring about the end of existence. Mario must collect the pieces of the Pure Heart in order to stop Bleck.
Mario travels to different worlds of desert, aquatic and underground topography on his mission to collect the pieces of the Pure Heart. He also rounds up tiny Pixls that give him various abilities, such as planting bombs and passing through cracks (he is paper-thin, after all).
When players point the Wiimote at objects and people on the screen, they can read background information provided by Tippi, the Pixl that accompanies Mario on his journey from the beginning. At other points in the game the player can shake the controller to break free of ice attacks or inflict extra damage on enemies.
Eventually Peach, Luigi and Bowser are added to Mario's party. Like “Super Mario Brothers 2,” players can use any character in the course of a level, and each has their own unique skills. “Super Paper Mario” incorporates other role-playing game elements like HP levels and artifacts that restore health (Shroom Shakes) and empower Mario with attacks (Shell Shocks).
Clever dialogue from the game's cast of characters guides “Super Paper Mario” along its mythic plot. Count Bleck ends all his remarks with “BLECK!” and his assistant, Nastasia, spouts all her lines with Gen-Y speech staples such as “like” and “M'Kay?” And at several points in the game characters break the fourth wall by mentioning the player as “the person in control of all.”
The game is presented in a well-polished cartoon-like look with vibrant animations, such as the colorful explosions that occur when Mario collects a Pure Heart or a new Pixl.
The game play in “Super Paper Mario” is just as engaging. In addition to the exciting platform elements that the Mario series established in mainstream gaming, the flip - like the Wii itself - goes beyond gimmickry and genuinely opens up the action to new possibilities.
Staff writer David Wilcox reviews video games for The Citizen. He can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
“Super Paper Mario”
Score: A-
Parental rating: E for Everyone
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Wii
Retail price: $49.99
Features: 1 player
Life span: Approximately 15 hours to complete
The final boss: “Super Paper Mario” ushers the classic Mario of the 8-bit Nintendo days into the third
dimension for a lively and unique new adventure
