Paper Mario
by Nintendo

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Product Summary

• This includes ONLY the Paper Mario BOX! No game cartridge!

Video Game Reviews of Paper Mario

Customer Review: No Epic, but Enjoyable All the Same
Summary: 4 Stars

The characters that join Mario in Paper Mario are one of the highlights of the game. Of course, they aren't deeply developed, each with his or her own story, but they are all unique in the various abilities that they use to aid Mario. Mario can use Bombette, a girl Bob-omb, to blow up cracked walls; Sushie the Cheep Cheep to travel across water; Goombario, a Mario fanatic Goomba, to tell him about people and places; and so on. These characters can also help Mario during battles, but more on that later.

Same as in Super Mario RPG, Mario enters into a battle screen after touching an enemy on the world screen. In this way Mario can avoid repetitive battles by simply avoiding enemies. (Chrono Cross is another good example of this battle entry system.) Also, if Mario touches an enemy with an attack (e.g. jumps on it), he'll enter that battle getting off an extra attack. Battles are fun and strategic. Just as in Super Mario RPG, attacks can cause greater damage with the accurate timing of button pushes on your controller. If you press the "A" button just before Mario jump-attacks an enemy, he'll attack again. That's the fun part. The strategic part, which is also fun, comes in the two types of attacks that Mario can perform: jump attacks and hammer attacks. With jumps, Mario can attack any enemies on the ground or in mid-air, while with the hammer he can only attack a creature that is on the ground and at the front rank of the enemy army. But he won't want to jump on an enemy that has spikes or is enveloped with fire, so that is when the hammer comes in handy. Mario's companions can also help in battles with their own unique attacks, though only one character is allowed to participate at a time. Bombette, for instance, can explode to cause a large amount of damage on the front ground enemy, while Goombario can use a headbutt to cause minimal damage on any enemy. Later in the game, Mario's companions will learn various other attacks.

At the end of battles Mario will usually recieve "Star Points" (Experience Points). Once he collects 100 of these points, he will go up a level. It is at this time that you are allowed to customize Mario a bit. You can choose to increase his "Heart Points" (Hit Points), "Flower Points" (Magic Points), or "Badge Points." "Badge Points" are used to equip Badges which give Mario special attacks or other powers, such as the ability to jump-attack spiked enemies. Equipping Badges is simple (it is similar to the way you equip "Support Abilities" in Final Fantasy IX). Say Mario has 3 "Badge Points" and the Badges "Power Jump" (makes Mario jump-attack an enemy and cause more damage) and "HP Plus" (gives Mario an extra 5 "Heart Points"). Since the first Badge takes 1 BP, and the latter takes 3, Mario can, of course, only equip one or the other. But don't worry: any time you wish you can remove a Badge and get back its BP so that you can customize Mario differently with different Badges. (Wait! That's IDENTICAL to Final Fantasy IX.)

In Paper Mario, Mario will eventually get "Star Power," which he can use to summon the Star Spirits. These Spirits will perform powerful magic that will aid Mario, such as restoring both his HP and FP at the same time or damaging all enemies with shooting stars. But the "Star Power" will have to recharge after each summoning, and that can take time. That is why Mario is allowed to "Focus," which simply fills up his "Star Power" gauge more quickly (think Skies of Arcadia's "Spirit Point" system).

Paper Mario is better than I had expected, and I truly give it 4 1/2 stars. The only bad parts of the game are some boring activities such as delivering letters. All you do is go to one person, deliver a letter, get another letter to deliver, go to another person, deliver a letter, get yet another letter to deliver...This wouldn't be so bad if you got some great item in return, but it just isn't worth it for the occasional lame gift you receive. Not all the activities are that bad though; there is a quiz game that asks you various questions about the world of Paper Mario, such as, "How many windows were on that house?" or, "What color pants was that character wearing?" Still, Paper Mario's games aren't as fun as the ones found in Super Mario RPG. But if you put that aside, Paper Mario's fun, interactive battles and its unique characters should keep you happy.

Description of Paper Mario

As with most RPG titles, players must battle with several menacing enemies as they travel from place to place on their quest. Each encounter requires gamers to strategically choose between various modes of attack. For example, Mario is particularly handy with the hammer--thus you might opt to select his hangover-inducing hammer attack. As the adventure progresses, additional characters will join your quest. Your ever-growing posse gives you more fighting power, as each team member brings new attack moves and powers worth mastering. To advance within the game, you'll need to pay close attention to your health meter, enemy hit points, and your ever-expanding attack options. The game starts with enemies that are easy to defeat, but it quickly becomes quite difficult to survive subsequent attacks without careful planning.

Unlike most RPG games, each attack sequence is enhanced by a special action function. Instead of passively sitting back and watching each attack move occur, the player can enhance your attack by pressing a button or moving the directional controller at precisely the right time. As someone who has racked up several hours (and more than a few snoozes) during repetitious RPG attack sequences, the action feature is a welcome addition to break up the monotony of multiple attacks.

Fans of the traditional Mario games will appreciate the return of familiar characters, such as Princess Peach and Luigi. Perpetual baddie Bowser even plays a key role in this addictive adventure. Best of all, there are plenty of hidden areas and extras to uncover. Paper Mario may boast elements of the classic platform gaming genre, as well as the traditional RPG--but it ultimately cuts through all expectations to deliver an experience that appeals to both casual and hard-core gamers. --Brett Atwood

Pros:

• Weeks of gaming due to expansive environments
• Hidden goodies to uncover
• Classic Mario gameplay mixed with traditional RPG action

• Highly addictive (prepare to lose some sleep)
• Cartoon exterior may not appeal to some hard-core gamers

Paper Mario is the sequel to the classic Super NES role-playing game Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Like the original, it contains a mix of turn-based battles and intricate puzzles, as well as timed attacks. Players time their attacks by moving the D-pad and pressing the A button at exactly the right moment to inflict maximum damage. This seasons Paper Mario with a little action/adventure flavor. Classic characters, such as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and Toad, are joined by the likes of Goombario and Kammy Koopa.

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