bit-tech Shopping: Nintendo Super Paper Mario (WII)

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3

Strengths: Inventive 2D/3D gameplay, great platformer action, nice RPG elements, good graphics.

Weaknesses: Lots of text to read

Summary: Super Paper Mario takes the 2D platformer concept and turns it 45 degrees to the side. The game plays mostly in 2D mode, like the previous Super Mario titles, though at times, it's turned into a 3D platformer for a short time. The 3D mode allows for getting past issues that can't be solved in 2D mode. The game looks pretty good, though there's an immense amount of text to read through as the game progresses. An RPG element, like Paper Mario for the GC, adds for some diversity above the regular platformer. It's a top-notch Wii title that's different enough to stick out from the rest of the Wii titles.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 2

Strengths: Fun story and characters

Weaknesses: Some backtracking is tedious

Summary: Super Paper Mario is a thoroughly excellent platformer with RPG elements. The plot is coherent, the characters are charming and funny, and the puzzles are clever and interesting. Highly recommended.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2 Months

Strengths: Witty dialogue, great platforming elements

Weaknesses: Occasionally doesn't know if it's an RPG or platformer.

Summary: Super Paper Mario is an excellent GameCube->Wii conversion. While clearly not a Wii title initially, the added functionality of the Wiimote does not detract from the experience. Intelligent Systems (or is it Treehouse?) once again delivers a fine localization with some of the funnier dialogue I've read in a game in some time. At times the game drags due to an excess of the same, but the 2 and 3D platforming elements more than make up for it, particularly in the extremely challenging Chapter 8.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 2 Months

Strengths: Fun RPG-lite elements in a Mario platformer

Weaknesses: Heavy amounts of text dialogue

Summary: I thoroughly enjoyed Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, and was eagerly looking forward to this game. It did not disappoint. The ability to switch between 2D and 3D is used well for the game's various puzzles. Unlike Thousand Year Door, where combat was turn-based, here the action is of the more traditional mario-platform variety -- jump on the monster's heads, shoot fireballs, or throw items. There is a lot of dialogue, but the writing is clever and entertaining. If you enjoyed Thousand Year Door, you should pick up this title.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 4 Months

Strengths: Exploration, Innovative

Weaknesses: Nothing I Could Think of

Summary: Mario is Back again in paper form. Super Paper Mario is an action adventure game with role playing elements added into the mix. Unlike the previous two Paper Mario games which had turn based battles systems like your typical RPGs you will be moving around in a 2D world which you will attack enemies to defeat them within that environment much like any of the old Super Mario Bros side scrollers. Early on in the game you will get an item that let's you press a button and turn the playing field 45 degrees and when you see the environment from that angle it becomes 3D and in doing so you can uncover secrets and areas that can't be seen or accessed from the 2D view. The simplest example I can think of is sometimes you will see a single block but when you turn the view 45 degrees to get a 3D view and you will uncover that behind that block are a few more that you can now see lined up that were hidden behind the single block you saw from the 2D perspective. I would highly recommend Super Paper Mario to anyone that liked the old Super Mario Bros games or the previous two Paper Mario games as while the game doesn't seem to feel as action packed as the older Super Mario Bros games it does have a good story and exploration feel like the previous two Paper Mario games and is definitely an original and innovative idea for an action adventure game. It's also the second best game on the Wii currently (only behind Zelda Twilight Princess) in my opinion and the best original game considering that Zelda Twilight Princess was originally made on the GameCube and in mid process of making it was also done up for the Wii.