The storyline in Super Paper Mario isn't really anything special, but it's certainly one to honor for its fine script and clever writing. An evil magician named Count Bleck plans on taking over the world, and as Mario you'll need to stop him by finding the pieces of the purity heart that'll allow you to do so. In truth, the storyline is actually really crazy, but I'd rather not give too much away. It's actually a really enjoyable story Mario fans will love in the long run.
The game is very dialogue heavy but at least its creative. Much of it is very humorous and will have you laughing quite a bit. But when I say dialog heavy, I'm not kidding. You'll be mashing on the 2 button a lot. It wouldn't be so bad if characters didn't go on to explain such things that were useless.
Super Paper Mario is truly something remarkable in terms of its gameplay. It mixes Platforming and RPG elements. There's still a need to level up and Mario has his set of HP but all the way, this is a platformer. It plays very similar to Super Mario Brothers on the NES. However, a slight problem with this kind of gameplay, is that those who were really addicted to side scrolling Mario games and were used to holding down a button to run will be surprised to learn there is no button to run! It's no big deal, but if you're feeling nostalgic (as you probably will playing this game) it's actually something long time Mario fans may have to get used to, especially because Mario doesn't move very fast.
During the game you can press the A button and flip the screen from the 2D world to the 3D world any time you want. Most of the time you'll be playing the game in the 2D realm, but there's plenty to be done in 3D too. It's a necessity to getting past some of the games puzzles. If you're ever stuck on puzzle just try flipping. It's also used to get past environmental objects. If a pipe is too tall for Mario to jump over, for example, then you can switch the game to the 3D view and simply walk around it. You can't stay in 3D forever. If you stay in 3D for too long Mario will take damage.
The problem with the gameplay is that the game is far too easy. Most enemies are easily dispatched and don't do much damage to you anyway. Even boss battles are of little challenge. The boss fights are fun, at least, requiring you to fight them in interesting ways, but they're still on the easy side. If you're an expert gamer, I don't predict you'll die anytime soon throughout your adventure.
Mario also isn't alone. He'll be joined by Peach, Luigi and Bowser throughout his travels, and each of them has an ability they can do. Peach can float, Luigi has a high jump and Bowser can spit fire. You can switch between them at any time, and there are moments when you'll actually need a certain character to do things. However, the game relies heavily on the mechanic of going from 2D to 3D and only Mario can actually do this. Despite that you've got other characters, you'll still play through most of the game as Mario.
Throughout your adventures you'll also collect Pixls. Little fairy like creatures that give Mario and company other abilities he can use. For example, early on in the game he meets a pixl that allows him to grab enemies and other objects and throw them. There are plenty of other powers. Needless to say, Super Paper Mario is filled with secrets.
The wii remote works well with this game. As noted you'll hold it like an NES controller and play the game in basically the same style you played the original Super Mario Brothers. The Wii controls, however, feel a little tacked on. You can point the remote to search for hidden doors or scan enemies. You can also shake when you jump off an enemy to get more points. The wii remote doesn't have a big impact on the gameplay, though.
Visually, of course, the game looks like a late generation Gamecube game. However, the games unique style alone warrants its beauty. The 2D landscape is far better looking than the 3D landscape, though. The 2D backgrounds are beautiful, and the background environments really shower a lot of detail. 3D doesn't look as good, though because it's just not as pretty and filled with life. Most of the level designs themselves are also pretty plain. As far as platforming goes, there's nothing too intuitively designed either. The levels also aren't filled to the brim with enemies. There's a lot of jumping, but not a lot of obstacles in your way.
The game also sounds really good. There's no voice acting to speak of, really. Which sucks for a game as text heavy as this, but most gamers who've been gaming for well over a decade probably won't care about this, anyway.
On the whole, Super Paper Mario is a must own title for the Wii. It's been ingeniously designed; it's full of humor and has been cleverly written. And to top it all off, it's just a lot of fun to play.
Pros:
+Well crafted dialogue
+VERY humorous game
+Strikingly original gameplay elements
+Simple easy gameplay to get a hold of
+Good music
+Plenty of things to do in the game
+Cleverly designed puzzles
Cons:
-The game is far too easy for experienced gamers
-Tacked on Wii Remote controls
-Very dialogue heavy; it's GOOD dialogue, but there are moments when you really just want to play the game
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It's a shame that so few people have Wii's in North America. Otherwise, I would imagine that "Super Paper Mario" would have tons of reviews at this moment. This is an incredibly solid game.Less "Paper Mario" than "Super Mario", the game returns Mario to his 2-D roots. Gone are turn-based battles, and in their place, good 'ole hoppin' and boppin' fun, like in the old days, but with one clever twist. When your character is faced with, say, an impossible jump, you can simply "flip" yourself into three dimensions, the result of which is often the opening of a new path, or the emergence of a hidden pipe, etc. It's a clever twist on the 2-D goodness of the old "SMB" games of the Nintendo and Super Nintendo.
If I had one complaint with the game, it's that it's a bit too easy. With the ability to level ones character, the challenging aspects of the original "SMB" games gets a bit lost (in particular, the character will NOT die from falling in a hole, and can sustain multiple hits before running out of heart points, which can be replenished by items, or even hidden mushrooms). But make no mistake while the game is never particularly challenging, it is always fun. The dialogue is snappy (the "dating sim" send-up is incredibly humorous, e.g.), the controls are good and responsove (I would have liked to see the nunchuk controller used a bit, particularly for the 3-D sections, but this is a mild complaint), the graphics are pretty...interesting, and the whole experience is trippy, in a "Katamari" sort of way.
All in all, a solid Wii outing this is one of those games that makes you happy to own the system.
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I am a 26 year old recent Wii purchaser (that was an ordeal) and have been out looking for games. I now have:Wii Sports
Wii Play
Excite Truck
Rayman Raving Rabbids (the reason I bought the system, my wife was flipping over this when she saw it)
Resident Evil 4
WarioWare Smooth Moves
and now
Super Paper Mario
I used to play Mario as a kid both on my NES in the late 80's and Super Nintendo back in the early 90's, along with F-Zero and some other games I had. I had a 3DO after that for a while, but then have not gamed for over a decade.
The Wii has marked a triumphantly FUN return to gaming: as above, I am 26 and my wife is 21 and we are both having lots of fun. As for Mario, I must say that Super Paper Mario, for a former-Super-Mario-World player is just a TOP NOTCH experience.
Getting through the "RPG-style" story in the beginning (a style of gaming which I remember seeing friends play on their gameboys) was initially a concern of mine (because I think that stuff is boring), but the sarcasm and self-awareness of what they do is quite amusing and sucked me into the game.
The gameplay is very amusing, especially flipping back and forth between 2D and 3D...a new hilarious take on old Mario side-scrolling convention.
This is my personal favorite Wii game of the list above, because I like fun and it is just sheer fun. All others are awesome (Wii Sports is timeless, Resident Evil is epic and haunting, Excite Truck is EXCITING!, Wario is hilarious, etc.), but this is a big, enjoyable and clearly long-lasting game, since we don't play "hard," just casually.
Honest reviews on Super Paper Mario
This was the first game I purchased for Wii. It was fun, but at times it was so frustrating!!!! I spent 80% of the game clicking through word bubbles, which cant be avoided. At times I was so annoyed that I wouldnt touch the game for days. Aside from the lame story and word bubbles, it was neat. This game requires using your mind, it's not your basic "get-to-the-end-of-the-level" game. Sometimes you have to go back and forth through a level to ask people questions etc. I repeat...this game requires intelligence and critical thinking skills, if you dont have those things, DONT buy this game!!!Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Super Paper Mario
I will start off by saying that I have always been a fan of the "Paper Mario" franchise. They all encompass a very unique direction for a character that by and large has stayed the same in format for the 25 years he has been around. Super Paper Mario continues in the unique vein of the first two Paper Mario (and even Super Mario RPG on the SNES, which is a clear inspiration for the whole Paper Mario series) while injecting some radical new directions of its own.First of all, this is the least RPG game in the whole Paper Mario series. Gone are the dynamic-turn based battles of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and in are the jump-on-an-enemy-and-watch-him-go-poof of the classic Super Mario Bros. games. Heck, gone are most RPG elements period! The only RPG anything in this game are items, and the fact that after a certain amount of "XP" points, your characters level up and gain more health, more damage in attacks, etc. That's it. No, this is more like a classic Mario side-scrolling platformer with the Paper motif. It is mainly 2-D except for one genius addition to the game's formula, and a definite game changer, in that Mario can manipulate the reality around him and go from 2-D perspective into 3-D. What is an impenetrable wall in 2-D becomes a mere pole in 3-D that you can easily side-step. The puzzlelike quality of getting from point A to point B using the 3-D mechanic is brilliant, and the puzzles were quite excellent throughout the entire game. I was impressed. If you don't find joy in it, you have no soul.
The only downside to 3-D is that the graphics become downright sparse and ugly in 3-D. In 2-D, however, the graphics are exceptionally stylish and eye catching. The artistic direction in this game is phenomenal. World 3 is done entirely using 8-bit sprites as a throwback to the classic NES system. Places like this are so fun to adventure through.
This time around, you get to play as Mario, obviously, but also Bowser, Peach, and Luigi become members of your party that you can switch to on the fly. Each also has their own unique ability you will need to continue. Unfortunately, only Mario can switch to 3-D, and because that is such an essential ability to make it through most areas, you end up using Mario exclusively for most of the time. It's too bad, because the other characters are a blast to play as and it becomes impractical to constantly keep switching to Mario to get past one part and then switch back. That is my only complaint. You also get little fairy creatures that follow you called Pixls who basically give you additional powers that Mario & Co. will need to advance through some puzzles. These range from a bomb to blow away certain blocks, to a cowboy Pixl called "Slim" (cutesy stuff abounds in this game, seriously) who makes Mario paper thin to squeeze through super skinny pathways in the walls. The Pixls are a nice added wrinkle to the puzzles.
Like in the others in the Paper series, and unlike any other Mario game outside of that, Super Paper Mario actually attempts to spin a yarn in its narrative. Is it a groundbreaking, incredible story worth buying the game alone for? No, but it is pretty cute, catchy, and achieves the goal it is supposed to. I enjoyed it, personally. One aspect that you will either love or hate with the story is that it makes the game extremely wordy. I cannot stress that enough. You will read a novel's worth, and then some, in dialogue from this game. That didn't bother me, and I rather enjoyed the dialogue myself. In fact, the characters and their words can be incredibly hilarious in a tongue-in-cheek way. Heck, one of the main bad guys is modeled after the boss from Office Space. Awesome. Even my wife, who thought that this was a bit too much of a "kiddy" game from the graphics and music, thought the characters were very cute and eventually changed her mind about SPM because of its undeniable charm.
It's not all perfect though, I must point out. I must say that I really enjoyed Super Paper Mario in its own merit. However, in the context of the other Paper Mario games, I have to say I like Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door a lot more. I miss the dynamic turn-based battles and the audience that got involved in them. I miss the decidedly much more epic storyline and dynamic characters in 1,000 year door. I miss the unique characters like Admiral Bobbery the Bob-omb, Yoshi, and Koops that join you on your quest. Heck, I miss the MARIO elements in SPM. For some odd reason, the character design and even some of the "dimensions" you visit made me feel like this didn't really belong in Mario "canon" as most characters are not in any way related to Mario games. 1,000 door was full of classic Mario elements like koopas, bob-ombs, even the piantas from Super Mario Sunshine are there. In contrast, Super Paper Mario has almost no recognizable Mario elements, and as a result, felt a bit foreign to me. AND, most recognizable characters like Bowser's Koopa army, Goombas, etc, make brief appearances at that! I know Mario & the gang are supposed to be in other dimensions, but still... it felt strange. It almost makes me think of Super Mario Bros. 2, or "Super Mario USA" as it is known everywhere else, as it is a totally different game in Japan that they just stuck the Mario characters into and released it in the US. An excellent game, just like SPM is, but strange taken in context of the rest of the Mario universe. Almost through the whole game, the only characters I was comfortable with completely was Mario, Peach, Luigi, and Bowser. That's it.
In fact, that is what I think best describes the game: "An excellent game, but very strange compared to all other Mario games." It feels like an awesome black sheep; A totally different take that feels excitedly adventurous and a wee too liberal at the same time. Don't get me wrong, I love SPM and I give it 5-stars for a reason. Originally I was going to give this game a 4-star rating, but decided against it. I may have preferred 1,000 door as a Paper Mario game, BUT Super Paper Mario makes so many radical steps conceptually that it can hardly be considered in context of the others, as I have pointed out. In its own genre-busting world, it is amazing. Where else does a star-man turn Mario into a hulking 8-bit NES version of himself to stomp and destroy everything in his path? Where else do you get an item that makes a zombie mushroom follow you around and help you, or call a miniature army of NES versions of the character to mimic your every move and go kamikaze? Moments like this are too cool. This game oozes its own quirky charm, and it is all the better for it. Would I recommend it? Absolutely! I would give you the advice of playing this with the attitude of it being a stand-alone adventure, however, because taking it in with the other Paper Mario series in mind might skew your expectations of what is to come. Keep that in mind. Super Paper Mario is one of thee definitive Wii games to get for your library, just appreciate it for what it truly is!
(Note: I would rate this game at around a 4.5 star game. However, I feel that the aggregate 3 1/2 stars is not a fair rating for Super Paper Mario, so I round it up to a 5-star game.)
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