What’s going on out there in gaming land? June is here, and you know what that means: summer. Now that you’re free, you’ll probably have a lot more free time. Here’s a look into a recently released game long overdue for a review, Super Paper Mario!
Gameplay- *****
Two words: Best controls ever. Er…yeah. The Wii Remote is held sideways for that retro Mario Bros. style-feel, the 2 button being the all-around action button. Each character has their own special abilities, and you’ll need to use them all to make it far in the game. It’s very innovative and fun. However, as you level up, the game gets a mite too easy. Bosses can be defeated faster than you can, say, zap up a TV dinner in the microwave. Still the Pit Of 100 Trials returns and does not disappoint. It’s not too easy, not too difficult, still equally frustrating should you lose. Great gameplay feels natural even with the added functions of the Wii Remote.
Sound- ****
The good news is SPM has a different tune for almost every place. The bad news is it doesn’t have a different tune for EVERY place. Still, the variety’s all here. Lineland has your run-of-the-mill music, reminiscent of Petal Meadows from Thousand-Year Door. Land of the Cragnons, meanwhile, uses drums for a prehistoric feel. Let’s face it, the game would get rather bland without the music there. You may not notice it when it’s there, but you would definitely notice if it wasn’t.
Sound effects such as Mario jumping and Peach opening her parasol add some ambience. However, Nintendo once AGAIN forwent voice acting. It seems they’re just not getting the hint. That alone prevented this section from getting a 5.
Graphics- ***+
Well, what do you expect? It’s Paper Mario, as I said in my review for The Thousand-Year Door. I’m not a big fan of the geometrical square look. Still, at least the character models look more or less unchanged from the previous installment. The vast variety of new enemies won me over, though. I’m a fan of the Megabites. They’re all drawn very well and look nothing like the blocky landscapes in which they appear. Still, some disappointed me. *coughMimicough* Anyway, the character and enemymodels were drawn and executed superbly.
Replay Value- *
Nada. Zilch. None. Unless you’re a die-hard fan of the series. For one thing, it seems like such a hassle knowing you have to pass things up that are right there because you don’t have a certain ability. SPM does this quite a bit. You might want to just play your old file and try and get everything, but there’s almost no reason to go through the whole story again. The ending was very, very horrible as well. Again, this is only this humble reviewer’s opinion but, take it as a caveat.
Overall- ****
SPM is a great rent or buy. The gameplay is good, there are more unpredictable plot events than an episode of 24, with plenty of in-jokes and laugh out loud moments. Breaking of the fourth wall is not uncommon. The Wii Remote allows you to really get into the game because, well, that’s what it was designed to do. And it succeeds. Great sound you can hum along to, and wonderful enemy and character animations. Just, no replay value.