I'm a big Paper Mario fan. I love the series because the characters in the game seem to discard their cookie-cutter personalities and come alive. It's always been a more off-beat series in the Mario world. Even though the games have been critically praised, the Paper Mario series always seems to be the third wheel after the Super Mario and Smash Brothers series. I think the series still doesn't get enough respect.
In SPM, the story is a send up of Nostradamus, prophecies and anything else you would read about in The Sun tabloid. Count Bleck, the new villain in the game, has somehow kidnapped both Bowser and Peach. He has forced them to marry because of prophecies in the Dark Prognosticus claiming that the marriage would create the Chaos Heart, capable of destroying all worlds and ending all games. Luigi tries to stop the wedding but is too late. Suddenly, all worlds start having a Dark Void that threatens to destroy the worlds.
At Bowser's Castle, where Mario remained after Bowser and Luigi were whisked away by Bleck, he finds Tippi, a butterfly-like "pixl" creature who transports him to the town of Flipside between dimensions. Mario visits the wizard Merlon who tells Mario of the "Light Prognosticus", a book written by the ancients, describing a method of destroying the Chaos Heart. Mario matches the description of the hero in the book, so Merlon entrusts him with one of eight Pure Hearts that together have the power to defeat Count Bleck.
Interesting story, I must say...
SPM is much different than the last two games as it isn't really an RPG. This game is your classic old-school Mario game with the same Mario platform rules we all know and love. He stomps on enemies, hits blocks with his head and collects coins. His new power is being able to flip the screen into 3D, which allows you to see the world's secrets. You can find hidden items, coins, pipes and rooms and even avoid enemies but you can only stay in 3D for a short time before losing a little health.
As Mario stomps on enemies he gains experience and hit points. The other characters he works with such as Peach, Luigi and Bowser have their own strengths. However, you'll be using Mario the most.
He also has the help of Pixls. Pixls allows him to get through the situations he runs into. Thoreau allows him to grab enemies and toss them into others. Boomer allows him to bomb enemies and walls. Slim lets him pass barriers in 3D and so forth. Tippy is always with you except in Chapter 3 and if you point the Wiimote onto the screen she will give you info on enemies, allies and items. Also, the Wiimote allows you to possibly find hidden doors and floors.
The game is split into 8 chapters of 4 levels each, just like the original Super Mario. In between forays through Flipside and Flopside, Mario will visit a mansion, battle with a tech-savvy nerd monster, visit a prehistoric world and visit the Mario world's versions of Heaven and Hell (where people go when their games are over). You'll run into characters like Mimi, who is a parody of Linda Blair's character from The Exorcist and Francis, the nerdy kidnapper of Tippy who is lonely for female companionship and talks about his digital buttrr website. Luigi's brainwashed Mr. L also has his Brobot. You'll be involved in quiz shows, play an early Final Fantasy-style boss battle and even a dating sim.
Graphics and sound are GameCube quality; not surprising as this was originally a GC game. The controls are very good and easy, although you will need to properly adjust the Sensor Bar when pointing the WiiMote to the screen. The dialog isn't quite as good as TTYD but it's still strong. The cavedudes always call you "Brah", the angels in the Overhere end many words with "eth" and Count Bleck always refers to himself in the 3rd person.
The game can be beaten in less than 20 hours but you can revisit 2 100 Pit Trials and there are some nice mini-games in the casino but they aren't needed to win the game.
While I prefer TTYD, SPM offers up the action that non-DS owners crave in an old-school Mario game. The charm is intact, the game is fun and it is another great addition to the series. If you have a Wii, this is definitely a game worth the money.
In SPM, the story is a send up of Nostradamus, prophecies and anything else you would read about in The Sun tabloid. Count Bleck, the new villain in the game, has somehow kidnapped both Bowser and Peach. He has forced them to marry because of prophecies in the Dark Prognosticus claiming that the marriage would create the Chaos Heart, capable of destroying all worlds and ending all games. Luigi tries to stop the wedding but is too late. Suddenly, all worlds start having a Dark Void that threatens to destroy the worlds.
At Bowser's Castle, where Mario remained after Bowser and Luigi were whisked away by Bleck, he finds Tippi, a butterfly-like "pixl" creature who transports him to the town of Flipside between dimensions. Mario visits the wizard Merlon who tells Mario of the "Light Prognosticus", a book written by the ancients, describing a method of destroying the Chaos Heart. Mario matches the description of the hero in the book, so Merlon entrusts him with one of eight Pure Hearts that together have the power to defeat Count Bleck.
Interesting story, I must say...
SPM is much different than the last two games as it isn't really an RPG. This game is your classic old-school Mario game with the same Mario platform rules we all know and love. He stomps on enemies, hits blocks with his head and collects coins. His new power is being able to flip the screen into 3D, which allows you to see the world's secrets. You can find hidden items, coins, pipes and rooms and even avoid enemies but you can only stay in 3D for a short time before losing a little health.
As Mario stomps on enemies he gains experience and hit points. The other characters he works with such as Peach, Luigi and Bowser have their own strengths. However, you'll be using Mario the most.
He also has the help of Pixls. Pixls allows him to get through the situations he runs into. Thoreau allows him to grab enemies and toss them into others. Boomer allows him to bomb enemies and walls. Slim lets him pass barriers in 3D and so forth. Tippy is always with you except in Chapter 3 and if you point the Wiimote onto the screen she will give you info on enemies, allies and items. Also, the Wiimote allows you to possibly find hidden doors and floors.
The game is split into 8 chapters of 4 levels each, just like the original Super Mario. In between forays through Flipside and Flopside, Mario will visit a mansion, battle with a tech-savvy nerd monster, visit a prehistoric world and visit the Mario world's versions of Heaven and Hell (where people go when their games are over). You'll run into characters like Mimi, who is a parody of Linda Blair's character from The Exorcist and Francis, the nerdy kidnapper of Tippy who is lonely for female companionship and talks about his digital buttrr website. Luigi's brainwashed Mr. L also has his Brobot. You'll be involved in quiz shows, play an early Final Fantasy-style boss battle and even a dating sim.
Graphics and sound are GameCube quality; not surprising as this was originally a GC game. The controls are very good and easy, although you will need to properly adjust the Sensor Bar when pointing the WiiMote to the screen. The dialog isn't quite as good as TTYD but it's still strong. The cavedudes always call you "Brah", the angels in the Overhere end many words with "eth" and Count Bleck always refers to himself in the 3rd person.
The game can be beaten in less than 20 hours but you can revisit 2 100 Pit Trials and there are some nice mini-games in the casino but they aren't needed to win the game.
While I prefer TTYD, SPM offers up the action that non-DS owners crave in an old-school Mario game. The charm is intact, the game is fun and it is another great addition to the series. If you have a Wii, this is definitely a game worth the money.
