Pros: Fun, hysterical storytelling, funny characters, and a good story
Cons: Some touchy controls that may not always detect, but this is a minor point
The bottom line: Pick up this title for a fun gaming night with the whole family.

I love platformers. Not as much as I love RPG games, but they definitely rank a close second. Recently, I was craving a good, old fashioned, cartoony platform title. Having bought a Wii system this past November, I decided to actually invest in more titles than the 3 that my husband and I currently owned. And I must say, I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Super Paper Mario is fun, funny, and plays out with aspects for both old-school gamers as well as those new to the crowd.

Plot

The difference between Super Paper Mario and traditional Mario games is that there are some RPG aspects included. That is, your character levels up and gains either additional HP (Hit points, or health), or attack power (the factor that determines how hard you hit a baddie). While the RPG aspects are simplistic, it does serve to add a dimension to the game that sets it apart from other platformers. That said, it is reminiscent of titles like the PS2 Ratchet & Clank franchise, which is also a series of platforming games with minimal character development through levelling.

Now, you may be asking, what does this have to do with the story? It serves as a primer. In this title, Mario is called upon to save the universe from being completely obliterated due to a crazy Count, Bleck. The game starts out with the Mario brothers sitting in their home, and decide to go visit the princess (Princess Peach). On their way out the door, Toad runs up to them, and says the Princess has been kidnapped! Thinking that their old nemesis, Bowser, is behind this, they quickly run to his castle, but discover that while he had planned to take the princess, he hadn't acted on his plans yet. At that point, Count Bleck appears, and kidnaps Bowser, and decides to take Luigi for fun. Mario is knocked out, and wakes up in the 2D town of Flipside, where the wizard Merlon tells him that he is their only hope of stopping Count Bleck from destroying all the worlds.

While all of this may sound cliche, the acting and the story itself is cleverly written, and while sometimes predictable, keeps you wanting to move the plot along to find out what happens next. I often found myself laughing out loud at the funny dialogue that takes place between the characters. On your quest to find the 8 Pure Hearts (needed to counteract the Chaos Heart unleashed by Bleck), you will run into many colorful characters, all with something to say. While I often find myself avoiding townsfolk in many RPGs (talk about boring), in this game, you want to speak with them just to hear what crazy thing they may tell you.

Overall, the plot is clever, funny, and well-scripted. That being said, what about the gameplay?

Controls

This game uses the Wiimote, held sideways. You use the d-pad to control your movements and direct which way to run, etc. The 2 button is used to jump, the + accesses the menu, and the 1 button is used to access the special abilities of your Pixl.

What is a Pixl, you ask? If you have ever played a Legend of Zelda title, you may be familiar with your fairy that follows you through the game. A Pixl is essentially the same thing, and they float along with you, lending you their special abilities. As the story progresses, you will find new Pixls, each with different abilities. One helps you pick up things to throw them, another acts like a hoverboard and flies you across spikes and other hazardous traps, and still another gives you the ability to use a hammer to break blocks and smash hard-shelled enemies (think Koopas and Beetles). At the time of writing this, I had found 10 Pixls, some hidden, some mandatory to completing your story.

In terms of control, I never had issues of missing a jump, etc. One some occasions, I had difficulty getting my system to register the "Up" press on the d-pad. I switched Wiimotes and still had trouble getting Mario to speak to different townsfolk. I do not know if this was a quirk with my system or the game, but after a while, it worked again. Also, some items that you can use may require you to shake or tilt your Wiimote. Sometimes the game didn't register the tilts correctly, and I would miss a mini-game. This got to be irritating, especially when the item was meant to heal my character and I lost out on some health because of this.

Gameplay

The gameplay for this title, in short, is fun and entertaining. New to this sequel is the ability to temporarily switch to 3D, adding a new dimension (no pun intended) to gameplay. Rather than feeling like a cheap gimmick, 3D was used throughout the title to avoid obstacles, find hidden power-ups, and locating new paths to reach another location. The downside to this is that you only have a limited time to remain in 3D, before you start taking health damage. Most obstacles that require this transition to 3D can be completed well within this timeframe, however, but as your desire to explore further kicks in, it can become a hindrance. The only frustration that I found in 3D was a bit of difficulty in lining up a jump to hit a block or kill an enemy. There are shadows, but it is still not a precise science, and you may find yourself taking damage from an unseen enemy, or worse, one that you see clearly but cannot line up to hit.

As you quest through the game, you will also acquire 3 other playable characters: Bowser, Princess Peach, and Luigi. Each of these characters has their own abilities and weaknesses. Bowser, for example, has twice the attack power of any of the other characters. He also breathes fire, which helps in attacking a lot of character types you may not be able to jump on to kill. However, his drawback is that he is painstakingly slow, very large and more susceptible to accidentally jumping into something, and cannot climb ladders. The great thing about this, though, is that you cannot rely solely on one character to complete an area. In some cases, you may need Peach to use her parasol to float to a distant ledge. Or, you could need Luigi to jump to a high location. This adds another fun dimension to an already interesting and entertaining title.

Sound and Graphics

The sound to this title is fun, vivacious, and very true to the mood. Every area you visit has its own song, and all of the classic sound effects that you have come to love from the previous Mario titles are there. There is no voiceacting, however. For some games, this could be a drawback, but in the world of Nintendo, Mario and Company have never had true voices. This also means that the game is very text heavy. The good news, however, is that the text scrolls quickly but gives you control on how fast you wish to move to the next paragraph.

Graphics are bright, colorful, and appropriate for the title. Super Paper Mario is just that, a two dimensional rendering of Mario. The inhabitants of this world are also two dimensional, also. The only 3D rendering in this game is through Mario's ability to change into a 3D viewpoint, but even then the detail is still colorful and bright. Overall, the game is fun and bright, and very detailed.

Overall

I recommend this title. Two thumbs up. A-OK. I cannot say more. It is fun, funny, bright, colorful, and simply a great game. If you like platformers, the Mario franchise, and want to find a new game for your Wii then this is for you. It is easy to pick up and learn, and hard to put down. The best part is that this title is great for all ages. Rather than the violent titles of the XBox 360 or the Playstation 3, this game is a refreshingly interesting change of pace. If you have a Wii and you want a new title to change up from Raving Rabbids or Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, run out and pick up this game. You won't be disappointed.