12th February 2003, 11:04 AM
Paper Mario Review
By Derek Miller
We all know that the Nintendo 64 doesn't really have many RPGs. Heck, I can count them on one hand. Let's see: Ogre Battle 64, Quest 64, Aidyn Chronicles, and Paper Mario. That is not a lot of RPGs. Luckily Ogre Battle 64 and Paper Mario are both excellent games and it is a tough task to choose which game is better. This review, however, is focusing on the sequel to Mario RPG for Super Nintendo. Mario RPG was a joint venture between Nintendo and Square. Obviously, Square had nothing to do with Paper Mario. Rather, Intelligent Systems did much of the work on the game, with Shigeru Miyamoto checking in from time-to-time. Paper Mario was labeled as a kiddie game from the start, mostly because of its strange graphics. Using 2D characters in a 3D world may look strange upon first glance but it was pulled off flawlessly to provide a unique gaming experience.
Graphics
The graphics, as stated above, are different. Mario and all of the other characters are flat, and simply rotate around their 3D world. This makes for some interesting effects, such as Mario floating down like a sheet of paper or spinning around a pipe. All of the graphics are crisp and there is little blurriness. There are the typical locations such as a desert, haunted forest, and snowy mountain and they all fit perfectly into the world of the Mushroom Kingdom. There is no slowdown whatsoever which is always a plus in today's bloated games. All-in-all, a game that looks like it could be a SNES game, but on closer inspection, its obvious that a lot of work was put in to make this game look great.
8.5
Sound
Typical Mario fare here. You'll notice a lot of rerecorded classic Mario tunes in the game as well as some interesting new tracks. The sound effects are nothing special, but fit into the role of a Mario game. Nothing much more to say about the sound department.
7.5
Gameplay
If you've played Mario RPG then you'll be pretty familiar with Paper Mario's gameplay. It differs from many RPGs in that you have more of an active role in battles. You have to press certain button combinations or do various other things to block attacks or make your attacks stronger. What differs from Mario RPG is the fact that Mario is the only character who takes damage. You can only have one ally in battle with you at a time and, while they can still attack, they do not take any damage and cannot be killed. While there is the rare time when your ally gets hit, he or she won't die, rather, they will be immobilized for a number of turns equal to the amount of damage they took. It's quite a refreshing take on the RPG battle system. Much of the rest of the gameplay is standard RPG gameplay with a little Mario thrown in. You walk around talking to people and performing different tasks, but you can also jump and perform Mario's various moves, some of which you will learn along the way. It's a fun game and, although it is a little short, it will keep you hooked for a while.
9.0
Replayability
There are tons of extras to be found in Paper Mario. You can try to discover the different recipes of Tas-tee, or try to find all the different badges, which are like relics from Final Fantasy III. The only problem is when you get to the end you save deep in Bowser's castle so it might take you a while to get out. Truthfully, at the time of writing this, I haven't tried yet so there might be a shortcut but it's still a problem. The game doesn't have the most secrets to find but there is still a lot of extra stuff to do.
8.0
Buy/Rent
Unless you plan to play this game for 24-30 hours straight then this is a buy. You could rent it again but this game is definitely worth the $40-$50 it costs. You'll find yourself coming back to play Paper Mario again and again. It is extremely reminiscent of all the great Super Nintendo RPGs.
Total (not an average) : 9.0
By Derek Miller
We all know that the Nintendo 64 doesn't really have many RPGs. Heck, I can count them on one hand. Let's see: Ogre Battle 64, Quest 64, Aidyn Chronicles, and Paper Mario. That is not a lot of RPGs. Luckily Ogre Battle 64 and Paper Mario are both excellent games and it is a tough task to choose which game is better. This review, however, is focusing on the sequel to Mario RPG for Super Nintendo. Mario RPG was a joint venture between Nintendo and Square. Obviously, Square had nothing to do with Paper Mario. Rather, Intelligent Systems did much of the work on the game, with Shigeru Miyamoto checking in from time-to-time. Paper Mario was labeled as a kiddie game from the start, mostly because of its strange graphics. Using 2D characters in a 3D world may look strange upon first glance but it was pulled off flawlessly to provide a unique gaming experience.
Graphics
The graphics, as stated above, are different. Mario and all of the other characters are flat, and simply rotate around their 3D world. This makes for some interesting effects, such as Mario floating down like a sheet of paper or spinning around a pipe. All of the graphics are crisp and there is little blurriness. There are the typical locations such as a desert, haunted forest, and snowy mountain and they all fit perfectly into the world of the Mushroom Kingdom. There is no slowdown whatsoever which is always a plus in today's bloated games. All-in-all, a game that looks like it could be a SNES game, but on closer inspection, its obvious that a lot of work was put in to make this game look great.
8.5
Sound
Typical Mario fare here. You'll notice a lot of rerecorded classic Mario tunes in the game as well as some interesting new tracks. The sound effects are nothing special, but fit into the role of a Mario game. Nothing much more to say about the sound department.
7.5
Gameplay
If you've played Mario RPG then you'll be pretty familiar with Paper Mario's gameplay. It differs from many RPGs in that you have more of an active role in battles. You have to press certain button combinations or do various other things to block attacks or make your attacks stronger. What differs from Mario RPG is the fact that Mario is the only character who takes damage. You can only have one ally in battle with you at a time and, while they can still attack, they do not take any damage and cannot be killed. While there is the rare time when your ally gets hit, he or she won't die, rather, they will be immobilized for a number of turns equal to the amount of damage they took. It's quite a refreshing take on the RPG battle system. Much of the rest of the gameplay is standard RPG gameplay with a little Mario thrown in. You walk around talking to people and performing different tasks, but you can also jump and perform Mario's various moves, some of which you will learn along the way. It's a fun game and, although it is a little short, it will keep you hooked for a while.
9.0
Replayability
There are tons of extras to be found in Paper Mario. You can try to discover the different recipes of Tas-tee, or try to find all the different badges, which are like relics from Final Fantasy III. The only problem is when you get to the end you save deep in Bowser's castle so it might take you a while to get out. Truthfully, at the time of writing this, I haven't tried yet so there might be a shortcut but it's still a problem. The game doesn't have the most secrets to find but there is still a lot of extra stuff to do.
8.0
Buy/Rent
Unless you plan to play this game for 24-30 hours straight then this is a buy. You could rent it again but this game is definitely worth the $40-$50 it costs. You'll find yourself coming back to play Paper Mario again and again. It is extremely reminiscent of all the great Super Nintendo RPGs.
Total (not an average) : 9.0