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This game may be the best RPG Nintendo has to offer, it’s loads of fun and addicting.

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Paper Mario 2

The Thousand Year Door

Review by: Alanna Stardust

1 Player RPG

Company: Nintendo

Version: US

System: Game Cube (Exclusive)

Rated: PG-13 (Comic Mischief, Cartoon Violence)

EXTERNAL EXAM

Surprise of surprises, Princess Peach has been kidnapped...again. Join Mario on a quest to rescue her from the diabolical X-nauts as you discover a thousand year old ancient city long forgotten. Race to track down the Crystal Stars and save the world from ruin of a demon lying in wait. Its Goomba bouncing hammer-swinging action at it’s best in the sequel to the original Paper Mario from the N64 era.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: Nintendo seems to love taking risks with their popular gaming icons that usually ends up paying off in the end. Paper Mario once again features 2-D characters in a 3-D world. The colors and bright and happy, and Mario has a new abilities to take full advantage of his paper body, such as turning into a paper airplane, boat, etc.

AUDIO: Paper Mario has upbeat happy music that changes to slightly menacing when the atmosphere is in the same condition. Personally though, I liked the music from the first game better. Included this time though are quips of Mario outbursts that are just too cute!

CONTROLS: During the turn based battle sequences, a series of well-timed button presses can help your characters pull off more powerful moves. Outside of battle, simplistic beginnings start off with the A button to jump and the B button to use your hammer. Later on, you’ll use the Y and X buttons to pull off paper moves, but the controlling gets a little frustrating when you receive upgraded hammer and jump moves. Holding down A and rotating the control stick allows Mario to do a super jump when you acquire the move, but getting it to respond sometimes take a few tries, and when those few tries are multiplied by the dozens of times you need a high jump, it gets irritating. Same with the hammer, when you get the special hammer move, holding down B and rotating the control stick allows you to curl up and then unleash a super powerful swing of your hammer. However, again, the controls aren’t always as responsive as they should be. Both aren’t annoying enough to ruin the game, but just enough to really irk you.

EXTRAS: Going across the land and finding hidden star pieces, Shine Sprites, badges, and others will have you at this game for countless hours. But who wouldn’t want to chase down badges that change your clothing so that you look like Luigi or Waluigi? It’s just that cool.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE: Cut scenes usually appear between worlds (a.k.a. chapters ala story book mode) and feature text boxes galore all the time. Make sure you have the patients to read, or this game won’t appeal to you most likely, since you’ll just tap the button to get through the text and miss half the story line.

BEST PLAYER: Paper Mario 2 has you in control of 2 additional characters during chapter changes. You’ll once again control Princess Peach for a brief period of time, and the new addition of taking over Bowser (who sometimes has mini levels that are fashioned after the original Super Mario Bros.). Also, when playing as Mario, you’ll have a large slew of sidekicks that will help Mario out along the way using their different unique talents after they join your party. The best sidekick hands down is the Yoshi kid which you get to name and ride around. For a unique twist, Yoshi appearances alter on different files. My first file Yoshi had a red body and green hair, while file two’s had an orange body and blue hair!

CHEAT CODE YOU NEED: It’s a Nintendo RPG people; don’t get your hopes up.

CHEAT CODE YOU WANT: Unlimited Star Energy. The special moves in this game are too awesome; you’ll burn through your star power in no time at all if you’re not paying attention.

FAN SERVICE: Princess Peach taking a shower. Sorry paper pervs, she’s behind a shower curtain. It’s a Mario game, what did you expect?

FINAL EXAM

Paper Mario was one of the best N64 games PERIOD. The only problem was, next to no one played it considering it was released at the very end of the Nintendo 64 console’s lifespan and was just passed over by many in preparation for the coming Game Cube. All who didn’t play the first Paper Mario should be ashamed.

This game is easily one of my favorites of 2004, there are certain aspects of the original Paper Mario that are better than the sequel, but it works in reverse too, with so many original and fresh ideas to add to game play.

Battles are played out on a stage with an audience of various mushroom kingdom residents watching you. The more battles you go through and succeed in, the more potential you have for the stage to grow, as well as your audience. They can help you out by throwing items on stage to assist you in defeating your enemies, but sometimes troublemakers are in the audience as well. These little buggers make your life difficult by throwing rocks, hammers, etc at you, so it’s up to you to realize before they do and dive into the audience to boot them out.

Worlds are huge and diverse, taking you across the sea, to the desert, to a floating theme park in the sky. A lot seem to be just a remodeled version of the original game’s worlds; it gives you a sense of deja vu. It would have been nice to have more cameo appearances from characters in the other game, but with so many new people to meet, the thought doesn’t stay in your mind for very long.

Mario himself seems to be quite the lady killer in this game, getting more smooches and smacks than ever before (he’s doing alright for a stereotypical Italian man). Paper Mario 2 has plenty of humor sprinkled in it, from Mario’s insane reactions to freaky women, to inside jokes about Luigi (who this time is on his OWN adventure...a very long storied one...that Mario always falls asleep during). It’s such an amusing game; you won’t want to put it down once you’re hooked. But Princess Peach seems to be getting more and more demanding as the games go on (ouch, the way she handles her captives...not pleasant for them).

For those who played the first game, you’ll sincerely miss the original partners from the N64's Paper Mario after getting the first 3 new team members. But once you get the Yoshi kid, it just sky rockets from there, the side kicks rock, like the pirate look-a-like Bob-omb Bobbery, or hidden character Miss Mowz you can sway to join your side. Partners in battle now have their own set of HP and FP (Flower points) in addition to yours, and if the opposing side chooses, they can be targeted to be taken down first.

Your health is measured in Heart Points (HP). You can use special moves by giving up Flower Points (FP) if you’re equipped with the proper badges. Special Power also uses the Crystal Stars to pull off insane attacks (with my personal favorite being the Art Attack, in which you use the control stick to draw a circle around your enemy as many times as you can to deliver damage). The moves are bigger and badder than ever, and you’ll love every second of it.

Occasionally Mario’s programming goes a little nuts for a second and he freezes up and skitters across the ground. It doesn’t happen too often, but still, that’s really something that programmers should take the time to fix.

This game may be the best RPG Nintendo has to offer, it’s loads of fun and addicting. Don’t be fooled because it’s a Mario game, it can be for anyone of any age, all the cool kids are playing it. Humor, action, adventure, and all those mushrooms, don’t miss this one this time!!! It sounds and looks great, and plays even better for the most part. Huge boss battles, giant worlds to explore, and 40 hours of time just flew out the window I think...Go get it! RIGHT NOW! What are you waiting for?

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