Reviews

If there's one thing that you can count on with Nintendo it's that any game containing "Mario" in the title will have a fair number of redeeming features and will give you plenty of hours worth of enjoyment for your hard earned (and so easily spent) cash.

Super Paper Mario, which arrived on Wii before the sublime Super Mario Galaxy mixed the RPG-style elements of previous Paper Mario titles with the classic side-scrolling platform action seen in the Super Mario Bros games, and also added a 3D twist to the proceedings.

Now this brings back memories! But since when did Koopas wear shades?

Putting you in control of Mario, Luigi, Peach and even Bowser at certain points in the game, SPM has you running through 2D environments battling enemies that have Hit Points (and therefore can take more than one bash on the head in many instances), and solving puzzles that range from simple to simply impossible. The story revolves around a new villain called Count Bleck, who has the name of a South African vampire yet has easily beaten Bowser to the punch in the whole 'kidnapping the Princess' plot. The opening sequence sees the Count setting up a crazy wedding between Peach and Bowser. How has this transpired? Well, you'll have to play on to find out.

For the most part you'll play as Mario, who moves between the hub world of Flipside and the game's main levels. He's joined by small, fairy-like creatures called Pixels, who provide him with extra abilities. One in particular (the only actual use of motion control in the whole game) allows you to point your remote at objects on the screen to get information about them, and possibly obtain clues as to what you do next. The name of this character is Tippi - of course. All their names are a nod to their abilities.

And here Mario springs into 3D at the touch of a button!

Mario's most unique power, however, is the Flip ability. When used, it will turn the 2D view on its side to reveal a 3D view. Switching to 3D mode lets you find hidden items and even routes through what appeared to be dead ends moments ago in the 2D environment. You're only allowed to stay in the 3D realm for short periods of time though, after which point your health will begin to be drained.