Gamers everywhere have been talking about the current console drought. With new games being tough to find on most platforms, Super Paper Mario looked to be just the game to get us excited about the Wii again. Unfortunately, Super Paper Mario doesn't live up to the hype, and in fact, ends up being an incredibly boring game that really can't justify being on the Wii instead of Gamecube.
A Platformer and an RPG's Bastard Child
Many people were initially confused as to what kind of game Super Paper Mario (SPM) is. With Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door for the Gamecube being an RPG, many thought SPM would be similar. While SPM does have some RPG elements, they really are quite limited. Leveling up and items seem to be the only real RPG aspects, and even those are quite weak. Leveling up generally consists of you either getting more health or doing more damage when you attack. The items, in general, are never needed other than the occasional mushroom for health. I suppose you could also throw in the seemingly endless dialogue as shared characteristic of RPG games, but the lack of voice acting and the sheer quantity of text really hurt the game more than help. You shouldn't be spending anywhere near the same amount of time reading text as you are actually playing, and with SPM, you'll quickly realize this.
Ahh, but the game's platforming is brilliant right? Um... no. And actually, the platforming is some of the worst platforming I've seen in recent years. Giving Mario (and friends) health takes away any thrill that could have otherwise been had. With health and healing items, you'll rarely ever have to worry about dying. Throw on top of that the game's main gimmick (flipping to 3d), you'll find it harder to die than to avoid it.
Speaking of the 3d flipping, it's novelty wears off fast... too fast. You'll quickly learn that you can bypass just about any and all obstacles you want by flipping to 3d. Also, you'll find yourself always playing as Mario for the sole purpose of always flipping to 3d every few feet just to make sure you're not missing a secret. This, combined with the fact that the other characters bring little to the table, means that the game really should have featured Mario, and Mario alone.
A Wii Downgrade
As with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Paper Mario started out as a Gamecube game. Now, I normally would have no problem with this, but when the actual gameplay suffers because of the transition, I can't help but cry a little inside. When you've got three common menus to pull up and flip through (characters, Pixls, and items), you really start yearning for more buttons. Why they didn't make the game use the Nunchuk I don't know, but I quickly found myself cursing at the controller each time I had to switch to a different character or Pixl by bringing up a menu. If you only had to do this one in awhile, that'd be fine. But with this platformer hybrid, you'll be doing it a lot.
The Worst Offense
Out of all the problems mentioned above, the worst offender is that the game really is much too easy to enjoy. A game is a game because you, the gamer, are playing it. Duh right? Well, SPM really is a game that you really can just sit back and watch it unfold. Sure, you have to move your character around, but you can do it quite brainlessly and rarely ever have to think about your actions. Skill is not required here, just the patience to wade through mounds and mounds of text.
But the bosses make up for it a little bit right? Yeah.. uh.. no. Bosses are just as easy and mindless as the rest of the game. You'll actually be facing most bosses multiple times, with them really not bringing any new tricks with them each time. Being able to flip to 3d whenever you want to avoid whatever you want, turning into Bowser and just breathing fire onto just about any enemy killing them instantly, or the invincibility that is Princess Peach - there are so many ways to breeze through each level that it almost seems like you're exploiting a glitch.
Am I Alone?
Ok, so I know I'm in the minority when I say I didn't like this game. With a current 87% average score on the web, clearly most gamers enjoyed Mario's latest adventure. Honestly, I don't see how this is even remotely possible. Is everybody just so smitten with the "geek" level that they give the rest of the game a pass? Does a game with the word "Mario" on it mean that it's flaws are instantly forgiven? This is not a great game. It's not a good game. It's barely even an average game.