Super Paper Mario - Nintendo Wii review

Full Review

Super Paper Mario is the latest platform game on the console that involves you to get interactive rather than mindlessly pressing buttons, so has Mario still got life in him yet on the Wii? We get gaming to find out.

Rather than try out do the PS3 and the Xbox 360 on graphics, Super Paper Mario's graphical style is to make it cartoony and more importantly, to make it simple but effective, and the graphical interface works a treat.

In keeping with past Mario games, you set off once again to save Princess Peach and your friends in the process.

After an intro sequence that goes on longer than you would care to give your life to, you eventually get to move around, before yet another long intro sequence. When you do ultimately get to play the game, it's business as usual with turtles to jump on, coins to collect and pipes to go down and explore.

The main control mechanism is by holding the Wii Remote sideways and using it in a rather traditional way, rather than pointing the remote at the screen and we have to admit at first we were rather disappointed - we want to wave stuff around after all.

A quick play and you'll soon find that Nintendo haven't ignored the motion sensor controller at all, oh no, it allows you to find secret doors and elements by searching as if it was a special torch guiding you to goodies yet to be found.

The other interesting element of Super Paper Mario and one that makes it stand out from being yet another dullish 2D platformer is the ability to go 3D. Press the A button and for a limited time you get to see the level in front of you rather than just to the left or right.

Why would you want this? Well the clever chaps at Nintendo have made is so that all is not what it seems when looking at something straight on. A vast impossible to jump chasm in 2D when looked at in 3D reveals a simple walkway at the back that you can cross with ease. Likewise a bricked in doorway in 2D when looked at in 3D shows no bricks at all.

The restriction of only being able to switch to the other dimension means you've got to choose your time carefully and the end result is that you spend lots of your time exploring in case you missed that all important power up or extra coins.

Verdict

At first glance, we didn't think much of Super Paper Mario, but then as soon as we started playing and the game revealed its true nature, we found we couldn't put it down. It was so much fun, that we would actually consider buying the console on the back of this one title alone.

Top Marks.

Super Paper Mario on the Nintendo Wii is due out later this year.

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