Super Paper Mario

Reviewed by:
Scott Jones

Mario and Tony Soprano have a lot in common. They're both Italian immigrants. Both made big names for themselves in the States. Both run "games." And failing at either Mario's or Tony's game usually results in the loss of a life. The Paper Mario series is one of Mario's most obscure and least satisfying series, making it the equivalent of season four of The Sopranos. This gist: The Mario world gets reimagined as a bunch of paper-doll cutouts. Imagine a hot threesome between old 2-D, side-scrolling game play, an RPG, and a Xerox machine, and you'll get the idea. The big twist this time around: Game play can go from 2-D to 3-D with the press of a Wii Remote button. The perspective change is necessary to whomp on certain enemies and solve the game's tougher puzzles. As for the plot, that whore Princess Peach runs off to marry Mario's archenemy, Bowser. Mario and Peach wind up in divorce court, where Peach's well-paid lawyers squeeze every bouncing coin they possibly can out of Mario. "I'm-a broke!" he says outside the courtroom, crying into his white-gloved hands.

Share