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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Perhaps you were one of the many people who, way back in the twilight months of the Nintendo 64's lifetime, missed out on one of the best games – and one of the only RPG's – on the system. Well, now is your chance to find out what you've been missing. Paper Mario finally has a sequel, and I'm happy to report that it is every bit as enjoyable as its predecessor, if not more so.

As unlikely as it may seem, the Mario universe has consistently lent itself to top tier games in the RPG genre since the time of the Super Nintendo with the aptly named Super Mario RPG, right up until relatively recently with Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for the Game Boy Advance. Paper Mario 2 features many things we've come to expect from these lofty precursors, such as witty, amusing dialogue, intuitive battle mechanics that make use of action commands, and on the whole a ridiculously engaging experience I'd not recommend any self-appointed gamer miss out on.

Don't let the simplistic graphics fool you; though the characters and settings look like they were taken straight from a pop-up story book, Intelligent Systems clearly put a lot of work into consolidating this style with the gameplay itself, and it works surprisingly well. "Pop-up book" physics is everywhere in Paper Mario 2 – some secrets appear through a series of flipping pages, hidden passages are revealed by "tearing" misleading pieces of scenery away, and even the most mundane tasks such as entering houses or approaching new areas are accompanied with appropriate "folding" animations. Additionally, Mario himself is given several paper themed special moves to employ, including folding into a paper airplane to reach new areas and rolling up into a cylinder to traverse beneath otherwise impassable obstacles. In this way, Paper Mario 2 far outdoes the original. The paper look is much more than just a quirky graphic style as it was back then; it has much more bearing on actual gameplay.

On the subject of aesthetics, Paper Mario 2's offerings in the way of music and sound are more than pleasing to the ear. Like the graphics, the soundtrack is unique and fits well with the game, establishing the tone for a varied array of settings with a distinct, fun and sometimes amusing style. Occasionally, Mario's numerous voice samples may become annoying – they're rather repetitive – but other than that very minor qualm there is little in the realm of the negative to be said concerning the audio.

Paper Mario 2 may be an RPG, but there are plenty of platforming elements present to spice up the mundane tasks of traveling between areas. Enemies are visible on the screen, and an advantage can be won upon striking them before they have a chance to attack you; either action brings up the battle screen, which in Paper Mario 2 is more like a stage, complete with audience. Action commands are back and a bit more varied than in the original (but not nearly as good as they were in Mario & Luigi, unfortunately.) As usual, pressing A at an opportune moment just before attacking or being attacked will provide a small boost to your attack or defense. Additionally, pressing B at the proper time will initiate a counter attack; the timing is harder to hit, but worth the effort as Mario will take no damage, inflicting it back on his unfortunate enemies instead. There are also action commands to perform "stylish" moves – these fancy attacks have no effect on the amount of damage dealt, but they'll please your audience, granting more star power to fuel even flashier moves as the game progresses.

There are a slew of new partners traveling with Mario this time around, and while some of them might seem a bit familiar in the roles they play, others have completely new functions, each with their own importance in solving the game's many riddles. Unlike Paper Mario 1, which featured a few blatantly bland and uninteresting partners, each of Mario's companions in Paper Mario 2 sports a distinct personality, though it quickly becomes apparent that some are more useful than others.

Aside from the primary storyline itself, which on its own provides a satisfyingly lengthy experience, there are multitudes of optional tasks to perform in Paper Mario 2. Perfectionists and avid item collectors will have a field day; between ability granting and stat enhancing badges, star pieces, unlockable mini games and even a hidden partner, there are plenty of ways to extend an experience you'll likely not want to end any time soon. Though the game gets a bit long-winded at times, the dialogue is generally genuinely amusing, and while it may not be as triumphant as Superstar Saga in the comedy department, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments to be had. Though somewhat predictable, the story deviates a bit from standard Mario fare, and the simultaneous adventure of Bowser that accompanies Mario's quest is nothing short of hilarious, though its disappointing length flaws it. Princess Peach's solo adventures are nowhere near as interesting as they were previously in Paper Mario 1 and while they are amusing at times, they tend to drag on a bit too long.

This game gets an N-Philes score of A.

Plainly put, this is one of the best games available on the Gamecube to date. Though not quite as challenging as Superstar Saga (or most RPG's in general), Paper Mario 2 manages to remain wholly engaging from beginning to end. There is, quite frankly, no excuse for fans of this genre or of the Mario series to pass this up, and I'd recommend it to just about everyone else regardless of whether or not you fall into either of those categories – it's that good.

Posted in: Reviews