Some would say that the original Paper Mario was formed way back at the end of the Nintendo 64's life span whereas I say it was actually created even further back in the hay day of the Super Nintendo with Super Mario RPG. This incantation never made it to our shores, which is a shame as the Japanese loved it. Paper Mario was seen as a semi sequel to Mario RPG and now we see the next in the Mario RPG line, Paper Mario 2.

 

Well let's start from the beginning for anybody who may not know, this game features Mario and guess what, he's made of paper. Another little thing a few of you may not know is that this game is actually an RPG, not your usual platformer. This allows the fights to be a little more interesting. Usually to destroy your enemies, you would have to jump up and then come tumbling towards earth, rump side down on to your enemies head and suffocate him/her. This is a little different as it's a turn based battle between you and a range of different enemies. This does seem a little strange to the new person to Paper Mario but it does provide the game with a bit more length and strategy as well. To any RPG fan this sounds very familiar indeed, especially as you have multiple ways to attack, defend or just simply run away. The slight difference with this though is that the better you time your attack the more star points you take away from the little bad guys. For instance, once you have selected your preferred type of attack, a small mini game appears and you have to either try and get the sliding bar in the middle of the meter, or press A repeatedly just before you land your attack to keep it going, but it's always fun to see wee Mario get out his large hammer and beat several guys over the head with it, and the cute little expression on his face as he gets close to the end of his life. You just want to pick him and pinch his little cheeks, ahhh look at the little chappy, ummm, cough, moving on.

 

These battles are not set on the field of the initial attack, they are set on a magnificent stage. This allows for hordes of people to come in and watch your fights. The better you do the greater the amount of people in the crowd. If you start to do really well during your fight then the crowd will get behind you and will begin to throw buckets on to your enemies head, but be very careful as if you don't do to well then they start to throw things at you, not pleasant. This stage system works well; it has you thinking on your toes quick to finish off your enemies in time to prevent any outside attacks. Plus incentive to perform well is being gifted with power ups and a host of goodies only Mario games can muster. Levels included the perfectly classic Mario-esque Star Crystal Fields, Hooktail Castle with a kick-ass dragon to compete with and a dark and mysterious little place called Boggly Woods. Expect a fair few more, each with new enemies and obstacles to overcome.

Another new interesting twist that I found was that Mario didn't ride alone; he goes along with a partner of your choice. The choice is limited to 3 characters, whether this will be increased in the full game is still as of yet unknown, but hopefully we will soon find out.

 

The graphics are intensely sharp, so sharp that it's sharper than a rolled up piece of paper, dipped in lemon juice and jabbed in your eye. The visuals are stunning, and as everything is made out of paper 2D style on a lush 3D background, I physically wanted to reach into the screen and try and roll up the portly Mario. I even had the lemon juice on standby, but sadly, this paper remains firmly within the game. The colours are vibrant which is what you would expect from Mario and all the character models move solidly.

All in all this is one clever game, having to use Mario and his paper stature to achieve goals and reach new areas is a smile giving sight, but as well as the simple folding abilities that he possesses, there are more advanced variances. One example is where Mario approaches a ledge with a disk on the floor, with a flick of the button he soon folds into a weenie aeroplane. Using this new power Mario can fly slowly across the screen to the next ledge! Not to mention look incredibly funny doing it! What's more, the look of the surroundings work together to make one beautifully crafted game that will require a fair bit of thinking power to boot. Folding buildings, building bridges, warping down er.. warp pipes, its all here and its all fun, entertaining, colourful and damn right lovable. Sure some of it is similar to the first but there's enough fresh essence thrown in like the crowd system to build on the brilliance of the first and make it that extra bit special. Keep an eye out for this when it comes out, it should be in the top 3 of your wanted list, it's in mine.

We'll have more on PM2 when we get the chance to get our mitts on it again!