Super Paper Mario GDC '07 impressions


If you only saw screenshots like the one above, you'd be forgiven for mistaking Super Paper Mario for an All-stars-style update of the original Super Mario Bros. When you see the 95 percent complete build on the GDC show floor, though, it's easy to see that the game is a true continuation of the Paper Mario series, with a few significant changes thrown in.

Everything you remember from Intelligent Systems' two Paper Mario games is here -- the irreverent writing style, the smoothly animated flat characters set in a detailed polygonal world and the items and leveling structure will all be familiar to Paper Mario fans. The now-familiar Paper Mario sidekicks also return in the form of Pixls -- little hovering companions that can perform specialized functions like turning into bombs or grabbing nearby enemies.

What's changed is how you interact with the enemies -- through platform-style jumps instead of turn-based battles. It's amazing how the lack of jarring, momentum-stealing battles every 30 seconds transforms the game into a more fluid and much more enjoyable experience.

The other major change, as has already been shown in countless online videos, is the ability to switch between a 2D side-view and a 3D over the shoulder view with a tap of the A button. It's interesting to see the familiar 2D environments converted into sometimes-complex, layered 3D environments, though the puzzles that used this mechanic in the demo seemed pretty facile.

The Wii's motion-sensitive controls allow for some occasional aerial acrobatics, but for the most part, the game brings back the simple run and jump control scheme of the NES Mario games with little embellishment. Which is just fine by us. Just because the Wii allows for motion-sensitive controls doesn't mean they should be shoehorned in when other, simpler controls work just as well or better.


Tags: GDC07, MarioBowser, Nintendo, Paper Mario, PaperMario, Peach, Super Paper Mario, SuperPaperMario, Wii

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Joystiq Features





Featured Galleries

Arkedo Series 003: Pixel!

Arkedo Series 003: Pixel!

Quake Live (Christmas 2009)

Quake Live (Christmas 2009)

Final Fantasy XIV (12.24.09)

Final Fantasy XIV (12.24.09)

Stop Stress: A Day of Fury (WiiWare)

Stop Stress: A Day of Fury (WiiWare)

A Christmas Santa (iPhone)

A Christmas Santa (iPhone)

Xbox Live Music Games stores

Xbox Live Music Games stores

Trauma Team (12/22)

Trauma Team (12/22)

Dark Void Zero (DSiWare)

Dark Void Zero (DSiWare)

The Magic Obelisk (WiiWare)

The Magic Obelisk (WiiWare)

 


Team Joystiq

 
Chris Grant
Editor-in-Chief, Email
James Ransom-Wiley
Managing Editor, Email
Ludwig Kietzmann
Senior Editor, Email
Andrew Yoon
East Coast Editor, Email
Randy Nelson
West Coast Editor, Email
Justin McElroy
Reviews Editor, Email
Justin Glow
Developer, Email

Joystiq Podcast

New episodes every Friday! Now playing: Joystiq Podcast 121, for Friday, Dec., 18.



Archive | RSS | iTunes

Autoblog

Urlesque

Download Squad

Engadget

Massively

Asylum

WoW

Engadget HD

Big Download