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[img width=400 height=538]http://diablobasher.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/ttydbox.jpg[/img]
Nintendo is well known for taking Mario and putting him into games of unexpected genres, and usually adding their own unique twist to that genre. One of the best examples is the Paper Mario series, a simplified take on RPGs that has secured a distinct following in the gaming community. Starting out on the Nintendo 64, it became one of the few RPGs for the system, which continued with a sequel on the Gamecube. Unfortunately, the latest entry in the series has abandoned the RPG elements in lieu of standard 2D platforming. So today, I'm going to review the last RPG in the series, and one of the most fun games for the Gamecube.
Gameplay
Paper Mario 2 [or Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, if you're not into the whole brevity thing] is a very different kind of RPG. It is still turn-based, like most games in the genre, but it includes much more user input than most. During battle, you can press buttons at certain times in order to make an attack more powerful. Most attacks actually depend on precisely-timed button presses for maximum damage. This works very well for keeping you interested and engaged in the battles, as you have to pay close attention as to how you execute your moves. You're not just going through menus; it really feels like you are doing the actual fighting. Another abnormal aspect of the battle system is the low scoring, in that even late in the game, you probably won't reach a maximum of 100 HP. In fact, the toughest boss in the game, which is a hidden one, at that, only has 200 HP. If you're used to playing RPGs with comically-high status numbers like Disgaea, get ready for a bit of a shock. But, after getting used to the system, I came to the conclusion that it works just fine for this type of game. Paper Mario 2 is meant to be a simple, entry-level RPG, and it succeeds greatly on this level. A nice touch to the battles is that you can see enemies on the screen, and launching a preemptive attack on them gives you an edge in the coming battle, much like in the Persona series, only much more lenient. You can tell that a heavy emphasis was put on interactivity in the battles, and that Nintendo wanted to stay as far away from the stereotypically dull battles of most turn-based RPGs. The world map is also atypical, in that it is not an actual map; just an overall collection of normal screens. It is an odd, but effective way to make the world seem big. Instead of conveying it artificially by a world map, it really makes you move across the world by yourself, if you can see what I mean. There are warp pipes that let you go long distances, but that is about it. The gameplay in Paper Mario 2 is best described as unique, and is much better for it. It always keeps you interested, and coming back for more.
Gameplay: 10/10
[img width=480 height=360]http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1tUL57jp8zs/0.jpg[/img]
Story
Since Paper Mario 2 is an RPG, I can't use the standard cop-out here. Luckily, there is actually a very good story, but, in true Mario fashion, in anything but an ordinary way. Instead of telling a dramatic, epic tale like in most games of the genre, it goes for a much more lighthearted and humorous approach that is quite refreshing. The characters are witty, colorful, and interesting; the villains in particular are a total riot, and it is almost a shame you have to fight them! Another nice part about the game is the fantastic locations you visit. A floating vegas-esque city, a monochromatic giant tree, and even the moon! There is an unbridled sense of creativity in the game, making it always a joy to play. As I said, the dialogue is entertaining, the locations are unique and interesting, and everything is just plain fun. Kudos to Nintendo for doing something different, and making it work.
Story: 9/10
[img width=640 height=480]http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/article/555/555128/paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door-20041007013518730_640w.jpg[/img]
Sound
As you might expect, the audio in Paper Mario 2 has a perky, whimsical quality. It's anything but serious, and suits the game nicely. Nintendo gave it a whole lot of personality, even in the [relatively] dramatic moments, it still sounds funny, in a good way. The sound effects are also humorous, making the entire audio experience in Paper Mario 2 to be something humorous and quite fun. Few of the tracks feel truly out of place, so for most of the areas you will encounter will be accompanied by a suitable tune. The only bad thing I can say about the audio seems awfully low-fidelity for a Gamecube game; sounding more like its Nintendo 64 predecessor than other disc-based games. Other than that, you are in for some nice tunes in Paper Mario 2.
Sound: 8.5/10
Graphics
The Paper Mario series employs a unique art style that can best be described as faux-3D: 3D models that look like 2D sprites. It gives the game a certain charm that few other games can match, and allows for some incredibly expressive animations, mostly from Mario himself. Everything looks full of life and is vibrant and colorful, and even the one level that is intentionally monochromatic is still infinitely more interesting than most games that are unintentionally so. I cannot overstate how great the animations are in Paper Mario 2; they give a great amount of characterization, and can describe a character just as well as dialogue. Since the game supports progressive scan 480p, the faux-2D visuals look especially nice at a higher resolution. Yet another reason too seek out a Gamecube Component Cable.  Another excellent aspect of the graphics is the amount of models that can be on the screen at once; the game obviously borrowed some ideas from the famous 'Mario 128" Gamecube tech demo, as some scenes can have around 100 models on screen at once! I was very proud that the 'Cube could handle such a feat.
Graphics: 9/10
[img width=480 height=360]http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/789/789733/super-paper-mario--20070518013555694.jpg[/img]
Extras/Value
Sidequests are the name of the game in Paper Mario 2, with over half a game still left after you finish the game. Among other things, you can participate in a cooking minigame with dozens of recipes to find, take personal requests at the hub city's "Trouble Center", searching for all the hidden star pieces and shine sprites in the game, or undergo the "Pit of 100 Trials", a hidden dungeon in the game that is exactly what it sounds like. Standard RPG fare, but it is appreciated to have so much of it in the game. Also, most of the sidequests are actually enjoyable, as opposed to endless and boring rare monster hunts seen in other games. Finally, and possibly the most fun, are the missions that take place at the end of each chapter, in which you play a short stage with Bowser, who mostly retraces Mario's steps about 1 chapter behind the plumber. The stages are quite varied, and the dialogue is some of the best anywhere in the game. In other words, you will be looking forward to them, in particular. The game is currently going for $15 at Gamestop; not bad at all for a Role-Playing Game AND a First-Party Gamecube title. I would highly recommend picking it up if you enjoy RPGs, or are just Nintendo fans.
Extras/Value: 9/10
[img width=640 height=480]http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/article/555/555128/paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door-20041007013508934.jpg[/img]
Overall
The Gamecube was pretty starved for RPGs, but in all honesty, it got some of the best ones of the generation, and Paper Mario 2 is a great example. It had buckets of personality, dashing visuals, and simple-yet-fun gameplay that is unconventional for the genre. It is an awesome game that deserves to be played by every Gamecube fan, and at least tried out by every Gamecube owner. If you care about RPGs and have some spare cash, put this near the top of your purchase list. You won't regret it.
Overall: 9/10
This is Lisalover1, folding some origami to simulate a boss fight.
[img width=320 height=444]http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID28759/images/luigis-mansion.jpg[/img]
The Gamecube is an odd console when measured against the other consoles in Nintendo's history. For one, it was the first of their systems to launch without a Mario platformer, a move which some claim was ill-advised, given the competitive state of the market at the time, when the 'Cube seriously needed early adopters. But the Gamecube launch was not completely absent of Big N's star franchise; we got another thing that was very odd and certainly different. A survival horror game featuring Mario's little brother. It was ultimately overshadowed by other launch titles such as Wave Race: Blue Storm and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 2, and was criticized for not being a "true" Mario franchise title. So, were the ignorant hordes right on that claim, or, like Luigi himself, can Luigi's mansion stand on its own? If you couldn't already tell from the previous sentence, the answer is the latter.
Gameplay
In Luigi's Mansion, you obviously play as Luigi, who has to work his way through said mansion, sucking up ghosts in his Poltergust 3000 vacuum. You go through 23 different boss ghosts in the house, along with 50 mini-boss Boos. The combat system is really something unique and fun; to capture a ghost, you must quickly shine it with a flashlight, then suck it up with the Poltergust, holding the control stick in the opposite direction, until the ghost's HP reaches 0. Boss ghosts, however, take a little more cunning; they will usually disappear when you look in their direction, so you must figure out their unique weakness before you have a chance at fighting them. It is a very interesting gameplay mechanic that integrates puzzle gameplay into action gameplay. It never gets old, especially when Luigi acquires fire, ice, and water power-ups later in the game, adding other layers of strategy to the process. It is always satisfying when you defeat a boss, especially some of the later ones. As I said before, there also mini-bosses in the form of Boos, that, while not as difficult to catch as boss ghosts, escape if not caught on the first try. The gameplay is overall just very fun; I would say that this is the closest we will ever get to a good Ghostbusters game, but since a new one was released a while back, I can't say that anymore.
Gameplay: 9.5/10
[img width=400 height=300]http://www.toy-tma.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Luigis-Mansion-Ghost-Hunt.jpg[/img]
Story
In Luigi's Mansion, Luigi is sent a letter saying he has won his own mansion, despite never entering any contest in the first place. Mario gets the letter before Luigi, and finds it suspicious, so he goes to investigate. Luigi is worried when Mario does not return for a while, and finds the letter himself, and also goes to look. Upon arrival, he finds that the mansion is haunted. Inside, he is attacked by some ghosts, and is saved by Professor E. Gadd, who fights off the ghosts using a special vacuum he invented called the Poltergust 3000. They both run back to Gadd's house afterward, where he tells Luigi not only that the mansion only appeared a few days ago, but that Mario is trapped inside. Thus, Luigi volunteers to use the Polturgust to rid the mansion of ghosts, and save his brother. See? The game has a story! But, that's about it; not that it matters in an action game. It does have that distinctive Nintendo charm, which is evident throughout the entire game. The story in Luigi's Mansion is not anything special, but like I have said for all action games, it doesn't need to be. Simplicity is key.
Story: 8/10
[img width=640 height=480]http://www.tothegame.com/res/game/1282/feature/2006-03-17/screen1_large.jpg[/img]
Sound
I have good news and bad news here. The bad news is that there really isn't much music in Luigi's Mansion. It is mostly just silence and sound effects. The good news is that when there IS music, it is very well-done, and sets the eerie, yet comical mood quite well. It is certainly creepy, but not in a Resident Evil sort of way; it is certainly a more lighthearted horror game, so the music must reflect that. If only there were a bit more music, though. Maybe I'm missing something, and horror games don't need a lot of music, but I think I'm on the mark. The sound effects, however, are very well-done, and take advantage of the Gamecube's audio capabilities. The fidelity is great, and it really helps immerse you in the game. I know I've said this before, but since the 'Cube was the first Nintendo game console to use discs, audio quality took a huge leap from cartridge audio quality. That's not to say that cartridge audio is bad; quite the opposite, because we all know that it is isn't the quality of the audio file, but the artistic quality of it that matters. Luigi's Mansion succeeds on this front, but like I said, I just wish that there were more songs.
Sound: 7/10
Graphics
As one of the launch titles for the Gamecube, Luigi's Mansions had a lot of expectations to meet to show off the potential of the new system, and justify a purchase to potential buyers. Fortunately, Luigi's Mansion looks great. It is an effective tech demo for the 'Cube, showcasing multiple physics, lighting, and smoothing features that makes this game one impressive piece of software. Obviously, one of the most prominent graphical effects in the game is lighting, and the game comes up with some creative methods of using lights in dark places that makes environments feel more natural. Luigi's flashlight is another demonstration of the effect, and it can be used anywhere. Another obvious effect is transparency, for the ghosts. It isn't anything special; the Playstation made a big deal about 3D transparency effects when up against the Saturn, but the effect is greatly improved in this game. Physics also come into play a little bit. You can vacuum up things like sheets from different angles, which is so cool-looking that it seems almost out of place in a Gamecube game. Yes, Luigi's Mansion indeed turned a few heads at launch, if for no other reason than for its graphical prowess.
Graphics: 9/10
[img width=400 height=337]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/Nintendofreak1030/luigioct19.jpg[/img]
Extras/Value:
If you beat Luigi's Mansion once, you can unlock the "Another Mansion" mode, where some minor changes are made to the mansion and boss battles, so it is not a true second quest mode, a la Zelda, but it is still some incentive to play through again. Also, upon completion, you are given a grade, determined by the amount of money you collected while playing. If you get the highest grade, then Luigi gets the real mansion that he was promised! No more living with Mario! One more thing is that you get different award levels depending on how efficiently you capture ghosts; so if you're a completionist, you will want to get the gold award with every boss. Other than that scoring system, there isn't much else to do after completing the game. The game currently goes for $15 at Gamestop; not bad for a 1st-party Gamecube game. I would try and find it cheaper if you're only slightly interested, but otherwise, go for it.
Extras/Value: 7/10
[img width=405 height=303]http://sickr.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/luigis_mansion.jpg[/img]
Overall
Luigi's Mansion was a good example of taking one of their existing franchises, and doing something very different with it. Nintendo has always had that sort of bravery with their series. It doesn't always show, but when it does, the result is usually surprisingly good. Metroid: Other M is a fine example. People always accuse The Big N for resting on its laurels, but I think that they are quite open to new ideas. In short, leave them be; they know what they are doing. If you are looking for something different to add to your Halloween survival horror game lineup, give Luigi's Mansion a shot. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Overall: 8/10
This is Lisalover1, knowing who to call when there's something strange in the neighborhood.
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A look at the past, present, and even future of Nintendo's most overlooked home console. This blog will feature reviews, retrospectives, and investigations regarding the Nintendo Gamecube, or anything else that falls within this spectrum. |
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