Super Paper Mario

From Digibutterwiki

Current revision as of 21:56, 12 January 2008

Template:Infobox VG Template:Nihongo is a platform/role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems, a division of Nintendo. Originally developed for the Nintendo GameCube, it was released for the Wii. It is a combination of the previous Paper Mario titles and Super Mario Bros. titles. Unlike the RPG-style gameplay of previous Paper Mario games, the game combines platforming gameplay, RPG, and puzzle elements.<ref name="reveal">Template:Cite web</ref> It is the third game in the Paper Mario series.

Gameplay

Basic Play

The player controls the characters by holding the Wii Remote sideways like an NES controller.<ref>Thomason, p. 45.</ref> With the Pixl Tippi or Tiptron, the player can also point to the screen with the remote to identify features on the screen as well as hidden objects.

Super Paper Mario, like other Paper Mario games, borrows both RPG and platforming elements in its gameplay. A main hub city called "Flipside" provides a location for Mario and his party to talk to residents, shop, and rest, as well as to open doorways to other worlds. There also exists a mirror version of Flipside called "Flopside" that becomes available in the last half of the game with improved items and shops. Unlike previous Paper Mario games, there is no turn-based fighting; instead the player faces foes directly on screen as in a usual Mario platforming game, and through experience gains and special items, the amount of damage dealt can be increased. The player also must watch the party's health taken as damage from foes, though this can be restored with special health items. The traditional scoring system used in most platforming games doubles as an experience point system.<ref name="Thomason 46">Thomason, p. 46.</ref> After jumping on an enemy, the player can shake the controller for extra points. The player can also collect Catch Cards for all the major characters and enemies; possessing an enemy card will double damage dealt for that enemy.

Mario and his party also gain powers through creatures called "Pixls" within the game. These give the current character an additional ability such as turning sideways to slip through cracks, hammering down large blocks, or planting bombs to defeat foes. In addition to Mario, the player will eventually control three other characters: Princess Peach, Luigi, and Bowser. Both the current character and Pixl can be switched out at any time during the game. Note that there are times when certain characters and Pixls are not available due to separation.

Flipping

While the concept of a "paper" Mario (existing in only two dimensions) still continues through the game, a frequently used power obtained early in the game allows the player to "flip" Mario into the third dimension at nearly any point in the game. When this occurs, the current 2D level is rotated to become 3D in a third-person view; obstacles that may have blocked progress in 2D can simply be walked around in 3D, or hidden blocks or enemies may become visible. There are also numerous secrets to the 3D version of the level. The game takes account for players flipping into 3D in midair (where there was a solid platform for them to be on in 2D Mode) by allowing the player to make a single jump in an attempt to hit solid ground. In the game, this is represented by Mario flapping his arms about frantically and a speech balloon with the graphic for the "2" button presented above Mario's head. Generally, Mario can only spend a short amount of time in this 3D form before taking damage (normally 1 H.P. per time Mario exhausts his 3d mode gauge, the gauge refills instantly when exhausted or is hit by an enemy and gradually while he is in 2D mode), though some side-quests eliminate this penalty.

Game Layout

There are total of 8 chapters in the game, all split into 4 sections, with both the second and final sections culminating in a boss fight. For all but the last chapter, the goal is to collect a "Pure Heart" which is then used somewhere in Flipside or Flopside to unlock the door to the next chapter. Save points are located strategically throughout Flipside and through and between sections; if the character's health points drop to 0, the player must restart at the last save point, though the player can escape to Flipside at nearly any point in the game, at the cost of having to restart the entire unfinished chapter when they return. The player can, however, return to any section of a finished chapter.

Additional side quests also can be performed once the player can access these areas through the use of the Pixls and new characters. Two quests, the Pit of 100 Trials in both Flipside and Flopside, yield rewards that are very worthwhile: a secret Pixl companion and the ability to flip to 3D for an unlimited amount of time.

Plot

Template:See also In light of a recent kidnapping of Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi head to King Bowser's castle to retrieve her, only to find that Bowser wasn't responsible for it. It is then revealed that the true kidnapper is Count Bleck, a sorcerer who wields an ancient, prophetical tome called the Dark Prognosticus. In addition to Princess Peach, he kidnaps Luigi and Bowser, along with all of Bowser's army. The Count then employs the hypnotic powers of his right-hand woman, Nastasia, and forces the marriage of Princess Peach to Bowser in order to, as the Dark Prognosticus foretells, unleash a destructive power known as the Chaos Heart. Count Bleck uses the Chaos Heart to open an interdimensional rift known as "The Void", which will eventually grow large enough to engulf the entire universe.

Mario meets a Pixl, a type of fairy, named Tippi, who has come in search of Mario for he matches the description of the Hero, described in another prophetical tome called the Light Prognosticus, who is able to halt the impeding doom of The Void. In order to banish the Chaos Heart and reverse the destruction, the Hero requires the eight Pure Hearts, artifacts created from genuine love. Mario then sets out on his quest with Tippi at his side, as well as the other three heroes (Peach, Luigi, and Bowser), to gather the Pure Hearts and stop Count Bleck and his minions from obliterating all existence.

Development

Super Paper Mario was created out of a desire to combine the familiar look of the Paper Mario series with a new style of gameplay.<ref name="Williams 76">Williams, p. 76.</ref> Chief director Ryota Kawade was on a train thinking about ways to adapt a subgame from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door in which the player controls a large Bowser in a short side-scrolling stage; he noticed that the other end of the train looked like a stage in a Mario game and envisioned switching between two and three dimensions.<ref name="Williams 78">Williams, p. 78.</ref> When producer Kensuke Tanabe was told about the idea, he decided to make the sequel an action-adventure game,<ref name="Williams 76" /> but retained some role-playing elements to establish the game in the Paper Mario franchise.<ref name="Williams 77">Williams, p. 77.</ref> Kawade and Tanabe also felt that these elements, as well as the ability to switch between two and three dimensions, would make the game more accessible to players unaccustomed to action games.<ref>Williams, pp. 76–77.</ref> The team played side-scrolling Mario titles for inspiration, envisioning how the levels would look in 3D.<ref name="Williams 77" />

Super Paper Mario was announced by Nintendo on May 11 2006 at E3 for the Nintendo GameCube.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On May 30 2006, Nintendo set a release date of October 9 2006.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That summer, the game was "quietly moved" to the Wii.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

PAL copies of the game contain a glitch if the language is set to UK English, German, or Spanish. In Chapter 2-2, after Mario finds a key, the game will freeze if Mario speaks to the character Mimi without first picking up the key. Nintendo of Europe is replacing the game disc for no charge with a version that does not contain the glitch.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nintendo of Europe announced details of the replacement on their website in November 2007.<ref>http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/news/2007/super_paper_mario_announcement_6497.html</ref>

Reception

Reviews for Super Paper Mario were generally positive. As of September 30 2007, the game has sold 1.74 million copies worldwide, with 490,000 of those copies being sold in Japan alone.<ref name="071026e">Template:Cite web</ref>

References

Template:Reflist

• Template:Citation
• Template:Citation

External links

• Official Site (Europe)
• Official Site (USA)
• Official Site (Japan)
• Super Paper Mario at GameSpot
• Super Paper Mario at IGN
• Super Paper Mario at 1UP.com
• Super Paper Mario Story and Controls Interview at GameTrailers
• Template:StrategyWiki

Template:Mario RPG serieses:Super Paper Mario fr:Super Paper Mario it:Super Paper Mario nl:Super Paper Mario ja:スーパーペーパーマリオ no:Super Paper Mario pt:Super Paper Mario fi:Super Paper Mario sv:Super Paper Mario