Overall: 9.7/10
(sections are unevenly weighted in my overall rating)
Officially the first of the Paper Mario series, this game starts the series out strong. Nintendo's Paper Mario is an enjoyable game, whether you are new to the game or returning for the sake of nostalgia. The game is well put-together, funny, interesting, and very accessible to all skill levels. It is very different from the typical platform Mario game, instead fitting into the category of RPG, but Nintendo does a great job of making this transition.
Story: 9/10
Nintendo does a great job of utilizing humor in this game. Puns, stereotypes, and even Nintendo's lack of originality are capitalized upon in order to boost the player's enjoyment of the game. As with all Mario games, the princess is kidnapped at the start (this isn't even a spoiler at this point, especially since it is the start of the game). However, in this game Princess Peach is able to assist Mario in between chapters - allowing you to play as Peach sometimes. As Mario, you progress through multiple locations with different specialty items, societal struggles, and indigenous cultures. There is even a noticeable difference in market pricing based on the probable availability of goods in specific towns (fire flowers are cheaper in the desert, snow related items are more expensive). This allows you to do a little bit of "working the market", but is not the fastest way to earn money. The story is long, involving, and has many characters with their own personalities - all of them humorous. I enjoyed the story line of this game immensely, but it is certainly not a serious and original story.
Depth: 10/10
This game offers a challenging but thoroughly enjoyable main storyline, as well as many optional tasks. There is a dojo to beat, cooking recipes to learn, badges and star pieces to collect, and other mini quests to complete. These side activities take up a decent amount of your play time, but they are well-dispersed through each chapter of the story line (there are very few missable items/events, and most of these "missables" are things you will intuitively notice while playing the game).
Graphics: 9/10
The graphics in Paper Mario are very good for their time. Because almost everything is 2-D (hence the name Paper Mario), you don't have to worry about camera angles. Characters are given facial expressions which fit well with their emotions, and the overall quality of the game is very high. (At the time of this review there are a few unfixed graphical errors that are common, but these issues do not reflect the quality of the game itself. Still, to not include the possibility of graphics issues, mainly blacked out character during scenes or a flashing battle menu, seems dishonest.)
Sound: 8/10
There are a lot of catchy tunes in Paper Mario. Most tunes are short and looped, but the sound quality is good and each sound effect and musical background fits well with the story. In summary, the music is a great supplement for the story but on it's own does not stand out as amazing.
Addictiveness: 10/10
I can't get enough of this game! I have the N64 version, but it's also fun to play on Vizzed! The first chapter is a little bit boring to start over (it's a good idea to make a copy of your save file about 1 chapter in so you can skip some of the intro), but after that it's a trip down memory lane with all sorts of fun things to remember. Once you've found this game, it will stick with you forever.
Difficulty: 5/10
There are some button timing challenges and the story requires a bit of puzzle solving, but overall the game is not too difficult. If you choose to challenge yourself by, say, putting all of your level up points into only on category (badge points, health, flower points) you can likely bring the difficulty level up significantly. If you're looking for a game that's accessible to just about any skill level, Paper Mario fits the bill. It is just challenging enough to stay interesting and fun, but is not so difficult that you're left screaming at the game and pulling your hair out.
Overall: 9.7/10
(sections are unevenly weighted in my overall rating)
Officially the first of the Paper Mario series, this game starts the series out strong. Nintendo's Paper Mario is an enjoyable game, whether you are new to the game or returning for the sake of nostalgia. The game is well put-together, funny, interesting, and very accessible to all skill levels. It is very different from the typical platform Mario game, instead fitting into the category of RPG, but Nintendo does a great job of making this transition.
Story: 9/10
Nintendo does a great job of utilizing humor in this game. Puns, stereotypes, and even Nintendo's lack of originality are capitalized upon in order to boost the player's enjoyment of the game. As with all Mario games, the princess is kidnapped at the start (this isn't even a spoiler at this point, especially since it is the start of the game). However, in this game Princess Peach is able to assist Mario in between chapters - allowing you to play as Peach sometimes. As Mario, you progress through multiple locations with different specialty items, societal struggles, and indigenous cultures. There is even a noticeable difference in market pricing based on the probable availability of goods in specific towns (fire flowers are cheaper in the desert, snow related items are more expensive). This allows you to do a little bit of "working the market", but is not the fastest way to earn money. The story is long, involving, and has many characters with their own personalities - all of them humorous. I enjoyed the story line of this game immensely, but it is certainly not a serious and original story.
Depth: 10/10
This game offers a challenging but thoroughly enjoyable main storyline, as well as many optional tasks. There is a dojo to beat, cooking recipes to learn, badges and star pieces to collect, and other mini quests to complete. These side activities take up a decent amount of your play time, but they are well-dispersed through each chapter of the story line (there are very few missable items/events, and most of these "missables" are things you will intuitively notice while playing the game).
Graphics: 9/10
The graphics in Paper Mario are very good for their time. Because almost everything is 2-D (hence the name Paper Mario), you don't have to worry about camera angles. Characters are given facial expressions which fit well with their emotions, and the overall quality of the game is very high. (At the time of this review there are a few unfixed graphical errors that are common, but these issues do not reflect the quality of the game itself. Still, to not include the possibility of graphics issues, mainly blacked out character during scenes or a flashing battle menu, seems dishonest.)
Sound: 8/10
There are a lot of catchy tunes in Paper Mario. Most tunes are short and looped, but the sound quality is good and each sound effect and musical background fits well with the story. In summary, the music is a great supplement for the story but on it's own does not stand out as amazing.
Addictiveness: 10/10
I can't get enough of this game! I have the N64 version, but it's also fun to play on Vizzed! The first chapter is a little bit boring to start over (it's a good idea to make a copy of your save file about 1 chapter in so you can skip some of the intro), but after that it's a trip down memory lane with all sorts of fun things to remember. Once you've found this game, it will stick with you forever.
Difficulty: 5/10
There are some button timing challenges and the story requires a bit of puzzle solving, but overall the game is not too difficult. If you choose to challenge yourself by, say, putting all of your level up points into only on category (badge points, health, flower points) you can likely bring the difficulty level up significantly. If you're looking for a game that's accessible to just about any skill level, Paper Mario fits the bill. It is just challenging enough to stay interesting and fun, but is not so difficult that you're left screaming at the game and pulling your hair out. |
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