Flippin' Fun -- Super Paper Mario Review

The Paper Mario series has always managed to put a very unique and interesting spin on a franchise that usually shows little gameplay diversity in its major releases, and is abused by its spin-offs.

Paper Mario on the N64 took a cue from Super Mario RPG, bringing the heroic plumber into the quasi-3D realm and representing character growth in concrete terms. The GameCube sequel, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, took the unique visual style further, adding immensely to the depth of gameplay and storytelling, expanding upon both of its predecessors.

When the time came for Intelligent Systems to add a new installment to the series, a simple incremental update would not suffice. The result of the team's brainstorming is an innovative action RPG known as Super Paper Mario, which blends traditional Super Mario Bros platforming with Paper Mario RPG content. It is an excellent fit in the series, while still offering something fresh.

The game tells the story of new antagonist Count Bleck's plans to destroy all existence. This can be accomplished with a chaos heart, which he plans to acquire by joining the kidnapped Princess Peach and Bowser in unholy matrimony. Luigi, who was also grabbed by Bleck, tries to save the day, but ends up, well, failing. Mario, who had been left behind then embarks on a journey to set things right again. After a novel's worth of text, Mario is directed by a "pixl" named Tippi to the town of Flipside, where the adventure begins.

As stated earlier, the game is a blend of styles found in past Mario games, all rolled into one. At first glance, it appears to be a cookie-cutter sequel to 2004's Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, but the gameplay proves otherwise. While still holding on to RPG elements such as hit points, attack and defense power, level-ups, exploration, and puzzle-solving, the mechanics of the game are more akin to Super Mario Bros.

There is no separation between exploration and battle - everything takes place from the same perspective and in real-time. Combat is as simple as jumping on the heads of your foes, or by throwing shells, blocks, and the like at them. Reminiscent of Super Mario Bros 2, the player can even toss enemies at each other. The baddies each have a defined hit point value that is depleted with each strike, and the amount of damage inflicted depends on Mario's attack power. Likewise, enemies hurt Mario simply by making contact with him, as in the platforming Mario games, but this time around Mario's HP must be reduced to zero in order to stop him. Again, the final damage is dependent on RPG element, "defense."

In addition, Mario can use a variety of offensive, defensive, and curative items at any time. These are just like the ones from The Thousand-Year Door, and are purchased at shops or picked up from fallen adversaries. Unlike the previous Paper Mario games, level-ups are handled automatically. Mario's attributes improve as he collects points, which is achieved by defeating enemies. It is seamless and effective, and cuts down on the usual management time found in RPGs. The game is really more of a platformer, anyway.

The "big" gameplay innovation in Super Paper Mario is the first skill that Mario - "the hero of light" - discovers. With a quick tap of the A button, the entire world shifts 90 degrees, going from a flat, 2D perspective to a 3D version of the same terrain. This allows Mario (and ONLY Mario) to access places that would otherwise be impossible, heading behind various objects and even into the background at times. It is a very cool effect early on, although by the game's end, the novelty wears off a bit.

Incidentally, this "flipping" dynamic is the most common way to solve the game's simplistic puzzles, which is somewhat of a shame because only Mario is capable of doing so. The other characters remain mostly unused, except in very specific circumstances. It reminds me of the way I would only use Toad in SMB2 because he had the fastest dig and throw. In SPM, however, I can switch characters on-the-fly, and still don't.

What ARE quite useful, on the other hand, are each of the pixls. These are small, rainbow-colored, floating designs that each have a particular function, and a clever name describing that function.. Thoreau is a hand that grabs items and enemies, Boomer is a bomb that can be used as either a tool or a weapon, and Fleep is a square that completely flips around a small section of the screen. There are 12 pixls (3 optional) in all, and Mario can keep one at the ready at all times. That is not including Tippi, who is always available to reveal hidden things and serve as a help button of sorts. The other pixls are discovered as the adventure progresses.

There are 8 chapters in the game, each divided into 4 stages. It's much like SMB, except the flags are replaced by stars, and the useless Toadstools are replaced by Pure Hearts. These are the key to defeating Bleck, and the whole reason for playing. Certain chapters feel drawn out as one plays, sometimes sending the player back and forth all too often. It's almost as if the designers were confused as to what type of game they were making. The battle system and streamlined RPG elements lean toward a faster-paced platformer, but the lengthy texts and back-and-forth design lend themselves better to the longer RPG form. For the gamer, this means that you may FEEL as though you are playing a platformer, but then your momentum is stunted by some trivial, playtime-lengthening plot device or other roadblock that ultimately seems somewhat out of place.

The game's visuals are always very nice, which is important, because one of the main selling points of the game is its artistic merit . The vibrant colors fit the Mario universe very well, and the paper theme is used during scene transitions and various character animations to good end. Load times are made nearly non-existent as a result of some well-implemented foldings and crumplings. Flipping the world on its side is another pleasure to witness, even though some of the 3D sections seem devoid of "stuff." While the terrain turns into a solid collection of blocks and platforms, characters all retain their two-dimensional paperiness. Using the 2D-to-3D strategy to avoid assault is strangely satisfying, watching razor-thin enemies and their tiny shadows as they walk ignorantly on an entirely separate plane of existence.

As for aural pleasures, SPM is a bit mediocre. The sound effects are good, with whimsical blips and bleeps and whams and creaks, etc., but the music, while unoffensive, is also forgettable. A few tracks stand out as very good, and on the whole there are few complaints to be made, but a symphony this game is not. It is retro and new age at the same time, and that strange combination ends up working well for the game's content.

Super Paper Mario is a game unlike any other, and for that fact alone is worth a try. On top of that, it's fun, interesting, and funny, with a good graphical presentation and solid gameplay. It struggles to find its own identity at times, but that's just because it's the videogame equivalent of a drag queen or cross-dresser, stuck between two very different genres, and two very different perspectives. The reading and backtracking are a bit much, but again, that's only because the player is led to expect a faster pace. At the end of the day, Super Paper Mario is one of the best games the Wii has to offer, and most gamers should have a good experience with it.

Welcome To The Next Gen -- Gears Of War Review

Gears of War is a third-person shooter set to be the flagship title -- the first killer app -- for the Xbox 360. Is is brought to us by Epic Games, and to put it bluntly, it is awesome.

The story is simple, the planet Sera is the victim of an alien invasion, and must take measures to defend against their assailants. As a last line of defense against the invading Locust, mankind is forced to destroy their own civilization - which honestly seems at least a little counter-productive. Nevertheless, the conflict continues. The game begins when the main character, Marcus Fenix, is sprung from military prison by supporting character Dom Santiago. The mission is to locate and utilize a highly powerful weapon that was previously in the possession of another group of Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) soldiers. Basically, it's time to kill some bugs.

Gears of War is a third-person shooter, viewed from an over-the-shoulder perspective much like the critically acclaimed and wildly popular Resident Evil 4. It employs a unique duck-and-cover style of gameplay, which allows players to use all manner of environmental objects - walls, columns, statues, cars, debris, etc. - as cover, intermittently popping out to return fire. Much like the somewhat obscure Winback: Covert Operations, a simple button tap plants Fenix firmly against whatever cover is available. Pulling a trigger brings him out to aim, and releasing it sends him back to safety. The other trigger rains lead.

Beyond simply moving in and out of cover, Gears of War makes it very easy for players to send Fenix quickly from point to point, in any direction, in order to secure to a new position. These movements could involve quickly dashing across an open doorway, jumping over a low wall, or "roadie running" far ahead to the next pile of junk. The roadie run is a fast, crouched sprint that only lasts a short time, and it is quite useful when a flood of Locust pour out of one of their emergence holes. The setup takes a bit of getting used to, but ends up working like a charm.

The level of control during the combat sequences is phenomenal, and firefights can get very elaborate and very intense - especially on the highest of three difficulty settings, aptly called "insane." In addition to the nine different firearms available throughout the game, there are grenades, stationary gun turrets, and melee attacks, as well as various environmental weapons like gas tanks and faulty architecture. The most spectacular of all the weapons is probably the gruesome and wonderfully satisfying chainsaw bayonet. It instantly dismembers enemies when used successfully, sending copious amounts of blood and various other fluids splattering onto the screen...and everywhere else. Other weapons include a shotgun, sniper rifle (by far the most effective), a couple of machine guns, a rocket launcher, and an explosive bolt shooter, not to mention the Hammer of Dawn (readers, you have to see that one for yourself).

The game is basically all combat, with a few breaks here and there. Exploration is minimal, as everything follows a pre-determined, linear path. The overall presentation is highly cinematic, seamlessly transitioning from gameplay to cut scene and back. The pacing is excellent, driving the game forward in all it's filmic glory. Only one portion really sticks out like a sore thumb to spoil the otherwise smooth ride, and that is to the lone vehicle section. Not only is it far underdeveloped in comparison to the rest of the game and a jarring switch to a totally different gameplay style - it's also just not very fun. At a few junctures, the player is given the choice of going down one of two paths, but each time the split is brief and the two roads soon rejoin. This design may only be in place to serve the cooperative mode, forcing players to part ways every once in a while.

When it comes to multiplayer, Gears of War really shines. It features both online and offline cooperative play, allowing a second player to jump in at any point during the main campaign, then leave just as easily. It is in co-op mode that another of the game's features comes heavily into play. There are no hit points in Gears of War - no health bar and no healing items. As Fenix and company take damage, a red cog begins to appear in the middle of the screen. It continues to darken, telling the gamer that their on-screen avatar is nearing death, and must run for cover. As time passes, the image fades, and the character's health returns to normal. If an ally should fall in combat, running up to him and tapping the X button returns him to his feet, ready to fight again. It's like the Gears version of a revive spell, and while barely useful in single-player mode (especially because AI teammates can't do it), it is absolutely indispensable in the co-op game.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that playing Gears of War cooperatively is one of the best gaming experiences available today. The ability of the two players to take different roles using different weapons, or to strategize on-the-fly, moving either separately or in tandem make the action fun and exciting. Always having to look out for one's partner, reviving him if need be, brings the two players together like few co-op endeavors have manged to do in the past. It is simply a gaming experience worth having.

As for competitive multiplayer, Gears of War offers a rich online playing field. The scale is relatively small, going up to eight players per match, maximum, but it works very well for the style of play. There are no respawns in Gears; the game is round-based, and players can be revived like in co-op mode. The lack of respawning falls in line with the game's focus on self-preservation. You simply cannot be reckless, or you will end up as lunch meat. The available game types are "Warzone," which is a standard deathmatch, "Assassination," where one character is protected by the other three, and "Execution." The last option is unique in that players must finish off opponents, either with heavy fire or a final melee blow. If left in the half-dead state, players will come back via some good button mashing. There are a few flaws in the online game, like the inability to change option mid-session, and the inability to easily move an entire squad from one game to another. It's all a question of player management, though, rather than actual gameplay.

A game with such good gameplay must be lacking something in the graphics department, right? No way. Gear of War may be the prettiest console game to date. On top of that, it has no frame rate issues during gameplay. In the midst of finely detailed, smooth and shiny textures and ridiculously realistic character models (except maybe for their girth), everything runs without a hitch. As for the real-time cut scenes, there are a few instances where slowdown can occur. The attention to detail in this game is phenomenal. The faces of the COG soldiers look real, with scars and blemishes writing the histories of these war-hardened veterans. The landscapes in the game are artistic vistas of a post-apocalyptic world, shattered by conflict. Even in such a state, the gritty environments can be beautiful and picturesque, with the action that unfolds within them completing the visual feast. The only questionable aspect of the visual presentation is the sometimes over-embellished lighting. Most of the time, it is well-implemented, only adding to the game's graphical merits, but at certain points can make the game look artificial.

The audio, as well, is stellar. The sound effects make the weaponry feel heavy and "real," and also makes the player keep an ear out for any disturbances in his surroundings. Enemies are not silent, each with signature phases, grunts, roars, or screeches, and they make plenty of noise while moving around the map. The audio field the game creates is very good, separating sound channels nearly perfectly. Bullets audibly whiz across the field, and the various explosions and rumblings fill the air. The voice acting of the COG is a perfect match for the setting. It is colloquial and authentic, although sometimes maybe a bit forced. Epic may have tried a bit too hard to make the game "manly" with some of the dialog.

As far as the new generation of console games goes, Gears of War stands out above the rest. It has the best graphics out there, with audio to match, it features gameplay that is not only unique and innovative, but works incredibly well. It doesn't rely on cookie cutter first-person action to deliver a top-notch shooter, but does things its own way. As one of the few games to offer the complete single player game in a cooperative mode, in addition to online competitive play, it delivers the goods that gamers love - and gamers love it. There is no reason NOT to own this game.