User Rating: 8.4 | Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga GBA
OK, I will admit it. I do not get why this game was SO popular with the critics. Do not get me wrong. This was a fun game. I would recommend it. But this was not the ground-breaking, top-10 list experience that the critics claimed it was. The combat system in this game is like the old commercials for Othello--easy to learn but hard to master. Many of the special combo moves eluded me even after hours of play. Maybe I am not coordinated. But on the whole, the combat was fair and relatively easy to grasp. Unfortunately, that means it was also a little unvaried. After awhile, combat becomes a chore, not something that is fun. The combat begins to get in the way of the story and getting to the next puzzle. It is never a good sign when you start becoming frustrated because you are stuck in another fight when you just want to get through to the next area. The boss fight at the end is worth a special note. This may be the longest boss fight ever. I think it took me 20-30 minutes to win this fight...and that is not with dying...I lived through the whole fight. It just took FOREVER to win. Puzzles are pretty good...challenging without being overwhelming. Having to figure out how to use Mario and Luigi together in the right way is a nice touch. Many of the puzzles are original and are more than fetch quests. The graphics are good but nothing mindblowing. Very colorful. I suppose you would say they are above average for the GBA, but nothing history-making that I saw. Sounds are also nothing special. Some voice captures for Mario and Luigi. Music is fine. It's all good, but again, nothing great. Bottom line is this is a fun game and well worth playing. But this is not a ground-breaking experience to warrant the game of the year consideration many publications gave it.
