"This is the BEST Mario game ever!"
To be honest my expectations were never really high for this game having never been much of an RPG fan. Sure, I played through Ultima IV back in the day and enjoyed it immensely, but have never found another role-player to top it's quality...until now. In Paper Mario 2 I found a game that not only shows up not just every other adventure game I can think of, but just about every single bit of entertainment software I've ever got my hands on.
Since getting my Gamecube just under a year ago I've collected almost every major title, I've got your F-zeros, both your Metroid Primes, your Legend of Zelda:WW, Viewtiful Joe, you name it. Listen to me, I'm nuts about Metroid since Samus's gunship settled down on Tallon IV. It kicked my ass and I kicked it's, but playng Paper Mario 2 was something else altogether.
First of all, the graphics. Now I don't know where Cassamina or that goat guy was coming from when they said there aren't enough paper FX in this title. Did they never read a pop-up book as a bairn? Well anyway I did, and Paper Mario 2 is just like that, but better! And I know a lot of people are thinking, "well it looks kind of simplistic, you mean to say this thing can push x-million polygons per second, but this is what Nintendo wants us to play?" Well, excuse the pun people, but don't judge a book by it's cover. Get yourself the game, a Crystal Star, head on down to the Rogueport sewers and to the Thousand Year Door, and check out the 3D cutscene that ensues. If it doesn't make your eyes boggle then you need 'em checked.
Next, the sound. In keeping with the cartoony look you have a range of sounds straight out of Warner Bros. In Dolby too if you've got the rig. I liked the sounds, but I have to make special mention of the music. I'm a bit of a synth fan and maybe it's all those Residents albums my brother had me listen to when I was a teen, but I thought the music for this was absolutely superb. The theme for the blimp ride over to Glitsville hits all the right notes, and the up-beat theme when you get there has been in my head for days now. There's tonnes of tunes in here and they all fit with what's going on so you don't notice them at first, but after your 30th hour playing you'll get right into it.
I should probably mention the gameplay at some point. Like I say I've never written a review before and probably never will again so I don't really know how to describe interactive experiences to other people in terms of how good or bad they are. I mean, you can show someone how to throw a dart or play snooker but does anyone ever say "that wrist action is the best thing ever!" or whatnot. So I guess the best thing to say is (and this goes for every Nintendo game I've ever played by the way) you can get the hang of playing this really easily, but if you think you could get better at it, the design is such that it will reward you accordingly. Just like snooker, you can sink a ball without too much hassle, but if you want to set the cue ball up for the next shot at the same time, a bit of practice and you can do that too. Such is Paper Mario. There's also some stuff to test your memory of what's been happening in the story, which is loads of fun. 'Nuff said.
To wrap it up, this game is superb. It has everything you want, when you want it. If you like RPG's you'll have an experience akin to a Buddhist monk meditating for eternity, i.e. nirvana. Get into it.
Oh yeah, one last thing, and this was my point in writing this to begin with: you have to listen to the crows in Twilight Town every time you go there. THE funniest dialogue in a video game I've played.