A well executed RPG with strong platform elements and charm enough to bed the most virtuous of nuns. You can't go wrong.
After Bowser mugs and imprisons a bunch of stars spirits for their wish granting star rod he hijacks crashes Princess Peach's party, holds her prisoner and hijacks her castle, taking into outer space. It is your job as Mario, with the aid of several unique friends, to free the star spirits, rescue Peach, defeat Bowser and restore harmony to the disrupted Mushroom Kingdom.
Vital Stats:
Gameplay - 10
Visuals - 9
Audio - 10
Fun - 9
Replay value - 8
+ Very funny. Bowser is freaking histerical; his best incarnation ever.
+ 2D & 3D Visuals, though slightly dated, are nothing short of beautiful.
+ Koji Kondo outdid himself with the sound track.
+ A perfect marriage of RPG and platform gaming.
+ A cast of varied and vaguely dynamic characters inject game with serious charm.
+ A largely interactive combat system keeps battles from getting dull.
+ Upgrading through the badge system allows for plenty of combat veriety.
= There are brief points where the game drags a little. - Obvious pallete swapping on some later enemies.
If you've looked at this game and had doubts I can tell you now, your doubts are wrong. 2D characters in a 3D world works fantasically because the camerawork in this game is, for the first time in a 3D Mario title, damn near flawless. The RPG combat does not slow down the platforming experience. Rather the platforming elements add some pace to a genre that usually lacks it. The fact that you can only control Mario and one companion during a battle at first seems a little restrictive but as you play on you realise that this both keeps the game from being too easy and forces you to use strategy rather than simply using the attack command over and over again, keeping things interesting. This game keeps you on your toes throughout 25/ 30 hours of core gameplay and a highly customisable upgrade system means you can play this game pretty much as you like.
A special note has got to be made for Bowser. In this game you find out the real motives behind what he does, especially in regards to Peachs, and he consistantly funny as hell. His stupidity knows no bounds.
I can't sing this game's praises enough. I can rant. I can rave. It simply won't convey how good a game this is, and for only £7.50 / $10. This is a game you have to play. This is a game everyone can and should play.
Play it. *** What with the amount of other player reviews and the GS official review to boot I'm going to wuss out of a full review myself. I might come back and expound this one day, but for now I have bigger fish to fry.***