Believe it or not, Paper Mario: TTYD was the first Mario RPG I had ever played. I never played the Square/Nintendo classic Super Mario RPG nor did I ever play the original Paper Mario on the Nintendo 64. For awhile I did have a GameBoy Advance SP but I never played Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. However, I rectified all that with Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and it richly deserved GameSpot's 2004 RPG of the Year.
In this game, Mario has come to a town called Westport to hang with Princess Peach. However, she is kidnapped by a group called the X-Nauts. They believe she can be used to help them rule the world. There is also a calamity going on in the world and to save it, somebody must collect the seven gold stars that are strewn all over the planet. Mario and a group friends he meets are up to the challenge; although Mario is also hoping to yet again rescue the princess.
The game is featured in a 2-D style with everything looking like a fancier version of what you'd see in South Park. Mario chooses to fight when he rams an enemy. Mario can attack with his jump or with his hammer and his partners have various skills. Some skills require flower power (magic) or even power gained from the collection of stars. The fights take place on a stage with an audience and you can be helped or hindered by them. Along the way there are many badges that can be collected that offer extra attributes and as you power-up you can hold more badges and do more moves.
The easy gameplay comes with some superb dialog written for the game. The dialog is outstanding and very witty and sly. You'll read some hilarious word balloons from the characters here; the dialog will be enjoyed by people of all ages.
The only weakness of the game is the constant backtracking as Mario will sometimes have to go back to the worlds he has visited just a little too much. Other than underground warps that lead to the starts of these worlds, there is no way to reach other areas except through long marches through areas you fight. Also, level ups are hard here; once you beat monsters and get to a certain level you get little in return for your wins.
Still, the game is so much fun. The hilarious story and dialog, the subplots involving Luigi, Peach & Bowser, the 100 room trial, the jobs you can do for extra items, and the little mini games at Don Pinata's casino add up to one superb RPG. It's not as good as Tales Of Symphonia but it's a great number 2.
In this game, Mario has come to a town called Westport to hang with Princess Peach. However, she is kidnapped by a group called the X-Nauts. They believe she can be used to help them rule the world. There is also a calamity going on in the world and to save it, somebody must collect the seven gold stars that are strewn all over the planet. Mario and a group friends he meets are up to the challenge; although Mario is also hoping to yet again rescue the princess.
The game is featured in a 2-D style with everything looking like a fancier version of what you'd see in South Park. Mario chooses to fight when he rams an enemy. Mario can attack with his jump or with his hammer and his partners have various skills. Some skills require flower power (magic) or even power gained from the collection of stars. The fights take place on a stage with an audience and you can be helped or hindered by them. Along the way there are many badges that can be collected that offer extra attributes and as you power-up you can hold more badges and do more moves.
The easy gameplay comes with some superb dialog written for the game. The dialog is outstanding and very witty and sly. You'll read some hilarious word balloons from the characters here; the dialog will be enjoyed by people of all ages.
The only weakness of the game is the constant backtracking as Mario will sometimes have to go back to the worlds he has visited just a little too much. Other than underground warps that lead to the starts of these worlds, there is no way to reach other areas except through long marches through areas you fight. Also, level ups are hard here; once you beat monsters and get to a certain level you get little in return for your wins.
Still, the game is so much fun. The hilarious story and dialog, the subplots involving Luigi, Peach & Bowser, the 100 room trial, the jobs you can do for extra items, and the little mini games at Don Pinata's casino add up to one superb RPG. It's not as good as Tales Of Symphonia but it's a great number 2.