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Paper Mario 2 - Hands On Preview
Chris Leyton
11/08/2004
We check out the import version and discover yet another Nintendo classic...
TVG has recently taken hold of Nintendo/Intelligent Systems eagerly awaited GameCube title Paper Mario 2; and whilst weâll hold off from running a full review on the Japanese copy we thought youâd be interested in learning more about the title.
You can trace the origins of Paper Mario 2 all the way back to 1996, a time when Square and Nintendo were best of buddies and saw the release of the excellent Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the SNES. The subsequent falling out between the two threw the future of the RPG/Platformer hybrid into doubt, and it took several years before Intelligent Systems picked up the concept and released the original Paper Mario on the Nintendo64. Slowly the âseriesâ has steadily improved with the recent release of the excellent Mario & Luigi: SuperStar Saga on the GameBoy Advance providing the series finest hour to date.
Paper Mario 2 begins with Mario receiving a letter and a mysterious map from Princess Peach, summoning him to meet her in Hoodlum City; however no sooner then Mario arrives in the harbour then he learns that Peach has gone missing.
Itâs not long before Mario makes acquaintance with a Koopa girl named Christinu, who is under attack by Peckda and his henchman. Cue Mario to save the day and discover that Christinu is on a quest to find a hidden treasure, presumably the same that Peach talked about in her letter to Mario.
Paper Mario 2 combines platforming action and RPG mechanics in a similar manner to previous titles in the âseriesâ, whilst making a number of changes that add quite dramatically to the game.
Itâs not long before youâll come across the first battle, which is executed with a level of style and charm that youâd only expect from a Nintendo title. Combat is naturally turn-based; however much like SuperStar Saga before it the combat system features far more scope for interaction then other turn-based titles.
Youâll virtually always have at least two characters to control during fights, although exactly who the secondary character is changes throughout the game. Players can select between a variety of options when it comes to fighting; Mario can initially select between a jumping or hammer attack with taps on the A button used to execute a multiple bottom-bounce, whilst players need to hold onto the thumbstick until the gauge turns red to pull off a devastating hammer attack. The game utilises a wide variety of rhythmic techniques needed to pull of moves, which certainly lends the overall system far more enjoyment then simply selecting an attack from a list and watching it on-screen.
Whereas previous titles tend to just warp the combat to wherever you are, Paper Mario 2 switches things to a theatrical stage complete with drapes and wooden backgrounds. Whilst this initially sounds like a cosmetic touch to accentuate the charisma of a classic Nintendo franchise, it does in fact provide a number of innovative features to the actual game.
As with most RPGs Mario has a selection of attributes including Heart Points (HP), Fire Points (FP) and Star Points (SP); whilst the first two are self-explanatory, the Star Points act as the games experience points, with Mario levelling up whenever he gains 100 of these. As with most RPGs these are awarded at the end of every bout, however in a novel twist these are dependant on the reaction you get from the crowd. Take a look at the accompanying screenshots and youâll notice that fights attract an audience of watching Goombas, Koopa Troopers and Toads. Please these during the fight and youâll gain extra Star Points, however you must also watch out for rogue ones that insists on causing mischief and chucking items at you â“ thankfully Mario can either instruct the secondary character to dive into the crowd and sort them out or do so himself by simply tapping X at the right time.
If you time an attack correctly (i.e. you press the A button in time to execute a double bottom bounce) the word NICE appears on the screen, and grants Mario with a playing card; collect two of the same cards during a bout and youâll be able to roll the slots like a Fruit Machine, match three similar cards and youâll receive a BINGO bonus â“ 3 Mushrooms tops your HP, 3 Flowers tops your FP, 3 Stars grants you Star Points, whilst 3 Poisonous Mushrooms will deplete your stats.
As weâve already stated crowd participation plays an important part during combat, with each successful attack also topping your Star Power gauge. When one of these have been entirely filled up youâll have access to a Special Move; initially youâll only be able to perform the GenkiGenki technique, which pauses the battle and allows you to aim at icons that fall from the screen â“ collect these and youâll gain HP and FP amongst other goodies. As you progress through the game youâll open up new Special Moves that require more then one Star Power gauge â“ so entertaining the audience is crucial to success.
Chuck in the ability to defend and launch counter-attack moves and you have one of the most entertaining combat systems in a turn-based title to date. Weâve not been huge fans of turn-based combat based on the issue of repetition, however thereâs just so much going on in Paper Mario 2 that it never becomes dull, thereâs always something to be keeping an eye out for whilst the typical Nintendo charm ensures youâll quickly bond with the system.
Away from combat, Mario gains new abilities by collecting badges, however these take up Badge Points (BP), so youâll either need to switch between abilities depending on your situation or level-up your BP when Mario gains 100 Star Points. Some particular badges that weâve come across so far allow Mario to perform multiple jumps on opponentsâ heads, to recovering your HP little by little during fights. As youâd expect thereâs a huge selection of badges to discover and collect, although not being fluent in Japanese it can be a little hard to determine exactly what does what.
As fans of the original Paper Mario will know the name comes from the appearance of the characters within the game who are literally paper thin. This has been cleverly built into the game via a number of means, with new abilities gained as you progress throughout the game. To begin with Mario literally folds himself into a Paper Plane that comes in very handy when it comes to crossing large gaps, whilst a later ability lets him turn clockwise so that he is wafer thin and able to fit through narrow crevices and railings â“ the little hop animation as he walks in the mode just simply needs to be seen.
Although Intelligent Systems have worked on a number of important Nintendo franchises in the past, including the likes of the Advance Wars series, Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Fire Emblem, it is testimony to the talented team that Paper Mario 2 looks and feels more like a Mario title then more recent releases such as Super Mario Sunshine and even the classic Mario 64. Mario Bros fans will fall over themselves as soon as they pick up this game; virtually every character in the traditional Mario universe makes an appearance at some point, whilst the numerous throwbacks to previous Mario titles will make a grown man weep â“ check out Bowser in his flying contraption from Super Mario World, and yes he does fly into the screen just like he did to show off the SNES Mode 7 technique back in 1990.
