Many gamers out there have fond memories of Mario RPG on the Super NES. Backed by the power of Square and Nintendo, the game featured rendered characters and familiar worlds from the Mario universe. Fast-forward to today and we all know that Square no longer makes games for Nintendo's systems. Not one to back down from a challenge, Nintendo has been working hard on this semi-sequel to outdo the effort put forth in the original. The results are simply marvelous. Not only is Paper Mario better than its predecessor, but it's easily the best RPG on the N64 (not that there's much competition).

The visuals will grab your attention right away. All of the areas you will explore are presented in pseudo-3D. The backgrounds are comprised of nicely textured polygons, which is in stark contrast to the flat 2D sprites that represent Mario and the rest of the characters. When Mario turns from left to right he actually flips over, thus the title Paper Mario. The effect is done perfectly, as is the art present in all of the areas of the game. Gone are the washed out textures and blurry landscapes. Paper Mario has a very high resolution look to it without any of the "muddy" graphics found in so many other games for the N64. The game is oozing with bright colors and familiar backgrounds and characters. It's quite difficult to explain, but it's as if you've been transported straight into the Mario universe and are taking part in his adventure. The graphics combine all of the elements from the previous games and roll them up into one big visual extravaganza. The graphics are somewhat of a throwback to the Mario games of yesterday, but retain enough special effects and visual splendor worthy of a 64-bit game.

Let's face it; the Mario games are notorious for their lame copycat stories that have had no real innovation in the last 20 years. So, it's really no big surprise that Bowser has once again kidnapped Princess Peach. What is cool though, is how he manages to accomplish this feat. Let's just say that fans of Super Mario World will instantly recognize his mode of transportation. Since this is an RPG, one would hope that the storyline would be a bit deeper, and luckily it is. Bowser has also managed to steal the magical Star Rod and seal away the Star Spirits. This rod will allow Bowser to grant his own diabolical wishes, which means no one in the Mushroom Kingdom is safe. Mario will have to do his best to set the Star Spirits free and restore peace.

Throughout the quest the story will progress nicely with a few plot twists here and there. Since Luigi has to stay at home and guard the house, Mario will find other friends along the way to join his cause. What's interesting is that only Mario and one other buddy can partake in the turn-based fights. Each buddy has his or her own special moves that will be helpful in certain situations. The developers have managed to make the fight sequences more interesting than the average RPG. Early on in the game Mario will learn how to use action moves. This will enable him and his buddies to increase attack and defensive power by pressing certain buttons or moving the control stick at exactly the right moment in battle. For example, if Mario wants to deliver a more powerful jump attack he must press the A button at the exact moment he jumps on the enemy's head. If done correctly he will deliver twice the damage. Other attacks have you pressing the button as fast as you can to fill up a meter or holding the control stick to the left until the meter fills up. These button mashes also allow Mario to defend against attacks by pressing the A button right before the enemy lands an attack. With a little luck and a lot of practice you'll be dodging attacks in no time. This type of interaction really adds some fun to the battles and helps to alleviate the boredom that often crops up in turn-based battles.

Somehow, someway, Nintendo has managed to capture the very essence of playing a Mario game and transported that feeling into an RPG. As you walk along you will see question mark boxes and blocks just waiting for you to jump and break them. Sometimes items will pop out and other times coins will be the reward. There's even the infamous blocks that keep spewing out a coin for every hit you make, up to a limit of course. Mario can search behind bushes and can hit other objects, like trees, with his hammer to jar loose coins and items as well. Your buddies will also lend a helping hand. Goombario will give you information about the area you're currently exploring. Mario can kick Kooper the turtle to reach items that are normally out of reach. Bombette, the female Bob-omb, can blow up weak walls. There are no random enemy encounters in this game. All of the enemies can be seen wandering around. If you happen to jump on one or hit it with the hammer before touching it you will get the first strike. You'll have to be careful though! Jumping on a spiny creature will still give you the first strike, but it will only serve to take away some hit points. Likewise, using the hammer on a turtle will still net you a first strike, but it won't do much good since he has that hard shell to protect him. Learning how to attack each enemy is part of the fun of the game. In addition, exploring all the areas and finding the secrets is just as fun as in the classic Mario games.

Mario will constantly be learning new moves by acquiring badges. Each badge will take up a certain amount of slots (badge points). At the beginning of the game Mario only has three badge points. He must have the badge equipped to use its special power. If the badges require only one badge point to wear, he could wear three of them and use all of their special powers in battle. The more powerful badges will take more points to wear, so customization is the key. Scattered throughout the land are star pieces. By collecting these you will be able to trade them in for new badges. Instead of experience points Mario will be rewarded with Star Points after a battle. For every 100 Star Points he earns he will increase his level. When this occurs, you will have the choice of increasing his hit points, flower points (magic), or badge points. If you want to be able to perform lots of special moves, you may decide to increase your flower points, while others may prefer the extra energy and go with the hit points. As you can see, there's a great deal of customization that makes for a unique character. Your buddies won't level up by fighting. Instead, you will find super blocks that will allow you to raise a buddy's level, thus giving him or her new moves.

Of course the storyline progresses the most by talking to all of the citizens in the towns. It's in these towns that you will be able to check up on the latest gossip, buy items, or take a rest to recover your strength. The graphics once again show their splendor when entering buildings. The 3D buildings give way with the walls (thin as paper) falling down to the ground to allow the camera to see inside. On the way out the building reconstructs itself with the camera quickly rotating around it. It's just another shining example of the effort put forth in the art department. It must be mentioned that in the village where the Toad people live, we finally get an answer as to what Toad's gender is. I've always felt Toad was a male, and it seems I've been proven correct. All of the female Toad characters have long hair sticking out of their polka-dotted helmets, whereas Toad does not. It seems as if this gender crisis has finally been put to rest.

One of the best parts of Paper Mario is its music. I guarantee the musical score will put a smile on your face. It does an excellent job of matching what's happening on-screen. What's so great is that some of the pieces of music are taken from the older games and reworked into new pieces. Many of the songs will have a few bars from a familiar tune mixed in. It's very noticeable to veterans of the series and adds even more nostalgia to the game. No voices are present in the game so we don't get to hear any "Mama-Mia!" exclamations from Mario, which is somewhat of a relief. Appropriately, the sound effects are ripped straight from the other Mario games.

There's so much to enjoy in this game that I really can't find anything to dislike. Some may find the cutesy graphics a turn-off, but anyone that actually plays the game for more than an hour will be hooked. The game isn't too high on the challenge level, but the quest will take a long time to complete, especially when compared to Mario RPG. The last five months have seen the release of Zelda: Majora's Mask (A-), Banjo-Tooie (A), and now Paper Mario (A-). Nintendo is definitely on a roll. I don't give out "A" grades easily, but when the games are this fun I simply can't resist. If you like Mario games; if you like RPGs; if you like playing fun games; you simply must purchase this game. Don't let the graphics fool you! This game is a blast for all ages.