Super Mario

Come on, Miyamoto, where's Mario? The world clearly wants more, but it's been ages since gamers were treated to a true sequel that takes it to the next level. The wretched Super Mario Sunshine doesn't count since all parties involved have basically admitted it was a one-off, and all these random sports and party games do is remind people that one of the world's most recognized icons has yet to make the appearance that we're all waiting for.

Game Description: Mario and Luigi: Partners In Time an insane sequel to the classic adventure starring the heroic brothers! In this sequel to Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, the brothers travel back in time to retrieve Princess Peach, only to come face to face with baby versions of themselves, the princess and Bowser. They'll team up with their younger selves for a quest of lunatic proportions!

According to ESRB, this game contains: Crude Humor, Mild Cartoon Violence

Well, the DS does it again. Upon first glance, I doubted that this handheld would be home to much more than a bunch of gimmick-specific titles that took advantage of the various hardware features. I've been proven wrong, and I eat this crow gladly. The fact is, solid game after solid game keeps getting released, and although very few of them really exploit the unique nature of the DS, there's no denying that they are worthwhile efforts. Case in point—Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.

Tera has done a great job with her evaluation of Paper Mario, and I find myself in agreement with nearly everything she said. Paper Mario really is a great game, and the only area that I think I would like to reiterate is that I felt Intelligent Systems overdid it a bit on the backtracking.

The most fun I've had spending 50 hours—and 50 dollars—in a long, long time.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Cartoon Violence

Game Description: Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door is a full-blown role-playing game starring a classic 2D character! Time passes and pages turn, leading Mario to turn back to his paper form as he faces a new threat. Crawl through classic-style dungeons as you explore a number of levels, all taking you to different worlds and time periods. Every new chapter is a new adventure as you help Mario collect the Seven Star Stone jewels he needs!

I agree with Andrew that Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is a pretty strange game. I also agree that, for a platformer and role-playing game (RPG) hybrid, it blends its gameplay styles remarkably well. It's hard to tell where the platformer ends and the RPG begins.

Even in the niche realm of the role-playing game, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is pretty out-there. Such Dadaist nonsense is all the more bizarre for being entirely typical of Nintendo, a company who appear to aim for new levels of unabashed quirkiness with every passing year. To their credit, however, this philosophy has really paid dividends here, in the first new Mario adventure for the Game Boy Advance. It's aesthetically fresh, filled with original creations, and presents a wholly unique mix of gameplay styles.