AlphaDream

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.

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!

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.

Game Description: An epic unfolds in a strange new land as Mario and Luigi team up for a hilarious, action-packed quest! An evil witch has stolen Princess Peach's voice, replacing her fair speech with explosives! As chaos breaks out in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario and Luigi head for the castle and meet up with Bowser, who just arrived to kidnap the princess. When they find out what happened, these sworn enemies join forces and follow the witch to a neighboring kingdom.