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Aug 23rd, 2009 at 19:36:00 - Super Paper Mario (Wii) |
Gameplay 2
I was looking forward to picking up the game again because I thought that I had gotten through much of the narrative part that I found tedious, and then I entered world 2-3. Basically this is the point of the game where I wanted to stop, put it away, and never look at it again. In other words, I was extremely frustrated.
In level 2-3, the player destroys a vase and must pay for it. The way to pay for it involves a tedious, grinding expenditure of time. There is a way for this to go faster, but you still spend too much time “generating energy.” I ended up putting a rubber band around my Wii-mote, left the room, cooked and ate dinner, and then came back to the game. I was able to proceed through the level at that point. I don’t think this should happen in a game.
Other than this, the narrative becomes redundant even if the levels do not. In the second chapter, you are navigating obstacles that one of the bosses puts in your way. Throughout, you see the same boss in a variety of places, each time with a whiney tone (and the player only reads the words, not hear them) and running through rooms with few adversaries. It becomes more like a maze or a puzzle.
The design of chapter two grew in complexity that, when you were able to get some movement, was very interesting. Another pixl allowed Mario to become 2-D, so the levels provided a more complex mixture of 2-D and 3-D, and finding the correct pixl and character, because Peach joins Mario in the chapter 2, makes the gameplay more challenging. I was disappointed that it was used so sparingly.
Design
The design of Super Paper Mario integrates new elements with old elements in its look and feel, but some of the new elements need a good editor. Building off Super Mario Brothers in terms of characters and gameplay, Super Paper Mario integrates another dimension, or two, to the worlds. The inter-dimensionality of the 2D and 3D offers players competing viewpoints and is used to make the puzzles more complex. The complex puzzles and changing viewpoints help keep the player interested even when the story may get in the way. This is the first game where I have had a choice between 2D and 3D, so I found this particular design element new and exciting.
The narrative, on the other hand, becomes tedious as the player must click through entire conversations, most of which say the same thing. After the reinforcement of the major elements of the game, the player may be told one new piece of information that guides them to the next puzzle. While the narrative is essential to the gameplay, the length could be much reduced. But, perhaps it is like a Henry James novel, you just can’t cut anything out without losing the storyline—each vignette is essential to the progression of the game.
Because I have not finished playing the game, I do not know how essential the narrative is. Perhaps certain game elements could be eliminated, such as returning to flip town to find the heart towers after each chapter, without causing irreparable harm to the complete story.
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Aug 23rd, 2009 at 19:33:27 - Super Paper Mario (Wii) |
Summary
In Super Paper Mario, Count Bleck and Natasia force Princess Peach and Bowser to marry ripping a hole in the worlds. This hole will continue to grow unless Mario stops it by finding 8 pieces of the pure heart. The story features classic Mario characters, such as Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and Princess Peach, as well as new characters, like the pixls Tippi and Thoreau. Players progress through levels much like they do in Super Mario Brothers by completing jumping puzzles, jumping and throwing adversaries, collecting coins, and fighting bosses. But this game adds a new twist—the ability to switch between 2-D and 3-D allowing the player to bypass difficult elements by switching dimension.
Gameplay
I played this game for about two hours, long enough to finish the first chapter, so I could get a sense of the pace and pattern of the game. While the game is reminiscent of Super Mario Brothers, it had different elements that I enjoyed more, like the ability to change dimensions, and less, like the extensive narrative buffering the play in the game.
I found it odd when characters designed to guide Mario through the world referenced me. I was labeled as the one you cannot see, which made me feel weird—like I’m in the Men in Black sequence where beings are shooting marbles with different worlds, but the worlds are telling me how to play with them. It just felt a little odd.
The ability to switch from 2D to 3D was interesting by adding a new complexity to the world. This ability made it much harder for me to die than in the other Mario Brothers games I have played, which is actually kind of nice in some ways. By switching to 3D, I was able to avoid some of the adversaries and get through tricky spots without much effort. I was also able to see what was ahead of me, something I can’t do in 2-D.
In addition, the design of the game with line drawings and geometric shapes was intriguing. For instance, 2D rectangles spinning on an axis would transport Mario in certain instances. The rectangles would align and move him around both horizontally and vertically.
I was most annoyed with the story being forced on me. Having played Super Mario and Super Mario 3, I was really surprised that so much time was spent on the story. It took 45 minutes just to get to the point where I could control the character. By and large the game is enjoyable, but I’m getting frustrated with the story.
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