With another video game review comes another game’s subsequence. Sequels seem to be a high-selling trend lately. While Gamecube sales are not very appealing, Paper Mario 2: The Thousand Year Door has shed light on an otherwise lifeless console. Paper Mario is a Nintendo original. Remember the N64’s Paper Mario? That’s OK; you don’t have to in order to love this game. There are no paper airplanes, with the exception of everyone’s favorite plumber being cursed and morphing into a paper airplane to glide to distant platforms.
What Mario game is complete without a search for the Princess? Supposedly, you’re helping her look for a treasure by finding crystals and unlocking the thousand year door. Surprise, the Princess disappeared before you could tag along. A familiar story line, but not all that bothersome once you get into the game. The first thing you’ll notice is dialogue. Everyone has something to say. There is no voice acting, just text on screen. Your thumb just might get sore passing through all of it, because quite surprisingly, it’s funny! From goombas hitting on your pal Goombella to crazy miscellaneous characters with various accents, you’ll find a reason to chuckle at the game.
On your quest for the treasure, you have to battle old and new enemies. You’ve got your trusty hammer, jump moves, items, and party members to help out. Unlike the first Paper Mario, during battles you now have an audience. They can either applaud or throw stuff at you. The audience is a great addition to Paper Mario 2.
The graphics are superb, cell-shading at its best. The music is a little corny at times, but is still a decent score. Paper Mario 2 is an easy-going RPG that anyone can pick up and immediately enjoy because it is just all around fun. This game gets an A for providing a satisfying weekend rental. I played it all the way to the end.