I haven't had the chance to play the original Paper Mario on N64, but Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door on Gamecube, is one of my top ten favorite games of all time, so I knew whatever followed it would have a lot to live up to. Nintendo has taken this opportunity to try something new with the series, rather than trying to squeeze the same game into a third incarnation. By mixing the RPG elements of Paper Mario with the traditional gameplay of the Super Mario games, Intelligent Designs has taken a gamble with the outcome - and created a unique gaming experience that's very entertaining.

The only problem with Super Paper Mario is that fans of both ends of that spectrum are both hoping for something very different. Casual gamers will expect a brand new Super Mario Bros. game like the ones they remember, while veterans of the series will expect a rich 40-hour RPG. Intelligent designs has struck just the right balance, in my opinion, but upon first glance it's easy for both sides to be frustrated with how they've "changed the game." The truth is, everyone will be happy in the end - they've just got to sit down and enjoy it for what it is.

Turn based battles are no longer the norm, as you'll find yourself jumping on goombas and kicking turtle shells in real time - the way Mario was meant to be played. The glue that binds these two worlds together is the ability to flip from 2-D to 3-D at any time. It's not only visually impressive, but also a perfect way of marrying the two genres together. You'll find things you couldn't see in 2-D, and the majority of the game's puzzles are based around this. By the end of the first chapter, you'll feel like the puzzles are too easy since all you do is flip to 3-D and it's solved. As time goes on, however, you'll realize there's a lot more to the game's puzzles, even though everything revolves around flipping.

Along the way you'll collect some partners that float beside you, called Pixls. They essentially act like partners did in previous Paper Mario games (Goombella, Bobbery, etc) who each have their own ablity which allow Mario to perform different actions such as throwing and ground-pounding. You'll even be able to play as Peach and Bowser during your adventure, and you'll be required to use their individual skills to advance - although not too often.

What I found most entertaining about the game was its unique visual style. Each chapter is made up of a different art style - each one being its own individual love letter to 2-D games. Chapter 3's "The Bitlands" (first screenshot) is especially awesome since it's made up entirely of pixel art. The presentation of each is especially fun to look forward to: upon entering a chapter for the first time, you see simply a blank white screen, but the environment is quickly outlined with black lines before your eyes and then filled with color in clever ways. It's a really fun way of introducing each art style since you don't know exactly how the next world is going to look.

My only real complaint about the art style is that this game seems to be focused less on the idea of objects being made of paper, and more about the objects being made of flat 2D cells. When flipped into 3D - the terrain can suddenly became plain and barren - a sharp contrast to the amazing look of the 2D view. It would have been nice to see everything turn into 3D paper-craft, instead of most of it becoming flat cells. I think the team was trying to make the 3D world appear as though you're 'looking behind the curtain' of the stage, but this would have been nicer if background objects were being physically supported by something.

The game is a little bit on the easy side, which is a problem from straying away from the turn-based fighting system. Boss battles on the previous Paper Mario were incredibly difficult at times because they could program the bosses to deal a specific amount of damage per round to the point where there was a very limited option of correct ways to fight them if you wanted to win. Since you generally only need to find the right moment to jump on the head of the boss, there's too much wiggle-room in the way you're allowed to attack to keep it very difficult. There's no reason this is the way it has to be, though. We all know there are plenty of ways to make 2D bosses nearly impossible to beat. (we've all played Megaman games, right?)

The music is fun and enjoyable, with subtle sprinkles of previous Mario themes hidden throughout - but it's still a little weird at times. This doesn't surprise me though, since Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is full of well-produced bizarre songs. So it's nice to see the composer trying something a little less odd, but still struggling to find the right balance.