A sequal to the old game with a twist.
User Rating: 9.3 | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door GC
Yet again Nintendo has made another game based on the popular mustached plumber Mario. Although at first the paper-thin graphics may not seem like much they are actually highly developed and the characters actually look like they are paper. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is an addicting game that attracts your attention from the start. GAMEPLAY: If you played the first Paper Mario for N64 then it will seem similar although a few things have changed. It is more advanced technologically and the plot is more developed. It starts off at Mario’s house and then you will be called to see Princess Peach. Yet again she gets captured but this time it isn’t by Bowser it’s by the X-Nauts. As always Mario goes off to save her and meets unexpected new friends which I will explain later. The battles, like in many RPGs let you pick different actions. You can jump, use the hammer, use an item, use a special move, or use different tactics. The tactics include swapping partners, appeal, defend, or run away. You are able to level up Mario’s shoes and hammer as you go through the different chapters of the game. Battles take place on stage in front of an audience, who helps you level up your star power bar. You can get the audience excited with Action Commands. The more people there are in the audience the faster your star power levels up. There are also stylish moves. If you push the A button at the right time the crowd will go wild. In the audience not everyone is a fan. People can throw things to damage you. You can avoid this simply by pressing the X Button, but make sure its something harmful because people can throw hearts as well as other things that can help you during a battle. The game is generally entertaining and it has you thinking at the same time. During some parts of the game you have to use your mind as well as your gaming skills to solve puzzles. It also has you revisiting old places, which helps tie the story together. The dialogue boxes, which are occasionally humorous also help along the story, but it makes you read a lot, sometimes more then you would like. Leveling Up: At the end of each battle you get star points. With every 100 star points you get you can level up your Heart Points, Flower Points, or Badge Points. You can also power up your partners at Merlin’s house for the price of three shine sprites. Badges: You can find badges lying around, you can trade star pieces for them, you can buy them, or you can win them at the Pianta Parlor. CHARACTERS: As Mario goes through the eight chapters of the game he meets some helpful companions, who without you couldn’t beat the game. First he will come across Goombella, who is a smart girl with dreams of becoming an archaeologist. You can press the X Button to get details about your current location. Second Mario will come across Koops who seems like a push over at first. He wants to become tougher to impress his girlfriend, Koopie Koo. You can have him retrieve different items, which would normally be unreachable. Third there is Madame Flurrie. After you get used to her bouncyness you will realize that she is an asset to the team. She is a former stage star, and a cloud spirit that can control the wind. You can press X to blow a gust of wind on an enemy and paralyze them for a short amount of time. Fourth comes many people’s favorite character, Yoshi, who you can name yourself. In Glitzville you save him from becoming a hot dog and he joins your party as a sign of thanks. You can ride him around so you can move more quickly and he can gulp enemies that normally couldn’t be harmed. Fifth there is Vivian who is perhaps the best character that you can acquire during the game. She can pull Mario into the shadows where nobody can find him. The sixth character that you can acquire without going out of your way is Admiral Bobbery. He can blow up cracks in the wall and you will need him to get to Keehaul Key. Finally the last character is Ms.Mowz. To convince her to join your party you have to preform a side quest. She can sniff out any badges or items that are nearby. CONCLUSION: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is an unexpected success that is truly one of the best Gamecube games of 2004. It combines puzzle solving and role-playing to create an exquisite game that keeps your attention throughout the entire game. Unlike the first game after you beat the final boss you can continue playing to completely finish the game. There are many extra, which you can complete although there is no more plot. Although I felt the game was a little short it kept my attention and every Gamecube owner should own a copy of this game. The ending is unexpected and I would recommend it to anyone who likes RPGs or Mario. 
