Must have for fans of any RPG
User Rating: 9 | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door GC
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is a fantastic RPG, and a worthy successor to the original Paper Mario that originally came out for the N64. It blends a surprising amount of action into the conventional "Wait your turn" system found in most traditional RPG's. If you're unfamailiar with the Paper Mario series of games, the first thing you'll notice is the art style. The series stand apart from most other games because the characters in the game are actually paper-thin, 2d representations. It makes the game interesting to look at, as well as play. The art direction comes off feeling somewhat like a pop-up book. When new areas become available to explore, often times they will react as paper would, with the scenery ripping away to uncover a hidden pipe, or blowing away in the wind, folding over, etc. Mario also has several abilities related to his paper state. For instance, to overcome certain obstacles, you'll find yourself transformed into a paper airplane, a paper tube, or paper boat, just to name a few. The game operates much like a traditional RPG does, lots of talking to NPC's, shops and inns as you would expect. There are no random encounters in the game, as you can clearly see the enemy you're about to engage and can even gain an advantage in battle by preparing a first strike on the enemy in many different ways. For instance, you can jump on them with mario, strike them with his hammer or use many of your party member's abilities to gain that first attack at the start of the battle. You are allowed 1 party member to bring into battle with you, and over the course of the game, you'll invite several other characters to help you battle enemies. Each character brings with him/her a special ability that will help you defeat certain kinds of enemies. Battles also take place on a stage, much like a playhouse theater, and the audience plays a major role in your battle strategies. For instance, using good button timing, you can execute better combos and "stylish" moves to impress the audience, thus filling your special meter that can then be used to pull off devastating attacks or attack/defense buffs. It should also be noted that it is possible, however difficult, to play the entire game without being damaged once. The game gives you the option to lessen or reverse the damage of your enemies attacks through careful timing of button presses. This makes for an interactive battle regardless of who is attacking or defending. There are many items scattered throughout the world in PM:TTYD, so it will keep the item hunter or perfectionist busy for upwards of 80 hours. There are also a lot of side-quests and unique challenges for those who like to take their time and get some short term satisfaction from completing these optional parts. You are also rewarded with unique items that would help in battle, or character powerups that increase character stats. The music is nothing spectacular, but it fits the game perfectly. It is exactly what you would expect of a Mario, or Nintendo game for that matter. You'll also find clever remixes of some old familiar tunes within the game. The difficulty is not something that should be worried about. If you are having difficulty with the enemies that you're fighting in the storyline you're in, there are many places to back up and treadmill your characters up a few levels before preceding. Even though the story progresses very much in a linear fashion, it doesn't force you along the storyline before you're ready to proceed. While it must be mentioned that the amount of reading is on par with an RPG, and at times may seem a bit much, you'll not mind reading the great dialogue between the games characters as the writing is brilliantly comedic and often pokes fun at itself as a video game. Overall, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is not a game that should be overlooked by anyone who is a fan of the genre or the characters in the Mario Bros. universe. 
