My favourite game from the series so far! Pity they haven't learned that Mario games shouldn't have storylines yet.
I've finished this game for the first time, and let me just say that I want to play it again already. I have one or two quibbles, of course, but all in all a great game.
My problems were thus:
First and foremost, the storyline. What the hell. It by no means makes the game unplayable and can just be totally ignored, but I'm not a very tolerant person, as a rule. It is needlessly timewasting, unintelligible drivel.
Secondly, the voice acting. Mario and Peach just grate on my nerves. Luigi was no much better. Toads sound effects made me laugh however, as he sounds like a pedophile.
Thirdly, the storyline. It's that bad, that I really feel I need to mention it twice. The graphics are pretty good, but during some of the unskippable cinematics I could not help but feel a blank screen would be less confusing, less corny, and just overall better in every way.
But I'm a pessimist, and only enjoy beeyatching about things. Given I only had three concerns with the game, it deserves at least a 9.5 and is worth buying. Buy it... Buy it now. Just imagine how good it must be... Oh and what the Gamespot review said about the costumes is untrue (unless they're talking about Spring Mario, in which case, FULLY JUSTIFIED!).