Super Paper Mario

Super Paper Mario is a platform/role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems, a division of Nintendo. Originally developed for the Nintendo GameCube, it was released for the Wii on April 9, 2007 in North America and on April 19, 2007 in Japan. There has been no confirmed release date for Australia or Europe yet.

It is a combination of the previous Paper Mario titles and Super Mario Bros. titles. Unlike the RPG-style gameplay of previous Paper Mario games, the game combines platforming gameplay and RPG elements.

Story
The story begins with the Mario Bros. relaxing at home, when Toad come running up to their house, informing them that Princess Peach has been kidnapped. Upon hearing this news, Mario and Luigi set off to save her from Bowser, whom they suspect to be the kidnapper. However, it is not true. Once they arrive, the evil Count Bleck, a mastermind who refers to himself and others in third person, uses his control of black holes to take everyone, except Mario, in Bowser's Castle into his own keep. He has possession of a book named Dark Prognosticus which tells of a marriage of a powerful king, Bowser, and a pure-hearted princess, Peach, that will open a dimensional rift ("The Void") that will swallow the whole universe.

Count Bleck warps Bowser, Princess Peach, Luigi, and all of Bowser's minions into an alternate dimension, where he was forcing Bowser and the Princess to be married. While Bowser gladly acepted, Princess Peach refused, but was forced by Count Bleck's assistant, Nastasia, to say "I do", using her super hypnosis. Luigi, also in the area, wakes and tries to stop Bleck. But the Chaos Heart appears, Bleck begins laughing evily and flees the scene.

Meanwhile, back at Bowser's Castle, Mario wakes up to find an unfamiliar creature. A butterfly-like organism transports him to the town of Flipside, a town between dimensions. The butterfly, who goes by the name of Tippi, takes Mario to an old wizard named Merlon. Merlon informs Mario of the situation, but presents the "Light Prognosticus", which contains a method of destroying the Chaos Heart. Mario matches the description of the hero in the book, so Merlon entrusts him with an object called the Pure Heart; this, along with seven others, has the power to defeat Count Bleck.

While the events of the game take place, the back story is slowly revealed through the text-based dialogue of two mysterious lovers named Timpani and Blumiere. Timpani was a human woman and Blumiere was the prince of the Tribe of Darkness. Blumiere's father does not approve of his son's romance, and somehow makes Timpani disappear. In his sorrow, Blumiere takes up the Dark Prognosticus, which was kept by the Tribe of Darkness for generations, and destroys his own world. Towards the game's end, Timpani and Blumiere are revealed to be Tippi and Count Bleck.

When Mario and his teammates reach Castle Bleck, Bowser, Peach, and Luigi are presumed lost in several battles, leaving Mario to face Bleck alone. When the battle begins, it seems Mario cannot harm Bleck, due to a shield surrounding him. Suddenly, Mario's friends rejoin him and the Pure Hearts surround Bleck, destroying his shield. After Count Bleck is defeated, Dimentio, one of Count Bleck's minions, appears and informs everyone present that he will now command the Chaos Heart and destroy all worlds. With this, he sends Tippi, Count Bleck, and his minions to another dimension.

Dimentio, Luigi, and the Chaos Heart form a creature named Super Dimentio. At first, it cannot be harmed. Meanwhile, Tippi convinces Count Bleck that it is not too late to make up for all the bad things he's done. Count Bleck's minions agree to follow him no matter what he decides. Eight new Pure Hearts are formed from the emotions which Count Bleck feels and they make Super Dimentio vulnerable. Mario and company destroy Super Dimentio and Luigi is saved. However, the worlds are still at risk as the rift has increased so tremendously. Tippi and Count Bleck sacrifice themselves to save all worlds and Mario and his party are flung to Flipside.

Main Characters

 * Mario
 * Princess Peach
 * Bowser
 * Luigi

Main Villains

 * Count Bleck
 * Nastasia
 * O'Chunks
 * Mimi
 * Dimentio

Other Major Characters

 * Merlon
 * Tippi

Gameplay
The player controls the characters by holding the Wii Remote sideways like an NES controller.[12] With the Tippi Pixl, the player can also point to the screen with the remote to identify features on the screen as well as hidden objects.

Super Paper Mario, like other Paper Mario games, borrows both RPG and platforming elements in its gameplay. A main hub city called "Flipside" provides a location for Mario and his party to talk to residents, shop, and rest, as well as to open doorways to other worlds. There also exists a mirror version of Flipside called "Flopside" that becomes available in the last half of the game with improved items and shops. Unlike previous Paper Mario games, there is no turn-based fighting; instead the player faces foes directly on screen as in a usual Mario platforming game, and through experience gains and special items, the amount of damage dealt can be increased; the player also must watch the party's health taken as damage from foes, though this can be restored with special health items. The traditional scoring system used in most platforming games doubles as an experience point system. After jumping on an enemy, the player can shake the controller for extra points. The player can also collect "catch cards" for all the major characters and enemies; possessing an enemy card will double damage dealt for that enemy.

Beta version of underground area from Chapter 3-1, both normal, and 3-DWhile the concept of a "paper" Mario (existing in only two dimensions) still continues through the game, a frequently used power obtained early in the game allows the player to "flip" Mario into the third dimension at nearly any point in the game. When this occurs, the current 2D level is rotated to become 3D in a third-person view; obstacles that may have blocked progress in 2D can simply be walked around in 3D, or hidden blocks or enemies may become visible. There are also numerous secrets to the 3D version of the level, however, Mario can only spend a short amount of time in this form before taking damage.

Mario and his party also gains powers through creatures called "Pixls" within the game. These give the current character an additional ability such as turning sideways to slip through cracks, hammering down large blocks, or planting bombs to defeat foes. In addition to Mario, the player will eventually control three other characters: Princess Peach, Luigi, and Bowser. Both the current character and Pixl can be switched out at any time during the game.

There are total of 8 chapters in the game, each split into 4 levels, with the final level culminating in a boss fight. For all but the last chapter, the goal is to collect a "Pure Heart" which is then used somewhere in Flipside to unlock the door to the next chapter. Save points are located strategically throughout Flipside and individual levels; if the character's hit points drop to 0, the player must restart at the last save point, though the player can escape to Flipside at any time, at the cost of having to restart the last chapter when they return.

Additional side quests also can be performed once the player can access these areas through the use of the Pixls and new characters.

Trivia

 * In Chapter 3, there is an area that is a recreation of Super Mario Bros's 1-2.


 * Parts of chapter 1-1 are like Super Mario Bros. 1-1, and Chapter 5-3 has a nearly perfect recreation of Super Mario Bros. 2-1, complete with coin heaven. (Even though the level is underground)
 * Before fighting Fracktail, when he checks his database for Mario, the Wii Shop Channel loading logo is displayed in his eyes complete with chimes.