MY VIEW
Games: 'Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'

By Julius Pecson
Special to The Advertiser

The Verdict: THE RATINGS 5 — Outstanding: Add it to your collection now. A must-have. 4 — Great: Buy it or rent it — definitely play it. 3 — Good: Worth playing despite some flaws. 2 — Fair: Unless you're a fan of the license or series, don't bother. 1 — Poor: You'd have more fun playing Pong.

Console: GameCube.

Developer/publisher: Nintendo.

Genre: RPG (role-playing game).

Number of players: 1

ESRB rating: Everyone

The premise: Using a mysterious map sent by Princess Peach, Mario embarks on a long quest to find seven Crystal Stars. Only when these artifacts are united will the magical Thousand-Year Door swing open and reveal the secret treasure hidden within.

Game play: Those who've played the original "Paper Mario" or "Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga" on the GBA will be instantly familiar with the overall system. The game mixes the exploration, conversation and battle-heavy game play found in RPGs with action sequences and platforming elements so comfortably at home in the Mario universe.

This time around, more emphasis is placed on the paper abilities of Mario and his partners — they can turn sideways to slip through cracks, fold into a paper airplane to fly, roll into a tube, coil up into a spring to reach higher areas, and more. And each battle is now set up as a stage play of sorts, complete with an audience at the bottom of the screen. Impressing the crowd, whose cheers and applause fill up your Star Power gauge, will ultimately allow you to execute useful and often devastating special moves.

The good/bad: The battle system in "Paper Mario" is incredibly fun. With offensive and defensive action commands requiring precisely timed controller combinations and button presses (that vary according to which character you're using), players can do extra damage or even avoid getting hit. This action-oriented approach to the standard RPG formula is probably the most engaging feature of the game and succeeds in relieving the tedium that sometimes accompanies turn-based battle systems. While the overarching story is the same old save-the-princess clichÚ, the dialogue is so entertaining and witty that you'll forgive the sparse presentation. Every member of the colorful cast of characters has his or her own memorable personality, especially Mario's sidekicks who join you on the adventure. The reliance on backtracking for the side quests and late in the game is unnecessarily cumbersome, and the music is forgettable. While I actually liked the simplicity of the graphics, others may be turned off by the minimalist visuals.

Tips: It's very important to master the stylish commands, which are showboat moves that help you recover large amounts of Star Power. When using Mario's hammer in battle, press "A" immediately after your attack connects, then press "A" again right before landing the backflip to perform his stylish moves.

My take: I've said before that I've never been a fan of role-playing games, but the Mario RPG series is an exception. With an ingenious battle system, a charming cast of characters and a long satisfying quest, this game's universal appeal will especially please Nintendo fans young and old.

Julius Pecson, a student at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and a longtime gamer, reviews games on various consoles for The Honolulu Advertiser.

UPCOMING VIDEO GAME RELEASES
Dates are tentative.

Playstation 2

• May 9: "In The Groove"
• May 10: "Haunting Ground"; "Cold Winter"; "Wild Arms: Alter Code F"
• May 15: "Metal Slug 4 & 5"
• May 17: "Outlaw Volleyball Remixed"; "Outlaw Tennis"
• May 23: "Madagascar"
• May 24: "Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana"
• May 29: "Digimon World 4"

Xbox

• May 15: "Virtual Pool: Tournament Edition"
• May 17: "Outlaw Tennis"; "Sid Meier's Pirates!"; "Delta Force: Black Hawk Down"
• May 23: "Madagascar"
• May 24: "Classified: The Sentinel Crisis"; "Still Life"
• May 31: "Digimon World 4"; "King of Fighters: Maximum Impact Maniax"; "Advent Rising"

PlayStation Portable

• May 9: "Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition"
• May 10: "Smartbomb"
• May 17: "MVP Baseball"
• May 19: "Action Replay PSP"

Gamecube

• May 9: "Donkey Konga 2"; "Donkey Konga 2 with DK Bongos"
• May 23: "Madagascar"
• May 31: "Digimon World 4"

Gameboy Advance

• May 23: "WarioWare: Twisted!"; "Madagascar"; "Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones"

Nintendo DS

• May 10: "Need For Speed Underground 2"
• May 23: "Madagascar"

List provided by Toys n' Joys, with shops in Kaimuki (735-4546) and Westridge Shopping Center (487-8697) in Pearlridge. See www.toysnjoys.com.