You would think that at this point Nintendo's favorite mascot, Mario, would be old hat; a tired avatar better suited for the days of eight-bit adventures.  Quite fortunately for us all, however, this presumption would be more than wrong.  And no recent game containing the Italian wonder reflects this more than "Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door." 

For those in the know, this electronic romp is actually Mario's second foray into the world of voluntary two-dimensionality.  "Paper Mario" for the Nintendo 64, released in 2001, was one of the system's last glorious death rattles before its inevitable demise.  Now, that same creative fervor behind developer Intelligent Systems Inc. has been brought to a gaming powerhouse (the GameCube) and the results are, well, spectacular.

The epic story begins innocently enough.  The Mushroom kingdom's favorite victim, Princess Peach, has once again gone missing and her last known whereabouts bring Mario to a lowly coastal town appropriately labeled Rogueport.  From this, the game's home base, Mario becomes involved in an elaborate treasure hunt to uncover the mystery concerning a long-hidden, ever-mythologized artifact.  And so it goes.

Along the way, Mario will encounter scores of colorful and inventive characters that flesh out the landscape.  Some of which will actually join you on your quest, thus providing Mario assistance in battle and a central voice in various conversations along the way.

The combat system boils down to a highly stylized timing system in which attacks and defense maneuvers can be amplified through a series of well-placed button-mashes.  The system is deceptively simplistic being that it contains a refreshingly tricky combination of strategy and reflexes.  The only caveat to said encounters is their frequency.  Fighting in "Paper Mario" can become repetitive in particular areas.  This potential boredom is countered, however, by the sheer treat of the fight's presentation (including an active audience who occasionally launch various items at you in disapproval).

It is the mind-boggling amount of detail and effort which is ever-present in "Paper Mario" that forces it to shine.  Rare is it today that companies spend so much time and energy as to fully realize a world with truly disparate, yet unified environments.  The game creates a fusion between traditional RPG elements, such as leveling up and dialogue-heavy intervals, with age-old platforming.  With it, the story remains engrossing without becoming tedious.

If "Paper Mario" can be said to have a weak link, it would be the game's audio.  This is not to say that the audio is poor, mind you, but the melodic range definitely leaves something to be desired.  There is no voice work in the game despite a variety of chirps and clicks from the assorted Mario buddies.  While the music is not forever chipper, it does tend to skim on the annoying side.  If you are used to any of the games in the Mario franchise, however, the product will not be unlike anything you have experienced before.

"Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door" is simply a masterpiece.  Nearly all aspects of the game stand head and shoulders above competitors in similar adventure genres.  If you own a GameCube, then "Paper Mario" is certainly a must-have in Nintendo's short yet sweet library.

 Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

Platform(s):  GameCube

Publisher:  Nintendo

Player(s):  1

Completion:  30-40 hrs.

Evaluation:

Graphics:  A

Gameplay:  A+

Sound:  B-

Addiction:  A+

Worth your time:  A+

**Golden Monkey**

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