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'' 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 . 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, RPG, and puzzle elements. Its content is darker than previous games of the franchise.4 It is the third game in the ''Paper Mario'' Series . GAMEPLAY The player controls the characters by holding the Wii Remote sideways like an NES controller.Thomason, p. 45. With the Tippi or Tiptron 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.Thomason, p. 46. 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. ) and is shown in 2-D and 3-D]] While 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. Generally, Mario can only spend a short amount of time in this 3D form before taking damage, though some side-quests eliminate this penalty. Mario and his party also gain 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. Note that there are times when certain characters and Pixls are not available due to separation. There are total of 8 chapters in the game, all split into 4 sections, with the second and 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 or Flopside to unlock the door to the next chapter. Save points are located strategically throughout Flipside and through and between sections; if the character's health points drop to 0, the player must restart at the last save point, though the player can escape to Flipside at nearly any point in the game, at the cost of having to restart the entire unfinished chapter when they return. The player can, however, return to any section of a finished chapter. Additional side quests also can be performed once the player can access these areas through the use of the Pixls and new characters. PLOT See Also: Paper Mario Characters Story overlooks the wedding of Princess Peach and Bowser during the intro (pre-release version)]] In light of a recent kidnapping of Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi head to King Bowser's castle to retrieve her, only to find that Bowser wasn't responsible for it. It is then realized that the true kidnapper is Count Bleck, a dastardly earl who wields an ancient, prophetical tome called the ''Dark Prognosticus.'' In addition to Princess Peach, he kidnaps Luigi and Bowser, along with all his army. The evil count then forces the marriage of Princess Peach to Bowser in order to, which as the ''Dark Prognosticus'' foretells, unleash an unholy object called the Chaos Heart. Count Bleck uses the Chaos Heart to open an interdimensional rift known as "The Void", which will eventually grow large enough to engulf the entire universe. Mario then meets a Pixl, a type of fairy, named Tippi who comes in search of Mario for he matches the hero, described in another occult book called the ''Light Prognosticus'', who is able to halt the impeding doom of The Void. In order to banish the Chaos Heart and reverse the destruction, the hero requires the eight Pure Hearts, artifacts created from genuine love. Mario then sets out on his quest with Tippi at his side to gather the Pure Hearts, team up with Peach, Luigi, and even Bowser, and stop Count Bleck and his minions from obliterating all existence. DEVELOPMENT ''Super Paper Mario'' was created out of a desire to combine the familiar look of the ''Paper Mario'' series with a new style of gameplay.Williams, p. 76. Chief director Ryota Kawade was on a train thinking about ways to adapt a subgame from '''' in which the player controls a large Bowser in a short side-scrolling stage; he noticed that the other end of the train looked like a stage in a ''Mario'' game and envisioned switching between two and three dimensions.Williams, p. 78. When producer Kensuke Tanabe was told about the idea, he decided to make the sequel an Action-adventure Game , but retained some role-playing elements to establish the game in the ''Paper Mario'' franchise.Williams, p. 77. Kawade and Tanabe also felt that these elements, as well as the ability to switch between two and three dimensions, would make the game more accessible to players unaccustomed to action games.Williams, pp. 76–77. The team played side-scrolling ''Mario'' titles for inspiration, envisioning how the levels would look in 3D. ''Super Paper Mario'' was announced by Nintendo on May 11 2006 at E3 for the Nintendo GameCube .5 On May 30 2006 , Nintendo set a release date of October 9 2006 .6 That summer, the game was "quietly moved" to the Wii .7 RECEPTION Reviews for ''Super Paper Mario'' were generally very positive. As of July 28, 2007, the game has been confirmed to have sold a total of 1.25 million copies in both Japan and North America.8
Game Rankings currently scores it 86%. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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