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Together for the first time, Mario and Luigi star in this great GBA title.
December 28, 2003 | 10:00 PM PSTby: Gina Mazzone
Princess Peach's voice has been stolen by the evil Cackletta, an evil sorceress from Beanbean Kingdom. Why would anyone want Peach's voice? Cackletta has an evil plan to awaken a powerful device called the "Beanstar" and to take over the world. Mario is quickly sent out to ruin her plans with the help of none other then Bowser himself! However, accidentally mistaken for a soldier, Luigi gets dragged along for the ride. So, hop aboard Bowser's ship, and take your passport photos. Don't forget your suitcase, either! It's going to be a long adventure for the brothers.
This game caught my attention once word of it leaked out. I'm a sucker for RPGs. When word of another Mario RPG game spread, I was ecstatic. Being a big fan of Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario, I had high hopes for this game. My hopes were not put down. Mario and Luigi plays a lot like the past Mario RPG games. Your weapons are a mallet, and your jumping skills. Your armor is a pair of overalls. Your charm is based on how well groomed you keep your mustache. The battle system is simple and turned based, just like a normal RPG. The game play kept me going, with never a dull moment. The story was a little predictable at times, but let's be honest: Who plays a Mario game and expects the Princess not to be captured?
Anyone who knows me knows that I am very Pro-Luigi. This younger plumber doesn't get the credit he deserves. I was hoping that Mario & Luigi would give Luigi a chance to shine, and indeed it does. There are many times that Luigi has to venture out on his own in order to aid Mario. The sweet sound of, "Oh yeah, go Luigi!" was music to this gamer's ears. Having his first solo game even named after Mario, Mario Is Missing, I was more then happy to play as Luigi alone for the stages throughout the game. Even though he was the center of the game's slapstick comedy routine, Luigi shone brighter the Beanstar for me. This element was great for me, because it gave a change to the constant team you must get used to.
The graphics were cartoon-like and clean. They weren't extreme, but I believe this was because of the comedy nature of the game. The detail was very nice, and everything was colorful. A bit on the cartoon side, the graphics backed up the funny side of this game. This was a game to take seriously, but you couldn't help but break a smile at Luigi's reaction when no one knew his name. Watching the shock on his face and hearing him cry "Oh nooooooo..." made you laugh more then once. Listening to the brothers speak gibberish, I listened carefully, trying to determine if they were speaking Italian or not. That's how clear things were. It made you think they were saying correct words. The music was both amazing and nostalgic. A pumped up version of the old underground Mario theme played when you went down the pipes. Luigi's Mansion's theme played in the coffee house when Professor E.Gadd made a special appearance. The ghosts also made an appearance, and it was quite amusing to watch Luigi shiver in the corner. It was even more amusing when the lights turned on and more Luigi's Mansion music played. There was new music also. Depending on where you were, the over world theme would change. Different regions had their own music. Dungeons and underground held a trace of the old themes, but were still new in a way. Everything was quite catchy. When I leave a game on pause, I usually turn down the sound because the music tends to get annoying. Not only did I leave the sound turned up, but I also took it upon myself to go out and get the soundtrack.
Controls are simple, but tend to get a bit annoying. To switch between actions for the brothers, you simply need to press the L or R buttons, depending on who is in the lead on your team. However, this tends to get annoying, because you will circle through the actions two or three times, because you pass up the action you want too quickly. Navigation is as normal as it gets and performing the actions are easy as well. Simply line the brothers up, press a button and they will perform their move. Controls in the battle system play much like Super Mario RPG for SNES and Paper Mario for N64. Select your move and press the button at the right time to inflict more damage. Playing with this form of battle system was great for me, since I had just finished playing Paper Mario over again. If you've lost your touch with timing, you'll have many chances to gain it back quickly. Enemies roam all over the world, and there is never a dull moment. Those of you who hate to battle too much can simply dodge the enemies in the field. There's something for every type of player in this game.
The game was a bit short for me, having only 25 hours on it. However, this doesn't count the end boss. A great battle, the boss took me almost an hour to defeat. It was a very enjoyable play, and I will probably pick this title up again when I'm on the go. It was a good buy and will remain on my shelf instead of being traded in. Comedy is a big thing for me and this game, and this game is full of it. Don't take game play lightly, though. You will need to level up just like in any other RPG. However, you can do it with a smile on your face with this one. Don't forget to level up that mustache as well! We have to keep the brother looking good, as always. Try this one out. Trust me when I say after playing it once, you'll be hooked on the brothers.
This game caught my attention once word of it leaked out. I'm a sucker for RPGs. When word of another Mario RPG game spread, I was ecstatic. Being a big fan of Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario, I had high hopes for this game. My hopes were not put down. Mario and Luigi plays a lot like the past Mario RPG games. Your weapons are a mallet, and your jumping skills. Your armor is a pair of overalls. Your charm is based on how well groomed you keep your mustache. The battle system is simple and turned based, just like a normal RPG. The game play kept me going, with never a dull moment. The story was a little predictable at times, but let's be honest: Who plays a Mario game and expects the Princess not to be captured?
Anyone who knows me knows that I am very Pro-Luigi. This younger plumber doesn't get the credit he deserves. I was hoping that Mario & Luigi would give Luigi a chance to shine, and indeed it does. There are many times that Luigi has to venture out on his own in order to aid Mario. The sweet sound of, "Oh yeah, go Luigi!" was music to this gamer's ears. Having his first solo game even named after Mario, Mario Is Missing, I was more then happy to play as Luigi alone for the stages throughout the game. Even though he was the center of the game's slapstick comedy routine, Luigi shone brighter the Beanstar for me. This element was great for me, because it gave a change to the constant team you must get used to.
The graphics were cartoon-like and clean. They weren't extreme, but I believe this was because of the comedy nature of the game. The detail was very nice, and everything was colorful. A bit on the cartoon side, the graphics backed up the funny side of this game. This was a game to take seriously, but you couldn't help but break a smile at Luigi's reaction when no one knew his name. Watching the shock on his face and hearing him cry "Oh nooooooo..." made you laugh more then once. Listening to the brothers speak gibberish, I listened carefully, trying to determine if they were speaking Italian or not. That's how clear things were. It made you think they were saying correct words. The music was both amazing and nostalgic. A pumped up version of the old underground Mario theme played when you went down the pipes. Luigi's Mansion's theme played in the coffee house when Professor E.Gadd made a special appearance. The ghosts also made an appearance, and it was quite amusing to watch Luigi shiver in the corner. It was even more amusing when the lights turned on and more Luigi's Mansion music played. There was new music also. Depending on where you were, the over world theme would change. Different regions had their own music. Dungeons and underground held a trace of the old themes, but were still new in a way. Everything was quite catchy. When I leave a game on pause, I usually turn down the sound because the music tends to get annoying. Not only did I leave the sound turned up, but I also took it upon myself to go out and get the soundtrack.
Controls are simple, but tend to get a bit annoying. To switch between actions for the brothers, you simply need to press the L or R buttons, depending on who is in the lead on your team. However, this tends to get annoying, because you will circle through the actions two or three times, because you pass up the action you want too quickly. Navigation is as normal as it gets and performing the actions are easy as well. Simply line the brothers up, press a button and they will perform their move. Controls in the battle system play much like Super Mario RPG for SNES and Paper Mario for N64. Select your move and press the button at the right time to inflict more damage. Playing with this form of battle system was great for me, since I had just finished playing Paper Mario over again. If you've lost your touch with timing, you'll have many chances to gain it back quickly. Enemies roam all over the world, and there is never a dull moment. Those of you who hate to battle too much can simply dodge the enemies in the field. There's something for every type of player in this game.
The game was a bit short for me, having only 25 hours on it. However, this doesn't count the end boss. A great battle, the boss took me almost an hour to defeat. It was a very enjoyable play, and I will probably pick this title up again when I'm on the go. It was a good buy and will remain on my shelf instead of being traded in. Comedy is a big thing for me and this game, and this game is full of it. Don't take game play lightly, though. You will need to level up just like in any other RPG. However, you can do it with a smile on your face with this one. Don't forget to level up that mustache as well! We have to keep the brother looking good, as always. Try this one out. Trust me when I say after playing it once, you'll be hooked on the brothers.
November 20, 2009
