I love Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. I consider it one of the best RPGs out there and should be played by any enthusiast of that genre. So when a sequel for the Wii was announced, I bought it as soon as possible. Upon starting the game and playing through the first world my first thoughts were "This isn't Paper Mario"; however, after beating the game and letting it simmer I realized that the changes they made allowed this game to flourish in a way I didn't think possible.

I'll say outright that this game is not as good as The Thousand-Year Door. I'll go one step further and say that these two games are not even in the same genre. This is an action game with light RPG mechanics baked into it. It plays like a traditional Mario game, though with multiple gimmicks to manipulate the world around you. This means that fighting is just jumping on enemies in the overworld or bashing them with your hammer, which can be monotonous.

I can understand if that turns people off from the game, but I urge people to play this as the story in this game is on par if not slightly better than the Thousand-Year Door. The new characters introduced, the background of the villains and their plans, and the incorporation of the base Mario characters are done to a level I haven't seen in any other game. It is both impressive and enjoyable as a player. This is elevated by the art design and music, both of which are great for the eyes and ears.

This game isn't perfect, especially with the combat, but what it does have is worth more than enough to be acknowledged and recognized. Give this game a look.