If you thought Mario's had it tough so far, with all that running around and saving our favorite princess from peril, you won't believe what he's gotten himself into this time! A world-ending void has opened up and threatens to destroy everything. Of course it's up to Mario to stop it and being two-dimensional definitely won't get in his way. He needs to collect a series of ultra-special hearts if he wants to defeat the evil Count Bleck and restore order to all the worlds.

Mario may look like a paper doll in a crazy cardboard world, but he's got everything under control. He's thin, but he packs a mean punch when enemies get in his way. As Mario, you'll collect awesome power-ups with wild and unexpected effects. Pick up a mushroom for healing, or snag a star to morph into a giant Classic Mario! The real hook in this game, though, is Mario's ability to flip through a portal and switch between 2D and 3D views of the world he's exploring. What seems like a dead end in 2D mode becomes a passageway to another area when you flip to the 3D view. Mario will need to navigate between dimensions to fight enemies, collect items, and get to hidden parts of the map. He's got to hurry - his life meter diminishes quickly when he flips into 3D.

Unlike the older Paper Mario titles, turn-based battle tactics have been replaced by real-time Mario action. This gives the game a faster, more exciting feel as you stomp on enemies and duke it out with bosses. You'll begin your adventure with Mario, but on your way he'll meet up with more playable characters. As new characters join up with your party, they'll all bring their own special skills to the group, allowing you to reach areas you couldn't get to on your own. Some puzzles will require cooperation between your characters - a team effort is the way to beat those tough areas!

The controls are simple and easy to figure out. In keeping with the game's retro look, you'll hold the Wiimote sideways like a classic console controller, with little use of the Wiimote's more glamorous features. This is actually a plus, because you'll have so much to concentrate on in-game that having complicated controls just wouldn't do.

Aside from the exploration, item-gathering and rumbling with the usual Mario enemies, Super Paper Mario's got a whole bunch of RPG elements, including a very detailed story. The story can get overwhelming at times, hitting you with never-ending streams of text boxes. The opening text sequence alone takes over fifteen minutes to play out! You'll need a bit of patience to keep yourself from quickly speed-scrolling through all the text that comes your way, but you'll also want to read it all because each character you encounter may have important things to tell you. (Grab a bowl of popcorn, some of them might take a while!)

Younger gamers may want to play this game with an older friend or sibling. They'll be able to lend a hand with the reading and help you figure out some of the more complicated puzzles. But hey, even Mario needs his friends to help him out, so you might want to put your heads together on this one!

This game won't be quick to finish - there are tons of side quests and extras if you take the time to poke around. You'll find yourself coming back to areas you've already been through just to check out what you've missed. If you're a gamer who doesn't back down from a challenge, Super Paper Mario is just too flippin' cool.