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Super Mario RPG

Super Mario RPG is the first Mario RPG (role-playing made. Square was called in to help. The result was one of the most memorable 16-bit RPGs to date. Miyamoto has said that he "has a fundamental dislike of the RPG system", and also said that "there are so many people who like it." I guess it's slightly ironic that a character coming from someone who dislikes RPGs would star in such a beloved classic. When Nintendo conducted its most-wanted release for the Virtual Console poll, Super Mario RPG came up two times. But what's so epic about this game?

The game introduced the idea of action commands. When you do a certain thing for an attack, it will do more damage. If you press a button when an enemy performs a physical attack, you take less damage. It was a level of interactivity that, to my knowledge, did not exist in RPGs before. It also added some platforming elements that Mario was known for to the overworld, creating something truly revolutionary: an RPG in which you can jump (really, why didn't anyone think about this before? This is one of the few RPGs I've played in which the character can bend his legs and push himself up). There are even minigames making use of this ability.

As opposed to most Mario games, where the plot is mentioned once and never touched upon again, this game, being an RPG, features emphasis on plot and character. It's not an epic plot with unimaginable twists, but it's very well-fitting for the first Mario RPG. It starts off predictably - the princess has been kidnapped by Bowser and Mario must save her again. However, the plot train starts to derail when a giant sword appears out of nowhere, causes a lot of stars to rain down, and breaks through the castle. Mario, Bowser, and Peach are sent flying, and access to the keep is cut off. This is all horribly confusing for Mario and friends, who are so used to the routine of 'rescue princess from Bowser in castle' that this throws them for a loop. Obviously, Mario must rescue the princess, but there's also the question of "What is a sword doing in Bowser's castle and what's with those stars that went flying?" Mario can't find out alone, and so he needs the help of other people. In particular, a deluded cloud and a special doll, along with some other people we don't care about. (joking!) Since Mario is mute through the game, they have to do the talking for him.

It's true: this game has characters with more than one paragraph of lines (Super Paper Mario should have had this). Mallow actually develops as a character. Bowser joins you with the excuse that you have joined the Koopa Troop. Geno is a possesed doll that has a 'greater mission'. I haven't gotten Peach yet, so I can't talk about her, but she has a frying pan and hugs people. Draw your own conclusion. There are memorable bosses like the hopelessly confused (at least in my opinion) Booster and the wily Croco. There are the well-known cameo appearances - Samus and Link. Most of the recurring characters are actually pretty likable and at least Mario has a humorous way of getting his point across.

Speaking of humor, this game is refreshingly light. When the time comes for the game to put on its intense plot face, it does it fine, but for the most part, this game doesn't take itself too seriously. It's always fun and tongue-in-cheek (THE SUITE!!!).

The Nintendo name is not usually associated with mind-blowing graphics, but for its time, SMRPG had very pretty visuals. Making use of the Super FX chip (like Starfox), it created lush, detailed environments and allowed for stunning attacks. Clean meadows featured bright colors while gloomy caves had only shades of brown. Adding to the atmosphere was the music. Happy paths had bouncy tunes. A castle had elevator muzak in the reception room while a Shyster sat behind the counter waiting for guests. The boss music is something I adore, and it's perfectly suited to taking down dudes sitting on a knife.

Compared to the games today, it may appear to be old or silly. Don't be fooled - this game is a classic. It's gameplay, story and charm will let you overlook the dated graphics and the 'kiddy' (why do people care about that anyway?) feel it may have at first. As you progress, you'll love the characters even more (unless you absolutely despise the gameplay and plot, which most people don't) and look forward to epic boss encounters. It's worth taking a look at. If you have a SNES, try to find a copy of it (there's nothing like the original). At the time of writing, it's on the PAL and Japanese Virtual Console (for the Wii, if you didn't know) for 800 Wii Points. You could use an emulator, but as I said, nothing compares to the original. Whatever you want to use, you'll hopefully have a great time with this classic. Go play it now. :D