Nintendo's lovable lead character, Mario, has been in many video game genres throughout his existence, from traditional platformers to sports games, party games, and even console-style role-playing games. The RPGs have typically been represented by the Paper Mario series, which, as you might guess from the title, has Mario and the usual cast of characters represented by two-dimensional paper cutouts, a graphical style that separates them from pretty much almost every other game in existence. The Paper Mario series is also known for its delightfully bizarre sense of humor, full of self-referential parody that pokes fun at many video game clichés.

In Super Paper Mario, though, the gameplay takes a new twist. Super Paper Mario plays more like a traditional Mario 2D platformer, with RPG-style statistics that determine things like the damage you do to enemies. But it is fleshed out engrossingly with multiple characters to play as, a wide variety of new abilities to discover and use, and an enjoyable storyline. And there's one ability that really changes everything and gives the game much of its fun factor: the ability to change from a 2D perspective to a 3D one. This very trippy ability brings literally an entire new dimension to the gameplay, as you must switch back and forth between 2D and 3D views of the environment to complete puzzles and gain access to new areas. It really makes you think outside of the box.

Probably the only problems that are present with Super Paper Mario are that the 3D perspective's camera isn't perfect, and can be disorienting, be blocked by objects, or can throw off jumping attempts. Other than that, though, Super Paper Mario is a superb game, original in its blending of genres and highly polished, making it a must-buy for gamers with a Wii.

Super Paper Mario is a Wii exclusive, and is rated E for Everyone.