The Game Show:Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64

Paper Mario(which is known as Mario Story in Japan) is an RPG(which could be considered a semi-sequel to Super Mario RPG:Legend of the Seven Stars) starring that famous plumber himself. One of the niftiest things about this game is that, as per the title, the game's characters are two-dimentional(literally having the appearance of being made of paper) against a three-dimentional background. The story is that Mario has been invited to a party at Princess Peach's castle; unfortunately, Bowser comes by and crashes the party, kidnaps Peach and commandeers her castle. Mario has no choice but to battle Bowser, but soon discovers that Bowser has in his possesion an item called the Star Rod which makes him super-powerful, and unfortunately, Mario ends up being no match for him. Mario later learns of the seven Star Spirits who have been imprisoned by Bowser and held hostage by several of his lackeys, so Mario's task is clear:free the Star Spirits, defeat Bowser, and get the Star Rod back in order to save Peach and restore order in the Mushroom Kingdom once more.


Players guide Mario through a series of levels, ranging from deserts to jungles to mountains to flower fields to even a strange toy land. Mario is aided in this journey by several "travelling buddies"(Goombario the Goomba, Kooper the Koopa, Bombette the Bob-omb, Parakarry the Parakoopa, Lady Bow the Boo, Watt the Little Sparky, Sushie the Cheep Cheep, and Lakilester "Spike" the Lakitu)* each with their own special abilities(Kooper can get faraway items via his shell, Bow can make Mario invisible, Parakarry can fly Mario over impasses, Bombette can break weak walls, etc.).

 Mario fights battles with his famous jump and equally famous hammer. A boss battle awaits Mario and his friends at the end of each level; every time a boss is beaten, a Star Spirit, whose abilities aid Mario in battle is freed. Various badges, which improve Mario's abilities and occasionally even give him special powers(such as electrifying him, so enemies take damage when they touch him) are also available.

 In between levels, players take control of Pricess Peach, who, with the help of a little star buddy named Twink(no relation) wanders throughout Bowser's castle, picking up items and information that will be helpful to Mario on his quest.

Pros:-A very cool, enjoyable game with practically no learning curve.

         -Very nifty and very original graphics.

         -A very good, interesting storyline.

         -Very good, well-cast, and often amusing characters with lots of personality. Many familiar faces, such as Luigi and the Yoshi clan make appearances, and many other characters have goofy, humorous names, such as Russ T., Huff N. Puff, Fishmael, Minh T., Dane T., Rip Cheato, Chuck Quizmo, and Tubba Blubba.

 Honestly, y'gotta love the name "Tubba Blubba"!

         -Uhm, well...it's a Mario game! :-D

Cons:-Like most RPGs, this game can be a bit tricky at times; without a strategy guide of some sort, players may be stuck for what to do in certain situations. (Fortunately, there are plenty of strategy guides available not only online, but right here as well.)

Overall, a very cool, funny, enjoyable, and very original game with lots of replay value. Although the character designs may be paper-thin, the premise most certainly isn't!(I couldn't resist. :-D) From a personal standpoint, I've always loved this game, and back in the day, I used to play it every chance I got. A highly reccommended selection for any Mario aficionado.

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*My fav, Watt. (He's just so adorable!) :-)

The Game Show:The Dog Island for the Nintendo Wii and the Playstation 2

This precious little game, based off the famous Artist Collection franchise, is something of a cross between Nintendogs, Animal Crossing, and an RPG. Players play as an adorable small, big-headed dog who's trying to save their younger sibling(players choose from a brother or a sister), who has contracted a mysterious illness, by traveling to a faraway island in search of the legendary flower that's said to be the cure. Players choose from 40-odd breeds of dog(some of which have color variants), including a few rare breeds, such as Weimaraners, Bull Terriers, Flat-Coated Retrievers, Shiba Inus, Cairn Terriers(they're super-cuddly!), and Australian Shepherds.

Players travel through grassy plains, deserts, and icy tundras, using their dog skills by sniffing out hidden items, and howling to ward off dangerous animals. In a similar manner to the aforementioned Animal Crossing, players also have the ability to catch bugs and fish. Players will befriend the islanders who live in the various towns, and will sometimes be given mini-quests by them, thus being rewarded with a woof(this game's currency) once each task is completed. Players can also dress up their dog in various hats, scarves, glasses, etc.

Pros:-A nice, enjoyable game with virtually no learning curve.

         -Absolutely BEAUTIFUL graphics!

         -Cute, lovable characters with lots of personality.

         -Lots of fun quests, and nifty items to be found.

         -A sweet, touching storyline which is more than elevated by the game's theme song.
          (A box of Kleenex is highly reccommended.) :*)

Cons:-Like most RPGs, this game can be a bit tricky; without a strategy guide of some sort, a person might be stuck for what to do in certain situations. (Fortunately, there are many such strategy guides available online!)

          -This game has no autosave feature, relying instead on "save spots", which can sometimes be tricky to find.

          -Some of the puzzles found in various areas can be tricky to solve(e.g. I lost count of how many times I went through that puzzle in the ice level before I finally got it right. :-p)



Overall, a sweet, heartwarming game that's also a lot of fun. If you like dogs and you like RPGs, this is the game for you!

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