Mario and Luigi 2: Partners in Time

The dynamic duo is back in black (ok, red and green, but black sounds cooler). Not Oprah and Dr. Phil. Not Master Chief and Samus. MARIO AND LUIGI DUH!! So they’re back and Princess Peach is kidnapped again when these weird purple alien things land and try to take over Mushroom Kingdom. But this time their pimpin bros are here to help. Yes, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi!!!

So they have to do all sorts of stuff like hit each other in the head with hammers to make them squirt and fight big ugly things that go roar. And it’s REALLY, REALLY FUN. I’ll talk about the gameplay first. Before I say anything else, You have to be coordinated to play this game!! If you aren't, you'll probably get pissed off at it quick. Anyway, I think this is the most innovative Mario game in a long time. It’s that simple. I mean, they figured out how to control 4 characters with 4 buttons (Mario-A Luigi-B Baby Mario-X Baby Luigi-Y), a D-Pad, and 2 shoulder buttons. And they use the 2 screens really well too. You can throw the babies up into holes that you can’t fit in and they pop up on the top screen. Otherwise, there’s a map showing or a view of what's above the bottom screen.

Then in battles you can jump, attack with hammers, or use Bros. Items, which have you press the buttons in certain orders, and the bosses are hard as hell, but really cool. Good bunch of monsters out there too. I also love how they make you learn new moves that you can somehow complete all with the 4 buttons. It adds a lot of variety to the adventuring. Some good puzzles too. So basically, it has really good gameplay.

It’s really, really funny as well. I’ve actually LOL-ed a lot when playing this game, which is always good. And the graphics rock too!! M&L2 has some of the best 2D stuff I’ve ever seen. Everything’s really shiny and colorful. Aside from maybe New Super Mario Bros, I think this is my favorite use of the DS’s graphical power. The sound’s pretty much basic Mario stuff, and it’s all good. The biggest problem I can see people having with this game is the fact that there’s nothing to do really once you beat it, but it’s nice and long so it’s not that much of a problem. I’ve had it for a few months and I’m still about halfway through I’d guess.

Verdict: Yum. Mario and Luigi 2 is yummy. Great gameplay, awesome use of the DS hardware, really good graphics, and a nice long game. What more could you want? There’s just about nothing wrong with this game except it can get a little annoying at times and once it's over, it's over. Overall, one of my favorite experiences on the DS. So, it gets 4.5 “Mmm, Mario is yummy”s, out of 5. If you like Mario, Luigi, purple mushrooms, flinging babies into holes, or RPGs, pick this game up right now. If not, pick it up tomorrow.

Just a note: This is one of the first Mario games I’ve played, so it’s not biased in that sense.

E.T. lives on that muffin.