Mario and Luigi 4: Dream Team

[BullockDS]

Or: "Inception 2: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bob-Omb"

 

Has anybody else picked this up yet? I just got it over the weekend and after just short of an hour in, I gotta say: this beats the PISS out of Paper Mario: Sticker Star. So for anybody worrying that we'd get a repeat of a terrible Mario RPG, fear not.

 

For starters, this game is bloody gorgeous. The hand-drawn character sprites are at their best yet (especially the Bros, who boast buttery smooth, cartoony 16-directional animation), which mesh shockingly well with the 3D environments; this is the first 3DS game in quite some time where I actually use the 3D to any considerable extent.

 

The battle system, so far, is as enjoyable as ever, especially Dreamy battles and the 3D gimmicks within. This game also seems to be a bit more difficult than the last two M&L titles, and considering how fast I blazed through those, this is a welcome change.

 

The story isn't a Chrono Trigger by any means, but it is very engaging; the writing for characters is especially superb. This is a game that's given me honest laugh-out-loud moments (or stifled giggling if I'm playing on the Metro after work).

 

Can't say too much about the sound work, since I've rarely played with the volume high enough to discern everything. Sorry.

 

I have two minor complaints as of now: the enemy variety in locations isn't too abundant, and the forced tutorials are annoying (YOU GOT YOUR FIRST ITEM AND BY GOD YOU ARE GOING TO LISTEN FOR TWO MINUTES TO LEARN HOW TO USE IT).

 

Finally, not that I mind that it's in this game, but in the inevitable sequel I hope there isn't another plot device that forces a sizeable chunk of the game to take on side-scrolling action. I think having such a... "gimmick" (if you will) for two games in a row is enough IMO. If I want a Mario sidescroller Mario, I'll go pick out a sidescroller Mario game from my library.

 

That all said, what does The GCN think of this game so far?

 

(Also, does anyone else think that the M&L games are a closer successor to Super Mario RPG than Paper Mario?)

[Mallos31]

I got it on launch, and I love it so far! It's pretty similar to Bowser's Inside Story, which was good, but it's different enough that it feels new. It really is much more similar to Mario RPG. This is a very good thing. The music is actually pretty great, and you're right. The tutorials get on my nerves, but I THINK I'm done with them all. 

[DarthDub]

I played the demo and I loved it. I'm going to save up and get this game eventually.

[Mallos31]

So, I have continued to play this game, and it continues to get better and better. I am obsessed. If anyone hasn't played it yet, you should.

[Mallos31]

Double post just cuz there hasn't been a post in a while. I just finished the game. Has anyone else finished yet? Final battle is kinda intense. Took me a total of 3 (maybe more) hours. Excellent battle though.