battles in Paper Mario 2 will feature action elements while still remaining turn-based. You select commands from a command ring atop your characters\' heads, examples of commands being jump and make use of a hammer. The action begins following this. In the case of jump, you have to press the A button at the right time in order to execute the command successfully. In the case of the hammer, you have to hold left on the analogue stick, switching it to the right at the proper time in order to strike at the enemy.
There is some strategy included as well. From the command ring, you can set your characters\' battle strategy. Specifics on strategy options have yet to be revealed.
Outside of battles, Paper Mario 2 is set to feature lots of mini games. Three mini games have been revealed so far. One involves a quiz show in which Mario must answer questions posed by the giant blocks featured in Mario action games. Two other mini games have been revealed, although minus specifics as to how they play. One appears to feature the player in control of Princess Peach, something that was featured in the original. Another looks like a version of Super Mario Brothers except with players controlling a giant Koopa.
Throughout their adventure, Mario and friends will find help in a few items and places. As with most RPGs, you can heal your party at an inn and purchase items at a shop. As currency, the game makes use of coins that you collect by defeating enemies. There\'s also a Badge Shop, where you acquire badges that, when set, give Mario special abilities in battle. While actually moving about through fields and towns, you\'ll encounter save blocks marked with an \"S.\" Jump-punching these will allow you to save your game.
Less is known about the game\'s story line. The original game had you rescue Princess Peach and recover the Star Wand from Koopa. This time, aside from the presence of a mysterious door that\'s been sealed for 1000 years, little is known about the game\'s storyline. It is known, however, that many characters from the Mario world will make an appearance. This includes some giant enemy characters -- even bigger than the enemies featured in the original.
The developers at Intelligent Systems offered a very tantalizing bit about the game in comments to Japan\'s Famitsu magazine. It was stated that you can expect the flat, stylized graphics that made the original famous to play a strong role this time around in terms of both story progression and in how you solve puzzles.
Mario: Help me Jesus!
Luigi: MARIO?......TOAD?.......Anybody there? Guess the coast is clear...*whips out a magazine and reenters the house*
And to think you wanted to know what Luigi has been up to...
Its nice to see Mario is back to handing out blue collar ass whuppings in Paper form again. The graphics don\'t really look any better Than Paper Mario but if the game is anything like the first its not gonna matter.
[Edited on 4/3/0404 by Dr.chaos]
I have been told that the essence of being Splash Woman is not in attaining perfection, but in the attempt.
If so, then Splash Woman in general does not qualify as, well, human.
-Azyeur



