Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (Nintendo Game Boy Advance, 2003)

mario and lugi have been a staple of nintendo for so long, you'd think they had run out of ideas for new games, but they just keep comming. i know i'm writing this long after its been out but still i was just amazed by this game's originality. first, the controls are perfect, they never bog you down but can be pleasantly challenging at times. second is the great depth of play, including many different lands to explore. third, the dialog. i could not stop from laughing through the many hilarious cut scenes. new and old villians apear, and with several plot twists that i did not expect, it kept me interested throughout the game. even leveling the characters is fun because you can choose stats to boost and learn advance combat moves (practice, practice, practice is all i can say) that really keep you busy right up to the final battle. i'd say it ranks up near chrono trigger in my list of best rpg's not for the story per say but for orginality and sheer enjoyment. one you can play over and over just for a good laugh. hope this helps someone decide. as for you people who dont know if you like rpg's yet, i definately suggest getting this game first, its got the best mix of non-rpg elements you'll find. for example the fighting system is reaction based for both offense and defence.
ok signing off,
Chrono330

I originally bought this game on a whim after seeing that it was set in the same style as "Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story", which I adored playing. What I didn't know was that you could probably consider this an official prequel to it! Fawful is a minion to Cackletta, both of whom are trying to take over the BeanBean Kingdom. It's up to Mario and Luigi to stop them, and it's a fantastic trip. Every single one of characters are both lovable and memorable, and Mario and Luigi (particularly Luigi) adds a fantastic amount of their own personal drama and charm to it.


What I expected was for the game to be on the easier side like Bowser's Inside Story, but not exactly! Sure it's easy enough to not give you too much trouble, but it's also engaging and successful in keeping you from putting the game down. Considering it's length, this is a good thing! I was fooled into thinking I was done a few times, but they just kept me going. It's such a cute and clever story though, I didn't mind.

The controls are what intrigue me the most, to be honest. Both in and out of battle, you can control each brother separately using the A and B buttons. This creates extremely unique battle situations, along with fun techniques to learn and master as well. It adds a great puzzle factor to the game, as you need to learn different techniques involving brother cooperation to get to certain areas and complete certain tasks.

All in all, a great game and worth playing in your spare time, and thanks to eBay and it's age (has it really been 8 years?), you should be able to snag it for pretty cheap.

Recommendations: Ages 6 & up with mild reading skills (for maximum enjoyment)

Background: This game is a fantastic adaptation of the RPG/Platformer hybrid that was Super Mario RPG for the SNES and later on Paper Mario for the N64 (with subsequent installments on the Gamecube and Wii). Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga also spawned a sequel on the Nintendo DS, and a third title in the series will be released for the DS in the Spring/Summer of 2009.

Review: Superstar Saga is about as charming as a handheld title can get. It is suitable for all ages, although it can be a bit text-heavy at times. The majority of the game is spent doing three things: exploring the hub world and towns, solving unique "dual-button" puzzles, and engaging in combat.

Exploring not only advances the story of the game but it also gives players a chance to get to know the various NPCs (Non-Playable-Characters) that inhabit the world of Mario and Luigi. This adds a charming amount of depth to the game and makes it all the more enjoyable.

In addition to their exploring escapades, Mario and Luigi will also come across mildly-challenging "dual-button" puzzles. In these sequences Mario and Luigi are both assigned to the A and B buttons, respectively, and the player has the opportunity to control both of the brothers to solve puzzles and navigate through the game world. These sequences are a fun experimentation of mind-teasers and dexterity, and are rewarding in their own right.

Finally, the combat in the game is most reminiscent of the Paper Mario franchise. Both Mario and Luigi can be controlled in turn-based battles, where they can act separately or together as a team. The combat is extremely fun, and surprisingly deep, while remaining completely accessible at the same time.

I've spent a lot of hours with this game, and it remains one of my favorite GBA games in my collection. Here are some of the pros and cons:

Pros:
-Great Controls
-A Colorful and Rich Graphic's Engine
-Engaging Combat
-Suitable for all ages

Cons:
-Silly Story
-Drawn out Text-Sequences
-A little text-heavy, but nothing too demanding...

All in all, this is a great game, and I would recommend it to anyone owning a Gameboy Advance, a Gamecube Gameboy Player, or a Nintendo DS. You really shouldn't pass this up.

Story: 6/10
Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Fun Factor: 10/10

Overall: 10/10

Mario and luigi go in uncharted territory in this turnbased rpg game.Its wierd seeing mario and luigi in this kind of genre....rpg but this game proves to be one for the records. Princess peach loses her voice so she sends her boyz (plumber heroes Mario and Luigi)on a adventure to retrieve her voice back from the villains.No more side scrolling & jumping on goompas.The heroes ingage in turn based combat.But with precise button presses the player can make thier attacks stronger.

The combat though is spiced up with chances where the player can avoid damage from the enemie when the enemie is attacking.By jumping or using a hammer on the enemie.(During enemies attacks the player can jump or use thier hammer freely)the player is then more active in battle.So battles are more exciting.
This game is all about teamwork.When one of the brothers hp reaches 0 that brother is knocked and cant fight so the opposite brother then carries the other thus dodging enemies attacks is harder.And when not fighting teamwork is needed to get to hard to reach areas.

Plus there are moments where the game is funny(People constantly forgetting who the heck is luigi) Mini games are also strewn across the game story line.This game is great and I recommend it. MAMA MIA

This game is just insanely terrific. You will not want to put anything else in your DS for weeks on end. It's a wonderful classic 2D RPG with equal emphasis on gameplay and storyline-- a tough thing to accomplish in game design. It's also chock full of fun and challenging mini-games, and the "Starbeans Cafe" system is just neat.


If you like classic 2D RPG, third-person/aerial view games like Zelda, Avernum, Aveyond, and the like, then you will love this underrated classic.


Superstar Saga is a very underrated Nintendo game in my opinion; I guess when people saw another Mario game come out they were expecting another traditional sidescroller or other non-linear game so it didn't get as much fanfare as the sidescrollers. You don't hear about this gem very much but if you see it floating around on ebay, buy it by all means!!! You will be entertained to no end.