Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (Super Nintendo, 1996)

Super Mario RPG is a groundbreaking title for its time and has set standards that few modern RPG's can meet.

Story: The game itself starts out in Super Mario Bros. tradition: Princess Peach (called only Princess Toadstool back in the '90s when this game was released) is kidnapped by Bowser once again. This time however, there's a little twist. Bowser's no longer a blip on the radar as an even greater enemy emerges from the sky. So not only is the Princess still missing, but now you have to save the whole world.

Gameplay: An incredible facet of this game is the active role that players must perform in battle. The style would seem to be your traditional RPG fighting sequence, but the game incorporates "Timed Hits" which allow you to do extra damage. This seemingly simple mechanic adds a level of interactivity to fight scenes that really pulls you in.

Graphics: Personally, I don't pay much attention to graphics in a game, but this was probably the absolute limit to the Super NES. 8-directional movement in a pseudo-3-dimensional world breaks all the rules.

Flavor/Fun: This game is jam-packed with a rich storyline and lots o' little secrets that will keep you playing for hours AFTER beating it. Plenty of light-hearted humor that's both entertaining and kid-friendly.

I really could go on and on...but this was and is one of my favorite Mario games to date.

This game was released four months prior to one of Nintendo's greatest system, the N64. SMRPG wan't given a fighting chance to gain popularity among the American people.

Therefore, Super Mario is hardly ever mentioned when people converse nostalgically about SNES games.

An big hype was made about Donkey Kong Country's fully rendered graphics and ACM. DKC is fully deserving of such praise, but when the game that was finally released that wasn't a part of the DKC series and obtained the ACM technology, Mario's final appearance on the SNES came out with a whine.

Because of such carelessness of Nintendo developers, many players do not know the Magic of Super Mario RPG.

I am one of those who did not know of such a game until eight years after it's release. Sure, I heard about Super Mario World, Zelda, and Donkey Kong Country as I was growing up, but I was a victim of the N64's engaging power.

Once I ordered it from eBay, I experienced the missing link; the Mario game that ended the SNES legacy and that opened the frontier to the (I must admit) awesome Nintendo 64.

If you have not played SMRPG, please do not go what I went through. For your sake, buy it now. For a mere $50 a day (for one day), you can finally fulfill the duty of a player, and revive the dead game, Super Mario RPG.

Super Mario RPG is the golden love child between Square and Nintendo. Absolutely everything about this game is classic 16 bit era fun. As the title states, this is an RPG game which was completely new to the realm of Mario games. However despite the red plumber not being in his normal platforming world, Square knew what they were doing, as they had the Final Fantasy series under their belts, and made the new experience almost second nature.

One of the highlights of the game is the variety of music. Every character, town, map, and subworld has it's own theme. Not only that but it's some of the catchiest music the SNES ever had and severely rivaling Donkey Kong Country's music.

The graphics are also a killer. SMRPG looked fantastic back then, and due to the art style, still holds up very well compared to today. Mode 7 was used in a lot of the parts(other games such as F-Zero, and Star Fox also used this), which added a lot to the game.

The characters themselves are all quite lovable. Never before were we shown Princess Peach's personality, or just how witty Bowser really was. The character development is just as high as any other popular RPG game. Even as I'm closing into my 20s, I find hilariously witty comments sunk into the dialogue that keeps adults as well as kids amused and not just hammering on the B button to the next action sequence.

All in all, this is a game you must have for your SNES. Like Final Fantasy 7 was for the PS1, Super Mario RPG is for the SNES. You don't have to be a Mario or an RPG fan to enjoy it. It's what gaming should always be, fun.

If you like Mario games or Final Fantasy games, then this one is right up your ally. At first it seems like the typical story, Bowser kidnaps Peach and Mario has to rescue her, but instead the story takes a plot twist with the introduction of Smithy so it's up to Mario and his friends that he meets along the way to defeat Smithy. The game is very funny and interactive and it has a Final Fantasy feeling to it. As you travel around the Mushroom Kingdom, you meet Mallow, The lost Cloud Prince, Geno, a doll that is controlled by a star spirit, Bowser, YES Bowser, King of Koopas, and finally Princess Peach, Ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom who actually plays a role in the game. You go to a variety of different areas, from a sunken ship to the skies and from a pipe system to a volcano. There are also side quests which you can do for fun but some of them can give you items that power you up. Speaking of power ups, in this game you have to buy stuff and weapons to make your characters stronger but sometimes you can be given these power ups. What else is there to say except this, SQUARE needs to get back with Nintendo and make a sequel for this game. I give this game a 10/10 go out there and play it, it will be well worth your time.

Super Mario RPG is a work of art by Nintendo and Square Soft (now Square Enix). It's a fun game with a very high replay value. You have your standard Mario characters, Mario, Princess Toadstool (she wasn't known as Peach yet), and Bowser, but there are new characters as well such as Mallow, the little puffball from a city in the clouds, and Geno, a celestial spirit from the Star Road. The game has an excellent storyline and it's the only game that I can think of where Mario and Bowser are actually working together!

If you like Chrono Trigger or the Final Fantasy series you would most likely love this game. It's turn based and has that Final Fantasy feel to it during the battles. There's even a part of the game that uses Final Fantasy music. Such as the victory fanfare.