Apparently, developer Intelligent Systems didn't consume quite enough gamer-hours of real lives with its addictive turn-based strategy/crack-analog venture, Advance Wars Dual Strike for the DS, so along comes this lastest offering of theirs, Super Paper Mario for the Wii, which gives you the expected candy-colored visuals, a squad of our favorite Mario-universe characters, and an engaging mix of 2D and 3D gameplay. It also eschews many (not all) of the 'nerd-core' RPG elements of its Paper Mario predecessors in favor of more breezy, platforming action across the board. It's generously infused with humor, albeit in a wordy, text-heavy way (which might blunt some of its charms for younger, or at least more logophobic, gamers).

First the narrative setup, so we can all get it over with: Princess Peach, under duress, is to marry Bowser (!); as foretold in the tome of the Dark Prognosticus, this unlikely union will bring about the end of, well, everything, at least according to the whims of one villainous Count Bleck. Mario, hero of light, unclogger of pipes, etcetera, must collect the seven life hearts scattered throughout... well, you get the picture.

Half of Mario's new gig is mostly like his earlier one; 2-D side-scrolling, platforming challenges, with jumps, attacks, perils and power-ups intact. The other half, the new part of the new gig, is that gameplay can suddenly and regularly extrude into a complete 3-space world behind the world, or perpendicular to it, hiding just beyond the 2-D façade, as it were (you can't stay in that fleshed-out world for very long without taking damage, so whatever you're gonna do, step lively, and when you return to 2-space, you'll heal). A single button press flips the perspective, handy when Mario's progress in the 2-D side view is impeded by some seemingly-insurmountable barrier or, for example, a hallway-long chain of alternative, deadly stomping-stones, so a quick jump to 3-space shows that the "obstruction" is nothing more than a skimpy piece of X-Y set-dressing that can be maneuvered around on the hitherto-invisible Z-axis. Similarly, you'll see doorways "ahead" of you in the 3-space view that were not visible in the side-scrolling view (as they would have appeared edge-on, as mere lines marking an object's edge. Get it?). It's-a-meeee, Mario -- straight outta Flatland, yo!

Actually, you've got a coalition of willing Mario-'verse characters you're able to use throughout the game, but Mario is by far the most useful (as he's the only one that can traverse The Universe As It Really Is). The others, restricted to the classic Mario side view, have their own unique abilities: Bowser can hunker down and simply wipe out enemies with a belch of flame (just think; in a differently-rated game, it might not have been a belch...), and Peach can float and glide gently across gaps that would defeat other characters. Luigi, a show-off like his brother, can jump to great heights with a single bound. Ultimately, it all comes back to Mario, but the others are fun to use insomuch as they're needed. You'll also utilize a collection of fairy-esque companions called Pixls: pull up the Pixl screen and select from companions that can decrease Mario's size, bring objects from behind the other sides of barriers (in the 2-D view), or offer hovering platform, bombs, the ability to throw objects, and other benefits.

While the base remnants of an RPG-lite experience are still here (leveling, the ability to obtain and use objects, etc.), Super Paper Mario for the Wii approaches its secrets and side-quests more in the action/item/Pixl-oriented vein of the early Zelda games.

Happily, Super Paper Mario hasn't been Wii-gimicked to death; holding the Wiimote on its side, handlebar-style, offers suitably old-school control, but the Wiimote can also be aimed at the screen to find things, or shaken at critical moments for some stylistic extra credit when jumping on foes. It's not obnoxious... nor, in fact, particularly necessary. Just there if you want it.

Clever challenges, good control, simple minigames, I-see-a-crack-in-that-wall side quests... in the end, Super Paper Mario is worthy of the ingenious Wii, without forcibly jamming any artificial gesture-based mechanics up your, um, game-hole. There's a lot of text and conversation as you meet and greet the levels and their many characters (it's a faithful RPG in that regard), but the blocks of verbiage are -- like many of the visuals themselves -- polished, often witty, fairly hip in a pop-culture kind of way, and ultimately, squarely aimed at the alt-dot-game-nerd inside you, the one who likes nostalgic tips of the virtual hat.

TIP: While in the coffee shop in Flipside B1 of Super Paper Mario, enter 3-D mode to access a gold pipe that will take you to an arcade with three hidden mini-games that that you can play (and win prizes).