Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

by Nintendo

• Timing Action Commands help you dodge or inflict damage and impress the crowd, giving you power for super attacks
• Use your paper body to your advantage - Fold into a paper airplane and take to the air, turn sideways to slip through narrow passages, and roll into a tube to bounce to safety
• Collect all-new weapons and items like hammers, thunderbolts and much more
• Numerous partners are here to aid Mario, from the previous games - from Claudia to Yoshi
• Enter the Worry Room, where townspeople will post their problems for you to fix -- giving you dozens of great, silly side quests

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002ILS1K
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 15, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (365 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,104 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #8 in Video Games > More Systems > GameCube > Games
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Time passes, the pages turn ... and a new chapter unfolds in an unfamiliar land! Get ready for a two-dimensional role-playing adventure for the ages as Mario returns to paper form in pursuit of a threat unlike any he's ever faced. This time around, more emphasis is placed on the paper abilities of Mario and his friends. He can turn sideways to slip through cracks, fold into a paper airplane to fly, roll into a tube and much more. He can also use tons of items like hammers and thunderbolts.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

246 of 255 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthy sequel to one of the best N64 games November 10, 2004

By Paul R. Potts

Format:Video Game

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

I'm a 37-year-old husband and father; probably not the game's biggest target demographic, but more adults play these games than you may think!

I played (and completed) the excellent Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64 a few years ago, along with my young son. It was very close to a perfect game: visually spectacular, original, engaging, moderately challenging, and filled with goofy cut scenes. The episode-based play worked perfectly to keep both of us from getting bored or frustrated; it was impossible to go too far down a dead end, or "lose" the game.

I'm happy to say that this sequel is worthy of the original. There is again an elaborate plot and back-story, there are more engaging Mushroom Kingdom characters, and lots more great paper effects. The papery world can get peeled back like Post-It note, torn like a Kleenex, folded like origami, and spring out like the pictures in a pop-up book. The characters have more to say (sometimes more than you want them to say!) The game's designers paid a great deal of attention to user interface and playability, and it really shows.

The Paper Mario games are not terribly difficult. That's a good thing, especially if the game-players in your household are young or less experienced. If you're an adult and at all good at figuring out strategy-based battles, you may rarely lose a fight. This may make the game seem to easy, but in that case there are still plenty of silly cut scenes, animations, mini-games, and side quests to keep you entertained.

This is also the kind of video game that is enjoyable to watch someone else play: the beautiful color palettes, animations, and secret objects are enough to occupy two peoples' attention, so try trading off with your kids and showing off your stylin' moves (and don't bogart that joystick!)

The original Paper Mario game had a few drawbacks. The large number of battles could occasionally become tedious. This game improves on the original in giving you an audience to distract you and cheer for you during fights. The menu of available moves, badges, and items is even more elaborate than in the original, so you can focus on clever strategies. In fact, you have to pay at least some attention to careful use of your party members and special attacks: some enemies are impervious to all standard attacks, and will require cleverness to beat, just as many of the worlds contain areas that will only open to you after you've gained additional special abilities.

One last comment: these games are short. I think I finished the first one in about twenty hours of play, and I did not rush. Twenty hours may sound like a lot, but not when compared to a game like Donkey Kong 64, which might take a player ten times longer. If you are a hardcore gamer, you might want to look elsewhere, but if you have a life outside of video games, and don't have a lot of free time to spare, this is the game for you. You might find yourself, like me, wishing at the end that there were more secrets to uncover and more silly mini-games to play. I have not finished this new Paper Mario, but I've found most of the stars, so it will probably not be long. I'm looking forward to what I expect will be a spectacular ending!

P.S.: Addendum to the above, added after posting the original.

I may be mis-remembering how long it took me to finish the original Paper Mario for the N64; it may have been more like 40 or 50 hours; still, compared to some of the more elaborate platformers, it was a relatively short game. In any event, this game is proving to a bit longer than that.

I've gotten past the thousand-year door, but decided to backtrack before confronting the final bosses so I could go rack up some additional levels, find all the shine sprites and boost my party members' levels to maximum, solve "troubles," and in general extend the playing experience. In other words, I'm not in a hurry for the game to be over.

I've also decided I won't want to finish the game until I've beaten... (chilling music)... the Pit of 100 Trials. The Pit is a sadistic device designed especially to appeal to compulsive perfectionists like me. It is basically a one-way sequence of battle rooms. To finish, you must win consecutive battles of increasing difficulty. Every tenth room contains a treasure and the opportunity to bail out and return to the start. There is occasionally the chance to skip ahead a few levels or buy some items, but for the most part you just have to slog through; there are no save blocks available along the way, and if you give up, you will have to start again from the beginning.

While you start out with low-level Goombas, by the time you reach the 80s you will be confronting black steel chain chomps and magical creatures who carry many special abilities and items. You'll find yourself and your partner paralyzed, confused, or frozen, and then attacked multiple times by creatures who can do ten or twenty points of damage with a single blow. By the time you reach the 90s, your foes will make the boss fights to date look easy. Also, you can't easily pump up your experience by bailing out and restarting the series; completing a battle you've already won will only give you a single star point.

This challenge is in here just for those who, like me, want the fights to be a little bit harder, requiring a little more careful strategy and planning. But taking on the Pit is entirely optional, so as not to ruin the fun of those who don't enjoy the tougher fights. Yesterday I gave out at level 93, but I will prevail! Read more ›

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fair Review October 31, 2004

By Corey Wilson

Format:Video Game

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Let me start off saying that this is my first review. Also this is a review about the game: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. That being said, this is not a biased opinion from one unrelated game to another (Cough-KarlMarxEmilioZapata-Cough).

I have played the original Paper Mario for the N64 so I will start off with some general differences of the two games. Then I will get to the Thousand Year Door review itself.

-- Differences for PM to PM:TYD --

-Controls-

A major change, but not like you think. In the first game, there would be some moves that would have you wearing your thumbs and fingers just trying to get through a boss battle. This happened because a lot of special moves called for repeatedly hitting the 'A' button over and over again. This got old fast. Other controls, like jumping and hammering are basically the same.

In the new game, there is almost none of that repeatedly tapping a button. There are some cases where you have to tap the 'R' button a few times, but it's so much easier to do than the original. Holding down the 'A' button has replaced the constantly hitting of the poor 'A'. Overall the controls have greatly improved.

-Graphics-

A minor change. The graphics on the GC version are crisper and cleaner than the 64, but not much else has changed. I am fine with this as it usually means that it is a bigger game, which in this case is true. it took me around 50 hours to get through the game trying to do everything. This is a lot of time for someone who goes to college. (Gasp! I go to college, I'm 20 years old, and I like this game! I gasp again and perhaps a third time. Gasp!! Gasp!!!)

-Battles-

In the GC version you get an audience to please. At first, I thought that this would be stupid and more for atmosphere than anything else. Boy, was I wrong. If the audience is unhappy with you, they may start rooting for the enemy. Which that means they will start throwing rocks and garbage at you in an attempt to hurt you or break your concentration. If the audience likes you the will throw good items at you and may even drop sandbags on the enemy. Trying to get the favor of the audience and stopping any body from throwing rocks at you is like a mini-battle in the actual battle. Always keep an eye on the audience.

Now, the review of the game itself.

--Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door--

-Story- 5/5

Basically, this follows the old Mario Bros. storyline. Princess Peach calls for help, gets kidnapped, Mario comes and saves the day. Except, Bowser didn't do it. In each chapter you play mainly as Mario, but have a little time playing as Peach(like PM64) and Bowser. The Bowser levels are great and any true Mario fan will have a blast playing them. Even though the basic plot has been done time after time, Nintendo does a great job putting little tweaks here and there that make it fresh and enjoyable.

-Graphics- 4/5

There will be some out there that hate these graphics, but you have to remember: it's called PAPER Mario. Everything has to use a paper like quality. There is the occasional thing that I think could have been done a tad better, like when you come to a 'new' area it would open like a pop-up book, but that's just wishing. Like I said earlier, I would gladly sacrifice graphics for a longer game.

-Gameplay- 5/5

The controls are great and the battles are awesome. If you forgot what I said about those two, check above for a more detail. The badges and party system has remained relatively unchanged. That's fine, they worked well to begin with. Everything else has improved.

-Sound- 4/5

The music is vibrant, especially on a good stereo system. There is so many little background, side music stuff that you'll never hear without a good stereo. You can play witout them easily enough, but it just sounds so... crisp. The only reason I gave this a 4/5 was because of the sound effects. Some of them can get a little cheesy, but it really boils down to whether love them or hate them. The music is the shining star here, though. Very memorable classic gaming tempos.

-Overall- 5/5

I love this game, but I am not everyone so I won't say that you should buy it. You shouldn't just let this game pass you by either. I suggest renting it, see if it is your cup of tea, then buy it. If you happen to be me, though, I suggest buying it.

I hope my review does this game justice.

---A little something I would like all Amazon reviewers to do though: Post the games that you like playing so the reader will get an idea of where the reviewer comes from and what kind of games he or she likes.

My Games:

-Mario Bros. series (most of them anyway)

-Zelda series

-Metroid series

-Halo (Yes I like X-Box and Nintendo, gasp away if you like)

-Rome: Total War

-Megaman original series (not the exe or battle network stuff, just the original)

-Warcraft series

-Half-Life and their assorted mods (Natural-Selection mostly anymore)

-Battlefield series

-Fire Emblem

-Pikmin series

-Command and Conquer series (Tiberian Sun is still my favorite)

-Gauntlet series

-Neverwinter Nights series

-Super Smash Bros. series

There are more but you get the general idea of what games I enjoy and I hope that it gives you an understanding of why I find this game so appealing. Read more ›

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this game!!! November 2, 2004

By TwistaG

Format:Video Game

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

If you played Paper Mario on the Nintendo 64, or the more recent Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga on the Game Boy Advance, you've probably been counting the days until the release of Nintendo's latest Mario role-playing game. The Thousand-Year Door contains the same simple and addictive mechanics, and is one of the best RPGs to ever hit the GameCube. The story of The Thousand-Year Door begins with a letter Mario receives from Princess Peach containing a mysterious map. Peach invites Mario on a treasure hunt, then manages to get herself kidnapped (again). As Mario, the player has to get her back (again). Using the treasure map to find clues on her location, players embark on a traveling quest, looking for special items, and unlocking new areas. At various points, you switch control of characters, playing as Peach herself, and even a certain large green chap with terribly bad breath. For those who haven't played either Paper Mario or Superstar Saga, this game will initially seem odd. It's an RPG, but incorporates plenty of simple arcade-like elements from the classic Super Mario series. The game takes full advantage of its flat-yet-3D paper theme, folding Mario on command; he can glide across gaps as a paper airplane, or turn sideways and fit through narrow openings. You occasionally bump into enemies that send you into turn-based battles; however, reflexes and timing play as critical a role as character's stats. By skillfully tapping the right buttons on cue, you can add damage to your attacks, execute special moves, and even dodge enemy strikes. With experience, players can learn to get through lengthy battles without taking a scratch. The venue for combat is rather different too, as all combat takes place on a stage. If you do well, fans come to see you compete. Win the audience over and they'll toss power-ups to you, and their cheers will recharge your energy. If you make slow decisions, perform badly, or are just unlucky, the audience will throw rocks at you. You can also add extra stylistic flairs to your attacks that don't inflict additional damage, but do get the crowd roaring... well, as much as a crowd full of Toads and Koopa Troopas can roar. There's a clean-cut, effective visual style used throughout the game that would be called "charming" in a children's novel. Characters are flat sprites; sometimes single sheets with no depth and other times multiple sprites connected together to create simple 3D shapes. Buildings and rooms unfold like a pop-up book. While the game doesn't exactly show off the GameCube's power, it looks brilliant, full of bright, well-drawn animated characters. Music is largely a blend of fresh tunes and remixed, retro Nintendo music -- they still work! The only real flaw is a number of conversations between characters that go on too long, dragging the usually fast-paced game to a screeching halt. But, those moments are far outshined by the greatness elsewhere. Though it's just an evolution of Superstar Saga and Paper Mario before it, The Thousand-Year Door feels 100 percent fresh and entertaining. The occasionally complicated button maneuvering that caused a little frustration on the GBA is replaced with much more approachable gameplay. While this isn't a hardcore title, the puzzles and numerous battles will keep serious gamers busy for some time. Paper Mario is easy to play, exceptional fun, and a thoroughly engaging title. Read more ›