POSTED 4/11/09


MARIO & LUIGI: BOWSER'S INSIDE STORY

Nintendo
DS

That Bowser’s one evil dude... Erm, if you can actually call a giant, spiky, turtle-esque thing ‘dude’. OK, we know of his predisposition for the BWAHAHA, but now he’s done dropped a magic mushie and inhaled the Mushroom Kingdom – Mario, Luigi, Peach and all!

So, we’re not sure what message Nintendo and the developers of this sequel to Superstar Saga on GBA and Partners in Time on DS mean to send, but then this isn’t the weirdest thing that’s happened in Mario’s orbit, so we’ll progress.

Your task is actually helping big grumpy bastard Bowser find Fawful – purveyor of those dodgy mushies - to rain down vengeful pointy justice not only for tripping him out, but for blobbing out the Kingdom’ s population with ‘the blorbs’. You alternatively guide the Bros as they trundle about controlling Bowser from within, Fantastic Voyage style. It’s a sensational premise that’s both handled well and handles well.

Those who played either of the game’s predecessors will hit the ground running, however new elements are smushed in. As is the RPGical norm, you start useless and work from pleb to celeb abilities-wise. If your surname’s ‘Mario’ you’ll alternate dishing feet and hammers at first. Through progression you’ll pick up soccertastic Koopa shells, big balls (RIP Bon) and more. As Bowser you’ll progress from basic punchingness to such fun as using Hoover-breath to inhale enemies... just on purpose this time.

With around 20 hours to complete if you don’t have fists of ham, Bowser’s Inside Story is epic scale-wise and great fun – something we don’t find with many RPGs lately, as they get bogged down in semantics. If the genre’s foreign and you’ve considered dabbling, this’ll give good introduction, ’cos Bowser's Inside Story is full of delicious.

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