Mario's latest continues the plumber's dedication to reinventing the reptile-smashing classics of console gaming's youth, this time mixing the wit and RPG elements of the “Paper Mario” series with the head-bashing platforming of the original “Super Mario” games.

It also offers the power to switch between 2D and 3D, but I'm not calling them a “new twist.” We're all above that.

This time around, an evil count has kidnapped and married off the Princess and Bowser in a world destruction scheme that is almost as frightening as the half-dinosaur, half-mushroom babies this union might bring about. As always, the day can only be saved by Mario. And Luigi. And the Princess. And Bowser.

Yes, this time around you play as all four. (Although you'll mostly just be playing as Mario because he's the only one who can switch to 3D.)

If anything bad can be said about this game, it's that the access to 3D fills the game with difficult, mandatory puzzles. It's also reading-heavy, but that's only because it's packed with funny, memorable characters. Sure, it may be too RPG for platformer fans and vice versa, but “Super Paper Mario” should have something for all Wii owners to love.

Grade: A