This is the latest iteration in the Mario and Luigi series of RPGs for handheld consoles. Like its predecessors, this game is well-designed, a lot of fun to play, and has great writing. It makes some use of the DS' touch-screen and microphone, but is primarily played with the usual control pad and buttons.

The basic idea in this game is that Princess Peach gets kidnapped (no surprise here) and Mario and Luigi need to travel the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond to rescue her. What's new is the fact the player also gets to control Bowser, and for a substantial part of the game Mario and Luigi are shrunk to a small size and actually inside of Bowser! There's a distinct difference in how Bowser and Mario/Luigi fight, which serves to keep the gameplay fresh, and there are many times where what Bowser does influences what Mario and Luigi experience inside of him.

Combat with both Bowser and Mario/Luigi should be familiar to anyone who's played a Mario RPG game before. Battles are turn-based, with carefully timed button presses an integral part of both attacking and defending. Good timing is important, but not too hard to execute with a little bit of attention. An ingenious part of the game design is that different monsters have different cues for when you should defend, so that as you move from one area to another combat remains interesting. Some of the special moves make use of the touch screen, and behave like short mini-games. There are a few minor annoying parts of the game - I found the encounters where Bowser gets super-sized to be difficult to control, and it would be nice if you could just automatically win battles with monsters much weaker than your own, but these problems aren't a big deal.

The look of the game and the sound and music are really great. The game world is brightly colored and well animated, while the music is catchy without being annoying. The game itself is also quite long; you should expect a typical play-through to take somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty to forty hours. There are a few secrets and optional extras to explore after finishing the main storyline, although these are not as involved as what you might find in other RPGs.

This game is one of the best RPGs available on the DS right now, and I highly recommend it for any fan of the genre, or for people interested in seeing what RPGs are like. There is a lot of dialogue and text, so if you're getting this game for a young child make sure he or she is willing to read. As long as you don't expect to find a platformer (heck, even if you expected a platformer), you'll have great fun playing this game.

• from

I enjoyed the game. Fun storyline, lots of action, good graphics. I spent over 32 hours playing this game before I finished! It's easy to play, so great for anyone.

Get FREE Amazon.ca gift cards at Swagbucks:[...]

Also check out my blog for more review of games and movies: [...]

• from

i have not play Mario game for a long time,until this comes out. I can't stop from playing it. Great game, Great story....

• from

when I got this game I was thinking of it being like Partners In Time, but man, was I wrong. the level of storyline, gameplay, styles motions, well...just about everything has made this game so awesome!the only complant I have is not about the game but my DSi. I would call my self a butter fingers, i tend to trop mostly everything I have in my hands, and more recently video game consoles, namely, the DS, after one-two drops the L button just quit then few more drops and the R button cant work now and agian, so, heh bad on my part. the most surprising thig for me was the cameo's of the shroobs! the one shroob in Faful theat-er, i mean Bowser's castle thats in a chair and if you talk to it all it says is '...' i was surprised! and the fight between the shroobs with M&L was cool, although i died institly, ah Luigi had the right idea to run from those evil mushrooms from outer space. The replay value was amazing I accidently deleted my first file and unlke most games for me, it was fun to replay the game, then losing my DSi WITH the game in it, was a loss, but christmas is around the corner so im getting my hopes up

Nintendo you have out done your self, thanks

• from

Up to last Sunday, I would have given this game five stars. After spending 11 hours trying to win the last battle (and not succeeding), I'm now giving it one star. Why can't I win the last battle? Because Bowser can't inhale the Dark Star for the bros. to fight, and he can't win the battle unless they do. It's next to impossible for the Dark Star to be inhaled! I haven't had any trouble thru the entire game having Bowser inhale enemies. With the last battle, I keep doing the same thing over and over and over again. I must have played Bowser's battle hundreds of time, getting to the point where he can inhale the Dark Star, but he fails. I've tried all different strategies, but nothing works. What a shame! Up to this point, it was an awesome game. It was my first Mario and Luigi game and since then I've bought everyone I could from Superstar Saga on. I've invested over 80 hours in this game, and now I can't even finish it.

Also, Bowser's last battle isn't hard - it's the bros. who have the hardest battle. I made the mistake of giving all my Beans to Bowser, but it's the brothers who need them in this battle. Get the brothers to level 40 before you get to this battle, so you'll need to get items less frequently. You only get a certain amount of turns before the Dark Star goes back into Dark Bowser's body and then you have to start over trying to vacuum him in. So you don't want to use your turns getting items. Save your retry clocks for the bros., not for Bowser. If the bros. lose the battle twice with the Dark Star, then Bowser will get only one turn for every two of Dark Bowser's. Also, get the strategy guide -I couldn't have gotten thru the game without it.

• from

Our daughter loves this game and anyone that has played it seems to enjoy it. We recommend it!

• from

Yay!! Finally, bowser is the (co)star of his own game! I'm a fan of the mario and luigi RPG series. Partners in time is one of my favorite games. when i found out this was going to be released i ran out and picked it up as soon as possible. I only just started it a week ago, and i LOVE it!!! for some reason i find bowser to be be quite adorable and endearing, in a frightening way. Especially when i start the game up and he's the one saying, "nintendo!"

If you enjoyed the other games in this series, then there's no doubt that you won't enjoy this as well. You switch off roles playing playing as bowser, then as the bros. Which works together quite nicely to keep the storyline flowing and intersting. The storyline, while ridiculous, is quite amusing that i can't help but laugh.

I definitely recommend this game. Especially if you're looking for a DS game that doesn't require the use of the touch screen, and goes back to OG gaming with your thumbs!

• from

I was hesitant to purchase this game, simply because I am a huge fan of the classic mario games and haven't really ventured beyond them. I was really surprised how much fun this game is and how detailed it gets. This game makes you think that once you have it all beat, there are more adventures and battles to be completed. I am still playing this game (have not yet completed it) and everytime I get sad that I am close to the end and about to beat the whole thing, more fun stuff happens! This is a great game and while it was a little scary at first to have so many controls and options over attacks, gear, and items, the game takes it slow with you and helps you to become well acquainted with everything instead of throwing you in head first. I am 23 years old and this game is a ton of fun for me!

• from

(I would like to put a disclaimer that 3 1/2 Stars means Good, not Bad)

I'm beginning to think if you stick Mario's name on any game, it becomes a bonafide hit: he's conquered platforming, racing, sports (kinda) and once agian, role playing. Mario and Luigi BIS carries the quality that we've grown to expect into another good role playing game.

Mario rpg's have always been known for the fun dialouge. Of course, BIS keeps the fire coming with more witty dialouge, and fun characters. Bowser has sucked the Bros inside his body in a hair-brained scheme to take over Mushroom Kingdom (that went horribly wrong, as usuall). They must work co-operativly to retake the Kingdom from Lord Fawful. All characters dialouge is well written, especially Bowser, but does tend to drag on more than it's needed.

Combat varies from fun to tedious. The mechanics are classic turn-based Mario rpg attackes, but another trend BIS brings with it is too common enemy encounters. The fun sucks out quick by not necessarily hard fights, but long ones. Thankfully, whenever the game reaches a lull (whether in combat in or bland level designs) the pace does get mixed up nicely with constant new mini game mechanics.

Mario and Luigi BIS sticks to it's core basics, whether it be in combat, the writting, or in length (20 hrs plus is what I think I'm gonna be looking at), but if you are looking for a good DS RPG, this is the hottest game on the market....Love that box art too, by the way.

• from

My son just had to have it and seemed it was what he wanted when he played it. Seems to have pretty good replay value.

• from

This game is similar in format to the other Mario brothers adventures. It provides a lot of entertainment while being fairly easy to complete. I also recommend getting the companion guide.

• from

Don't be fooled by people who didn't do any research before getting the game. Just because Mario and Luigi are on the cover doesn't mean it's a platformer. You might as well give Mario Kart a bad review for not being Super Mario Bros 3. This game is everything it claims to be and it's great for what it is. When you read the bad reviews, you'll notice they were written from pure ignorance. All you have to do is read the short description before you buy... it really is that simple folks! I'm not even into RPGs but this is awesome.

• from

This game is awesome. It takes all that fans love about Mario games and combines them into a Mario RPG style game with new amazing innovations. You control Bowser, Mario & Luigi which is strange to think. A powerful evil has taken over Bowsers castle and some of his minions after a series of strange events begin to happen around the Mushroom Kingdom. The story line is great, the characters are well developed, NPC's are great, character building system is excellent and the power-ups/super attacks are great. The fighting scenes are also very well done similar to the classic Final Fantasy games. I hope we get more of these great games, it's games like this why Nintendo are #1 in the game wars.

• from

I want to start off by saying that this game does almost everything right and hardly anything wrong. The gameplay is great. You use Bowser on the top screen with the D-Pad and X makes Bowser punch and Y makes Bowser breathe fire. Mario and Luigi are controlled by the D-pad and the A and B buttons. The action is very smooth and well done in this game. The Bowser battles are a lot different then the Mario and Luigi battles but that helps make the game even greater. The characters in this game all are full of life, color, and humor. The boss battles are fun, and the battles that Bowser grows and you have to turn your DS around like a book are very fun. The storyline is crazy but its funny, and the text in the game and actions of the characters are 100% classic. Some of my favorite parts of the game are when your Bowser and you meet up with any of his minions that always leads to a funny moment.

Fun Factor- A+

Graphics- A

Sound- A

Controls- B+

Lasting appeal- A

• from

This is one of the best DS games I have ever gotten. I already beat the game twice because it is sooo fun.

• from