Anybody with a PC has undoubtedly used the "Paint" program. It allows
the user to select from several tools which can be used to create custom
bitmap images. MarioPaint is in much the same territory. It gives you a host
of tools with which to create pictures, as well as the option to form
animations with and add sound scores to these pictures. Think of it as a
beginner's multimedia producer.
Graphics [6/10]:
Some may say that MarioPaint has awful graphics. I say that although
it lacks the polish of other SNES games like Chrono Trigger and Zelda,
MarioPaint's graphics do what they need to do and they do it well.
They are not perfect, but they pull it off well enough. A lack of polish and
detail keeps this game from achieving a higher score though.
Game Play [8/10]:
Again, some people say that MarioPaint has all of the fun of watching a
fishing show. This is true only if that's what you allow it to be.
MarioPaint offers several very intersting features, animation being the
most innovative. If one has the patience to sit down and learn how to work
the system, they can in turn have lots of fun with MarioPaint. However, it
is very tedious. The fly game is fun to take your mind off a big creation
for a little while, but that's about it. All in all, MarioPaint is very
dull if you are looking for quick fun. But for a player willing to spend time
putting together a presentation, it shines.
Music and Sound [7/10]:
MarioPaint's sounds are pretty good. There are much better sounding
games available for SNES, but, like the graphics, the sounds do what they
need to quite well. One thing that I saved for the sound section was the
feature to create your own music. It's neat. That's all I can say. It's very
neat to create jingles on MarioPaint. But it's also very flawed. You can't
change keys in the music, nor can you designate note value. In other words,
it's all quarter notes. You can space them out, but never make them last
for shorter or longer periods of time. In the end, all the effort you put
into making a song will be frivolous, because it turns out REALLY "blippy"
like old, bad, stinky, GameBoy game music. Even worse. That's a shame with
all of the different sound options they give to you.
Challenge and Replay [10/10]:
Yes, I know that MarioPaint has no challenge. It was never supposed to
have any challenge. What it does have is replay value. Lots of it. A
creative individual will think of TONS of ways to take advantage of MarioPaints
tools. With the time and effort, you can create presentation after
presentation. The possibilities are endless for a person willing to
take the time to work with MarioPaint.
Conclusion/Overall [7/10]:
MarioPaint can be a wondeful creative tool for someone who wants a
multimedia program on their SNES, but the truth of the matter is that
there are MUCH better media software programs out there, and many of them can
be downloaded for free off the net. Still, MarioPaint is a good title.
If you want a creative multimedia tool, and you can't resist that cute
Nintendo charm, then MarioPaint is for you.
