#5: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Released In: 1996
Developer: Square
Under License From: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

      An evil blacksmith named Smithy has split Star Road into seven pieces and launched an attack on the Mushroom Kingdom. Now it's up to Mario, Bowser, Princess Peach and two newcomers, Geno and Mallow, to find the seven star pieces and put a stop to Smithy's machines and machinations.

Syd Lexia: It's not quite as good as Mario's later RPG efforts, but it's still absolutely fantastic. It was the last really exciting game released on the Super Nintendo, as well as the last good game Square made for a Nintendo home system. Hey Square, enough with that stupid Crystal Chronicles bullshit, okay? Try giving us Nintendo fanboys a *real* game to play on the Wii.

Valdronius: If you were Nintendo and you wanted to transform the most prolific platformer ever into an RPG, who would you call? Square, of course. Super Mario RPG differs from a lot of other RPGs, in that it blends action and puzzles solving parts with RPG-style battles and character leveling, not to mention some cool minigame elements, such as the musical tadpoles. This game also has the advantage of being immediately immersive. Most RPGs take at least a half hour or to start developing the characters, and usually even longer to get into the plot. But everybody is already familiar with the Mario protagonists, aside from that stupid Geno, and the plot starts off the same as all the other Mario games. This game is truly a hybrid masterpiece, and it pushes the SNES to its graphical limits.

Murdar Machene: A short but fun RPG. The level cap is at like 30 or something so it takes no time at all to max your guys out. Everyone I talk to says "give the lazy shell to the princess for an invincible healer." You needed a fucking healer in this game?

Douche McCallister: Mario a surprising made his leap into one of the last remaining genres he hadn't touched and it turned out to be an awesome game. My only gripe is the level 20 max they incorporated. BS! But even still with well timed button press that would also be included into the Paper Mario's you could wallop your way to BOWS...wait Smithy? Who the hell is Smithy? Well apparently Smithy took over Castle Koopa and you need to get him out of there ASAP so Bowser can start kidnapping Peach again. Step to it Plumber.

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