SPP Reviews

These are some opinions on the game from around the Internet, starting with my own and linking to other opinions as well.

Personally, I think Nintendo has done a wonderful job with the first game starring Princess Peach. Taking into account that Peach has not always been considered a "strong" female presence in the character lineup, it's good to see the characteristically sweet girl take off the gloves (figuratively) and give the opposition what for. With this game, Peach is valiantly battling the long-held stereotype against her, that of her being a passive and witless character good for nothing but Mario/Peach fluff.

I also like the fact that Peach is not shown as just an eternally happy-go-lucky girl. We actually get to see her sad and angry--in essence, a normal girl with normal emotions. I do wonder about the intrinsic stereotype that "women are emotional," hence Peach's incredible power linked to her emotions. But if they come out with a game where Mario's emotions give him superhuman strength, I'll consider it even.

The side-scroll format is all right with me, since I'm a fairly casual gamer, and since I have played many of Nintendo's side-scrollers before (the first one being Super Mario World back in 1990 when I was 5). Due to its simple but strong graphics and easy format, I recognize the inherent quality in SPP and enjoy the formatting flashback to simpler and often sweeter days of game design and enjoyment. And SPP is anything but violent, dark, and scary--it has its scary moments, sure, but it's meant as a playful challenge more than anything. It's a positive game, full of helpful hints as well as hurdles to jump over.

I may tend to value this game a little more highly than most people, but I think it's because ever since I was a young girl, I have admired Peach as a character and saw her as being a positive example of kindness and generosity. And taken in context with Mario, both of them stand as symbols of selflessness and courage. Seeing her finally come into her own with this game is a transformation I've been waiting for my whole gaming life.

See other people's opinions at IGN.Com and GameSpy.Com. Also, check at GameStats.Com
to see what many other sites and people are saying about the game.