Publisher: Nintendo  Developer: Nintendo  Released:  31st March 2006  Players:  1  www: Nintendo.com  Rating: G              

Who says the princess is helpless? After far too many long years of getting used to being kidnapped and then just sitting around, waiting for the usual protagonist in red to come and rescue her, Peach finally has an opportunity to show Mario that she is equally capable. But perhaps what is more important to us gamers is the fact that after far too many years of having seen zero traditional sidescrolling action/platforming games from Nintendo, the company has finally returned to one of the things they do best. And boy, is it ever a homecoming worth celebrating.Super Princess Peach is a platforming game in the vein of Super Mario World. However, rather than playing as Mario or Luigi, you’re now in control of Princess Peach, a change which gives Nintendo an excuse to fool around with the common gameplay elements. For instance, rather than simply jumping on enemies to defeat them (which you can still do if you wish), a hop will now overturn most foes and open up other options to you. Peach has some pretty helpful tricks up her sleeve and also enlists the help of a magical umbrella – named Perry – that expands her normal abilities. Perry can be used to whack enemies and defeat them, pick them up and toss them, or even ingest them à la Yoshi. I’d be lying if I told you that I was excited about this game. In all honesty, I hadn’t expected anything special – I set into this title with unmarred expectations and an undying affinity for all things 2-D and Mario... and found something much deeper and far more enjoyable than I ever could have deduced from the existing evidence. Super Princess Peach is, quite simply, a worthy entry in the Mario platforming universe. While it’s certainly not as tough as it should be, and it’s also quite a bit different in terms of flow and progression from its older brothers, it’s got plenty of charm and lots of life for a game of its type. If you’re somehow offended by the fact that Peach is in the starring role, or you have convinced yourself that this game is more for your little sister, you’re truly missing out. This is an experience that any real Mario fan should not miss – it was able to absorb my entire weekend. I hope that Super Princess Peach is indicative of the quality of the upcoming “New Super Mario Bros DS” title, because as of right now, I’m simply starving for more of this quality 2-D sidescrolling action that we’ve been missing out on for so many years.