Hello, all! This is Gonzales doing my first Review for Lemmy's Land. I'll be reviewing the DS title Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (PIT), rated E for Everyone. My scoring scale is out of five, 0/5 being terrible, 3/5 being average, and 5/5 being excellent. Also, for difficulty, 0/5 is too hard or too easy, 3/5 is a little too hard or a little too easy, and 5/5 is just perfect. Now! On to the Review!

Story: 4/5
This story is pretty good overall. Basically, these aliens called the Shroobs invade the Mushroom Kingdom in the past (when Mario and Luigi are babies) and try to takeover. Using Professor E. Gadd's time machine, Mario and Luigi go back in time and team up with their younger counterparts to save Plit. This category lost a point because not enough information is given on the Shroobs.

Characters: 3/5
I like the idea of the Shroobs, but the game just doesn't tell you enough about them. I'd like to know a lot more about their history and so forth. On the positive side, you've got Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toadwsorth, E. Gadd, and all their younger counterparts in the past. Also, this game reveals why E. Gadd is present during the events of Luigi's Mansion. It's because... well, I won't spoil the surprise. Play it and see!

Graphics: 3/5
The graphics in PIT are all right, I suppose, but I'm not partial to the style. I prefer the "traditional" style used in games like SMB3. Also, when Mario and Luigi face the screen, their faces don't look right. Their eyes are huge, and they look more like they belong in *shudder* anime.

Sound/Music: 2/5
I don't know why Super Mario RPG had such great and memorable music, but the rest of the Mario RPGs fell flat. In fact, I can only pick out a few great tunes in this game: Peach's castle, the Thwomp Volcano exterior, and the short little tune that plays when you go back in time. Gritzy Desert was all right, but nothing I'd want to hum all day. C'mon, Nintendo, try a little harder...

Controls: 4/5
The controls in PIT are generally very responsive, and I'm pleased with them. I knocked off a point because using some of those Bros. Items, like the shells once they start going really fast, can get a bit irritating. But that's not too big of an issue.

Difficulty: 3/5
PIT is a very easy game up until the final boss, and then the difficulty is jacked way up. I'd rather the game start out easy like it does, but then gradually increase in difficulty so the final boss isn't quite so much of a shock. Plus, some of the puzzles could have been a bit more challenging, and they should've gotten rid of the signs that tell you exactly what to do.

Items: 5/5
Now this is what you expect from a Mario game! The items are great! Bros. Items are fun and destructive, the Mushrooms and other items you use on yourself are very helpful, and the clothing and badges you acquire are very useful. Way to go, Nintendo!

Gameplay: 5/5
This is your plain ol' Mario RPG gameplay style. You walk through the area, solving puzzles and grabbing items as you go, and then engage the enemy in battle when you touch one. The gameplay here is very simple, and has a learning curve of about 20-30 minutes. No real flaws here. Couldn't get much better, in my opinion.

Replayability: 1/5
Ack, this'll kill a game. Basically, after you've beaten the game, you can just screw around, or beat the final boss again, which I really don't want to do. There's nothing new to do once you've beaten the game. The reason I gave this a point is because it is still fun to restart the game and play through again, but not fun enough to scrape more than one point here.

Fun Factor!: 4/5
I really enjoyed my time playing this game. Despite minor flaws, PIT provides a good, long time of entertainment. But then again, it's a Mario game, so did you expect any less?

Overall: 4/5
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time is a great game, and a very worthy addition to the Mario RPGs. It can't stack up against Paper Mario 2 and, my all-time favorite, Super Mario RPG, but it's still a great game. PIT improved on most of the flaws of Superstar Saga (which I'll review in the future), and it was a blast to play. Buy it!