Top 10 RPGs for Genre Newcomers

3. Paper Mario

Mario RPGs are definitely an oddity. Who would have thought that a platformer series would translate so well into a series of slow paced role playing games? Well, Square-Enix apparently, as they helped Nintendo develop the Super Nintendo title Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars that helped to kick start this strange combination.

While the original Super Mario RPG never got a sequel, Nintendo has since made two other RPG series with their plumbing mascot: The Paper Mario series and the Mario and Luigi games. While almost all of these titles can be great starting points for RPG newcomers due to their low difficulty and easy-to-grasp mechanics, it would be unfair to fill an entire list with Mario titles, so there could only be one.

The original Paper Mario released on the Nintendo 64 way back in 2001, and it still holds up as a strong beginner RPG today. A very humorous adventure starring Mario and friends, the way the graphics look like they're made out of construction paper add both to the older game's charm and the fact that it's aged well. Also, like Costume Quest, Paper Mario has a turn-based battle system that's more active in nature, asking you to time button presses or hold down buttons to make attacks more powerful.

Some many argue that Paper Mario's sequel, The Thousand Year Door, is the superior title, but because of the game being a somewhat pricey GameCube game, it can be difficult for many people to pick up a copy currently. Paper Mario has been re-released on the Wii Virtual Console for a good price, however, and while it is not on Wii U's eShop yet, you can still buy and play Paper Mario via the Wii U's Wii Mode, making it the easier title to obtain and enjoy at most any time.