roster quite as charming as Mario and Luigi. Sure, it's only been around for about a decade,

but in that time, it's grown into something pretty special. I mean, it's funny. And not,

like, video game funny. It's genuinely, laugh-out-loud funny.

It's a series that lets you in on the joke.

It's a series that embraces creativity, in a less and less creative industry.

And...it's a series that might be even better on the Nintendo 3DS.

Dream Team is only the fourth game in the Mario and Luigi series, but of course...it's

hardly a new idea. The series may be a newcomer by Nintendo standards, but it traces its roots

all the way back to 1996...and one of the best 16-bit games ever made. When you played

Super Mario RPG, you knew it was something great. And that legendary blueprint serves

as the foundation for the Mario and Luigi games.

Only the structure on top it? That gets a little wacky.

One of the defining elements of the Mario and Luigi series is that...each game has its

own creative gimmick. So it always starts with Mario RPG, right? But then, the brothers

might be, partners in time or...swallowed by Bowser. And this time? Well, Luigi likes

to sleep. Like, a lot. So Mario's gonna have to save the day, right? As usual?

Wrong.

Turns out Luigi's REM cycles are way more powerful than a Starman.

Dream Team is built around a pretty typical Nintendo convention—the idea of two separate

but related worlds. In this case, one is a dream world. The citizens of Pi'illo Island

have been trapped inside these nightmare stones and cast away in the dream world. Only problem

is, they're also the only ones who can access the dream world, thanks to their abnormally

strong sleep patterns. No one else can open the gate.

Then again, no one sleeps harder than Luigi.

So that one idea sets up everything in Dream Team. Its premise, its hook...but it also

sets up this great characterization of Luigi. And that's what Dream Team does best. It gives

these two characters...character, and a brotherly dynamic. They call for each other, they strategize

in fake Italian...

They freaking hug, you guys.

You know, there's just something incredibly endearing about Dream Team...and even relatable.

Mario is always the guy, but this time, he steps aside. And he seems to do so happily.

I mean, you may control Mario, but...this is really a game about Luigi. And how sometimes,

heroes can come in the most unlikely forms imaginable.

So obviously, Dream Team's personality and incredible writing are highlights, but the

gameplay's just as good. Dream Team takes Nintendo hybrid platformer/RPG design to a

whole new level. So this time, it's not just turn-based battles and 3D over worlds. The

dream worlds are in 2D, and they're actually the most creative levels in the game. Dream

Team just throws cool ideas at you, one after another.

Like reusing the old Mario 64 title screen for something really clever.

Turn-based RPGs aren't for everyone. But this is a turn-based RPG for everyone. Its a genre

that can often be convoluted and daunting, but this one's intuitive and welcoming. Not

to mention thoroughly creative. And you know, it gives these legendary characters something

even some of their most legendary games didn't...a personality.

For that and more, Mario and Luigi continues to be a dream.