Paper Mario

[Marilink]

Paper Mario

This game has a lot of nostalgia for me. I mean, when I was...9 when this game came out. I was just a youngin', and my brother still helped me along with RPG's. In fact, for some of the dialogue in this game, I actually read it in my brother's voice because I remember him reading it to me for fun.

So, yeah, my appreciation for this game is a little higher than most. But it's been quite some time since I've played it, so I decided to dust it off.

THINGS THIS GAME DID POORLY

-Partners

Once I looked past my nostalgic view of how awesome Parakarry is and how good of a partner Kooper is, I just gotta say...man, every partner in this game is a Mary Sue [correction: Joe Everyman]. The character with the biggest personality is Bow, and even she's pretty...lacking.

The thing that none of the characters have is good motivation. Let's compare this to SMRPG: Mallow wants to find his parents, Geno needs to repair Star Road, Bowser's trying to get his castle back, and Peach is trying to liberate herself from the castle's control.

Now let's look at Paper Mario. Goombario, Kooper, Parakarry, Bow, Watt, Sushie, and Lakilester join Mario because...uh...because they...want to? Yeah. Basically, TTYD has much better partners and this game's are just...okay. If that.

-Wild variance in level enjoyment. To illustrate, let me borrow a graph that CL made:



Basically sums it up. There are times when this game becomes a chore.

THINGS THIS GAME DID WELL

-Bosses. Not the most difficult if you know how to deal with them, but every boss is unique and a lot of fun.

-Battle system. Instead of dealing 5436 damage like you can in Final Fantasy, Paper Mario went very minimalistic and that was a nice change of pace. Timed hits are nice, too.

-Story. This game went for a more humorous storyline than serious, which was different than almost every JRPG of the 90's save for Earthbound. It wasn't terribly compelling--in fact, the most serious parts of the plot are the most dull--but it keeps you going and was nice to play through even today.

-Badges. I love me some badges, and with a little strategy this time around I made myself, with some effort, fairly unbeatable. I mean, for the first time ever, I beat the Anti-guy squad in Bowser's Castle. It was challenging, but...I did it, and it felt good and I felt accomplished. I like it when games do that for me.

OVERALL

This game is still a good time even without the nostalgia goggles. It's not the best ever by any means--basically, TTYD improves upon every aspect, good and bad, that this game had. But it's still very enjoyable and playing through it was just a great time, yet again.

Except Flower Fields. gross.

So, Paper Mario! What'd you guys like/dislike about it?

Favorite song from the game:

Click to view video.

(Sorry about that stupid annotation, but it's a good version.)

[Valigarmander]

I didn't play it until 2009. I liked it less than TTYD or SPM (maybe because I don't have the nostalgia factor like everyone else), but it was still a really fun game.

I didn't think Flower Fields was that bad, but the music did suck ass.

[X-3]

How are any of the partners Mary Sues if they don't have personalities?

I think the music for the final Bowser battle is the best song. Tubba Blubba is great and second place though.

[Marilink]

Originally Posted by X-3

How are any of the partners Mary Sues if they don't have personalities?

...I thought a Mary Sue was a character devoid of personality.

Val, Flower Fields sucks so bad because you have to run baaaack and fooorth and baack and foorth and the enemies all suck. It's poorly designed and really annoying. IMO, anyway. "Go get this!" "Before I give you this, go get this!" "Before I give you this, you have to fill up my fountain!" uuuggh

[CuccoLady]

Gusty Gulch is my favorite song by far. Lava Pirahna's theme is pretty badass too.

I have to say that I have pretty thick nostalgia goggles for this game because I spent about two years of my life playing it on rerun absolutely nonstop.

Pretty much when I was still in elementary/middle school and both of my older sisters were WAY TOO OLD AND MATURE AND AWESOME to play with me I played this game. And it was my life.

That aside, it is agreed that every partner is ridiculously two-dimensional. The biggest example would be Watt, IMO. I don't even know what he/she/it IS, where he/she/it CAME FROM, or what he/she/it's doing in a toy box. At least the others have histories to an extent.

Bow and Kolorado are awesome though and I love them.

I do love the level design, though. Even the bits that are a chore [flower fields arfeffffqwdwqqwdwfewa] are still creative and interesting. And the Shiver City Penguin Murder Mystery was one of my favorite parts in any game for the longest time.

I personally feel that if any game I've played to such an extent that I've pretty much memorized all of the dialogue and none of the bosses pose any challenge whatsoever is STILL enjoyable and replayable, it's a darn good game.

[Cosmonautical]

^^ Actually a Mary Sue is more of a character written by the author that can do no wrong and is usually that author trying to insert their self into a fantasy situation to feel empowered. You're thinking Joe Everyman.

[Marilink]

Huh. I've always misunderstood that term, then.

CL, what are your thoughts on TTYD?

[Marchie]

I hate Flower Fields...and Huff n' Puff. I just find him to be the most irritating boss to fight in the game, but that could be just me.

I've never really thought about it much, but I pretty much agree with everything you said ML. Flower Fields...ffffffff

[SephirothKirby]

Shy Guy's Toy Box was my favorite level and featured the best characters.

That is all.

[Panfan]

holy **** it's probably been a good ten years since the last time i played paper mario

need to get on that

[Rainbow Dash]

lavalava island is the best chapter sorry

[Marilink]

I'm totally in accordance with CL's graph. Both rock, but the Crystal palace edges out in the end. I love that dungeon so so much.

Marchie, Star Storm is Huff-N-Puff's worst nightmare. Get Goombario up to Ultra rank and multibonk the crap out of him, then star storm the crap out of all the little guys. Outta Sight when he charges up, and you're golden.

[Marchie]

I never ever use Goombario, haha. That might be part of my problem. I think when Glux and I played through it I used Lakilester and Star Storm. Not necessarily the best combination...

[CuccoLady]

Spiny Surge works just as well as Multibonk if you don't have Goombario leveled up. Or even the Multibounce badge in Koopa Bros Fortress. Then Lady Bow is your best friend for getting outta sight.

--

ML, I loved TTYD. It's a different kind of love-- it's way too recent to be nostalgic in any way, but it's so damn good. I am a terrible person and I forget the bob-omb partner's name but I was bawling so hard the first time when you heard his story.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT WHAT

[Marilink]

Quick Change is pretty necessary from the point you get it, March. That would help a lot. And anything involving Lakilester is generally a bad combination. I never used him in a single battle this time through, and I was better off for it.

Admiral Bombery, CL. As I've already said, I think TTYD outclassed the original in every single aspect of the game. IMO, it's at least twice as good.

[Valigarmander]

TTYD had the best partners. Goombella and Koops were basically Goombario and Kooper with personality. Then there's the husky wind spirit diva, the intrepid newborn Yoshi, the delicious, delicious trap 100% female Shadow Siren, the grizzled Bob-omb sea captain with a tragic past, and the flirtacious cat mouse burglar. Not a single dull moment.

[CuccoLady]

Agreed in that TTYD was better in pretty much every single way.

There's one thing that does bug me-- and I remember having a conversation with AI about this forever ago-- and that's the fact that TTYD is very lateral in its exploration. Movement is more up and down rather than in and out, whereas PM1 [most notable in levels like the jungle and Bowser's Castle] had towards and away-from exploration, which I prefer gameplaywise. That is a very minor thing, though.


[as in the levels in PM1 had more horizontal depth whereas the levels in TTYD seemed more up-and-down, platfomer-esque]

[Cosmonautical]

My biggest issue with the actual gameplay in the Paper Mario games is how the characters feel slow and the story always seems less epic/adventurous with less threads than SMRPG had. It plods a lot.

[Random User]

I recall Paper Mario first coming out and I wanted it, but I never bought it. I played it last year for the first time, and I enjoyed it a lot. But yeah, some parts felt kinda like a chore and I saw myself returning to the Save Block in Flower Fields time and time again so I could take a break from playing, ha.

I played TTYD when I was nine or ten. I absolutely loved it, and I'd agree that it was way better than the first game. Never played SPM, though.

[Marchie]

Just reading this makes me want to get TTYD because I've never played it before...