Super Paper Mario!

[SwordBreaker]

I got an advanced copy from Nintendo of America a week ago since I'm part of their Sage program. I was surprised to get a title as big as this, actually. They usually send out typical handheld titles. Thank God for Nintendo!

Anyway, I've gotten into playing it recently. Guys, if you've been avoiding the Paper Mario series because it's RPG-based, then this is the game for you! Also, despite the radical change from an RPG to a platformer/puzzler/'lite' RPG, Paper Mario fans will still dig this game. Dialogue's hilarious as usual. Lots of references and jabs at Nintendo and the hardcore internet community in general, you could say it seems like 'nerd-related' humor. I noticed a really funny Zelda II reference to "I AM ERROR".

Gameplay is so freakin' unique. I've never played a game like this before. Basically, it has a 2D platformer backbone. However, you get to switch to 3D point of view and man...you'll realize how smart the puzzles are once you see the 2D-to-3D switch in action. The RPG elements feel weird in a 2D platformer, but it works nonetheless. It almost feels like a real-time battle system integrated into a 2D perspective. Stomp on a Goomba, deal MASSIVE damage, gain EXP, status alignments, etc. Most of the stuff you know is there.

This game is so worth your money. Plus, it serves as a nice wait for Super Mario Galaxy.

[JackKieser]

I didn't get the game early, but I just finished it, and I have to say... wow. Just wow. The Paper Mario series has always been amazing, but this game sets a new standard.

The mesh of platforming and RPG is masterful, and it rarely if ever feels unevolving. The balance is great, the dynamic is great... everything just feels so fluid and natural. The 2D and 3D elements blend surprisingly nicely; the only caveat I had in this aspect was that the 3D level design, at least early on, was a bit lacking. Once in 3D, most times the player could simply walk / jump past all of the intended obstacles, as 3D rarely gave new ones in their place. Collision with enemies in 3D could have been a little looser, as well, as many times you would jump either just past or just short of an enemy because of Mario's altered (and admittedly very slow) movement speed, and would be a sitting duck.

Just as in previous PM games, the story is superb. I'll admit, I called the main (I think) plot twist pretty early on, but the story really didn't suffer from it; the writing was witty and funny, as always, and the ending is really quite worth it.

All in all, a wonderful game. If you haven't bought it already, do so now.

--Jack Kieser

[Fire in the Hole]

There's a better thread for this discussion:

http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5165

[atmuh]

This game is good and all but it still isn't enough reason to take smash bros out of my wii...

[bouncerboy15]

I bought this and I'm having quite a blast playing it. It's neat finding all these hidden areas while in 3D.

[JoeFu]

I haven't played since yesterday, but 3-4 is the funniest thing I have seen in a game in forever.

[Arek the Absolute]

There's a better thread for this discussion:

http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5165

error
games can have their own dedicated threads
try again later kid

[SwordBreaker]

I haven't played since yesterday, but 3-4 is the funniest thing I have seen in a game in forever.

Man...I just entered 3-4. I have a feeling that it'll make me laugh like a fish out of water. The whole chapter is so freggin' hilarious. Man...that showdown with Bowser. Classic, priceless, and REALLY funny!!! "I'm AAA final boss material!" LOL

[Adam_Slight]

I've never played a game so self-conscious...but I wouldn't say its as good as Thousand Year Door...

I don't think everyone on the OCR forums would appreciate 3-4 as much as you guys...

[Thalzon]

Done chapter 5 and things are just barely starting to get into the realm of "challenging". I guess it's too much to ask to have boss fights that might kill me in 3 or 4 hits, rather than the 8-10 it's been slapping me around with.

[Wipomatic]

I'd buy it, but I live in Europe. Thanks Nintendo. :x

[sephfire]

It's not challenging, but this game rocks. I haven't enjoyed a Mario title this much since Mario 64.

Chapter 3 alone is worth the full price of the game.

[Zombie]

Damn, I wan't this game. I might buy it tommorrow, if I have enough money of course....

It looks freaking amazing.

[Thalzon]

Chapter 6 is a bit of a mind fuck.

[Dunnowhathuh]

I'd buy it, but I live in Europe. Thanks Nintendo. :x

Ain't it grand being a PAL nation?

[Wipomatic]

Ain't it grand being a PAL nation?
Indeed, I sure love being the last in line for any decent games and having to dodge spoilers on the internet for months.

[DJ SymBiotiX]

Bought it first day. Funny story kind of.

I went to EB and I remembered that something new was supposed to come out, so I ask the guy "Whats supposed to be coming out for the wii soon" and he is like "Super paper mario" so I was just like "I'll take it!". Spur of the moment purchase XD.

Anyway, I loved it. Beat it in like 3 days (like 10 hours I think). Great game I must say. digibutter.nerrr!!

[Dunnowhathuh]

Indeed, I sure love being the last in line for any decent games and having to dodge spoilers on the internet for months.

I feel your pain. Looking forward to this one nevertheless. My console has been gathering dust as of late.

[megadave]

It's frikkin' wonderful.

[Kefjkarp]

Chapter 3-4 boss is epic.

Rest of the game is pretty good too, except for chapters 4-1 through 4-3, which just annoyed the hell out of me. Chapter 4-4 made it worth it, though.

[SwordBreaker]

Chapter 3-4 boss is epic.

Rest of the game is pretty good too, except for chapters 4-1 through 4-3, which just annoyed the hell out of me. Chapter 4-4 made it worth it, though.

LOL @ 3-4's boss. I'll have to play that multiple times to see the various replies.

Yeah...that space chapter is also annoying the hell out of me...still at 4-1.

[The Derrit]

Ditto the LOL'ing at 3-4 boss. Though I must say I was a bit hurt when one of the true/false questions was "video game soundtracks are so high-techhniiiicaaaalllll!"

But I mean, he has a point and stuff.

[Raziellink]

I feel your pain. Looking forward to this one nevertheless. My console has been gathering dust as of late.

Only thing that keeps my Wii spinning is Wario Ware. Europe sucks when it comes to release dates. Though we get lucky sometimes.

[Drack]

It starts getting quite difficult around the crag world.

I have some complaints!
[Spoiler?]
-Often times, the game will make you waste a lot of time doing nothing fun or productive .. examples:
--In the Mansion working off enough debt to learn the codes
--In the Crag world, saying please a ton of times, and writing down that long sequence of what block to hit
--In the Asian-styled world, doing the 25 gates, then running across nothingness
--In the Underwhere, Being sent back every time you talk to a hag
[/Spoiler?]
I find the dialog delightful, however. The amount of times the fourth wall is broken is awesome.

And video game soundtracks *ARE* High-technicaaaaaaaal!

[Thalzon]

It starts getting quite difficult around the crag world.

I have some complaints!
[Spoiler?]
-Often times, the game will make you waste a lot of time doing nothing fun or productive .. examples:
--In the Mansion working off enough debt to learn the codes
--In the Crag world, saying please a ton of times, and writing down that long sequence of what block to hit
--In the Asian-styled world, doing the 25 gates, then running across nothingness
--In the Underwhere, Being sent back every time you talk to a hag
[/Spoiler?]
I find the dialog delightful, however. The amount of times the fourth wall is broken is awesome.

And video game soundtracks *ARE* High-technicaaaaaaaal!

I'd say those parts are a little Earthbound-esque. Earthbound had all sorts of weird things like that, like waiting for 3 full minutes in front of a waterfall to open the secret path forward. It's likely a nod to the series.

[Penfold]

Got to play some this weekend, about 3 hrs. It's really great IMO. I'm looking forward to having more time with it soon.

[suzumebachi]

What is with the ridiculous amount of shills in this thread?

[Thalzon]

They're all actually hired by a marketing company to push the game in forums.

I just beat the *SPOILERS!* Flopside pit of 100 Trials. Unfortunately, at the 100th floor, it tells you you need to go through it again to face the boss and claim the treasure. I felt ripped off. Thank god it only takes about an hour to do.*END SPOILERS!*

[Zombie]

So I finally picked up this game yesterday. It's the first game I've played in the Paper Mario series, and I'm pretty impressed. I just got pass the first world... that boss was damn fun.

[JoeFu]

I AM ERROR

Fracktail was pretty awesome. Just wait until you get to world 3-4. 4-4 boss battle is really cool too.

[OptimusShr]

I rented this from Blockbuster yesterday and it ROCKS.

Have to buy it later on, and finally trade in my Gamecube.

[chrono26]

...and finally trade in my Gamecube.

BLASPHEMY!!!!!


j/k, i sold mine a few weeks ago. but man i want this super paper mario.

[TheLeviathan]

Did anybody else notice that when you get a pure heart, the pixls do a kirby-esque dance?

[OptimusShr]

Did anybody else notice that when you get a pure heart, the pixls do a kirby-esque dance?

I noticed that as well.

[SwordBreaker]

I AM ERROR

Fracktail was pretty awesome. Just wait until you get to world 3-4. 4-4 boss battle is really cool too.


Indeed. LOVED that Zelda II reference.

3-4's Boss was hilarious. I get the feeling his quotes will be damn popular. After all, we're all going gaga over "videogame soundtracks are so high-technical!"

I'm still in world 4. Too lazy to play these days. :(

[Scufo]

So, uh, am I the only one who was somewhat disappointed with this game? I mean, it really took away what made Paper Mario unique in the Mario franchise. For me, one of the cool aspects of the first two Paper Mario's was that you play as a 2d character in a 3d world. Now, you play as a 2d character...in a 2d world. That's exciting. Yes, I know you can flip to 3d, but you can only do so for a limited time, and the 3d world is very dumbed down, as much of the background becomes paper-thin walls. It's primarily a 2d game.

I also feel as though the atmosphere isn't nearly as memorable as it was before. Maybe it's just because you're no longer in the Mushroom Kingdom, but I find the landscape in general to just be boring. I cite *SPOILERS * Bleck's castle. Okay, so it's kinda cool at first that everything is just a black void of nothingness, but that gets old very fast. It's got nothing on Bowser's Castle from the first Paper Mario. *END SPOILERS*

I think the series needs to pick a genre and stick with it. None of this hybrid RPG-platformer crap. Because frankly, the platforming isn't nearly as good as something like Super Mario World or the old DK games (it's very slow-paced), and the RPG elements aren't as good as the other Paper Mario's.

So now we have another platformer in the vast sea of Mario platformers. Great. Maybe I'm just biased because I liked Paper Mario so much as an RPG. Hopefully they'll continue that series, and keep Super Paper Mario as a sort of "spin-off" series, kind of like Metroid Prime and Megaman X.

Ok, end rant.

[megadave]

I like the mechanical dragon's dialog. I had to fight him again just to hear his ranting. By the way, I have to disagree with you a bit Cynical. I think Super Paper Mario was a welcome diversion for Paper Mario. Although the first two games are great, I think that the second one was too much like the first.

But anyway, you Paper Mario noobs should try out the first games too, because they're really good.

[vega12]

Oh man, there was a really good quote in the last chapter that doesn't really spoil anything, but is hilariously off-beat. Something along the lines of:

"And now I strike, like an unexpected dodgeball in an echoing gymnasium!"

Some of the things they say in this game are just priceless!

[SilverStar]

I'm just having fun working on the sidequest bits. Even if they -are- painfully time consuming. So far, I'm up to 42 hours playtime, and haven't even set foot in the second pit, or gone back to world 6 to deal with that.

I do like how this actually has stuff to do, post-game. That's something few games these days bother with, instead opting to go ahead and just end the game, even if there's other stuff to do, so you either put off the entire last section, or miss out on a good half of the game.

Right now, I'm working on mass-purchasing the Caught Cards, thanks to a massive money trick(takes a bit of time, but it's good). Can't wait until I venture into the flopside pit, doing over 700 damage to everything that comes my way. :P

[Neo Samus]

I just got this game on Friday from Gamefly. And of all things...I've barely got to play it.......becasuse of my future wife (a non-gamer) has been playing it more than me!!!! She loves it! I just got a chance to play it yesterday, and man this game is hilarious (I know all of you have said it before). I haven't played to 3-4 yet. Like I said I "Just" got to play it yesterday. But I know it's like a Dating-Sim like game, right?

[Bigfoot]

I just beat 3-4, that was pretty amusing. This game is fun, but nothing too AMAZING. Definitely worth having though with the game drought. I do love the music a whole lot though.

[MisterBiggler]

Did anybody else notice that when you get a pure heart, the pixls do a kirby-esque dance?
After the 4th Pure Heart, I just started humming the Kirby dance song.

So, uh, am I the only one who was somewhat disappointed with this game? I mean, it really took away what made Paper Mario unique in the Mario franchise. For me, one of the cool aspects of the first two Paper Mario's was that you play as a 2d character in a 3d world. Now, you play as a 2d character...in a 2d world. That's exciting. Yes, I know you can flip to 3d, but you can only do so for a limited time, and the 3d world is very dumbed down, as much of the background becomes paper-thin walls. It's primarily a 2d game.

I also feel as though the atmosphere isn't nearly as memorable as it was before. Maybe it's just because you're no longer in the Mushroom Kingdom, but I find the landscape in general to just be boring.

I think the series needs to pick a genre and stick with it. None of this hybrid RPG-platformer crap. Because frankly, the platforming isn't nearly as good as something like Super Mario World or the old DK games (it's very slow-paced), and the RPG elements aren't as good as the other Paper Mario's.

So now we have another platformer in the vast sea of Mario platformers. Great. Maybe I'm just biased because I liked Paper Mario so much as an RPG. Hopefully they'll continue that series, and keep Super Paper Mario as a sort of "spin-off" series, kind of like Metroid Prime and Megaman X.

Ok, end rant.

I think the game is made slow because of the 1-1 through 1-4 format; the homage was cute, but some of the worlds really drag out, and I found myself trudging through a few chapters to get to more of the story. I prefer the Paper Mario RPG's to SPM, but playing as Peach and Bowser and their specific abilities is interesting, making for interesing boss fights, and the story/dialog is still enjoyable like the previous Paper Mario games. I would definetly play another SPM game, but I would like to see the RPG again first.

[Neo Samus]

I finally got to play 3-4. That was hystrical!! I now get the whole "HI-TECHNIIIIICAL!!" thing. It's scary, people like that do exist...o_O!