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[The Mana Legend]

...And I do not like Paper Mario 1, 2, or Super Paper Mario. Well, I guess I didn't mind Paper Mario 1, but it has been over 10 years since I last played it, and I don't remember it very fondly other than liking the ice level.

But I got Paper Mario 3DS, but had absolutely no desire to even touch it (only reason I even got it was because it was free). I had heard so many negative things about it, from the complete lack of RPG elements, to the non-existent story, to the forced and awful sticker mechanics, etc. Yet, with no handheld games to play at the time, I started it.

...And holy shit, this is probably the biggest gaming surprise I've had in years. This gets rid of everything I HATED about Paper Mario 2 and Super Paper Mario. Gone are the ridiculously long dialog sequences that bored me to tears, gone are the awful gimmicky chapters that relied on incredibly boring mechanics. Boring mechanics such as TRAIN MURDER MYSTERY and BLOB RTS that would be fine in a short span, but they are so stretched out across such a long length that Paper Mario 2 became one of two games in my life that I've fallen asleep to out of sheer boredom.

Instead, we have short, sweet, perfectly designed levels that are immensely fun and absolutely perfect for a portable title. Each level is so incredibly fun to explore and find its little secrets. Finding a brand new sticker that you've never seen before is really cool, not because you'll ever use it, but because the Sticker Museum is so ridiculously addicting to fill.

People complain about the sticker mechanic and "wasting" stickers. It is never an issue at any point in the game and you always have enough stickers for any given situation. And contrary to the "battles are pointless" belief, battles are a great way to get coins once you are able to get Perfect Battles on a regular basis. It's still really satisfying to me to get showered with 70+ coins after perfect battle against shiny enemies. So damn satisfying. Also, the lack of RPG elements didn't bother me as much as I thought it would, given how shallow they were in previous games.

And there are still gimmicky levels, but not to the extent of Paper Mario 2 and Super Paper Mario. You have levels like the Mine Cart level or Enigmansion, but they are over quick enough that they never get old. In fact, this gimmicky levels are so much more fun than anything in any previous Paper Mario. They are quick and breezy and it helps diversify the game so much. The only gimmick that didn't work in the game is the Wiggler pieces, but at least each time introduced you to new areas and secrets.

Plus, did I mention the music? Good GOD, the music is so vastly superior to previous titles. Unlike the previous games, I remember each and every song that has been played so far, and I find myself with certain songs stuck in my head throughout the day (especially the Decalburg theme).

But the biggest improvement, in my opinion, is the dialog. I absolutely hated the dialog in previous Paper Mario games. They were not funny at all, and the dialog dragged on to unbelievable proportions sometimes. Paper Mario 3DS does away with that crap, with quick dialog that is both funny and to the point. Also, the game has no worries or cares at any point, which makes it such a joy to play. I don't even remember what the hell the story is in the game (except getting the Royal Stickers), but I do not care one bit.

It's just damn fun, and has become my favorite Mario "RPG", and my favorite 3DS game. Though, to be fair, I haven't beaten the game (I just beat World 5).

This is the biggest gaming surprise in years, and I understand why people do not like it. But for me, it is so vastly improved over previous Paper Mario games. It is truly wonderful, underrated, and completely under appreciated.

 

[NeoRausch]

while I agree with you...

... it's just that fighting is soooo useless in the standard environment. fighting regular enemies at just a timesink.

but I love the rest.

 

[Kouriozan]

Yeah found it good too but near the end of the game it was boring.
I finished it but without the last flag who involve fighting x battle.

 

[Snowden's Secret]

I haven't played it but have heard nothing but negative about it. The dialogue in previous Paper Mario games bored me to death as well (didn't play TTYD) so maybe this will be a nice change of pace. It's on sale for $20, not as good as free of course, so I think I'll pick it up.

 

[GhostTrick]

Well, I have yet to finish the game... but I feel lie it's a disappointement. Sure, the game is good, but it feels like it could have been such a better game if the story was more present, and the battle system more... important. Lack of XP kinda make the battles pointless. And the battle doesn't feel anymore like a RPG, but more like a "Paper-Rock-Scissors" battle.

 

[LonelyGreyWolf]

Hmm... I've only played till the second world so far and I'm blown away by the horrible game design. The first world was fine and dandy but the second world is just stupid. I don't even know where to begin. My biggest problem are the special stickers; the one that you get by converting real items into stickers. They are really large so you can't just carry them around with you, so you have to go back and forth to town every single time you need one. It's so stupid on so many levels. And during boss battles there's apparently one special sticker that you're supposed to use to deal massive damage, but the problem is that you don't know which one it is until you're fighting the boss. The game wants you to die so that you can go all the way back to town, get the sticker, and then go all the way back to the boss. I defeated a boss without using a special sticker and the game said I was playing it wrong.

This really is my biggest problem with the game. There's too little character interaction too. I also disagree with you regarding the music. It's decent but definitely not my kind of music. All the past Paper Mario's have had worse music though, I'll agree with you on that. One of my only issues with Paper Mario 64 is that the music is nothing but horrible ten-second loops.

 

[PaulExcellent]

I liked the Wii one. Is this one like it?

 

[BassForever]

I was okay with your post til you said you hated the other paper Mario games then you lost me

 

[Brazil]

It's too bad Nintendo made a Paper Mario game for people who don't like Paper Mario games.

 

[Currygan]

it has some major flaws (trial and error boss battles being the biggest, no NPCs being the other) but it's indeed a good game. Sometimes great, even. I certainly had fun while playing it; design is superb, it looks good and the music is simply fantastic; it's exploding with life and ideas BUT those flaws..

 

[Darryl]

I was okay with your post til you said you hated the other paper Mario games then you lost me

it gets worse when you get to the part where he hates the "not funny" dialog in those games

 

[FreedomFighter]

One of my only issues with Paper Mario 64 is that the music is nothing but horrible ten-second loops.

That's just not true at all. I don't think you were listening.

 

[jwhit28]

I think they just over reacted to the criticisms of Super Paper Mario. Most of the impressions of that game were that it was too wordy and backtracking in the city wasn't fun.

 

[cloudyy]

People wanted a carbon copy of TTYD. They're mad because they got a better game. Yes, I went there.

 

[axisofweevils]

The game has it flaws, but I ended up enjoying it. I spent 50 hours on it, and I still haven't completed the sticker museum, etc. And the music is incredible.

Most of the complaints seem to stem from the fact that the game isn't The Thousand Year Door II. Having never played TTYD, I can't possibly comment.

 

[Currygan]

People wanted a carbon copy of TTYD. They're mad because they got a better game. Yes, I went there.

I just cannot think of a single thing SS does better than TTYD

 

[grimshawish]

I think its a great game; don't see how the opinion is 'super unpopular' tbh OP.
Lots of fun and silly stuff.

Feels like the test game for the next Zelda 3DS though; it honestly is just a big open adventure game. Game looks incredibly good as well; I don't think boss fights work as well as they should; maybe Nintendo should work on how the unique sticker stuff works for the next one.

I did like using the sponge though.
Still need to defeat Bowser.

 

[Brazil]

People wanted a carbon copy of TTYD. They're mad because they got a better game. Yes, I went there.

Ohhh, you're so daring.

Or maybe people wanted a Paper Mario game and not something completely different.

Yes, I went there.

 

[cloudyy]

I just cannot think of a single thing SS does better than TTYD

Pacing, music, less mindless go-back pick this up fetch quest. I loved TTYD but it had it's flaws too.

 

[Brazil]

Pacing, music, less mindless go-back pick this up fetch quest. I loved TTYD but it had it's flaws too.

Wut.

 

[BowieZ]

I would have preferred it to be a bit longer. I had this feeling it would be 2 or 3 more worlds past the upper part of the map.

But either way, it was a sweet thrill ride.

And collecting/managing the sticker book was fun.

 

[The Mana Legend]

Wut.

Music is much better in SS, this is factual

Spoiler

in my opinion

Only thing I don't like about SS is the unique stickers. They really shouldn't disappear when you use the wrong one, and they should give you a hint BEFORE the bosses about which one to use against them.

 

[Glass Rebel]

As a huge fan of Paper Mario and TYD nothing I've seen or read about the game sounds appealing tbh. The sticker mechanic is aesthetically interesting but sounds horrible from a gameplay standpoint. It should have been an addition to the existing battle system and not a replacement. I have no idea how to feel about missing RPG elements either. Removing companions and a smaller focus on NPCs and story is disheartening as well. The dialogues were always some of my favourite elements in the previous games and worked extremely well. I'll probably check it out eventually but I'm incredibly disappointed in the direction this series has taken since SPM.


At least there's Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.

 

[ManUtdRedDevils]

Eh, coins don't meant much in the game except re-buying stickers you use in battles so if you avoid the pointless battles (which they are since you get no loot/xp) you never need to rebuy them. The gameplay is more boring than all the dialogue in the previous games combined. Still I recommend people give it a chance because everything else about the game is top notch.

 

[VeryGooster]

It had nice pacing (except world 3 which I hated), great boss battles, and I enjoyed it in 3D, but even if you get stickers and coins in regular battles I don't think there is any incentive to battle since the two things are available easily. In fact, I think the game realizes this since a few times you'll be in a narrow space with no way to get through except to fight the enemy blocking you.

A few of the puzzles I thought were kind of annoying, and if you use the wrong Thing sticker you have to leave the stage, get the Thing again, and then turn it into a sticker.

The funny thing is I had that sad moment when you're done with a game (like, the adventure is over...), and while I think the sticker museum can be fun, the game was okay at best.

 

[LonelyGreyWolf]

I think they just over reacted to the criticisms of Super Paper Mario. Most of the impressions of that game were that it was too wordy and backtracking in the city wasn't fun.

Oh yeah, they totally fixed that in Sticker Star...

 

[Randdalf]

I completely agree with the OP, although I liked Paper Mario and Super Paper Mario as well (haven't played TTYD). It's actually more of an adventure game than it is an RPG.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

I love and adore every Mario RPG


SS is the first one I won't finish, it just makes me depressed.

 

[The Mana Legend]

Oh yeah, they totally fixed that in Sticker Star...

It takes a whole two seconds to go back to the city, other than the rare times you have to back track through an incredibly short level to get back to the world map.

 

[zroid]

I really enjoyed it; I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in some ways, but mostly I appreciated the experimentation, the game design which left you to your own devices much of the time, and the extraordinarily superb soundtrack.

It feels like a game whose high concept didn't necessarily come together entirely as planned, but it's so polished, unique, and clever that it rarely bothered me.

PS: The Enigmansion is SO GOOD

 

[Exterminieren]

I came into this thread willing to agree with you, but then you started ragging on Paper Mario and TTYD.

Hahahaha... nah.

 

[squid]

Loved the music and graphics of this game. But everything else was a bit disappointing. I didn't like the battle/sticker system (especially the use of thing stickers), and the lack of story, dialogue, interesting characters and unique chapters (so pretty much everything that made previous PM games great), made the game fall flat

Spoiler

I'm so sorry

It was still a pretty fun game, but just so disappointing as a Paper Mario game, especially since this was the main reason I bought a 3DS...

 

[Maedhros]

From videos, seems like a pretty shitty game.

Good thing they are releasing Mario & Luigi, which was already better than Paper Mario anyway.

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

I came into this thread willing to agree with you, but then you started ragging on Paper Mario and TTYD.

Hahahaha... nah.

I don't like them either. I found them very boring.

I don't have an opinion on Sticker Star, but the fact that they cut down on the story crap makes me intrigued.

 

[jwhit28]

Oh yeah, they totally fixed that in Sticker Star...

Some of the in between level city parts were longer than actual levels in SPM.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Tearing apart the previous Paper Mario games goes overboard, as there is nothing wrong with them - even Super Paper Mario if you can get into it.

But it is not really a super unpopular opinion that Sticker Star is a good game. It has generally good critical reviews, plenty of people like it, and evidently it is selling really well. Plenty of people are still coming in, trying Sticker Star, and being shocked at how much they like it. After having heard so much negative fan buzz.

I have come to the conclusion that you cannot get a good "read" on what the public thinks of a game within 3-5 years of its release. There's too much drama, and if it's a series, invested fans. You have to wait for the people whose lives were ruined because they didn't like a game to wear themselves out and move on. Then look and see if there's a lot of people still talking about the game because it was pretty good after all.

Edit: should add, there's nothing wrong with a fan being disappointed because an entry in a series isn't what they're looking for. But there usually seems to be a certain number of people who can't tell the difference between "I don't like it" and "game is bad".

 

[joffocakes]

The only problem I had with Sticker Star was the lack of decent things to do once the main quest was completed. I did the final battle and then all that was left was a dull grind for the final flags for no reward. 30 hours to 100% is a decent amount of content, but I just with the post game content had more substance.

Building a battle system out of single-use stickers is a great idea but something like the Pit of 100 Trials where you'd be forced to optimise your loadout to progress further would have been brilliant. As it stood the only times sticker usage threatened to get deeper was with boss battles, but they did often boil down to little more than using the right sticker at the right time.

The lack of experience points isn't a problem at all. It still has that same standard progression, just with coins instead. The coins at the end of each stage are a multiplier of how many enemies you defeat, so you still end up grinding for coins in exactly the same way you would for xp. Then you spend them on stronger stickers.

Oh, and the music is brilliant. Especially on that 4-1 snow stage.

 

[Allan Holdsworth]

Loved it too. I'm not a big RPG fan, so the lack of story didn't bother me. The battles were as
"pointless" as in any other RPG, and the boss fights are pretty much always trial & error in RPGs (you don't know what equipment to wear/what party to use until you fight the boss once). I also find this complaint weird since you could also beat the boss with normal stickers. Level design was great, unless you hate exploration I guess.

Basically, it's biggest problem from the vibe I get is that it was called Paper Mario. Call it something else and 90%+ of the gripes dissapear.

 

[Shig]

TTYD is grossly overrated and its flaws glossed over way too freely, but the 'fixes' that Sticker Star attempts push back so hard they become another, even worse kind of awful.

Fights that drag you into a separate battle screen, yet offer absolutely nothing of value for fighting 'em, are about the stupidest game design decision possible.

The music is indeed awesome, though.

 

[EvilMario]

I really loved Sticker Star. It probably snatched my GOTY away from Kid Icarus. The music is amazing and I really do love the sticker battle system. Once I moved on from my OCD induced 'bu.. bu.. consumables..' I had a blast. The environments are really well thought out and filled with tons of secrets and little touches. Super Mario World-like overworld map was a great addition too. I thought the length of the game, which took me about 30 hours, was perfect.

My only fault with the game is the lack of direction in boss battles. Especially the first one, it's a very punishing trial and error process. It's no easy task to try out a bunch of large stickers. While some of the boss battles are pretty easy to recognize which sticker to use, some are just a crapshoot. I don't have a problem with the battles and I don't believe they're pointless. They provide you with coins, which is pretty important later on. Because those Thing stickers are expensive later on and coins will make your life easy. I found battles enjoyable as well, so I'd usually focus on clearing an area completely my first time through.

Really though, I had a blast with the game. It's very sad when I hear some people only played through World 1-2 and gave up on it there, already determining the game is crap.

 

[TheExodu5]

How is the dialog in the Paper Mario games? I adore the dialog in M&L: Bowser's Inside Story. Anywhere near that level of quality? Is there a villain as remotely as entertaining as Fawful?

 

[Vaati]

It's Final Fantasy XIII of Paper Mario.

There are such polarizing opinions on it that I'm still having trouble deciding whether or not to get it from BestBuy's sale.

 

[TL4E]

Gone are the ridiculously long dialog sequences that bored me to tears, gone are the awful gimmicky chapters that relied on incredibly boring mechanics. Boring mechanics such as TRAIN MURDER MYSTERY and BLOB RTS that would be fine in a short span, but they are so stretched out across such a long length that Paper Mario 2 became one of two games in my life that I've fallen asleep to out of sheer boredom.

You don't seem to get Paper Mario... the hilarious text is half the fun. Yeah that particular train level sucked, but most chapters had a cool spin to them.

 

[joffocakes]

How is the dialog in the Paper Mario games? I adore the dialog in M&L: Bowser's Inside Story. Anywhere near that level of quality? Is there a villain as remotely as entertaining as Fawful?

There's no rival to Fawful, but it's very entertaining all the same. The sticker museum gives a description for each Thing sticker that can be quite amusing, but does occasionally come off as a bit try-hard. On the whole it's great, though.

I was disappointed that I didn't find a single sign with something written on the back, though. I did still check every one.

Also, to people generally hate that Train section of TTYD? I absolutely loved that! There's a detective penguin!

 

[Seda]

The only thing I liked was the music, really. It's just an opinion.

 

[Tuck]

A few points:
-"Gimicky" level design and "Creative Level design" are not the same thing. I don't see how the mine cart levels were gimicky. Nor do I see how past Paper Mario games had gimicky level design - particularly the second. They had creative level design that let you do interesting things above just going from point A to B.

-Game lacks creative enemies and environments

-Combat is severely dumbed down but overall I think the stickers were alright. They were a unique idea, though if anything, THIS would be the gimicky thing about the game, not the level design.

-Removal of the story was a shame. Past Paper Mario games have had problems with too much text, yes. But to get rid of all of it? There was nothing pushing me forward. Bowser having ZERO lines of dialogue is a crime against humanity.

-Kertsi is garbage. Dunno why Nintendo has this annoying infatuation with creating stupid helper characters that Mario follows through the game like a puppy.

-Graphics were good. Felt the 3D could have been stronger.

-Music was alright

-Overall it was a fun game. Dissapointing, but I am glad I played it. It was good. Not as good as PP TTYD, but still good. I have higher hopes for the new Mario and Luigi game.

 

[Sendou]

You don't seem to get Paper Mario... the hilarious text is half the fun. Yeah that particular train level sucked, but most chapters had a cool spin to them.

Woah hold your horses! That train level was the best part of the game together with Glitzville.

What I want Nintendo to do is give Intelligent System's enough resources for a true sequel for Paper Mario 64 and TTYD. GamePad could find a lot of brilliant uses in Paper Mario. Exploring the franchise a bit won't hurt anybody (except some feelings when you fail to communicate the key differences of this particular game) but a game should never forget its roots.

 

[Currygan]

How is the dialog in the Paper Mario games? I adore the dialog in M&L: Bowser's Inside Story. Anywhere near that level of quality? Is there a villain as remotely as entertaining as Fawful?

TTYD is probably the funniest Nintendo game I ever played. Funniest from a humour standpoint, mind it. Bowser alone makes the game absolutely hilarious

 

[someguyinahat]

I liked it. I finished it (but didn't get all eight flags - I missed three of the battle ones because I didn't want to spend all my time battling.)

My biggest problem are the special stickers; the one that you get by converting real items into stickers. They are really large so you can't just carry them around with you, so you have to go back and forth to town every single time you need one. It's so stupid on so many levels. And during boss battles there's apparently one special sticker that you're supposed to use to deal massive damage, but the problem is that you don't know which one it is until you're fighting the boss. The game wants you to die so that you can go all the way back to town, get the sticker, and then go all the way back to the boss. I defeated a boss without using a special sticker and the game said I was playing it wrong.

Partly agreed here. Early on they give you large-size thing stickers when your page space is limited, then later on when you get more pages, they hand you other thing stickers that take up the same space as the regular stickers (and do less damage to boot.) It would have been much improved had they started with more small things, then moved on to medium and large, just like with the other stickers. It would also make them more utile - I barely used any thing stickers throughout the course of the game, preferring to just stick them in the museum and forget they existed. And that seems a bit sad considering it looks like some effort went into the special animations for the thing stickers.

Yes, bosses do require certain thing stickers, and there can be guesswork involved, but there are hints given and you can make some guesses. For example, in World 2

Spoiler

the super pokey is in a level called Drybake Stadium, and the top level is set up like a baseball stadium, and he himself is made up of spheres.

So one could deduce that you'd need a

Spoiler

baseball bat

. Also, some bosses are weak to more than one thing sticker. I do agree that the "you're playing it wrong" came off a little harsh considering I beat the enemy the same way (albeit at the expense of nearly all my stickers) but it was a bit necessary because you pretty much CAN'T defeat the other bosses using regular stickers later on.

 

[doniewhalberg]

I actuallyu really loved playing Super Paper Mario, thought it was great fun. But the dialogue sequences soooo bad. Individual moments were often funny, but strung together in such lengths. The fact this gets rid of that is a sign I might like this alot.