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Virtual Console Mondays: July 16, 2007

by Steven Rodriguez - July 16, 2007, 11:11 pm
Total comments: 58

The newest old game yet hits Nintendo's classic game download service.

I'll admit I was surprised when I looked at the game info for one of this week's North American Virtual Console releases, Paper Mario: February 5, 2001? It's not even seven years old, yet here it is, available for download this week. It's nice that Nintendo includes the release date (or in the case of a lot of TG16 and Genesis games, month or year of release) in the descriptions of titles, because it really drives home the point how old these games really are. It also serves as a stark reminder that certain games don't age as gracefully as others.

Here are our staff's recommendations for this week's trio.


Balloon Fight

SystemVirtual Console - Nintendo Entertainment System

Cost500 Points
Players2
ControllersWii Remote,Wii Nunchuk,GameCube
ESRB RatingEveryone
ReleasedJun 1986

Click here for a video preview

Balloon Fight is another one of those early NES titles that Nintendo continues to reference to this day, from the flipper item and trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, to the recent Japanese Club Nintendo release of Tingle's Balloon Fight. It's a simple phase based game where players must float around popping the balloons of mosquito-like enemies, all the while keeping them from popping their own. Like Ice Climber, it also features a 2-player co-op mode.

The controls are quite unique. It has a basic, floaty physics model where the character flaps his arms when the A (2) button is pressed or the B (1) button is held down. This causes him to rise up in the air. Releasing the button causes him to slowly float down and pressing left and right on the d-pad steers. There are three modes of play. The first two are just one and two player variations of the main game which has the player progressing through multiple single screen phases of increasing difficulty. Interspersed throughout are pop-the-balloons bonus stages which will also give the character one of their balloons back (if it was popped previously). The 2-player mode can be quite entertaining in short spurts, as you can decide just how cooperative you want to be. Do you want to keep your friend alive or get a few bonus points for popping his balloons? It's up to you. The third game mode is called Balloon Trip. It is arguably a better single player experience than the main game, as you simply try and stay alive as long as possible while the game scrolls from left to right. This part of the game was redone in Wario Ware: Smooth Moves for Wii, but many fans still prefer the original version.

Overall Balloon Fight is another one of those games that many original NES owners will have a lot of nostalgia for. It's an entertaining romp that fans of retro games will probably enjoy, and it's another mini history lesson for those interested in the origin of things like the trophies in Melee.

Recommended for Fans

- Mike Gamin



Silent Debuggers

SystemVirtual Console - TurboGrafx-16

Cost600 Points
Players1
ControllersWii Remote,Wii Nunchuk,GameCube
ESRB Rating
ReleasedYear 1991

Click here for a video preview

Silent Debuggers is a "real-time" first-person shooter that challenges players to kill off alien invaders that have attacked a marooned space station called OHME, and it's up to you and your fellow "Debugger," Leon, to neutralize the threat. You are given six weapons to choose from, all of which are basically the same, and two life bars which drain not only when you take damage from aliens, but also when you simply fire your weapon. What fun! Aside from the changes in color scheme, you will be staring at the exact same room hundreds of times. Given that there is no map (seriously--the game doesn't even draw in a map as you explore--it only tells you your compass heading and general location within a "block"), aimless wandering is unavoidable. When the inevitable death screen comes up, you can choose to live on and fight another day--endlessly, provided you've not run out of time. Yes, there is a time limit of 99 minutes, and I challenge any of our readers to go that long. Indeed, you might, by luck alone, beat this game.

It's a real shame that Silent Debuggers is such a waste of points. It may be significant in that it's a "real-time" first-person shooter released in 1991, but that's really no excuse for horrible gameplay. I've played plenty of incredibly fun sprite-based FPS games. Doom, Doom 64, Jurassic Park, and the grandaddy of the entire genre, Castle Wolfenstein, all come to mind. All were done so much better. So I can't possibly recommend, on any level, Silent Debuggers.

Not Recommended

Paper Mario

SystemVirtual Console - Nintendo 64

Cost1000 Points
Players1
ControllersWii Nunchuk,GameCube
ESRB RatingEveryone
ReleasedFeb 05, 2001

Click here for a video preview

Paper Mario is simply a classic. Released right at the end of the N64's lifespan and generally hard to find now, it served as the template for Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door and, eventually, Super Paper Mario. A sequel to Square's brilliant Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario was Nintendo's (or more specifically, Intelligent System's) spin on RPG gameplay with Mario characters. Though not as narratively subversive or traditionally structured as Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario is a successful RPG gap-filler for Nintendo systems.

The gameplay is just like Thousand Year Door, although slightly less refined. The game's charm is delivered via a simple and strategic turn-based battle system, funny dialog, and a long quest with many worlds. Though it hits many of the traditional RPG beats, it adds many elements that reorganize how an RPG works, like an action-oriented field and platforming puzzles. For RPG fans and newbies, Paper Mario is a safe bet. For Mario fans, it's a no brainer. Ten dollars is simply too cheap for such an ultra-rare cartridge.

Recommended for Everyone

- Evan Burchfield


Thanks, VG Museum! Your screenshots of every game ever sure make it easy for us to tell our readers what the games look like!!

Talkback

SarailJuly 16, 2007

I have never in my life ever played Paper Mario...

... that is, until now.

Wow, what an amazing game. I've played about 5 hours in to it now, and it's absolutely brilliant. And hilarious, too. I love it. Why I didn't pick this game up long ago when it debuted on the N64 is way beyond me. But I have it now, and I couldn't be happier. Great game! ^_^

ReyVGMJuly 16, 2007

Thanks to the VGM props, even though the URL's messed up :P

And about Silent Debuggers...
While I agree with the "not recommended" score, I gotta point out the fact that the game does indeed have a map.
I don't know what version of the game he played but all you gotta do is open the menu and select the "Map Command" option. It has a complete map of the level and it shows where you are in it.

Maybe he meant that there's no ingame map while playing the game? You know, like Super Metroid.

I fell in love with Paper Mario when I was stuck in thye hospital and they had an N64 and tv they could wheel around.

When I left the hospital, I looked around for the game... this was around 2003 or 2004... the thing was going, used for 30 bucks, new, for like, 40-50. Ten bucks is a steal for this game...

Especially considering that I ended up being "meh" about TTYD and Super Paper Mario. Only the original for me.

MashiroJuly 17, 2007

All this praise for Paper Mario prompted me to dl it on my Wii about oh 2 hours ago.

I passed it up on the fist go around, particularly because it played on a demo kiosk at the Toys R Us I worked in and the music drove me nuts all day . . . however I am glad I gave it a try. It's fun so far =D and I am glad to see elements from SMRPG made it to the game.

So while very different from SMRPG (as was to be expected) I am so far enjoying the world of Paper Mario =) a solid VC purchase for sure.

I wasn't aware my copy of Paper Mario (N64) is rare. Anyway, I liked Paper Mario much more than TTYD, though the whole concept was new with TTYD...so I can't be sure if the N64 entry is a better game from memory.

EasyCureJuly 17, 2007

i too passed us paper mario the first time around and i'm not sure why.

i downloaded this the second i saw it, who needs a review for a game like this? i'm 12 hours in already, thats how much the game pulled me in.. It also helps that being jobless gives you alot of free time face-icon-small-frown.gif

is TTYD bad? cuz i'm thinking about getting that since i'm loving this game

Ian SaneJuly 17, 2007

I find it really weird that so many people skipped Paper Mario the first time around (though I'll admit I got it a few months after it came out). It came out in 2001 before the GBA and Gamecube were released and at that point the N64 was a barren wasteland. Unless you owned a Dreamcast or PS2 I figured most of you would be so starved for games that a Mario game would get your attention.

Paper Mario is a great game though I imagine if you've played the sequel the fresh feeling of first playing Paper Mario isn't there. Back then it seemed like every Mario RPG would play completely different until they made direct sequels to Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi. I kind of wish they kept it like that. It would have been a unique idea to have a different team make a different design for each game.

Though since Mario other two RPG series have direct sequels I believe it's now time for Super Mario RPG to get one.

MashiroJuly 17, 2007

In my case Ian, I was having way too much fun on Dreamcast to even care about N64 anymore.

GoldenPhoenixJuly 17, 2007

Yeah for PM even if it is my least favorite PM game.

EasyCureJuly 17, 2007

how does not having money sound? i'd say that was a good reason for passing on it.

i was 14 when that came out and i didn't have a job so saving up allowance money for those expensive carts made me careful on what to buy. I heard it was good but vastly different than Mario RPG and thats what i wanted at the time

SvevanEvan Burchfield, Staff AlumnusJuly 17, 2007

If Square wants to do a sequel to Super Mario RPG, I would die. It would be perfect for DS.

Super Mario RPG is an infinitely better game than Paper Mario. PM is distinctly Nintendo and as such certain conventions are honored while others are dismissed. Super Mario RPG was all about turning the Nintendo world upside down: new areas and characters and species that were Mario-esque, but not canonical. SMRPG also had beautifully integrated action pieces (a very Square idea, used again in FFVII just a few years later) that were also nothing like Mario: when Paper Mario wants to lighten up the turn-based play, it falls back on Mario conventions. SMRPG used a mine cart chase, a river obstacle course, and a beetle chase, and unique field mechanics, like Booster's Tower or the Sunken Ship. If anyone says Square isn't innovative, here's proof that they are. SMRPG, when placed next to Paper Mario, is down right revolutionary. (The irony is that the game has pretty typical RPG mechanics, and Paper Mario does not.)

When SMRPG makes a joke, like the Booster marrying Peach stuff, or Bowser's manliness, etc, it always feels integrated into the world and story. Paper Mario is constantly winking at the player. The very nature of Paper Mario is that he is made out of Paper for no reason at all. It is a gameplay mechanic and nothing else. So when we go to a gameshow for no reason at all in Super Paper Mario, or the very fact that we're switching between 2-d and 3-d, it is in line with the self-aware construction of the game. It has its own logic that, I believe, undermines any power the story might have. It is as shallow as a real Mario game, but with more talking.

SMRPG has real moments of characterization and emotion, in contrast, and even if it may wink at the player once or twice, it is mostly concerned with making the Mushroom Kingdom a place you've never seen before. Nintendo does that too in Paper Mario, by giving each world a gameplay purpose. Square does this differently by making each world have its own ambience through design and music. The journey through SMRPG is emotional and vivid, with each area, from Rose Town to Nimbus Land, inside the volcano to Mario's house, feeling like it belongs to the larger world. Paper Mario's deliberate removal of narrative and regional cohesion refocuses its purpose: it is about how you hit the goomba on the head and which sidekick you use to hit the switch. It is concerned with what you do rather than what you see and hear.

Not to disparage Paper Mario - I think it is a great game (as you can tell from my recommendation). It is a fascinating study of why Nintendo's game making is subversive in its own way, and why no one can really own the "classical" model. Super Mario Bros turned heads in its day - that it is now the standard for sidescrolling is only indicative of its influence and quality, not its "centrality" to game design philosophy. When Nintendo attempts to innovate, as they have, they often get further and further away from whatever "center" may have displaced Super Mario Bros since. For awhile it felt like FFVII was the "center" of all game design, and later Zelda 64, and later Halo, and now, who knows? Nintendo operates on its own rules despite the major trends - with Wii, it seems Nintendo may be starting some trends again. If it doesn't last, who cares? Nintendo will always be around, making games on the fringe that sometimes redefine how we play games at all.

Paper Mario didn't redefine much, and it does live on the fringe, but it is a unique combination of elements that is subversively "Nintendo." It is a perfect series, and I hope it lives forever, especially now that Intelligent Systems is willing to take the idea of a paper-thin Mario to new and different levels. Hopefully the next game is another, even greater step. How lucky are we to be able to play all the Paper Mario games on one system?

GoldenPhoenixJuly 17, 2007

Yeah for Evan thinking SMRPG is a better game.

MashiroJuly 17, 2007

I loved Super Mario RPG as well but . . . in a lot of ways I DON'T want to see it get a sequel.

I just don't know if a sequel to it can ever really live up to the original. The journey, characters and plot was so original that I don't know if the magic can happen on a second go around. That and the story wrapped up so nicely that I just can't see a sequel working out as well as the original.

Everything just clicked so well with SMRPG that I would be afraid of a sequel screwing things up.

Ian SaneJuly 17, 2007

"Super Mario RPG is an infinitely better game than Paper Mario. PM is distinctly Nintendo"

That's a great point and I think Super Mario RPG is better too (actually it's one of my top three games ever). Paper Mario is Nintendo's Mario. I like Nintendo's Mario but after over 20 years I know Nintendo's Mario pretty well. SMRPG is Square's Mario or, more importantly, someone else's Mario. That just makes it a little more interesting. Plus Square was so good at what they did back then. Having Square from the 90s working on an RPG just doesn't compare. Intellgent Systems could never match it.

"I loved Super Mario RPG as well but . . . in a lot of ways I DON'T want to see it get a sequel."

That's how I felt about Gunstar Heroes and Yoshi's Island. When you wait this long for a sequel sometimes the results don't quite match up. Plus often the developer tries too hard to please fans and thus practically remakes the earlier game. I wouldn't want to see Super Mario RPG 2 that plays exactly like the original game and has Geno and Mallow and stuff. What's the point? Why make more of the same? I do however want Square to work on another RPG with Mario in it but I want them to try new stuff. They use different characters and tinker with the battle system in every Final Fantasy so they can do the same with Mario. And if they just want to make Super Mario RPG Yet Again then I'd rather they use a different Nintendo IP and make Zelda RPG or something. Cookie cutter sequels released over ten years apart just hurt the legacy of the first game.

But I figure if Square Enix did just make Super Mario RPG Yet Again it would be because of Nintendo. Whether you like Square or you don't they don't really make cookie cutter sequels. Chrono Cross plays different from Chrono Trigger. Each Final Fantasy is different. I think they wouldn't be so derivative.

NWR_pap64Pedro Hernandez, Contributing WriterJuly 17, 2007

SMRPG was a FANTASTIC game. It was the first RPG I ever played and one that captured my imagination. As Ian pointed out, it was an unique and fresh take on the Mario universe. We have to thank Square for some of the things they contributed to the Mario universe, like a very charismatic and fun Bowser, a fighting Peach and a very humorous view of the mushroom kingdom.

The music was just as impressive. Yoko Shimomura (who would later on compose for another of my favorite RPG series, Kingdom Hearts) did a great job of creating a score that was both Nintendo and Square.

Because of this, I never saw PM as being a worthy successor. The game is cute and filled with charm, but it lacks the magic that made Square's effort so unforgettable.

I wish Nintendo and Square would revisit SMRPG sometime...

MashiroJuly 17, 2007

Good point Ian about the sequel, I do agree.

Also Pap64, Mario RPG was my first RPg too =D I loved the musical score as well and I've been listening to it lately, nothing beats quality midi VG music.

GoldenPhoenixJuly 17, 2007

Well with Nintendo and Square getting back together the chances are definately higher for another SMRPG, even if it is for NDS.

TrueNerdJuly 17, 2007

I've never played SMRPG...

And until yesterday, I'd never played Paper Mario either. I have, however, played TTYD. Why all the negative comments on that game? I don't really like RPG's, but I found that game awesomely awesome.

Anyways, Paper Mario is tremendous thus far.

MashiroJuly 17, 2007

Quote

I've never played SMRPG...


. . .

. . . . . .. . . . .. . .. .. . .. .

Go get an emulator, dl the rom, play it now, then buy it for VC when it comes out. You wont regret it.

SvevanEvan Burchfield, Staff AlumnusJuly 17, 2007

Quote

Originally posted by: TrueNerd
Why all the negative comments on ? I don't really like RPG's, but I found that game awesomely awesome.

Playing Paper Mario, it becomes clear that Thousand Year Door is VERY similar. I think the GC game is better, ultimately, but the two games are of the same piece. PM might have some better locales too, but Thousand Year's awesome train sequence and wrestling arena both made up for it.

Quote

Originally posted by: TrueNerd
I've never played SMRPG...

If you still have a Super NES, I'll loan you my copy. That's how bad I want you to play it, Nerd.

GoldenPhoenixJuly 17, 2007

Quote

Originally posted by: Svevan
Playing Paper Mario, it becomes clear that Thousand Year Door is VERY similar. I think it's better, ultimately, but the two games are of the same piece. Super Paper Mario is entirely different.

Quote

I've never played SMRPG


If you still have a Super NES, I'll loan you my copy. That's how bad I want you to play it, Nerd.


Evan is tricking you, don't take him up on the offer!

vuduJuly 17, 2007

Quote

Originally posted by: Svevan
Quote

Originally posted by: TrueNerd
I've never played SMRPG...

If you still have a Super NES, I'll loan you my copy. That's how bad I want you to play it, Nerd.
I've never played SMRPG either and I still have my SNES. How bad do you want me to play it?

Quote

Originally posted by: Svevan
If anyone says Square isn't innovative, here's proof that they are. SMRPG


I agree... but this is the PAST we're talking about. I worshiped what I saw as a holy trinity from Squaresoft: Secret of Mana, Super Mario RPG, and FFVI... and then felt like they squandered that legacy.

Quote

Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix
Yeah for Evan thinking SMRPG is a better game.


WHA WHA WHAAAAAAAT?!?!?! GP. you HATE Evan! Look at the wall of text! Look at the intellectualism! It's so hateful! HATE HATE HATE!!!

... you know, even though I was personally more taken with Paper Mario than Square's effort (a perfect example of why I'm a Nintendo fanboi and ultimately not a Square one: I disliked Geno), I agree that Super Mario RPG was an amazing thing, and probably a more interesting and deep experience (basically I agree with Evan's assessment).

Ian SaneJuly 17, 2007

"Playing Paper Mario, it becomes clear that Thousand Year Door is VERY similar."

That's what has made it difficult for me to go through Thousand Year Door as well. Plus at the time I was annoyed that they were making a direct sequel as the convention at the time was that each Mario RPG was totally different and even made by a different dev each time. TTYD is a good game but it's quite redundant which I find to be a problem with a lot of direct Cube sequels of N64 games (Mario Power Tennis, Mario Golf Toadstool Tour). I became a Nintendo fan because they were so good at adding major innovations to their sequels and avoiding redundancy. I figure someone who played TTYD first and is now just playing Paper Mario for the first time might have a "meh" feeling like they've done it before. Whatever wonder you felt the first time you played any Paper Mario game isn't there when you play the other one.

"I disliked Geno"

Screw you! I'm going to name my cat Geno! face-icon-small-wink.gif

Quote

Originally posted by: Ian Sane
I became a Nintendo fan because they were so good at adding major innovations to their sequels and avoiding redundancy. I figure someone who played TTYD first and is now just playing Paper Mario for the first time might have a "meh" feeling like they've done it before.


Then why do you hate it that SMG is a sequel? face-icon-small-tongue.gif

But seriously, I SOOOOO get you. This is why I've actually started to stop buying some Nintendo games, because they're actually putting out some direct gameplay sequels now, instead of everything being a godly new experience...

But let's not open up THAT particular can of worms, shall we?

Quote

Originally posted by: Ian Sane
Screw you! I'm going to name my cat Geno! face-icon-small-wink.gif


Must be weird having cats with real names. My family cats are named Little One and Catty.

MashiroJuly 17, 2007

Someone said they didn't like Geno!!!???!

I'm not even going to look up who posted that >.

LuigiHannJuly 17, 2007

Yeah, I was kind of "meh" about TTYD, because it just felt less fresh than Paper Mario, so I can see how that would work exactly the same with one going from TTYD back to the first one. I'm glad either way that SPM decided to shake up the gameplay.

I'd really like to see a SMRPG2 that's co-developed by SqEnix and Nintendo, finding some kind of middle ground between the different series. I don't think the modern Square lives up to the 90s square, but they do still know a thing or two about... cinematic presentation? So they could still turn the Mario World on its side in an interesting way. And Nintendo could make sure the game is actually fun to play.

CalibanJuly 17, 2007

Quote

Originally posted by: Svevan
If Square wants to do a sequel to Super Mario RPG, I would die.


Someone has to be sacrificed, I'm glad you volunteered Evan, your sacrifice shall not be in vain.

TrueNerdJuly 17, 2007

Quote

Originally posted by: Svevan
Quote

Originally posted by: TrueNerd
Why all the negative comments on ? I don't really like RPG's, but I found that game awesomely awesome.

Playing Paper Mario, it becomes clear that Thousand Year Door is VERY similar. I think the GC game is better, ultimately, but the two games are of the same piece. PM might have some better locales too, but Thousand Year's awesome train sequence and wrestling arena both made up for it.

Quote

Originally posted by: TrueNerd
I've never played SMRPG...

If you still have a Super NES, I'll loan you my copy. That's how bad I want you to play it, Nerd.


Actually, I have TWO Super Nintendos. Does that mean you'll loan me two copies?

I appreciate the offer (even if you didn't mean it,) but I've got too much other stuff I'm trying to catch up on to even think about another game. And I've got to do it before August 27th because then it will be all Metroid all the time. I can wait for the VC release. I figure that's definitely got to happen at some point, considering it is a game with the word "Mario" in the title.

And Ian, have you had the pleasure to play Super Paper Mario yet? That one's different from the other two, but I see your point regardless.

TJ SpykeJuly 17, 2007

Paper Mario was THE N64 game that I most wanted when Nintendo announced the VC. I own the the N64 game (and have beaten it several times), but I love it so much that I just downloaded it a few hours ago.us There seems to be a few problems though, some parts of the game are more jaggy than the original and the dialogue is more broken up (it's harder to read and looks choppy). Hopefully they release a patch to fix it.

Ian SaneJuly 18, 2007

"And Ian, have you had the pleasure to play Super Paper Mario yet?"

No but I do plan on getting it when I get a Wii in August.

vuduJuly 18, 2007

Better start looking now.

Ian SaneJuly 18, 2007

I've got a place scoped out. They're a big department kind of store with a really out-of-the-way electronics section that is almost always empty. They have Wii's. I could buy one today if I wanted to. And they're near my house. I can walk there. Everything is falling into place.

IceColdJuly 18, 2007

Your posts are so much more enjoyable to read when they make me smile face-icon-small-smile.gif

MashiroJuly 20, 2007

So . . . After playing a bit of paper mario (and with 48 hours of no internet access *GASP*) I've decided . . .

that the game is a really dumbed down RPG. I mean I have the first star already and while the game is charming I feel it lacks a lot of depth. I dunno someone tell me does it get any better or is it a lot of the same. And hell do I ever do more than just 1-2 damage with Mario?

GoldenPhoenixJuly 20, 2007

Quote

Originally posted by: Mashiro
So . . . After playing a bit of paper mario (and with 48 hours of no internet access *GASP*) I've decided . . .

that the game is a really dumbed down RPG. I mean I have the first star already and while the game is charming I feel it lacks a lot of depth. I dunno someone tell me does it get any better or is it a lot of the same. And hell do I ever do more than just 1-2 damage with Mario?


If I recall correctly I don't think Mario ever does much damage.

MashiroJuly 20, 2007

Quote

Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix
Quote

Originally posted by: Mashiro
So . . . After playing a bit of paper mario (and with 48 hours of no internet access *GASP*) I've decided . . .

that the game is a really dumbed down RPG. I mean I have the first star already and while the game is charming I feel it lacks a lot of depth. I dunno someone tell me does it get any better or is it a lot of the same. And hell do I ever do more than just 1-2 damage with Mario?


If I recall correctly I don't think Mario ever does much damage.


Yeah I figured so much, that's a shame.

Also the general music for the overworld (not in town music I guess you would call it) is so freaking annoying.

UltimatePartyBearJuly 20, 2007

Why is that a shame? There's no functional difference between doing 9999 damage to a boss with 500,000 HP and doing 1 damage to a boss with 50 HP.

MashiroJuly 20, 2007

It feels stagnant though and that my character isn't getting stronger. It makes the game feel all the more boring.

Edit: It also makes extra damage seem all the more silly. Like when you charge your hammer it's like, "YAY 2 damage! oh awesome!", just feels lame.

KDR_11kJuly 20, 2007

In TTYD there were badges to boost your damage (really expensive though).

Ian SaneJuly 20, 2007

"Why is that a shame? There's no functional difference between doing 9999 damage to a boss with 500,000 HP and doing 1 damage to a boss with 50 HP."

I understand that but it took a while to get used to it. After Super Mario RPG it took time to adjust to Paper Mario's HP. It does initially feel like it's dumbed down. The way I see it is that Paper Mario is a Mario game with RPG elements designed for a Mario fan while Super Mario RPG is an RPG with Mario elements designed for an RPG fan. I notice this with how fans react. The people who are very vocal about their dislike of RPGs tend to prefer Paper Mario and a common complaint from Super Mario RPG fans is that Paper Mario is too dumbed down.

The ironic thing is that Paper Mario was one of the only major RPGs on the N64 but played very different from most RPGs while Super Mario RPG was released on the SNES which had TONS of RPGs but was more conventional. You figure with the audiences involved that doing it the other way around would have made more sense. Actually thinking about it the same thing happened with first person shooters on the Gamecube in comparison to the N64. It's like if the fanbase is starved for a genre Nintendo offers a very non-traditional game to fill the gap but when the gap is already full they follow the genre conventions. Boy is that backwards.

Bill AurionJuly 20, 2007

"I notice this with how fans react. The people who are very vocal about their dislike of RPGs tend to prefer Paper Mario and a common complaint from Super Mario RPG fans is that Paper Mario is too dumbed down."

How about those of us that find both games equally entertaining? =)

MashiroJuly 20, 2007

Well said Ian.

And yeah being a massive SMRPG fan Paper Mario just isn't doing it for me.

SMRPG just has such a high standard for well everything in the game. The characters, the environments, the story, the music (god the music in Paper Mario is so sub par when compares to SMRPG). . . it just can't hold a candle to what Square and Nintendo did back on the SNES.

Just my opinion on it though.

GoldenPhoenixJuly 20, 2007

Actually I've known people who aren't RPG fans who LOVE SMRPG.

MashiroJuly 20, 2007

...you know that is a good point GP. I couldn't consider myself an RPG fan when I first played SMRPG because well that was the FIRST RPG i ever played...

so to that extent I give SMRPG even more props for being a gateway RPG =)

KDR_11kJuly 20, 2007

And Mario & Luigi takes the strengths of both games and distills them down to pure awesomeness!

vuduJuly 26, 2007

So where's this week's VC Monday?

MashiroJuly 26, 2007

Everyone is too busy playing the awesomeness that is Kirbys Dream Course?

GoldenPhoenixJuly 26, 2007

Let me guess:

Kirby's Dream Course: Recommended for Everyone

Devil's Crush: Recommended for Everyone

Shining Force: Recommended for Fans

Another bad week for me.

CalibanJuly 26, 2007

Quote

Originally posted by: Mashiro
Everyone is too busy playing the awesomeness that is Kirbys Dream Course?


I bought it thinking it was a normal SNES Kirby game...waste of money from my part. It's going to get a recommended for fans tag.

GoldenPhoenixJuly 26, 2007

Quote

Originally posted by: Caliban
Quote

Originally posted by: Mashiro
Everyone is too busy playing the awesomeness that is Kirbys Dream Course?


I bought it thinking it was a normal SNES Kirby game...waste of money from my part. It's going to get a recommended for fans tag.


You are wrong.

vuduJuly 26, 2007

In fact, you are wrong. Mike said on the podcast that he did the review and it's Recommended for Everyone. Better luck next time.

MashiroJuly 26, 2007

Ca...caliban...

You...you didn't like Kirbys Dream Course!?!?

I'll trade your KDC for Paper Mario =D

CalibanJuly 26, 2007

You know what Mashiro, that would actually be an awesome VC feature, the ability to trade VC games with other people that are on our friend-code list.

I didn't say that KDC was a crappy game, it's just that...I wasn't impressed that's all because I was expecting a normal Kirby game.

MashiroJuly 26, 2007

Haha yeah I feel ya. It would be like ::thinks:: I dunno getting a Mario game and it ends up being wrecking crew (which still owns . . . but anyway).

Yeah a trading feature would be so awesome.

I would also love a trial period for games. I wish you could just spend 1 dollar and download a game just to try it. You would have an hour and once the hour is through you have the option of fully purchasing (the one dollar you spent would go towards the purchase) or decide not to. Better than spending 5-10 dollars and being disappointed!

SilverQuilavaJanuary 30, 2011

If I ever get the chance to meet Shigeru Miyamoto in person, it would be the greatest if he signed my cartridge copy of "Paper Mario" for the Nintendo 64. There's just no other game I like more in the world. It's my favorite game ever, no person in the world could even imagine a game that's better to me. The other Paper Mario games are almost as good, but the 64 version is the best to me. Ever since 2001, it's been my favorite, and it will never change. I can say without any doubt, second thought, or first thought, that I could play Paper Mario games forever and ever.  thanks for reading  -/_-

Paper Mario was done by Intelligent Systems, so I don't think Miyamoto played a particularly large part in that game.

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