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Gamexplain @ SDCC | Paper Mario: Color Splash - 10 minutes of Dark Bloo Inn
- Thread starter Mpl90
- Start date
Tom Nook Sawyer
Member
Boos inhabiting a hotel isn't necessarily the most original idea Color Splash has (if they're in this level). Sunshine takes credit for doing that one first.
Though in all fairness it was easily the best fucking idea that the game had in terms of adapting the setting so I don't blame Nintendo for reusing it.
Though in all fairness it was easily the best fucking idea that the game had in terms of adapting the setting so I don't blame Nintendo for reusing it.
Mr Waluigi
Banned
Enemies drop small hammers that count as "EXP" by filling up a gauge that levels up your paint capacity once it is full.
The first two games had a badge that let you kill enemies by simply hitting them in the field if you are much stronger than them. Sticker Star had the same thing although it did not require a badge obviously. CS seems to be doing the same thing.
Anyway. I love how key items are back. Sticker Star had scraps instead.
did the shy guys just...huff paint?
That wasn't my point. My point was that even TTYD had generic NPCs and having generic NPCS doesn't necessarily mean there won't also be unique ones. It was mostly about how the bulk of Toads were still generic and we've seen some cases of some non-generic Toads like how TTYD had generic and non-generic NPCs.
Thinking about it, although TTYD did have a wider array of Mario races, most NPCs were still generic. For example:
Petalburg: Generic Toads and Koopas.
Great Tree: 4 unique punis among a sea of clones.
Glitzville: Inside and out populated by generic Toads, Lakitus, and Doogans.
Twilight Town: Generic Twilighters.
Fahr Outpost: Generic Bob-ombs.
Of course having variety is nice, but a lot of the NPCs in the game are still generic (recolors or clones of the basic appearance of a species in the game).
What we haven't seen much of in Color Splash are the more unique NPCs that existed alongside these generic ones, but we have seen some like the members of the rescue squad and the Toad running the shop at Oceanfest and we've seen that Toads will have different outfits in some places.
I mean, sure they're still Toads, but that doesn't mean they can't do good things with them. And we haven't seen enough of the game to know how many unique characters there will be. The existence of generic NPCs isn't that big of an indicator. The writing so far has been on point, which was lacking in Sticker Star.
Green Mamba
Member
We've definitely seen enough to know that Color Splash does not have the NPC variety that TTYD had unless they're just doing a really good job of hiding them, so your comparisons again fall completely flat.
Color Splash's NPC variety only compares favorably to Sticker Star, but fucking anything would compare favorably to Sticker Star.
Color Splash's NPC variety only compares favorably to Sticker Star, but fucking anything would compare favorably to Sticker Star.
Linkstrikesback
Member
You're not wrong, and if this was the first time they went on a toad bonanza, they might have gotten away with it, given they're clearly trying a little harder than just changing the colour of the toads now.
They've kinda poisoned the well though by overdosing on Paper Toad in Sticker Star and Paper Jam, so I'm (and probably others) are less appreciative of another toadfest.
They've kinda poisoned the well though by overdosing on Paper Toad in Sticker Star and Paper Jam, so I'm (and probably others) are less appreciative of another toadfest.
The original Paper Mario takes credit for that!
Well of course it likely won't have the variety of TTYD, but TTYD is an exception in that regard for the series, not the standard. My point was that even though TTYD had exceptional NPC species variety most of those NPCs were still generic to the point you have several clones occupying the same space. Seeing a bunch of the same bob-omb standing around doesn't do much more for me than a bunch of toads standing around. Obviously it's better, but generic is generic. In that case it comes down to the writing.
All we've seen so far has been in this game's first region. Who knows if won't see more non-toad NPCs in other areas. We've already seen shy guys, koopas, and sledge bros as NPCs so obviously it's possible. That would be similar to Paper Mario 64 as well.
Little Monser
Banned
The NPCs in this game each have individual personality.
It's just that they look the same that's all
It's just that they look the same that's all
This!
That is what I have most noticed. The dialogue and personality is still there, just not so much changes from character to character, except for several ones.
I am starting to like a bit more the game mechanic. The card mechanic looks better than how it was with Sticker Star, and liked how the paint works.
At first I was not going to get this game, but now seems like I will.
Green Mamba
Member
TTYD is not really the exception either, it's just the best example. PM64 has a lot more generic NPCs than TTYD but it still has way more variety than displayed in CS so far, and SPM, as bad as its "random shapes" character designs were had a ridiculous level of variety. Again, from what we've seen so far, the only PM game that CS compares to is SS.
And the rest of the game not being 99% red Toads is a pretty big "maybe" at this point, especially after the statements of the producers citing the challenge of limiting the NPC design scope to just Toads... Nevermind that by the end of the first chapter of the original Paper Mario whole communities of non-Toads were already well established, or that TTYD's improvement in NPC variety over PM64 was typically seen as a good upgrade over its predecessor, so I'm not sure what there is to celebrate about that CS might almost match a sixteen year old game if you glance at it with your eyes sort of shut half-way.
It's fine that you don't particularly care, but this disingenuous comparison does your no favors.
The NPCs in Sticker Star each had individual personalities too.
Any modern RPG (sorry--action-adventure) would get shit for this level of NPC reusage.
I cant tell if this post is making fun of the game or not. Thats how absurd it sounds.
MissingString
Neo Member
Ah, okay. Thanks for that. I've watched a fair bit of footage but I somehow missed that. Well that alleviates one of my concerns at least.
Emmmm, he is right.
Even the generic looking Toads in Sticker Star had unique personalities and quirky dialog not unlike the one in the previous games... too bad there was not much of it but it was there =P
Tom Nook Sawyer
Member
I think his point is that it's hard to discern--or more accurately, remember--personality traits without matching visuals. The toads just all kind of blend together. I can only clearly remember one or two Toads from Sticker Star by memory, as compared to the countless in PM64 or TTYD
ChaosZeroX
Banned
I had a good feeling about Sticker Star and ended up hating it.
Frankly, TTYD could've been all Toads for NPCs, as well, and it'd still be better than Color Splash. It'd still have unique partner characters like Vivian, Flurrie, Bobbery, etc. Characters with designs we'll actually remember when we look back on the story.
So far we've got a bucket.
So far we've got a bucket.
Woah Woah Woah bro, a bucket... with eyes. Let's get that straight.
Yeah no partner characters are the main thing that turned my off this franchise. Shame really.
Your post reminded me that even in TTYD, we had a large number of male, female, young, old, sailor and aristocratic toads in the game. There seem to be a few Toads in Color Splash that have other occupations, but I don't understand why they got rid of the female ones. That could be its own thread...
In every screenshot you posted outside of the first one, there are at least several NPC's who aren't reused too.
If you guys like partner characters, you should consider trying the Mario & Luigi series. It's a handheld version of the original Paper Mario games but with more complex depictions of many of the Mushroom Kingdom standbys, and a battle system similar to what you liked in TTYD, with a big focus on a partner system. Or, in fact, an improved partner system.
I mentioned those and said those are what Color Splash really seems to lack; although Color Splash does have unique NPCs and we've only seen like 3 NPC-heavy places in the game, one of which we've only seen in a deserted state.
Here's the whole map of Prism Island. There are several towns yet to be seen, including a circus. We can see that apparently some unique characters like rescue squad toads show up on the map as icons. There are also icons for draggadon and Princess Peach.
Mario & Luigi is a continuation of Super Mario RPG made by the same people who made Super Mario RPG.
March of the Crabs
Member
Every single thing about this looks awesome except the battle system. I might give it a go despite that.
Green Mamba
Member
Mario, Luigi, and one other person, maybe. Amazing partner system, and definitely equivalent to what people miss from Paper Mario.
I've played Mario & Luigi, thank you very much, and I vastly prefer the original two Paper Mario titles. I don't find they scratch the same itch at all, and the condescension to assume that those who miss the old style Paper Mario haven't played them is really unnecessary.
Is this a joke post or are you serious right now.
What, because Baby Mario/Baby Luigi are playable in Partners In Time and Bowser in Inside Story? Because of the bro attacks? Do we really need to post the Arlo videos again as to why M&L and Paper Mario arent the same in the slightest?
Fuck it im gonna post them anyway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JBbcaLsyZI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR11d5I-5RQ
ViewtifulJC
Banned
we have a product for people who want Paper Mario, its called Mario & Luigi!
My apologies that the joke backfired so badly and certainly no condescension was intended. I literally just meant it as a super dumb joke. Sincerely, I'm sorry it came off otherwise.
Green Mamba
Member
Yeah, sorry about the abrasiveness of my response.
Consider the backlash pent up frustration for a series that Nintendo seems to go out of its way to not listen to the fans of.
I mean, really, no other Nintendo series has its producers telling fans to play a completely different series if they want the old gameplay. That's just going to rub people the wrongest way.
I think the biggest problem I have with the whole Toad thing is that it doesn't make any sense. Why would they deliberately choose to make their game significantly less interesting for what I assume is only slightly less work. Is it really that hard to come up with a few new characters, and slap a bunch of different types of mario characters everywhere like ttyd did? I doubt it. It doesn't make sense. Because it's boring. And they know it is. How could they not know? One, it's obvious. Right? Less variety = more boring. Pretty obvious. Two, people have been complaining about it for a long time, and we know they've heard the complaints and their answer is.... Eh? So they're knowingly and purposefully making their game less interesting because they just feel like it? If it was something really difficult or some sort of problem that hadn't been solved yet, I'm sure many people would be more forgiving. But it's a problem that was solved many years ago, and likely doesn't take much more work than they're already putting in. Making that break dancing pig surely took much more work than slapping some doogans and other characters around in place of a toad or two.
It's like playing a game of hot and cold and you keep saying "Cold!" and they keep walking in the same direction knowing it's wrong. It's like... this. Only in this case the jar is never opened.
It's like playing a game of hot and cold and you keep saying "Cold!" and they keep walking in the same direction knowing it's wrong. It's like... this. Only in this case the jar is never opened.
It's so weird. They created this problem from themselves and already have the solution.
There are certainly reasonable and justified arguments against the game, and the producers telling the fans to deal with it is uncalled for. However, seeing such vicious and immediate criticsm for a game that we know very little about just seems...irrational. I mean, there was a petition to cancel the game for god's sake. Even for my most hated game, I could never conceive to start something like that, let alone sign it.
Green Mamba
Member
I'm pretty sure the petition was a joke, it had hardly any signatures and was started by someone called "Jimmy Rustle."
Spieler Eins
Member
Miyamoto being afraid of new things nowadays, unless it's the addition of shitty control schemes. Sticker Star had original character designs in its first previews, but then they weren't allowed to use anything not found in New Mario Bros.