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Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. Reviews

sörine;187276257 said:
I think Alphadream needs to take a break from M&L. Nintendo should give them another franchise to work on, or else let them come up with something entirely new.

I really hope they are the new developers of Paper Mario going forward after Paper Jam, as Intelligent Systems is too busy with other projects and likely aren't keen with working on the IP again after Nintendo gave them restrictions with Sticker Star and the toxic reception that game got.

In a few ways, Paper Jam could be Alpha Dream's way of familiarizing themselves with the Paper Mario IP, that way they can naturally go work on that for the NX in the future. Have Intelligent Systems oversee the project and you are set :).

Or I could see them make another Nintendo IP into the RPG format. I guess Kirby or Donkey Kong would be great picks; the former has a ton of potential for a RPG title while the latter is ripe for a large cast to use and locations from the Country games to work with.
 
I'll pass.

The M&L games have felt like they've been on life support since Partners in Time, and Paper Jam seems like it's just re-treading the same "team up with alternate versions of Mario/Luigi" ground that bored me into never finishing that one.
 
I'll pass.

The M&L games have felt like they've been on life support since Partners in Time, and Paper Jam seems like it's just re-treading the same "team up with alternate versions of Mario/Luigi" ground that bored me into never finishing that one.

Life support Since PiT?

But BiS had arguably the best reception and by far the best sales.
 
I'll pass.

The M&L games have felt like they've been on life support since Partners in Time, and Paper Jam seems like it's just re-treading the same "team up with alternate versions of Mario/Luigi" ground that bored me into never finishing that one.

But in BIS they don't team up with anyone and in Dream Team it's really just Mario & Luigi, the latter having additional powers?
 
I'll pass.

The M&L games have felt like they've been on life support since Partners in Time, and Paper Jam seems like it's just re-treading the same "team up with alternate versions of Mario/Luigi" ground that bored me into never finishing that one.

BIS is considered the peak of the series, so saying it's been on life support since PiT is a weird thing to say.
 
I'll pass.

The M&L games have felt like they've been on life support since Partners in Time, and Paper Jam seems like it's just re-treading the same "team up with alternate versions of Mario/Luigi" ground that bored me into never finishing that one.
Bowser's Inside Story is a far better game than either M&L game that came before it and the ones that have come after.
 
Asset reuse, and a relatively quick development turnaround. Bowser's Inside Story is my second-favourite M&L RPG, and Dream Team Bros is Sticker Star-tier.



You must have missed the part where I said I played and loved all the older games. Swell reading comprehension, buddy.

Majora Mask is also example of Asset Reused and see how good the game become?

Hell, Animal Crossing HHD actually is a really nice game on designing/decorating aspect and it reuses tons of assets too.

I don't think that is a good con point here.
 
Seems like the only thing this game offers that would interest me is another excellent soundtrack from Shimomura given this is mainly a M&L game. What's gotten me into Mario RPGs from the very beginning was the interesting story and new characters that you wouldn't normally get from a traditional Mario Game. Since this game has what's being a called a "disappointing story" that lacks anything original characters make me lose any interest in this.

On top of that Dream Team left a bad taste in my mouth. It was a good game that I couldn't enjoy due to them holding your hand the entire time. It basically felt like a tour through a Mario World as opposed to an Adventure.
Bowser Inside was the same, despite the critical acclaim that game had, there are serious passing issues on these games since then, besides becoming more predictable each time.

At least it seems like a step up from both DT and SS
 
Is anyone else fed up of them trying to keep both series fresh by forcing some new ideas? I'm still gonna buy it and probably enjoy it but just give me a sequel to both Paper Mario and Superstar Saga without the gimmicks dammit!
 
Is anyone else fed up of them trying to keep both series fresh by forcing some new ideas? I'm still gonna buy it and probably enjoy it but just give me a sequel to both Paper Mario and Superstar Saga without the gimmicks dammit!

Honestly I think the gimmicks always enhance the Mario and Luigi's. I'm not so fond of the babies, but playing as Bowser and the dreamworld fighting mechanics were great for their respective games. I mean, there's only so many ways you can jump over something or bounce it away with a hammer

Paper Mario though, yeah. I'd like a proper one again.
 
As someone who really criticizes Nintendo and love these RPGs to death, I will actually consider playing this one, even if it looks like "filler."

There are a lot of things people seem to ignore. While this game is reusing a bunch of assets, there are many, many new ones, but it's hard to point out. Dream Team had pretty much no original Mario series enemies, so all the sprites here are actually brand new, ignoring Sticker Star's sprites, but even those have new ones because of all the different effects and status ailments in M&L's battle system.

Some of the bosses like
Paper Petey Piranha
and
Tower Power Pokey
are redesigned and have many more sprites, which is a surprise, it's an indication that Intelligent Systems cared to listen to AlphaDream's requests on more than one occasion. In fact, a major reason why this game has a lot of NSMB aesthetic with the world is the decision to forego an RPG game that is entirely set in the Mushroom Kingdom (pretty much every M&L game never had original Mario enemies, if it did it were very few; this is the first) and from the bosses we've seen, it
wouldn't surprise me if all the Royal Sticker bosses reappear here
.

That's a whole lot of effort to make a "filler" game, especially when these reviews are honestly pretty good in general. While yes, this game could've gone over-the-top with OCs and a ridiculous mixed story with both series, they decided to take a more safe route and literally just have Mushroom Kingdom denizens interact with their paper selves. Not entirely a bad idea, we'll have to play the game to see how it works out.

I'll give it a shot.
 
Having only just got round to getting Dream Team I'm holding out to get another M&L game. I think it was fairly obvious from the get-go that this game was using assets and ideas from other games, which to some may remove some value. Hearing that tutorials are optional is great, but it's a shame that it took them another game to realize it. Combat looks fun with the three of them, despite having some double bros attacks ripped from DT that just have paper mario standing to the side.

From my point of view, I'll wait till it drops in price before I buy it. It doesn't have the same upfront charm that I got from Dream Team or Bowser's Inside Story.
 
I'm a sucker for M&L and I really enjoyed Dream Team, so I'm definitely picking this up. Seems the reviews are about where DT stood, so I'm cool with that.
 
So its basically Sticker Star but with some personality and is an actual RPG?

Kind of upsetting that both Alpha Dream and Intelligent Systems are giving into the generic NSMB style with their games. Lack of original NPCs is lame as fuck.
 
I just want Paper Mario back to its former glory. The inferior Mario RPG series crossing over with only the worst Paper Mario in existence wrapped up in generic Mario visuals and environments sounds like a pass to me. Mario & Luigi is beyond stale and Paper Mario has been run through the mud enough.
 
I just want Paper Mario back to its former glory. The inferior Mario RPG series crossing over with only the worst Paper Mario in existence wrapped up in generic Mario visuals and environments sounds like a pass to me. Mario & Luigi is beyond stale and Paper Mario has been run through the mud enough.

please.
 
Any word on how long the game is compared to Dream Team?

ETA: I see this is kinda covered above. I'm a bit bummed to hear it's shorter, but I'm sure it'll still be a lot of fun. Thanks for the info, Storm Kyleis! Any idea how long DT took you to beat?
 
Is anyone else fed up of them trying to keep both series fresh by forcing some new ideas? I'm still gonna buy it and probably enjoy it but just give me a sequel to both Paper Mario and Superstar Saga without the gimmicks dammit!

Nope. Those new ideas (or gimmicks how you call it) are what makes the Mario&Luigi RPG series so good for me.

My first M&L game was Partners In Time and I only played Superstar Saga when it came out on WiiU VC. The gameplay felt pretty stale and basic to me after I already finished three games of the series. Writing and characters of the first game are still really great though.

Paper Mario is different because the last classic RPG entry was over ten years ago. I would like a classic game now but I also really liked Super Paper Mario.
 
It's still a bummer to me that the Paper Mario crossover element is so stunted and seems to miss much of what made Paper Mario so appealing to many people (hint: it's not that Mario is made of paper! for crying out loud the first Paper Mario was called Mario Story in Japan), but it still sounds and looks like a solid game. I got a lot of enjoyment out of Dream Team so I'm sure I'll pick this up.

I wish they had at least done the easy fanservicey thing and stuck in some cameos from partners from TTYD or Paper Mario 64, but oh well. Maybe we will get another proper Paper Mario sometime. Maybe.
 
I saw the GameXplain video with Nintendaan but it felt a little strange the description made it sound better than how he felt about the game(he gave it a 7.5 which is good) but still. I'm getting this one anyway it's interesting its reception is somewhat favorable.

I'll pass.

The M&L games have felt like they've been on life support since Partners in Time, and Paper Jam seems like it's just re-treading the same "team up with alternate versions of Mario/Luigi" ground that bored me into never finishing that one.

You should try BiS, in my opinion PiT was the least good of the first 4.

It's still a bummer to me that the Paper Mario crossover element is so stunted and seems to miss much of what made Paper Mario so appealing to many people (hint: it's not that Mario is made of paper! for crying out loud the first Paper Mario was called Mario Story in Japan), but it still sounds and looks like a solid game. I got a lot of enjoyment out of Dream Team so I'm sure I'll pick this up.

I wish they had at least done the easy fanservicey thing and stuck in some cameos from partners from TTYD or Paper Mario 64, but oh well. Maybe we will get another proper Paper Mario sometime. Maybe.

I suppose it has to do with this being primarly a Mario & Luigi game with "guests".
 
Wow, the bar Nintendo has set must be pretty fucking high if a game pulling 7-9 everywhere is "filler."

Maybe it's just a fun, quality game and doesn't need to be paradigm-changing?
 
ETA: I see this is kinda covered above. I'm a bit bummed to hear it's shorter, but I'm sure it'll still be a lot of fun. Thanks for the info, Storm Kyleis! Any idea how long DT took you to beat?
Sadly I don't know, I went straight for 100% in DTB. I also spent a lot of time grinding, my time count is well over 60 hours by now.

I'd say each area lasts roughly half or 3/4 as much in Paper Jam Bros. The 2D sections are gone.
 
Here's Nintendo Life review 8/10: http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/mario_and_luigi_paper_jam_bros

Something interesting from that review:

The nature of this crossover allows for some really interesting character moments, since key players get a mirror held up to themselves. For example; we have Princess Peach's secret desire to chop her hair off, or Bowser Jr's implied loneliness.

Likely I'm reading too much into this but could this be why
Bowser Jr seems to get along his paper counterpart while Bowser and Kamek doesn't seem to get along with theirs, while in the NSMB games he's seen acting bossy towards the other koopalings? Or why he said he had fun in Sunshine's although he always knew Peach wasn't his mother because he actually wanted to be with his papa?

2746816-2746816-2361689430-ToadM.png

#DeepestLore
 
Reviews sound about what I expected. It's similar to Dream Team so feels less original, but they've also learned from Dream Team's mistakes in the tutorials, shorter length, etc.

I'm definitely getting this asap, as I loved Dream Team and the Mario & Luigi series as a whole. Shame to hear about the story though, I hope I at least love the ending like I did Dream Teams. Trying not to spoil anything in the mean time.

Sadly I don't know, I went straight for 100% in DTB. I also spent a lot of time grinding, my time count is well over 60 hours by now.

I'd say each area lasts roughly half or 3/4 as much in Paper Jam Bros. The 2D sections are gone.

Oh wait what, the 2D sections are gone? Wow, I thought those segments very much defined part of what made Bowser's Inside Story and Dream Team so fun, getting to constantly switch between 2D and 3D gameplay.

Curious to know where that decision came from, and how it'll affect Paper Jam here.
 
Seeing all these really high reviews and then reading the first page of people going "I knew it was shit" is really confusing me.
I'm just down on not having original characters. One of my favorite parts of the Mario RPGs is the diverse cast of kooky characters. Not having them loses a lot of the personality I associate with the games.

But everything else sounds promising.
 
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