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Paper Mario (Wii U VC) |OT| Jr. Troopa Brings the Pain.. AGAIN!

Both Paper Mario and The Thousand Year Door are awesome games and probably some of my favourite games ever. I feel so lucky to own a (still pristine) copy of PM64 from way back when, since it was such an incredibly rare game thanks to its limited production run. Personally I prefer the second one as it's a bit more refined and I think it has aged more nicely, but the first game is still freakin' fantastic. I love the fact both games are similar yet quite different in their own ways. But I find TTYD has a certain confidence that can be seen in its storytelling, presentation and even its music compared to PM64. It's so sad Nintendo/Int Sys never kept a good thing going though. I heartily recommend everyone gives this game a shot.

Super Paper Mario was conceived as Gamecube spin-off game and shoehorned onto the Wii, so its existence doesn't offend me too much.

I won't even touch Sticker Star with a barge pole; a dagger through my heart.

Didn't know that. How'd you find that out?
 

Watch Da Birdie

I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
As a kid I could never get past Puff. N. Stuff or whatever he was named, wonder if I'll find the game easier as an adult...

Don't think I've played this since like 2001.
 
Didn't know that. How'd you find that out?

Hm, well it may depend on region. But I certainly recall it being very difficult to obtain in Australia (where I was at the time). For some reason we never got many copies of it in the first place, and trying to get hold of the game there was like searching for gold dust back then. It didn't help that Paper Mario is among the last games produced for the N64, and retailers there stopped supporting the system not long after that game was released.
 
Yea, that was rough! Paper Mario came out the same day as a big PS1 RPG, I can't even remember which one, but I remember struggling with it at the store. I was pretty young working my first job and, and even though I wanted Paper Mario more, it wasn't easy to fork over an extra $30 for a shorter game. I had no regrets after playing it though.
Assuming America I'm not seeing anything from a glance. A reprint of a Lunar game was about that time though.

Hm, well it may depend on region. But I certainly recall it being very difficult to obtain in Australia (where I was at the time). For some reason we never got many copies of it in the first place, and trying to get hold of the game there was like searching for gold dust back then. It didn't help that Paper Mario is among the last games produced for the N64, and retailers there stopped supporting the system not long after that game was released.
Late life PAL N64 games in general held their value really well as the DC and PS2 killed what little retail presence they had left and so stores did not order many.

A factory sealed copy of any of those is a return on investment in the thousands of percent. From what I remember Mario Party 3 and Paper Mario are top on that.
 

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
I won't even touch Sticker Star with a barge pole; a dagger through my heart.

Sticker Star has issues, mostly in terms of combat(bosses often require obtuse 'stickers' as a key item to beat which can be tedious and frustrating to prepare for), but the game isn't nearly as awful as most make it sound. The progression is cute and charming, and most of the levels are laid out quite well with creative secrets utilizing the stickers. Almost like an adventure game, and the 3D is fantastic. I actually also like how this game doesn't get too hung up on downtime moments(usually between core levels in the hub) that really dragged down Paper Mario 1/2 and Super Paper Mario quite a bit I always found.

Had the 'key item' stickers required for bosses and certain progression elements not been tied to your limited inventory, I think people would have been more favorable. Running back to town to recreate these stickers once used up is a real pain.
 

Salsa

Member
TTYD is way better guys

I mean, im sure it's subjective but i'll take better graphics better battle system better humor and better dialogue in general over slight better pacing any day. Best Treehouse.

TTYD aged better too. It's super snappy and player friendly. You never feel like you're dragging or being held to the game's pace, you can rush through it and it has a great feel to it. This game is slower.
 

Mr-Joker

Banned
Sweet this is one of the N64 games I wanted on the Wii U. Now I just need to wait for Sin and Punishment and Kirby 64.

Though watch Nintendo of Europe fuck it up and give us the 50hz version.

Does upgrading transfer the save files as well? I have some progress and I don't want to lose it.

Nope.
 
Still got my 64 cart, but this is really fun game that everyone should play. I actually like this one more than the GC Paper Mario.
 
TTYD is way better guys

I mean, im sure it's subjective but i'll take better graphics better battle system better humor and better dialogue in general over slight better pacing any day. Best Treehouse.

TTYD aged better too. It's super snappy and player friendly. You never feel like you're dragging or being held to the game's pace, you can rush through it and it has a great feel to it. This game is slower.

I'm sensing sarcasm
 

ryushe

Member
Bought this on my Wii the day it was released. Never played it and now I don't have that Wii anymore to do the $2 transfer.

Crap.
 

Salsa

Member
I'm sensing sarcasm

where?

TTYD might have worse pacing in terms of chapter length (I really don't see it but I see it brought up all the time), but the game moves. You know? you do stuff. It's not a Nintendo game where you just stare and press A over and over on top of slow boring obvious dialogue or cutscenes. It's definetly faster.
 

Kadin

Member
where?

TTYD might have worse pacing in terms of chapter length (I really don't see it but I see it brought up all the time), but the game moves. You know? you do stuff. It's not a Nintendo game where you just stare and press A over and over on top of slow boring obvious dialogue or cutscenes. It's definetly faster.
Okay... but is TTYD an option right now on eShop? It's not. So are you advising people not to buy this and instead buy a GC if they don't have one and find a copy of TTYD?

While TTYD might be better in some eyes, this game is also very well done and deserves a purchase as well. I guess I'm not seeing your point of coming into the thread just to tell everyone another game in the series is better.
 
where?

TTYD might have worse pacing in terms of chapter length (I really don't see it but I see it brought up all the time), but the game moves. You know? you do stuff. It's not a Nintendo game where you just stare and press A over and over on top of slow boring obvious dialogue or cutscenes. It's definetly faster.

I don't know, I mash B since it's faster.
 

Salsa

Member
Okay... but is TTYD an option right now on eShop? It's not. So are you advising people not to buy this and instead buy a GC if they don't have one and find a copy of TTYD?

While TTYD might be better in some eyes, this game is also very well done and deserves a purchase as well. I guess I'm not seeing your point of coming into the thread just to tell everyone another game in the series is better.

.. what?

dude, chillax. I love Paper Mario. When I came here I posted a different thing. Conversation veered that way and im just stating an opinion geez. Read a few posts above me and half the thread is debating wether this or TTYD is better is all.

'Paper mario is great everyone, buy it'

there, thread PR-lookin circlejerk approved
 

RedToad64

Member
Anyone else notice the black bars (that all N64 Wii U VC games have) are missing during the intro?
Intro screenshot:
JnbEM63.jpg


Yet during the actual game you get the black bars.
Regular gameplay:
Z7yCa4l.jpg


Here is DK64 for comparison:
Pi0KouU.jpg


These are directly from Miiverse.
 

Lookie401

Member
Anyone else notice the black bars (that all N64 Wii U VC games have) are missing during the intro?
Intro screenshot:
JnbEM63.jpg


Yet during the actual game you get the black bars.
Regular gameplay:
Z7yCa4l.jpg


Here is DK64 for comparison:
Pi0KouU.jpg


These are directly from Miiverse.
The game underscans to compensate CRTs overscanning. Wish there's an option to adjust/zoom the screen/viewing area.
 
Anyone else notice the black bars (that all N64 Wii U VC games have) are missing during the intro?
Intro screenshot:
JnbEM63.jpg


Yet during the actual game you get the black bars.
Regular gameplay:
Z7yCa4l.jpg


Here is DK64 for comparison:
Pi0KouU.jpg


These are directly from Miiverse.

Yeah I did notice that, and it got me excited that there wouldn't be horizontal black bars (top and bottom) in this game at first.

I really wish they'd make an option to adjust how zoomed in the picture is.
 

jholmes

Member
What's the consensus between which game is better: Paper Mario or TTYD? I only ever played through TTYD.

I think I preferred TTYD but playing Paper Mario through today, it's clearly the one of the two I remember better.

I think some people go way overboard on the TTYD love here though.
 

RichardKSJ

Member
The first N64 game I ever had and possibly my favorite N64 game. Everyone in my household played it EVERYONE.

I remember having a lot of trouble with the game, and my father got me through the desert which was the one part I had issues with (he stayed up all night to get through it). After that though I was the first to beat it out of everyone. Oh yeah I bragged.

I'll be buying this for sure.
 
I've tried to play it several times in the past. While fun, I just end up losing interest and put the game down after a few hours. I started with TTYD (which is still one of my favorite games of all time), so playing this feels like a lot less in comparison.

May give it another shot. Off TV Screen has helped get over the initial hump of games in the past.
 
Great! I've played TTYD a ton, and it's one of my favourite games ever.

Have only played the N64 Paper Mario once, and I remember loving it.

One question: how's the frame rate on this game? I find when I go back to old N64 games I once loved the frame rate is worse than I remembered....
 

PKrockin

Member
Great! I've played TTYD a ton, and it's one of my favourite games ever.

Have only played the N64 Paper Mario once, and I remember loving it.

One question: how's the frame rate on this game? I find when I go back to old N64 games I once loved the frame rate is worse than I remembered....
The framerate is solid as far as I remember. 3D objects are used kind of sparingly in favor of 2D assets for the most part so I'd expect as much.
 
This is my favorite game of all time. Even though TTYD is many times better.

I just remember saving up all my money in third grade to buy this game for no particular reason. I've beaten it like 5 times.

UGH NOSTALGIA
 

Miker

Member
TTYD is probably the better game between the two Paper Marios. Hell, I'd say TTYD's biggest flaw is that some of its chapters are too much like chapters from Paper Mario 64. I think Paper Mario 64 actually has better "standard" town->dungeon->boss chapters with better environmental puzzles (Flower Fields, Crystal Palace), whereas TTYD was at its best when it was doing interesting things with its structure, like Glitzville and the train mystery. If you ask me, TTYD's standard chapters didn't get all that creative with actual environmental puzzling because it fell back on the paper transformations as a crutch.
 

WillyFive

Member
Anyone else notice the black bars (that all N64 Wii U VC games have) are missing during the intro?
Intro screenshot:
JnbEM63.jpg


Yet during the actual game you get the black bars.
Regular gameplay:
Z7yCa4l.jpg


Here is DK64 for comparison:
Pi0KouU.jpg


These are directly from Miiverse.

I don't like how the Wii and Wii U VC emulators always make N64 games appear so dim.
 
Hmm, an OT for a game's second virtual console re-release? Ok.

Anyway, one of my, if not my favorite video game of all time. The number of times I've replayed this, both with and without friend/family watching, is utterly insane. So much so that I finally burned out on it a couple years back. I have been playing it again lately though for professional reasons.

Needless to say, there are some things gameplay-wise that its sequel does better, but there's just something magical about this one that, to me, I can't say one is better than the other. PM64 and TTYD are both such lovely games. While I'm one of the few people who don't think the other two games are bad, they were definitely disappointments after such an epic duology. Well, mostly anyway, since Super Paper Mario has the best story in the sub-series... possibly even the entire Mario series.

Pretty hilarious choosing Jr. Troopa to be the OT subtitle, too. He's probaly my favorite Mario RPG rival other than Shadow Thief Popple, see? :)

TTYD is probably the better game between the two Paper Marios. Hell, I'd say TTYD's biggest flaw is that some of its chapters are too much like chapters from Paper Mario 64. I think Paper Mario 64 actually has better "standard" town->dungeon->boss chapters with better environmental puzzles (Flower Fields, Crystal Palace), whereas TTYD was at its best when it was doing interesting things with its structure, like Glitzville and the train mystery. If you ask me, TTYD's standard chapters didn't get all that creative with actual environmental puzzling because it fell back on the paper transformations as a crutch.

Consider too that TTYD was guilty of forced backtracking within the chapter. This happens in both Chapter 4 (To great degree) as well as briefly during the start of Chapter 5. Chapter 3 was arguably one of the best Chapters in the two games, but it definitely overstayed its welcome a bit... despite the entire chapter taking place in one area, it's somehow one of the longer chapters in the series. By comparison, Paper Mario 64 didn't have as much forced backtracking(Most of it was in Flower Fields). You could argue that it had some mild backtracking here and there, such as the Tubba Blubba boss battle in its entirety, but it's just not as pronounced as it is in TTYD.
 

udivision

Member
But had great story, encounters, characters, music, and I don't see how you mean it wasn't a good platformer...it's not like PM and TTYD had good platforming to them.

I think the argument is that PM/TTYD made up for the platforming by being good RPGs. SPM couldn't hold a candle to those as RPGs, and certainly not to 2D Mario/3D Mario as a platformer. It was an idea that sounded good on paper but the result was sub-par.
 
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