Super Paper Mario
 

Over at GDC, we've got some impressions of the titles thanks to a demonstration by one of the localizers. The preview is downright glowing and with the game a little over a month away (April 9th), it won't be long until we can have a go at this one. Anyway, enough babbling. Here's some choice bits from the writeup.

More of the Super Paper Mario preview

April?! My god that was quick! I seriously expected this not to come for another 6 months.

I've been excited about this one since it was announced. As an avid not-fan of RPGs, I was really glad they decided to try this out. At the same time, the last RPG I actually really enjoyed was, heh, The Thousand Year Door, so I'm glad it hasn't lost it's signature appeal (if going by the article).

I am distressed at the fact that it's coming this early. My wallet :(

Haha! Wow that looks awesome! I thought this game was going on the DS though. Oh well.

Oh, I almost forgot. Apparently some new enemy (the guy you see marrying Bowser and Peach) gets them married and the event causes a tear or distortion in space/time and... that's why there are equations and crap in the sky.

If anyone's played TTYD, he has a similar design to that of the curse boxses that gave you your paper abilities.

I watched that little demo video, and the way the perspective change thing works is really cool. I first looked at it, and Mario walked up to the door surrounded by blocks, and I was thinking... "How's he going to jump that high-- HOLY CRAP THE WORLD TURNED AND HE CAN JUST WALK THROUGH!" ...XD

This looks really cool though. I can't wait. :D

Heh, looks like there's a few more videos to sink our teeth into. This time, we get to see Peach in action as well as character switching and a bit more. Looks fantastic. Makes me crave all the older titles in a similar style.

Super Paper Mario - Moves (Peach gameplay + floating)

Super Paper Mario - 8-Bit (Pixelated stage, Levelling up shown, Pixels power demonstration)

Super Paper Mario - Star

IGN's very nice video of a desert stage

Gamespots got 3 offscreen movies as well.

IGN's video is labeled 480p, so it might be that this game has a progressive scan option. Definitely a bonus to those out there with televisions who can take advantage of it.

This is one of those quirky games that i just gotta buy for some reason ^___^

LOL Paper Mario ^_^ It's too funny!

480p and widescreen FTW! XD

It's coming out next month so... should people bother to pre-order the game? >_>

All I need to know. Thousand Year Door was the best game Nintendo released last generation. This is Paper Mario without the RPG- even better.

Now this looks fun ^_^ I just watched the excerpt from the Desert level and I now know I must get this game. I should probably play its critically acclaimed predecessors, too. I don't know why I haven't, actually. =/

I'm definitely looking forward to this one, if only cuz I need a good new Wii game to sink my teeth into. The whole 2D/3D perspective changing looks utterly bizarre and awesome.

This game does look awsome, much like old school gameplay with a new twist:)

This game looks great & I'll bet getting it, but:

SuperFX chip ftw?? :D

This game will finally be the perfect reincarnation of a 2D and 3D world melding together. From what I've gathered this must have been a programing nightmare, but they really pulled it off quite well. And hopefully the RPG elements are still implemented in a way so that they don't come off hokey or unneeded. But the insane amount of creative thinking that went into this...I just can't wait to play it. :)

i've very skeptical. i thoroughly enjoyed both paper marios, especially the 1,000 year door. interesting concept, i'm hoping they can pull it off. -_-

As you can see in a lot of the videos, there isn't that much in the way of RPG elements as the guy says. It's something like 80% side scrolling action platformer/20% RPG, instead of the reverse like the Paper Mario RPGs. So far there's leveling, item use and from what I heard earlier, shops.

Hmm, yeah. I also recall that during the video when you use an item the action stops. Like for the flower, it encompasses all the nearby enemies and does massive damage. While doing so the action on the screen stops for awhile.

That flippy rectangles thingy the desert video that transports you to another location looked very cool, though it seems to do nothing else beside halt gameplay. A bunch of novelties like that throughout the game could become annoying.

Also just noticed the new screenshots. Is that a space shooter level? I'm sold.

I have faith that this will turn out better than NSMB (which was shovelware) as it looks like they're at least attempting to inject some innovation into it this time, and when Nintendo actually puts effort into something it shines (e.g. the N64's one utterly flawless game-every-two-years library vs. the GCN's flood of mediocrity).

This will probably be the title that convinces me to buy a Wii (seeing as how the only 5-star title on it right now is a port of a Gamecube game) although I see nothing other than the wider resolution to suggest this couldn't be released for the Gamecube.

I didn't like the first two paper Mario's at all, but I must say that this Super Paper Mario game excites me.

According to Erik, the game as it was at GDC was actually the final build (I'm not sure what they do in that extra month). He was super nice and went to great lengths to explain the game and his job, until a PR guy from Penny Arcade pulled him away before I could ask for his business card. :(

Anyway, the game itself is super awesome, though I got confused and lost pretty quickly. Then again, Erik gave me a weird save game pretty far into the game, so maybe I just missed some clues. It didn't blow me away completely, but it's already my favourite Paper Mario game. It's on my "95% chance of gets" list.

Typically, that "extra" month is to do all the physical manufacturing -- printing the CDs, manuals, case inserts, etc -- and to actually ship those boxes to the various stores. That stuff doesn't happen by magic (yet) :p

I'm pretty pumped about this game. I played the original Paper Mario, but not the sequel. Hopefully this one doesn't make the rotating effect into a gimmick (Mario Sunshine, I'm lookin' at you).

Here's another video explaining the controls which hasn't been posted in this thread yet.

I enjoyed Thousand Year, even though I struggled to complete it because some of the levels were completely boring (train level, for example). This looks a lot of fun though and I'll definitely be getting it.

Ah, good call!

You mean DVDs. XP

Anyway, I pre-ordered a copy on amazon.com (no tax + free shipping XD). Now to wait...

Also Nintendo pushing back the release for commercial purposes. This game has been done since February at the latest (gaming journalists having their copies at that time).

It's been a while since I visited Gamingforce. I forgot how few people here actually enjoy fun games.
This game looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Very clever, gameplay and scripting alike. Looking forward to it.

What a great thing to say when coming back. How was your stay away from us, ass? =/

First SPM review is in.

Of course, it's from Play Magazine, so take this with an oil drum full of salt and dumptruck full of feces.

But it got an 8.5 from them.

"Wow, whee! Sounds good to me!", yeah. No. Considering the terrible Sonic 360 got the same review score a little while ago, AND that Wario: Master of Disguise got a 9.0 from them. (Gamerankings has it at 65%.)

The on-every-fucking-platform-imaginable TMNT brawler that is averaging 62 or so percent across the board ALSO got an 8.5 from them. So, uh. Yeah. Obviously Play is a little crazy, since Sonic and the Secret Rings scored a 7 (lower than the 360/PS3 game. What.), so they are rubbish and trash and all that, but it's still something to think/talk about while waiting for this game to come out and more reviews to appear.

Acerbandit, notwithstanding your most recent comment, you were among those who had reasonably good taste in games. I approved of you.

Ugh, I'm just commenting on your attitude, man. It comes off as being pretentious.

People enjoy all sorts of games. I don't enjoy playing every type of game but I can see how people can and can appreciate that. For some of those games I even find myself enjoying watching people who enjoy those games I don't enjoy playing play. Pretty much any real-time strategy game falls into that.

The GBA version of TMNT is worthy of an 8.5. Wouldn't know about the other versions for DS, PS2, 360 and Wii, but IGN are calling TMNT the "greatest thing since Turtles in Time."

It's true. It really is.

I wasn't refering to the GBA game, this much should have been obvious.

What the hell, no one picked this up today? I just got through the intro and now have the ability to flip between dimensions. Seems pretty fun, though I agree with most reviewers on how bare the third dimension is.

I hope some of you bought it. Gamestop has a deal going on that lasts until the 12th where if you trade in any two used Wii games, you can get any Wii game free (excluding tax). So, perfect if you have two used Wii games you don't want, or if you have one, you can essentially get the game for 16 bucks (the cheapest used Wii game Gamestop carries). And if you have none, you can still save a couple bucks by just buying two used copies of Far Cry or something and trading them back in.

I got it today and just finished playing for tonight. I'm through 3 levels in the first chapter.

And holy shit. It's super, super fun. It's a platformer, but you have the Paper Mario RPG elements thrown in. Zelda is a great game, but in terms of what I want to play, this is the best game for the Wii so far.

I managed to get the $20 gift card from Circuit City since mine had the date wrong in their computer and didn't order any copies at all. Then I went down the road and actually bought Super Paper Mario from Best Buy.

After playing for awhile tonight I'm just after getting the first world's Pure Heart. The game is incredibly fun, and the dialogue is just as amusing as in previous games. I laughed so hard when the first boss (a robotic dragon) is searching his databanks to identify Mario, and his eye turned into the Wii Shop connecting icon. I can't wait to play as Bowser later on.

This game sounds great, most of the opinions I have read so far have been very positive. Hell if the graphics were better (as in programmed for the wii rather than GC) it probably would have broke the 9.0 barrier at IGN.

I can't wait for my next paycheck because I will surely be picking this one up.

I pre-ordered the game online so I'm waiting for it to arrive. :/

I'm sure the game will be great. :)

I never played any of the Mario RPG's, so I thought I'd just skip this one too... until I found out it isn't one at all! Well a little.

It's the 'New Super Mario Bros'ish aspect of this game I'm looking forward to. A little humor on top of it won't hurt me either. Can't wait to play it when it's released over here in 2037!

Also:

2037 will be a good year indeed (unless they delay it further, it might become like Wario Ware Twisted)! That image is going to be used so much from now on. So much. ='D

I saw that image earlier today and thought "gee, I wonder which Nintendo employee lurks forums".

It's nice that there's absolutely no PAL release date right now. Makes me want to modchip my Wii and import games from japan and america and all that.

Is Paper Mario fun to play? I was debating on whether or not to buy it.

Well I was surprise to get the game in the mail today. Like previous Paper Mario, this one is just as par. Fun and great laugher.

...and LOL @ "spoiler".

I talked to the assistant localizer, and it was pretty obvious that he was a huge geek. He knows us... he is us! He's also friends with Mike from Penny Arcade so that gives you an indication of the level of dorkiness in the localization team.

And: from what I played of it, the game is absolutely awesome. I love the 3D mode thing! I sure hope Europe gets a release before the end of the world in 2017. ;_;

What, did everyone stop playing this? I sorta rushed through the latter levels to recruit Luigi, so now I'm going to take it from the top and scour each World. Ideally I'll sit down and get that damn Pit of 100 Trials out of the way (the prize is pretty damn awesome).

I'm also a little surprised with the story so far. A lot of tragic characters and betrayals and all that. I thought Count Bleck was going to be a rushed villain like Grodus, but he's turned out to be pretty well thought-out.

I'm kind of surprised this thread has so few posts. :(

I purchased SPM about two weeks ago through Amazon and haven't gotten too far into it (thanks to Pokemon taking up most of my gaming time...) but it's really quite fun! I've never played a Paper Mario game before this (I'm hoping for the original to be released onto the Virtual Console).

Anyway, it seems a little on the easy side right now (but like I said, I'm not too far) but that's alright. It's fun.

The whole 2D/3D thing is exciting. I like climbing onto people's tables and bookcases and stuff, just for the heck of it. :P

I beat the game weeks ago. It does get a little more difficult including a classic RPG Moment later on, but it is still on an Easy level for most. I think this game could be made to have a Difficult mode.

Finished it like a while ago, but man... Flopside pit of trials kick my ass every time. I wasn't without an abundance of healing items (shroom steaks ftw) or low leveled (my hp is 90) but mannnnn every time I see a dark dazyee I assumed oooh he must be RARE and like give exp and crap so must use card/stomp on him. OMG no his song hits me for like 20 hp and I was trying so damn hard to conserve my healing items for the LEVEL UP HEAL INSTEAD as I was pretty much just about under 20 hp. I pretty much pwned myself.

You know that floor. 95 with Dark Pigrithams? crossing about in 3d even! Yeah.

One of the greatest things they threw in was...


I laughed so hard at that.

As for the Flopside pit... Yeah, it owns me too. And to get the true reward, you have to beat it TWICE. D:

TWICE?! Are you kidding?! I only manage to get to level 70. My HP was low and I ran out of healing items so I went back up. If that's true then it mean I would going through it 3 times (it's also a good way to stock on coins and exp).

LOL I went through that pit like 5 times. I'm gravely annoyed by it. So how about those rare cards. I know one of them gives you infinite 3d time but seriously at that point, I don't need it anymore. o.O' I'm awful curious about the battles though, I figured they may be somewhat hard with 4 of them in a row.

I haven't even beat the Flipside pit...

The Flipside Pit was a pushover.

And I've only gone through the Flopside pit once. The boss battle at the end of that one doesn't seem all that hard though, if you use bowser of course.

I'm trying to snake my way down there again because I need to see if that boss has different music. I'm doing the rip (which is on hold until I transfer stuff off my PC), and it's going well. Just need to figure out some encoding stuff.

I'm close to finishing the main storyline and I have to say, it wasn't as much fun as I hoped (don't kill me please!). I'm now going back and starting to do the optional stuff, and I'm finding that the Pit of 100 Trials seem to do it for me, and I think it's the best part of the game. It's kinda sad that I have yet to beat it though, the one time I did try to go all the way through, I got killed in the soccer koopa room in the 60-70s, and I even had quite a few recovery items. Aside from that, the card collection is a decent diversion, although I would have preferred it if I could carry more catch cards.

So how is this game overall? Is it as good as the other Paper Mario games? Would it be a good enough excuse to buy a Wii?

It's not really like other Paper Mario games, but it's a damn fine platformer. No single game is ever enough to warrant the purchase of a console (purchasing a console early is like an investment in future, awesome games), but Super Paper Mario is a good start.

Ooh, a platformer. That would be a nice change of pace. I will have to check it out. Thanks.