Zero Punctuation: Paper Mario: Sticker Star

[lucky_sharm]

It's a shame that the new Paper Mario turned out this way. What I loved about the series was how there was so much going on in the game. In TTYD there's Princess Peach's side plot, Bowser trying to catch up with Mario and the X-nauts, the whole lore behind the story, Luigi's various appearances in the plot, varied NPC dialogue based on where you were in the story, quirky mail which would arrive at various points of the game making the world feel lively...

I really hope they don't abandon this series, yet. They just need to bring back the charm, humor, and epic stories that the previous Paper Marios had.

 

[themilo504]

I would really like to see a traditional paper Mario game I personally really liked super paper Mario but it still isn?t the same.

 

[Something Amyss]

Oh, no surprise Yahtzee hates it! It's a Nintendo product, after all!

...I feel dirty.

 

[Xman490]

Wario Ware getting the same treatment as Paper Mario before the Wii? Yeah, right.

You know what's not even let to slip out of that cupboard? Wario LAND. That series had a great formula: interesting and often unique worlds with little puzzle dungeons scattered inside them, coin collecting, and psychedelic bosses. That platforming series even went to 3D, but it was forgotten after it started off the nostalgia-fueled "Wii treatment" trend in 2008. (see: Kirby, Metroid, Donkey Kong, New Mario)

 

[Yopaz]

While I liked this game a lot it didn't really feel like a Paper Mario game. It was good for what it is, but there were those frustrating moments where you were unprepared for a boss because you didn't have the correct thing sticker, which took up a whole lot of inventory space. You had to go a lot of back and forth getting stickers that would be good against the boss and that did get old after a while. I had a few battles where I was unable to win because I ran out of hammer stickers against a spiked enemy, I did not like that part.

At this point I wish Nintendo would just do a rehash and make a new Paper Mario based on the Nintendo 64 version or Thousand Year Door. Those were both awesome.

 

[Teoes]

Sweet Zombie Jesus, was that a Jamie Bulger joke?

 

[1nfinite_Cros5]

Never thought Yahtzee adored the Wario Ware games like I did. I usually think Nintendo is at its best whenever they roll out games that don't take themselves seriously and have expert comedic timing, much like the Wario Ware example. This might mean he's be pretty fond of the Rhythm Heaven games if he'd give them a try.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Was the neglected child under the stairs always a "thing" or do we have JK Rowling to thank for that?

 

[beetrain]

"got, got, got, need, need, got"
That was nostalgic.

 

[Tireseas_v1legacy]

You'd think with their devotion to laziness they would have just re-released the original two Paper Mario for the 3DS like they did for Mario 64...

 

[-Dragmire-]

Was the neglected child under the stairs always a "thing" or do we have JK Rowling to thank for that?

While I can't name any examples off the top of my head, before Rowling it used to be the attic and basement as the standard place to put neglected/unwanted children in stories.

Shame, I had a feeling it'd go this way. Thousand-Year Door is no doubt my favorite game in the Mario series as a whole, and one of my favorite RPGs as well. Seems Nintendo's forgotten how to do a creativity in Mario games.

It's also at the top of the Mario line for me as well although I have it tied with Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.

OT: Too bad, I hate single use abilities for fights, reminds me too much of the combat from that one Kingdom Hearts game that had card based combat.

 

[shiajun]

I should stop watching these videos at work. I could barely contain my laughter at Yahtzee doing the level remix dub and the 3DS pleasure sounds.

 

[mew4ever23]

I hate to admit it, I really do, but Yahtzee's right. SS had some fun moments, but it really wasn't a paper mario game. No partners, the new battle mechanic, while interesting, is lame - being forced to flee from an opponent with 1 hit point because you ran out of stickers that you can use on it without hurting yourself instead?

Off topic, my Solvemedia for this post? "Loyal".

Wish you would stop beating us for it, Nintendo. I really do.

 

[TheomanZero]

Okay, I just have to say . . .
The reason for the sticker thing is that everything is made out of paper.
Paper? Stickers? Get it?

 

[Kargathia]

Was the neglected child under the stairs always a "thing" or do we have JK Rowling to thank for that?

Probably Rowling and everyone else adapting to modern houses not having a basement. Gotta stuff those ginger step-childs somewhere.

 

[The_Echo]

Sticker Star was the biggest disappointment for me last year. If it didn't have the Mario characters in it, it could stand as a completely different IP.

On top of that, I found the sticker mechanic to be boring, the puzzles to be obtuse and the bosses to be, well... lame. There was literally no plot to keep me invested despite all of this, and even the music is just a conglomeration of tracks we've heard in previous Mario games!

In as few words as possible, Sticker Star is 1.) Not a Paper Mario game, and 2.) Not fun.

 

[ex275w]

Doesn't Yahtzee also fancy the Mario & Luigi games? I think that's another thing that Nintendo keeps under the door, along with Mole Mania and Metroid Sidescrollers.

Also it seems that SS is a bad acronym for a series, first it was Skyward Sword (Which I thought was a very flawed masterpiece) and now Sticker Star, will the next Donkey Kong be Supreme Simian or something?

Let's do hope the next Mario & Luigi game can make up for Sticker Star.

 

[burymagnets]

RIP Kammy Koopa :'(

 

[Kurt Cristal]

Yes, Nintendo. Where IS Wario? He was suspiciously absent in that other game you made where the entire points was collecting as many coins as possible.

 

[Kuomon]

To answers Yahtzee's question, Paper Mario: Sticker Star is a puzzle game with adventure elements, a Puzzle adventure if you will. This is clear by how the game approaches sticker use and how it rewards you for winning battles in a single turn. I'll agree though that this game would have been probably better served not being related to the Paper Mario series.

The real question is whether it is a good puzzle game, and although I'll admit I'm enjoying the game thus far, it does need a lot more polish, and I fear that it's the series' classic comedy that's keeping me entertained as opposed to the game mechanics. If you have a 3DS give it a try and decide for yourself.

This game is a Paper Mario in the sense of "a mario game where everything is made of paper, and built around this fact" and not "part of the Paper Mario series". It's relevant to point that the N64 Paper Mario is known as "Mario Story" in Japan.

I agree with your choice of "Puzzle Adventure" for this game's genre, it certainly fits. I played this and I had lots of fun with it, in particular with the matching music and the bosses (and the music in these fights). But yeah, if you play this expecting something like TTYD, you'll be VERY disappointed...

Naming inconsistencies aside (which was a big problem for most of the 90's), you can't really extricate Sticker Star from the Paper Mario series just because it's a departure from the original way the series was designed. Hell, before being Mario Story, the original Paper Mario was going to be Super Mario RPG 2.