Zero Punctuation: Paper Mario: Sticker Star

[Rorro]

Ah, to be young and collect and trade Panini football stickers. Good times. Here in Mexico people still trade those, come World Cup season, BTW.

 

[mechashiva77]

Yeah, the main reason I play Paper Mario is for the partners and the stories. If they skewed everything for that then I can safely say that it was a good idea I asked my mom not to get it for me during Christmas.

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

Beat boxing Yahtzee.

I want that ringtone!

 

[Beryl77]

All this video has told me, is that I should play Paper Mario.

 

[duchaked]

okay now that episode had me laughing back and forth

but seriously time to play some Paper Mario on the ol' GameCube

 

[geizr]

This is one episode where I feel Yahtzee actually implies (either deliberately or accidentally) a good point about things. At what point does a franchise become old and stale such that it's time to retire it. Surely there must be a point at which there is just no more money or excitement to be bilked from it. Everything has a lifetime; the trick is knowing when something's time has finally expired. (Of course, in some cases it's not that the franchise or idea has expired; it's more the creative soul has been sucked out of it by the corporate suits).

 

[Madmonk12345]

Actually, the saddest thing about PMSS is that even the premise they had made could have worked, but Nintendo blew it. If they had added badge stickers that would affect your stats, doing things similar to TTYD, it would have solved the need for proper collectibles that the game has, and it would have created an interesting player chosen balance between permanent upgrades and items for attacks. If the player was given a way to swap such badges into and out of inventory, there would have been much more strategy than there was before.

However, it would also have to replace the settings with something interesting, return the battle system back to the single damage system that the series invented (and threw away with this game) that made the mathematics behind the game easy to think about and plan with.

 

[Mahoshonen]

You have to give PM:SS credit where it is due. Atleast it tried something different with the mechanics rather than rehashing the same mechanics and putting a slightly higher number on the end of the title a la NSMB and Galaxy.

Wasn't his point that they rehashed everything else instead?

I feel he's exagerating on this point. Was anyone really that angry when they reused art assets from Megaman in Megaman 2? Assets from Mass Effect 2 in 3?

You just used a 30-something year old game in making your argument regarding something that is a current release.

I want you to think long and hard about that. And consider the undying shame you have brought to yourself.

(and I'm intentionally ignoring your point about ME. Your first comparison is just that stupid.)

 

[JimB]

Tsk. I guess I should be grateful that this video has removed yet another temptation to buy a new console I don't need or especially want, but still, disappointing that the game sucks.

Incidentally, I was eating lunch when I watched this, and "...I've just been advised not to finish this sentence" ended with marinara sprayed across my monitor, so take some pride in that, Mr. Croshaw.

 

[Kinitawowi]

Tank fly boss walk jam nitty gritty, you're listening to the boy from the big bad city. This is jam hot.

UNTS UNTS UNTS UNTS

 

[jmarquiso]

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.

They all had a Dickens of a time.

Edit:

Something something Cinderella, something.

 

[Atmos Duality]

*snores...zzzzZZZzzzz.....*
...Wha? What? Another Mario 3DS game, and it seems like it's completely phoning it in?
How utterly shocking. I had never considered this possibilit-*snores...zzzZZZZzzzzz....*

 

[mjc0961]

You have to give PM:SS credit where it is due. Atleast it tried something different with the mechanics rather than rehashing the same mechanics and putting a slightly higher number on the end of the title a la NSMB and Galaxy.

Wasn't his point that they rehashed everything else instead?

I feel he's exagerating on this point. Was anyone really that angry when they reused art assets from Megaman in Megaman 2? Assets from Mass Effect 2 in 3?

I feel you haven't fully watched the video because it wasn't just art assets he was talking about. If you had watched the entire thing you would know that.

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.

And then Wario Land 4 and Wario Land Shake It came out and pissed all over that with terrible level design (all the levels are designed for running back to the starting point, and thus are a complete bore on your way to the thing that activates "rush back to the start" mode), putting health back in the game and making it based on that instead of Wario's cool transformation abilities, and that really stupid "rush back to the start of the level" thing isn't even fun despite them basing the levels around that with no regard to the game experience on the way to the end point.

Nintendo ruined Wario Land. Let it stay in the cupboard.

 

[sethisjimmy]

Nintendo has been taking the Mario franchise in this bizarre direction for the longest while now. It always seems to be about going "back to basics". With the NSMB series they've essentially taken out all story elements and just left you with the old "Peach captured by Bowser" bit, and they did that with SM3D Land as well.

I feel like saying "but Nintendo! You aren't Sonic Team! You're actually good at creating new characters and stories within the franchise, why are you so scared to do that?"

Anyway, glad to see Yahtzee enjoys the series. I love Thousand Year Door, and consider it easily one of the greatest games ever created. A solid, fun RPG wrapped in endless charm and originality.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

I don't own a 3DS, but if there was one game series that I was really looking forward to enjoy in 3D, it was the Paper Mario thingamabobs.

Tinker Tailor: Soldier Spy is a big letdown, because the sticker mechanic feels like a mix between Little Big Planet and World of Wankcraft for retards. I really, really don't get it and neither does the poor person that bought it, hoping we were in for some 3D laughs and some official Big N wonkiness.

 

[MB202]

REALLY didn't like Paper Mario: Sticker Star, massive disappointment. And ironically enough, it's mostly the fault of Shigeru Miyamoto. He felt the original version of this game was too much like The Thousand-Year Door, and decided to move the focus AWAY from the RPG elements, and AWAY from the story and AWAY from the interesting characters and just focus on the tedious sticker system. Seriously, this game feels so generic and homongenous, I just gave up after the beginning of the second world. There are NO unique characters or enemy designs, and yeah, the witty dialogue is still there but pushed to the side, as if to say "Okay, here's some witty dialogue I guess, but take it quickly before we get back to the REALLY important stuff, like backtracking to collect MORE freaking stickers!" Also, no exp. makes me sad. Now all you get are coins which are primarily used to buy, wait for it, MORE FUCKING STICKERS! Also, you can use them to gamble for more chances to use your stickers in battle, but seriously, I'm not motivated at ALL to play through this game! The story's so simplistic with nothing to really motivate me to move forward other than "what new stickers will you find?" Also, Kersti is THE worst Paper Mario partner, at least from what I've seen. Now, sorry to sound mean towards people who like it, but if you enjoy it, fine, hooray for you, I just find it an incredibly let-down, ESPECIALLY after hearing it could have been like TTYD.

 

[Kuomon]

You have to give PM:SS credit where it is due. Atleast it tried something different with the mechanics rather than rehashing the same mechanics and putting a slightly higher number on the end of the title a la NSMB and Galaxy.

Wasn't his point that they rehashed everything else instead?

I feel he's exagerating on this point. Was anyone really that angry when they reused art assets from Megaman in Megaman 2? Assets from Mass Effect 2 in 3?

I feel you haven't fully watched the video because it wasn't just art assets he was talking about. If you had watched the entire thing you would know that.

Considering I own the game I felt really comfortable in my assertion, but just to humor you I went and watched the episode again. Besides the art assets and the game not being very good in terms of game design (which I mentioned I agreed with in a separate post earlier in the thread) the only other thing he complains about is the awkwardness of the 3D "things" you collect in the game, and while, granted, these don't fall under the rehashing qualification, I think it's pretty clear that they are ART ASSETS.

 

[Mangue Surfer]

The game is kind of nice but the lack of unique humor and sceneries is a real loss to the series. Is happening with other Nintendo games too. it's getting more serious and boring, I think this change is to please the hardcore gamers. (Wow, can't believe I already miss the Wii.)

Anyway, I hope that the same doesn't happen with "Mario & Luigi".

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

The single use attacks are what's really keeping me from this game. I'm an item hoarder in RPGs and this mechanic would drive me nuts.