Mario and Luigi Paper Jam

[Knife]

So, I have literally heard nothing about this game since it came out. Please don't tell me its as bad as Sticker Star. Thinking about buying it, but not if its like Sticker Star levels bad.

[SoupyGhost]

From what I've gathered from my friends who have the game, it's quite enjoyable. They absolutely revile Sticker Star but like this one, mainly because the dialogue seems very funny and there's at least more plot. The battles are pretty smooth from what I've heard, too. Even though the locations are generic and there are no new original characters, it's definitely got more character to it than Sticker Star ever did, but it doesn't have much going for it when you consider it a Mario & Luigi game.

[sirmola]

So, I have literally heard nothing about this game since it came out. Please don't tell me its as bad as Sticker Star. Thinking about buying it, but not if its like Sticker Star levels bad.

Havn't played it myself, but i heard that it feels like dream team with a lot of paper mario references. It has been critisised for not realy doing anything new but if you liked dream team, this is pretty much the same.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/116678-Mario-Luigi-Paper-Jam-Review

[Flying Shogi]

There's a playthrough of it on Youtube by user sullypwnz if you want to know more about it.

[maybe]

so apparently this game has been getting some pretty bad reviews

i've seen hardly any completely positive ones

[Anacybele]

I've only just started it, but I'm enjoying it so far. I just wish you could play as Paper Luigi as well as Paper Mario.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Anacybele

[Irony]

There's a playthrough of it on Youtube by user sullypwnz if you want to know more about it.

There's one by Olizandri as well, if you are interested. :D

[Ignis Sphaera]

I've got about 6 hours play-time in, but here's my opinion on it; take it as you will.

The combat is as good as it's ever been, and the introduction of Paper Mario is really awesome -- He fits in so nicely with Mario and Luigi and brings a breath of fresh air to what I felt at least was good, but stale combat. Paper Mario is a new gimmick that fits well. Also being able to practice Bros. Attacks is a great idea.

Story at least at the moment, is pretty standard and while it is kinda boring (might pick up later, who knows) it's enough to move the plot which is good enough.

The humour in the dialogue is there, and I find myself chuckling from time to time though sometimes it can be a miss, to be expected from any form of comedy though.

The environment and level design are honestly, pretty uninspired and I feel like they could have done more with the whole Paper meshed with 3D thing. All I've really seen thus far are a bunch of paper versions of normal enemies, paper versions of toads and a paper trees/brushes mixed in with 3D.

Then again, this could be totally different later on in the game.

My biggest gripes are twofold.

First off, toad hunting. Lakitu wants you to round up these paper toads running around an area for him from time to time and it turns into a hide and seek where you're scouring the area for these Toads. They can be running around in circle, or they could be attached to some fencing, or a tree and can make it SUPER frustrating to find them. The Toads out in the open rarely come quietly, as they run away from you and you have to sprint after them and tackle them down.

They change directions though, and chasing them in circles gets old really quick.

If this was just a one time thing, I wouldn't have as big an issue, but I'd say I've spent... Maybe an hour? A little more? Doing these toad hunts and in many cases, they're unavoidable and required to progress through the game and worst of all, they're not fun. It feels like such a chore and I don't know WHY they made it so prevalent in what I've played so far.

My second issue is papercraft combat. The giant paper Mario you use to beat up the enemy giant goomba's. My issue isn't HUGE on this one as I've only had to do it once so far, which I can deal with, but I felt it was boring due to being mind numbingly simple.

But who knows, if someone's played the game longer than me maybe they can validate or deny anything I've said, and it is all personal preference at the end of the day.

Over all though, the combat has pushed me this far, and it speaks for how good it is considering so far, the game has me unimpressed... I'm gonna give it a couple more hours and see if the game can hold my interest long enough to finish it.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Ignis Sphaera

[kingddd]

Played about two hours in.

Positives:

The combat is great and improved that you have more options like Emergency Defense instead of dodging which acts like classic Mario RPG time action defense. You can skip tutorials THANK GOD!!! Hell even the new mechanics, you can completely skip the tutorials. Some of the dialogues are pretty hilarious and they retained sassy paper peach like in the original Paper Mario games. There is now a run button so it makes travelling much faster and it offers some nice little mechanics.

Negatives:

Level design so far feels pretty uninspiring. Paper Toads Minigames are really annoying and I feel this is where the biggest issue is for this game. There are just so many of them and some of them are mandatory making them even more tedious to go through. I don't even know why they had to implement this. It feels like they added these to pad the game out and so far, it's really frustrating to deal with. It's not even difficult to do it but it's not fun at all. Half the time I feel like an idiot for some of their hiding spots. Papercraft combat while much better than the touchscreen based minigame Boss from Bowser Inside Story and Dream Team is still ultimately boring and not much to write home about.

I really want to continue through to see how much better it gets but the toad minigames so far are giving me a pretty negative impression already. It's not a bad game per say but it's pretty dull for a crossover of Mario and Luigi and Paper Mario, two of my favourite game series.

Edited January 26, 2016 by kingddd

[Zera]

Paper Jam is just a level pack for Dream Team... right? That's what it looks like to me. It's definitely not a Paper Mario game.

[Anacybele]

Uh, it's not meant to be a Paper Mario game. It's a Mario & Luigi game that has Paper Mario in it. And it's a separate game from Dream Team. :/

I've played a couple hours in myself and while the story is kind of simple and blah, and Paper Luigi is nowhere to be found in the story, I really like the rest of the game! So I'd give it maybe an 8/10 so far.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Anacybele

[Loki Laufeyson]

Ive heard a while ago from a dude who grabbed it in Europe, that its pretty good but kinda uninspired. And now you lot are talking about how level design isnt exactly all that exciting. So, it sounds pretty average and not something to rush out and get...? But better than Sticker Star. (still cant believe i was foolish enough to pay 40 clams for it for digital copy so NOW I CANT TRADE IT IN)

Maybe ill grab it when it pops up on sale sometime.

[maybe]

Ive heard a while ago from a dude who grabbed it in Europe, that its pretty good but kinda uninspired. And now you lot are talking about how level design isnt exactly all that exciting.

is level design even that important in Mario & Luigi, though? like there are some pretty cool places and puzzles and stuff but off the top of my head I can't remember any specific "level design" from any of the mario and luigi games I played aside from a few puzzles.

the main fun of the game is usually from the battles, the dialogue, and the puzzles

Edited January 26, 2016 by maybe

[kingddd]

is level design even that important in Mario & Luigi, though? like there are some pretty cool places and puzzles and stuff but off the top of my head I can't remember any specific "level design" from any of the mario and luigi games I played aside from a few puzzles.

the main fun of the game is usually from the battles, the dialogue, and the puzzles

Super Star Saga had an interesting setting and some pretty unique puzzle solving and map design in general thanks to the Bean Bean Kingdom's aesthetics. Partners in time kind of dumbed that a bit down but the time travel setting retained a lot of that interesting atmospheric aspects and unique monsters throughout the levels with some great varying degrees. Bowser inside story kept you going with Bowser and Mario's interactions within his own body and the outside story. Dream Team's Luigi levels uniquely changed the combat system a bit to change the pacing the combat and some nice little puzzle solving.

Here it feels like it's keeping the same NSMB like settings with maybe a few paper mario cardboard here and there but nothing interesting stands out. It's quite dull and the puzzles so far are nothing but saving paper toads.

Edited January 26, 2016 by kingddd

[solrocknroll]

What exactly is wrong with the story?

[spoiler=slight story spoilers]

I find that Bowser plots are way better than a generic rando #5 plot. Fawful is one of the worst character's I've ever witnessed in a video game.

People also complain about no OCs, but OCs are the worst part of Mario RPGs. Starlow's worst qualities have been made worse, and I'd rather have Nabbit and the Koopalings get actual development (the Koopalings are totally amazing in this game FYI) than some loser who spouts non-sequiturs and analogies. In addition, Nabbit is much cooler than Popple.

EDIT: the settings are also totally fine. I prefer tried and true Mario elements to complete nonsense like the Beanbean Kingdom. Would I like some more variety? Sure. I think that the Pi'illo Island was perfect and that DT is the best M&L.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Miss Kira

[Anacybele]

So, having played through some more of the game now, I gotta warn new players that the bosses in this game are pretty difficult if you don't know what you're doing or you're not too great at timing your button presses right or executing certain moves. I've yet to beat any of them in one try, except maybe the first one. I can't remember. xP But take advantage of the practice feature! I've been doing that and it helps tremendously. Sure could've used it in Paper Mario TTYD...

Otherwise, I'm totally enjoying this game and it's making me want to go back to earlier Mario & Luigi titles! I can't remember why I put down Partners in Time or Bowser's Inside Story. I think maybe I just ended up getting interested in other games and then forgetting about them. And yeah, for some reason, I never picked up Dream Team. I really should have, it's got a lot of Luiginess. lol

Edited January 29, 2016 by Anacybele

[Yoshi2398]

So, having played through some more of the game now, I gotta warn new players that the bosses in this game are pretty difficult if you don't know what you're doing or you're not too great at timing your button presses right or executing certain moves. I've yet to beat any of them in one try, except maybe the first one. I can't remember. xP But take advantage of the practice feature! I've been doing that and it helps tremendously. Sure could've used it in Paper Mario TTYD...

Otherwise, I'm totally enjoying this game and it's making me want to go back to earlier Mario & Luigi titles! I can't remember why I put down Partners in Time or Bowser's Inside Story. I think maybe I just ended up getting interested in other games and then forgetting about them. And yeah, for some reason, I never picked up Dream Team. I really should have, it's got a lot of Luiginess. lol

i can definitely recommend the other games in the series especially bowsers inside story and dream team. partners in time and superstar saga ate both on virtual console as well and are decently cheap. and don't worry the papercraft battles are nothing compared to the giant battle in bowsers inside story and dream team.

[Anacybele]

I know, I already have Partners in Time and Bowser's Inside Story, like I said. And I know Superstar Saga is on the VC. :P But thanks.

Edited January 29, 2016 by Anacybele

[Anacybele]

I'm sorry to bump this, but I want to keep talking about this game! I'm finding it challenging, but so far, I've managed to find a way to take down every boss. I had to level up a little more for the latest one I faced, for example. :P

So, for other people playing the game, what are your party's stats? I'm curious, because I was told that Mario is supposed to be the stronger, faster bro, while Luigi has better defense and HP. This was true for me at the beginning, and Luigi also had the highest stache (darn right he should too, Luigi's mustache is the best! lol). But things can change here in this game. Luigi gradually became the faster bro for me and even outsped Paper Mario for a bit (Paper Mario is typically faster than both the normal bros) and was moving first for awhile. Mario is the slowest for me now, poor guy lol. But he did wind up with higher HP than Weegi.

I think I ended up with the guys like this because of how I passed around the rank up bonuses as well as the RNG. Rank up bonuses give certain stats an extra boost. So yeah, just saying that even though Mario starts out with more power and speed while Luigi starts with more defense and HP, you can end up with their stats being totally different later.

Also, I'm loving the battle card system. :D

EDIT: OH I JUST GOT A SECOND SHINY CARD. I forgot to mention that I got one earlier in the game! Shiny battle cards are probably the rarest item in the game, as you can only find them via random drops from enemies. And they're special because while they have the same effects as certain normal cards, they cost less star power!

Edited January 31, 2016 by Anacybele

[Yoshi2398]

my party's stats currently after beating the game at lv37 for mario and luigi are pretty standard. mario has more attack, BP, speed and luigi is better in HP, defence and stache. but paper mario has the all around best stats because i'm biased and gave him pretty much all of my stat boosters.

[Anacybele]

My party all has pretty much the same speed now. In fact, they're actually fairly similar in everything except HP (which Paper Mario has a lot less of). I guess I preferred more balance. XD But Luigi still gets the most priority for the stat boosters because bias.

Also, I finally beat a boss in one try, lol wow. I guess I'm getting better at this game! And I'm finding lots of stat boosters thanks to the digging ability. :P

Edited January 31, 2016 by Anacybele

[Raybrand]

I've played quite a bit of the game and seen some of the reviews,

combat is good though I wish the game would vary the enemy's animation speed so the timing isnt always the same, I find it really fun when I fight a certain boss for the first time because I'm I need to focus because you havent learnt the pattern yet.

I dont see why people complain about the story, I think its good for a mario game i.e. the story is detailed enough to justify why they travel from one place to the other or why they have to solve this puzzle, theres no character development but what do you expect from a mario game.

there are a lot of mini games to get past certain segments which I feel dont add anything to the game they are more of a nuance you just have to get through

[Anacybele]

I don't mind the Paper Toad hunts or papercraft battles. In fact, I find the latter to be pretty fun!

Also, I have FIVE shiny battle cards now. Including two I got in a row! I must have some crazy luck right now, because according to Mario wiki, these are indeed rarely dropped by enemies and this is the only way you can get them!

Oh yeah, btw...

Make sure you buy the card that lowers the Koopalings' levels by 5. It was a big help against Ludwig and Larry who will also use cards against you. You probably want the card that lowers Bowser and Bowser Jr,'s levels by 5 as well. I forgot to pick it up though...

[Zera]

I dont see why people complain about the story, I think its good for a mario game i.e. the story is detailed enough to justify why they travel from one place to the other or why they have to solve this puzzle, theres no character development but what do you expect from a mario game.

And therein lies the kicker. In Thousand Year Door, ALL of Mario's Partners (except Ms. Mowz) had character development. Nintendo raised the bar, and it looks like they've lowered it right back down. I ain't buyin' it. Literally.

[Anacybele]

A bad story doesn't make a game bad, Zera. Paper Jam still has fun gameplay, and I don't even think the story is that bad. Also, it still has as many comedic moments as any Paper Mario or Mario & Luigi game. There's a huge reference to the Luigi's Mansion series too!

There's a segment in Gloomy Woods where the Marios are separated from Luigi and the latter is left alone. Luigi has to rescue them and then King Boo is the boss once the Marios are found.

I've scored more shiny cards! Although I'm not using all of them, only the ones that have been useful for me.

But damn it, Peach is so mean. This is a reason I never liked her. She gives the Marios kisses, but leaves Luigi in the dust. He even expected a kiss and got nothing. Peach didn't even say anything to him. Both Peaches were kind of making fun of him earlier too. Peach is such a bitch. :(

Edited February 2, 2016 by Anacybele