Is Super Mario RPG overrated?

[Zarkanthesmasher]

And yes, this is all a matter of opinion, I realize that. I never compared it to Paper Mario, another game I think is great. I don't really see how all the enemies are the same, they did pretty much just recycle a few enemies from early in the game and slapped them into the later levels, but pretty much every Mario game has done that.

Yeah, I know you didn't, and I wasn't trying to fault you for it - I just personally don't like SMRPG that mch. Actually though, there is a LOT of enemy recycling in the later levels of the game - the majority of the creatures have some kind of advanced version that show up two or three stars after the original enemy. I don't have a problem with that very much- what I do have a problem with is the constant recycling of attacks. Almost every special attack in the game is used by more than one type of enemy. Water Blast is a perfect example of that - when you fight Yardovich (which IMO was the only challenging battle in the portion of the game I played), it seems really mighty and awe inspiring. But then they take that attack and give it to Culex, Czar Dragon (WTD?), and Magikoopa - and by that time it loses its awe and just becomes annoying. This is far from the only example, though.

I liked that in Paper Mario, while enemies didn't have as many attacks, there was little to no recycling of special moves - every enemy was unique, and the advanced versions of creatures were often pretty special. The Hyper Goombas and Shady Koopas were really cool, because they had special attacks that made them way different than the average enemy. Normal Koopas were always super easy, but the Shady Koopas were really powerful and annoying because of their cyclone attack. It wasn't that predictable when you faced new versions of old ememies - while in Super Mario RPG, every advanced version of an enemy was just the old enemy with better stats and a more powerful recycled attack.

RPGs don't need to have puzzles.

True, but that's why Paper Mario is unique and really cool, among other reasons. The castles and forts were actually more like Zelda dungeons with turn based battles - instead of being the usual "trudge through fortresses fighting 3 or four different types of enmies again and again until you reach the boss." Not saying that the latter is bad - it's just not really original, and can get a bit repetitive. But at least to me, Paper Mario never gets old. I've played through it four times, and each time I loved it even more. :)

[Nintendoverlord]

Ah yes, I do agree that the attacks were recycled way too much among the enemies. IMO, Jonny and Smithy were more challenging than Yaridovich, (Although after I beat the game for the first time they all became pretty easy) Surprisingly, I didn't find Culex to be all that challenging.

Oh, and I also know that you weren't trying to fault me.

Just a question, but in your opinion, what makes the original PM better than TTYD? I'm not trying to degrade your opinion, but f you ask me, TTYD improved upon almost every aspect of the original: new, crisper graphics style, original and more epic plot, new major villain, slightly more mature content, etc. I finished PM1 and I'm currently playing TTYD again, and it's as amazing an experience as ever.

Don't get me wrong, I still loved The Thousand Year Door, I just found it lacking innovation. The Mario RPG's have tended to build upon what was used in the previous Mario RPG's, but The Thousand Year Door pretty much just recycled most of the things used in the first Paper Mario. Goombella=Goombario, Koops=Kooper, Bobbery=Bombette, Vivian=Bow, boat transformation=Sushi, etc etc. The hammer upgrades were just the same ones from the first game only they took longer to execute. The Thousand Year Door definately has some areas in which it's better than the first, like the deeper storyline, it was more challenging, there were more sidequests and areas to explore and such. But overall I just found the first Paper Mario more enjoyable.

[Zarkanthesmasher]

Ah yes, I do agree that the attacks were recycled way too much among the enemies. IMO, Jonny and Smithy were more challenging than Yaridovich, (Although after I beat the game for the first time they all became pretty easy) Surprisingly, I didn't find Culex to be all that challenging.

Well, I dunno about Smithy, since I haven't actually faced him yet, but Johnny was a piece of cake, IMO. If you kept him stuck with only one goon during the entire battle by getting rid of the other three, he wasn't that powerful. I agree about Culex though - all you have to do is use the star egg and have Bowser with the Lazy Shell armor as one of your active partners. The star egg eventually rips through all of Culex's crystals, and since Bowser can't really be harmed barely at all, it's not a tough battle. In fact, eventually Culex runs out of FP, so the last 5 turns or so are the easiest ever. :P

[ShadowBrain]

Yeah, I know you didn't, and I wasn't trying to fault you for it - I just personally don't like SMRPG that mch. Actually though, there is a LOT of enemy recycling in the later levels of the game - the majority of the creatures have some kind of advanced version that show up two or three stars after the original enemy. I don't have a problem with that very much- what I do have a problem with is the constant recycling of attacks. Almost every special attack in the game is used by more than one type of enemy.

Well, it was made in the 90's by Square, the definitive RPG-maker of the day (and, as S-E, still). Back then, pallet-swaped/stronger enemies and nonspecific magic attacks were kind of the norm.

Don't get me wrong, I still loved The Thousand Year Door, I just found it lacking innovation.

Indeed, PM2 did lift things from its predecessor, but what irked me about it the most was just that most of the areas were too A-to-B (that seems to be something quite a few Nintendo games have suffered from lately). Look at Yoshi's Jungle in PM, then look at, say, Boggly Woods in PM2. There's nary a branching path to be seen in the latter. Granted, it's Paper Mario, so it makes sense to not be too free-roaming, but it still felt like two steps forward, one step back. Other minor things that made me raise an eyebrow: The inexplicable rip-offery of Hooktail from Valoo, the stereotypically Russian Bob-Ombs, and Grodus' use of the word "asinine" (I've heard mixed opinions on how "bad" that adjective is. Okay, maybe that's not worth complaining about). It was still a good game though, definitely full of clever elements to balance out the "borrowing", a wonderful graphical style, and boss music I just can't get out of my head (Doopliss and the Shadow Queen's theme, to name the, shall we say, "offenders").

Also, there was that part where Princess Peach was technically running around a military base on the moon naked, but hey.

[Chupperson Weird]

"Asinine" is not in any way a taboo word.

[ShadowBrain]

*Reminds self to let mom know that at some point*

[penguinwizard]

asinine
1. extremely or utterly foolish / foolish, unintelligent, or silly; stupid
2. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of donkeys (and the other similar thing to donkey).

Seems according to where the word comes from, it's a word to compare someone to a donkey (in a negative sense, saying that being a donkey is a bad thing). I can see why people would take that as insulting, but I don't see it as a profane word. I guess if you shouted it to someone in their face then it would. Words only seem to be insulting and/or profane depending on how you use them... well, anyway, this is not a discussion on such words.

I always thought it hilarious that Culex could run out of FP. I think only one other enemy or boss in the game can run out of FP. Didn't think that was possible. Maybe he didn't pack enough Royal Syrups with him. But I always put the Lazy Shell armor on Peach (she can bring allies back to life through magic) and never thought about using the Star Egg.
I kind of wish Sheep Attack made it into later Mario RPGs. It was like a "free pass" move.

[Reading]

I always thought it hilarious that Culex could run out of FP. I think only one other enemy or boss in the game can run out of FP.

Isn't there a lot of enemies that can run out? I frequently saw "Monster's FP is gone!" when fighting normal enemies.

At what situation in the game does Grodus use that word? It must be sometime after Chapter 4, because that's where I am right now, although it's possible I could've just skipped over the word if it was earlier, like I evidently did the other times I played through the game. I do that a lot with words I don't know. If I can gather its meaning from context clues, great, if not, forget about it.

I like when Mario characters use borderline words, in fact. It helps detach Mario from a kiddy reputation in my eyes. "In my eyes" being the key words.

[Toad]

I think only one other enemy or boss in the game can run out of FP.

All enemies can run out of FP. I've experimented: by staying in a battle (regular or boss) for a really long time (some of them a really long time) the foe can, in fact, run out of FP. The most common ones that I saw were the Blooper, the Leukos, and.. something else (not Culex).

[nensondubois]

Today I started a new game from scratch and have high hopes of finishing it, finally!

[penguinwizard]

Oh, by the way, Super Mario RPG was released for the Virtual Console today. It's the 250th game to hit the Virtual Console, so it had to be something special.

[Turtlekid1]

Over-rated? I'm about to find out...