Author Topic: Mario & Luigi & Paper (Read 40427 times)

ShadowBrain · « **Reply #30 on:** June 22, 2015, 03:41:35 PM »

Quote from: Sqrt2 on June 19, 2015, 02:44:18 PM

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is essentially the first Paper Mario with a new paint job.

Wut? I mean, okay, some partners and superficial narrative threads were similar, but otherwise it was plenty different. I don't see the game's mechanics being otherwise largely identical as surprising and/or bad, if that's what you were getting at. The only criticism I'd give TTYD is that the areas were more linear than in the original PM and the fetch quest before heading to the moon was aggressively annoying.

Also, for the record, I'll still stick up for SPM. Partners in Time, though, now that game was shamelessly repetitive.

Quote from: The Chef on June 19, 2015, 07:48:12 PM

Mario is your oyster.

Best N64-era print ad tagline that never was.

CrossEyed7 · « **Reply #31 on:** June 25, 2015, 03:37:48 PM »

So yeah, I am still kinda concerned about how this seems to indicate that Nintendo still thinks all the Paper Mario series has to offer anymore is "Mario, except there's visual gags about how he's made out of paper." Paper Bowser apparently having dialogue is a good sign, though.

Weegee · « **Reply #32 on:** June 25, 2015, 06:05:10 PM »

Amen. I still believe the Paper Mario title was thought of after the graphical style was established, not the other way around. Like, they were developing a 2.5D Mario RPG when someone mentioned it looked like paper.

BP · « **Reply #33 on:** June 25, 2015, 06:15:00 PM »

The original was titled "Mario Story" in Japan: no mention of paper, all mention of Story

...oh...

CrossEyed7 · « **Reply #34 on:** June 25, 2015, 06:56:50 PM »

Quote from: Weegee on June 25, 2015, 06:05:10 PM

Like, they were developing a 2.5D Mario RPG when someone mentioned it looked like paper.

Quote from: CrossEyed7 on November 30, 2012, 05:44:02 PM

Paper Mario concept art, March 5 1997

That seems pretty likely. It looks like they were dropping sprites into 3D environments because they already had sprites and they were on a 3D console now, and that's how it turned out.

ShadowBrain · « **Reply #35 on:** June 26, 2015, 10:42:05 AM »

Dang, I think I still want a Mario RPG that looks like that.

The Chef · « **Reply #36 on:** June 26, 2015, 03:22:16 PM »

Quote from: Lizard Dude on June 22, 2015, 03:02:32 AM

I accused M&L of being repetitive. I commended PM for NOT being repetitive.

I thought you were commending Sticker Star moreso than Paper Mario as a whole. My mistake.

Quote

You get some random basic stickers if your inventory runs out.

Wow uh... I completely forgot about this.

BP · « **Reply #37 on:** June 26, 2015, 03:35:10 PM »

Quote from: ShadowBrain on June 26, 2015, 10:42:05 AM

Dang, I think I still want a Mario RPG that looks like that.

If the people who worked on Paper Mario read that...

I mean, I think Paper Mario was made with a team that new very very little about 3D. All of the geometry is rather rudimentary. Lots of vertices are disconnected for some reason, making little gaps in the world that can be seen when playing the game in HD. Some objects' UV maps are a little strange. None of the 3D animation is especially complex. All in all, nothing in the game looks like something I wouldn't know how to do by now, and all I've got is what I've taught myself by making Smash Bros. mods. But they got it to work, the 2D animation and the style used for the textures carry the game's visuals enough that it has aged much better than other N64 games.

But that beta screenshot... well, the fronds on the right side of the trees are backwards. If the grass has a texture, it sucks. Really weird things are going on with the foliage in the background. The dark L-shaped object in front of those boxes does not look enough like anything. There is just one cloud, that's no good for a background that blends into the background, it draws the eye to one spot. Same for the two berries. And remember what I said about PM's 2D animation carrying the game, making up for the 3D? Good luck accomplishing that with SMW sprites. This beta screenshot is like the sprite webcomic of video game art.

ShadowBrain · « **Reply #38 on:** June 27, 2015, 12:58:42 PM »

Well, for sure, it's no contest compared to what PM actually ended up as. But take away the header and it looks tantalizingly like a game that would've come out for some alternate-universe system that existed between the SNES and N64.

Weegee · « **Reply #39 on:** June 27, 2015, 03:41:51 PM »

It could work if the SMW sprites were enhanced a bit to show various expressions.

Tavros · « **Reply #40 on:** June 27, 2015, 08:41:55 PM »

Could that screenshot even be called beta? I could've sworn it got the "paper" art style early in development.

bobbysq1337 · « **Reply #41 on:** June 28, 2015, 01:51:50 AM »

Beta would imply that they started any programming. That's just concept art.

Fifth · « **Reply #42 on:** June 28, 2015, 02:07:11 AM »

Huh, I don't think I've ever seen that beta image? The use of the SMW Small Mario sprite explains a lot, though. Why Mario has dot eyes, or ended up so short, or why his walk animation is so similar... and the use of 2D sprites at all probably accounted for the flat turning animations.

The Ultimate Mario Fan · « **Reply #43 on:** July 02, 2015, 09:35:16 PM »

This alone was worth watching E3 for! Well, this and Ultra Smash and Mario Maker. I especially can't WAIT for Paper Jam though!!!

I saw the first Treehouse video with the Petey Piranha boss fight and it's already looking epic!

CrossEyed7 · « **Reply #44 on:** July 02, 2015, 11:17:26 PM »

In the parallel universe where the N64 used CDs, i wonder what Square's doing with the Mario RPG series right now.