Well, I think you're putting far too much trust into an idea I don't even believe is valid,
I could say the exact same thing about you. In fact, anyone who disagrees with anyone on anything could say that.
and categorizing them by an arbitrarily inaccurate system, instead of categorizing them by what they actually are.
In other words, he's categorizing them the way he thinks is right instead of categorizing them the way you think is right.
Maybe I missed something here, but I think you're being far too pedantic over the term "platforming RPG" when the debate here is (or at least was originally) simply whether or not SPM is an RPG at all. I also think you still need to explain the "confusing play styles with plot points" thing to me (if you don't, then I'll just go ahead and assume it means you realized you were wrong about something and are too embarrassed to admit it). Also, when you get to the point of saying that the game's official website doesn't count because it's not made by the developers, and then use that to support your own theory, I think that's going a bit too far. The site may not have been made by the game's developers, but the people that made that site are a lot closer to the developers than you are. But whatever.
- I think I have to put SMRPG first on my list. It's always had a special place in my heart ever since I first found it while renting Mario is Missing, before I even knew what an RPG was, and to this day, it's the only Mario RPG that I never get tired of at all. I can't really judge how well written the story is, because I've added my own embellishments to it through the years and can't look at it by itself anymore, but everything about its pacing just feels perfect to me. Having a world map instead of a continuous overworld is really a big plus for me. While I'd like a big immersive Zelda-style world, none of the sequels' overworlds have felt that way to me. Like the Delfino Plaza, they've all felt more like they're just getting in the way of the real game. While I'm open to the possibility of a really good one in the future, my pragmatic side prefers more menu-based overworlds. And I really like the graphics.
- PM is second, largely as an apology to the game. I never got to play it the first time around, but I always harbored a combination of desire and distaste toward it... I wanted to play it because it was another Mario RPG, but I hated that Square was gone and the story had no connections... or so I thought. When I finally got to play it on the Virtual Console, it felt almost nostalgic, even though I had never played it before, because it really did feel like a direct sequel, plot-wise, to SMRPG. I love the way the Mushroom Kingdom appears here, I love the battle system, I love that the exclamation point is actually part of the Bzzap!s name... it's an amazing game. No game yet has made me feel more like I was actually in the Mushroom Kingdom (Grand Finale Galaxy got close, but only briefly).
- SS is a very close third. As I mentioned before, the story is not my favorite, and there are many plot-related things about it that just feel uneasy or even slightly disturbing (most notably the S.S. Chuckola sinking and never being heard from again), and some plot points just feel like they weren't thought through too much (Bubbles is 1,000 years old? The Chuckola house is empty, yet Chuckola Cola is still sold commonly in the BK (after 1,000 years)? How can Little Fungitown's food really be that much different than the Mushroom Kingdom's?). However, the main draw for the game is not the plot, it's the gameplay. It strikes a very nice balance between the restrained interactivity of SMRPG and the over-busyness of PM and TTYD's battle systems, and it's overall just the right level of complexity for me.
- SPM is an even closer fourth. Although I'll probably never play through it more than two or three times, on the first time through, it felt like it was made just for me. I also really like that it simplified the battle system. As I mentioned above, TTYD was just getting too busy. Moving it to a flat-out action RPG was the logical progression (although I certainly wouldn't object to a PM4 with a battle system more like PM1's). I love the plot, I love the references, I love the details (especially the Flora Kingdom history). And playable Bowser is always good. For me, its main flaw is that Flipside and Flopside are really annoying to navigate. I can't remember where anything is.
- TTYD was a lot bigger than PM, and in the end, that was its downfall for me. I absolutely loved TTYD the first time through, but by the second or third time, everything had become very cumbersome. Battles took longer than they should have, thanks to all the added theatrics, the world took too long to get around (and those shortcut pipes in the sewers really could have used some labels or something)... It really diminished its replay value for me. I replay SMRPG frequently, just for the fun of it. TTYD I replay once in a while to remind myself of the story. Great story, great writing, great atmosphere, but the gameplay just leaves something to be desired.
- PiT is last. Like TTYD, it took a great, simple game and made its battle system way too busy. I could go on about other flaws, but this is the only one that really matters to me. There are a lot of things I love about the game, but the battle system is just too involved for me to get into it for too long at a time. It requires way too much grinding and/or perfect dodges, and even then, battles take forever.
Poll
