How about that, Deezer posted something on this topic (he lives!)
Yes, it was a little slow paced. And in my opinion, they really wimped out on the battle system. If anything, there should be triple digit HP damage battles instead of single digit battles.
As for my favorite little buddy in Paper Mario, I haven't found Parakoopa or whatever his name is (dumb Forest), but my favorite buddy is Kooper. There's just something about him that I like. And besides, I always like how Koopa Troopas look.
As for the Spiny thing, you might want to do some research. First of all, it clearly states in the original Super Mario Bros. that Bowser sent the Turtle Clan to destroy Mario. It's true. So naturally, Spinies are a type of Koopa Troopa.
Which means they have bugging out eyes and a beak. It was funny whenever I made Mario jump on them though. That must really hurt your foot, Mario.
May Yoshi live long and prosper...
Oh, and may PenguinWizard have the same treatment.