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TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017



Despite its 2001 (American) release date and being the second Mario RPG game, I hadn't actually heard of Paper Mario until after having played The Thousand Year Door, entirely missing all the references to this Nintendo 64 title. Since then I've played through this game several times, along with most of the other Mario RPG games. Although it may not hold a candle to The Thousand Year Door or, in my opinion, Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario is still one of my favorite Mario RPGs, and one of my overall favorite Nintendo 64 games. There's just something so endearing about having RPG elements; leveling, power-ups, equipment upgrades and the like in a Mario game. As usual, Bowser causes trouble in the Mushroom Kingdom, kidnapping Peach and managing to completely beat Mario in a fight thanks to the magical Star Rod, that allows him to make any wish he wants. Mario must get the help of the Star Spirits, the guardian of the Star Rod, to help take down the King of Koopas. Released in August of 2000 in Japan (February of 2001 in America), the game was developed by Intelligent Systems, who worked on a few minor Mario titles before Paper Mario such as Wario's Woods and Mario Paint. They would then go on to develop all the other Paper Mario games released so far.

Why Paper Mario?

Aside from just generally enjoying the game and wanting an excuse to play through it again, I feel like it will be a nice change from Crystal Chronicles. There's a lot more to talk about with this game, and more characters and story to go through for me to comment on and talk about, which I feel will a good transition from a rather "empty" game like Crystal Chronicles.

About the LP:

This LP will also not be live, I have no good way of recording it as such. I'll record the gameplay and the commentary separately. I'll be using my Nintendo Wii to play the game as I don't have a Nintendo 64 copy of the game. I don't plan on uncovering all the secrets and optional items, there's just too many with too little payoff for it to be worth it, in my opinion. I mention this in the second episode, but I will probably be skipping a majority of generic enemy encounters, as watching me fight Goombas and Koopas a dozen times would start to get very boring, I imagine. And I should note I won't be reading the dialogue out loud, so no need to worry if that bothers you.

As a warning, since it came up in the Sandcastle thread, I WILL be talking during cutscenes, just so people know if that kind of thing bothers them.

Schedule:

As usual, there's no specific schedule. I'll simply get to the LP when I'm able to. Hopefully at least two or three videos a week.

Spoilers?:

Considering the age of the game and how little actual story there is, spoilers are okay.

THE ADVENTURE UNFOLDS:
Part 1 - Bowser and The Star Rod
Part 2 - The Goomba King
Part 3 - Shooting Star Summit
Part 4 - Kooper
Part 5 - Koopa Bros. Fortress
Part 6 - Interlude I
Part 7 - Mt. Rugged
Part 8 - Dry Dry Desert
Part 9 - Dry Dry Ruins
Part 10 - Interlude II
Part 11 - Forever Forest
Part 12 - The Invincible Tubba Blubba
Part 13 - Interlude III
Part 14 - Shy Guy's Toy Box
Part 15 - General Guy
Part 16 - Lavalava Island
Part 17 - Lost Yoshi Children
Part 18 - Mt. Lavalava
Part 19 - Interlude IV
Part 20 - Flower Fields
Part 21 - Huff N. Puff
Part 22 - Interlude V
Part 23 - Shiver City
Part 24 - The Crystal Palace
Part 25 - Interlude VI
Part 26 - Into Bowser's Castle
Part 27 - Bowser

TheLoneStar fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Nov 11, 2017

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TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Reserving this post, just in case.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

And now for the first video proper.

Part 1 - Bowser and The Star Rod

I only just realized that Bowser probably got his huge castle and flying contraption under Peach's Castle by wishing for it...

Ephraim225
Oct 28, 2010

TheGamerGuy23 posted:

I only just realized that Bowser probably got his huge castle and flying contraption under Peach's Castle by wishing for it...

The question you should be asking is why it's even possible to win this game at all, when Bowser is pretty much God. Far as I know, he just sits in the castle all game. That's one lazy God, I guess...

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Ephraim225 posted:

The question you should be asking is why it's even possible to win this game at all, when Bowser is pretty much God. Far as I know, he just sits in the castle all game. That's one lazy God, I guess...
I pretty much brought that up as soon as he used the Star Rod. I guess he's just that dumb.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 2 - The Goomba King

So, we got our first companion and fought our first REAL boss. Goombario's nothing really special in any regard really. Just a Mario fanboy, and at the moment can basically only do what equals a regular jump attack. I never found myself using his Tattle ability much in battle, I guess I just never really needed it. And I'm glad the next video will give us action commands so the battles aren't so...bland. I wish the game gave us some way to use them sooner, like after the Jr. Troopa fight maybe, but I don't know what they would've done. Oh yeah, and Mario literally beats up a baby. What a dick.

AweStriker
Oct 6, 2014

The baby was a dick first.

I actually want to say he shows up six times...

AweStriker fucked around with this message at 02:45 on Sep 16, 2017

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

AweStriker posted:

The baby was a dick first.

I actually want to say he shows up six times...
I forgot what I said, but you're right. Including the very first fight, he appears six times. You'd think he'd give up after three or so...

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 3 - Shooting Star Summit

Now this is where the game really starts, I'd say. We've got our mission, officially, and now we can use action commands which will make battles easier. Speaking of which, I'll start skipping battles that include enemies I've fought several times before starting now. No reason to show me fighting Goombas and Koopas over a dozen times, right? I also gotta say, I really like the interludes taking place in Peach's Castle, not much has happened yet, but they get more complex and fun to go through.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 4 - Kooper

Well, Mario is now right outside the Koopa Bros.'s Fortress. And on top of that, a new and more useful companion joins the adventure; Kooper. If it wasn't for the fact he can't attack enemies in the air, I'd have zero use for Goombario anymore. And given Kooper is the only character that can attack multiple enemies at once at the moment, he really helps out during the Fortress and Koopa Bros. boss fight.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 5 - Koopa Bros. Fortress

First main dungeon completed. The Koopa Bros. were really easy, but of course they're the first real boss of the game, so that's to be expected. Pretty simple level, easy puzzles and enemies...again 'cause it's the first. I remember finding the fake Bowser thing hilarious when I played the game for the first time years ago. Now I just have to wonder how they showed it off so fast in front of Bowser because I overthink stupid stuff like that.

Carbon dioxide
Oct 9, 2012

Okay it's been a while since I last played this game, but I'm quite certain you can use mushrooms out of battle by selecting them in the menu? In this game too, not just in TTYD.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Carbon dioxide posted:

Okay it's been a while since I last played this game, but I'm quite certain you can use mushrooms out of battle by selecting them in the menu? In this game too, not just in TTYD.
I mean I tried, but nothing happens. Just tried pressing A after hovering over one and...nothing. Of course my skills are so supreme I won't need it anyway.

EDIT: I looked it up. Apparently I have to go to the item menu using the C-Stick, not the menu I go to when I press start. That feels a little unnecessary, but at least I know.

TheLoneStar fucked around with this message at 13:31 on Sep 23, 2017

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 6 - Interlude I

I enjoy the little Peach interludes between chapters, especially later on when they get more and more complex. For now, the small laughs they provide is more than enough. Also the sewers are a nice area of the game, full of secrets to explore as you progress through the game and unlock more items to get further inside. Shame there's so little to do in there right now. I also like the powers the Star Spirits give you. I never found all of them useful, but the option to use them to spice up battle is good enough for me. Jr. Troops also makes his first reappearance, and Mario shows off his sadistic side.

And Mario is a prick to Luigi. Poor guy.

Carbon dioxide
Oct 9, 2012

....You can just get that block with the thunder item on it with Kooper from the side.

E: Psssst, someone keeps writing these secret rumours on the back of the sign in front of the rotating house (I'm reasonably sure that's not just in TTYD, but in this game too)

Carbon dioxide fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Sep 25, 2017

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Carbon dioxide posted:

....You can just get that block with the thunder item on it with Kooper from the side.
Well poo poo, now that's just embarrassing on my part. I dunno what it is, but I seem to keep forgetting Kooper's even a thing. I do the same on Mt. Rugged in the next video.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 7 - Mt. Rugged

And here I get the most useful partner by a landslide, at least in my opinion. Parakarry has the always-helpful ability to attack enemies both in the air and on the ground, and has better attacks than Goombario, thus making the little Goomba entirely obsolete. Mt. Rugged itself isn't too bad, though the Clefts are horribly annoying, pretty much invincible without the use of Flower Points on some kind of partner's attack or a Badge. Still, at least it's not too long, and the Monty Moles are easy to take care of.

BlazetheInferno
Jun 6, 2015
I will say this: Goombario benefits more from the Super Block upgrades than others do with his basic attack. All the partners just gain one more damage to their basic attack, but this benefits Goombario greatly; the other partners' action commands on the basic attack increases damage by one.

Goombario's action command *doubles* his damage by virtue of simply getting a second hit... assuming the enemy doesn't have defense, at least.

As for the mail, there are quite a few, including in particular one VERY long chain where the recipients keep giving you the next letter in the chain, though I forget if it's anything other than more star shards as the reward.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

BlazetheInferno posted:

I will say this: Goombario benefits more from the Super Block upgrades than others do with his basic attack. All the partners just gain one more damage to their basic attack, but this benefits Goombario greatly; the other partners' action commands on the basic attack increases damage by one.

Goombario's action command *doubles* his damage by virtue of simply getting a second hit... assuming the enemy doesn't have defense, at least.

As for the mail, there are quite a few, including in particular one VERY long chain where the recipients keep giving you the next letter in the chain, though I forget if it's anything other than more star shards as the reward.
I suppose that makes sense, when I think about it. I guess I'll have to beef him up and see how that works out, then. And apparently the letter chain gets you the Lucky Day Badge, which makes it so attacks will randomly miss Mario. Might as well finish the chain and get it. Unfortunately it can't even be finished until near the end of the game. One of the last people you gotta deliver a letter to is in one of the last areas of the game.

TheLoneStar fucked around with this message at 21:09 on Sep 27, 2017

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 8 - Dry Dry Desert

I dunno why, but I remember the Desert portion of this chapter being a lot longer. The Desert itself is rather uninteresting. A few secrets peppered about, but overall uneventful. Of course, it IS a desert, so I guess that's a good enough excuse. It being extremely lively would just be odd. The Outpost is alright too, a few little secrets here and there. I just wish it didn't take me as long as it did to remember the Lemon thing. Boy did I feel foolish.

Carbon dioxide
Oct 9, 2012

Sir,

We, the Protection of Whacka bloc (POW bloc, a Mushroom Kingdom-supported environmental agency) were sent footage of you hitting a Whacka with a hammer, and taking its Bump with you.

You may not be aware of this, but Whackas are a rare and endangered species and are defenseless against attacks by humans. A couple of hammer hits will kill a Whacka, no matter how much time you give it to recover.

We urge you to not hit Whackas again. We belief the Hero of Mushroom Kingdom can save the princess without hurting or killing innocent creatures.

We do regret to inform you that if you do not seize your attacks on Whackas, our goons know where to find you.

Yours faithfully,

Biodiversi T. (PhD, Toadstool University)
Public Affairs Agent at POW bloc

Sorites
Sep 10, 2012

When I played this game, I was never able to switch away from maining Goombario. My collector brain forced me to use Tattle on every new enemy type, and they rotate the baddies enough that I was basically using Goombario for over 75% of fights.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Sorites posted:

When I played this game, I was never able to switch away from maining Goombario. My collector brain forced me to use Tattle on every new enemy type, and they rotate the baddies enough that I was basically using Goombario for over 75% of fights.
Personally, I almost never aim to 100% a game, especially in an instance like this where I don't think you can view Goombairo's progress of Tattling every enemy in the game. So if you miss one, you wouldn't know unless you went and fought every single enemy over again to double check.

Carbon dioxide posted:

Sir,

We, the Protection of Whacka bloc (POW bloc, a Mushroom Kingdom-supported environmental agency) were sent footage of you hitting a Whacka with a hammer, and taking its Bump with you.

You may not be aware of this, but Whackas are a rare and endangered species and are defenseless against attacks by humans. A couple of hammer hits will kill a Whacka, no matter how much time you give it to recover.

We urge you to not hit Whackas again. We belief the Hero of Mushroom Kingdom can save the princess without hurting or killing innocent creatures.

We do regret to inform you that if you do not seize your attacks on Whackas, our goons know where to find you.

Yours faithfully,

Biodiversi T. (PhD, Toadstool University)
Public Affairs Agent at POW bloc
loving fight me.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 9 - Dry Dry Ruins

Second Star Spirit rescued. I remember Tutankoopa being a bit harder, his Chain Chomps more troublesome and powerful, but it seems like I've remembered everything about this chapter wrong so there we go. I was mistaken about which one this was, unfortunately. I don't usually use stat-effect attacks like Lullaby, so I doubt I'll ever use this ability. Things get a tad bit more complex with the Peach segment, still but a taste of things to come in the future with those parts. I am glad to say one of my favorite chapters is coming up next, with one of my favorite Paper Mario-exclusive characters showing up.

Sorites
Sep 10, 2012

TheGamerGuy23 posted:

Personally, I almost never aim to 100% a game, especially in an instance like this where I don't think you can view Goombairo's progress of Tattling every enemy in the game. So if you miss one, you wouldn't know unless you went and fought every single enemy over again to double check.

It wasn't about 100%. Whenever I saw an enemy whose HP display was still hidden, I had to drop whatever else I was doing in the fight and Tattle it before I could proceed.

BlazetheInferno
Jun 6, 2015

Sorites posted:

It wasn't about 100%. Whenever I saw an enemy whose HP display was still hidden, I had to drop whatever else I was doing in the fight and Tattle it before I could proceed.

Same here. For me, it wasn't even about the HP bar. I just wanted to see what the guy had to say about them.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Sorites posted:

It wasn't about 100%. Whenever I saw an enemy whose HP display was still hidden, I had to drop whatever else I was doing in the fight and Tattle it before I could proceed.
Ah, my mistake. But yeah, fair enough. I do stuff like that in some games myself.


Part 10 - Interlude II

I don't really make much progress in this video, mostly just side stuff. I explore the sewers a bit more, check out the Dojo, and deliver a lot of letters. Though thankfully my second favorite chapter in the whole game starts in the next video, which also has my second favorite partner in the game as well.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 11 - Forever Forest

And here starts my second favorite chapter of the game, and the inclusion of my second favorite partner, Lady Bow. Right off the bat she's deathly broken. Her Outta Sight can be abused to Hell and back if you've got a lot of FP or FP-recovering items. One can easily go through an entire battle without taking a scratch with it. Though I'll save such gamebreaking tactics to bosses and the like. I also like the creepy, haunted atmosphere, though kind of feel like they could've done more. Not a single spirit or ghostly enemy in the entire chapter. I mean I guess the main boss is kind of gross, but that's about it. It's not really a big deal, just something I noticed.

Robindaybird
Aug 21, 2007

Neat. Sweet. Petite.

I'm not sure if it's me, but your audio seems way louder in the latest video than it has been previously.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Robindaybird posted:

I'm not sure if it's me, but your audio seems way louder in the latest video than it has been previously.
Which audio? My commentary or the game's audio?

Robindaybird
Aug 21, 2007

Neat. Sweet. Petite.

TheGamerGuy23 posted:

Which audio? My commentary or the game's audio?

commentary,

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

I honestly don't hear it as any louder than usual. I didn't do anything different than usual for the video so I dunno why it'd be noticeably louder.


Part 12 - The Invincible Tubba Blubba

Chapter 3 done already, and a very useful Star Spirit gained. Still my second favorite chapter of the game. Felt a lot shorter than I remember, oddly enough. I dunno what it is about Tubba Blubba, but I just really find him endearing. I kind of like his design, and his intimidating nature before the very end was a nice touch, though the fight with his Heart was dead easy. Lady Bow really is broken as gently caress with that Outta Sight ability, I can't stress that enough. And my very favorite chapter is next, though I have a few things to take care of before then in the next video, and maybe the video after.

BlazetheInferno
Jun 6, 2015
Even at full power, the only thing Bow can EVER do to enemies with even a single point of defense is either scare them away, which has the same problem as Parakarry's "carry an enemy away" thing, or use her ultimate "Fan Smack" ability, which costs flower points... and I think still does only 2 damage per smack. So instead of ONE defense making her helpless, it's TWO defense is the "screw you, Bow" point.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

BlazetheInferno posted:

Even at full power, the only thing Bow can EVER do to enemies with even a single point of defense is either scare them away, which has the same problem as Parakarry's "carry an enemy away" thing, or use her ultimate "Fan Smack" ability, which costs flower points... and I think still does only 2 damage per smack. So instead of ONE defense making her helpless, it's TWO defense is the "screw you, Bow" point.
While true, even as far as Chapter 7 there are enemies with 0 Defense. Though by that point Goombario can easily be made Ultimate, along with other, stronger partners. But her Outta Sight is still pretty broken, especially with charge-up attacks from enemies.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 13 - Interlude III

Aside from being up a one year-old again, not much going on here but some rambunctious Shy Guys. I'm excited to play through Chapter 4 in the next video, after getting some collectibles first. I'm also looking forward to later on, when Peach's little sections start getting more intricate, as so far we mainly only got the library section in terms of any kind of interesting gameplay from her.

BlazetheInferno
Jun 6, 2015
Yeah, Tattle doesn't carry over to future Jr. Troopa fights - each one is unique with different stats, so you need to tattle again to see the new stats.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 14 - Shy Guy's Toy Box

Time to start on my favorite chapter. I dunno what it is about Shy Guys that I like so much. It's probably the vast variety of them, with a good amount in this game alone. I'm excited to partake in the boss fight again, I remember it being pretty fun, as well as amusing. I'm hoping to wrap up the rest of the chapter in the next video. The game as a whole seems a lot shorter than I remember it being. Oh well, still fun.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 15 - General Guy

And alas the game's best chapter comes to a close. Love the General Guy fight. The three waves of Shy Guy enemies are pointless, but pretty drat amusing. And General Guy himself I find pretty endearing. Watt also joins the party, and is probably my favorite partner in the game. Her Electro Dash may not be the most powerful attack, but piercing the enemy's defense entirely makes up for it, I'd say. The next chapter is one of the weaker ones in my opinion, for a few reasons. But I'll get to those once it properly starts.

TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 16 - Lavalava Island

And so the fifth chapter starts. I admit, I find the part with the giant tuna pretty funny, and having Kolorado along for the ride is nice. The Gourmet Guy section was a bit of a pain. Though it's really my own fault I hosed it up the first time. I still have to wonder who told that guy all of that sensitive information. Aside from that, I don't get too far into Lavalava Island in this video, so I'll save talking about it for the next post.

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TheLoneStar
Feb 9, 2017

Part 17 - Lost Yoshi Children

Not too fond of this part, really. Those Yoshi kids can go rot for all I care. Though I do like Raphael the Raven and his weird little squad of children with freaky talons. And Sushie joins the team, the second-to-last partner. I don't recall her being too useful after this chapter with the exception of fire enemies. Her Ultra ability of being able to attack all enemies on-screen is nice, though. Overall, I still found her kind of dull, but then again most of the companions in this game are.

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