Gee, this seems to have been done quite a bit, hasn't it? Well, seeing as Paper Mario is coming to the 3DS in the near future, I think it is time to see how the three existing installments compare in the meantime. I will be rating the stories, graphics, gameplay, and more for Paper Mario (N64), Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GCN), and Super Paper Mario (Wii). Each section will be rated on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being absolutely terrible and 10 being perfect. (Or close to perfect, anyway.)
Story:
Paper Mario (N64):
6
Paper Mario:
The Thousand-Year Door (GCN): 7
Super Paper Mario
(Wii): 10
N64: Well, there isn't a lot to say about this one. The story for the original Paper Mario was very basic and did its job, but it didn't really try to be anything more, which isn't really a bad thing. Basically, we have Bowser kidnapping Princess Peach yet again, but what kept this section from getting a 4 or 5 like I originally would have is that it spices up the old story with a few interesting changes. For one thing, this is the first time in which Mario is present for Peach's kidnapping, and it is also the first (and only) time where Bowser manages to defeat Mario as part of the plot. (Even if his method is a bit... cheap.) While those are somewhat minor details, what really interested me was that it is the first time where Peach actually does something to help Mario despite being in Bowser's clutches. Periodically you will gain control of Peach, whom you use to gather information on where Mario needs to go next in order to advance in the game's plot.
That brings me to my next point. In Paper Mario, rescuing the princess is not exactly the primary objective. (At least, not completely.) Bowser has stolen the Star Rod from Star Haven, where the Star Spirits grant wishes to all who live in Mario's world. In addition to this, Bowser has captured the Star Spirits and sealed them away into the hands of the game's bosses. In the end, Paper Mario's storyline is nothing amazing, but it gets the job done.
GCN: Again, not a lot to say here. This plot is similar to Paper Mario's, but without the Star Rod and all that. Instead, a group of aliens called X-Nauts have kidnapped Peach and wish to collect the Crystal Stars in order to open the Thousand-Year Door beneath Rogueport and unleash a great evil upon the world. A little cliché, but so was Paper Mario's. The extra point to this story is that Bowser actually is not the one who has kidnapped Peach, which is a nice change.
Wii: Now this is what I call a story! An evil count who wants to destroy all dimensions and all worlds forces Peach and Bowser to marry, to bring forth the Chaos Heart, which will, well, destroy all dimensions and all worlds. After this the Count kidnaps Peach, Bowser, and Luigi, as well as a large chunk of Bowser's army, whom he brainwashes to serve him. Mario is then taken to Flipside, a nexus world, by a fairy-like creature named Tippi. It is then that Mario is told that he is a chosen warrior who must collect the eight Pure Hearts to counteract the Chaos Heart and save all worlds from destruction.
There is much,
much more to the story as it unfolds, but I'll leave that to you to get
to on your own. While this is yet another rather cliché story,
the twists and turns that it makes as the game progresses, as well as the
incredible concentration on character development and interaction, makes
this game's plot nearly perfect.
Graphics:
Paper Mario (N64):
8
Paper Mario:
The Thousand-Year Door (GCN): 10
Super Paper Mario
(Wii): 9
N64: I really don't have any complaints about these graphics. They're bright, colorful, and do a nice job of looking like paper. I will say that some animations seemed a little stiff and some of the sprites didn't really look that great, so I took off two points. Overall, they're good, but could have been just a bit better.
GCN: A vast improvement from Paper Mario. This game has sprites that almost completely match the concept art, which is great! Animations are very smooth and the environments are very nice to look at.
Wii: A
step down from The Thousand-Year Door. While the animations are smooth
and everything is nice and colorful, things appear less sharp and crisp,
plus the fact that most of the characters and environments are composed
of geometric shapes. I personally wasn't really bothered by the latter,
but I know it is something that annoyed a lot of people.
Music:
Paper Mario (N64):
9
Paper Mario:
The Thousand-Year Door (GCN): 9
Super Paper Mario
(Wii): 9
N64: A wonderful soundtrack, yes. Most of the themes are very catchy, but I took a point off because there are quite a few songs that, while very good, seem to be a little too atmospheric. This isn't such a bad thing, but it makes them less enjoyable to listen to out of context.
GCN: Again, a great soundtrack that rivals Paper Mario's. However, in addition to having themes that are too atmospheric, I found that other themes that were good weren't as memorable as its predecessor. (Outside of boss battle themes, anyways.) It wasn't enough to deduct another point, though.
Wii:
I really do enjoy this soundtrack a lot, and it tends to have less atmospheric
tunes, but I did find it slightly annoying that most songs would have odd
sound effects stuck in that didn't really fit.
Characters:
Paper Mario (N64):
5
Paper Mario:
The Thousand-Year Door (GCN): 8
Super Paper Mario
(Wii): 9
N64: Ouch, it does pain me to give the original Paper Mario such a low score, but I have to say that this is something that was not really that great. Yes, you have Mario, Peach, Bowser, the Star Spirits, Twink, and Mario's party members, but... Well, there's not much to them. Bowser is a bit comical I suppose, and Peach is shown to have a little personality as a (mostly) down-to-earth character, but that's pretty much it. Mario is silent and shows little to no character, which is fine, since he really doesn't need it. (He went the last 15 years or so without it just fine.) Twink was all right, and the Star Spirits were okay, I guess. My biggest complaint is the party members. Aside from Bow and Lakilester, the party members really don't seem very interesting and are pretty generic. Yes, they do have personalities, but their dialogue does a poor job of expressing it, especially considering the fact that they don't talk all that often. (Outside of Goombario, but he's possibly the most generic of the bunch, so I don't know why you'd want to listen to him.) Admittedly, the game does fine without deep character and the like, so don't let a low score here give you the impression that the characters were bad. They did their jobs and not much else.
GCN: Big improvement here, indeed. In addition to a larger cast of characters, we also get small cases of character development! The example that stands out in my mind the most is Koops, who starts off very shy and untrusting of himself and ends up getting an overall boost in self-esteem and confidence by the end of the game, which was awesome to see. The characters also had much more distinct personalities, making them much more interesting as people. The party members also speak more and have a more active role in the game as characters rather than simply tools that are only good for their abilities like in Paper Mario.
Wii: Oh,
how I love the characters in this game! We have the Bleck crew, Mario,
Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Merlon, and Tippi as the most important characters.
Each character has a very distinct personality, and even backgrounds. (Backstories
in a Mario game? Whaaaaaat?) Expanding from what Paper Mario: The
Thousand-Year Door started, Super Paper Mario takes character development
to the next level. Tippi, Count Bleck, and even some of the more
minor characters go through intense changes in character as the story progresses,
which gives them so much more depth and actually makes you care about
them. I would be lying if I said that I didn't cry in response to
some of these character arcs. Why isn't this a 10? Well, while
most of the characters were pulled off great, the party members of this
game, which are called Pixels, are... well, let me put it this way.
You get a Pixel, s/he talks to you a bit before joining you, you use their
ability for the first time, and that's it. The Pixels never speak
to you ever again for the rest of the game and just become blatant tools.
Yes, they all do have personalities, but you only see said personalities
one time, which means you're bound to forget that they're even alive,
let alone the fact that they have character! Honestly, I was heavily
disappointed in this.
Gameplay:
Paper Mario (N64):
10
Paper Mario:
The Thousand-Year Door (GCN): 10
Super Paper Mario
(Wii): 9
N64: A perfect 10 here. I have absolutely no complaints here at all. Battles ran wonderfully with an active system called Action Commands. Essentially, you must press buttons or move the control stick in certain ways in order to execute moves. This ranges from pressing A just before landing on an enemy to holding the control stick to the left until a star flashes red. This was a great way to keep battles from getting monotonous and repetitive, and it keeps you on the alert to make sure you're getting the most out of your attacks. In the overworld, while Mario is a bit slow, you do have the Spin Dash, which allows you to move faster. In addition, you also have the new Badge system, which is a set of 80 total badges that you can obtain throughout the game and that grant Mario different abilities. These range from adding 5 HP to Mario's max HP, to allowing you to use a more powerful Jump attack. Equipping badges takes BP, which you can increase as you level up. In addition to that, moves that you use in battle that are from a badge take FP, which is like MP from Final Fantasy or FP from Super Mario RPG. Basically, you can increase your FP via leveling up, which allows you to use these special moves more often.
Lastly, we have the Star Powers. You get one Star Power for every Star Spirit you rescue, which lets you call upon said Star Spirit for help in battle. Using a Star Power will drain your Star Energy, which is like FP but specifically for Star Powers. Personally I found most of the Star Powers to be useless aside from Star Storm, Chill Out, and Time Out, but the others do have uses in certain situations, I suppose.
GCN: Basically the same as Paper Mario, but upgraded. For one thing, party members now have HP and can use items in battle. Secondly, every battle is now a performance on a stage in front of a crowd! I thought this was very cool, since it added extra events during battle, such as audience members tossing you free items, stagelights falling onto you or your enemies, fog machines being activated... Very creative! We also got Stylish moves, which are fancy moves you perform during attacks by pressing A. Doing this at certain times will make you perform a special little crowd-appealing move, which refills your Special Points gauge, which is much like Star Power. You gain a Special Attack each time you collect a Crystal Star, and I personally found these powers to be a whole lot more useful than the ones in Paper Mario. Badges have returned, and they function exactly the same as they did in Paper Mario. Mario also has new paper abilities, which he gains by being 'cursed' by evil talking treasure chests. (Don't ask.) These abilities include being able to fold into a paper airplane to fly across long chasms, a paper boat to ride on water, and a few others. I loved these and felt they took full advantage of the papery theme of the game. My biggest complaint with the gameplay is that the Spin Dash was taken out for some reason, which means you go quite some time without being able to move faster or use the various Spin Dash-related Badges. Otherwise, the gameplay is awesome.
Wii: Well, this is different. No more turn-based battling, badges, or even Star/Special Power. However, the game still functions just fine and manages to be just as enjoyable as the other two games--just in a different way. In Super Paper Mario you run and battle in 2D environments just like you would in any 2D platformer, but with RPG elements like damage and HP coming into play. This makes battles much faster and even avoidable entirely. (Save for bosses and all that.) Also, we have a Capture Card system, which acts as a Bestiary for the game. You can get a card of a main character or an enemy by either buying it from a Card Shop or by catching an enemy with a Capture Card in the field. Having an enemy card will double the damage you do on that enemy for the rest of them game, unless you sell said card. This means you can actually get several of the same cards and do tons and tons of damage, which I found to be very cool.
Then we have the
gimmick of the game- flipping into 3D. This was a cool idea that
is used mostly to solve puzzles that you can't solve in 2D, mostly revealing
hidden passages or items. However, you only have a limited time to
spend in 3D, since you have a meter that goes down the longer you're in
3D. If it runs out, you take 1 damage. To refill the meter,
simply wait around in 2D for about 5 seconds. Now, my problem with
this mechanic is not the limited time, especially since you receive infinite
3D time after a certain sidequest. My problem is that only Mario
can use this ability and that the 3D realm is, quite frankly, very, very
bland. The 2D environments look great, full of color and detail,
but the 3D environments? Ugh, they're mostly just straight lines
with absolutely no terrain or signs that you're even on properly-existing
land. Don't get me wrong, it was a cool idea, but it had poor execution,
resulting in a point drop.
Controls:
Paper Mario (N64):
9
Paper Mario:
The Thousand-Year Door (GCN): 9
Super Paper Maio
(Wii): 9
N64: These controls are great! A jumps and confirms, B uses your Hammer and cancels, the control stick makes you move or move the cursor, Z Spin Dashes, and the C buttons take you to item and party member selection screens, as well as use your party member's ability. In battle, Action Commands are diverse, and the only reason I took off a point is because of some Action Commands that require you to move the control stick to the left repeatedly, which can be very awkward at first. It also has caused my N64 controllers' control stick to start squeaking and become a lot more loose, but the controls are just fine, otherwise.
GCN: Again, solid controls. Mostly the same as in Paper Mario, except without Z and with the D Pad acting like the C buttons. X is now the button used to use a partner ability, Y to use the Paper Airplane/Boat abilities on certain tiles, and R to use the Paper Thin ability, which is used to squeeze between small spaces. In battle, controls are pretty much exactly the same, but with X now being a button used to attack audience members who may throw harmful items at you, which was a cool feature. The point taken off here is that the Action Commands seem to be timed a bit differently from Paper Mario (or at least the Jump command is) so you will have trouble at first when playing this game if you played Paper Mario beforehand. Another problem I had was that Stylish moves were incredibly difficult to figure out. I actually had to mash the A button during every attack to find out where I'm supposed to press it. Aside from that though, no real complaints.
Wii: A
bit less solid than Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door,
but these work pretty well. The control pad moves your character
and the cursor, 1 uses a Pixel ability or cancel, 2 makes you jump or confirm,
A flips Mario into 3D, and the motion of the Wii remote is used for some
item-based Action Commands, though they're incredibly easy. Pointing
the Wii remote at the screen will use Tippi, who acts like Goombario and
Goombella, as she will tell you about anything you point at. If you
point at yourself, she'll give you a hint on what to do next, which was
a nice touch, even if I didn't really use it much. My only problem
with these controls is the fact that sometimes my character will use their
down ability (holding the control pad down) while I'm walking, mostly with
Bowser. I did also dislike having to go to the main menu just to
switch party members, Pixels, or use items, but that was made much faster
when I discovered that pressing 1 and 2 at the same time acts as a shortcut
to those menus, which was a great addition.
Difficulty:
Paper Mario (N64):
7
Paper Mario:
The Thousand-Year Door (GCN): 7
Super Paper Mario
(Wii): 6
N64: This game really isn't hard at all, though it can be if you choose to make it so. The bosses aren't too difficult, and the dungeons are fairly easy to navigate, with some nice little puzzles tossed in. It is a fun type of easiness, though.
GCN: I had a lot of trouble coming up with a rating for this one. This game can be very, very easy or very, very hard, depending on what you choose to do. Abusing badges can make the toughest bosses so easy that they can be beaten in a single turn, but there are also people who make runs of the game with just 5 HP, which can be quite a challenge. On a standard level, the game is harder than Paper Mario, yes, but it is so dependent on how you decide to tackle the game that it is difficult to give an accurate rating.
Wii: Definitely
easier than its predecessors, Super Paper Mario has some of the easiest,
fastest bosses in the history of Mario games, but there are also some bosses
that can be a bit difficult (at least in my opinion), such as Francis and
King Croacus. The dungeons and puzzles can also be pretty hard, but
I had to take off an extra point for how easy most of the bosses are.
Even the final boss is a pushover.
Length:
Paper Mario (N64):
6
Paper Mario:
The Thousand-Year Door (GCN): 8
Super Paper Mario
(Wii): 9
N64: This game can be completed in 7-10 hours, which isn't bad, and they're certainly a fun 7-10 hours. The game has a distinct ending that I have very mixed feelings on. On one hand, I would have liked to see a postgame rather than an endless THE END screen. On the other hand, the game is a story being told by someone, so it makes sense to have an indefinite end, as well as making the game feel that much more satisfying to complete.
GCN: This game takes a bit longer to complete than Paper Mario, probably 8-12 hours or so. Again the amount of fun packed in is good, and we even have a postgame to increase the length of the game, adding sidequests like the Trouble Center, the Pit of 100 Trials, and a few other extras. Definitely a step up from Paper Mario.
Wii: Though
I criticized this game for its fast and easy bosses, this is a fairly long
game compared to its predecessors- about 15 or so hours. There is
a postgame like in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, as well, and with
a few more sidequests. There is a new Map sidequest that lets you
buy maps from a salesman that hold a picture of an area you've been to
in the game, where you must use Fleep, a Pixel, to find a hidden item.
We also have not one, but two Pits of 100 Trials. Completing
the first will give you a new Pixel and completing the second gives you
some Catch Cards and infinite time in 3D. There are more extras in
the game, but those are the primary ones.
Replay Value:
Paper Mario (N64):
10
Paper Mario:
The Thousand-Year Door (GCN): 9
Super Paper Mario
(Wii): 8
N64: I see absolutely nothing wrong in replaying this game! No matter how many times I play it, it is always just as fun!
GCN: Mostly great here. My only complaint in replaying this game is that there are sections that take far too long when replaying, such as the search for General White or getting the Letter P. Otherwise, good stuff here!
Wii: Not
bad, and it does fix the issue that Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
had of things that take too long. Most of the tedious aspects are
a breeze the second time if you kept codes on paper like I did. My
main problem is that the story relied a bit too much on “didn't see that
coming” plot twists that make a second run through the game a bit less
enjoyable, but not enough to make it a bad experience or anything.
Overall:
Paper Mario (N64):
8.0
Paper Mario:
The Thousand-Year Door (GCN): 8.6
Super Paper Mario
(Wii): 8.5
All three games,
while not perfect, are very good and at least deserve a try. I thoroughly
enjoyed them all and would gladly recommend any of them.
Recommendation:
Well, I definitely recommend Paper Mario, since it is a fun, lighthearted game for all audiences. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, while it improved most things from Paper Mario, is a tad more of a "hardcore" game, but it is still easy to get into and plays very nicely. Super Paper Mario... well, if you truly appreciate plot and character in a game and can overlook the fact that it isn't as great in comparison to Paper Mario or its sequel in regards to gameplay, I really do recommend it. However, if you're only going to compare it to its predecessors, you might want to think about it a little more. Super Paper Mario is a great game in its own right, but it tends to pale in comparison to Paper Mario 1 and 2 when it comes to the core gameplay.
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