Paper Mario and the Thousand-Year-Awaited Remaster

Balla

On the one hand that was one of the better bits of Family Guy.

On the other hand: Family Guy.

What's wrong with Family Guy?

What's right with Family Guy?

It tends to have a couple of laughs per episode, and when it touches on risky subject its always pretty clear who it actually believes deserves ridicule.

I'd agree. A couple of laughs per episode for a comedy show is not a good return, I'd say.

It's probably still funnier than modern Simpsons which got me to go "heh" exactly once in its runtime when I caught a recent episode.

Come 23rd of May my top four games of all time will be available on Switch (along with 6-8 and, if you include NSO, 10-15).

Balladeer wrote:

Come 23rd of May my top four games of all time will be available on Switch (along with 6-8 and, if you include NSO, 10-15).

Helllll yeah!

I've never played more than an hour or so of TTYD so it will be a day one pick up for me! Pretty close to finishing the NSO port of the first game too (get on that people if you haven't before, holds up so well)

I can second that also because I played the original after The Thousand Year Door and it probably didn't hold up as well because of it.

Yeah, this will almost certainly be the next game I decide to pick up this year as the new release window is looking a bit sparse.

Despite me already playing through a Mario RPG at the moment, I'm still dead excited to get tucked into the supposed best of the bunch.

JayMoyles wrote:

Yeah, this will almost certainly be the next game I decide to pick up this year as the new release window is looking a bit sparse.

I assume you posted this after you picked up Dragon's Dogma 2 and Princess Peach Showtime, aye?

Buskalilly wrote:

JayMoyles wrote:

Yeah, this will almost certainly be the next game I decide to pick up this year as the new release window is looking a bit sparse.

I assume you posted this after you picked up Dragon's Dogma 2 and Princess Peach Showtime, aye?

I've still got the first Dragon's Dogma to play so no dice on the first one. The demo did not sell me on the second and my Peachamania does not run wild like it does for you.

I wasn't trying to say "the release window is looking a bit sparse" objectively or anything...!

The release window on other machines is objectively anything but sparse, from the outside looking in. The release window on Switch... mmm.

I would not have had on my bingo card Andy & Jay not getting DD2 and EofGiz & CW both getting it day one, as it looks like a game one pair would like a lot and the other not so much.

I think after this month all machines look sparse, though with all my pick-ups that's a good thing.

From what I've seen of it, it absolutely would be my sort of thing but I've had the original sat unplayed for ages that I really should give a go first before going for the sequel.

The thing's very existence makes me shudder.  One save file?  Auto-saves?  Unpredictable events that can and will lock off loads of possible side-quests!?  Brrr.

I like how this has become the General Gaming thread.

Balladeer wrote:

The thing's very existence makes me shudder.  One save file?  Auto-saves?  Unpredictable events that can and will lock off loads of possible side-quests!?  Brrr.

Inject it all into my veins, I want to experience the bitter consequences of my deeds.

Doesn't TotK also have one save slot with auto saves?

Yeh, but in all of TotK's side-quests, you have an interesting conundrum with only one outcome; "somewhere in the middle".

Also, you can load an old save if something goes wrong.

The more I think about the first one, the more I'm put off DD2. I'm all for the story having impact later on, but what the first one thought were important descisions... weren't. That's probably really unfair of me, because they've probably learned a lot and fixed some of this stuff, which is exactly what games should do.

Buskalilly wrote:

Yeh, but in all of TotK's side-quests, you have an interesting conundrum with only one outcome; "somewhere in the middle".

Also, you can load an old save if something goes wrong.

Oh yeah that's true, I can see where both sides of the DD2 argument are coming from as I do dislike it if a game doesn't respect your time but I'm also fine with a game allowing you to make mistakes.

Funnily enough Helldivers 2 allows you to make mistakes in it's evolving galactic war campaign, currently we had to liberate 2 planets to unlock access to one for the major community objective but planets are connected by supply routes yet the game doesn't actually show you this, so folk have messed around on the wrong planets meaning the overall objective might fail. A bit annoying as I thought the devs might have been pushing us to a new faction reveal but I'm still excited to see what they do should we fail.

Me tomorrow:



As mentioned on Discord, first release I've been excited for this year.  That's mostly just because it's an excuse to play this beaut again, but Nintendo Life's Alana Hagues gave it the following in her 9/10 review (where the main criticism is 'not much new content', fair critique but not a problem for me):

Nintendo Life wrote:

There’s also a completely rearranged soundtrack, which takes a leaf out of The Origami King’s book, and now every single location provides a unique twist on the main battle theme — Glitzville gives you a rock-heavy rendition, while Hooktail's Castle delivers something a bit more sinister. Rogueport even has multiple variations of its theme, with a sea shanty at the port or a jig inside the inn. We cannot praise the new music enough, and it breathes fresh life into the adventure.

I thought the soundtrack was probably the weakest area of the original game, so this is genuinely exciting stuff!

I’m working my way through the game’s second chapter, the ghost character has just joined my party. This is a part I remember from when I tried giving the GameCube version of Thousand Year Door a go about fifteen years ago. Up to this point I’m enjoying this more now than I did back then. I can much better appreciate its overall quality now, as opposed to when I was probably unfairly comparing it to, I don’t know, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 or something.
 
It’s slower going than I’d like though. I’d like the option to skip (or at least speed up) the cutscenes and text boxes. Also, have they done anything to address the backtracking from the original? It’s not a big deal just now, but later in the game I know that’ll be time simply wasted.

I'd say that if you manage to get through the second chapter without giving up, you're probably safe to dig into this for the long haul.  Even among superfans like m'self the section with the Pikmin Punis is considered the weakest bit of the game probably - and the chapter after that, arguably the strongest.  I think you'll like it.

The risk here was obviously that I'd find out a game I last played on the GameCube, probably in the Wii era if not before, didn't live up to my fond memories.  I'd say that fear has been realised: flaws I didn't mind when I was a nipper are more obvious now, and most of them are to do with pacing.
- Like Cappa says, the text moves at a crawl.  Like Cappa did, I went straight into options when I fired up the game, looking for an ability to speed it up.  Like Cappa, I didn't find one.
- Largely due to the above, the prologue moves slowly. Things do heat up a bit when you hit the first chapter, only to slow down again in Petalburg.
- Why can you only accept one Trouble at once!? Why!? This was daft in the original, let alone on superior tech!
There are some notable helpful additions. The backtracking isn't so bad due to the new warp pipe room in the sewers, and the partner wheel is a godsend. Oh, and the one bit I do remember being miserable - the soundtrack - has received some very welcome updates. I'd be interested on other people's views on the revamped Glitzville music.

The visuals are great. This isn't a game that needs 60fps.

Despite the bullets above, I've just reached chapter 4, and I think it's picked up and will stay up. I still think this is a phenomenal game, sadly never bettered due to Miyamoto's meddling. The man's a genius but keep him away from story-driven IP at all costs.