Game Debate #120: Paper Mario - The Thousand Year Door

[Reed Rothchild | 9,516]

[Sumez | 2,935]

 

 

6/10 too much backtracking, lots of other fun charming ideas though

[Webhead123 | 675]

Haven't played this one yet but if I ever got ahold of a copy, I'd be interested to do so. Super Mario RPG is one of my all-time favorite games and Paper Mario on N64 was a pretty good follow-up, so this one seems like it'd be worth my time.

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

I absolutely love this game and it's my favorite "mario RPG" game, including Super Mario RPG. 9/10.

[Gloves | 11,771]

Never played it.

[cj_robot | 540]

Haven't played this one. Played the first one and really did not like it much, but people really seem to like TTYD, so I'll probably give it a shot one day.

[MegaMan52 | 2,442]

10/10

One of my favorite games of all time, and possibly my favorite game for the GameCube.

I like the first Paper Mario just a bit more, mainly because I like the music and environments more in that game. But TTYD is a great sequel, and I can understand why many say it is the best game in the series. I've played it a lot since 2004, and still like playing it on occasion.

Unfortunately, the series started to go downhill somewhat with Super Paper Mario (though i still like that game as well and took the time to beat it earlier this year).

Edited September 21, 2022 by MegaMan52

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

Take it or leave it.

[TDIRunner | 2,731]

I'm going with a 10 as well.  It really is that good.  Definitely my favorite GameCube game.  This is absolutely a game that everyone should try.  

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

Never played it.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,516]

I've played it a bit.  Rebought it earlier this year and plan on putting it on my 2023 backlog list.

[MagusSmurf | 577]

Excellent game.

Did a playthrough a few years ago where I beat it after choosing Badge Points every single level-up, was fun. Didn't mess around with minigames enough before the final dungeon to get a (the?) third HP Plus Badge so I only had 20 HP for the final boss. Made it through though.

Complaints about the backtracking are legit though!

Edited September 21, 2022 by MagusSmurf

[Brickman | 3,983]

I debated between an 8 or 9 on your scale but ultimately went with an 8 because the description matches my thoughts more.

I think this is a great game but not a killer fucking game when I compare it to Paper Mario 64 and Mario RPG on the SNES. Both those games I’d give either 9 or 10 and would recommend people play those two before playing this one.

TTYD is a great game though, I felt it dragged a little at times and there is a lot of back tracking and sometimes I felt the characters said so much without ever saying anything. It’s like the writer was paid per word or something. 

But overall a game with a solid story and mechanics. Everyone should play through it at least once if they enjoy RPGs.

[Makar | 1,946]

Very easy 10/10 for me. Thoroughly enjoyed this game and have always wished they’d go back to this formula in future paper Mario games. Everything about this game was great, with the badge and leveling up system being one of my favorite parts. 

[Kguillemette | 1,544]

I gave it a playthrough this year and it absolutely blew the socks off me. I haven't laughed so hard at game diologue since Earthbound nor have I had so much fun customizing a rpg character for a long time. It's a must play. 10/10

[Tanooki | 4,932]

8 because it's a solitary shining beacon of light in an otherwise broken shoal of dreams and half baked ideas (and halfassery) before it and ever since.  Much like Super Mario RPG that started this largely dumpster fire of a hah franchise, it's just so well executed and designed it makes you wonder where it all went wrong.  After the awful faux RPG setup that Paper Mario did this was such a huge leap and correction of a myriad of mistakes, one I wasn't aware of until over a decade after the fact as I didn't bother caring until I found it.

The game has quite the well crafted story, feels like chapters of a book and masterfully done.  The cartoon/flat art style kind of feels like a mix of the Paper Mario formula from the crappy stilted rhythm heaven style 64 game but with more depth and fluidity to it like Wind Waker had in ways and others like that.  The RPG mechanics in this one actually did work, uniquely slipping back closer to the tolerant SNES Mario RPG style where it was encouraged but not required for survival to have masterful timing and personal rhythm to get deep into it which was great.  While the series on the whole isn't very good, lesser than M&L on the whole, this one stand out closer to Mario RPG than the rest and deserves credit for that.

[JamesRobot | 5,793]

I'd play it if someone insisted but I'm not really interested.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,516]

21 minutes ago, JamesRobot said:

I'd play it if someone insisted but I'm not really interested.

I insist

[RH | 4,898]

[JamesRobot | 5,793]

13 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

I insist

Send me a Cube and a copy.

[MagusSmurf | 577]

7 minutes ago, JamesRobot said:

Send me a Cube and a copy.

rubik's and copy paper coming right up!

Edited September 22, 2022 by MagusSmurf

[Sumez | 2,935]

12 hours ago, cj_robot said:

Haven't played this one. Played the first one and really did not like it much, but people really seem to like TTYD, so I'll probably give it a shot one day.

If you didn't like the first, you won't like TTYD.
I prefer the first game quite a lot (the dungeon/area design is much more interesting, and you barely have any backtracking, but there's a bunch of other little things as well), though others like TTYD better. But pretty much everything TTYD does is an iteration on Paper Mario 64, so if that game does nothing for you, TTYD won't either.

I do recommend giving the original game another try though if you're up for it. It took me literally four attempts throughout multiple decades before I finally pulled all the way through.

[Sumez | 2,935]

Btw, anyone who's even remotely a fan of the style of the first two Paper Mario games shouldn't sleep on Bug Fables!

It's better than both of those two games, and even though you might think I've been harsh on TTYD, it's still not something I say lightly. It's just a really, really good game, that manages to do a lot of interesting tactical twists on a similar battle system, that just fit so well that you wish the Paper Mario games had done the same, and the overworld exploration is nothing short of delightful.
There's a more thorough review somewhere in my 2022 Backlog posts if you're curious, but I'd wager looking up any opinion online would present you with nothing but praise.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Sumez

[Brickman | 3,983]

3 hours ago, Sumez said:

Btw, anyone who's even remotely a fan of the style of the first two Paper Mario games shouldn't sleep on Bug Fables!

It's better than both of those two games, and even though you might think I've been harsh on TTYD, it's still not something I say lightly. It's just a really, really good game, that manages to do a lot of interesting tactical twists on a similar battle system, that just fit so well that you wish the Paper Mario games had done the same, and the overworld exploration is nothing short of delightful.
There's a more thorough review somewhere in my 2022 Backlog posts if you're curious, but I'd wager looking up any opinion online would present you with nothing but praise.

I've heard nothing but excellent things about this game. I really should play it.

[OptOut | 8,883]

Pretty good game, for an RPG, but I prefer the N64 version.