Hylarn
Since: Jan, 2001
06/14/2016 00:00:00
Paper Jam is completely devoid of any original cast of characters you’ll remembered seeing in previous games.
Chippy is still around!
And, yeah, there is a certain lack of personality to the game, though I\'d blame it more on the fairly scarce plot than anything. The game already had plenty of characters, they just didn\'t get used as well as they might have
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A Good Game, But Could’ve Been Better
A Mario & Luigi game crossover with Paper Mario series. Seeing these two Mario series intertwine with one another will make you expect to see loads of references, many cameos, and seeing plenty of characters meeting one another.
Unfortunately, that is not entirely the case with Paper Jam. Unlike the other Mario & Luigi games, Paper Jam’s pacing and story segments are both fast and straightforward with no proper buildup; everyone gets to meet right way with their counterparts just as soon as the book opens.
Gameplay and battle system are solid, the writing for dialogues and the jokes are humorous, and the soundtrack is wonderful.
So what exactly is the problem? The game is bland, has no flavor, and suffers for being too generic. Paper Jam is completely devoid of any original cast of characters you’ll remembered seeing in previous games. If you’re expecting to see Toadsworth, Paper Yoshi, or exclusive characters getting involve or at least make a cameo appearance…sorry, not in this game (except for Paper Luigi, but he’s not in the main game). This was supposedly done so the game can be more of a plot focus story that involves only the main characters and their more recognizable counterparts. This decision made the game fall into the blandness category. They could had easily included several cast of recognizable characters from both series to play the important roles that you’ll constantly get involve. It didn’t have to be plot focus; adding in a few original NP Cs in any random Toad Villages would have added more flavor in the game rather than generic Toads.
Despite being disliked by a majority of Paper Mario fans, Paper Mario Sticker Star is the only Paper Mario game that gets a whole lot of acknowledgement by references, some boss battles, and almost the whole game itself. Actually, any Mario game prior to 2012 doesn’t exist in Paper Jam. The only characters outside the main cast that will appear are those who made a big impact in recent games. Even references and shout outs can be far in-between, only the ones that stand out the most will players recognize it. In its story, Paper Jam haven't answered any important plot related questions; who created the Paper Mushroom Universe? Why is it in Peach’s castle attic of all places? It just…happened.
Despite these problems and missing out on too many opportunities, this game is still enjoyable on its own merit. Paper Jam is still considerably a good game if you ignore what’s missing; it's a fun game that’s full of laughs with good gameplay.
Is it the best Mario & Luigi game? No, it’s not.
Is it the worst? No, it isn’t.
The game leaves a lot to desire. No amount of humor and a good gameplay can ever cover up the fact that a lot of unnecessary sacrifices were made to make the overall experiences tasteless and bland. Paper Jam had its opportunity to be great, but it didn’t take advantage of it and went with the safe route.
All in all, it could’ve been better.