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shamanicshayminSticker Star takes the idea of "paper-thin characterization" to its logical conclusion by including excessive self-aware humor about the characters being two-dimensional, visual gags like characters stacked like sheaves of paper, or having various models become bent or creased. Truth be told, the characters and setting played with the paper theme from the beginning — North American ads for the N64 game featured Bowser dangling Peach above a paper shredder, and The Thousand-Year Door even had Mario fold himself like origami. The first two games were considered charming and clever for their use of the paper theme, but Sticker Star's explicit comments on it went past the point of being irritating. It was also only starting with Sticker Star that characters were actively aware they were made of paper in the game's world, whereas the previous games were simply depicting an adventure of Mario's differently than normal.
Good god, Sticker Star was Marvel Phase 4-brand humor before Marvel Phase 4-brand humor.
Reading all the YMMV pages for the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi games makes me depressed and cynical. Mario RPGs have been screwed over so much and I fucking hate it. I'll still give Origami King a chance and maybe Color Splash (haven't finished Inside Story yet, I have Dream Team and Paper Jam waiting in the back of the queue), but every time I see those color-swapped Toads, I'm reminded of a time when each Toad had an individual design and personality and just get furious because of what we used to have. Sticker Star will forever be the game I'll never play that I despise to the very core of my fucking being, because of everything it represents. I'm not asking for carbon copies of SMRPG, Paper Mario 64, and Thousand-Year Door - I just want to not be disappointed anymore.
Good god, Sticker Star was Marvel Phase 4-brand humor before Marvel Phase 4-brand humor.
Reading all the YMMV pages for the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi games makes me depressed and cynical. Mario RPGs have been screwed over so much and I fucking hate it. I'll still give Origami King a chance and maybe Color Splash (haven't finished Inside Story yet, I have Dream Team and Paper Jam waiting in the back of the queue), but every time I see those color-swapped Toads, I'm reminded of a time when each Toad had an individual design and personality and just get furious because of what we used to have. Sticker Star will forever be the game I'll never play that I despise to the very core of my fucking being, because of everything it represents. I'm not asking for carbon copies of SMRPG, Paper Mario 64, and Thousand-Year Door - I just want to not be disappointed anymore.
