LogFAQs > #951383158

10. Paper Mario (N64, 2000)

(image from a fan made HD upgrade, because Nintendo doesn't like giving us too many nice things)

It was a challenge to talk effectively about The Thousand Year Door knowing that I had Paper Mario 5 slots higher. Its even more of a challenge to talk about what exactly makes Paper Mario just a little bit better.

But it is.

Not because it was first, or because I have any particular nostalgia for it over its sequel. The gameplay between the two is essentially the same. The companions are only slightly better (Bow is much better than Flurrie; everyone is better than TTYDs Koops, no one is as good as Admiral Bobbery). The level design in Paper Mario is a little stronger - less backtracking, better use of space - overall a higher floor, slightly lower ceiling situation - and thats certainly a big, tangible thing in its favor. Trials in the Toy Box and Hot, Hot Times on Lavalava Island are both exceptional Paper Mario chapters, and The Invincible Tubba Blubba is one of the weirdest subplots ever, much less in Mario history. It plays out like some kind of Mario Twilight Zone episode, where the key to Tubbas invincibility is that his literal heart is locked away in a different place. Totally out there, but fantastic.

I think, ultimately, what does it for me is that Paper Mario is just inherently more memorable and a little more charming. It wins big on the intangibles. And what is a #sports discussion without something excelling in part because of its intangibles?

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The Thighmaster