So... uh... even though it was rated by the OFLC, why does the article state that Europe is getting the game, instead of Australia? = S I know we share almost all of our games (but our cousin gets a little greedy at times...), but shouldn't Australia take priority when it's an Australian source? Meh.

I suspect the game might be a "limited release" title, like Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Just call that a hunch, though... and I certainly wouldn't mind paying up to 1200 points for the title. It shouldn't really go any higher than 1000 points, though.

waiting for it!!, I want this gaaameeee (and I am no a geek or a Otaku...)

I imagine this news will make many Wii owners very happy indeed.

Just to confirm Super Mario RPG is coming right? I can't believe this.

This is great news for Australia! It's pretty awesome to get a big name title on the VC when you didn't even get it the first time around. Congrats.

It could still take months though... there are already several games rated not released yet. I'll be getting it when it eventually does come though.

I have high expectations, what with everyone saying it's so much better than Paper Mario. I like PM 1 & 2 so much that I expect to be slightly underwhelmed by this, but we'll see. As Bass X0 says, it's not really anything to get excited about in the short-term.

Brilliant news, hopefully EarthBound will be next and we don't have to wait too long for both.

@Drake: Naw, I wouldn't complain about that. Chances are Europe'll get a Commodore 64 game to play with, so those articles are fair to be based around Europe. But whatever, we must celebrate the great news!

.* grabs a broom *

Everyone, time to limbo!

Now we're another step closer!

Now it's only a question of time. I hope they make an America Day together with Earthbound so we don't have to wait until they have enough games for another Hanabi Month (I guess it would be between September and November if they want to make it regularly and not random)

Wooo!

I played some of it on cough emulation but stopped in hope of getting a real copy and an NTSC SNES. This should be the next best thing!

Lol, the Independence Day would lend itself for an American Festival on EU-Wiis. It's even a friday^^

Dude, this sucks. I don't want Mario RPG because it's way too LENIANT even by emulation (even Culex wasn't intimidating enough), the story sucked (the Smiffy gang, in spite of looking like weapons, aren't as close to as intimidating as the X-Nauts or even Count Bleck was in the Paper Mairo series) and above all, a serious RPG pundit can merely clear this in a single afternoon; heck, I even complained about Shining Force being too short at 20-25 hours, and RPGs are meant to be full of epic stuff to keep you involved even after the game is over.

Still, the only good thing that would come out of this is the possibility of other Square games/other Nintendo RPGs (particularly Earthbound) coming to Europe as well. I have a better hope for any of that over this completely overrated piece of crap.

Cool.

I loved this game when I was ten. I still liked it a lot when I replayed it somewhat recently. Trust me, this is a great game! At the rate you guys are going, you guys should get this- with Earthbound- before 2009, and USA sometime before Summer 09. I hope that was an exaggeration.

Hey, if you have a US month, can we have a EU month? It would be great to get games like Parodius, Twinbee, Terranigma...

If you're saying that this game is "great", then you guys are saying that Superman 64 is the best game ever. Seriously, this is among the more ridiculously over-hyped of Square's even more ridiculously disappointing releases.

Rexy - you're a lone voice in the crowd, I fear...

I may be, but I have had a lot of gaming experience under my belt to believe my statement. I get a better kick out of true Square classics like FF6 and Secret of Mana, and similarly feel that all Square did since Final Fantasy 7 was do heavy promotion on titles that weren't even that good to begin with.

Sheesh Rexy, you REALLY don't want people to get this game. Just because it is short and the villians aren't very threatening, doesn't mean it won't be enjoyable for others. If it's half of what Paper Mario was, then it is still a great game.

It's not even half of what Paper Mario was at all. I just find it disappointing that people acknowledge the overtly-simple stuff highly and leave more promising RPG franchises to bite the dust.

@Drake, you know Ive always been surprised I dont see any Canadians complaining about the usage of US Releases. I remember years ago if I generalized an American release under US when I was talking to Canadians they would quickly go "North America! A North America release!"

Rexy, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there are many games, let alone RPG's, that had post-game stuff before/during the year this initially released. Although I agree with you that this game is easy, for me it's the reason I enjoy this game and recommend it. Sure, it's not going to be a challenge for RPG experts in any way, but it's certainly fun and has a lot of charm. The battle system is also unique and fresh, and you can't do much better than it unless you head for something like Grandia.

To compare it to Superman 64 is a little harsh, I think, but maybe it was more your expert RPG finesse that turned you away from it than anything.

Yeah, well I can understand it if something like this turns out to be someone's first RPG or something because it seems to be catered for that purpose IMO. You are right in saying that once you get more into the genre - and I mean REALLY into the genre and not confiding in Squaresoft all the freakin' time - you could turn back at stuff like this and try and figure out how you got into it in the first place. That's what I seem to be feeling here

Also, I can find an easy example of a game with post-game content before this game came out - Chrono Trigger with its New Game+ system and multiple endings, released in Japan a year before this made its Japanese release.

@Rexy

Sorry, I read your reply, but after I saw the words 'dude, and sucks' I completely stopped taking your opinion seriously.

You can't really compare Mario RPG with Paper Mario. They're two very different games. Mario RPG was the first RPG I ever played. Was real difficult at first, but subsequent playthroughs and more experience with RPGs made this the easiest RPG I've ever played. I had to attempt beating the game at the lowest possible level to get any challenge recently. I still like it, though. Sure, it's probably a very overrated game, but for it's time, it was a very impressive game. Especially back when Mario being in RPGs wasn't nearly as commonplace. (Hint: this was the only one.)

@Junichi: I happen to agree with Rexy that this is one of the weaker RPGs I've ever played (Secret of Evermore is worse, at least). Still, it has a cult following. If people like it, power to 'em. I'm not going to be ignorant enough to stop taking their opinions seriously.

@WarioFan63: Trust me, I have complained to the people who run this site about their erroneous region labelling. But they've made it clear that they're too lazy to fix a small and easily corrected mistake, thus securing their place in this wild video game "journalism" industry.

"I read your reply, but after I saw the words 'dude, and sucks' I completely stopped taking your opinion seriously."

Then you need to play a lot more RPGs to understand my statement. There's more in the sea than most of the overhyped stuff that Squaresoft keeps putting out. Sure, at its time it might have been impressive, but not all games age beautifully and come up with awkward hindsights years after, which has been the case for a huge majority of Square's back catalog.

And I know that this was the first Mario RPG ever, but it doesn't automatically make it among the best games ever made. Heck, most people seem to acknowledge Final Fantasy 7 just because it was either the player's first RPG they ever played or the first RPG that used 3D graphics - and in both cases, either the player was actually just a non-gamer that doesn't play much of anything let alone complete anything often or that they really played just to become a potential XBox-loving graphics whore in the years to come.

My point is, systems improve over time. It's just that Super Mario RPG had the rotten luck to A - begin the era of Squaresoft's high-promotion disappointing-game days, and 2 - eventually be overshadowed by its other Mario RPG bretheren in every single way.

@Jogurt: Thank you. I haven't played Secret of Evermore though, but I do see what you're saying in there being some kind of cult following to it. I'm not going to dampen anyone's enjoyment of the game if they do decide to invest on it; just warning them that it's not as good as it actually sounds.

@Rexy:

Lol, as always Chrono Trigger is the exception. I can see how you would feel jaded by this point and not enjoy the simplicity of Mario RPG as a result. I know it's the same reason people were turned off by Megaman X : Command Mission.

Yeah, like Draygone above, this was one of my first RPG's, so it's got a special place in my heart. I also think this is a good primer into the genre, and it does seem like that's mostly what it was intended for anyway. It's kinda like watching your first anime in that respect - you loved it back then, but as you got more into it, you found things that were so much more evolved and thought provoking that you wonder why you thought your starter was so great to begin with. (don't know if you're an anime fan, but this reminded me of watching Sailor Moon and DBZ, and rewatching it recently, laughing at how stupidly simple the stories were)

But Mario RPG, I feel, isn't such a bad RPG. Granted, compared to the great classics of all time, it doesn't hold as well, but you could always do far worse than this game.

Well, I don't watch much anime (and my starter into the whole thing weirdly enough was Samurai Pizza Cats, which is still good now) but I do see the similarities with you bringing up Sailor Moon and DBZ into all this. Even the Pokemon anime seems to come to mind to something that looked good back then but ridiculously corny looking back.

Whichever happens, I might have been rash in some of my statements in this thread, but in any case it's not easy having been attached to the gaming scene for years. You are right though, I could always go worse, Halo for example _

im not into RPG'S really, but this one changes my mind

If you don't like it don't buy it. everyone else loves the game. I've played through it over the past what, 9 years, at least 20 times, and it's enjoyable every time. I personally love the story. I didn't like any of the paper mario games as much as smrpg. It's personal preference, so stop trying to convince people that this game sucks.

And, I've been playing FF games for that amount of time too. FFII and III on snes are among my favorite games as well. And I also enjoy not only the retro FFs, but the recent ones as well (VII thru X). So.... Like I was saying, it's all just personal preference.

It may be a personal preference to some, but it's still blatantly obvious that people are more bought over by anything that has been heavily promoted. Squaresoft have most often given me that kind of impression for years now, so I'm still convinced that there's something afoot concerning said corporation.

Is it as charming and funny as Paper Mario? That one was too simple for my tastes, but it was really fun.

Rexy's evident RPG geekery (Otaku? ;¬) and associated hate for this game is making me want to play it much more!

@ Rexy- we got the point, you don't like SMRPG, and we do.

and if Europe gets it first, i'll really dislike Europe.

So, you want to play it just because I'm "hating on it". What a stupid response that is; only a Mario fanboy would do that. Still, at least I have right to criticise with a reason to it.

Plus, if I was an Otaku, then I would be an avid supporter for Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and Dragon Quest - three more Square Enix franchises that have similarly become over-rated over the years and have had plenty of disappointing games to boot.

I knew there would be americans making silly threats if it comes out here before there.

I will be getting this, along with Paper Mario

@ Ragnor- just kidding, i'll still like you guys.

@ Rexy- shut the hell up.
you've posted 9 comments on why you don't like this game.
do other people go around hating on games they don't like?
making more pointless arguments only diminishes the little credibility you had.

Oh joy. Every week will now be "where is Super Mario RPG?", wait...

I'm also someone who doesn't get Mario RPG. I don't get how anyone whoses played both Paper Mairo and Super Mario RPG can put them as equals or even worse say Mario RPG is the better one.

My statement of tastes would be if you think Super Mario RPG is the best Mario RPG to me, its like thinking Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is the best Final Fantasy. It flies in the face of logic...

Well, FFMQ is pretty similar as it too was designed to be an introduction to RPGs. I do see what you're trying to say, even though FFMQ is indeed worse in comparison to SMRPG when it comes to ease of the game and stuff to do.

And to whoever is telling me to "shut the hell up"... it's called "freedom of speech" for a reason. So who cares if I bear illwill to SMRPG? It doesn't change the fact that I have rights to an opinion.

This is fantastic News!!!!!! I think sadly from now on we will be checking every week for the release of this game, I thought last night the big N should have released this game when the Wii first came out. I am interested to know how much it will cost and how long it will be made available, I'm willing to pay about 1,000- 1500 Wii Points for this game but if it comes out for 800 points that would be a huge bonus.... My fingers are forever crossed.

@ Rexy- Not when you force your opinion upon others.

But this is to be expected, people will complain about anything right? Here's a game people have been wanting for a while, and of course there has to be one person that "goes against the crowd" for the sake of "going against the crowd".
If you don't like the game, fine, but don't try to make others hate it just because you do. And 1 more comment on why you don't like SMRPG, and I'm going to post 20 comments on why I hate you.

@ Rexy- when Earthbound comes out are we going to hear another Rexy rant on why people shouldn't really enjoy Earthbound?
Chrono Trigger too?

Nope, because Earthbound and Chrono Trigger are actually good games

As long as the US gets it as well.

Didnt earthbound get rated for the USA a month ago. >_>

Didnt earthbound get rated for the USA a month ago. >>_
Exactly. Ratings don't tell when games will come only that they _should.

Ratings cost money so having games that have rating not coming out is effectively burning money. Still having a few spare rated titles at your disposal might not be a bad thing...

Edit: Cool, I found subscripts

Great game, a beautiful chance for those who never got to beat down Smithy! Still rocking my cart, I run it through every couple years.

Wow...it amazes me how we can spark debate on any subject here. C'mon people save your debate fuel for the next thing that Nintendo says about a storage solution and just be happy that VC is getting a great game for once. You guys have been moaning about how only crap has been being released this year but finally were getting something good and we're fighting about it.

Rexy, if you don't like the game it's ok, Nintendo's not going to make you buy it so calm down, and Super Mario, flaming is not the answer.

I mean let's face it. We've all seen the Top 20 lists, people are going to buy this regardless of what we say because Mario's mug is taped on the front.

Just trying to keep the peace...

You have a point there - as long as Mario's in it, it'll sell like pineapples in a holiday resort. It's just that I bear illwill to the later works of Squaresoft for one reason or another - they're just clever market strategists at the end of the day, yet not necessarily great programmers.

A similar point was made about the top 20 as well; I find it more disturbing that I started with Sega rather than Nintendo on the home console front, and it took me a while to appreciate Mario due to this (nowadays I love the platformers, still need to warm to some of the spin-offs though). But I'm happy enough with the VC as it is; can take me back to my childhood and allow me to experience something new at the same time if need be

Wow Rexy, it seems you have an axe to grind with SMRPG, and no sense of humour! Take a chill pill!

@ WarioFan63: Well it used to piss me off when people generalized Canada with the U.S. when it was being released in North America but I got used to it. I wish the site would put NA like they do with EU but whatever. I always just change it myself and say North America. And with that being said I hope that "North America" gets Super Mario RPG soon because I only got to rent it as a kid.

Everyone, sing it!

"Super Mario-ho RPG... That is the European-bound game for me!"

"There are lot's of secrets in this game! Grab an English muffin and-" <SHOT>

Seriously, great for you guys! I actually hope Europe and Austrailia get it first, since you folks haven't had the chance to play this incredible, marvelous game.

<Gets beat-up by my fellow Americans>

@Rexy
You've made your point, now leave it at that. You're not going to convince anyone you havent with your first comment. I agree in that SMRPG is not as good as everyone hopes/thinks, but its certainly not a bad game, something we at VC are used to. Just be the bigger person and leave it at that.

I wish I can, but the people who literally flame me just for stating my POV are more convincing to do otherwise. Sure, I feel greatful for being able to at least state my point, but I'm not greatful for the amount of Mario fanboys who believe my opinion is nothing but a pile of dry bones.

I know I'm very late into this, but I wanted to have my say in this. I would've earlier, but I couldn't log in for some strange reason.

I agree with SuperMario. Rexy, shut up. SMRPG is a fantastic game. Thinking that it is worse than Paper Mario is okay, but saying that it is as bad as Superman 64 is just plain retarded. You don't have the sense of humour to appreciate the fine game that it is. Don't force your opinion on other people. I wouldn't be surprised if you were preparing a speech to insult Earthbound once good news about that comes out.

Rexy: "Nope, because Earthbound and Chrono Trigger are actually good games."

Amen.

Anyway, this is (ostensibly) a review site. The point of this site is for us to chime in with our opinions of games. Not everyone likes SMRPG. All of you people hopping on Rexy and saying things like "the rest of us like SMRPG!" are wrong. The rest of us don't. Some of us do, some of us don't. SMRPG is not a classic. It's not one of those games that deserves universal acclaim. So none of you should be surprised to hear from one of the many people who don't like it.

Happy time!

EDIT: The last post before mine is a classic PKB. Lame.

Happy time!

See what I mean? Mario fanboys telling me to keep my opinion in oblivion. I won't shut up until they shut up.

And like I said, no, I WON'T do the same to Earthbound because that IS a fantastic game - frantic, fast paced, with strategy AND a crazy design all in one. And if that ever comes out in Europe, which I'm literally begging to after having emulation as my only chance to experience it, then I will invest on it right away.

[EDIT: Whoa... Jogurt hopped on before me. I think my post is made kind of redundant ^^; Happy time indeed.]

@Rexy

It's nice to finally see someone have a different opinion about SMRPG. I think it's a good game, but it's WAY too overrated.

I'm glad to hear about this game's possible release (possible being used lightly).. because I actually missed out on playing the actual game when I was younger, and I have heard many great things about it.

Ya'd think a story about SMRPG coming to Europe would bring more happiness to this place.

Rexy, bud, there's not a thing wrong with disliking SMRPG, but you're treating the news of it's OFLC rating as if it was bad news. If you don't want the game when it arrives where you live, that's cool, but we should just be happy Europe and Austrailia are finally getting such an anticipated game, after all these years. SMRPG isn't liked by everyone, but it IS a highly wanted game, sure enough. Many people would like to play it. Now they may get the chance!

Why don't we just agree to disagree and enjoy the good news, eh?

oh my god, rexy you're a retard.
"i won't shut up until they shut up"
^ how old are you?
and are you going for a record number of posts?
you've made like 15 posts "i hate smrpg"
nobody on this site has posted "i love smrpg" 15 times.

Easily the best RPG Mario has starred in, and I've played them all. All the environments and enemies are classic Nintendo style, and while it still is a very easy RPG, IMHO, the paper mario series was much, much, MUCH easier...

If you're any kind of a Nintendo fan, you will love this game. Parts of this game will stick with you forever, like the moronic Wario wanna-be Booster, the Forest Maze, the awesome sound track, and SPOILER finally having Bowser as an ally.

Well, I can appreciate that some people want it, but again, why is there so many people that think I'm such a retard for not liking it?

Besides, I'm 21, old enough to have experienced the early days of the Sega Genesis with my own eyes here. And the only reason why I stated such scaving posts so many times was because of the fanboys that won't even bother to drop the subject. I'm not getting the game, and that is that, and I'm not being forced by any Mario fanboy to get it.

Now, back to my living hope that since Square contributed this, Chrono Trigger will follow suit.

Rexy dropped the subject 1st

@supermario

you could've dropped it first but no you had to call him retarded congrats

I have a a little more respect for rexy now

you get into flame fights and generally the troll ends up winning why could you not just drop it?

Just for the record, I'm a female, Poggy

I respect your opinion Rexy. But when you say SMRPG is worse then Super Man 64, your lying.

@ Rexy

sorry

why do they have country in your title but ever gender?

also superman64 is not on the same level a smrpg that was take just a little too far

I don't know why, everyone always assumes that everyone's a guy on the net unless they add a variant on "girl" in the username.

I admit, I must have overexaggerated with the comparison to Superman 64. I have understood that I raised a lot of eyebrows with that, so I must take time to apologise.

But whomever said it before was right - SMRPG is to the Mario RPG series what FFMQ was to the Final Fantasy series either way - just an entry level RPG. People may enjoy that sort of thing, true, but it is still not as fantastic as most people perceive.

Can you please stop posting then? This is big news and deserves attention. It's sucks that this turned into a flame war.

I don't care if it's big news or not - the fact remains that you can't please everyone. I mean, Halo 3 was big news, true, but there were always people that showed differing opinions to those that praise it as the best thing since sliced bread. Besides, like I said, I will only stop posting when the subject is dropped.

I think Rexy may have exxagerated but if you don't people won't take him seriously

to handle a storm of fanboys you have to have a perfect balance of exxageration and facts

and he did a decent job of explaining his opinion

Yes, I agree that people need to learn to accept that. But when someone comes in and compares the game to Superman 64 it looks like a attempt at trolling. You can't deny people are going to get offended by that.

Only you can drop the subject.

Please rexy just drop it now no one will stop loving it if they already do and if you can igore the namecalling you endured you'll be the bigger person

Super Mario RPG isn't Square's best game, but it's far from not worth playing. I recommend it to anyone looking who loves SNES-era RPG.

"I have high expectations, what with everyone saying it's so much better than Paper Mario."

Don't expect too much - it's a good game, but it's ridiculously overrated. Paper Mario is better in every way.

But I already apologised for the Superman comment - isn't that enough? And I do keep attempting to drop the whole thing, but there are always the odd one or two kids screaming "what a retard!" and adding fuel to the fire. At the end of the day, I just want a truce. I will happily cease my stance here.

Again, Poggy... female. How am I supposed to make a point of it in my profile?

I'm an idiot but I won't stop calling you a guy
(cause I'm just that thick)

if it makes you feel better I HAVE NOT called you a retard

In my opinion, it's the best RPG I've ever played, and yes, I HAVE played and beaten FF4 and FF6.

It's short, easy and simple, but the game is simply exploding with charm and memorable moments. I love Paper Mario, I really do, but I simply prefer SMRPG. I think people will be very happy when they play this.

EDIT: HAHA! Nice strategic avatar change Rexy! Heheh.

Adamant is 100% correct when he says "Don't expect too much - it's a good game, but it's ridiculously overrated." There are two more reasons that its overratedness is being even more amplified. First, it hasn't been released in Australia and France yet, so there are a whole bunch of people who haven't had a chance to experience it. Second, there aren't many (any?) SNES RPGs on the VC yet, so its value is being inflated. When it comes to actual SNES (and Genesis) RPGs as a whole, there are about 15 of them that are better than SMRPG. But because of the reasons listed above, it's getting quite a surprising amount of credit.

They need to get the rights to Final fantasy tactics from the playstation

I haven't played it but if it is half of FFTA then it is amazing

BTW best way to remind me your a female ever

and you a phoenix wright fan you have really good taste my friend

"Second, there aren't many (any?) SNES RPGs on the VC yet, so its value is being inflated."

There's BoF2, which only proves the inflation rule even more, since it too is overrated as hell. Unlike Mario RPG, it's not a particularly good game either.

wow, some people need to calm down here... we're talking about video games, not your sisters/girlfriends, people. you guys don't need to defend mario's honor, this game will sell like crazy regardless and mario will live on successful as ever regardless of how many negative things are said about the games.

my point: nobody is accomplishing anything.. give your take on the game and move on...

BTW aut0 I'm with your girlfriend right now

this is good news for the ones that been waiting for this game to hit vc but I'm not a fan of RPG games. I'am still waiting for Kirby DreamLand 3 one of the best games on SNES. well look like I have to keep on waiting and waiting until that gold game hit vc

@ poggydude: yeah, i cleverly sent her to distract you so i could sneak into your house and make time with your incredibly hot sister! i tried for your mom first, but it seemed somebody had already beat me to it

My mom died in a car accident with my sister

ouchhh... seems like I set myself up for an extremely dirty necrophiliac joke then, eh? either way, GOOD TIMES

btw: hope you're joking, i obviously can't sense sarcasm over the net

OMG It started with a game discussion and then... 90 posts in less than a day Im afraid he´s right... we are geeks

@ aut0 you can breath cause I'm jokin
anyway not quite as good as the time my friend jokingly said "quit acting so autistic" and it turn out I had aspergers(autism)

wow, we have some great news, and nobody even comments on it.
and to whoever said they lost respect for me because i called someone retard, i don't care.
when comparing Superman 64 to SMRPG, you deserve to be called something.

I idn't lose respect for you for that

respect was lost cause you weren't the first to drop it

@supermario

nobody comments on it? i count 95 in 1 day as of this writing...

i wrote about how much i loved it in post # 66, what more do you want?

i had three posts?
compared to 15?

Rexy comments more on the good news than you did and then you call him a 'tard?

@poggy:

rexy is a "her."

Poggy... female.
And let it slide - I apologised for the exaggerated Superman comparison, and if you can't accept that, then that's your problem.

her "comments" were on how much she didn't care for the "good" news.
but you two are obviously buddies, so there's no point in even trying.
@ aut0matic- all those 95 are about SMRPG?
rolling eyes
whatever, i'm done here.

Never been into RPG's myself so I'll be steering clear of this

BTW Yeah SMRPG is a good game but I want Demon´s Crest and mega man X (since we are out of topic)

Apperently we're buddies Rexy

odd, I never called one of my female friends a guy repeatedly

Congradulations! I really am happy for you guys (and girls) but if you get this game before North America I'm going to smash my Wii to bits. Sorry to rant but I'm very unhappy with the releases in NA lately, especially compared to Europe and Japan. Not. Fair.

@Rapadash6 Yeah an since EU got a crap week with no VC games maybe we´ll get one too

I think Rexy deserves to have her points posted, but just not here. Isn't this article about the game being rated by the OFLC rather than the game itself? I've got nothing against a debate(in fact, I wouldn't have read the comments unless Rexy posted;her opinion is nice and fresh)but, I think it should go on the game page...Honestly, I didn't find it that great, but it's got nostalgia so I'll end up with it anyway. >_>

Glad to see that this one got rated. Might not be the best RPG, but Nintendo is giving exactly what the fans want by releasing this one.

P.S. Truce.

file select music > forest maze music

[post made redundant, as original post directed to got deleted for some reason]

Hey, why drop it? Arguing is fun!

And in all of Rexy's posts--and correct me if I missed something--I can only find a few actual criticisms: It's too "lenient" (you think Bleck is scarier than Smithy, a giant sword sticking into Bowser's castle . . . okay . . .) and it's too short. A good point may have unintentionally been made about the female thing: In my opinion, males tend to give WAY too much attention to someone on account of the fact that she's the minority female in a predominately male interest/hobby, as your points are so devoid of insight beyond the usual stick-it-to-the-man spiel--it's only popular because it's popular (or over-hyped).

I haven't played Paper Mario 2 (for shame), but the first one is a baby game compared to SMRPG. There's so little strategy whatsoever, it's barely more than trading punches in battles. Facets of the aesthetic, style, and story are put together out of scarcely anything new; the end boss is Bowser, and your party members are based on standard enemies of the series, for instance. SMRPG was brilliant--it combined the Mario universe with NEW worlds and characters. It was an absolutely brilliant combination of preserving tradition and taking it into new places and a new fantasy, somehow managing to not come across as bizarre--ambitious, but preserving the Mario innocence. And how can you mess with an RPG where you get to fight the Power Rangers?!!!!!

It would be hard to argue that Paper Mario's story or play mechanics were more complex than SMRPG's, which is to say, do you prefer "short," or drawn out?

Now did I say Paper Mario was a bad game? Not at all--it's a really nice and easygoing game, good for what it is. But the epic that was SMRPG? I personally think that Nintendo is the single best game designer in the world, but their writers are decidedly unequal to the people in charge of level design and play control. The combination of talent (with Squaresoft), here, is a rare treat, and it's clear they put their hearts into it.

I recommend this game to absolutely everyone. Those who enjoy Mario, RPGs, and especially something unique should flock to this. It's easy on those new to RPGs without losing what makes even the best RPGs such fantastic experiences.

P.S. I've played at least fifty RPGs.

56. NintendoBrad 13 Jun 2008, 20:02 GMT

Everyone, sing it!

"Super Mario-ho RPG... That is the European-bound game for me!"

"There are lot's of secrets in this game! Grab an English muffin and-" <SHOT>

Seriously, great for you guys! I actually hope Europe and Austrailia get it first, since you folks haven't had the chance to play this incredible, marvelous game.

<Gets beat-up by my fellow Americans>

I don't care if Europe didn't get it before because I never owned a SNES and I never got to play it either.

Its been years since I've played it, so I'm not entirely sure how it holds up today, but it introduced me to the RPG genre, was a one of the most beloved games of my childhood and has been my most anticipated VC release since the service was first announced. Please, please, please come to the U.S. soon!

Actually, this might introduce all these new casual gamers to RPGs. Think about it, they're all gonna buy it because Mario's on the cover, and we all seem to agree it's a great RPG primer. What a combination!

Well it's only fair, if Europe gets Super Mario RPG, then the US should finally get the amazing Terranigma (I'm playing it now, so it came to mind when I saw this news post). Fair is fair.

@Cally

I don't think I would agree when you say SMRPG's mechanics were "complex", no offense but I could have beat that game with my eyes closed only using pick me up's. There wasn't much strategy to it. About as much as there was in paper mario. Timed hits, items, special attacks, etc. the fighting system in the Mario RPG's remain relatively unchanged throughout the series.

@Zyzzybalubah
I still recall a more complex equipment system in SMRPG, and there were three characters in battle at once rather than just two in PM sharing the SAME HP and MP score and turn, if I remember right (which is the main reason why it felt like trading punches without a team working together). What's more, especially early in PM, HP is so low most attacks hit for more or less the same damage and vice-versa.

I called SMRPG "more complex" than PM, which I had thought at the time was, indeed, as basic as you could get and still have a battle system with (somewhat) multiple ways around a fight.

I have never played this game so to me it will be a real treat to download once it comes to America, I've never played EarthBound either. i hope both make it to virtual console very soon!

Hey, I have an idea. If you like SMRPG, download it. If you dislike SMRPG, don't download it.

I, personally, love SMRPG. I'm not a huge RPG fan, to be quite honest. The Mario RPGs, Mother series, and Pokemon series are really the only ones I care for. I can't stand Final Fantasy, and I've tried playing numerous games in the series.

SMRPG isn't the most complex RPG out there and it certainly isn't the most difficult. It isn't 70 hours long, either. But who cares? It's still a fun, charming, and endearing game with an outstanding soundtrack to boot.

"I haven't played Paper Mario 2 (for shame)"

Then you should. Your criticisms stated with the prior title had been fixed easily - both you AND your ally have separate HP counts, you actually get something new in terms of villains (Bowser becomes some amusing playable character between chapters and the end boss itself is a massive spoiler too big to give here) and the story itself actually packs a bunch of surprises and secrets. Furthermore, if you think the Paper Mario series is easy, look at the Chapter 3 end boss for TTYD and tell me if it's easy or not

If you want to know, Rexy, you are not the only one either. I justdon't get the whole, big deal about SMRPG.

I thought the Chapter 3 boss in TTYD was fairly easy!

Even if it has a tendancy to increase its speed thus attacking twice and potentially using crazy status effects to make your life hell? Still, this is news to me.

Everyone has an opinion and that's the way it should be. I'm that way about Earthbound. I just can't see what people see in it. I'd rather play Lagoon or Drakkhen than Earthbound.

Yes, I universally hear that TTYD is better than the first Paper Mario. I'll get to it, honest! I did enjoy the innovation of Mario and Luigi (GBA, which was really the third Mario RPG) a great deal--I thought that one was pretty clever more in the Nintendo sort of way.

@DarkMatter
"SMRPG isn't the most complex RPG out there and it certainly isn't the most difficult. It isn't 70 hours long, either. But who cares? It's still a fun, charming, and endearing game with an outstanding soundtrack to boot."

Well said.

"you think Bleck is scarier than Smithy, a giant sword sticking into Bowser's castle . . . okay . . ."

The sword is Exor. You don't actually see Smithy until the final battle.

I guess what Rexy is trying to say is that she feels that SMRPG is way too over-rated. I agree with that statement, whole heartedly. Ever since the late 90s, Square RPGs have become these graphics heavy, whiny teeny bopper, bore-fests. Combine that with a magic system that damn near requires a college degree in Quantum physics to fully understand and use(FF10, I'm looking at you), and you wind up with the most over-rated RPG series in modern times. Somewhere along the way, they abandoned their rich storylines in games like FF4, Secret of Mana, and Chrono Trigger.

Yet, many people have been clamoring for this and the other over-rated RPG, Earthbound. Well, I just wish Nintendo and Square would just hurry up and release those games for the fan-boi's, so the rest of us can find more rare gems we couldn't have played back in the 80s and 90s.

Besides, when the hell are we supposed to get the Mega Man games in the US?!

I really look forward to this, especially since I loved the 3 games following it (even if Super Paper Mario has almost no RPG elements.) I want to see how it began.

Is Mario RPG really as good as everyone says? I've never had the slightest bit of interest. Personally I wished we were getting Majora's Mask...

My furthur comments.

Some people actually think that Earthbound and Chrono Trigger are overrated. Actually, I fall into the latter. CT has a few nice gimmicks, to be sure. It just didn't interest me as much as others. Though, it could always be that I was playing the LLT Edition on PS1. (Long Load Times.) Earthbound, I've never played, so it'll be interesting to see what it's like to play a super-hyped game for the first time, if it ever comes to VC.

And, I felt the Chapter 3 boss of TTYD was the second-easiest chapter boss in the game, after Chapter 4's. But the game's end bosses are definately a challenge.

Now, the pros and cons of SMRPG
Pros: Eye candy, decent attempt at being a traditional RPG (as far as story, battles, and dungeon exploration) while still providing a Mario experience, introduction of "Timed Hits", interesting party members (especially being that two of them are original), good music, one of the best endings in a Mario game, the Axem Rangers
Cons: Easy, short (can be beaten in 10 hours, without speedrunning), you don't meet the final boss until the final battle (this is more personal preference; I like to get to know who I'm dealing with), story isn't "epic" by any means (that isn't to say it isn't interesting; it just won't have you at the edge of your seat)

Amen to the guy hoping for Majora's Mask

Guys, the whole game of TTYD was easy. I made it through without dying once. Not to say it wasn't a fantastic game, though.

Every game sucks

@Chipmunk777
So do vacuums.

there has never been another mario rpg that could hold a candle to this game. i played paper mario and was very dissapointed with it after having played legend of the seven stars before it. ive only ever wanted a true sequel to this game, and as much as i like mario and luigi (a lil more like legend of the seven stars) it still isnt this game.

and no this wasnt my first rpg, Chrono Trigger was, which i played the hell out of. Rexy, fine you dont like the game but just because you dont want it doesnt mean the rest of us do, and honoestly, comparing such a beloved game to Superman 64 is blasphemy.

I said I apologised for that - it was rashful thinking against people who think that this game is the "best Mario game ever" or "best RPG ever" or something like that (and seriously, admit that in both statements, it's wrong).

Plus it also troubles me week after week that when I see a VC week that I'm interested in, people say stuff like "this week sucks, I want such and such a Mario/Zelda game or Earthbound instead" (and like I said, I bear no illwill to Earthbound). No one should be wrong or right in any kind of regard - it's all about personal taste.

And what is this game about? I've never played it, and if it's about Bowser taking Peach warn me now.

I think I agree with Draygone's pros and cons about SMRPG, mostly, except I kind of do think the story is a tiny epic, because of the diverse places you go, characters you see, the presentation (you mentioned the ending) and characters like Peach (or was it "Toadstool"?) and Bowser, in a hilarious change of pace, actually exhibited more than one-dimensional personalities--like in lots of Square games, they had their moments of thoughtfulness, too, though again not too far out of character. In general, these guys were written like Square characters with respect to the Mario franchise, which is awesome. Other Mario RPGs (the first PM, Mario and Luigi, SPM) lack the bits of drama, or Square's talents for fantasy settings and characters.

For those on the fence, here's your empirical data: it appears most people think it's absolutely inspired and great, and a few don't. I'm hardcore into RPGs and Nintendo and thought it was a Godsend back in the day, and feel like the Square/Nintendo collaboration was a better success than, say, the Square/Disney Kingdom Hearts thing--the two franchises managed to gel a bit better in the former, in my opinion.

@Adamant: My bad, my memory is hazy even though I played through it like a dozen times. But really, I thought that that character was an exceedingly cool idea.

@Ginta: Bowser does take Peach, but there's WAY more to the story than that! Both Bowser and Peach end up in your battle party against a greater foe.

@Rexy: The reason why Europeans and Australians want it so bad is not because it's the best RPG ever or the best mario game, it's because it's an interesting Mario game that has never been released here.

So what games are you waiting for, Rexy?

Quite a few titles - Sonic & Knuckles, Kirby's Dream Land 3, CT, Earthbound (as both were mentioned above), Majora's Mask (surprised it's not released yet), Donkey Kong 64, and some others that aren't at the top of my head right now. With the exception of S&K, I never got a chance to own a Nintendo console game prior to the Wii's release and even at that those were titles that I hoped to have looked into if I ever had a SNES/N64 (and lived in America in the case of the SNES titles stated here).

Rexy: do u know wot is opinion?

Here's some food for thought: KDL3 sucks, as does DK64.

Opinion.
Opinion.

DK64 was one of the greatest games during the collectathon era

This is awesome news, I seriously can't wait.
Instant download. I highly recommend this game to everyone who's a fan of RPG games.

Opinion it may be, but I've always favored Shimomura over Sakurai when it comes to Kirby, most especially on the design and difficulty aspect. But let's save that for the DL3 thread >.>

I can see you enjoyed the collectathon era, nate. Your avatar is Banjo Kazooie, another collectathon.

DK64 was fun, but it seemed there was a little too much to collect. There's the golden bananas, then all those banana coins, then you gotta find that dude's map pieces, and much, much more.
I could never really get into collectathons.

Well they should still release Majora's Mask becuase the Zelda Collector's Edition was a promo only title for buying a Nintendo Power subscription or something.

"And what is this game about? I've never played it, and if it's about Bowser taking Peach warn me now."

The evil Smithy and his posse invade Mario's dimension through a portal on top of Bowser's castle, and kick Bowser out. The portal accidentally knocked 7 wishing stars out of the magic Star Road (or whatever it was called), and no wish will ever come true again until they have been returned. Mario and friends embark on an adventure to locate these stars, and Bowser eventually joins him since he wants Smithy out of his castle.

Pretty generic stuff, in other words, and doesn't get much more interesting along the way either.

I'm hoping this will make it to the US.

This talk about Majora's Mask reminds me of something: If anyone has an N64 with a game and its corresponding VC emulation, check them out side-by-side.

There's a considerable framerate drop! Titles I noticed were Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (particularly bad, noticed on the demo found on SSBB) and a bit on Super Mario 64. The other N64 games I have on VC I don't have on the original carts, though I'm rather suspicious about most of them being the same case (except Paper Mario, which looks right). I'm sure data compression is to blame, but I think it's something to consider at $10 a re-buy.

I happen to have the GC Zelda Collection (and the Master Quest disc) also, so I've gone through OoT quite a few times. I found the demo of OoT on Super Smash Bros. Brawl really jarring because of this.

I've never played SMRPG, but I can say with some confidence that it is neither the best RPG nor the best Mario game of all time. Those titles are just too lofty

Edit: I posted the 150th comment! Awesome! Thank you Rexy, you made this possible!

@konkerdoodle - I can't believe you just made that statement with a straight face.

@ SmaMan
The collectathons were always my favorite games. My favorite games of all time were Banjo-Tooie, Banjo-Kazooie, and Donkey Kong 64; respectively. All three of those are Rareware collectathons. It's a shame Rare was sold to Microsoft. Other than those three they also made great games like Conker, Perfect Dark, and Goldeneye. But RPG's are second on my list of favorite genres and SMRPG was never high on my RPG list. I enjoyed it but it was never to complex. My favorite RPG, and some people aren't gonna' like this, is Baten Kaitos.