Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions Announced For 3DS (October)

[StaticMania]

They somewhat tried to ease up on the minimalism, well that's just dandy...

[Remy]

On one hand I loved this game as a kid, and basically thought it was the coolest game there was, certainly the best game I played on GBA..... but on the other hand I thought it was perfect the way it was, and it hasn't really been long enough for me to be like fuck yeah, a remake!!!

 

I guess whether or not i get it depends on what the second campaign is like. 

[Sean]

Looks terrible.

If I ever bought this I'd probably only play it once before just going back to the original version. However I've been burned hardcore by the last two M&L games and I'm not excited about dropping money on another one, even if it is a reimagining of the one game in the series I truly adore. I want to know what else they've changed before I make a final decision.

Also I really hope the Bowser's Minion aspect is an optional side thing. If they break the flow of the game by forcing it onto you at certain segments, heads will fucking roll (or more likely I simply won't play it)

[StaticMania]

What looks terrible about it other than them changing the graphics?

 

Also the Minion Quest is a separate mode, so good for that, I guess...

[Sean]

Reuses Dream Team assets again. That art style honestly got old by the time Paper Jam rolled around and absolutely nothing about this remake screams to me that it's at all an improvement over the original. It's just not as bouncy or expressive as GBA Superstar Saga.

[StaticMania]

Art Style + Got Old = ???

I mean, I understand that it's not your bowl of cereal, but I don't know what you were expecting them to do? The first game is just a style all its own, they weren't gonna replicate that.

[Sean]

I wasn't expecting them to do anything (good), as indicated by my first post in this topic. I had rock bottom expectations from the moment the game's existence was datamined from the eshop and just going by the trailer so far, it turned out exactly how I thought it would.

[Salamander]

Via NintendoEverything, here's the U.S. box art:

...And the European box art:

NoE, thank you.  Now if you can just restrain yourself from sticking "Bros." on the end of the title for no reason, I'll have nothing to complain about.

[Forte-Metallix]

2 minutes ago, FFWF said:

Via NintendoEverything, here's the U.S. box art:

Oh, look: There's more than three characters filling the lifeless white void of a background. Progress indeed.

On a different note, would you guys like Partners in Time/Bowser's Inside Story remakes at some point down the line? I'd be fine with it, since they could make the former a lot more interesting, and with the latter, they could...

Spoiler

retcon Fawful's death. Seriously, why did they think killing off the most popular M&L exclusive character was a good idea?! And where's Midbus in later games?!

 

[Salamander]

I understand the weird, empty white boxes are the standard for the series in Japan, but I can't really imagine why.  I much prefer the approach the early EU covers took, and was disappointed when they started getting the "placeholder" treatment too.

Thoughts on PiT and BIS remakes?  I'm tenatively against, though not for any reason to do with the games themselves, which I enjoyed; I just think game series should spend more time putting out new entries rather than dwelling too much on revisiting the old, unless they have a really compelling reason to do so.  My suspicion is that SS is being remade partly to trade on its good name but also to fill out release schedules while they're planning a new Mario & Luigi for the Switch; maybe also putting out feelers for what people liked about the old games versus the slightly less well-received newer ones.  I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with those as reasons, but throwing in more remakes shortly afterwards seems a bit much.  I suppose I would prefer to in a sense soft-remake them by bringing forward their characters and design sensibilities into a new title - and a couple of familiar faces did show up in Dream Team (I'm still weirded out that they never attempted anything resembling an all-a-dream ending or fakeout in that game).

[Sean]

THE EUROPEAN ART IS SO MUCH BETTER EEUUAUHGHWEJJLKWE

I was hoping for another poster-like cover that the international GBA cover had. And I got my wish except it's not even in America lmaaaaooooooooo

 

Also I would be mostly against additional remakes because the sprite work in the early games, imo, have way more personality than in Dream Team onwards. However, I would be partial to one of PIT assuming they completely exorcise the Bros. items mechanic in favor of what the later games opt for.

[StaticMania]

That's really odd, if they were gonna make a boxart like that for the European version...why isn't that just for anywhere that isn't Japan? Like it originally was...

[Zippo]

2003:

2017:

I always loved the simplicity of the Japanese versions. 

[Tornado]

15 hours ago, Forte-Metallix said:

Oh, look: There's more than three characters filling the lifeless white void of a background. Progress indeed.

On a different note, would you guys like Partners in Time/Bowser's Inside Story remakes at some point down the line? I'd be fine with it, since they could make the former a lot more interesting, and with the latter, they could...

Noooooope. Partners in Time sucked, and we have yet to really see anything about this remake of a much better game to even explain what the actual improvements are.

[StaticMania]

Layering will objectively be better in this version so you can time Mario's dodges better...

[Tornado]

So long as you think that means something, I guess.

[StaticMania]

It doesn't mean anything to me personally as I can't get the game even if I wanted, but anything is a positive in my book.

[Sean]

I never had a problem with the timing in Superstar Saga GBA whatsoever. Paper Mario N64 though was really weird compared to TTYD; you always had to press the buttons slightly before contact, as opposed to precisely like in TTYD. That's a game that could use a bit of a makeover

[PC the Hedgehog]

I hope AlphaDream revisiting the original game will help them see what made the Mario and Luigi series special in the first place after their last two subpar (not bad, just subpar) outings.

[ZinogreVolt]

I guess this is a neat way to introduce younger players to the best handheld Mario RPG to date. But at the same time, Superstar Saga doesn't even need a remake. And honestly, them using the Dream Team aesthetic again is kind of a turn off. It doesn't look bad, but I think the colorful and wonderfully expressive sprites of the original just look better.

[Zippo]

If they end up remaking Partners in Time, I'm sure it'll end up on the Switch, but the question is how they'll go about that one. PIT heavily uses the dual screens, especially during battle. They would have to basically redesign the entire game. It would kinda be a new game in many ways. 

[Salamander]

All the more reason not to bother, really.  PiT and BIS were heavily dependent on the DS's double-screen structure.  A remake, even on the 3DS (which doesn't have the same parity between screens), wouldn't be able to mimic that with anything like as much style, and as such would be a worse experience.

[Zippo]

I'm inclined to agree. One thing I will compliment Alphadream on though, is not retroactively shoehorning Starlow into the remake, which is something they could have easily done. Her annoying awfulness already bogs down the three previous games' plots, and i'd rather not have her stinking up Superstar Saga too. 

[Sean]

I just don't get why she's even in the previous two games at all. Superstar Saga frequently had moments where the brothers were by themselves and there was nobody around to give exposition. Luigi, for example, could have been separated from the two Marios in Paper Jam and not have Starlow remind us what a cowardly loser he is, and just have him tough it out and find Mario on his own.

so basically my point is that Superstar Saga not only had better gameplay and humor but also straight-up better storytelling than its sequels

[StaticMania]

She's there so they don't have to keep inventing new characters to give the Mario's basic game-play tutorials...

 

They should've...