Paper Mario: Sticker Star for Nintendo 3DS

GF Rating

8

Very Good

Paper Mario is back! Well, sort of....

posted by Triracer19 (BAKERSFIELD, CA) Dec 13, 2012

Member since Jul 2011

4 out of 4 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

Ever since Nintendo showed the trailer of this game in E3 I was already excited! I've been a huge Paper Mario fan ever since I played the N64 version. After the huge flop that Super Paper Mario on the Wii was I was quite frankly desperate for a new Paper Mario as well as insulted that Nintendo would make such a sad excuse of a game, considering how Thousand Year Door on the Gamecube was mindblowingly good and epic. At first I was bit skeptical of this game I just couldn't believe that another Paper Mario game would ever come out or that it would ever be close to what it's N64 and Gamecube versions managed to do. I was pretty excited about the new sticker system though which I thought was pretty innovative. The first thing I noticed was the HD 3D graphics which are quite frankly the best in any Paper Mario I've ever played. I thought the overworld system Inspired by the older Mario classics was tidy and easy to use. I also enjoyed the abundance of Stickers, enemies as well the soundtrack. The Paper element was also more obvious in this Paper Mario than in it's predecessor. The game had a lot of funny moments and was hilarious in it's own right! The bosses were pretty epic and difficult at times, not to mention your partner Kirstie was full of personality and her smart remarks reminded me of Tatl in Majora's Mask. Not everything was perfect though there were a few major flaws though. For one this game lacked a story, which compared to it's counterparts was far from epic and didn't get much of a sense of direction. Second, The game only had one partner which is all right, but a Paper Mario game without many partners is not really Paper Mario. Thirdly this game beyond difficult sometimes and I've never had such a hard time with any game on this series, which is good, but might shy away newcomers. Overall, Nintendo did a great job on this game and I'm going to miss it, but I wish they would have at least bothered to include a decent story. Great game anyone should try.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Sticks Together Perfectly

posted by pikirbyio (TOMS RIVER, NJ) Dec 10, 2012

Member since Jun 2012

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

Mario becomes paper this time, for REAL. Paper Mario Sticker Star brings Paper Mario into the Paper Mushroom Kingdom like never before. Various Refrences to being paper (Mario and various toads falling, things getting crumpled, stacked, and folded) and various items beinging made out of cardboard( breakable walls, coins). Bowser is again the villan and realeses the royal stickers from the sticker comet. Mario and Navi.... I mean Kersti.... must collect stickers due to a new form of enimie. Along the way Mario must find real life items, Scissors, A stapler, a vacume/ The poltergust 3000 ( I noticed it because it is red. Luigi sadly is not a major part of the game, but appears 5 times. Find him all five times to get a secret at the end

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Paper Mario Sticker Star Review

posted by VGAfanatic25 (FAIR OAKS, CA) Dec 10, 2012

Member since Dec 2012

6 out of 8 gamers (75%) found this review helpful

This game really pushed the Envelope on the "Paper" aspect of the game. With characters acknowledging their world of paper and cardboard, ripping and folding things to move ahead an even incorporating "Crumpled" and "Soggy" as status ailments.

However, the gameplay and story don't really warrant a second playthrough for me. For starters, not only did they not include Partners, there isn't any experience to gain, so you can't call it an RPG and battles could be rendered meaaningless except for clearing out stickers and getting coins t get more stickers. The puzzles can really insult you with how difficult they can be, forcing you to pay close attention to your surroundings, even long before you come across the puzzle you need to solve.

What made the stories in the previous Paper Mario games great were the original setup, the expansive worlds an the reasons to go back and forth all the time. Here, it's just the generic Mario title setup: Bowser kidnaps Peach, you gotta rescue her, you need to go through a bunch of worlds to reach him. They don't even give you scenes where Peach works behind the scenes, and Bowser doesn't even have written dialogue.

The enemies are mainly enemies found in current mainstream Mario titles (but I did like the Ninji and Snifits), and even Gooper Blooper and Petey Piranha are some of the bosses. However, I really liked the Gooper Blooper battle, and how his attack pattern was based around the music playing in the background.

Ultimately, I didn't feel like I was playing Paper Mario. It was more "Super Paper Mario Land" than the spectacle that was Thousand-Year Door. I'm gonna stick with the first three, especially the aforementioned TTYD for my Paper Mario licks.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Weakest of series...

posted by capthavic (ATHOL, MA) Jan 28, 2013

Member since Mar 2011

3 out of 4 gamers (75%) found this review helpful

I really wanted to like this game but its a very poor imitation of previous entries in the paper mario games.

First of all the game barely counts as an RPG here. There is no leveling up or experience points, battles only earn you a few coins (which I never ran short of anyway), and there is almost no story to speak of.

The battle system is functional but lacking. Mario can only attack so long as you have stickers which can only be used once. You will constantly have to pick up more from stores and lying around the various stages, which feels like busy work and money sink.

Again there is little to no RPG elements anymore. No other characters in your party, your health and album pages increased at predefined points, your attacks defined solely by the stickers you have found/bought, and no side quests or minigames. there is barely any story or dialog, and what little there is serves mainly to move the game forward.

It's not a bad game, but feels very phoned in. The devs did the bare minimum to get by and that was all. There was a decent idea but it was executed very blandly. Give it a try but I don't blame you for getting bored after only the first area.

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

Eh. It was okay.

posted by Samfly (ALBANY, NY) Nov 17, 2012

Member since Feb 2010

7 out of 11 gamers (64%) found this review helpful

Paper Mario 2 is one of my favorite games. If this game was half as good, it would've been a 10/10.

Pros
-Great Paper Element: The other Paper Mario games barely used the paper element but this one takes it to the max and uses it very nicely. It gives the game a nice style.

-3D: The 3D was really good.

-Gameplay: The gameplay was fresh, new, and innovative to the series.

-Music: Just as good as the other games

Cons
-No Partners?: All the other games feature memorable partners to help you in battle. They also added in humorous dialogue and some emotional moments at key parts of the game.This game didn't have that, so it felt kind of empty. I'd be fine with it if they replaced it with something just as good but it's not. This brings me to my next point.

Gameplay: It's a pro and con. It was boring in some parts and there were a lot of puzzles that required looking around for hours.

Battle System:It's hard to explain with a limited character limit but you have a limited amount of stickers that corresponds to an attack. Think about it this way. You're fighting a goomba that has one hp left. You don't want to waste a sticker on it but you have to. This happens in other situations when you have to use a hammer on a spiked enemy but your only hammers are super rare ones you want to use on a boss. It was also stupid how there's no level up system. What's the point of fighting then? To get more coins to fight more?

Story: This is by far the biggest issue. The game lacked memorable characters, settings, etc. The other games had chapters that had self contained stories, that also furthered the plot. Each level was a different, unique experience. This game is just a typical mario overworld. You go to an area, fight some enemies, and move on. The villain is also Bowser. That hasn't happened since the first PM. Very forgettable.

On its own, it's a six. Compared to the others, a 1. Worst Paper Mario game by FAR. At least you can tell whoever made SP

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GF Rating

7

Good

Worst Paper Mario in the series

posted by panicattackfrea (COLUMBUS, OH) Nov 21, 2012

Member since Nov 2012

6 out of 10 gamers (60%) found this review helpful

By no means is this a terrible game but I think it's the worst in the series for many reasons.What is the point of fighting if you can't level up? I found myself running from every battle and it's annoying when you don't want too or need to fight and it won't let you run away.Here are the pros and cons of the game...
+
-Graphics are nice
-Battles are fun when facing bosses that you have to fight unlike the average enemy
-Good length adventure

Negatives
-Boom box,High heels.....what? Yeah cool little ideas but some battle items don't fit with this game
-Lacking story
-No level up no point to battle
-Very easy battles
-You will get stuck

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

very fun

posted by ppostar (WESTMINSTER, CO) Dec 20, 2012

Member since Feb 2007

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

i found this game both a challange and fun it was fun to find out what each sticker did and its not as easy at others make it sound i found figureing out what to do very fun

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

THIS IS GOOOOOOD?!?!?!?!

posted by ZELDABROS (ROGERS, AR) Dec 11, 2012

Member since Dec 2012

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

I must say I am a huge fan of this series and adore RPG games I looked at this thinking " wow stickers..." but found this is in my opinion a great change for the series although the first 2 were amazing this is just as good if your a fan of RPG games and want a new challenge I recommend picking this up

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

cool game to play

posted by fusions (ALBANY, OR) Nov 27, 2012

Member since Sep 2012

2 out of 5 gamers (40%) found this review helpful

this was a great game to play i really liked it and i think u would too.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Perfection!

posted by XTopherGuarino (ROCHESTER, NY) Nov 26, 2012

Member since Jul 2011

2 out of 6 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

If you haven't played Paper Mario Games the 1,000 Year Door or Bowser's Story, you should, if you have then you know how fantastic and fun these games are. This installment to the series is even better still! I'm not even finished and am so so happy and excited to pick it up each time. (I also recommend a 3DXL for any of the great 3DS games, what a difference!) You will not be disappointed, this game is definite must play. Better even than Ocarina of Time, Mario, Super Mario 3D Land and New Super Mario 2!

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Great game

posted by Triple_R_3 (MIDDLEBORO, MA) Jan 16, 2013

Member since Jan 2013

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

This was my first time really playing Paper Mario but I gotta say it's really good as I always had handheld systems never had home systems

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Poor reviews?

posted by dgolightly519 (PRESTON, ID) Nov 26, 2012

Member since Oct 2011

4 out of 13 gamers (31%) found this review helpful

Poor reviews seem to lack perspective in one of two areas or both....

A) Strategy. You ran out of stickers? Never found the rare item seller/sticker creator room? Don't know how to organize your sticker book, buy or pick up new stickers or stickers specifically for those situations? Then that's you... not the game. This game is another in a long step away from games that make things too easy on the player. Can't handle it? Don't play games anymore.

B) Just don't like Mario games and/or Nintendo

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Ehhh

posted by TuChico77 (BRONX, NY) Nov 23, 2012

Member since Nov 2012

2 out of 8 gamers (25%) found this review helpful

It was good, but I didn't like that it was always like a pokemon battle every time you tried to squash a Goomba.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Definately not what i wanted 5/10

posted by thegamerkirbies (BATH, ME) Jun 8, 2013

Member since May 2013

The common problem a lot of Paper Mario fans have with this game is blatantly obvious the first few minutes you start playing. Before now, I've never had to check reviews or ratings of Nintendo games I enjoyed playing in the past, because I wanted to experience the new versions for my self and enjoy them without bias or general opinion/spoilers.

But this game, it has spoiled my trust with Nintendo to never mess up new installments in a series. Everyone who plays Paper Mario comes to expect a fun, fleshed out entertaining rpg, with colorful characters and witty dialogue, but what we got here was a game cut out from story, cut away from side characters, cut apart from most RPG elements that make paper mario what it was.

One of my biggest gripes with the game is there is no progression as a character, you can't level up, there is no exp system, there are no badges, no FP points, no equipment, or characters that boost your abilities. There are no shoe or hammer upgrades to be found in the over world or in the levels, you just run around collecting usable stickers that feel both restrictive and unentertaining, you often have to use the good stickers you have to get past enemies that you didn't even want to fight, as they give no exp and no incentive to kill them, only a handful of enemies in the entire game are worth killing for their unique stickers, and when I say unique I mean like 4 enemies out of a list of 50 or more, many of which they spawn countless of to harrass you and get in your way, often times making it impossible to escape.

The boss fights are a lesson in "don't come unprepared" often punishing you if you didn't know which stickers you should have, I get that you shouldn't be able to kill a boss your first go every time, but when you enter a battle and have a 0% chance of winning

The game is ok for what it is, theres a few good dialogue moments, but is outshined by the lack of characters, lack of story, lack of gameplay, really just lack of ent

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GF Rating

3

Bad

what happened to Paper Mario games?

posted by shikacloud (LOMPOC, CA) May 24, 2013

Member since Nov 2011

I personaly thought this game was a big let down. not even in the same catagory as the first two Paper Mario, which were a great deal of fun from my earlier childhood. after the disapointment of Super Paper Mario, I had realy hoped Paper Mario: Sticker Stars would have made up for the previous upsetment; sadly, it did not.

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GF Rating

7

Good

Interesting and Annoying

posted by Targon (CINCINNATI, OH) Apr 6, 2013

Member since Jun 2008

They replaced the item/attack/special attack/ menu with a single menu of collectible consumables for your attacks and items. This is fun and interesting. However to progress in the game you have to find hidden exits to levels about 30% of the time. I found this irritating and got stuck.

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

not bad by lbpanet 1

posted by lbplanet1 (BRONX, NY) Mar 24, 2013

Member since Mar 2013

Not bad it gets hard dint finsh it but not bad 1 thing i dint like about it its paper jocks

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

A must have nintendo title!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted by arkhamcityis4me (CORRYTON, TN) Mar 11, 2013

Member since Feb 2013

This game is my most favorite game on the 3ds and will be forever. It beats ocarina of time, and super Mario 3d land. This game is superb. I love the exploring, and collecting stickers. I never pass a sticker up either. The world map is cool, taken from a Mario bros game setup. The worlds are basic but interesting. My personal favorite, world 3. One of the amazing parts id the puzzles. A game has to have puzzles for me to like it. The puzzles ranged from easy to fairly difficult. I can remember several times where I got stuck. Overall this game is the best 3ds game yet,in my opinion.

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GF Rating

1

Horrible

boring

posted by veleskie (CHULA VISTA, CA) Mar 6, 2013

Member since Jan 2013

this game is not for kids at all! my kid cant beat the first stage, i had to sell this game for $10

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Interesting mechanics, poor level design.

posted by melkore Mar 3, 2013

The combat system is a welcome return to turn-based from the last Paper Mario title on the Wii. The stickers are fun and varied. Where the timing based attack/defense and the roulette systems add depth to the combat system. The best part of the game was the combat by far.

That said, the levels are frustratingly designed to say the least. The copy that was sent to me had a save that stopped at Yoshi Sphinx which is pretty early in the game (2-2 I believe).

In that level there is a hidden door that I spent over an hour trying to find which triggers an easy boss fight. After that you have to backtrack back to the beginning and finish the level. I now know why the previous person sent the game back.

I cleared the rest of world 2 until 2-5. You had to find a large sticker that you don't see in any of the levels you just played. A walkthrough mentioned that 3 stickers are hidden in the previous levels that make up the one large sticker and I was supposed to find ahead of time but, were never hinted at in the game. I turned it off and put it back in the mail after reading that.

Artificially extending the game with lame backtracking should have been a thing of the past years ago.

Be prepared to have a walkthrough near by as there is almost no story and no direction in the game.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Fun but....

posted by Roxas13 (INDIAN MOUND, TN) Feb 22, 2013

Member since Oct 2011

The game is funny the graphics are new and beutiful but no level ups terribly hard puzzles and annoying gameplay

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

A good but not stellar edition to the series.

posted by tiloho (IRON RIVER, MI) Jan 24, 2013

Member since Jun 2005

One of the things I like about this game is that there is sometimes more than one way to accomplish a goal. I have a tendency to not pay attention to the title of a level and so found myself doing several out of order until I looked at the strategy guide for help. In the process I found out that you can use the yellow upright vacuum sticker to clear away the garbage instead of the goat. I agree that there was little to no story to this game, though. The battles were also lacking despite the wide variety of battle and item stickers. The overall game play, quirky characters, and puzzle solving did make this game feel like part of the series, if more of a spinoff than a direct descendant.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

good game

posted by bouge007 (NEW HAVEN, MO) Jan 14, 2013

Member since Jan 2013

great game for kids. My 6 year old loves playing this game

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

fun

posted by joeturbo (TURLOCK, CA) Jan 11, 2013

Member since Oct 2003

I loved the paper Mario series, but this is one of my least favorite. Im not saying its a bad game, just not the best out of the incredible series. The sticker concept in this iteration is fun and unique, and the game add some differentiation to the others. The quest will last a good 30+ hours, but the levels were short- good for portable gaming. Unfortunately story: lame, Dialogue: least funny in the series. Its fun, not what some were hoping for in the franchise.

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

It was acceptable...sort of.

posted by Bigpyr0 (ROGERS, AR) Dec 30, 2012

Member since Nov 2011

For one thing the sticker mechanic just doesn't work with paper mario. What's the point of battling if you can't level up? You need stickers to fight, which you can buy, find, or get as rewards for defeatig enimies. But if you fight to get stickers, you will most likely lose more stickers then you gain.

The overworld map makes the game feel like it's split into levels, and that really takes away from the feel of being in a real breathing world. You only have one partner, but she doesn't help you in battle at all. But the story? Oh my god it is so awesome! Ahem. "Bowser has kidnapped princess peach so go save her mario in true rpg fashion!" I played through about half of the game before giving it up. There are no plot twists, no charecter development, nothing that makes you feel attached or care about the charecters or anything. After the original paper mario on the n64 and particularly the one on gamecube, the thousand year door, I expected more out of this title.

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Paper Mario: Sticker Star for Nintendo 3DS Reviews by Gamers

Release Date

GF Rating

Number of Players

ESRB

Buy