RE: We chat about videogames and videogame accessories.
12-29-2012, 08:55 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-29-2012, 08:56 AM by MaxieSatan.)
So I purchased Sticker Star with birthday money and... it's kind of weirding me out, because normally I'm very much a "it cannot be a good game unless the core gameplay is good," And I think the core gameplay is good, but not anywhere near as good as everything else.
I've always loved the style of the Paper Mario games and the stickers blend with it pretty well, Kersti is far more interesting than Tippi (or, in my opinion, any of the Pixls; this was one of my many problems with Super Paper Mario) was, the boss fights are fun, there's enough different moves that it doesn't feel too repetitive, the platforming's challenging but not unrealistic, the music is fucking amazing, the dialog is well-written... but I don't think it works as an RPG, and it's still framed as that.
The problem, I guess, is this: As opposed to the first two games in the series, with all their level ups and badges and such, this one has the absolute bare minimum of what can be considered customization. That's not a bad thing, necessarily; customization isn't required for a good game. But it doesn't gel with the fact that there are enemy encounters which you can run from. Part of this is, ironically enough, because of a very good decision they made: since stickers can only be used once apiece, you have to pace yourself and ration out your supplies. In theory this is great, but in practice it means that I just end up running from most battles, as the only rewards are coins and stickers. I can use coins to purchase stickers, and every fight I get into requires that I expend stickers.
In other words, rather than combat being something that I deliberately get into in order to shore up my stats (the first two games) or just, y'know, an obstacle that I pass as intended (all three of the previous installments), 80% of the time it becomes "ugh I don't want to waste perfectly good stickers on this, mash run."
Maybe that's a problem more with me, but the fact that it's even an option undercuts the value of having to manage your resources, which in turn means that you might as well not have the sticker gimmick at all. It's a shame because I really do find it clever, and it works great in boss battles and other mandatory fights; I just don't think they put a lot of thought into how it works in general.
None of this changes the fact that it's a fucking amazing game for all of the other reasons mentioned, of course.
I've always loved the style of the Paper Mario games and the stickers blend with it pretty well, Kersti is far more interesting than Tippi (or, in my opinion, any of the Pixls; this was one of my many problems with Super Paper Mario) was, the boss fights are fun, there's enough different moves that it doesn't feel too repetitive, the platforming's challenging but not unrealistic, the music is fucking amazing, the dialog is well-written... but I don't think it works as an RPG, and it's still framed as that.
The problem, I guess, is this: As opposed to the first two games in the series, with all their level ups and badges and such, this one has the absolute bare minimum of what can be considered customization. That's not a bad thing, necessarily; customization isn't required for a good game. But it doesn't gel with the fact that there are enemy encounters which you can run from. Part of this is, ironically enough, because of a very good decision they made: since stickers can only be used once apiece, you have to pace yourself and ration out your supplies. In theory this is great, but in practice it means that I just end up running from most battles, as the only rewards are coins and stickers. I can use coins to purchase stickers, and every fight I get into requires that I expend stickers.
In other words, rather than combat being something that I deliberately get into in order to shore up my stats (the first two games) or just, y'know, an obstacle that I pass as intended (all three of the previous installments), 80% of the time it becomes "ugh I don't want to waste perfectly good stickers on this, mash run."
Maybe that's a problem more with me, but the fact that it's even an option undercuts the value of having to manage your resources, which in turn means that you might as well not have the sticker gimmick at all. It's a shame because I really do find it clever, and it works great in boss battles and other mandatory fights; I just don't think they put a lot of thought into how it works in general.
None of this changes the fact that it's a fucking amazing game for all of the other reasons mentioned, of course.