[size=200][b][url=http://www.mfgg.net/index.php?act=resdb&param=02&c=2&id=28807]Paper Mario: Great Star Offensive[/url] by SEVA[/b][/size] [img]http://i44.tinypic.com/dwcjue.jpg[/img] Since the beginning, MFGG has been awash in games that pay tribute to the original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World. And while a number of simple Action Command tutorials have been released, we still haven't had a fangame that captures the feel that made the original Paper Mario games so much fun. Until now, that is! Paper Mario: The Great Star Offensive is a full-length game based on the Nintendo 64 Paper Mario. You can do practically everything you'd expect in a Mario RPG: fight Action Command-based battles, equip Badges, buy items, and so forth. The adventure takes you to a nice variety of game settings, from familiar sites such as Goomba Road and the Toad Town Sewers to some new settings, including an apparent Yoshi vs. Windows tribute. The battle system does a faithful job of recreating the Paper Mario system, although First Strikes are an annoying omission. The effective use of sound effects enhances the experience, and the music is pretty good, too, despite being MIDI-based. Paper Mario: GSO is one of the longer fangames I've played lately; if you take the time to fight all the enemies, you can expect to spend an hour on each of the chapters. A bunch of different mainsite reviewers have already pointed out some noticeable flaws in this game. While the later chapters grow more interesting, parts of the game are repetitive, forcing you to fight a monotonous series of battles against the same group of enemies, and the quality of the graphics and story are inconsistent. The system of making all enemies persistent isn't ideal, either. It prevents you from ever having to re-fight a battle, but because it relies on GM's built-in save system, the save file will eventually balloon to a majestic size - by the end of the game, mine was a whopping 7.45 MB, larger than most of the games on MFGG. I'd be a mighty happy camper if a subsequent update addressed some of these flaws. Imperfections aside, however, this is one of those games that I can say I truly enjoyed playing.

I need to continue playing this game, Despite the flaws, the massive size, and the insane ram requirement, this game so far is well worth the download!

The timing on blocking attacks was unforgiving and there was a great deal of grinding involved, but it was a pleasant experience otherwise. However, I wouldn't expect for another recent game to hit the best for this month. Great review.

I only played through the first chapter but for a Paper Mario fan game it was very well done. I agree with Gato that the timing on blocking was pretty unforgiving.

I remember playing a bit of this game earlier in the week! Despite a few flaws that are mentioned above, it really is a great game.

Hello, everyone, I am now on the message board! I must say, I'm very surprised this was able to get a game of the month despite all that criticism it got. As a matter of fact, I'd be surprised anyway because my own view of the game is (or was) actually even worse than most people's here. I guess it's not so hopeless after all? Also, um... Yoshi vs. Windows tribute? An apparent one, at that? I assume you're referring to chapter 4 there, because I've never actually played Yoshi vs. Windows, and all I've seen of it are about two screenshots. :whoops: That chapther wasn't a homage to anyting in particular, really, except maybe slight allusions to The Matrix and Tron. Well, except the chapter boss, but we all know what that's a reference to. ;) Anyway, thanks a lot again, this gives me an unholy amount of upliftment! (Be quiet, it is a word now.)

Congratulations! Haven't checked the game out yet, but it sure seems interesting. Might have to give it a shot in the near future.

You're welcome! A bit of recognition can do a game developer a world of good, after all. Paper Mario GSO definitely has some flaws, but you seem like a very talented fellow, so I hope you keep on making games and striving to improve your work. You would also benefit from seeking additional critique as you develop your games, and the MFGG forums are a great place to receive such assistance. Chapter 4's pointer enemies, music, and theme ([ispoiler]Mario characters being absorbed by malevolent computer software[/ispoiler]) reminded me of some of the levels in Yoshi vs. Windows, and since that game is one of the most well-known games on MFGG, I assumed you were alluding to it in the fourth chapter of GSO.

I'm glad people are offering their help in the form of critique, but I don't think I particularly need it at the moment. I can clearly see most of the things I've done wrong while developing this game anyway, which is why I'm so eager to start yet another PM project - to show everyone 'the full extent of my power' (yay for cliche phrases) even without anyone's help. I really hope that doesn't come off as selfish; I'd love to accept people's help, maybe even work with other people, but only after I've done this 'personal statement' of sorts. Besides, I have a couple of trustworthy beta-testers who can give me feedback. In the meantime, feel free to discuss this game! It's always interesting to hear what people think about your work, sometimes even negative things can be interesting.

[quote="SEVA"]I'm glad people are offering their help in the form of critique, but I don't think I particularly need it at the moment. I can clearly see most of the things I've done wrong while developing this game anyway, which is why I'm so eager to start yet another PM project - to show everyone 'the full extent of my power' (yay for cliche phrases) even without anyone's help.[/quote] Why? Your game wouldn't be considered any worse if you had help from people. In fact, getting help and criticism often makes a game developer better, thus making the game he or she creates better. Everyone can use some help, even a professional programmer/designer. But I guess that's your choice, so I'm excited to see what your new PM project comes out to be. Anyways, congratulations. Despite its flaws and repetitive battles, I really did enjoy what I played of this game. It definitely deserves the praise it has received. Great job! :)

I guess it's time for July's GOTM now.

The July GOTM will be coming in a short while. I have a few miscellaneous things I need to tackle first, though.

[quote="VinnyVideo"]The July GOTM will be coming in a short while. I have a few miscellaneous things I need to tackle first, though.[/quote] Ok, take your time.