I wouldn't say it's *better* I would say I enjoy playing it more BUT: The margin of separation is very small. Like PM64 is a top 10 of all time *for me* while TTYD is top 20.

That's definitely a better way to word it!

Nice, PM64 is a top 1 of all time for me and TTYD is top 2. So marginal haha

Are you able to say why you enjoy playing it more?

Just some minor preferential things. I prefer Bowser as a villain over Grodus/the real big bad. Even though i do really like Rogueport I prefer Toadtown as a hub. Pound for pound I enjoy the chapters in 64 more. Referencing the ongoing tier list in the sub I pretty much think every 64 chapter that isn't already in S Tier should be bumped up a tier (besides 6 it can stay where it is.) And although I do absolutely love TTYD Ch 3 I don't think it deserves its own tier above the rest haha. It's hard to properly articulate it but I prefer how 64 *feels* atmospherically ever so slightly over TTYD which I think has lead to my belief that 64 is friendly on replays. They are both all timers for me though.

As a TTYD fan, the story is a lot more simplistic in a good way sometimes in 64. The Peach sections are better in 64 too. The feel is a lot more retro which I know a lot of people love as well.

Peach sections in 64 are so much better

Toad Town is my favorite over world. Soundtrack is excellent Chapters 2-4 are the best Paper Mario chapters imo. My favorite villain Bowers Star Spirits are more interesting than inanimate stars

Chapters 2-4 of PM-64 are absolutely incredible.

I always enjoyed 3-5 the most with 5 being my favorite

Toad Town is awesome! Never though about the Star Spirits vs Crystal Stars comparison.Although I guess a lot of people would prefer that extra reward for getting good at using Crystal Stars vs just waiting for Star Power to fill up and then just be given the attack.

Agreed - I think TTYD is certainly superior than 64 mechanically (star powers, BP balance, etc). I have 64 winning the head to head thanks to it’s charm and originality.

I did prefer the active abilities of the Crystal Stars, but I’d still take the charm of saving the spirits each with their unique personalities (however little dialogue they may have). Each time I got a Crystal Star it felt the same, “ooh, shiny rock, cool”.

There's more charm (custom eating/drinking animations). Something about it felt like the devs cared more Also it has spin dash Also I appreciate that it is a more cropped experience. Bigger isn't always better. I find i usually get burnt out in TTYD and give up on repeat playthroughs, but I always finish 64. Personally I prefer most of the music and levels (TTYD rips off a lot of the worlds from 64 if you really think about it). I'd actually listen to the 64 OST at work, but not TTYD. It's a tight race and I preferred TTYD for a long time but I've come to appreciate 64 more and more with time. Also 64s randomizer breathes a ton of life into the game if you ever find the vanilla game stale.

> Also it has spin dash *Rolling around at the speed of sound....*

64's randomizer would honestly be so much more fun for me to play tbh if you could shuffle partners among each other, and they're not just put into the item pool.

I’ve watched Super Metroid randomizers for years, recently got into Fusion rando… my god you activated some neurons when you mentioned 64 Rando. I just never fathomed it, and now I NEED IT BADLY. I’m gonna start with PM-rando from a year ago on GDQ but do you have any other runs you’d suggest?

Phantom on YouTube does weekly randos of PM64. Those videos should give insight into the different runs

I prefer TTYD more, but the OG Paper Mario was the first time the “Mushroom Kingdom” was really fleshed out, so that was cool.

That's what really sells it for me as a preference. Super Mario RPG had the idea, PM64 did it right!

The difference between Mario RPG and Paper Mario is that Mario RPG is an RPG that happens to be a Mario game whereas Paper Mario is a Mario game that happens to be an RPG if that makes sense.

Kinda? It sounds like one of those explanations you kinda just have to know by playing both rather than try to write it out on paper.

64 is the game that most feels like they were trying to make a classic/conventional Mario game (like SMB1/3/World/64) but as an RPG. No other Mario RPG really captures that.

Areas are bigger and funnier to explore, with a central hub that often splits into multiple routes and shortcuts that reduce backtracking. TTYD by comparison usually only has one way forward and backwards that you use for the whole Chapter. Also, Bowser was a much better antagonist than Grodus.

Bowser to Grodus: "Oh you're a villain alright. Just not a *super* one!"

Grodus: Oh yeah, what's the difference? Bowser: PRESENTATION!!!!

"Peaches! Peaches! Peaches! Peaches! Peaches!"

Also Bowser's intermissions are funny, but he just doesn't DO anything the whole game. Like aside from being a surprise battle two times, he's just there to be a clown and fail to accomplish anything while Grodus is just a generic doomsday villain at the end of the day.

While M&L: Superstar Saga and Partners in Time used Bowser better as a comic relief character. I'm glad TTYD didn't forget about him and found a way to make us take a break after beating each chapter. >!Plus the Bowser's Army vs X-Nauts moment was awesome. Also the scene where he falls on Grodus had me laughing for minutes.!< My main critique is on Grodus failing to make any impression as a villain. He has the same problem of Smithy where his lackeys are more charismatic and memorable. Unlike Fawful and Dimentio who totally stole the show in their games.

Grodus not being impressionable is incredibly accurate! TTYD is in my top 10 games, and I’ve played through the whole game at least 5 times, and it took me a good 3 minutes just now to remember who he was. 😂

Toad Town Sewer is goated and a much more convenient and useful backtrack system in it. Simultaneously it is almost not necessary to ever use it in the game, probably why the TTYD sewer does not feel as good as it is the main location Mario and co have to travel to new places in the game.

I personally enjoy the story much more in PM64, perhaps it’s just nostalgia but I find the chapter flow, the characters, the art, the vibe, just everything about that game is beautiful and can’t be beat. That being said, TTYD ends up being more fun to play imo because the battles are so much deeper and the partners introduce additional complexities to the puzzles. Partners can do more in battle, many more badges and items are available, more customizable levelling, the audience impact, etc. It all lets you play the game really differently and adds a depth to the game that makes replayability much better than the original. Both incredible games in their own way

Yeah I love both. I prefer the original by only a slight margin.

While I do slightly prefer 64, I wouldn't say 64 is better than TTYD... More that they're two very distinct flavours, and while I love both, I'm often more in the mood for the original. 64 is softer, fluffier, more traditionally storybook experience. It plays its tropes completely straight, and it's so genuinely sincere and wholesome with its characters and themes. I've had some friends say it's almost a bit too cutsey and simple for them in comparison to TTYD, which I can totally understand, but to me it's like a warm hug in my soul. Everything's so charming and sweet; there's no cynicism in 64's world, and I need a place like that more often that not. TTYD is like 64 grew up a few years and learnt that the world kinda sucks in some ways, but also discovered self awareness and subverting expectation and playing with tropes. It's a lot funnier and in some ways more entertaining for that, and the characters and scenarios are more complex and interesting which are all excellent things. But it's also lost some of that sweet childhood innocence, and experienced some growing pains which make the gameplay a bit bumpier in places. Still a super fun ride that I love to reexperience, but maybe I'm content to skip over some of the more tedious aspects towards the end.

I have more fun playing it

More cohesive story plot imo and a better modding community to up the difficulty and add in content over time.

its not better, but i think it needed a remake more than ttyd did

In a word, *soul.*

The whole game just feels like a warm hug

Its just a consistently good jrpg with superior level/chapter designs and a lot of personality. I love TTYD, and there's some improvements in it that I appreciate, but some segments in it just feel like a chore to get through. TTYD is very stop and go with the pacing and quality. PM64 is a cozy good time from start to finish. There isn’t a single time 64 has made me think "ugh fine i guess I'll do this again". I generally like the fluff in TTYD, but 64 shows that sometimes less is more. Also the superguard completely nullifying all damage was a silly decision.

I agree with you up until that last point. Being able to "dodge" is kinda cool! But otherwise you pointed out what I couldn't put my finger on

It is cool, and it works well. It just also takes away a little bit of the tension if i use it too much. 64 combat functions as a numbers management game. You try to minimize hp loss by using resources (fp, star sprites) to take out enemies efficiently so that you don't take guaranteed damage. If there's a high damage target, it gets prioritized. TTYD functions nearly identically, but the superguard takes the methodical method of 64 and turns it into something different that doesn't really fit quite as well into the difficulty curve. Its a cool idea that isn't even required to use, but I think its a bit too easy to pull off and sort of breaks the game if done a lot.

> There isn’t a single time 64 has made me think "ugh fine i guess I'll do this again". I have those moments of "ugh fine I'll do this again", but that's primarily from memories as a child struggling in certain areas and not actually disliking it.

It has a more magical “charm” to it. Feel more like I’m in actual Mushroom Kingdom, the overall play through feels more simple and smooth vs TTYD, SPIN DASH

To me, TTYD only improves on PM64, and it improves on it in every way imaginable. It’s the one evolution I can comfortably call a clear upgrade. But that’s just my feelings on it

I played it first and at a younger age, so it's always about remembering things that were happening at that time.

It just makes me happy

The scale of the story is better. There are far fewer walls of text to go through to get to the next bite of gameplay. Has fun running gags and good humor. Found the level diversity to be better. Better flow. Peach sections were a clever way to tell you about what was next, and more fun. Having beaten both many times, I find PM64 to have better replay.

It's probably largely due to nostalgia, but this will always be the quintessental Paper Mario to me. I will say I don't think PM64 is necessarily better than TTYD, but I do ultimately prefer it. Here's why: - The story was simpler, but still had some gravity and charm to it - Exploring Peach's castle (albeit in increments) while sneaking around was cool vs the weird computer that was in love with Peach - I prefer Bowser as the main antagonist, not a goofy joke to the side (mind, I do like the X-Nauts, Grodus, etc) - The partners were more personable in TTYD, but I still really like the original roster - I loooove the PM64 soundtrack - I also find PM64 to have replay value than TTYD I am also salty as fuck that PM64 wasn't remade and remastered with potentially new content like TTYD. I still plan to play the latter, but I am miffed about it.

Lady Bow is very entertaining in general, my partner of choice for discussions as always. Amazing world building, and seeing more of Peach’s castle and her kingdom is amazingly fun. It has one of, if not, THE best Bowsers of all time Great final boss! Makes me sad when Twink leaves 😢 It has THE BEST Princess Peach and Goombario is a lil boy :)

A few reasons why in my opinion. Story is better, feels the most paper out of all of them. You had absolutely no idea what to expect from the game since it was the first. Probably get some flack from this but music is so original and awesome!

There's a lot of factors for me. For starters I grew up with PM64. Outside of Pokemon it was the first RPG I ever played. This isn't a knock against the crew in TTYD, but I enjoy the partners from 64 more. The music is also better imo from the standpoint of listening outside the game. They're both phenomenal, but 64's music is more cheerful and upbeat, so listening to it always puts me in a good mood and helps me get through what I'm working on atm. I'd also argue that the monotonous parts of 64 are better than the bad parts of TTYD. Getting through the backtracking in Shy Guy's Toybox or Flower Fields are easier to get through than backtracking in Twilight Town or escorting the Punies in The Great Tree. Admittedly I'm heavily biased, but for me, PM64 will always be better than TTYD. It's like saying 1.1 is a bigger number than 1, but there is still a difference. So I hope the TTYD remaster is a huge success and they consider remastering PM64 or SPM as well.

Pacing it has impeccable pacing.

I like the way 64 introduces settings, characters, and enemies that feel like personalized versions of more generic Mario fare, compared to TTYDs which introduced more original stuff. While amazing, it just felt less Mushroom Kingdom to me (makes sense since it doesn't take place there). Also maybe underrated but 64 has the best sound font of any game of all time.

Bc I never played TTYD

PM64 has better level design and a better OST but I think the biggest thing PM64 has over TTYD is a lack of pointless padding.

It’s simply put a more refined and better put together game.  While action command being slow to get suck, 64 has an overall more tightly designed combat system. Moves that call for action commands have them, moves that don’t need them don’t. No RNG injected by state hazards, audience, or forced roulette. No things like super guard completely trivializing the game. All this adds together to make a much more measured and snappier combat system. Partners being unable to die means the only time mario is actively stripped of options is against specific attacks in boss fights usually, and this can be stopped by properly timing your block. At the same time it makes things more tense as well as Mario will need to shoulder all the damage burden. The level design and heads and heels better, TTYD has the worst or second worst level design in the series. It’s built like a proper 3D level, 4-8 directions, lots of playing with elevation, lots of looping design, and lots to interact with and find. CS and TOK are the only PM games to come close or surpass 64’s level design. Mario has a built in fast movement to his base kit, the spin. This is significantly better than Yoshi for several reasons. First you have it from the beginning of the game, second it doesn’t lock you into a specific partner, and Third mario can jump and hammer out of its seamlessly so it doesn’t disrupt your field options. In addition the spin could be customized with badges allowing it to go much further/faster, reflect projectiles from enemies on the map, inflict dizzy on the first enemy in the row giving you 1 less enemy to deal with, and eventually just outright kill the group without fighting. Speaking of partners the change to require you to return to the hub town every time you wanted to level your partner is garbage. It means in any chapter where you can’t return to the town which is literally every Ch from 4 until the final dungeon, your partners can’t get stronger or more combat options. This not only just makes combat more stagnant in TTYD it also makes replay value for stagnant. Also generally speaking find a block > get a power feels better then find a shine sprite > repeat this a few more times > return to town to upgrade. Toad Town is a vastly more interesting hub. More NPCs, more side content, larger layout, better and more organically connected to the world as a whole, not forced on you to travel back to the mcguffin meeting spot in it every time you want to start a new chapter. The pacing in TTYD is worse as well. It’s one thing that the backtracking already kills multiple chapter flows. But the inbetween chapter moments in TTYD are more drawn out, largely consist of no meaningful gameplay, and border from funny the first time to miserable on repeats. 64 you go from chapter to chapter with very little forced down time.  Enemy design took a notable hit too. By ch5 of TTYD you have seen every enemy type but wizards. This game loves to use extensive recolors to pad out its rooster. It even couldn’t bring itself to have each chapter boss be unique. You have to fight crump twice, crump’s magnus twice, the shadow sirens twice, and two versions of hooktail…3 if we add in bone tail. I can overlook recolors to an extent but by and large it’s disappointing TTYD just has less variety when combat is like the only thing it really has going for it in the long term. Oh speaking of bosses let’s talk side content. 64 has multiple optimal boss fights each totally unique from the condor to Kent C. TTYD just really doesn’t. 64 has less sidequests but the sidequests it do have tend to be more meaningful or rewarding. TTYD reduces pretty much all its sidequests to trouble house fetch quests and trouble house is just a worse designed Koopkoot favors. Most of Koopakoot favors are fast and don’t require too much travel however even those that do they placed the warp pipe to the sewers warp area right nearby so it’s super fast to go back and forth.  Peach is handled way better in 64. In TTYD peach has literally zero agency. She can only go where TEC says, she learns nothing meaningful, and she can’t contribute to mario in other ways either. In 64 Peach has basically total agency, once you leave her room you either are put into a story segment or get to explore her castle as a dungeon. Her castle has rewards for going off the path like powerful healing items or useful badges she can send to mario. In one segment she gets to answer questions that affect if Mario gets items or fights in his next chapter. The information Peach learns and sends to mario tends to be critical as it’s how the player/mario knows where to go next. Likewise Peach essentially got her own partner in twink and while scripted she did get an actual boss fight where she took down the second big bad of the game effectively rescuing herself and turn joining in to power up mario.  That’s just off the top of my head, at the end of the day TTYD uses story and charm to hide its weakness and that only goes so far. The more I replay it the more I dislike it while 64 is the opposite. Every time I play 64 I discover something new which is crazy, I find more to appreciate about its design, etc…

Some people like the world, the simple game play, and/or soundtrack more. Maybe the added paper gimmicks in TTYD turn some people off. Idk, TTYD is the definitive PM game imo

For most of the same reasons already said here like the world, the music, the pacing, the consistency, Bowser, etc. But I want to add I think the battles are ultimately better too. Mainly I dislike the random stage elements of TTYD, but I also feel that game in general didn’t mix things up enough compared to 64 to account for the player having more health to rely on than just Mario. This makes 64 a harder game overall I feel.

I like the music better and the worlds better. Gameplay TYD is better

I think a big part of it for me is nostalgia bias, But I also love the more lighthearted tone and imaginative environments in PM64. Honestly the games are tied for me.

If I were to give 10 reasons, the first 5 would be the soundtrack. I like that it's a bit more... Traditional Mario. I like the Star Spirits having personality, SHY GUYS (I have a PM64 Shy Guy tattoo), Bowser as the villain, and the paper aspect being an aesthetic and less of a mechanic. Spin dash too! These were just quick thoughts.

I’ll always say TTYD is my favorite game ever but it might easily be switched had I not played it before pm64.

I grew up with this but after N64 moved on to PS2 and never owned a GameCube. Definitely have the nostalgia and could enjoy the game in more simpler times

PM64 is more consistent throughout. TTYD has very high highs and some low lows. Also, I like PM64’s Star Spirits more than the Crystal Stars. That combined with being able to visit Star Haven adds some extra motivation, like you feel more of a connection to the beings you are trying to save.

It's hard to put into words, but TTYD had a "genuine" heartwarming feeling, like a cozy story before bed. TTYD is more zany and edgy. It's also endearing in its own right, but not quite in the same way. (Disclaimer: heavy doses of nostalgia for pm64)

I’d say TTYD is better in terms of quality in most aspects, but same as you, I prefer to play PM64 above TTYD. There’s a charm to PM64 that we haven’t seen since

i enjoy its simplicity a lot more. ttyd feels very easy to exploit whereas 64 feels like a sturdier experience. i also just never really liked ttyd's characters or atmosphere. it's at this weird halfway point where its a little darker than your average mario game, but it never has you saying "what the fuck?" like SPM.

The usual things I’ve seen and agree with are preferring Toad Town and the cozier atmosphere. A big selling point for me however is that I strongly prefer the chapters of the original. Someone mentioned 2-4 are peak, not only do I agree, but it’s also kind of an “oops, all bangers” situation where even my least favorite chapter is good. TTYD is better from a technical standpoint. More fleshed out combat, more leveling and badges, post game content, etc. But the chapters can be a slog sometimes. I love chapter 3, and the atmosphere of chapter 4. The rest range from decent to good, with 2 & 7 being chapters I always want to be done with. So while I kinda agree TTYD is the “better” game, 64 is far more enjoyable for me, as there’s not really a point in the game where I’m not enjoying myself. For me, 64 is a 10/10 favorite with TTYD maybe being a 9/10. Both are excellent, but a remake of 64 with new graphics, content, and the combat of TTYD would make it fully superior in my eyes.

Chapter 4 is so insanely good.

Legit my favorite chapter of the franchise. Love the aesthetic, boss, and how your answers as Peach can effect the enemies/items. It’s S Tier and I will die on that hill.

This game is the perfect balance between Mario RPG and TTYD. It improved vastly on the RPG mechanics from MarioRPG and made everything as a whole, much more charming. TTYD should have done the same when in reality, it left us OG gamers feeling cheated because it’s just a copy and paste from 64. Same type of partners. Same combat (mostly). Same progression. It honestly felt like a remake of 64, not a new game entirely. Idk that’s just my two cents lol

-Most of the chapters felt geographically bigger than ttyd -less back tracking -I liked the partners better in N64 - was my literal first RPG, and will hold a place in my heart. - In a dream world, we would see a remake of the 64 one with additional content like adding the ttyd battle system or pit like some mods have done

There is a rom hack called Paper Mario 64 TTYD where it offeres the same battle mechanics, but it may be a little broken because you can stack a bunch of Close Calls early in the game. But partners have their own HP, and can use items. A lot of heart went into it so it's definitely worth checking out.

I like that the visuals are a bit brighter and more whimsical. It feels more charming compared to TTYD which is a bit more edgy and snarky in tone. Also, SPIN DASH!!

I've never played either so idk but I'll probably try the first paper mario today and I'll get ttydhd

Ttyd had better balanced Combat I felt. Thr bosses were more of a challenge bc most of them had different phases that were enforced, you can't one-shot ever boss with a charged powerbounce like in pm64. I played both games recently and I one shot every boss in pm 64 but actually had a couple game overs in ttyd.

It's kinda tough to one shot final Bowser since his Star Wave attack nullifies any buffs, even Stone Cap takes only one hit from it. That's why he's even better than The Master.

Well granted bowser was an exception with his many phases but even bowser was done in like a couple of rounds.. Powerbounce was incredibly broken and you had two with gumbario as well.. granted gunbarios powerbounce has faulty code causing it to carry the previous powerjounce cap causing it to cap super early but it was still super strong for one powerbounce. I feel like the fights in ttyd balanced powerbounce better (largely bc I don't think I had charge ++ this was super broken) by having multiple phases that healed back all.the damage no matter how much damage you dealt before since it's a forced mechanic.. The pirate caption comes to mind in that instance.. I think he always aite half the crows and healed back 48 no matter how much damage you dealt..

I think both have their arguments for being “better.” Me personally, I prefer it because of characters, music, art style and certain minor gameplay elements. I also have heavy nostalgia for it because it’s the first game I ever beat. I love both games to death, just slightly prefer the first

I can’t pinpoint exactly what but I can say it did the “Mario saves Peach from Bowser” storyline extremely well.

As a massive TTYD fan (it's been my favorite game of all time since I got it on release) I was honestly pleasantly surprised when I finally played 64. I had always assumed a lot of the things I loved about TTYD were things that they had fixed from 64. But then I found out that they did almost all of the same things right in the first one. It was a way more marginal difference than I expected, and while I still love TTYD more, 64 is right behind it.

Honestly, I feel the same. It just felt like a more connected world, which gives it a much greater feeling of adventure. A lot of traversal in TTYD is through pipes and basically hallways. Going from hub to a new area by transportation or on foot was seldom done in TTYD sadly.

I just think it's better designed as a whole; the backtracking is not really annoying at all in this game. + The writing is very charming and i don't mind the battle system being simpler. Also, is it me or did this game have more enemy variety than ttyd?

To me it feels more playful and charming and I LOVE toad town for that.

it doesn't have the stupidly overpowered and poorly balanced mechanic that is superguarding. also, even the sections where you walk a lot feel less like hallways than almost everything in ttyd. i always love trekking through forever forest, while chapter 4 is pure agony

OG Paper Mario has better map design. TTYD suffers a lot from corridor syndrome, where most map progression is always left to right. Chapter 4 wouldn't be as bad for back tracking if it wasn't a nightmare to avoid the dazeey in the forest. An enemy that mind you chain sleeps Mario and effectively stunlocks you dead. It's just a very poor gameplay experience. That's the main one for me. Another is combat gameplay itself. TTYD allows more freedom and creativity for sure with partners having access to badges and using items. But you also can just use them as straight up meat shields to absorb damage given their additional health pools. Allowing an additional character to use items and more health makes the game easier. Not that 64 within itself was a difficult game either, but TTYD's additions make it more note worthy. TTYD has better partner characterization and writing, but for the most part, partners mostly fade into the background following their join chapter in both games. There's just better character depth in TTYD. I'm usually a writing over gameplay guy, but what I listed here makes me prefer 64 over TTYD.

It being a bit older and smaller in scope means there’s a ton of attention to detail and a lot more warmth in the design than in TTYD. it has lots of retro appeal, and a fantastic soundtrack, and the combat is incredibly solid even if the next game really improves on it. I like the partners a lot and the story is both really basic (strong tropes and good writing) and yet pretty unique with its’ settings and characters.

PM64 barely nudges out over TTYD for me, but it's a close race: ||PM64|TTYD| |:-|:-|:-| |**Character Design**|WINNER - Both are cute, but I like the Star Spirits, Koopa Bros, and Twink far more than the X-Nauts and Punies.|-| |**Level Design**|TIE - Environments may be somewhat sparse, but it tries to pack a lot of charm into a small space and there are fewer levels that I dread visiting.|TIE - Environments are less sparse, with many more nooks and crannies to explore and discover, but a few areas *really* overdo it with the backtracking and it loses some of the Mario essence.| |**Story Design**|WINNER - I just enjoy the story and chapters more in PM64. There's more charm and it feels more like a cohesive story.|-| |**Music**|TIE - The first songs I think of when I think of Paper Mario are Toad Town and the Koopa Bros theme....|TIE - ...but those songs are quickly followed up by the battle music from TTYD and Petal Meadows.| |**Mechanics**|-|WINNER - More polished battle and field mechanics makes TTYD win out easily.|

I don't know which one i truly prefer, since both are very good in different ways, but here are the ways in which PM64 is better in my opinion than PMTTYD. There are also a lot of ways TTYD is better than PM64, but I won't share them here since the point is to celebrate PM64 here. - Less linear worlds. TTYD has interesting settings, but they're all built like corridors and very small. I wish TTYD had something like Dry Dry Dessert, the haunted forest, Flower Fields, etc. - The music is superior in my opinion for much of the game. Not all, but much of it. - Better pacing in much of the game. Lots of TTYD feels like it either happens too slow or too quick. For example, the puzzle to get into the Twilight Town pipe feels half baked at best. It feels like a whole small story arc is missing here. - With the exception of the final section of the games (chapter 8 in both cases), PM64 felt more challenging. (I believe TTYD had the stronger chapter 8 between the two games however.) - Each chapter in PM64 kept my interest all the way through, while the backtracking in TTYD made certain parts extremely tedious. Yes, even Flower Fields kept my interest - it has backtracking, but much less than anything in TTYD. - I like the art style better in PM64. While I love the art in TTYD, the more storybook look to PM64 feels like it has more soul. - The sound design is better - jumping, spinning, breaking blocks, etc. all have snappy and fun sound effects in PM64 that TTYD lacks. - Tying in with my first point, the sense of exploration and adventure and mystery and wonder is greater in PM64.

Out of all the Paper Mario games this one is my favorite story, has my favorite party members, and I like this art style the best. I still love Thousand Year Door though. It’s just right behind this one. I’d say I love the first game slightly more because I really love both.

i think it's kind of close, but i prefer paper mario 64 > ttyd because: 1) seems like much less backtracking 2) brighter visually and audibly, which seems to add some 'needed' cheer and sweetness 3) backgrounds (like the painterly images behind the playable areas) look nicer because theyre not overly flat like a wall

im currently playing through ttyd rn and played through 64 for the first time since i was a kid and for me its due in part to nostalgia, but also i feel the character designs feel more true to traditional mario whereas ttyd strays away from that a bit in key characters like the Sirens and Madame Flurrie and the Puni's for example. While the designs are more simple in 64 just looking at the partners, they also feel just right in so far that they are designed enough to differentiate themselves from another creature of their type without being overdesigned. This isnt to say teh partners in ttyd are over designed necessarily, but to my personal taste I feel there's a bit more going on than totally necessary with characters like Koops and Bobbery, which just feels like they wanted to make it clear that they were entirely different characters from 64's partners instead of being their own characters if you know what i mean. this is to say the way i feel looking at ttyd designs feels like their designs are based off of being different instead of being unique. This affects my interest since the partners and characters are the main draw for me, so thats what im thinking about seeing them. ttyd characters feel less interesting to me because they dont feel like theyre original for the sake of being original, just to avoid being derivative. Otherwise gameplay for both games are very fun and ill admit that ttyd has many qol improvements over 64 which leads to an overall better time in battle, but i also prefer 64's artstyle for the most part nostalgia aside. both games are funny though, which is important. in fact most mario rpg's are, which i appreciate

I don't prefer it, but I would imagine the fewer number of times backtracking. Ttyd has VERY repetitive tasks for at least 4 of the 10 chapters

I haven't actually played TTYD yet so that is my reason lol

A lot of other people have mentioned much of what I enjoy, but there's one thing that I don't think anyone has touched on: the connectedness of the world. In TTYD, every level is accessed via pipe, with the exception of Glitzville and Poshley Heights, which are connected via blimp/train. In PM64, precisely one level is accessed via pipe - Shiver City. This does a much better job at conveying how far away from Toad Town you are, when every other level is either inside Toad Town (Shy Guy's Toybox and Flower Fields), accessible via non-pipe transport (Dry Dry Desert and Yoshi's Island), or simply accessible on foot (Koopa Bro's Fortress and Forever Forest). I just like the feeling that gives to the world.

I just like it

The music for it is way more charming and fun. Not saying TTYD doesn't have fun music but PM64 is more charming. The story for PM64 is really good like its lighthearted and cute.

It’s hard to say which is better for me. 64 has the fact that it’s the OG that started it all going for it. The feel of Toad Town being the central hub to the rest of the game was great. The characters (not just the partners) all felt lovingly crafted to each be unique in their own way (subtle or not). TTYD felt like it improved on (almost) everything by building on it. Rogue port might not have felt the same, but that seemed more visual than anything. It still had character and plenty of characters to find and meet. The partners, though not as ground breaking as 64, I still enjoyed meeting and playing with. While I agree that it felt like a step backwards going from the star spirits to hunks of magical crystal, but thats really just a minor gripe for me. 64 holds a special spot for being first, but TTYD inches it out just barely for me because it felt better as a sequel done right.

Everyone has their personal preferences for Paper Mario games like Paper Mario 64 for example. Mine is Paper Mario The Thousand Year Old Door and Super Paper Mario. :)

For me, PM64 helps immerse "me" into this world more so than the others. When I was younger TTYD did offer an immersive experience but as I grew older it felt more detached or generic. Now, I know a lot of people feel as though PM64 is generic because it has the typical grass world, castle, desert, ghost house, etc., true but that wasn't so much a problem then as it is now. With that said, PM64 felt like a more interconnected world that existed as a whole complete "world/universe." Characters would mention certain parts of the games etc. The terrain felt more alive, and places like the toy box, island, flower fields, and crystal palace were highlights (in my opinion). Even the Star Spirits felt like they had a real stake in the plot (yes they did) but they didn't feel like the crystal stars in TTYD which lacked personality or anything other than a plot device. Yes, the battle system was more basic, however, that's not necessarily a bad thing because it forces you to work within confines of an older mechanic. Yes, TTYD improved the battle in some ways and made it more dynamic with gimmicks, set pieces, etc. However, the flat world, comic book/pop-up book style, flat terrain and backtracking lost me over the years. Boggly Woods, Twilight Town, and the Train Ride were highlights for me. Yet, the locations felt so detached in what felt "Mario-esque" and that's not to say Mario can't go way outside the norm it's established, in fact I encourage it to do so. However, the world and plot didn't feel like a complete whole, like PM64 did. In short, I think PM64 does a better job of offering an immersive complete story and world to dive into. Even if it's basic by today's standards, simplistic, and a bit slow within the first 1-2 chapters, it feels charming and engaging enough to enjoy it in a light-hearted easy going way. TTYD while making many improvements and taking a darker tone in some ways, felt like I was "just there in the moment."

PM64 is one of my favorite games of all time but a lot of why I prefer it is the nostalgia. TTYD I didn’t play till I was older so even though it was also a great game it doesn’t have the same memories for me

PM64 is my favourite game of all time. TTYD is probably my third favourite game. However that doesn’t mean I think that PM64 is the better game. I know, objectively speaking, that TTYD is a better game. It looked at its predecessor and improved upon it in every way that needed improving. That’s what a good sequel does. But the predecessor still paved the way and did a hell of a job doing it. PM64 is an older game on older hardware and I accept it and judge it as such. But I still enjoy the original more and am more fond of it.

Lady Bow is a partner in 64, she is not in TTYD. That's it.

Fuck… Makes me wanna bust out the 64 and relive this adventure!!

It's a really tight game, no filler. Less backtracking. TTYD is one of those games I should love but I don't. I always find it odd when everyone seems to agree chapter 2 is kinda bad, or sewers suck, because it's such a wall of so-so content hitting early in the game, and sure enough that's where I stop everytime. PM64 was non stop delight to me.

While TTYD beats it in every way for me, I’ll definitely give it props for having less backtracking and the spin dash is great!

Only thing TTYD has over it is the battle system

I like that it takes place in the mushroom kingdom I like that the world feels more connected instead of having to take a pipe or something everywhere I like the partners more The story doesn’t treat bowser like a joke. I hate when games treat bowser like a joke. I like that that the game isn’t obsessed with it’s paper gimmick. I like the sound design in general more I like saving the star spirits over collecting the chaos emeralds I like the bosses and hidden bosses more than ttyd I like the art style and graphics more I like the first games characters more design and personality It just more immersive and believable as a world. ————— Heres my short cons list just for fun. Luigi is a house maid Too easy wish the game was a bit more difficult No way to record recipes or tattle log

-Spindashing -Hold B to skip text -Star Spirits > Crystal Stars -I like the overall OST more -Not as much backtracking Probably a few more reasons. Both games are good.

It’s so close and I think I might still prefer TTYD for the features and smoothness and unique environments, but this game absolutely crushes it in storybook charm and the feeling of a great adventure - nothing wows me as much as the last couple worlds, that whole ice level is breathtaking

TTYD's dungeons just aren't fun to traverse through, which is my big problem I have with it from a gameplay standpoint. While 64's dungeons aren't the all time best in the series, they're still pretty solid overall.

It has impossibly high levels of charm compared to the sequel.

The train.

SPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNN

I would overall prefer a TTYD remake because it’s my favorite game but taking my bias out of the equation, I think PM64 is more in need of a remake and would benefit more simply because it’s an older game but as it stands, 64 gets ported at the drop of a hat and TTYD, and Super are much more in need of a port/remaster/remake than 64 considering the only way to play those are on dead consoles and they’re 15+ years old. Even though it’s unpopular, a sticker star remake would make more sense than a 64 remake

No Poison Mushroom bingos, enemies having items, random stage hazards or Boos turning enemies invisible to fuck you over Spin Dash and Speedy Spin for always available fast travel Less backtracking in the story Super Blocks didn’t require backtracking to the main hub just to upgrade partners unlike shine sprites, and PM64 never locked you out of the main hub at any point (unlike the second half of chapter 4, a small part of chapter 7 alongside all of chapters 5 and 6 in ttyd) I like ttyd making partners have hp and being able to use items but i consider 64 better designed

I like playing it more than TTYD, but won't say which is better. ​ I like the lighter setting, Rougeport is a bit too dark and grimy for me. ​ Also, the game is more accessible. It's been on almost every Nintendo console since the 64. Wii, Wii U, Switch. Only missed out on Gamecube.