Topic: Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door!!!!!!!

@Joeynator3000
You can pass 5.1PCM over eARC so it does work with Switch. If it didn't I wouldn't be posting here complaining about the surround mix given that's literally my setup. But for it to work you need a TV that supports eARC and a soundbar/receiver that also supports eARC

I think the main problem is that eARC was only introduced in the HDMI 2.1 spec i.e. late 2017. Which means it took a while for hardware, particularly cheaper hardware, to support it. And it's often not something that TV manufacturers in particular tend to highlight given, again, nobody seems to care. But like with anything the newer spec will eventually become the low bar that everyone clears. I think we're almost at the point now where most new stuff supports it

@skywake I've tried multiple times, so I don't know...both my sound bar and TV has earc, but surround sound doesn't work at all, it has to connect directly to the bar to work.

Beat Chapter 3. It's definitely a chapter that's carried mostly by its setup and scenario, cause if you take that away you're really just left with a bunch of battles and walking through an empty hallway a couple of times. It stuck out to me a little more after playing Origami King last year, which had a better understanding of scale in regards to its areas. Compare Glitzville to say, Shogun Studios, and you'll get what I mean. Still, it was fun, and takin' down Macho Grubba was satisfying.

Also, for those annoyed by some of the rewrites in the remake, you're entitled to your opinion, but I submit to you this for reconsideration:

My GameCube version of TTYD is still staying inside the box, waiting to be played whenever I'm in the mood to play.

@Joeynator3000
Yeah, no idea. Either something in the chain is ARC rather than eARC or there's some obscure setting that's not checked or something. I know there can be some incompatibilities with supported formats also so it could be that. Although PCM is PCM, usually it's DTS support which is flakey.....

If I was to guess I'd say either something isn't actually eARC, isn't connecting as eARC (maybe a not so great cable?) or your TV is trying to be clever and is downmixing the surround signal to stereo rather than passing through the raw bitstream. But yeah, as I was saying, for this game you're not missing out on much anyways!

..... and I'd apologise for derailing the thread a bit but, frankly, I think most of us would prefer my derail over the alternate derail that seems to be being repeatedly proposed

@InnerSound
People were wondering, whether Vivian is a girl or not. If the game would not get an age rating of 18+ in Russia, it would be safe to say that she is a girl. Otherwise that kind of content would be rated 18+ there.

@FishyS
Yes, the games you mentioned seem to be rated right. I am not very far in The Thousand Year Door, but I think the age rating is right so far.

Oooook…..

Anyway, I legit just started a new Sticker Star file just to play some sort of Paper Mario while I wait for my cartridge.

The spiked ceiling was cool.

@Uncle_Franklin
Now I know how you came up with the name for Luigi's adventure. I do not know why Mario got so bored, listening to Luigi. Seriously, I would like to play that adventure.

Finished chapter one last night. About to get into chapter 2 the next time I fire it up, and oh boy, it's going to be quite the ride because of all the backtracking that I'll have to do

When Bowser inspects one of his statues, is that a reference to a certain game, or is it simply a joke, because similar stuff often happens in video games? Those little side quests, which you get in Rogueport are cool.

I’d say the game should be E10+, with the flirting characters and the noose and some word choices. Definitely odd that it’s rated E, but I guess there’s a wider audience now

@Jhena I don’t believe that’s a reference. Just kind of making fun of video game stereotypes

I made it to chapter 3, here’s some standouts for me: (I’ll try to keep this relatively spoiler free)

• The dialogue is so good! I’ve played it before but man the writing is just so good.
• Chapter 2’s ‘backtracking’ isn’t bad at all. They might’ve fixed the Puni AI a bit, but I had a blast in that place!
• The music is OUTSTANDING! I can’t believe that Hooktail’s Castle has several different phases in the music. There’s a lot of things like this that weren’t in the original. Truly impressive. Characters have their own themes and I love it. New battle themes for the different places in the game. They went all out! Even some side characters have music.
• I know I was just talking about the music, but the Koops theme is SO GOOD! The soundtrack is phenomenal.
• The visuals are so impressive. Definitely one of the best looking games on the console.
• Battling is very fun. I know that’s kind of simple, but it’s so cool! Very satisfying timing the stylish moves correctly. The new battle themes for the chapters also keep things fresh every chapter.

Those are just some of the standouts. This game is awesome!

I've always felt E versus E10+ was the most arbitrary distinction in ESRB ratings. For example, a kid less than 10 probably won't even notice the references you are talking about, but a kid above 10 definitely will. Plus, almost every Mario game has tons and tons of murdering 😝 For some reason Peach Showtime is 10+ for 'fantasy violence' but most Mario games are E for 'mild fantasy violence' ( and also 'mild suggestive themes' for TTYD). Apparently Odyssey is 10+ also but Wonder is E for a similar 'mild' distinction.

I doubt all that many parents care about E versus E10 as long as the game is simple enough for a child to play, though the line to T/13+ is often much more obvious and probably a lot more parents care about that one.

@FishyS Fair point. Still crazy to me that Peach Showtime is E10+ but TTYD isn’t

TTYD is rated B (12+) is Japan, it’s interesting seeing how different rating systems rate a game.

@PikminMarioKirby
Yep, it is propably just making fun of the sterotypes.

Now that you mention the age rating again. I think you are right, it should be rated higher. The noose is definitely a little bit too much.

@PikminMarioKirby If I remember correctly, Peach has access to more dangerous pieces of equipment, like swords and other sharp objects.

Mario has a “hammer” but it’s a very unrealistic cartoony mallet. If it literally looked like a hardware store hammer, I’m sure the rating would be higher too.

In most Mario games, creatures/Mario die a horrible fiery death from fire flowers or flames throwers, get skewered by spikes, get crushed flat. Honestly, nightmare-inducing if you think about it. Lost Levels is rated E for everyone even though it includes a suicide pit to avoid being warped to previous worlds. Not to mention the massive number of drug references in games like Yoshi's Island or Mario Wonder. tbh, I feel like 'E for everyone' really just means kids probably won't think about the weird things.

@FishyS none of that really matters, because those “deaths” are largely played off without real violence, or are graphic in any sort. There’s nothing truly horrific happening on-screen.

Using magical flowers that give a character the power to generate fire or ice is not a very realistic thing to consider. However, showing a human character in the game using a sharp blade or gun-like object in order to hurt other characters is a bit more pressing when it comes to age rating, even if it’s equally non-graphic.