I'm going to give Partners in Time another chance.

[Bon]

Why, you ask?

I beat Bowser's Inside Story last week, and in the end felt very satisfied with my purchase. However, as for its predecessor, I simply stopped playing for the fact that it wasn't "hitting" my interest as much as the first and third titles did. So far, I think I'm making some good progress. My only gripe is that using the bros. items can be a big pain the ass, especially if you're not quite successful using them.

I think that's how the third game improved upon the 2nd. *** SPOILERS ***
When you got a new Bros. attack, NOT ITEM, you could practice in the demo until you felt comfortable enough to use it in a real battle, whereas with Partners, they give no demonstration. (However, you can prove me wrong on this).
*** END SPOILERS ***


Okay, folks. Wish me luck.

[marcus]

Re: I'm going to give Partners in Time another chance.

Partners in Time has really plain level design compared to Inside Story and the GBA game. The level design is what held me to the original so it's a pretty big hit to my interests. I ended up beating Partners but each hour felt more boring than the last.

[Bon]

Re: I'm going to give Partners in Time another chance.

I just beat the game for the first time. I guess I'm a bit more fulfilled, having now beat every Mario and Luigi Game crafted by Alpha Dream.

The final boss actually gave me a run for my money, but alas, a part of me was disappointed.

*** SPOILERS ***
I basically kept spamming my bros. items, particularly the Trampoline and the Mix Flower, proving to commit massive damage, in order to conquer Princess Shroob. I am also thankful that I was able to have plenty of Ultra Mushroom Drops, that gave my Bros. 60 HP each healing.
*** END SPOILERS ***


I made sure Mario and Luigi, along with their younger selves, were properly trained (older bros level 37, younger bros level 36). Leveling up actually became pretty damn easy nearing the end of the game. I had EXP badge A attached to Mario and EXP badge attached to Luigi so that I could garner extra experience by defeating enemies...with my bros. items. One one of the final bosses, instead of getting 1500, I instead got an extra 600 to go along with that.

Sorry for rambling, but I'll get to the chase. Out of the three Mario and Luigi games, this was, unfortunately, my least favorite, but it doesn't detract from the fact that it is a fair addition to the role-playing genre. As for the other two, M&L 1 and 3, I would have a really hard time deciding which one I enjoyed more. Bowser's Inside Story had me captivated from start to finish, but during particular moments in the game, I would get frustrated and begin uttering numerous obscenities (sometimes, I even felt like throwing my DS against the wall). The first title kind of set the stone for the latter two titles, and I like for the fact that it incorporated a turn-based, simplistic battle system, accompanied with a solid plot and clever dialogue.

I think I'll stop there.