RF Generation Message Board

Another month is upon us so it's time to browse the game libraries for another fun game to play together.

The original plan was to do something modern, but this game is too great to pass up. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is a long one so we will be devoting two months to this playthrough.

Overview
Originally released on the SNES in 1996 Super Mario RPG tells the tale of Mario's journey to topple Smithy's aspirations of world dominations.

Platforms
SNES
Wii Virtual Console

Checkpoints
1. July 1 - July 8 Bowser's Keep and Your First Star Piece: Begin your journey and collect the first Star Piece.
2. July 8 - July 15 A Plumber's Nightmare: Navigate Kero Sewers and earn your second Star Piece.
3. July 15 - July 22 Canary in a Coal Mine: Earn the third Star Piece.
4. July 22 - July 29 Give Me a Boost: Scale the Booster Tower and earn the fourth Star Piece.
5. July 29 - August 5 Surf's Up!: Show those aquatic ruffians you mean business. Get the fifth Star Piece
6. August 5 - August 12 Listen to Your Elders: Learn the whereabouts of the Six Star Piece and track it down.
7. August 19 - August 31 The Finish Line: Beat the game!

Achievements Thank you Shadow Kisuragi
1. Find all Nintendo character cameos.
2. Turn into 8-bit Mario in the Booster Tower.
3. Find the Masher in Booster's Tower.
4. Complete 30 Super Jumps and earn the Attack Scarf from the dog in Monstro Town.
5. Complete 100 Super Jumps and earn the Super Suit from the dog in Monstro Town.
6. Earn 10+ flowers on Booster Hill.
7. Earn a Frog Coin by scaling the cliff in less than 10 seconds.
8. Defeat the 'Secret Boss' in Monstro Town.
9. Max out the coin counter (999).*HINT: This can be done easily near the end of the game*
10. Complete all 6 puzzle doors in Bowser's Castle.
11. Complete all of the puzzles in the Sunken Ship.
12. Find the Three Musty Fears and complete their quest to earn the Ghost Medal.
13. Find the casino *HINT: If no one finds this after 3 weeks, Shadow will tip you off*
14. Play Do-Re-Me.  ;D
15. Defeat one of each boss doppelganger.
16. One-hit Exor's eye.
17. Find the Trueform Pin in Kero Sewers

Online Gameplay Streaming (http://www.twitch.tv/whydidiplaythis)
SirPsycho has decided to stream his time with the game on twitch.tv and anyone who wants to watch him grind away can do so by clicking the bold text.

Player List
32excellent
Addicted (1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17)
bearmetal
blcklblskt
Dezorian (2, 3, 11, 14)
douglie007
Flee
Fleach (2)
GrayGhost81 (2)
ixtaileddemonfox
MrUnoriginal
Razor Knuckles
RetroRage
russlyman
singlebanana (2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17)
Silent Scythe
SirPsycho
Wempster (14, 17)
wildbil52

UPDATE
Luigi lives in his brother's shadow.

I'm down on this one, and I might stream it.

I can watch Psycho play it? Sounds like a plan.

I completed this earlier this year, great game.  Skipped the optional boss though, didn't want to grind for levels.

I'm in! I've been wanting to play this game for a while.

@SirPsycho, that sounds really cool. If you decide to stream the game send me the link and I'll add it to the main post.

@GrayGhost, nice to have you aboard!

I've played through most of the game but never finished it. Count me in.

Well this sucks.  The one game I can't find at a tolerable price. BooooooooO!  haha  :laugh:

I know some consider it blasphemy or not the same as the real thing but it is available on Virtual Console for $10.  Also, I could add the cart the the Keep an Eye Out for Me thread for you ;)

Achievements:
Complete 30 Super Jumps and earn the Attack Scarf from the dog in Monstro Town.
Complete 100 Super Jumps and earn the Super Suit from the dog in Monstro Town.
Earn 10+ flowers on Booster Hill.
Earn a Frog Coin by scaling the cliff in less than 10 seconds.
Defeat the 'Secret Boss' in Monstro Town.

...I've got a lot more, but since we have 2 months, I'll make it interesting. ;)

Just posted to there for shits and giggles, may have to give the virtual console one a look if worse comes to worse!

Thanks for those Shadow. I'll add them to the list. I get achievement ideas from wikipedia, but you seem to know this game pretty well.


The Virtual Console version isn't really different. Only the visual effects of one boss' move was change to not be potentially seizure inducing. Plus, you'll get to use the awesome GameCube controller.

I picked up Super Mario RPG from a Club Nintendo sale a month or two ago.  I'll definitely join in!

Super Mario RPG was a gift for my birthday as a kid one year, and I'm fairly familiar with speedrunning the game as well. We can always add in easier achievements, like completing the puzzles in the various areas (like completing all 6 puzzles in Bowser's Castle).

I was never able to get very close to the 100 super jumps. Otherwise I think I've actually done all those at some point in the past.

An excuse to play an RPG. Nice, count me in.

I'm in. Maybe I'll finally finish it this time.

For whatever reason, I could never get into this game. I bought it when it came out, got really far, then stopped playing. I've tried to play through it about 3 other times in my life and after about 5 hours I retire. I love Mario and I love RPG's and I've tried to love this game, but I always become disenchanted. Maybe it's because I'm a big Bowser fan and they make him seem like such a wuss.

You haven't gotten far enough into it then to see Bowser make himself into a badass.

Well, as a guy that sucks at RPG's and has never played this game in my life, I figured I should give it a go.

Should give you guys someone to laugh at. Just beating this game alone would be an achievement to me.

Hopefully playing along with a bunch of people will motivate you to push on. I'll add you to the head count.


I don't think it's possible to suck at RPGs. You can only be under-leveled. Just remember if you're having trouble fight enough bad guys until you level up some more.

It's very easy to power level once you reach a certain part of the game. Shouldn't be a problem. ;D

So will this playthrough have checkpoints or will we just play as we have time? Either way is fine with me, just curious.

Nice, because I'm not into Geno or Mallow :)

I think this will work well with checkpoints. But anyone can play ahead if they want to. Just don't post spoilers.

Sounds fun, instead of working on my backlog fulltime I'll join up with you guys.

if i can find a copy i'll be in, but i don't think i could bring myself to play the virtual console version :P

Actually, the Virtual Console version is almost flawless. It's also much cheaper, unless you own a Super Famicom/know how to get it to run on an NTSC console. ;)

i know but i'm one of those guys who just has to play old games on the original hardware where possible, it doesn't feel right to me otherwise. i only make exceptions when it's a game i've already beaten in it's original form and just want to play it again any way i can. for first experiences with games i much prefer going all original if possible.

What exactly do you guys mean by "checkpoints"? I think I have an idea but I don't want to assume.

Kind of like a book club or a class will only assign 'Chapters' to read and study for the week I'm guessing this is along the same lines. "Beat X boss and save ASAP" is the type of checkpoint I'm thinking of, and its about all that makes sense.

The Sir is right. When we start I'll establish "chapters" for us to play up to. Check out our Playthrough of Arkham Asylum here for an example http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=11639.msg169648#msg169648

These chapters will be useful for my streaming, I could just play through the one chapter and cut it off there after saving.

Add me!

This sounds like a lot of fun, I'm new around here but think this would be a fun way to join the community. 

Excellent. Welcome and please join us.

Welcome to RFGen 32excellent! Thanks for showing the interest to take part in the playthrough. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the game.

You're going to be a very popular guy around here with a name like that.

Ok I'm noob to this who thing. I actually have this game and never played through it. I watched a friend play a while ago but never popped it in again. I would love to finish it. So how does this work, We just start playing the game in July and kinda post up where we are at and if we did any of the achievements ???

if you check the thread fleach linked to the batman playthrough, we usually aimed to finish up to the assigned checkpoints by the end of the week. so one week it would be "get to the point where you first see this character", then the monday of the next week there would be a post saying "alright next checkpoint is play until you enter this building", etc. the discussion mainly revolved around what we liked/didn't like, how much we got stuck/breezed through certain parts, things like that.

it's essentially a book club, but for video games.

Ooo ok gotcha. Sounds like a good time. I shall give it a try.

How can you not be into Mallow?!?!?! Mallow is AMAZING!!!!!

Happy to have you on board for this one, Russ. Tech's explanation is pretty spot on. On Monday, July 1 I'll post the first checkpoint which we all try to reach by Sunday night. In the meantime we talk about the game thus far.

Anyone else gonna use a walk-through?

Gray, you shouldn't need a walkthrough for the game. It's not "uber-difficult", and to be honest is pretty much linear.

I have the next 7 days off, I might get in on this.  I could always get the 30 jumps for the attack scarf, but never the 100 jumps for the super suit.

Excellent info Shadow, and good to hear. I'll do without then!

I always thought there should be a website along the lines of howlongtobeat.com that would be called shouldiuseawalkthrough.com.

I guess I can always ask you or anyone else here!  :)

That's not to say that there aren't things that will be missed, or that it won't be harder without one. I had a difficult time with certain enemies in the game as a kid until I figured out certain tricks or unlocked new spells. Now I know how broken the game is, and won't even really need to power level except for one spell somewhat late in the game.

i feel the same way, and also that it removes one of the main point of games, which is overcoming challenges and puzzles. if you just follow a guide the whole way through then why bother playing at all?

I agree with Shadow. The game is easy and pretty straight forward. If you get stumped, just ask for help here. There are little things (which are unnecessary) you'll definitely miss without a guide, but I find pausing a game every 5 minutes to read a guide really zaps the life out of it. It becomes homework.

However, some people always use walkthroughs. Whichever helps you enjoy the game more  :)

Don't get me wrong, I only use walkthroughs when I think I'm going to need to. Sometimes I guess wrong.

Shadow, if you wouldn't mind at least pointing out these power-griding hotspots of which you speak when we get to them, I'd appreciate it, as I love them, and I play rpgs to win ;)

Just ask around here and someone will most likely PM you or post in this thread with tips and tricks.

As for playing to win, I'm the same. I like grinding my characters to the max when possible. I don't always do it, but it's fun when I do.

I'll just leave a hint - there's a location that you can get 2 stars, and using a certain method, you can infinitely grind for levels.

If anyone wants to Skype during the Playthrough you're more than welcome. If you want to chat about the game, your collection, or life, the universe and everything drop me a line at fleach.rfg

Sign me up for this one. I've been meaning to play this through.

Im sadly not a member of the "I found Super Mario RPG for under $5" club, but I have the Wii VC edition and will be starting up with you guys this Monday.  I never made it through this as a kid.  Time to fix that.

im in

Don't worry Wempster, I didn't find this game for $5 either. Happy to see you want to participate.

ixtaileddemonfox, welcome!

I may jump the gun and start playing today.

Any chance you would 'leak' the first checkpoint Fleach?

I was going to post the first checkpoint, but since you're such an eager beaver I'll do that now. Check the first post for the update.

Played this when it first came out. Just joined the site, this seems like a good way to jump in.

Awesome, welcome to the site. Enjoy your stay. :)

Welcome aboard good buddy!!!

Welcome to RFGen! Hope you enjoy your stay and have fun with the playthrough

How often will the checkpoints be updated?

From what I remember about the Arkham Asylum playthrough, the checkpoints were updated weekly. Not sure if this will follow that same format, the OP can verify.

Want any more achievements? I can make many early ones, as well as many of the puzzle ones and some "interesting" ones. Here are two I meant to post:

1) Max out the coin counter (999).*HINT: This can be done easily near the end of the game*
2) Complete all 6 puzzle doors in Bowser's Castle.

EDIT: More:
3) Complete all of the puzzles in the Sunken Ship.
4) Find the Three Musty Fears and complete their quest to earn the Ghost Medal.
5) Find the casino *HINT: If no one finds this after 3 weeks, I'll give a hint to the location for it*
6) Play Do-Re-Me.  ;D
7) Defeat one of each boss doppelganger.
8 ) One-hit Exor's eye.
9) Find the Masher in Booster's Tower.

Since this game is on the longer side (compared to what we've played so far) weekly checkpoints should work nicely. I've skimmed through some walkthroughs and have a rough outline on how to finish this game in exactly eight weeks.

But, of course, you can play ahead if you want to. Just don't spoil anything for those who haven't played as far.

Thanks for more achievements, Shadow! If you've got more please let me know. If there can be 20 all together that would be awesome.

Find the ultimate items:
Lazy Shell (Weapon)
Lazy Shell (Armor)
Sonic Cymbol
Star Gun
Drill Claw
Frying Pan

Find the Chomp in Booster's Tower.

Earn the Amulet accessory by avoiding being caught by the Sniffits.
Earn the Feather accessory by avoiding being pecked by a very angry bird.
Obtain the Jinx Belt.

ok just popped this in and have been playing for about a hour. I would have to say the art is very different from what I remember. Its not as Crisp as Super Mario World was. It almost has like a weird hand drawnish art I guess you could say. I don't know some of the characters look a little weird.

Ok not sure when to stop playing because it says to go on mushroom way than stop? Maybe I'll grind some more to get some level ups. Haven't done that in a while

I remember spending waaaaay too much time in the Casino considering there isn't really that much to do once you get there. I think it was just me trying to justify how much time I spent finding it.

Russ, don't be surprised if you get ahead very quickly. The game itself is very short if you make it short - a speedrun can complete the game in under 3 hours, and a typical playthrough takes 10-15. If you want to continue on, I would say feel free, as part of the game's enjoyment is finding the random sidequests and completing some of the metagame items that I've tried to list in the achievements.

I've tried to leave some of the fun items out of the achievement list so that people are surprised when they see them (like using Mallow's lightning on a particular boss), so feel free to come up with your own achievements as well.

I guess that first checkpoint was kind of vague. Getting up to and grinding in the Mushroom Way for Week 1 should be enough. Tackle some achievements if you want.

I didn't really know how much free time people would have this week since it's Canada Day here and in a few days I'm sure many will be away from their SNES's during the 4th of July. The next checkpoint is longer/more involved though.

Didn't know this was only a 10-15 hour game. I had the impression it'd be 15-20.

In all honesty, it depends on how thorough with the game you want to be. As a kid, I was able to complete it 100% with all items in 25 hours including 100 Super Jumps and defeating the cameo boss.

Also, feeling the pain of Canada Day here at work - our tech team is based in Canada, and I need help from them.  :-\

I'm sure they'll feel the same when you're off work on Thursday.

Well got my first Star so that's prob far enough ha. Don't want to get too far ahead.
So far enjoying the game

I like the timed hit concept. It's a nice reward system. The dialogue is pretty comical too.

Russ, stop being so awesome at this game! Now have to rework all the checkpoints I cam up with.

Yeah, I'm kind of already past that too. Started playing yesterday....ooops

About to sit down to chip away at the first checkpoint. If anyone wants to Skype drop me a line at fleach.rfg

I would, but wife's not feeling well. Maybe some other time. I can likely setup a Twitch.TV stream as well when I find time.

Nice to know I'm not that only one that went past the checkpoint.

awwww shucks. Ha I just had a lot of free time today. Popped the game in real quick again to show my friend what it was all about. Were going to play some other games though tonight.

It's ok Russ. I'm just happy that you're participating.

So what does everyone think of the game so far? Any thoughts on the art style? Surprised to play a Mario game with RPG elements?

I really like the bright and colourful environments and even the characters look nice in that pseudo-3D style. The timed hit concept is a really nice addition as I'm sure many people will just go through battles in an auto-pilot mode just waiting for your turn to attack. This makes me pay more attention to the battles and I'm enjoying learning to trigger those timed attacks.

The game is okay so far. I'm really not overly excited about the storyline at this point and still think it's quite vague. Don't get me wrong, I like storylines that develop as you move through the game (i.e. Crono Trigger), but Princess captured/Mario save her is a bit cliche and old. Hurry and save her, yet go on this side excursion to help someone else out before doing so. Sometimes I feel like I'm watching the Wonder Pets continue to babble as a puppy drowns (those with kids know what the hell I'm talking about). 

Anyway, as much as I'm disappointed with the storyline so far, I'm still into playing the game. I find myself not wanting to skip enemies on each screen and instead, defeat them in hopes of grinding out some levels.

One thing I didn't pay attention to was the item purchasing screen. It seems that you can buy various items, but is there a way to know if your current character(s) can actually equip them before buying? I know many RPGs have this feature, but don't recall it on this one. 

I was in the shop a s picked up what they had. A shirt and pants. I guess that's "armor" also the 2 rings they had jump ring and some other one. I guess Mario can only wear the jump ring.
Yeah I don't think it tells you what characters can use it till after you buy it.
I guess while your grinding for level ups you can grind for extra coins to spend ha.

Yeah, pick up a new weapon for Mario at one point and didn't even realize that a turtle shell was a possible weapon. Went through several battles before I realized that I could equip it.

You need to get further for the storyline to blossom. It's worth it. Booster's Tower is where the story really takes off.

I second that. The story will move well beyond your typical Mario plot if you stick with it.

Yeah, I thought that would probably be the case. There is enough of a plot and the gameplay is pretty good so it's keeping me interested, just slow.

RPGs and slow starts go hand-in-hand. From what I've played so far there's potential for the game to become really good.

Just started I made it to the mushroom kingdom so far.

Ok, played through to the first checkpoint.

I like the game so far. I've never played any of the Paper Marios but I have played Mario & Luigi on GBA so I have a little bit of experience with the button timing battle system, and it is really cool to see where it originated.

I think the pacing is actually ok. Even though you're not buzzing through the main story from the get-go, there are always little things happening.

One thing I love is the random power-ups you get during battle, like oh snap, FULL HP out of nowhere. That sure can come in handy at the right time.

I'm going to do a short test stream tonight, if it works I'll play through the first checkpoint tomorrow evening.

I got fireworks tomorrow so won't be able to watch blast. Ha. I'll be bring my 3Ds with me to the BBQ and fireworks. Fiancé won't be happy but that's ok.
Going to grind some more tonight on Mario RPG. Can't wait for it to really take off.

I will also join the play-through :) never finished it before

Alright douglie! Nice to have you join.

I was considering posting the second checkpoint since the first one was kind of short, but since new people are joining everyday I'll wait until Sunday to post the update.

If anyone here has twitter and wants to share thoughts there feel free to and use the #CommunityPlaythrough so we can find each others tweets. Those who have Skype, if you'd like PM me your Skype handles and I'll add those to the Player List. It'd be great to chat to some people while playing the game.

I really wish I could join you guys, but it'd only be on the weekends and I'm trying to fill that time with work to get caught up on bills. I'd be more than happy to discuss the history behind the game, a lot of interesting gameplay tidbits and the decisions behind them, some of the programming quirks with the game... sucks when you know something inside and out, but have no channel to convey it.

Don't you have access to the spoiler tags?  You could use those or PM people who want to know more about the game.

Also, did anyone else get the Cricket Pie? Getting this item caught me by surprise... must be a side quest thing.

I picked up the cricket pie. I don't know what it does. Haven't found the shell for a weapon yet. I don't really use twitter too much but ill tweet some stuff.

Sorry guys, but I'm blowing past the checkpoints. I'm doing this because I've gotten bored with this game in the past and right now I'm really into it so I wanna keep the momentum.

I've gotten the Cricket Pie. I've also completed achievements 2, 3, 14.

That's fine Dezorian, I understand about maintaining the momentun. Just try not to spoil anything for those who may have fallen behind, or are sticking to the checkpoints.

I should probably get some more early achievements tossed in. Also, it looks like members by default don't have access to the spoiler tag, which seems silly (I don't have access as an RFG Friend). I'll ask if Izret can fix that.

Not to go into heavy details about it, but the Cricket Pie is a story item.

Spoiler (hover to show)

 Spoilers work now.

UPDATE: Shadow, you were correct about Booster's Tower, the game is really beginning to get more interesting now. That's all I'll say of course, as I don't want to spoil anything for anyone else.

The item shops do have a menu on the bottom left that lets you know who can use each item when your cursor is over a specific shop item. However, it does let you know whether or not this item is an upgrade/downgrade for each party member. That's a little annoying and has already caused me to have to sell back a few items. However, seeing that coins aren't hard to come by in this game, it's not really that big of a deal I guess.

Good to know. If you want to discuss events further in the game, feel free to use the spoiler tag.

I also completed achievements 2, 3, & 14 (maybe) last night. With #14, I think you have to keep coming back to finish off more of it, so I might not be done. I did 2 sequences though and updated my

Spoiler (hover to show)

juice bar card, by also playing the tadpole's tune

. Some clarification for this goal would be great. Thanks!

Right - forgot that actually had an impact on something! I just remembered that off the top of my head.

Spoiler (hover to show)

The song requested for #14 isn't part of the Juice Bar membership. 
However, we can change it to be performing the 3 songs that are:

FROGFUCIUS' SUITE #18
MOLEVILE BLUES
STAR LULLABY

Okay, sounds good. I guess playing ahead has it's benefits sometimes. :)  With two young kids, I have to pick up the sticks when I can.

Nice to see that the spoiler tags are working.

What's the general consensus on people's progress in the game? Have most of you navigated Kero Sewers and earned your second Star Piece?

I was actually holding back. I'm playing this game as a supplement to all the other things I'm playing so I don't mind staying in compliance with your checkpoints.

I'm turning the game on here and there just to grind, but that is slow going.

On a totally unrelated note this playthrough is cool for me on a personal level as I haven't played a game through on a retro console in a really long time.

On another unrelated note I don't know if it was mentioned and it's a really simple thing but I didn't realize it at first, the Y button make Mario run. Very useful :)

Earned my 3rd star last night. The game moves along rather quickly, so I don't think that the second star is undoable in the first week. It's hard to slow down with an RPG because, if you're like me, you feel as though you might forget about an area you need to return to or risk keeping the storyline fresh. Maybe it's just me though.....I'm old.

I'm up to the Kero Sewers now.

What do you guys think about breaking this game up to one (maybe two) star piece a week?

Based only on how long it took me to get the first one (about an hour and a half), I'd say that is beyond reasonable.

I haven't even had a chance to get the game started yet :/ I've been working 14 hour days all week.

That's tough. Hopefully some time will free up for you to do something other than slave away.

Grabbed the second star last night.

Achievement 11 complete

Congratulations!  You're leading the pack in achievements.

I have a question that I've been wondering since this game came out...

Can you block magic attacks? I've been pressing A, but nothing has worked. I'm guessing for magic you'd have to press Y, if it works at all.

Just got the first star tonight.  Can't tell how I feel about the graphics. The bright colors are great but that Donkey Kong Country per rendered 3d shiny textures bother me a little.

I like the strategic element that you have to share the flower points. It's an interesting dynamic to decide to use attack magic or save it for healing rain.

No, you can only block physical attacks in any case anyone else was wondering.

I just finished my first stream session. This first one is about 35 minutes and just serves as the beginning and intro to the game and what I have planned and can execute. The next one will be tomorrow evening at roughly the same time.

Technical issues lead to me emulating for the stream, and as such problems that always happen because of emulation are present. But no laws have been broken.

http://www.twitch.tv/whydidiplaythis/b/426849208

I think that 2 stars a week is fair, but from what I gather, getting the 6th and 7th may take a little longer.


Interesting, yes, but most of the time I feel like all I am doing is healing in terms of magic use.

I don't know if you can block magic attacks. I'd assume Y would perform the block, but Shadow might actually know.


I like the graphics, but that's just me. The trees look like cellophane (Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds ;)).

Sharing Flower Points got me by surprise. It definitely adds a strategic twist to boss battles.

Second Checkpoint is up! Have fun guys.

Achievements #9 & #12 completed

Ah, falling behind here. I think I left off just getting to the mushroom kingdom. Gonna spend some quality time with it tonight to try and catch up a bit and maybe start working on the second checkpoint then.

If you just got to the Mushroom Kingdom you're not too far from finishing the first checkpoint. Seems like most people did it in one to two hours. Don't get discouraged.

I'm the opposite. I use Mario's magic a lot, Mallow's attack magic almost all the time (although I don't plan on using him much),

Spoiler (hover to show)

Geno I'm half and half, Bowser all attack, and Peach I'm not sure yet.

For clarification, you can used timed buttons for offensive attacks (physical and magical) and defensive physical attacks. For defense, the damage you take depends on how well you timed it as well.

Spoiler (hover to show)

 This becomes a big deal for a certain fight for the 3rd star, since certain attacks can almost kill you outright if you don't time them properly and you've not leveled your HP.

Since banana brought it up, I had another list of achievements to add that were more late-game.
http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=12139.msg178086#msg178086

Yeah, with a 2 month schedule, the more achievements, the better. :)

ah! just caught up to the week 1 check point. Just got the first star piece! :)

I am going live and going for the first checkpoint tonight. I should have some time on Wednesday to try and get more caught up. I am also looking for some on-site guests to come Skype during future shows, send me a PM if you're interested.

http://www.twitch.tv/whydidiplaythis

started playing again tonight. Got past the sewer and into Rose Town. Still no star peice yet, so headed to Forest Maze. Got killed twice so far going in there. Blast bees and mushrooms. Went back to the town to get more mushrooms and a thick shirt and pants for protection. Onward!

How is everyone else doing??

My city was hit by a massive storm and power outage (over 20 centimeters/8 inches of rain). I would have been playing but well, Mother Nature had other plans.

Watched Psycho nab his first star piece. Kept wanting to yell tips at him.
Psycho - you can timed hit Mallow's lightning man!

Haha. Hit that Y button!

Also, another "pro" tip...
There's no point to using a Turbo controller for the spam button commands. There's a buffer for the commands, as well as a max limit to the number.

Good to know. I never had an SNES turbo controller until I picked up the Pro Player.

i never know when to hit the button for the lighting timed attack. Just found Link in the game, and got my second star piece, just doing some grinding now and leveling up some and getting coins.

Timing's different for every attack. For Mallow's Lightning, hit it at the end of the attack (I believe? It's been a while).

I got my first star, now I'm traipsing around in the sewers

Same here as of last night. The game froze once and then I was too tired to continue so I probably only logged about fifteen actual gameplay minutes.

Looking forward to a more productive and longer sit-down with the game tonight.

This Just In: Super Jumps SUCK!

Welcome to the hell that is the Attack Scarf.

Spoiler (hover to show)

 For quick practice, try using Super Jump on a Spiny without the Jump Shoes. You can't damage them by jumping on them.

Many apologies, been so backed up lately and haven't got around to playing this yet. I'll have a good run on this game come Friday. Can't wait :)

Don't worry. You're not too far behind. You can earn your first star in about an hour and half. If you need any advice shoot me a PM or ask here... Shadow seems to know a fair bit about the game.

The cameos are not that easy to find in the game and actually can only be seen at a certain time. As a result, I will have to start over to fulfill this achievement.....sucks :P .  However, since I am almost done with the game, I think I might start over and adhere to the weekly schedule for purposes of discussion.  (might not be bad to list them for purposes of the achievement. I know there is

Spoiler (hover to show)

 Samus, Link, and I've also come across a collection of F-Zero vehicles in the game)

.

Sorry to get so far ahead, I'm really surprised about the time I've had lately with my two young kids and side business. Picking up another pinball machine for a client this weekend, so I'll have tuning that machine up to keep me busy for a few weeks at least.

Completed achievements 13 & 16.....

Also, achievement #6 - Earn 10+ flowers on Booster Hill is pretty much a one time deal from what I have seen and pretty difficult. I know that you can come back to Booster Hill to collect

Spoiler (hover to show)

beetles

later. Should this achievement be modified to include both options?

The flowers was mainly motivation for people to try harder at that particular mini-game, and it's free FP! I admit that 10 is a bit high - should we modify that to 8? I wouldn't mind changing it to include both mini-games though.

I think I got like 4 or so when I did it. You can keep it at 10 if you want to say flowers or beetles, since you get multiple tries for the latter later in the game.

We need more early game achievements. Maybe earning the Trueform Pin in the Kero Sewers for one?

Achievement Unlocked, also completed #14

Just beat Sunken Ship. It's the furthest I've ever gotten in this game.

I have a question about - 11. Complete all puzzles in Sunken Ship.

Would it be a spoiler to tell how many puzzles are in the Sunken Ship? I feel like I cleared it out pretty well, but since I don't know how many puzzles there are, I'm not sure if I missed anything.

I believe there are 6 puzzles (3 doors on the top level, 3 on the lower level). Completing these rooms helps you figure out the password.

Exactly what banana said. You can figure out the password without doing all 6, so I figured I'd give an award for completing them all since a couple of them are interesting. :)

Well then check me off for achievement 11 :)

Looks like people are tackling those achievements with a vengeance. Great stuff!

Finding the Trueform Pin in Kero Sewers is now an Achievement!

I can't remember if I found that. I know I have a Trueform Pin but I don't remember if I bought it or found it.

Spoiler (hover to show)

Did I get it from beating the monster in a box?

I'm not too confident about the other achievements. I haven't seen a cameo yet, I can only land about 10-12 super jumps on a normal enemy....maybe I'll find the Casino.

What about beating Boshi?

Yes, you are correct re: obtaining the Trueform Pin.

The Trueform Pin isn't hard to get, but I found the battle tedious.

Spoiler (hover to show)

It's in the decoy treasure chest in the Sewers.

Yeah I got the pin as well. I honestly can't get more than 2 jumps. Do you have to use the super jump over the regular. And do I need the jump ring on?

Yes, you will need the Super Jump ability.

The Jump Shoes accessory is only for jumping on spiky enemies - you need to protect your feet from the spikes. :)

Achievements 9, 10, 12 & 17 complete.

Three Musty Fears was an interesting sidequest, eh?

Yes, it was.....lots of thinking and lots of running around.

Started playing this game last night and have been playing it almost the entire day. Been playing the Wii Virtual Console version,,, even though I picked up the SNES cart today. I'll stick to the WVC version cause I already dove too deep into it.

Anyways my thoughts on the game are I LOVE IT! As a guy that rarely plays RPG's so far I've found this to be well balanced for my taste. At first I was kinda shook cause it just threw me into the game without any instructions. But it was just an intro scene pretty much.

I've really enjoyed the adventure thus far, it's sucking me in. I've went quite past our given checkpoint because I wanted to get in as much play as I could since I rarely get enough time for a good run at games.

Also while playing this game I can't help but feel that Zagnorch wrote the dialogue, if ya know what I'm talkin' 'bout.  

Anyways like I said I skipped ahead a fair bit so here are my achievements thus far.

2. Turn into 8-bit Mario in the Booster Tower.
3. Find the Masher in Booster's Tower.
9. Max out the coin counter (999).
17. Find the Trueform Pin in Kero Sewers

I also completed

9. Max out the coin counter (999)

Man every is making bank. I can't wait to play when I get home.

So here we go with the next step of Fartio's adventure, this time with a special guest star, Fleach!

http://www.twitch.tv/whydidiplaythis

Edit: The show is now over but here is the vlog of the broadcast: http://www.twitch.tv/whydidiplaythis/b/429697434

Nope, I was mistaken. I'm in Monstro and I've been here before, but I know I haven't made it much further than this.

Check out the bubbles coming from his nose!

I heard a rumor that fans have been asking and wanting Geno to appear in smash bros. that would have been sweet.

I actually found this hard to master but very useful once I got it down. Now it's second nature just like all the other timed presses.

_____________________


So I just got the second star.

I tend to hate parts of games called such-and-such maze, and the forest maze was no exception. At least I got to level up unintentionally running into all those enemies.

Also, pro-tip: there are mushrooms all over the floor in the forest maze in the corners, so take advantage and stock up for free. Just be careful, some of them become enemy mushrooms.

Also, this was the funniest line in the game so far for me. The reference just seems so awesomely out of place for a Mario game:

[img width=700 height=393]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/grayghost81/IMG_20130713_190701_163_zps28c86408.jpg[/img] (http://s60.photobucket.com/user/grayghost81/media/IMG_20130713_190701_163_zps28c86408.jpg.html)

Well, I'm going to continue to adhere to Fleach's checkpoints and not go forward in the game until Monday. If I'm dying to play I'll just go in and grind like I have been doing.

I think Square Enix owns the rights to him, so its highly unlikely.

It was really fun to be a guest on Psycho's live stream. There was a bit of a delay with the game footage reaching the stream on my end, but all in all I had a great time. If anyone wants to guest star on the show shoot Psycho a PM, you'll have a blast.

I'm in Rose Town right now. Got a bit busy with work and errands, but I've got plenty of time to catch up and grind a bit today. Thanks for the Forest Maze tip, GrayGhost.

That would be sweet. Ill have to try and get in on that.

Now that I understand the purpose of the Star Pieces the story has gotten a lot more interesting.

Spoiler (hover to show)

It's a little sappy, but having the Star Pieces play a role in making wishes come true kind of bring this Mario game into a fairy tale realm.

Is everyone more or less caught up to this week's Checkpoint?

As for guests on the live stream, it's loads of fun. I'd do it again. If you want to chat about games and collecting with a very cool, knowledgeable guy get in touch with Psycho.

Grabbed the third star piece. Achievements 14 and 17 done.

Ready to rock on the next one. Third star by Monday is it?

Yep. Third Star today until next Sunday at midnight.

Ok got my 3rd star tonight. Spent a good time grinding for about a hour and half. On level 13. I went ahead a bit and

Spoiler (hover to show)

I love that when you get a new party member they level up even if they are not in your fighting group. Saves time from having to grind with other members.

Spoiler alert? Use spoiler tags.

I see if comes up different when I'm on Tapa Talk, now I'm on the computer and I see a giant grey bar. Makes more sense.

Might play a little more today just cause I was having fun grinding it out. Trying to get everyones magic levels up

Bah, can't moderate. Get rid of the code tags, which were used to escape the spoiler tag for display, and get rid of the hanging end tag for quote. ;)
Put the text you want to hide behind the spoiler within the spoiler tags. That way, you won't spoil it for someone unless they hover over the spoiler text box.

ok all fixed. Now I see how it works. Blast.

Well, I've got play catch-up now that the battery in my cart died. Lost all the saved data. Is it ok to leave an SNES running 24/7? Worst case scenario I'll have to use an... emulator :embarrassed:

Sorry to hear that.  :(  I've left my SNES on for a couple days and haven't had any issues. How about the Virtual Console release instead?

Is it on Wii U? If so, then that's a good alternative.

Sorry to hear that Fleach. I've been kind of worried about this myself as I am also playing off the cart, with my fingers crossed.

@Fleach: According to the Wiki it's on the WII VC only.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Virtual_Console_games

It's fine to leave an SNES running for days - just hope you don't kick it or something else silly like that if your cart doesn't lock in.
Also, Wii VC works on WiiU VC.

@Shadow: Thanks for the clarification. I don't own a WiiU yet.

It was a real bummer when it happened to me. First the game froze, then, upon restarting two of the four saves were gone (mine and another from the previous owner). Turned off the console, turned it back on to find all saves were lost. Tragic.


I guess that's what I'll do. Gonna have to tip-toe through the game room for now.

I'm just curious on a related note, how many people are playing on SNES and how many on VC or emulation?

I'm also curious: if you're using VC or an emulator are you saving only at the game's save points or utilizing save states?

I'm playing on the VC, I picked up the SNES version less than a week ago at the thrifts. So even though I got the SNES cart I'm sticking to the VC version since I already started getting into it.

Can you even use save states on the VC version?

If that's the case, be VERY careful not to pull the controller cord too far - it'll have the same effect. My SNES as a kid had trouble with the scoop-style carts not locking, and my cat would find it hilarious to rub up against it and crash the game to get my attention.

I haven't played one in a while, but doesn't it just freeze the game when you quit and is right in the same exact spot when you come back to it?

I'm not sure how it acts on the Wii as I transfered everything to my Wii U but when playing it on the Wii U it will randomly save at any given point until you revert back to the Wii U menu or power the system down. Then you have to start at your last in game save point.

Oh ok, if that were me I'd just play with the in-game save points.

that really sucks fleach :( you should invest in some bulk replacement save batteries. i picked up a bunch before starting link's awakening and replaced the battery in that before even starting my file, just to be safe. it's not too difficult to do, you just need a soldiering iron

I haven't soldered since high school so I'd likely very rusty and do a sloppy job. Rather have an experienced person do it while I practice on cheap games.

This guy on Nintendo Age has a good reputation and offers an excellent battery holder conversion.
http://www.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?StartRow=1&catid=6&threadid=31878

I'm playing on my cart for snes. So far all the saves are there. I realized I borrowed this from a friend and he got it when it first came out. I remember watching him play it. His save files are still on there. I hope mine doesn't die.
One of my friends wants me to change a battery in a chrono trigger. I can solder so shouldn't be too bad.  I'm sure there is a write up on how to do it somewhere.

Gotta say that I've been on a losing streak with these Playthroughs lately. First my Model 1 Genesis has no power adapter, and my Model 2 has no RF or video adapter. Now this.

I hear ReddMcKnight does batteries as well...

I didn't know that. Thanks Shadow.

The weirdest thing just happened. I'm playing the game to catch up and it's saving and holding my saves. Granted I'm only in Mario's Pad so I could run into trouble again. But is this not unusual for SNES carts to freeze and suddenly lose all save data but make and retain new saves? I still feel safer just not turning off the console even if everything seems to be OK right now.

It likely means your battery is either A) loose or B) having trouble holding a charge. However, as a kid, I had my saves get wiped before due to pulling the cart out while it was still running or various other negative things they tell you not to do, like shutting off the console while saving or it crashing while saving. :P

...I never had high hope for saves on SNES carts.

My game froze while I was equipping an item so I'm going to assume it's the battery. Like you said, it could be loose or having trouble holding its charge.

I've got my fingers crossed. Hopefully it was just a random hiccup and I'll get through the rest of the playthrough without trouble.

Just got the third star. That was the shortest one so far. Just buzzed through the mines and didn't really do anything in the pipe vault. See you next week! :)

Def was a good quick one. I enjoyed it. I def did some grinding for a while. Going to prob level up more before I head for the next star. Can never be too powerful in these early Rpg games. If you have the time why not.

The Pipe Vault takes you to an island full of Yoshis. You can play a minigame there.

I'm happy to say that I've caught up to where I was before my game froze and erased my save. My plan is it grind a level or two for each character and make sure I have enough Honey/Maple Syrups when tackling the third star.

OK I'm intrigued by the pipe vault. I'll probably check it out over the weekend.

I am playing on the Wii VC.  I don't have the cart and since I'm keeping my Wii I didn't feel the need to transfer everything over to my Wii U. 

Woah, I had no idea that was even possible! I have a Yoshi's Island that doesn't save anything. Unfortunately, I don't even know what a soldiering gun looks like, but I'll google it.

you can buy some cheap ones at radio shack for $15, and a few dollars for the solder. just look up videos on how to replace save batteries in games on youtube, there are lots of tutorials.

Ok bounced around the pipe vault and beat Boshi in the race. Nice.

This week's Checkpoint is up. For those who are following them have fun! Those are blazing their own trails, enjoy what we have yet to discover.

Did anyone else find something they were not supposed to? (In the US version it is ???)

Spoiler (hover to show)

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851788_zps04b54e09.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851788_zps04b54e09.jpg.html)

Also add me in for Achievement 2:

Spoiler (hover to show)

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/SN851777_zpsf576ec9d.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/SN851777_zpsf576ec9d.jpg.html)

I am going to be streaming tonight, I'll post a link in a new reply when I start. I've been insanely busy and haven't had much time for more than a small bit of lurking.

I have been stinking at getting the achievements but ill try some more this week. I have tomorrow night and Monday night off. I need more frog coins to buy some cool stuff.

Played for about two hours this morning, got all the way through Booster Tower, got

2. Turn into 8-bit Mario in the Booster Tower.

and went through the other thing and back to the Mushroom Kingdom, and still no Star. Wow.

I'll have to get back to it later to make the deadline!

....aaaaannd all caught up.

Nice! I've got to sit down and play some more. I'm at the entrance of the tower and my guys are levels 9 to 10.

Fleach, explore the tower thoroughly, there are some decent weapons in there.

i turned into 8 Bit mario too. That was pretty fun

I tried to do the seesaw with the bob-omb but gave up on that after a little while so I just went straight to the boss fight. I guess I can go back to the tower at another time.

The latest checkpoint will be up by midnight. Get the fifth Star Piece.

Finished this weeks checkpoint. Also unlocked achievements 3 9 & 11.  I'll post pictures later.

Also

UPDATE
Luigi lives in his brother's shadow.

References:

Spoiler (hover to show)

The star you find on star hill that states I wish I was a good a plumber as my brother

Nice one, Addicted! I wanted to see if anyone was checking out the wish stars on the Star Hill and paying attention to the first post.

Thanks! There's more to this game than I originally thought. I can see why Shadow has spent hours, and hours playing it.

If you're not getting enough height, perhaps you need to jump from higher up?

@Shadow:

Spoiler (hover to show)

I tried jumping and it didn't work. I ended up walking off the platform and then it worked... 

That's the idea. I just meant it as a hint.

You're talking about the seesaw that's in one of the first rooms of the tower? I'll try again tonight and see if I can figure it out.

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851795_zpsd5adc420.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851795_zpsd5adc420.jpg.html)

Here's how to get to 999 coins:

Spoiler (hover to show)

 Defeat ghosts in the sunken ship and then sell the pure water for 75 each. [img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851796_zpscfb686df.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851796_zpscfb686df.jpg.html)

Here is where the masher is:

Spoiler (hover to show)

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851792_zps8e8dcb5b.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851792_zps8e8dcb5b.jpg.html)

Ahh... No wonder that seesaw is so tricky.

Oh yeah, welcome to the second half of the Community Playthrough.

There's a way to get 999 coins later in the game that doesn't require any fighting. ;)

How the hell did I manage to hit 999 coins so early in the game without even trying?

I did this as well. I found that I really never had to buy items other than weapons, so the coins just accumulated naturally.

Does this qualify as the find all cameos achievement or are there more?

Spoiler (hover to show)

Samus:
[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851798_zps3fefaab5.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851798_zps3fefaab5.jpg.html)


Link:
[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851799_zps208abb12.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851799_zps208abb12.jpg.html)

I think you got them. There may be one or two more, but I'll put you down for the achievement.

Somebody please put the pirate ship password in a spoiler tag for me. I don't have time to figure it out and it'll be more fun than just googling it.

Password is:

Spoiler (hover to show)

PEARLS

Thanks. Part of me is pissed because I should have figured that out, even without the clues. I'm usually pretty good with word jumbles.

Oh cool I got the fifth star, now I can take a break until tomorr - ...oh...

Well I guess I'll keep going.

Tomorrow is a civic holiday (gotta love Civic... He was a great leader ;)) so I'm going to tackle the sixth star.

The battles in the sunken Ship and against Yarimovich were pretty fun actually.

I grabbed the sixth star piece yesterday.

Here are the other Nintendo Character Cameos I found:

Spoiler (hover to show)

Birdo:

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851801_zps0f5e470f.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851801_zps0f5e470f.jpg.html)

F-Zero Ships:

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851802_zps5b1226b9.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851802_zps5b1226b9.jpg.html)

Also found the 3 Musty Fears Medal:

Spoiler (hover to show)

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851803_zpse0469a07.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851803_zpse0469a07.jpg.html)

The optional boss in Monstro town is hard!  :evilsad:

I thought Yarimovich was a real pain in the ass. I wonder if I'm a little under-leveled.

I think I was level 14 at the time of that battle. Kept Mallow on the team as a healer and didn't have too much trouble. Was it when Yarimovich copied himself that you threw you off?

Johnny gave me a bit of a rough time, especially during the one-on-one portion of the fight.

I think I'm about level 12. I may need to grind a little before I move on. I just kept dying so I had to run back to Moletown and load up on pick me ups and mid-mushrooms and I was able to squeak by that battle.

What's kind of starting to bother me is the uselessness of the special attacks a lot of the time. On Yarimovich for example I could do the super jump perfectly, jump on his head like six times or whatever and do about 64 damage. Go and whack him my mallet and do about 112. I know different enemies have different weaknesses and all that, I just feel like I'm striking out with all my special attacks.

Does Mario have Ultra Jump yet? That move did around 210 damage on Yarimovich for me.

Just load up on Honey and Maple Syrups and pummel away with Ultra Jump.

Is ultra jump the third tier jump attack? If so, I don't have it yet. I only have the second one but I thought it was called super-jump. Again, looks like I might be under-leveled.

After some power leveling in the Sunken Ship or Sea you'll be good to go.

I've fallen a bit behind, but I did manage to turn Mario 8-bit in Boosters Tower and maxed my coin counter at 999. Yay more aachievements!

ok so I played for about 5 hours last night to catch up. Ha was up till 3am! I maxed the counter out at 999 and I was trying to get a ton of frog coins on the river course thing. Ended up going to buy the experience ring item that gives you double experience. Than I went grinding in the pirate ship. Got everyone up to at least level 20. Should have some more time to play today as well.

Were almost there!!!

I plan to do exactly this. I want that double exp baby! I think I'm at least three frog coins short so that's going to take like eight trips down the river. Fun!

I likely should've made this an achievement, but completely forgot about the mechanic.
If you jump on a Wiggler enough times in a row in the Forest Maze, it'll drop a Frog Coin.

Cool thanks Shadow. That might be easier than doing the river ride multiple times.

Jump on the moving ones, not the sleepy ones. ;)

Got enough frog coins last night to get the exp doubler. Shadow, I used your method, although a little tedious, I got the hang of it pretty quick and I'm convinced it was quicker than if I had done the river mini-games.

So right now I'm in the World's End area at about level 15. I'm going to grind a little in this area before proceeding.

Has anyone tried this trick (from gamefaqs)? Seems like it could really come in handy:

That quote is an over generalization. Some enemies are immune to instant death, though you'd be surprised to know that it works on at least certain bosses...
*HINT HINT*

I found a fast way to farm Frog Coins by

Spoiler (hover to show)

 continuously climbing the wall at lands end. The turtle keeps on giving me 1-5 frog coins per run.

7. Earn a Frog Coin by scaling the cliff in less than 10 seconds.

True but Frog coins can still be earned for times above 10 seconds.

What was your fastest time Shadow?

Think somewhere in the high 8s? I know I broke 8.96. I thought the Frog Coins were for below 10s, but I guess that's just the Troopa Pin?

I think I might pop this in on my phone this week and play between my work tasks, since most of my tasks this week are very time-consuming and running additional tasks on my PC will just slow them up.

That's better than what I've managed. I hit a wall at 10.23. I'll try again tonight.

Hmm...looks like I missed the optimized route on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-dW7gQqeBY

Is anyone going to max out their levels to 99. I was debating it I'm on 22 not sure how long I want to farm for though. I need to head to the next area soon.

So I spent the last hour doing this (again, courtesy of gamefaqs):


and went from level 16 to level 25. The hardest part about this trick is getting yourself killed. Be sure to unequip all armor and put your weakest members in the party.

Also, Russ I think the level cap is 30. I'm gonna go for it before I proceed.

Also, the Geno Whirl trick I mentioned above is pretty easy to pull off, give it a try!

Sounds like you got half the trick. ;)

The level cap is 30. I hit it for all characters last night. Now to fight the optional boss again.

Nice ill have to try this tricks. Going to order some Chinese food and do a quick Goodwill run and level up some more.

Ok got Mario to level 30. Not sure if I want to grind it out for everyone else though. This is getting a little tedious.

It's amazing to me how much effort you guys are putting into the leveling. Almost everything can be worked around w/ item management. ;)

"I don't normally play RPGs, but when I do.I put the balls to the wall with leveling up. "

I just like to. It's OCD for gaming ha

Ha, I'm not that smart. I only know how to HULK SMASH! my way through games.

ughhh I have been roaming around for two days now and can't find where to go next. I'm doing some random side quest here and there but no luck yet. Going to play more when I get out of work at 8 and see if I can make any progress.

Where are you and what was the last thing you did?

I was in one of the towns and one of Smithys gang stole a star and went to run and the fish pirate guy stopped him and we battled.

I got lost there too. When you beat Yarmovitch you should find the "shed key." Use it to free the real inhabitants of Sea Town. They are in the building that you previously could not get into (front left area of Sea Town). Hope this helps.

It looks like most of us have at least 5 stars, or are right around the corner from the fifth one.

The next checkpoint is to grind/catch up/do side quests. We should be finishing up close to the end of the month.

Just got the sixth star after getting every party member to level 30. I plan to stick with Mario/Geno/Peach for the duration.

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in thinking I'm just going to finish the game this week. Fleach, you've done a great job with this and I've stuck strictly to your checkpoints so far, but I can see the finish line and there's no more grinding to be done for me.

See ya'll after the end credits!

Thanks, man! Glad you had fun.

I had some spare time this weekend and accomplished the following:

8. Defeat the 'Secret Boss' in Monstro Town.

Spoiler (hover to show)

 [img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851807_zpsbddc6d5a.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851807_zpsbddc6d5a.jpg.html)

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851809_zps8a5b40dd.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851809_zps8a5b40dd.jpg.html)


Used a lot of Rock Candy to win this fight.

10. Complete all 6 puzzle doors in Bowser's Castle.

Spoiler (hover to show)

 [img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851812_zps48199856.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851812_zps48199856.jpg.html)

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851813_zpsb539845f.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851813_zpsb539845f.jpg.html)

15. Defeat one of each boss doppelganger.

This was a lot of fun. I made it to Smithy and stopped.

16. One-hit Exor's eye.

@Fleach: As GrayGhost81 stated thanks for hosting this and giving me a push to play through/finish this game.

...And Addicted takes the lead with the most achievements so far! Nice work, man!

But there's still time left, Banana (who's just one behind) can still regain the lead. Or someone else can surprise us all. Keep at it guys.

I'm really happy that everyone's having a great time with the game, and thank you for all the kind words. :D

Finished the game last night. Once again, I had a great time with the game and discussing it here while playing it really added to the experience. Also I'm pretty sure I haven't completed a SNES game on the SNES since I was a youngster so that's pretty cool too.

Enjoy the rest of the game folks!

Found the casino:

Spoiler (hover to show)

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/SN851814_zpsc195450c.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/SN851814_zpsc195450c.jpg.html)

and game over

Spoiler (hover to show)

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/RF/SN851828_zps90508c99.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/RF/SN851828_zps90508c99.jpg.html)

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/cisco678/SN851832_zps310b1215.jpg[/img] (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cisco678/media/SN851832_zps310b1215.jpg.html)

@GrayGhost81: Congrats on finishing the game!

You too man!  :drunk: We did it. Thanks for your help!

...you know, you guys can always upload screenshots to the game pages. ^.^

And in doing so earn yourselves a nod in the next RFG Thanks ;)

How is everyone doing with the game? Hope you're catching up because the next two weeks are devoted to getting the last two stars are beating the final boss.

EDIT
Well, my cart failed me again so I'll bow out. Definitely going to have to do some research into why this happened again. It seems that after not touching the game for a week it freezes or doesn't start which results in my save getting erased.

Sooo close! Two starts away!

that sucks, i can't remember did you ever try replacing the save battery? it's most likely that

I'm inexperienced with that stuff so I left it alone. I did get in touch with Duke who said the issue could be dirty connectors.

After a week of inactivity the console won't start up right away and when it does my saves are gone. Probably a double whammy of dirty contacts and a dying battery.

Fleach that stinks all that work gone :0(
I have been active on mine for a bit now as well. I picked up Mario & Luigi Dream Team and have been playing that. Reminds me of Mario RPG. Has the timed hits and you get a hammer as a weapon and a special attack uses a shell.

I def will still complete Mario RPG soon though and get back into it.

How are the other Mario and RPG crossovers? I've heard mixed reviews of Dream Team, but if you're enjoying it that's great.

I updated the main post with the final checkpoint. You have about a week and a half for this one. Take down Smithy and finish the game.

russ,
Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi are supposed to be spiritual sequels to Super Mario RPG. Try out Paper Mario TTYD if you have a GameCube - highly recommended.

I think I will pick it up. Not sure how paper Mario for 64 plays but maybe I'll grab that one. Guess it can't hurt to own more Mario games. I just never got into the Mario party thing. I played once on my bday with like 5 friends and it was ok but super long. I mostly game alone so never bought anymore.

well I played for a few hours tonight. Had to remember how to play again since I have spent so much time with Mario & Luigi Dream Team ha. Got to the sky level and into the castle and that was about it. I had some questions though

When I was in monster village or whatever there was a key just out of reach, anyone know how to get it?
Also I tried to beat the sensei and only did twice and failed the third, what do you get if you win?

Well got my 6th star and made it to bowsers keep. Got up to the 6 door challenge but have to head to work so couldn't beat it. So close though. The battle ones drain your supplies so much. Going to have to try the puzzle ones and action doors instead.