No.
M&L games have always been a league on its own, just like Paper Mario used to be. They're both RPG, but they're both handled differently. In fact, they both share lots of similarities but, if played, you could realize how different they truly are.
But anyway, you should play Superstar Saga. Or Partners in Time. Or Bowser's Inside Story. Something we can all agree about M&L games is that they've maintained their quality without forgetting what made them great; which is saddly what happened to the Paper Mario saga.







