It's a fun RPG starring Mario and a bunch of new Mario-themed characters. The battles are fast and fun, the world is quirky, and the writing is generally good. It was a wise decision.

One of my favorite games of all time, without a doubt. The music is catchy, the characters (and enemies) are memorable, and the gameplay is awesome. There is so much to explore and so many fun puzzles to complete...It was so worth the "purchase".

The only iffy one is Sticker Star and even that is pretty good

Definitely! You will love it.

Different team entirely. Those were largely made by former Square-Enix guys who left to form Alpha Dream, while this series is exclusively in Intelligent Systems' hands.

Yes!

Intelligent Systems has an amazing track record. Paper Mario was amazingly well done and unique at the time.

Good choice, it's one of the best N64 games, and my 3rd favorite of all the Mario "RPG" games behind Thousand Year Door and the original Super Mario RPG.

My only gripe with it is that it's too easy... TTYD's combat and bosses were much more challenging.

Unless you're talking sealed and/or non Player's Choice, I've seen it for as little as 40 dollars including shipping on Ebay.

Sure! The game begins very slow, but it gets better with almost each passing chapter! Also, the game is pretty funny and there is a lot of content to keep you busy!