With all do respect, I think you're missing osme of the point of Paper Mario Sticker Star. Yes, it's an RPG, but only by loosest terms. It's best not to think of it as one and as it's own game instead.

Also, on leveling and enemy fights... Technically there is leveling up, but's it's weirdly done. Basically, your basic attacks will go up ever so slightly with each crown you collect. It's hard to explain, but it does eventually allow you to instantly kill low-level enemies like Goombas without entering a fight. It's a small gradual detail, but it is there. And fighting enemies awards you with coins, and at the end of the level, the more enemies you've killed, the more coins you'll get. So if you kill a ton of enemies in that level, you'll get a ton of coins as a reward. And later in the game you will need coins badly.

And finally, story isn't too important in this title, as it wasn't with the first. But the best parts aren't the stories, but the journey. Yeah, in the end, it's a simple "Rescue Peach from Bowser" story, but Sticker Star focuses more on the sights, characters, and events that happen to Mario on his way to Peach. And I won't spoil anything, but I will say that there are a ton of fun and inspired moments in the game. Each level is long and unique, with secrets, characters, and fun galore. And the bosses are all amazing and unique, each with their own style, song, and tactics that make them fun to fight! Also, the soundtrack for this game is great and goes well with the atmosphere the game creates.

And on the last Stickers complaint, I feel like with how generously they give Stickers out in the game, it's not that big of a problem. Stickers are easy to find, things respawn once you've used them so you can get them back, and stickers themselves are reasonably priced at stores. The stickers are not handled like normal items in RPGs, but like stickers. Plentiful, useful, and easy to get.

Now, Sticker Star is by no means a flawless game, but it's still a great title that's very fun to play! It does sound very odd and confusing at first, but once you play it, you're in for a swell time!

I felt the same way with my first impressions but once i got the chance to dig into the game myself, things changed. While the game is very lackluster in certain areas, it has some really good ones too compared to the other games in the series.
 
(I still haven't played through the entire game, i just want to point that out)

Many of us had our doubts about the sticker-oriented battle system being successful (Still has) but i think it's a good one and it might also explain some of the changes they made to the core gameplay.

The game may not have a clear character progression but the concept of progression is still there. The "No reason to fight anything because there's no experience gain" is questionable, you still have a reason to fight monsters and that's to collect more coins. With more coins, you're able to get more stickers and with more stickers you're able to get through areas easier.

While the sticker management seems tedious at first sight, it's really the best thing about the system in my opinion. In previous games it wouldn't really matter that much if you used your strongest move to defeat the simplest of enemies because you could simply restore your FP afterwards and use the same type of move again. The drawback of using certain moves just isn't there as much as in Sticker Star. Removal of partner was therefore necessary in this game.

Some will most likely disagree with me and some may not but in all, it's a unique experience. It's new and refreshing which is comparable to the other Nintendo franchises in some areas.

Even though TTYD is my favorite in the series, i don't want them to create a version 2.0 of it. It's something CoD and many other game franchises suffers from. It's better in the long term if they keep introducing new things to keep the franchise from staling.

Sticker Star might not be the ideal game for everyone, so wasn't SPM, TTYD, etc. Either way, for those of you that have doubts about the game, at least give the game a good chance.

Thanks for your honest opinions guys.

And I suppose it is really nice to get something different in the franchise. As appealing as a TTYD 2.0 or a Super 2.0 sounds, something new is always a much more interesting experience.

I may have HUGE disagreements with the way that the game is designed, but it still seems like a worth while experience anyway.

It is a horrible RPG, but not a bad game. And I suppose in the end that's all that really counts.