This is a pretty lazy excuse though. They used to do a better job when there were more dramatic differences in hardware. Now it’s all pretty standardized hardware.  Both could easily do more if they cared to do so.  

As a big fan of the original Super Mario RPG, I still remember the backlash the original Paper Mario got upon its release.

That doesn’t really track. They allow completely unique characters so you still get all that “bloat” (although I disagree with even calling it that), except instead of having some distinct Goomba you have some distinct rando who has no similarities to ANY character and is never used again. That seems like a worse way…

Man as a fan of the old school Paper Marios (like everyone else) this is a big bummer to see.

Apparently it’s a combination of the drastic negative feedback to the mere presence of story in Super Paper Mario and Super Mario Galaxy (via the Club Nintendo surveys) and how massively successful New Super Mario Bros. Wii was. 

This is just one of those Nintendo things that you can’t do anything but scratch your head at.

Yeah, though I believe the restrictions is mostly on classic Mario characters/enemies having too much personal modification that makes them distinctive, like Goombella or Kooper or Bombette. The other original characters you pointed out would likely still be acceptable in future new games since they’re wholly unique,…

It’s truly mind-boggling, especially when the “modified” versions of existing Mario enemies are among the things people are most excited for with each new entry in the series.

Why would they put this limit on?

For a company that’s supposed to be all about fun, this is a real lame stance to take. Did that pink goomba damage their precious Nintendo brand? Between these restrictions and a refusal to give fans the RPG they want, it just all feels so pigheaded. 

I don’t really understand why this policy is in place. What is Nintendo afraid of; that deviating too far from their established designs will alienate their fans?

I’m curious if there’s more restrictions we don’t know. As while this would explain most the partners and characters like Tubba Blubba or Jr. Troopa who are clearly related to Mario species. But as written Rawk Hawk, the Shadow Sirens, Count Bleck’s group, and Twilight Towners would all be fine. Yet besides one new…

No, there would have still been complaints. It just would have been more along the lines of "Eh, whatever. Not interested." instead of "Dude, WTF!?"

Well that’s because Pokémon Snap was brilliant and this is a reskin of a mobile game.

Indigo League of Legends

...Who asked for this? WHO WASTED THEIR MONKEYS PAW WISH ON THIS?!

Yeah, but castrating a rapist or a paedophile is in response to a choice made as a moral free agent. Pre-screening sociopaths based upon behavior or brain states and forcefully "preventing" them from *possibly* acting negatively is a whole different level.

I've wished there were an easy way to increase empathy - maybe with a injection that targets certain parts of the brain. Then, I'd inoculate those who display sociopathic or psycopathic tendencies. They'd be easy to find: prisons, politics, boardrooms. Would that make us a more peaceful society?