Would you have liked if Paper Mario was SMRPG2? Just asking as I mean, it would've been interesting if it turned out to be like that.
honestly, that is quite a good question.
Because I did played smrpg,. but even though I enjoyed the game, it was for reasons completely different and I'd say "incompatible" with the Paper Mario series.
What I mean is that to want to have Paper Mario being smrpg2, it would mean that I'm ready to assume that pm64, TTYD and spm never existed,but wouldpossibly be smrpg stuff...
I onestly don't think I would ever be ready to do this. and the reason smrpg is just not Paper Mario is the way they make you react. What IS did is they took the foundation of smrpg and basically used them, but with a way different philosophy than square had.
btw, I never understood the appeal of geno, so it's not a thing I consider much.
And the thing is, I did played chrono trigger and really, I lvoe the game, but the problem is that Paper Mario is just simply what I would have wanted for a series to do and I ust love it.
Wich is why the answer of the question is kinda weird, I would never wish it would be smrpg2, but at the same time, I have to give credits to smrpg because first, it's of course awesome, but because it was the reason Paper Mario exists in the first place.
As for M&l, that's another thing, but basically, I acknowledge that the series is only there because of a cancellation, but that turned out to be imo better.
It does sounds like heavy coincidence, but honestly, it's not the only game that was born from that. heck, goldenye 007 had multiplayer and ironically, it was an aftertought....lol you just changed the multiplayer experience from an industry perpective....without actually having the intent to do so.
And for me, it showed a really interesting part of IS.
So, short answer: NO.
Long answer: still no, but I acknowledge that the series was made with circumstances and nothing else. imo, these turned out for the best as I saw with the first 3 games....the fourth had communications issues that apparently....might have resolved today even if they planned it months before....