Too much of a good thing usually ends up being a bad thing. InSuper Paper Mario, the GameCube-to-Wii conversion has us doing something I've always wanted to do since I was a little runt: turn the 2D side-scrolling levels of Super Mario Bros. into 3D structures which hide secrets and alternate paths. Book-ending this unique and fun gameplay are cut scenes which progress the story. Although the dialogue is well-written, it tends to drag on. And on. And on. And so forth.
I can empathize with Nintendo. People complained that Super Paper Mario had too much story while later complaining that Super Mario Galaxy had too little story. I'll save comments on Galaxy for another day, but I think that the fundamental problem with Super Paper Mario's cut scenes is that they are un-skippable. There are few moments in gaming more frustrating and boring that rapidly tapping a button simply to speed up the text of a cut scene. In Super Paper Mario, you'll find yourself doing just that quite often.
