The 'Shroom:Issue LXXII
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| Issue LXXII | March 16th, 2013 | About |
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STAFF SECTIONS
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The directors' addresses to you about what's been going on behind-the-scenes.
[read more]
SUB-TEAMS
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MAIN SECTIONS
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Directors' Notes
Super Mario Bros. (talk)
Welcome again to The 'Shroom! We are at the March 2013 issue– Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody!
As Tucayo has reported all of the 'Shroom-related news again this month, I suppose I will take this opportunity to discuss some things about myself and my role in the community now. I have noticed that there might be some confusion, so I would like to clear things up a bit since I did not make any sort of public announcement about these changes until... well, today, in these notes.
On March 11th, 2013, I resigned from the Wiki Staff team and the Forum Moderator team, as well as all of my positions on Userpedia. I am not planning on resigning from The 'Shroom, the Awards Committee, or the Mafia Hosts Guild– I am still going to be involved with helping out in these areas. My resignations should not be viewed as my leaving the community or any sort of retirement. I resigned because I do not have the time that I would need to continue on with all of the staff positions I had, and I chose the areas that I was starting to fall behind in to cut.
When I ran for Director of The 'Shroom again and agreed to join the Awards Committee for another year, I essentially made a promise to the community that I would follow through with what I intended to do. And so I will not resign from these positions at all– I will carry out my duties and responsibilities as I pledged to do. So there should be no worries about the fate of this project or any other one I have not stepped down from, as my workload has actually shrunk and I should be able to dedicate more time to this soon.
I would like to thank everybody for their support and their understanding, and I look forward to serving out the rest of my term as Director of The 'Shroom. Be sure to read the next issue on April 20th, 2013! I am certain that next month's edition will be one of quality and greatness.
Until next month,
Tucayo (talk)
HI! I'm blue ah bah dee dah bah die Dah bah dee dah bah die dah bah dee dah bah dee dah bah die your Co-director, Tucayo, bringing you this month's notes.
- Our first Music & Art Drawing Contest is in the voting stages, go check the M&A for more details.
- Discussion of the 'Shroom Awards IV has begun. We will be deciding on categories and nominees in the next weeks.
- We will be starting the new Single Page system soon, either this month or next one.
- Marshal dan Troop (talk) resigned from Guess That Game, leaving Freakworld (talk) as its sole writer.
- Our own Paper Yoshi (talk) will now be bringing you the Crossword.
- YoshiKong (talk) has been added as co-writer of Community Report.
- New Super Mario (talk) is back on the team, writing his own review section for Critic Corner.
- Pyro (talk) and Yoshi K (talk) are new additions to the Critic Corner sub-team.
- Game Soundtrack Reviews has been moved from Critic Corner to Music & Art, as it fit its overall theme better, and a new Critic Corner section will be added soon.
- We will be trying to implement a Closing Statement in future issues, as per this suggestion.
We got several Critic Corner applications last month, thanks to everyone who applied, and congratulations to everyone who got the job. This probably has been my favorite Critic Corner, be sure to give it a read! On the other hand, the Main Team hit an all-time-low, getting only two sections. If you are interested in any of the positions, please contact either Super Mario Bros. (talk) or myself.
Now, for a personal note, after an 8-month run, I have resigned from my position as Retro Feature writer. I just have way too many things going on in Real Life right now, and I felt that section was placing an unnecessary burden on myself. I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted, and, if you feel you could do it, apply for it! On a similar note, Ask Tucayo will also be coming to an end next month, so you should give it a read. That's all on my notes, enjoy the issue!
- Post-release update:
We are looking for a Sub-Director! If you are interested, please head here.
Section of the Month
| Section | Votes | Percentage of Votes | Writer |
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| Retro Feature | 4 | 13.79 | Henry Tucayo Clay (talk) |
| Interview | 11 | 37.93 | Superchao (talk) |
| Brawl Tactics | 3 | 10.34 | FunkyK38 (talk) |
| Mario Kart: Wheel Tips Corner | 11 | 37.93 | Cointcollector (talk) |
There were only four sections to vote for from last issue. Overall, 29 votes were cast. From getting zero votes from the last issue, Superchao (talk) wins Section of the Month with his Interview section. This is his first Section of the Month. Additionally, Coincollector (talk), with his Mario Kart: Wheel Tips Corner section, gets another Section of the Month, making this his fourth consecutive Section of the Month.
Fake News
Editorial
Welcome to another edition of the Fake News! Today, we're faker than ever. Really. Just listen to what the new Pope said about us:
"marry me"
(quote 100% real)
Look out for a special announcement at the end of Ask Tucayo, by the way.
Last month's Section of the Month was won by Koohitsu and the Fake Interview/Monthly Inquisition, with 33 votes. Toadbert101 and Pyro were close behind, with the Fake Ads and Travel Guide, respectively.
Hey hey hey, ladies and Goombas, and welcome to Pyro's Travel Guide, where my pain is your pleasure.
Right now, I'm still stuck in a pyramid after escaping from that deadly fridge (it has now been declared a public health hazard and is currently being fumigated), so I decided to explore some more. I came across a magical (did I actually use that word?) place - Arabian Night!
The Arabian Night is filled with all kinds of things to keep you amused until you die - er, leave. The main attraction is the bountiful supply of magic carpets that you can ride on all over the place! However, they somehow explode in water, and you have to keep leaping and leaping to make the carpet go higher. Also, there's a whole superdome full of vampire birds.
The only accommodation is quite comfortable, as the bellhop will let you choose what you sleep with - spiky rocks, hostile bees, or vampires. I chose the bees, but I soon found that they loved me and kept ramming into me. I hate bees, but unlike Wario, I never get an allergic reaction. Yet I still found myself thinking of suing them.
As with the fridge, there are jewels and Keyzer here. I missed Keyzer, but those jewels are all over the place. Only this time, they are blue! Blue is my least favorite color! I ignored the jewels and instead robbed the entire Arabian town of its surplus of diamonds. Oh, and there was a CD too, but it just played the sound of footsteps and cars.
The only downside to this wonderful asylum is the massive amount of monsters. I found myself multiple times right in the middle of swarms of Onomīs, trying to cut my head off. There were a bunch of Skeleton Birds, too, but I avoided them in fear of becoming A ZOMBIE.
So, that's it for Travel Guide! See you next time, folks, where I...honestly don't know what I'm going to do. Now how in the world do I get out of this place? Hey, there's a switch over there...
HURRY UP!
Hello! Welcome back to the next edition of Gamer Guide. Hosted by yours truly, Yoshi K.
This month we have another stupid new game, and a new app.
General Info:
Name: Sup3r Mar10 Br0s.
Console: W11 U
Sup3r Mar10 Br0s. is a completely bad version of the game Super Mario Bros. a game for the W11 U, downloadable off the special L33t Sh0p.
The L33t Sh0p is a complete rip-off I WANT MY MONEY BACK!! downloadable app on the Wii U special edition, the piece of crap W11 U! Offering many games from the L33t Hamm3r Br0z. developing company! Their crappiest newest title is the one I am talking about here in this very article, Sup3r Mar10 Br0s.!
Sup3r Mar10 Br0s. has 3 normal worlds, 1 special world, and 00 challenging levels levels that will make you frustrated! There are 10 levels in each of the worlds that you go through. To win the game, Mar10 and Lu1g1 must save Pr1nc3ss P3ach from B0ws3r. This game might be a title you would want if you are looking for an extremely crappy game a traditional Mario platformer with a brand new twist!
The controls are simple, press 3 to jump, 1 to crouch, 0 to dash, and the special L33t control stick to move! What? You have no idea what these are? neither do I These are the controls that are used on all L33t Sh0p games!
So how about it? After reading this, you definitely should go pick up the W11 U, download the app, and play the game! Be careful though, the W11 U is not sold in stores, you have to call the L33t Hamm3r Br0z. company to get it!
Call One eight hundred RIP-OFFS Now!
There I gave your stupid products false praise now where's the paycheck I was promised
Written by: Alexneushoorn (talk)
Hello, dear people. It's your Bounty Hunter Koopatrol, Chief Alexneushoorn. My officers brought 3 thugs into their cells. Let's look at the stories.
1. Bowser and K. Rool's Big Switch
Bowser and King K. Rool were bragging about who is the better villain, and then they decided to find out who is the better villain. K. Rool rushed to Toad Town to kidnap Peach and Bowser rushed to Donkey Kong Island to steal Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard once again. Unfortunately, when K. Rool arrived in Toad Town, Mario saw him and contacted HQ. Officer Smashtoad came to the scene and put K. Rool under arrest. K. Rool then told Smashtoad that Bowser was on his way to DK Island. Smashtoad then send his son, Agent Brawltoad to arrest Bowser. After finding Bowser on the open sea, the overgrown reptile was arrested. Bowser and K. Rool will be serving 6 weeks in prison.
2. Spike's Birthday Blowout
Spike's birthday was nearing, and he invited all his friends, except Wario, because he would eat all the cake. Angered by this, Wario decided to crash the party. While Spike was out shopping, Wario broke down his front door and put a Bob-omb in the cake Spike baked. When the party started, Wario looked from a distance. Spike then put on what he thought was a candle that stuck out of the top of the cake, but it was actually the Bob-omb's fuse. The cake exploded on contact with the blowtorch. Spike's neighbour, Ptooie, heard the explosion and then saw Wario laughing in the distance. He then contacted HQ. Later, Wario was still laughing, when handcuffs came onto him. Agent Kooper then said: Ok sir, your under arrest for crashing a birthday party.. How did you know? Wario responded? Mr. Ptooie saw you laughing and tattled, Kooper replied. I'll get you Ptooieeeeeeee! Wario screamed as he was escorted to prison. Wario will be serving in prison for a month.
So yeah, 3 thugs are in their cells. I am Chief Alexneushoorn, and I say: Be safe around streets full of criminals.
Written by: Marioman1213 (talk)
Hello everybody! Roserade here! I'm SO excited to get the job, and it's not too late to say it, happy Valentine's Day!
And know, to help here in the station, here is, HARRY POTTER!
Harry: It's exciting to help here in the station, and I'll do my best to be great!
Me: Right. Anyway, here's the story the Cheif wanted me to give today!
THE CASE OF THE MUGGLER
Hey, wait a minute, shouldn't it be "The Case of the Smuggler?"
Harry: Uh oh.
Me: Yesterday Tom Toadsman was walking down a long, dark alley. Nobody knows why, but reporters say he was drunk at the time. Anyway, he was walking down a long, dark alley when a boy ran up to him and yelled, "STUPIFY!" That's when Tom blacked out after a huge blinding light filled the alley. When policeman at Toad Bros. Police arrived, Tom was still breathing but almost dead. Eventually, he woke up and described the boy. The boy had a long cloak, black hair, glasses, and had a scar that looked like a lightning bolt on his... hey, wait a minute...
*glances over at Potter's chair, which is empty*
POTTER!!!!!!
Well, that's it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to find Potter. I just hope he's not in another dark alley... Ciao!
Written by: 
Koohitsu
And more interviews...
After I had to post bail to get Toadsworth released from Koopa Kapital Inkarceration (yes, it is spelled that way, don't say anything), I am now not only bankrupt, but also in debt. Because of that, my grandparents have now kicked me out of their place until I manage to get paid for an interview for once. So I continue my quest for money, now as a... hobo of sorts I guess?
Today I am at Wendy's Blitz Snarlton Hotel. You know, the one from that game Hotel Mario. With me are two people. They appeared as enemies exclusively in the aforementioned game and haven't been seen since.
"Tidings."
"Hey."
"Please introduce yourselves."
"I am a Z Koopa."
"What does the Z stand for?"
"I... uh... don't really... well... uh..."
"Don't think about it, Z. You're gonna need therapy again."
"Uhm... ok."
"He is a Koopa in a fancy getup. End of story."
"I see. And you are?"
"I am a Bellhop Goomba."
"That is a funny name."
"No, it isn't."
"Well, I think so at least."
"How would it be funny?"
"Well, like, because you're a Goomba, so people HOP on you, and then you are knocked out and hear bells."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"I HATE you."
"Uhm..."
"I HATE YOU!"
"Calm down, Hoppy."
"I'M GONNA OPEN ALL THE DOORS!!!"
"Remember what they said. Count to 10 slowly."
"1... 2... 3..."
"That's right. Breathe in, breathe out. Ok."
"Huff..."
"I have to apologize."
"You two seem to be... uhm... strangely unhinged."
"Yes, our lives have not been the same ever since... the incident."
"...the incident."
"The incident?"
"Yes, the incident."
"Oh, you mean when Wendy Koopa took over your hotel?"
"No... no, you have it all wrong."
"Wendy never took over our hotel."
"Yes, she just booked a room and then thought she bought the hotel."
"She doesn't really understand how hotels work."
"We were also never called 'Wendy's Blitz Snarlton Hotel'."
"She just put her name in the front and everyone went along with it."
"So what was the incident you were talking about?"
"Oh, that."
"It happened during Wendy's stay in our hotel."
"So I guess you weren't that far off."
"It was a tragedy. We had this huge gas leak in the basement, and our maintenance people had the day off, so we couldn't get it repaired."
"Toxic gas was slowly coming out of the basement."
"The hotel was full of people."
"I frantically ran everywhere, opening all the doors to air out the hall and make the gas go out."
"But someone kept closing them again."
"It was a pudgy red man, dressed like a plumber. I saw him."
"That sounds a lot like Mario."
"Mario? More like Murdio! He left us all to suffocate horribly and when he was done, he spun out of the room saying 'That oughta do it!'"
"The gas turned everyone into coins. We ran, but they wouldn't stop pinching us."
"I'm sorry."
"We barely made it out alive, and even though we did, Z lost his mind from the gas."
"No, I didn't. You told me you lost your mind and I went back in to get it."
"No, I had lost my mind and found yours later, but then it turned out it was a coat rack."
"Then why did I go back into the hotel?"
"No, that wasn't you. That was Ben. He was on fire."
"Oh..."
"Ok, I see why you seem so disturbed now."
"Anyway, Hoppy and I later reopened the hotel to cope with the trauma somehow. It is now a smashing success."
"Yes, but we removed all the doors to make sure this would never happen again."
"We even removed them twice."
"Yeah, ripped them out, put them back in, and ripped them out again, just to be sure."
"That sounds... uh... nice?"
"Yes, it is."
"Also, plumbers are banned forever."
"And speaking of the hotel being reopened, we have to go now. Do our job and all that."
"Oh, yes, of course. Then I thank you very much for the interview!"
"No need to thank us. It was our pleasure."
"That will be 200 coins."
"Wait, what?"
"For the room. We provided this nice room for you to have the interview in. The rent is 200 coins."
"I never agreed to that!"
"Yes, you did. You said 'I want to interview you two' and 'Sure, let's go to that room over there'."
"But I never said I want to rent it! You two are trying to con me!"
"'Con' is such a harsh word. I prefer to call it a 'shameless rip-off'"
"No, that's an even harsher word."
"Really?"
"Yes. 'Con' sounds almost benign in comparison."
"Oh... Hey! The girl got away!!!"
"After her!!!"
"Wait! What if she was just one of your imaginary friends again?"
"Hmm... could be. What are we going to do now?"
"I know. We like, make an effigy of her out of mashed cabbage and bed sheets and then set it on fire. If it burns blue, that means she exists."
"Your good ideas continue to amaze me. I will get the grated cheese."
HI, everyone! I'm your water-absorbing Co-director, Tucayo, bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts. Last month was a busy one for my forum inbox; I got around 400 PM's, most of them related to my mafia, and that made it a difficult quest to search for your questions. I think I found all the questions, and by "all the questions" I mean "the one single question I got". This means I'll have to rant way more than I usually do to fill the space I have to fill, or otherwise MCD will come haunt me at night. After the question I have a super important announcement to make, so you may want to stick around for that. And now, to the questions.
Everyone's favorite Australian, YoshiKong (talk), asks:
- Out of all your years writing for The 'Shroom, what has been your most memorable experience?
- Hello, mate! OK, that was probably stereotypical. Anyway, that's a great question.
- I don't think I can name one single experience as my most memorable; in almost five years I've had so many, it would be unfair to choose just one, so I will list all my best experiences, going all the way back to May/June 2008.
- On May 6, 2008, I signed up for the Games section, to make Crosswords. I debuted in Issue XVI, as writer of the Crossword and Mystery Images section, even though I hadn't signed up for the latter. That was naturally my first highlight, since I had been reading The 'Shroom for about five months, and I greatly enjoyed it, specially the Fun Stuff.
- Another great experience came in December 2008, when I in the Director Election for the first time. I was absolutely crushed, but I learned a lot from that experience. I feel that was when I started to be an important part of The 'Shroom, as Stoob appointed me as his Sub-Director. Those were probably my favorite months; everything was much simpler back then, and it was so enjoyable. See, at that time, there was no Core Staff, so it was just Stoob and me running the newsletter, and we both had a blast doing it (or well, at least I know I did :P). I'm starting to get the nostalgic vibe, so that means I will rant on endlessly, so get ready.
- We fast-forward a couple of months, all the way to September 2009, when we had our first Special Issue ever. As it was the first one, and we didn't know if we would have any more, we simply called it Special Issue; of course, now we have more special issues, so we now call it Special Issue XXX. I had a great time planning that issue; at the time it was the largest issue we had ever had. We introduced the concept of Guest Writers in that issue, inviting around 40 people to be part of it; of those 40, 10 accepted, but, in the end, only two ended up sending a section. Despite that, it was a great issue, and I am still proud of it.
- December 2009 was a big month as well. We were having the first Election with campaigns (spoiler alert: I lost. another spoiler alert: I lose every election), but that wasn't the month's highlight. On December 20th, we released our first and only surprise issue. It was a small one, written only by the staff, but I really enjoyed planning it and seeing everyone's reaction to it; it was definitely a great experience. Up to this day, that issue is definitely in my personal Top 5.
- Going to the next December, we have Issue XLV, which, until last July, was the largest issue we had ever had. I used this issue to say goodbye, as I was planning to retire on January 2011. To say goodbye, and to commemorate my career, I wrote every section I had written during the past 2 and a half years; Random Image of the Month, Crossword, Mystery Images, Picross (probably the most unpopular section I have ever written), Poll, Ask Tucayo, Tip of the Month, Top 10, and of course, (Sub-)Director's Notes. I also collaborated in a Pre-Election Analysis, and I was interviewed, as part of a series of Special Interviews. And on top of everything, to grant Plumber (talk) a birthday wish, I changed my name to Henry Tucayo Clay, which was originally meant to be a temporary joke, but I liked it and kept it. Having said all that, this issue is also high on my list of most memorable experiences. I officially retired on the January 2011 issue, but little did I know I would end up returning.
- I wasn't here on 2011, so nothing there. In 2012, the only thing I can think of is Issue 64, our biggest issue so far.
- But those are merely achievements that make me feel satisfied, the real most-memorable experiences came from my interactions with the writers, readers, and fellow staffers. I made some of my best friends on the Core Staff, and I've had experiences I wouldn't have had anywhere else. Every time someone told me they really liked my sections, or that I inspired them to write for us, or that The 'Shroom is the highlight of their month, that's when I realize my job was worth it.
- Well, I hope that answer was detailed enough :)
Now, to the super-important announcement I had for you; Ask Tucayo will be coming to an end next month. See it as a TV show; the second season has ended and the channel doesn't know yet if it will be renewed or not. If you have any last questions you want to ask me, this is where to go. Do you have an injury that won't stop bleeding? Do you need to repair your car's transmission? Do you need to find a Gregorian choir? Do you need someone to explain you calculus? I'm the guy to go to! Except for the calculus. See you next month in the season finale of Ask Tucayo, BYE!
Fun Stuff
Director’s Notes
By: Marshal Dan Troop (talk) Hello shroom readers and welcome to another issue of the fun stuff. I your glorious and all-knowing leader have a few announcements for you all. First the great leader of the Pipe Plaza region of the shroom has agreed to pledge his allegiance to my section and write the crosswords section so congratulate him. Also the Section of the month results are in with General Bob-omb finishing first with his Hiding Koopa section, Megadardery finishing second with his Mind Bogglers section, and Tucky finishing third with his Mystery Images section. Other than that there isn’t really anything new in the world of fun stuff so have fun and enjoy this issue.
Trivia
By: Marshal Dan Troop (talk)
- The Donkey Kong Country T.V series was moved from Fox Kids to Fox Family because of the Bill Clinton impeachment trial?
- That originally there was going to be a Kong wearing a hat in Donkey Kong Land?
- That Mr. X from Donkey Kong Country 2 beta is actually a prototype of Kackle?
- That there was originally going to be giraffe animal buddy in Donkey Kong Country?
- That in some copies of Mario Party 2 the Snufit Police was called the Snifit Police?
- That Strom Thurmond was the only Senator who ever served until he was 100.
Crossword
By: Paper Yoshi (talk) Hello, everyone, and welcome to Crossword!! This is Paper Yoshi, the Pipe Plaza Director, now writing for the Fun Stuff team.
This month, Crossword is all about Mario's little bro, Luigi. Nintendo has declared 2013 as the Year of Luigi, and so we are going to celebrate that with a Luigi-themed crossword. Here it is!
| No. | Across | No. | Down |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luigi's unlockable kart in Mario Kart DS | 2 | The first game starring Luigi as the main character |
| 4 | Luigi's villainous alter-ego from Super Paper Mario | 3 | Luigi's Mario Party color |
| 5 | Luigi's favorite Mario Party item | 7 | Luigi's voice actor |
| 6 | Luigi's main ability | 14 | Luigi's number in the Mario Strikers series |
| 8 | Luigi's rumored girlfriend | ||
| 9 | Luigi's game board from Mario Party | ||
| 10 | Damsel-in-distress rescued by Luigi during the
events of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | ||
| 11 | First appearance of Luigi | ||
| 12 | Luigi's Special Shot from Mario Hoops 3-on-3 | ||
| 13 | Luigi's Final Smash in Super Smash Bros. Brawl |
Quiz
By: Megadardery (talk) Because I'm MAD this month! And I played SSB to destroy someone's face! We are having this month quiz about SSB series, Hope you get fight! (I mean fun!!). I'm only talking about the first three games, ok? ok? ok?
- Who is the only character to have only four costume choices in SSBB?
- How many characters to have 7 palette swap in SSB?
- What is the name of the foe that drops a bomb to destroy Bridge of Eldin?
- How many newcomers are in SSBM?
- How many playable characters in SSBM that do not appear in SSBB?
- Which is the only game where the announcer does not yell the game's title at the title screen?
- Who is the only character to have 4 taunts in one game?
| Click to find answers! | |
|---|---|
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Mind Bogglers
By: Megadardery (talk) Pokemon trainer is training his pokemons for the match in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. But all pokemons heard that and ran off for him! So they can be in the match. But he is having enough troubles, let's help that guy out so he could be with us in Super Smash Bros. 4!!!
Help us and find 10 pokemons and name them too, so Pokemon trainer could block them!!! (not including default pokemons from the game!)
Mystery Images
HI, comrades! I don't know where that came from, just pretend it never happened. I'm your cooktastic Co-director, Tucayo, and welcome to a special edition of Mystery Images! What's so special, you may ask. Well, this month we won't have character in the images, instead we have some recipe items from the Paper Mario series. I show you the image, you give me the name; simple enough. Bonus points if you know the games from which the depicted items are.
Find the Difference
By: Pyro (talk) Original Image:
Edited Image:
Guess That Character
By: Marshal Dan Troop (talk)
- Appears in two games
- Is a Mario ally
- Playable in one of the games that it appears in
- Has magic powers
- Can fly
- Shares her name with a character from the Fairly Oddparents
| Click to find answers! | |
|---|---|
| |
Guess Who
By: Freakworld (talk)
Rules: You'll get 5 hints on a Character, which should be used to guess the answer. This character can be from any part of the Mario, Wario and Donkey Kong Universe. If you scroll down you'll see a little spoiler box, hiding the answer.
- This character likes bananas.
- This character is non-human.
- This character is the commander of a whole army (much like Bowser).
- This character also is a common main antagonist.
- This character originates in a game which was not made by Nintendo (-only).
| You need help? | |
|---|---|
Guess that Game
By: Freakworld (talk)
Rules: Same as in "Guess Who".
- This game was released on the Nintendo 64.
- This game features a more... different art-style than the other Mario-verse games.
- This game is the spiritual sequel to a SNES game, which was made by Squaresoft (called Square-Enix nowadays).
- In an early state of development this game was also co-developed by Squaresoft.
- This game also spawned a series of other games.
| Click to find answers! | |
|---|---|
Word Search
By: Gamefreak75 (talk)
Hello, readers! Welcome back for another rousing installment to the Word Search. Here's the answer to last month's Word Search:
As we all know, it's the year of Luigi and with Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon coming out, the green plumber gets his taste of the limelight once again. To celebrate this, find the 17 words hidden in this month's word search. The theme: green.
Hiding Koopa
By: General bob-omb (talk)
Luigi just can't get away from those ghosts, can he? But it looks like he's come prepared this time with the Poltergust 3000, wait... I mean 3001, err... 4000. Whatever it is, it can sure suck up those boos. I just hope that koopa doesn't get in the way.
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Music & Artwork
Director's Notes (FunkyK38 (talk))
Greetings, readers! M&A Director FunkyK38 here with your Music and Art Update!
This month, our Valentine’s Day art contest… kind of failed. We only got one entry, from our resident artist, Smg2daisy (talk). But it’s a beauty, it is, so you all should look at it! I also received a new piece from Edofenrir (talk), which also looks fabulous! Be sure to check out all our fan art in the Sketch Related to Mario section!
I think that’s about it. Once again, if you’d like to sign up for our team, we’d love to have you! Just send me a PM on the forums to get started!
So, let’s get to the art, music, and talent!
Box Art of the Month (Henry Tucayo Clay (talk))
HI, readers! I'm your animal-loving Co-director, Tucayo, with this month's chosen Box Art! This month I went with the Japanese cover for Super Smash Bros., for the Nintendo 64. Now, you may be thinking "weren't the boxes for N64 games shaped differently?" You're right, they were. In every country but Japan, boxes were like this, but not in the Land of the Rising Sun. Now to the cover itself. This Japanese version is designed as a comic, with the eight "main" characters in different panels, and with cool BOM, WAM, ZAP, SMAAAASH signs. Oh, and some Japanese text as well. The non-Japanese box art kept the cartoon-ish look the characters had, but dropped the panels and put them all together.
That's it for this month, now go play some N64.
Character Artwork of the Month (Rise Up Above It (talk))
This month's Character Artwork spot goes to this actually amazing quality artwork of Funky Kong. This may or may not be chosen to welcome the new Music & Artwork Director, FunkyK38 (talk)! Now, while I'm not really a fan of the Kongs (or rather, the DK Crew) especially in Mario Kart, when I found this in the gallery for Funky Kong it was THE perfect choice. It is a rather gorgeous cel-shaded, detailed artwork; and whilst it depicts the modern design of Funky, it is better than the DKC3 design with the toolbelt and stuff (which in my opinion makes him look better than just a radical surfing ape guy). Unfortunately, this is probably the only time Funky Kong gets love from me. Sorry. Hope you liked this section though, readers! And sorry about last month. -_-'
Random Image of the Month (Paper Yoshi (talk))
Hello, readers, and welcome to Random Image of the Month!!
This month's Random Image comes from Mario's first 3D platformer for the Nintendo Wii, Super Mario Galaxy. It shows Mario Manta Ray surfing in the Loopdeeloop Galaxy.
Manta Ray Surfing is one of the four minigames present in Super Mario Galaxy, appearing in two galaxies: Loopdeeloop Galaxy and Loopdeeswoop Galaxy. In order to earn those galaxies' Power Stars, Mario (or Luigi) must use a large Manta Ray as a surf board to race on a water-made course. The player controls Mario by pointing the Wii Remote at the screen and tilting it to the left or to the right to go in those directions. The 
button is used for accelerating, and flicking the Remote allows Mario and the Manta Ray to jump.
The image is relatively detailed, showing an approaching horizontal loop with signs indicating the turn, aside from a few coins and fish on the track. Additionally, the finish line, marked by a gate resembling a Shine Sprite, can be seen in the back.
Sketch Related to Mario (Smg2daisy (talk))
Smg2Daisy (talk)’s monthly drawing.
Edofenrir (talk)’s drawing, titled, “Tales of Super Mario”
Smg2Daisy’s Valentine’s Day submission.
Sprite of the Month (FunkyK38 (talk))
Hello, readers, here is your sprite of the month, a Koopaleon from Mario and Luigi: Partners In Time: 
! It’s March, so we all need something green. And it’s a Koopa, too! Well, okay, maybe the whole Koopa-chameleon mash up was a little… out there, but you have to give them credit for their imagination!
Pipe Plaza
Director's Notes (Paper Yoshi (talk))Hello, everyone, and welcome to the March Issue of Pipe Plaza! This is your arsonist Director, Paper Yoshi, speaking. I don't really have news to share this month, except for one little thing... As you may have noticed, Bop1996 (talk) hasn't written Community Report since December of last year. So, in order to have a good coverage of everything wiki-related during his absence, fellow writer YoshiKong (talk) will take on that position temporarily, after guest-writing the section in January. Section of the MonthLast month's SotM poll got 21 votes, two more than last month. The February Section of the Month, with 7 votes (33.33% of the total), is... ...Upcoming Games, for the fifth time overall, the second in a row!! Upcoming Games, written by myself, brings fresh news on all the upcoming Mario games, always including useful information, such as the main features and release dates. Last month, it covered the announcement of three new Mario games in development, along with release dates for Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Game & Wario. The runner-up, with 6 votes (28.57%), was Anniversary Announcements, written by Statistics Manager RandomYoshi (talk). Projects Seeking Contributors and Monthly Report, written by YoshiKong (talk) and myself, respectively, were the third-placed sections, with 3 votes (14.29%). And that's all for the notes!! I hope you enjoy this issue!! Monthly Report (Paper Yoshi (talk))Hello, and welcome to another issue of Monthly Report!! Once again, there is no news regarding this section, so let's go on and see the wiki statistics for March, February and January, followed by February-March and January-March comparisons. (Credit goes to Stooben Rooben (talk) and Super Mario Bros. (talk) for the table coding. Stooben originally created it when writing this section back in Issues XXIII, XXV and XXVI, and SMB based his coding for Issues XXXIX, XL and XLI – which I am using in this issue – off of Stooben's coding.)
Community Report (YoshiKong (talk))Hey and welcome to the Community Report. I’m filling in for Bop1996 (talk) while he’s busy with school stuff. The Pipe Plaza team weren’t able to write a Community Report last issue, so to catch up we'll be covering all that took place in the last two months. Now let's begin, shall we? These are the most recent changes we have had to MarioWiki Policy.
If you have any questions or concerns about these polices, feel free to post a comment on this forum thread. Next up, these are the most recent proposals which have reached a consensus.
And the following are talk page proposals which have recently reached a consensus.
And these are talk page proposals currently in progress.
The following are the most recent changes we've had to user rights.
And that's it for this month's Community Report. We hope that you enjoy the rest of the issue, and all the best to Bop1996 with his real-life duties. Forum Update (MrConcreteDonkey (talk))Hey, and welcome to the Forum Update! Sorry I couldn't be with you last month, I was really busy and, honestly, there wasn't much to talk about except smilies (KILL), so yeah. Don't worry though, I'll cover anything I missed. Top Stories YamiHoshi's temporary ban expired. Souda-kun was temporarily banned on March 9th, for creating havoc and personal attacks on forumgoers. The ban ends after two weeks, on March 23rd. A child board of General Discussion for the seventh Mario Awards was created. Additionally, a child board of Forum Games was created for Elimination games. This includes Vote to Win, KO a Character, Hurt and Heal and anything else. Finally, a child board of HelpDesk was created for Resolved problems. Loads and loads of smilies were added. Characters like Rosalina, Shy Guy, Diddy Kong, Toadette and...Keyzer? now have their own smilies. The whole thing did go a bit too far, and some of the added smilies were removed, such as :drosh:, who you may remember from the previous issue, :trickster:, a frankly horrendous interpretation of Mario, and, saddest of all (probably because it's the only good one they removed), :barkley:. 
Goodnight, sweet prince...Statistics
Green signifies the user is at a higher position than last month. Forum Games Currently ongoing Mafias are my Mafia 2101, Rocker64's Rocker Mafia, Nabber's Forum's Choice Mafia and Smg2daisy's My Little Pony: Friendship is Mafia...again?.
So, after that extensive list, it seems my work here is done. Oh wait, I've missed one of the most important news stories in the entire history of the MarioWiki: A new pope has been elected on the forum! ...
Projects Seeking Contributors (YoshiKong (talk))Hey and what's up? Welcome to Projects Seeking Contributors. This section will bring attention to any new and active projects on the wiki where input and general discussion are needed. Let's start with the most active and recent projects seen on the Wiki Collaborations forum board.
And that's it for the forum's Wiki Collaborations. Once again, see the forum board for the complete list. Next up, we have the discussions which are currently taking place on article talk pages. These can be seen at Category:Talk pages with unresolved issues. The list is as follows.
And that's all this months Projects Seeking Contributors. If you think you could help out with any of the issues above, please take part in the said discussion taking place. We'll be updating this section next issue with any new discussions that need attention. Tip of the Month (FunkyK38 (talk))Be sure to read all userspace guidelines before putting your pages together. This includes your signature as well. Failure to be informed of the rules is not an acceptable excuse, as they are all lined out. If your page does not comply, it will be edited, possibly without your consent, so be sure to follow the rules! Mario Calendar (Paper Yoshi (talk))Hello, readers, and welcome to the March Issue of Mario Calendar!! I wanted to have a table with all the consoles and stores to the right, akin to the region table, but it didn't work the way I planned, so there's nothing new regarding this section (except the italicized titles, which were added last month). Anyway, here are all the Mario, Yoshi, DK and Wario games released during the third month of the calendar year:
And that's all for this month's list! I'll see you in Upcoming Games!! Anniversary Announcements (RandomYoshi (talk))Hello again, RandomYoshi here to bring you the news on what the Awards Committee has decided on since the last issue of The 'Shroom. To kick things off, there have been some discussion related to Awards Mafia III. Smasher (talk) (Forum Profile · Personal Message) has stepped forward and is willing to host said game. There is a need for a co-host, though. The game will be quite large; every applicant for co-hosting is welcomed. Ralphfan (talk) (Forum Profile · Personal Message) is so far the only co-host applicant. Smasher has commented that, if there is no one else willing to be a co-host, he is fine with co-hosting it with Ralphfan. It has also been mentioned that it needs to start earlier than last year. There has been no discussion in regards to other tournaments or events. To see if any rewards have changed, consult the table found below. Do keep in mind that if the award is not listed, it has yet to be discussed by the committee.
*The way this was agreed on was to specify the four courses in question. Because there is a Rainbow Road, a Bowser Castle, a Mario Circuit, and a Luigi Circuit in every game, only one of them needs to be voted for. Upcoming Games (Paper Yoshi (talk))Hello, everyone, and welcome to another issue of Upcoming Games!! This month, we have plenty of news to cover, and most of the announcements revolve around a certain plumber from the Mushroom Kingdom... And that is... Luigi, without a doub--wait, you thought it was Mario? Who on Earth would possibly think I was referring to Mario? Only fools would do that! The Year of LuigiAnyway, moving on... Last month, during yet another Nintendo Direct conference, held on February 14th, the President of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, declared 2013 to be the Year of Luigi, and he, along with Game Producer Shigeru Miyamoto, unveiled some new games and details regarding previously announced games to celebrate the event. The video kicked off with Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. Mr. Miyamoto showed gameplay footage and discussed a few details on various aspects of the game, such as controls and game modes. In addition to the single-player campaign, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon will feature a brand new multiplayer mode, called ScareScraper, on which up to four players will be able to cooperate or compete in order to achieve the different goals from each of the game modes within ScareScraper itself. Afterwards, Mr. Iwata announced two new Nintendo 3DS titles starring Luigi, although not as the main character. The first one was the fourth installment in the Mario & Luigi RPG series, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. The game shifts between the regular overworld and a special world, much like Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story; however, this time the game revolves around Luigi's dream world, as opposed to Bowser's body. While controlling Mario inside Luigi's dreams, players will have to interact with the sleeping plumber in order to solve puzzles and defeat various types of enemies. The game is set to be released this summer. The other 3DS title featuring Luigi is Mario Golf: World Tour. Little has been revealed about this game, aside from some playable characters, which include, so far, Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Wario, Donkey Kong and Waluigi. This game will also be available this summer in North America. Additionally, the President of Nintendo announced new Downloadable Content for New Super Mario Bros. U to celebrate the Year of Luigi. It'll be called New Super Luigi U, and will feature Luigi as the playable character. Seeing as it is a large-scale DLC package, similar to full software, development will take some time to finish, but the DLC will be available for download later this year. Last, but not least, two additional Nintendo 3DS titles were unveiled. The first one of them is Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move, another installment in the Mario and Donkey Kong series. It will be released this year for the Nintendo eShop. The second and last game, unveiled by none other than President and COO of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, is Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, a remake of the 2010 Wii title Donkey Kong Country Returns. No details have been revealed, aside from a Summer 2013 release date. Release Dates
Well, I guess that's all for now! We shall meet again in April, so take care!! "Stay tuned to Upcoming Games for news on the games you'll be playing soon!" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Critic Corner
Director's Notes
So I'm back from holidays and I wish I wasn't. I'm so busy with school and work at the moment; I can barely stand to write Director's Notes. I'll get straight to the point, then; Game Soundtrack Reviews has been moved to Music & Artwork, so if you want to write for that section then contact FunkyK38 (talk).
Meanwhile, New Super Mario (talk) has begun writing a review section titled NSM's Review Corner, which will focus primarily on Non-Mario games but he's able to alternate to Mario games. Pyro (talk) has started writing a Non-Mario section titled Hottest Reviews Around, because we needed more of those! (welcome to the team, guys)
Yoshi K (talk) has started writing a personalised opinion section called What Could Have Happened If…, which discusses ways a game could've been changed dramatically had the development process gone in a different direction. Cirdec (talk) has also written a one-time submission for Game Comparisons, although it's a shame he won't be writing permanently.
(also thanks Twentytwofiftyseven (talk) for editing the {{nonmario}} infobox for me)
Critic Corner Section of the Month
There were only two sections last month, both of which were mine. So uhh yeah… this is awkward. Dippy's Matilda won with six votes, just one more than my other section, Crocodile Style Reviews. Congrats to me? I'll, uhh… just scurry off to the side there. Enjoy this month's sections!
Dippy defies laws of physics and logic in his gun-heavy review of Dead Space 3 and Crysis 3.
[read more]
NSM's Review Corner
Imagine yourself in a forest. Blades of grass reach miles above your head. The pools of water that you see in front of you are actually small droplets of water. Large, hungry Bulborbs are looking to devour you with their sharp teeth, and all you have to protect you are small, plant-like creatures to protect you. I hope you at least have an idea of what game I’m referring to! If not, listen up. The game I'm referring to is Pikmin.
Pikmin, for the Nintendo Gamecube, has to be one of Nintendo's best series. If you haven't given the series a try yet, I suggest you start with this game (or maybe Pikmin 3 for when it comes out for the Wii U). Don’t have a Wii U? That still leaves Pikmin 1 and 2 open for Gamecube. Additionally, both games have been rereleased for the Wii if you want to get it on there. Enough about where you can get the game, let’s dive in to the game.
The game stars Captain Olimar, a Hocotatian employed at a deep-space shipping company known as Hocotate Freight. The beginning cutscene shows Olimar in his spaceship, the S.S Dolphin, flying around in space when he gets hit by an asteroid. Many parts of the S.S Dolphin fall off as Olimar plunges into an unknown planet.
Now this planet happens to contain oxygen, a gas poisonous to all Hocotate inhabitants. Olimar realizes he can't get off of the planet unless he finds all the parts he needs from his ship. Of course, he only has 30 days before his life-system support will fail, and he will die. The main goal of the game is to collect the parts he needs before the time is up. Not all parts are needed to beat the game, but it's always fun to see if you can get all of them in the time limit.
How is Olimar going to get all the parts he needs, though, just by himself? That's where the Pikmin come in. When Olimar crash lands, he discovers the Red Pikmin. The other two types, Yellow Pikmin and Blue Pikmin, come to play later in the game. Pikmin are basically a plant and animal hybrid. They follow all the orders of Olimar. Olimar can throw the Pikmin to collect parts or defeat enemies. All Pikmin pretty much looks the same other than their color, besides some slight differences. Reds have noses, Yellows have ears, and Blues have gills. It's also very important to know what type of Pikmin to use for every part you need to find. Need to find a part in the back of a lake? Take Blue Pikmin, since they can go in water without dying. Need to get past a large wall in order to get a part? Bomb rocks should do the trick, take some Yellows and have them destroy the wall. Need to get pass those annoying Fiery Blowhogs? Fire-resistant Red Pikmin should work perfectly. Of course, it's nice to have a balance, so you'll have to plan out what 100 Pikmin you want to take on the field depending on what part you're getting. Pikmin however, are vulnerable to enemy attacks, so it's important you know the enemy's weakness and what Pikmin are most effective. But what happens if all your Pikmin die from enemy attacks? How do you get more Pikmin?
You can replenish Pikmin by having Pikmin carry pellets or dead enemies to the Onion. The Onion acts as an incubator to the Pikmin, allowing them to stay there during the night to be unharmed. Each Pikmin type has their own Onion, so it’s important to replenish Pikmin so you don't run out. It's so cute watching Pikmin carry their prey back to the onion to give you even more Pikmin! The Onions are one of the most important features in the game. You get your Pikmin from there and make more Pikmin there.
The thing I love most about Pikmin is the strategy. If you don't like strategy and challenge, this game isn't for you. However I do, and I think Pikmin is a great strategy game. You have to use your time well, know enemy weaknesses, and make decisions that can further your progress. Each day lasts about 15 minutes, so it's important that you know you will be able to get everything you want done. Pikmin left on the surface after the day ends die, so always make sure that they are with you or that you can get back to the Onions before the day ends.
After each day ends, you'll get to read a small log entry from Olimar and view the results from the day. The logs that Olimar writes are often amusing, and also can provide you with helpful information about the Pikmin and enemies. You get a detailed list of how many Pikmin died that day and if they died in battle or just because you left them behind. Getting this feedback and learning how to improve about it is super important.
There are 5 locations in Pikmin, each with their own unique setting. I won't talk much about The Impact Site and The Final Trial, though, since those are more like tutorials and final level respectively. After your first day, you head to The Forest of Hope. Here you discover Yellow Pikmin. It's also very important to make more Red Pikmin as you’re here, since they are probably the most useful of all the types in the game. I love The Forest of Hope, for all the different elements faced in it. Keep in mind you'll have to come back here and The Impact Site once you get Blue Pikmin, so knowing when to visit each location is a must. Once you land in a location, you can't go back, so try not to waste locations by landing in the wrong location! The Forest Navel is the next location. This one is rather annoying, but again, I love to hate it. Challenging areas are needed (but this isn't the MOST challenging one, that's next) for the game to be a good strategy game. Blue Pikmin are a must for the location, so be sure to make lots of them, especially since those annoying Wollywogs might destroy a bunch of them. Now the most challenging location is The Distant Spring. Basically, there is water everywhere, so make sure you have lots of Blues. Keep in mind; lots of optional parts are here, so try to get required ones first.
There are very few problems with the game, which make it a must buy. The game isn't for everyone, if you aren’t a fan of challenging strategy games, because this game requires lots of thinking. Sometimes the game can be frustrating when facing annoying enemies like Wollywogs, or when you make stupid mistakes. The only big problem with the game that I can think of is how annoying it is when Pikmin get stuck under bridges. It's so hard trying to climb up a bridge without having Pikmin go under, or fall off the side. Getting them all up can be tedious at times, so try to find the most efficient way back to the Onion (I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to me in the Forest Navel).
Pros: Challenging Game, on Wii and Gamecube, Pikmin types, Time management, unique settings, good strategy game
Cons: If you aren’t a fan of strategy games, annoying enemies like Wollywogs, getting Pikmin stuck under bridges
Overall rating: 9.5/10
Got an idea for a review? Send me a message on the forums!
Crocodile Style Reviews
| Dead Space 3 | |||||||
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| Developer | Visceral Montreal | ||||||
| Publisher | Electronic Arts | ||||||
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, XBox 360, Windows | ||||||
| Genres | Third-person shooter, | ||||||
| Rating(s) |
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| Available From | |||||||
- Mature
- Eighteen years and older
- Fifteen years and older
| Crysis 3 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Developer | Crytek Frankfurt | ||||||
| Publisher | Electronic Arts | ||||||
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, XBox 360, Windows | ||||||
| Genres | First-person shooter | ||||||
| Rating(s) |
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| Available From | |||||||
- Sixteen years and olderCrikey, game publishing is a cynical operation, isn't it? When they're not outright lying to the consumer, churning out an endless wave of generic sequels for full price, and desperately trying to convince everyone they're still relevant just because they mutated a new business trend to suit their old ways, they're denying them the right to trade in their shit games, and charging $5 in-game for a bloody ammo pack. At the very forefront of the tomato-throwing competition always seems to be Electronic Arts, to the point where I'm wondering if they get a rise out of it. I bring this up because they chundered up two big sci-fi shooter releases last month with Dead Space 3 and Crysis 3, and of course they've got to be fucking shooters less their core fans start forming minds of their own and pull the money vacuums out of their asses. Glass houses, I know.
For those not in the know, Dead Space is a series that's been held up by many people as a shining example of how to marry action gameplay with horror atmosphere, a very progressive view that may have been more beautiful had the horror been given any voice in the matter. The problem with the action horror formula is that horror games only truly work when the player feels alone, hopeless and in desperation, which just doesn't work when you've got enough firepower to make Rambo blush, but let it be known that my archaic sentiment that Dead Space is the most mediocre of mediocre in the industry is no longer, as I found it to be quite a solid action game on harder difficulties. And now we have Dead Space 3, which has pulled horror's legs off, wrapped it up in a carpet, and thrown it off a pier.
It's been a few years after the events of the second game, and we catch Isaac Clarke during one of his man-periods – reflected by his helmet now looking more pissed off than before – whereupon he gets dragged back into the quest to end the necromorph epidemic made all the worse by the crazed Unitologists – who are increasingly resembling a bad parody of Scientology – finally breaking down society and injecting copious amounts of batshit into the populace by way of non-specific alien mutation. You following this so far? Even in context the story isn't particularly interesting, and I'm still not too fond of the characterisation which never really gets past the big book of action game clichés. The religious nutjob with a slimy Austin Powers accent just seems a little desperate to me.
I say this because things have escalated into Michael Bay-esque drama now, the entire destruction of the whole universe being used as leverage to raise the stakes, which is the exact opposite of personalised fear. It doesn't help that there's now a co-op feature so one of your mates can give you a reassuring cuddle whenever things start to feel slightly tense. It's just weird to me, is all, especially given that the series has finally deviated from mangled up spaceship and placed most of the game on a frozen wasteland of a planet which could've opened up a whole new well of options, but instead we effectively just fight the same batch of enemies a hundred zillion bloody times. Mind that the core gameplay of hacking off enemy limbs instead of just randomly shooting at them until they stop moving is still fun, but it hasn't really evolved past that; hell, you want to know how many bosses there are in this game? Two, and without spoiling too much, the final boss is a fucking joke.
The two-weapon limit and universal ammo, coupled with some of the most goddamned sloppy cover-based shooting I've ever seen in a video game, gives me the feeling that personality was sacrificed to be more like every other major shooter on the market at the moment. Resource management seems to be simplified as well; new armour doesn't really mean anything anymore, and the broken monetary system has instead been replaced by a somewhat broken crafting system. Not to say I don't prefer the crafting system, it's certainly a hell of a lot more interesting than just spending the ludicrous amounts of cash that necromorphs always carried for no discernible reason, but it gets broken once you realise that the default weapons will get you through most of the game so you can just sell off all your extra parts for more ammo than should be possible to carry in that suit. The three scavenger bots you'll accumulate by the third quarter of the story doesn't help matters, adorable as those little things are.
But let's move away from one Ridley Scott rip-off into another with Crysis 3, EA's other stylised sci-fi shooter starring the remarkable faceless men wearing tire rubber for casual wear. So following the crusade against Korea in the first game, and the decimation of New York in the second, we now come back to New York to play as Prophet, who happens to be black so that's how you know shit's gotten real. Except New York is now overgrown and flooded, but they at least got that second part right, teehee. The aliens are planning a massive invasion against Earth that Prophet has been spending the behind-the-scenes of the whole series working towards combating, but no one seems to believe him until shit hits the fan because powerful alien warlords and super-soldier projects are fine, but full-scale extra-terrestrial invasions are just a little too farfetched for this world.
I think that's my problem with the series; they have this potentially amazing gameplay concept with the actually well-detailed and interesting Nano Suit, yet they seem to squander it in a generic military setting with a hefty dose of Alien for good measure, possibly in a bid by EA to progressively diminish any and all independent thought from its development studios. Evidence of this can be found in the form of no significant changes being made to the gameplay, still just being the same generic first-person shooting with a few alien weapons thrown in for good measure, and an upgrade system that adds absolutely fuck-all to the suit's functions given they've been reduced to just Armour and Cloak rather than the large well of functions it had in the first game. The greatest combat machine in the history of mankind, and its biggest enemy is software rot; I wonder how the engineers are going to explain that one to the commanding officers when the next extra-terrestrial sea creature invasion hits Earth.
Although they probably won't have to worry too much given how the squishy aliens are as physically durable as Samuel L. Jackson in Unbreakable, as it's almost impossible to get killed aside from clumsily falling off a cliff or stepping on a mine. Cloaking is as broken as ever, especially so now with the new bow weapon that offs most enemies in no more than two shots without turning the cloak off, and in case the stealth goes tits up, alien weapons spawn on the ground like fucking dandelions which makes most combat scenarios a complete breeze even at the worst of times; there are even levels that grant you invincibility and unlimited alien ammo for an extended duration of time, probably so they didn't have to waste time on petty things like game balance and valid challenge.
With so little innovation, a boring finale to an already unimpressive story, and a severely underweight single-player campaign running for no more than six hours at the most, Crysis 3 is just another exercise in phoning it in; I mean at least Dead Space 3 has a personality, dumb as it is. Perhaps this was so they could invest more resources into the multiplayer, but what sort of excuse is that? Why the fuck does every major release these days want me to socialise with other people? What if I don't want to assimilate into society and have friends, what if I'd rather be a social outcast who spends his happiest days throwing bits of plastic across the room and muttering nonsense to himself about power-ups and digital creatures with disproportioned heads?
Usually this is where I mention which of the two I prefer, but honestly, they're both quite dreary to deal with in their own ways. This must be what it's like to run the confessional. All this high-octane, attention deficient sensory overload is less symbolic of a tense, action-packed atmosphere and more a systematic decimation of all my higher motor functions, and I found it all just so exhausting by the end. File both under “for the hardcore fans only” and just wait for BioShock Infinite to come out, at least that game will have evil George Washington robots to shoot.
Caiman Gamin'
Well, they always say that it's good to be back. I really don't have much to talk about before the review, but I would to point out that anyone who supports indie games and likes fighting games should take a look at the Skullgirls IndieGoGo fundraiser that’s currently going on to fund new characters. It’s pretty interesting, to see that just one single character requires so much money and time, but that’s not the point. So, without more build-up, let's review Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
So, Metal Gear Rising, in case you haven't heard, is the newest game in the Metal Gear series. But this one's…different, to say the least. You see, instead of playing as a stealth agent like Solid Snake or his father Big Boss, you play as Raiden again. But, it isn't stealth, Metal Gear Solid 2-Raiden, either, but rather the Metal Gear Solid 4 Raiden, which, in case you haven't played the game, is a Cyborg Ninja, like Gray Fox. This means that instead of hiding from enemies, this time it's an action beat-'em up, and the game itself isn’t developed by Kojima Productions like always, but rather, it’s collaboration between Platinum Games of Bayonetta fame and KojiPro themselves. This involves Platinum Games taking care of everything related to the gameplay, while KojiPro takes care of the cutscenes and some of the history.
So, to start it off, I'll just say that if you expect any kind of story that takes itself seriously, you’ll probably leave disappointed. While there are some serious moments, they're way overshadowed by most of the “wow” moments, like jumping on rockets in order to slice a giant robot in half (that's just the first boss, in the prologue, so don't worry about spoilers), until the final boss battle just decides that it just doesn't care anymore and hits you with ridiculous, awesome nonsense.
To say a little about the story, it starts four years after Solid Snake destroyed AI Bigger Bad the Patriots in Metal Gear Solid 4, and he's probably dead, but Raiden has learned to use his fighting skills for good and is now in the contract of Maverick Security, a PMC that strives to keep peace in war-torn regions around the world. Well, the game starts with Raiden finishing a job on some African country when SHIT HAPPENS and he ends meeting Desperado Enforcement Inc., another PMC that wants to keep war going because it benefits business. Well, Raiden meets another Ninja named Sam and, short story, gets his eye and arm cut off. So, the game follows Raiden, in a new and improved body, getting revenge on Desperado while also trying to foil a typical evil plan. It's not as complex as other Metal Gear games, but it's interesting enough.
However, for the Metal Gear fan, there's still the Codec, and there's actually a good amount of optional conversations to be had, from information on the bosses, to explanations of how things work on the Metal Gear universe, to just useless information like Raiden and his token save contact talking about Mexican food. This is where the game's characters really shine, and it would be a waste to never listen to it.
So, onto the most important part of an action game: the gameplay. To put it bluntly, it's probably the closest to perfection I've seen in the genre since Devil May Cry 3. (Not Devil May Cry 4, because it has horrible level design, which is part of the gameplay) The levels never seem to drag on for too long, you don't have to go around finding a bunch of weird items with vague descriptions, the action is always varied, with quick stealth sections to calm you down, and there's no weird stuff like arcade shoot-'em-ups in the middle of the level.
You may have noticed that I said stealth sections up there; well, it's because even if the game may not be based around stealth, it's still a Metal Gear game, so you can also sneak your way around enemies, but this time in a more predatory way, hunting them down one by one. They're good, quick sections that serve their purpose of pacing the action so that it’s not just enemy wave after enemy wave, without overstaying their welcome. And, if you don’t like stealth, you can of course just get discovered and go all ninja on their asses.
And this is where I start talking about the combat. The combat is what you'd expect from gods of the genre like Platinum. Your sword (and other weapons you can unlock later) is perfectly responsive, quick, and fun to perform combos with. And in case you ever get lost, there's a full combo list accessible by pressing the Start button any time. The original KojiPro Metal Gear Solid: Rising was based around the concept that you could cut anything, so Platinum has gone and implemented that too in the form of Blade Mode, which is a time-limited gimmick that allows your sword to cut everything how you like it. This is where the other kind of gimmicky part of the game comes in: Zandatsu. You see, Raiden's cyborg body is kind of rushed, so it doesn't have natural healing capabilities like all other cyborg ninjas, so in order to recover health you have to cut with Blade Mode a certain part of the enemy and rip their spines out to recover health. You can also cut shit like glass or even cardboard boxes if you want. It's actually kind of fun, and you don't get tired of slashing shit however you like.
However, that isn't the best part about the system for me. Platinum has decided that, as a true ninja, you don't need a defense, but to always be on the offensive. So, instead of having a block button, you have to parry attacks in order to defend yourself. It ends up being incredibly satisfying, so in order to parry, you have to hit your own attack button and the direction of the incoming attack, so it truly feels like you're fighting fire with fire, so to speak. I've heard of other people having trouble with this mechanic (it isn't taught well, it's inconsistent), but at least on my end I've had no problems with it, and there's a certain boss early in the game that forces you to use it if you ever want to beat it, so it all comes down to STOP BUTTON MASHING AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE SCREEN. If this whole section seems like just a paid commercial for the game, keep in mind that I'm not getting paid for this, so it's genuine 100% fanboy bullshit, I really love the battle system for this, and it's what I expected to do since seeing Gray Fox killing like 10 guards in a row in the original Metal Gear Solid.
The last noteworthy aspects of the gameplay are the boss battles. And holy crap are they awesome. I've always been a fan of well-done mano-a-mano fights of you and your similar opponent (see: Vergil in Devil May Cry 3, Nelo Angelo in Devil May Cry, Jeanne in Bayonetta), so having all your boss fights be that way in this game is a godsend. All of them are against the Desperado elites, except for the one that I won't spoil, and they truly push your abilities to parry, cut with Blade Mode, and keep on the offensive to the limit. All of this is accompanied with probably one of the greatest inventions in the genre: a soundtrack that keeps adding more instruments to the music when you keep getting to certain phases of the fight, until you reach the final part and the vocal come in and oh my is it awesome. Instead of the normally calm Metal Gear Solid music, this time it’s a full on power metal soundtrack (because this is Metal Gear Rising), so it just serves to keep you pumped.
I could talk about the presentation, but honestly that's kind of the weak part of the game. The locals look really nice, but that's more because of the art style passed on from Metal Gear Solid 4 than anything, and honestly, it's for the better if that's the sacrifice you need to get a constant 60FPS. The music, like I said earlier, is awesome, but apart from that there's not a lot of interesting stuff to talk about.
But, not everything is perfect. There are some camera issues that seem really evident when the game throws like 40 enemies at you at a time. The game sometimes slows down while performing a cinematic part, but that is really rare. And, the most common complaint is that the main game takes about 5 hours to complete, which is really not an issue for me that is currently replaying it on all difficulties, but I can see how it can turn people off, especially ones that aren’t really fans of the genre. At least they’re planning to release from DLC to increase the playtime, so let’s see how that works.
In conclusion, this is probably the most unprofessional review I've ever written, since it's mostly a love letter to the match made in heaven of Platinum and Kojima Productions, but if that is what it takes for people to get this game and experience the magic for themselves, then so be it. Honestly, it's probably one, if not THE best game of the generation for me, and I would hope you experience this ride too, because it's one that you can't miss if you enjoy fun, over-the-top video games.
Hottest Reviews Around
| Scribblenauts Unlimited | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Developer | 5th Cell | ||||||
| Publisher | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment | ||||||
| Platform(s) | Wii U, 3DS, Windows (also available on Steam) | ||||||
| Genres | Puzzle/Action | ||||||
| Rating(s) |
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- Everyone 10+
- Twelve years and older
- Parental GuidanceWhy, hello, fellow readers. After spending too much time watching Zero Punctuation, I've finally mustered the courage to apply for the Critic Corner! Now, I'll just cut to the chase immediately. This month, I'm reviewing the latest installment in the "spawn Cthulhu and destroy the world" series, Scribblenauts Unlimited!
My first impressions of this game were generally positive. I enjoyed playing Super, partly because you can play as Barack Obama and fight off hordes of zombies with a flaming chainsaw, or, for the Republicans, tossing him into the horde of zombies and let him die. I'm neither. It was still a mess when I played as him, though. After seeing the Object Editor in action, I made sure I was able to pick this game up, as this meant I can create all the people I hate and make them explode when they touch water.
I got this game with my Wii U, and, naturally, I played it before the bullshit bundle game or the generic Mario launch title, because in that situation, Scribblenauts has the priority by a longshot. And by "longshot", I mean really fucking big longshot.
The game tossed a rock at me in the form of a horribly attempted storyline. Honestly, the storyline was one of the few huge flaws in this game, particularly for being half-assed, like it was made at the last second to answer screaming fanboy's wild mass guesses. The other half was to shove a moral down our throats. Why did they bother with a moral in a game where you can be as cruel as you want to babies, like killing them with a knife or shooting them with a gun?!
Now, onto the gameplay. It's what you would expect from a Scribblenauts game - write stuff on the notepad, drop it into the scenery, cue clusterfuck. Except in this game, you have an object editor! I was disappointed when I couldn't import any Nintendo-related characters in there, because it would make it much easier to make Wario and such. Instead, I had to make objects out of generic objects. After saving whatever object you can make in the editor (and it probably will still look like shit no matter how hard you try), you can set up a gallery in Punctuation Plaza and share your objects with other people. Then, you see other people who magically make objects that don't look like shit, and then you cry.
The difficulty of the puzzles has reached a significant decline, somehow. They actually give you hints that give it away and make beeping sounds if you wait thirty seconds or so, as if to say "WAAAH WHY AREN'T YOU FIGURING OUT OUR PUZZLES FAST ENOUGH". Later puzzles like the ones in Super took me some time to actually figure out, but in this game, every time I was thinking "Hmm..." for more than a few seconds, the game pretty much screams at me.
There's a world map now, which is nothing more than clicking an area on the Game Pad. The areas are puns on things involving whatever literature/writing/grammar class you take, like "Capital City", "Punctuation Plaza", and "Paper Plains". There are some more clever ones, but I can't think of them off the top of my head. Each area has a bunch of beggars taking advantage of your magic notebook because they're too fat and lazy to go do it themselves. For example, one gardener claims she can't make the plant grow. Gee, I wonder what I have to do here? Let me ponder for a sec...
Oh yeah, water! Or, if you really want to stray from what the game's crying out from you to do, try some "fertilizer". Completing these bullshit "puzzles" will give you a shard, which counts nothing toward your game goal. Then, there are some puzzles that are designed like the prequels to this game that reward you with the Starites you're actually looking for.
A perk to this game is that you can now spawn iconic Nintendo characters. It's not just the protagonists of Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda (oh, and that Goron) that they threw in to please fans - you can spawn some neat stuff, like Navi and Shy Guys. I was pleased to hear Navi say "LISTEN" when I spawned her. You can also spawn a variety of other things, like the fucking Yoshi rainbow and Ganondorf. Sadly, other than basic colors for Yoshi, you cannot apply adjectives to any of them. I was really hoping for a Flaming Orange Shy Guy.
I would certainly recommend this game if you have the cash, but keep in mind it's not as good as Super Scribblenauts, due to the lack of a sandbox mode, Barack Obama being playable, and as many puzzles as Super. If you enjoyed the other two games, you will enjoy this one. Also, keep in mind that the 3DS version doesn't have the object editor, which sucks cocks.
| The 'Shroom: Hottest Reviews Around | |||||||||||
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| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2013 | |||||||||||
 Scribblenauts Unlimited |
 Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?! |
 VVVVVV |
 Pokémon X and Y First Impressions |
 DLC Quest |
 The Basement Collection |
 Mario and Luigi: Dream Team |
 Spelunky HD |
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What Could Have Happened If...
Hello everyone! It's me Yoshi K with what could have happened! This month, I decided to use a question that fans of a certain 7 villains have been wondering about for nearly a decade.
What could have happened if... Bowser Jr. was not introduced?
Yep, I'm doing this. I'm pretty sure you know those certain 7 villains are the Koopalings.
Now, to start off let me get one thing straight. Now, don't get me wrong, I do kinda like the Koopalings, but The Koopalings were already dead before Super Mario Sunshine came out. If you don't believe me, take a look at some stats.
Introduction of Bowser Jr.: 2002
Last time the Koopalings had been seen before this: 1990
A 12-year gap. Pretty long I think. Let's also take a look at Super Mario 64, yes, I know this was before Bowser Jr., but tell me this, how could Nintendo have worked the Koopalings into the game? I don't know. But why is this true? You may ask. The Koopalings worked great in Super Mario Bros. 3 and ' ' Super Mario World, so why wouldn't they work in the 3D Mario games? It all comes down to one thing. Format.
Games like Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World have this format for worlds.
World 1
World 2
World 3
World 4
World 5
World 6
World 7
World 8
8 worlds, which is perfect for 7 Koopalings and Bowser, but what about Super Mario 64? It has 15 worlds, not including Bowser fights and secret levels. How could the Koopalings fit into that? Nintendo was probably asking themselves the same question, and came to one answer, they couldn't. So they made lots of different bosses in different worlds.
So now, back to our big question, let's use ' ' Super Mario Galaxy as an example. In this game, there are 3 Bowser fights and 3 Bowser Jr. fights. Since we're saying Bowser Jr. wouldn't exist, what would happen? 6 Bowser fights? Or would the game be changed completely to fit 7 Koopalings? I think the game is fine the way it is, I mean sure, you have to do the exact same thing in the 3 Bowser fights, but the Bowser Jr. fights actually have different bosses and different ways to defeat them. If we had the Koopalings in there, not only would we have to add at least an extra dome, the boss fights would either be like the Bowser Jr. fights (in which case what's the point), or the boss fights would be almost exactly the same thing. I can imagine right now, me playing Galaxy, controlling Mario, jumping on a Koopaling's head, 7 TIMES IN A ROW. BOR-ING.
Okay, this isn't Bowser Jr. vs. Koopalings. So let's get to the other possibility of 6 Bowser fights. We could make it so that it is like the Bowser Jr. fights (but wouldn't Bowser want to fight Mario himself?), or we could make it so there are 6 boss fights that are exactly the same, again, BOR-ING. Basically what would happen is New Super Mario Bros. tower fights (the same thing over and over again).
Although I can't say this wouldn't benefit a single game. New Super Mario Bros., we had 8 tower fights, and all were against Bowser Jr. The Koopalings might have actually made that better, because at least they're SUPPOSED to be different bosses. Then that would leave the question of the World 8 tower boss, without Bowser Jr... Ummmm, all the Koopalings together? I don't know...
To conclude, if Bowser Jr. wasn't around many of these games that we like, would completely change. For better? Maybe. For worse? More likely.
Answer: If Bowser Jr. wasn't around the 3D platformers would be changed drastically, and that still leaves the question of the World 8 tower boss...
Dippy's Matilda
G'day everyone, lovely to see you all again after my fantastic holiday. As everyone is likely well aware by this point, Sony recently held their annual press conference announcing their new PlayStation 4 console, which has left me mildly excited for the next generation but I'm maintaining caution as I always do, especially given Sony neglected to show us what the console even looks like. But what caught my notice was David Cage's presentation about the polygon count in his upcoming game Beyond: Two Souls, which once again displayed a severe lack of understanding in what it really takes to make a meaningful gameplay experience. He equated technological power and graphical quality to “emotion,” a word he seemed to believe was the word of the day, and it's an attitude that's still so pervasive among developers and even the community.
2K Games' president Christoph Hartmann said last year that games can't expand outside of action until we have photorealistic graphics, while Crytek member Mike Read stated the same year that once a console generation has maxed out its graphical possibilities, there is no longer anything left to be done with the consoles and the generation is over. But this very attitude is the reason that the triple-A industry continues to stagnate as badly as it is, with a grander interest in having the shiniest images rather than the best of gameplay, stories, or characterisation. To equate visuals with emotion is a sign that these developers don't truly understand how entertainment mediums manage to impact their audience so strongly, and even serve to fully disgrace and disrespect the importance of literature, a medium that for thousands of years has engaged readers through writing and characterisation alone.
Visual cues do form a very big part of human behaviour and social interaction, and it's important to remember that actions can speak far louder than words in any form of fiction, especially in an interactive one like video games. But you don't need a massive polygonal count and HD compatibility for that body language to carry actual weight and meaning to it; it's shallow to think that simply looking like a real human is the same as feeling like a real human, because then you're just creating a caricature that has all the conventional traits that create a character, but none of the feeling or depth to make it mean anything, and most people are able to see through it.
For comparison, Crysis 3 is a beautiful game visually, but aesthetically it's generic, uninteresting, and lacking any sort of depth outside its graphical quality; meanwhile, Mother 3 – a seven-year old GameBoy Advance game with SNES graphics – still, to this day, tugs at gamer's heart strings and renders them teary-eyed, because good writing and a strong focus on character and world building will always trump the most detailed of graphics. A game like Ace Attorney that only employs the simplest of character animations still manages to create a rich, varied array of characters – many you'll love, many you'll hate – without the need for hundreds upon hundreds of animation frames, while a cel-shaded game like The Walking Dead was able to deliver a more thrilling and personal experience through its characters and dialogue than a dull, heartless game like Medal of Honor: Warfighter despite the latter's superior graphical strength.
Which now brings me to another big problem that the over focus on shiny graphics has created; this confused attitude that equates photorealism with dreary, brown and grey misery, which has been the very cause of stagnation for much of the triple-A industry. Many big shooters are noted for their extremely limited colour palette, expansive wastelands with the same scenery, and lack of visual variety and intrigue that it's left so many of them looking and playing exactly the same. Not to mention that the amount of funding invested into HD graphics is so massive that it incentivises publishers to steer clear from new ideas and risks, since they have to ensure they can make a large profit as quickly as possible. And yet so few gamers would claim these games to be any sort of emotionally engaging.
You'll find more in-depth discussion and emotional responses from games like Thomas Was Alone, Bastion, and Journey, or older releases like Final Fantasy VI, EarthBound, and The Longest Journey, than you will from high-definition releases like Gears of War, Final Fantasy XIII, or David Cage's own Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain. The former games have been carefully crafted and designed in such a way that they represent something beyond their immediate appearances, something that resonates with the player in ways that a photorealistic facial expression alone just can't hope to match. The players can understand the feelings and essence of the game's world and the people populating it through gameplay interaction, writing, symbolism, and above all, the actual character interactions and behaviour, even with such simple visuals.
That's not to say that all games need to have a cartoon aesthetic to have good, impacting narratives, because that's just silly and would be cheating us out of a tremendous amount of amazing games. Metro 2033, L.A. Noire, Assassin's Creed II, Mass Effect, BioShock, and Half-Life 2 all employ detailed graphics that strive towards realism (albeit to varying degrees of stylisation) to compliment amazing stories and better present and articulate the game's world to the player, having found that balance between a realistic look and an amazing story. You'll find that these games (excepting L.A. Noire) are generally not the absolute high point of graphical power either, but they're still considered some of the most compelling narratives in the medium. And with the Walking Dead example before, it is entirely possible to craft realistic settings and character designs through more simplistic visual styles that have just had a bit more detail put into them.
To sum this all up, the constant endeavour towards having the greatest high-definition graphics is a problem in itself, but for developers to treat that endeavour as if it's the only factor to consider in the story and innovation departments is just shallow and is going to do a lot of long-term damage to the industry. It's not only distracting from all the variables that go into making your game affect the audience, but it also spits in the face the developers that came before and the ones still operating today that employ stylised cartoon aesthetics. By all means don't stop experimenting with what we can do with the technology we have; otherwise, that's just stagnation of a different kind, but remember that those graphical experiments alone are not going to be what sticks with the audience ten years down the track; after all, Deus Ex is hideous, but people are still playing and discussing it even thirteen years after its initial release. Just… keep your priorities straight before you start telling us that wrinkled faces on a television screen are what's going to bring us to tears, is all I'm saying. See you all next month.
Game Comparison
Five years, that is the time between Mario Party 8 and Mario Party 9 releases. In five years lots of changes can happen, and effectively the difference between the two games is probably the most important in the Mario Party Series.
The main change is Mario Party 9 is the board system. The old formula, present since the first Mario Party, which consists to move on the board and buy Stars, has been completely removed. In Mario Party 9 everyone is in the same vehicle, the winner is the player who got the most Mini Stars. You collect them by passing them in the board and in the minigames. The dice block has also changed for the first time in the series, while the dice block number was 1-10 in Mario Party 8, and in the previous titles as well, the dice block is limited to 1-6 in Mario Party 9. Since everyone is on the same vehicle there is less liberty, each dice block result can affect you, whether you want it or not. Notably a bad thing can happen to you just because of bad luck. For example you can be the one who gets 10 Mini Ztars, or loses half of Mini Stars because of a Bob-omb, or a Boo, or lava. There are special dice block who limit the luck factor but sometimes you can do nothing if you are unlucky. While in Mario Party 8, there are not such punitive events, and because everyone is free to go where they want the luck factor is less important. Another thing is the minigames are less rewarding in Mario Party 9, you can at best get 5 Mini Stars in a minigame, and since you don't play many minigames in a board, winning all minigames doesn't guarantee you the win. Another thing is because of this new system, there is not a number of turns set, the game finishes when the vehicle has reached the end of the board. Because of this, the time played on the boards of Mario Party 9 is shorter, compared to a standard 15 turns game in Mario Party 8, which makes the luck factor even more decisive.
About the mini games, there was some change compared to Mario Party 8, first we see 2 vs 2 minigames have disappeared (unless we count the one in Extra Mode), the Battle minigames as well. But Mario Party 9 features Bowser Jr minigames who are cooperative two player's minigames. And notably, Boss minigames. These are totally new to the formula; there are cooperative Free-for-All minigames which consist of working together to defeat the Boss. In the previous Free-for-All minigames, it is generally the first player who is rewarded and the others got nothing. But in Mario Party 9, everyone gets a reward in Free-for-All, which makes the ranking more important. Another change is the Free-for-All minigames can be played with two or three players, and the 1-vs-Rivals minigames can be turned to 1-vs-2 minigames.
These were the major change between the two games, the modes are quite similar.
In conclusion, despite Mario Party 9 being the next game after Mario Party 8, the changes are the most important in the series. If you loved the board mechanics in the previous Mario Party games, you will probably don't like the new one in Mario Party 9. About the minigames the difference is less major, you will probably like Mario Party 9 minigames if you like Mario Party series minigames.
If I had to say which I prefer, I would say Mario Party 9, because I like its minigames, I found the Boss minigames very interesting. I also find the new board mechanic has potential; Nintendo can make something more balanced with this in the next game.
Greetings, Shroom readers! This is your host, Alex Trebek Superchao! This month, I'm interviewing Pi, also known as Kazooie, RandomYoshi, or more recently, Chiaki Nanami. Pi hasn't been around as long as most other active users - not only did he join the wiki back in mid-2011, he wasn't even very active in general until February of last year. And even then he disappeared for a few months. But since then, he's been quite the presence, even getting promoted to operator last September and joining the Shroom Staff only two months ago. But enough of my ramblings, here's the part you actually care about.
The Interview
Me: Hello, readers! Today I'm interviewing Pi, also known as RandomYoshi.
Me: (that's your cue)
Pi: Hello, readers! I am this Pi, or this RandomYoshi, or this Kazooie, or this Chiaki Nanami!
Me: As usual, let's jump right into the basic questions.
Me: How did you first find the MarioWiki?
Pi: I first found the MarioWiki when a friend of mine in 10th grade showed me it.
Pi: At first, I thought the idea of a Mario-based Wiki was a bit ridiculous as I thought that I already knew everything about Mario beforehand, but boy was I wrong.
Me: Do we know if this mysterious friend has an account?
Pi: As of the time of this interview, he does not have an account on the MarioWiki, nor does he plan to get one.
Me: Ah well. So considering Mr. 10th grader obviously isn't it, who was your first friend on the wiki?
Pi: Hmm, that's a tough question.
Pi: I feel that there was one time when I just, you know, became friends with everyone on the site, but if there's got to be someone, I'd say probably Smasher or ThePremiumYoshi (with whom I had a bunch of silly queries with).
Me: I was actually going to bring up Smasher! :V
Me: Namely, this is just my impression, but your best friends seem to be Rocker and Smasher. How'd you become friends with them?
Pi: That's an interesting question.
Me: are you implying something
Pi: With Rocker, I think that we got together because our playstyles when playing Mafia are so similar, and that we have the same opinions on pretty much everything.
Pi: That and he is just a nice guy to be around.
Pi: And with Smasher, he's very fun to mess around with. And in return, he messes with me. It's like an endless cycle of messing with each other, and it never stops.
Me: Rocker's pretty cool nowadays, a lot better than he used to be. No offense to him.
Pi: That's cool, everybody had their noob days.
Me: And that explains all the post-editing everywhere. <_>
Pi: Speaking of noob days, I was pretty godawful when I was in my noob days, too.
Pi: I remember using a ridiculous, green font on the forum in every post I made.
Me: Oh yeah, didn't you also constantly use... Courier New, wasn't it?
Pi: That's right.
Me: How often did people get mad about it? :V
Pi: Once, after which I stopped with it.
Pi: I remember the context of it, too.
Pi: I said that double spacing was stupid because it used up an extra space, and then Uniju (no offence to you, Uniju) quoted the post and said that it was a contradictory statement as I was using a font that was taking up more space than everyone else's posts, and there was some commotion on both the forum and #mwchat related to that. I stopped pretty much immediately, IIRC.
Me: Ah, yeah. I can see why that would be a shock to the system.
Me: Now, about #mwchat.
Me: You're obviously very active on IRC, as can be shown by you getting the three cyan stars. Why's that, anyway? Tell us the history. (including the part about the ban)
Pi: Ah, that's actually a very interesting story.
Pi: To kick this off, I've actually been banned from #mwchat — which I operate these days — two times before.
Me: He wasn't an operator at the time, of course! :V
Pi: My first ban lasted a week, which was because I flooded and spammed the channel like crazy.
Me: Was there any particular reason why or did you just feel like "LOLOLOL LET'S SPAM"?
Pi: It was partly because I couldn't restrain myself at the time, and partly because another troublemaker was involved — Noah.
Pi: This Noah person messed with me during the time I was banned the first time so much, and I will actually share what he did and said during my time being banned from #mwchat.
Pi: Firstly, he convinced me the ban was unjustly placed. Secondly, he was trying to get the Operators demoted for 'abusing their powers'.
Me: Ah, yes, Noah. I wasn't there at the time but I've read the stories. Quite the infamous figure, isn't he.
Pi: Indeed he is.
Pi: Anyway, as soon as I was unbanned, I was being very awkward in #mwchat and was told to leave, or else my ban was to be extended.
Pi: I pretty much immediately left, and I think I stayed out there for another week.
Pi: Then I rejoined, actually apologised for my behaviour, and told the Operators that I would learn from my mistakes.
Me: And so you did?
Pi: And indeed I did.
Me: Huzzah!
Me: Anyhow, wasn't the second ban requested?
Pi: It quite indeed was.
Pi: I requested that ban because I needed the time with school, and I wanted to be sure I couldn't rejoin #mwchat during that time.
Pi: The ban was set sometime in the beginning of April last year, and for 89 days from that day and until first of June the same year, I was on a hiatus from the Wiki, Forum and Chat.
Me: Well, I'm quite glad you're not on an 89-day hiatus this year.
Me: Would make it a bit hard to interview you
Pi: It would, wouldn't it?
Pi: During this period of time, I conveniently missed some very heavy drama on the forum and chat, which I am quite happy about.
Me: Yes, I can understand why you'd be glad about that. <_>
Me: To continue querying you about the chatroom: For some unfathomable reason someone decided to put you in charge of the chatroom.
Me: How could they ever make such an outrageous decision?
Me: (i kid, you're a great op)
Pi: That was because I was an unofficial Operator for three months.
Pi: From late June last year until late October last year, I reminded users of rules without actually being an Op and without mini-modding.
Pi: It was a skill I honed every day, and it got better and better and better, until I could blend in as a normal user who was very, very considerate about the rules of #mwchat and also wanted #mwchat to stay safe.
Pi: I also reported everything rule-breaking I saw to an Op in a query, and suggested changes to be made to the rules and whatnot.
Me: Yeah, I actually do remember that.
Pi: Eventually, the Ops all agreed that promoting me (thereby making me an official Operator) was the best decision they could make.
Me: That way you could actually enforce your reminders!
Me: So-o-o-o. Let's talk about the wiki some! Do you do much on it?
Pi: I don't do as much as I used to do, but I'm starting to do as much as I did when I was a newer face in the community.
Me: The forums and chat steal away another promising user. It's just as Wayoshi feared.
Pi: I am an Autopatrolled user there at the moment, though I think that becoming a Patroller could potentially happen.
Me: Do you have any particular areas you like to work on? <.>
Pi: Well, I mostly do stuff with Mario Party Minigame articles, but I also do Super Paper Mario things, and I also do random editing by hitting the "Random page" button and see if anything needs fixing.
Me: Ah, I see. Well, good luck with your wiki work.
Pi: Thanks!
Me: Now, there's one more area of the community left to talk about: you're quite active on the forums these days. Tell us about that, why don't you?
Pi: The forum is a nice way to spend my time, and I've become quite invested in it. Especially one thing, Mafias.
Pi: I can usually be found derping around in Mindless Junk or playing a Mafia game.
Me: Why, yes, you can. You're probably one of the best mafia players here. Why and how did you get so good/interested?
Pi: Well, I got interested when I tried Shoey's Shoey Mafia (I lost that one pretty badly...), and I realised how fun it was.
Pi: It's always fun manipulating the Innocents when you're Mafia, it's always fun scumhunting when you're Innocent.
Pi: Now, how did I become that good?
Pi: Well, for one, I always try to get as much discussion happening during a Day that I can, which makes me see patterns in how people post.
Pi: Then I analyse those patterns, analyse their posts, and try to make a conclusion based on that.
Me: And you often make some very accurate conclusions.
Me: except when you have to fakeclaim
Pi: I do? Mostly, I don't think I have that much time to scumhunt at all, but when I am given the time, I can catch the Scum pretty easily.
Pi: On the topic of fakeclaims, I can partly agree with you.
Pi: When I am asked to claim as scum, it'll rarely go my way.
Me: Like the time you claimed a Digimon that wasn't canon!
Pi: Yes, that was a very... interesting claim.
Pi: To honour that claim, I now have "Best Pawnmon" in my personal title on the forum.
Me: Oh god, I haven't even noticed that.
Me: But yeah, sometimes the general phase shortness gets annoying. Where I was from days were usually 72 hours.
Pi: I think 72 hours is way too short, though. I want Days lasting for 2 weeks.
Me: Well, the two weeks are regular for mafiascum, aren't they? You'll probably fit in great over there.
Pi: Yeah, two weeks is a regular thing on MafiaScum.
Pi: I've played a Newbie game there, and the host said I will fit in anywhere on the site.
Pi: I was probably the second best Townie during that game (sadly though, the Pi: And I actually learnt a lot from that game!
Me: Well, that'll be great, then! Just don't go deserting us, eheheheh.
Pi: Yeah, I'll keep playing games here, of course. c:
Me: Now, let's move off INTERNET for a bit. You're really good at math, and I've even heard you say you want to major in it. Why do you like it and how did you find out you liked it?
Pi: Math has always been interesting for me.
Pi: I like how there are general cases that apply to specific cases.
Pi: I like how you can say that you have something that applies, and then immediately conclude that you have something else that applies.
Pi: Though my interest piqued during 10th grade, when a teacher opened my mind about math completely when I learnt that you could do pretty much anything, as long as you said what you were doing.
Me: Perhaps you could explain that in a bit more detail. :V
Pi: Sure thing!
Pi: It was basically amazing to learn that, if you had a variable, let's call it x, you could introduce a new variable, let's call it y, and have x=√y and make an equation easier to solve.
Me: Yeah, it's quite useful for things like x delta x in limits and such.
Pi: I had thought math was something set in stone, unable to be changed by nobody special as I was at the time.
Pi: But then I was wrong, and it turned out to be amazing.
Me: Are you planning on going into a math-related career, then?
Pi: I think so, yeah. I'm studying mathematics at a University, and I'm going to keep studying there for four years.
Me: Well, I'm sure you'll do well!
Pi: Thanks!
Me: So, since we are on a Mario wiki, I should probably ask
Me: Do you have a favorite Mario game/character? And if so, why?
Pi: My favourite Mario character is Yoshi, with Daisy in a close second place. Yoshi is a very fun character, and Daisy is such a tomboy I cannot ignore her.
Pi: My favourite Mario game... I'm not sure about that.
Me: Well, do you have any ties for favorite then?
Pi: Super Mario World was a very solid title, Super Mario 64 has nostalgic values, Super Mario Galaxy's gravity makes it a very fun game, Super Mario Galaxy 2 has great level design, and whatnot.
Pi: Though Paper Mario is a very fun game, too.
Pi: Likewise, the Mario & Luigi games are incredibly fun.
Pi: I also greatly enjoy the Mario Party games.
Pi: In short, I like a lot of Mario games, but there are some I really don't like that much.
Me: So, looking at your list, I see the common theme of All Platformers among your most favorites.
Pi: Yup.
Me: Do you just generally prefer those to RPGs?
Me: Like not saying you don't like RPGs but that you don't like them As Much.
Pi: I do like RPGs.
Pi: But I played the Mario platformer games before I played the Mario RPGs, so there's some nostalgia imbedded there I think.
Me: Makes sense to me.
Me: You mentioned some you really don't like much. Any examples?
Pi: Mario Party 9 and Paper Mario: Sticker Star.
Pi: They're just... ugh, so bad.
Me: Changing the formula and Not In A Good Way.
Pi: Mario Party 9 destroyed everything that was good with Mario Party, and Paper Mario: Sticker Star had about 10 mandatory battles.
Me: Yeah, and there was no actual Motivation to not run from everything.
Me: At least in SPM you still leveled up by killing things.
Pi: Super Paper Mario is the best Paper Mario game IMHO.
Me: nice to see someone agrees with me re: spm being good
Me: high five
Pi high fives Blocky
Me: But I don't know much about MP9, honestly. What did it do again?
Pi: MP9 did bad stuff.
Pi: You are all in a car and you all move.
Pi: All the boards are linear, and have an end space.
Pi: Everything is determined with the roll of the Dice Block, the items only affect the Dice Blocks, and minigames aren't played that much, if at all.
Me: That doesn't sound anything like Mario Party!
Pi: You're quite right about that one!
Me: So, I assume you're not someone who limits himself to just one series.
Me: What's your favorite non-Mario game?
Pi: Banjo-Kazooie.
Pi: <3
Me: besides banjo-kaz-
Me: goddammit, pi
Pi: Besides Banjo-Kazooie?
Me: Yeah, because that one's really super obvious, Mr. Kazooie.
Pi: Um... Banjo-Tooie? *shot*
Me: :I
Pi: Um... hmm.
Pi: I have this weird likehood for Final Fantasy XIII that nobody seems to understand. I quite like the Final Fantasy games as a whole, and I want to play more than just XIII.
Me: Is XIII generally unpopular or something? I don't Final Fantasy sorry :V
Pi: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask are two games I really enjoy, too.
Pi: Yes, hating FFXIII is a new religion or something like that.
Me: I've noticed Skyward Sword also being... divisive.
Pi: Yup.
Me: Why do you like the Banjo games and FFXIII, then?
Pi: Banjo-Kazooie defined my childhood.
Pi: It defined my life.
Pi: When I play through that game, I see myself growing up all over again.
Pi: It's so goddamn nostalgic there is nothing stopping it.
Pi: I used to play it when I felt down, and it would never fail to cheer me up.
Me: Well, I'm glad it did that for you!
Pi: Anyway, on the topic of FFXIII, I like that game because of the battles being fast-paced, and the characters are actually interesting if you give it a chance.
Me: Well, holding your own opinions against the majority is, i don't know how to word it but it's a good sign?
Pi: Yup.
Pi: It's a sign you really, really know how to voice your opinions, which is always a positive sign.
Me: Not that having majority-opinions is necessarily bad.
Me: Really, you should just make sure your opinions are your own.
Me: So, if you don't mind me asking. what is life in Sweden like?
Pi: Oh yeah, I live in Sweden.
Me: is it true you live in snow huts and hate denmark
Me: I distinctly remember reading that Sweden has been rivals with one of the Scandinavian countries for hundreds of years.
Pi: Well, about that with the snow huts and all — that's obviously not true (or is it?!).
Pi: Nah, it's not true at all. But what you are saying about Denmark is correct.
Pi: Denmark and Sweden used to hate each other during the 1500s-1600s.
Me: So what is Sweden actually like, then?
Me: Non-stereotypically, that is.
Pi: Well, it's actually warmer than you'd imagine it being.
Pi: That's partly due to the Gulf Stream that keeps it warm and comfortable. Granted, you have to live in the southern part of Sweden for that to be noticeable, which I do.
Me: Do you guys have any ridiculous stereotypes about us? :V
Pi: Yup!
Me: Like what?
Pi: The most notable one is that you Americans sue companies for everything, no matter what.
Pi: It's even jokingly stated.
Me: Well, there are elements of truth in that.
Pi: And while on jokes, there are a plethora of jokes involving Norwegians being dumb in Swedish humour.
Me: What do you guys have against Norway?
Pi: Nothing at all.
Me: Oh, so basically it's like how we treat Canada.
Pi: It's also interesting to note that there are jokes involving Swedes being dumb in Norwgeian humour.
Me: well that explains a lot
Pi: But that's justified, because Sweden is the most "hated" country of the Scandinavian countries. Basically:
Pi: -Sweden had total control over Norway over the course of 100 years.
Pi: -Denmark and Sweden were rivals a long time ago.
Pi: -Schools in Finland once forbade the teaching of Finnish by orders of the Swedish government, and enforced the teaching of the Swedish language instead.
Me: Wow, you guys were jerks.
Pi: I know that we were jerks.
Pi: Also, if you say that you love Sweden and are Swedish, you will be labeled as a racist.
Me: ...Welp!
Pi: Yup!
Me: Why not tell us a bit of positivity for a change.
Pi: Well, it's the second best country to live in Europe, and it has one of the highest rates of democracy in the entire world.
Pi: It's better than USA in the last remark.
Pi: I think that Sweden is like number 4 on that list? Number 3? 2? IDK, all I know is that Iceland is at number 1.
Me: those darn icelanders, always outclassing everyone
Pi: mhm
Pi: Anyhow, Sweden also exports a lot of music.
Pi: Only the UK and USA exports more music than Sweden does.
Me: I should give Swedish music a try sometime.
Pi: Anything else you had on your mind?
Me: Not really.
Me: So hey, is this the last question?
Pi: Perhaps this is the last question of this interview, but nobody can know everything!
Me: But wasn't that the entire point you went into math, that you'd be able to know things?
Pi: Yes, know things. Not everything. Knowing everything would be boooring.
Me: But Pi, I just defined the answer to the question! Aren't you paying attention?
Pi: I am too attentive to my chocolate, it seems.
Me: RIP Pi
Pi: god i love chocolate
Me: Lost forever gazing at his chocolate
Pi: it's amazing <3
Me: It was nice talking with you until you fell under the chocolate's spell, though!
Me: Thanks for the interview.
Pi: You're welcome!
Conclusion
Pi's pretty cool. Despite not being here as long as most, he's definitely got a well-deserved reputation, and he's certainly easy to talk to. You should probably chat him up when you get a chance.
(spoilers I can't write conclusions either)
Hello, Brawlers! Welcome to this month's edition of BRAWL TACTICS!!!!!!!!!!
This month I will be covering the StarFox stage Lylat Cruise!
Lylat Cruise is a medium sized stage that takes place aboard a starship that's flying around the galaxy at high speeds. You won't get knocked off by the G's, but your opponents are a different story. The ceiling and sides of this stage are pretty deep despite not being on screen, so if you get knocked off, you've got a little time to get back on.
First off, this cruiser has two levels. It's made up of the main part of the ship, the lower level, and the top parts of the wings, the upper levels. The edges have sloped sides, so be careful where you're walking. All three of the upper levels are fall-through panels, so if you need to make a quick getaway, they're there for you to use.
Secondly: Final Smash capability. This stage is very welcoming for stage clearing Final Smashes, whether those are beams like Mario or Samus' or larger attacks like Luigi or DK's, or, unsurprisingly enough, a Landmaster. The small size of this stage makes it perfect for trapping your opponents to where they can't get away from your Final Smash, so use this to your advantage.
Getting away from Final Smashes, well, that's a different story. This stage's size and layout makes avoiding Final Smashes pretty tricky, so you might as well try to tough it out and last as long as you can. The height of this stage makes anti-gravity very interesting, so if you get bunny ears, your jumps will be pretty supercharged. My best advice for avoiding that KO? Run for your life and keep moving to foil their aim! Hopefully you picked a character with a high jump!
One last thing, Brawlers! You may be wondering throughout your battle, "Where the heck are all my items at?" Well, that's the gimmick of this stage. Since the ship takes so many turns at weird angles, it tilts a lot, thus, items can't get a hold on the stage and tend to fall off. If you do manage to snag a Pokeball or an Assist Trophy, consider yourself lucky you got it and use it wisely. You've been warned!
That's all for me this month, Brawlers! Stay tuned next month for a new edition of BRAWL TACTICS!
