The 'Shroom:Issue 141/Pipe Plaza

Director’s Notes
Written by:

Happy holidays, readers! The special issue is here and it is smashing. I'm very busy right now but I do want to say a couple of things. Firstly, we are bidding farewell to this month, who has finished off Upcoming Game. Thank you for your contributions! Secondly, do check out this month's scavenger hunt, which I may or may not have contributed to ;)

I hope you enjoy this month's Pipe Plaza, and have a great winter!

Section of the Month

Monthly Report
Written by:

Hey readers! Welcome to the last Monthly Report of the year, coming directly to you from your Statistics Manager. In this section, as usual, I give you an overview of various statistics of the Super Mario Wiki. The stats for December, compared to the previous month.

*All times EST.

And that's it for Monthly Report in 2018. I hope you enjoyed looking at those various stats of your favorite Mario encyclopedia. Thanks for reading and see you back in 2019. Meanwhile, I wish you a happy holiday and a great year for all of you! Do not forget to take good resolution for 2019.

Interview
Written by:

Hello, 'Shroom readers! Last month of the year, and if you're in the northern half of the world, it's quite cold. Fitting that I'd go ahead and interview long-time community member Icemario now, hmm? He's been around a while, mostly associated with Mafia (and the ill-fated Mafia Hosts Guild), and he was often an active and invested participant when that regularly happened. Despite its demise, he still shows up pretty regularly, enough for me to make it worth getting his story. So without further ado, on with the interview!

 The Interview:  Superchao: Hello, 'Shroom readers! Welcome to yet another of my classic interviews! Superchao: This time around, I'm interviewing Icemario. Icemario: Hi there! Superchao: So! As per usual, I gotta start this off the same way. Superchao: How'd you find the wiki to begin with? Icemario: It all started way back when I had gotten my hands on Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Icemario: It's a bit of a blur but something in the game had me searching the internet for more information... I think it was star piece locations? Superchao: Wouldn't surprise me. Those were obtuse. Icemario: Verily Icemario: The wiki was one the first results, and so it was at that point I had found what appeared to be a pretty reliable source for Mario knowledge Icemario: It pretty much became my new go-to Superchao: And thus our reputation is sealed by another person. Excellent work, team. Superchao: About when was this, if I might ask? Icemario: A year or two before I actually registered for the wiki Superchao: Well, that leads pretty well into my next question. So you lurked the wiki for a while - what prompted you to take the plunge and actually sign up for it? Icemario: Honestly, it never really occurred to me that I could also make contributions Icemario: Until I ended up with a copy of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, that is Icemario: The game was pretty new at that point, and I had become deeply engrossed in the game despite its notable emphasis on tutorials early on Superchao: I remember Tutorial Hell. That game was... okay. Icemario: Surprisingly, I'm still quite enamoured with the game Icemario: I found the flow of battle once it actually let you fight things to be the most enjoyable in the series to date Superchao: Oh, why's that? I personally felt the game had a slow aspect to it the entire time, so hearing someone else's perspective is good. Icemario: I can't recall any of the other games actually utilising the background of a battlefield as extensively as Dream Team did Icemario: And a good deal of enemy attacks were evaded without just jumping or using a hammer, which I felt was refreshing Superchao: Ah, I see. It didn't do it ofr me, but I can see how it'd work for someone else. Superchao: So, Dream Team inspired you to go "wow I can add stuff to this"? Icemario: Yeah, quite a bit Icemario: Yeah, seeing as the game was new, there was a lot of information that wasn't yet put on the wiki that I was aware of Icemario: So it seemed natural to return the favour after all these years Superchao: Why "Icemario", anyway? As opposed to... I dunno, Firemario or something? Icemario: Fire Mario in the games didn't really strike me as very interesting, I guess Icemario: When I had played Super Mario Galaxy, and saw how Mario became literal ice Icemario: I was astounded Icemario: That had left such a great impression on me, so I was upset it never really made another appearance after that in that state Icemario: The -mario was just a consequence of young me oozing with creativity and originality, after playing so many of his games Superchao: It's okay, that's basically how I felt about Sonic games, as you can tell by my impressive name I still have today. Superchao: It is weird that they completely overhauled Ice Mario, though. Man, now I want to play some of Galaxy again, good work. Superchao: So I take it you enjoyed editing stuff on the wiki? Icemario: Going back to the example of Dream Team, writing up so many of those enemy articles had me wring the game dry for details that I didn't necessarily come across during my first playthroughs Icemario: Which I found made me appreciate the game a bit more Superchao: I hear that! It's amazing what you can dig up when you're really looking for it (see: my F-Zero 'Shroom section) Superchao: So, that kept you around on the wiki, but what about the forum? What drew you there? Icemario: Funny that you mentioned the 'Shroom, that was what made me join Icemario: I had signed up to be a writer for Fake News, so it was initially just to send in my section(s) Superchao: 'Shroom writing recruiting someone? Now that's a success story! Superchao: I notice you didn't write for THAT long, though... Icemario: Indeed Icemario: It was mostly a result of time constraints at the time Icemario: Although, I did consider returning at some stage, even to this day Superchao: Someday, perhaps. Fake News could always use more writers Superchao: What interested you in 'Shroom writing, for that matter? Icemario: Yeah, though I was also considering the other features as well Icemario: Gotta expand them horizons Icemario: I think it was just the novelty of people coming together to make a newspaper centred around a fictional series Icemario: And back when I had first stumbled upon it, you guys had already expanded into a pretty nice range of sections, which definitely keeps it rather fresh if you ask me Superchao: Yeah, I think the 'Shroom's reached a nice setup with the teams, as opposed to the disorganized mess it started out as. Superchao: Really helps give direction to each group of sections. Icemario: Yeah, and seeing it continue to grow, so many years after its inception is pretty remarkable Superchao: So, you kept on the forum after you started 'Shroom writing? Icemario: At first, it was how there were discussions about games I was also playing: that was the hook Icemario: Then I noticed the whole Mafia sub-board that the boards used to have, that was the line Icemario: And when I realised it was almost 1:1 with the old mafia games that I played prior, that truly was the sinker Superchao: Oh man, Mafia. I have so much to ask you about Mafia, considering how tied you are. Superchao: To start with, this isn't the first place you played Mafia at? Icemario: Nope, I had played quite a bit of it on IRC previously Icemario: It was a lot more fast-paced than the forum variety Icemario: Well, I suppose that's a "yep" rather than a "nope" Icemario: It didn't feature as many players due to them needing to be present immediately, but it was still good fun Superchao: Ah, so you started with IRC mafia and this got you into forum mafia. Superchao: Well, the important question is: why do you like Mafia so much? Icemario: I think it stems from an early love for mystery and detective novels Icemario: Playing Mafia almost feels like I'm living out one of those novels myself Superchao: >mystery and detective novels Superchao: Good man. Superchao: I've noticed you're pretty good at it, too - just all that drive to deduce things, huh? Icemario: I would assume so Icemario: I get pretty invested into the games, so just thinking so much about a situation might eventually make me realise something Icemario: That said, I've found being the Mafia has always been a lot more difficult for me Icemario: In that scenario I'm always in anticipation of that one person - whoever they are - just figuring me out and sending the town after me, which does happen quite a bit Superchao: Maybe it's the anticipation itself that brings that upon you? You act differently because of it? Superchao: Who knows. Icemario: I reckon that's it, really Icemario: In a game that lasts usually a couple of weeks, having to keep up an act feels particularly daunting for me Superchao: That'd explain it, yeah. Superchao: On the subject of mafia, what would you say were your least favorite and favorite parts of the game? Icemario: The inactivity and activity, respectively Superchao: Hehhhh. Good answers. But yeah, I dunno if it's just mafia in general or if it's because of the specific people here, but... i remember many, many cases of people just coasting through a game. Icemario: Yeah, I do as well Icemario: It kinda hurts to witness, because the game really does become more enjoyable with everyone pitching in Icemario: I'm unsure of what the key factor here was, but I would say it's one of the two you suggested Superchao: It doesn't help mafia that 'Shroom III was so ridiculous it pretty much killed energy permanently. Superchao: Too good/too big an act to follow, for sure Icemario: Indeed Superchao: Out of curiosity, what's your opinion on the killing game... game? Any interest in it, or has watching it not held the same appeal? Icemario: From what I've observed, it seems very interesting Icemario: Definitely even closer to the whole detective thing than even Mafia, which is quite appealing Superchao: Perhaps you'll get to sign up for the next one, whenever that might happen! You'd probably be good at the solving side of it. Icemario: Hopefully! Icemario: So far when games have started, I've never really been able to spare a reasonable amount of time Superchao: That's unfortunate, but it happens. Just gotta hope people do them at the right times, then! Icemario: Exactly, I'm sure all the stars will align eventually Superchao: But for now, let's look back at the past and ask you about something iconic when it comes to Mafia... the Mafia Hosts Guild. Superchao: What did you think of it in general? Feel free to take your time on a long answer. Icemario: Oh boy. Icemario: I wasn't around when it was first conceived, so perhaps it did serve more use back then (such as with the old schedule system, from what I recall?), but I think it was pretty clear the use of it had dwindled over time. I myself joined for the green sta-uh to see what it was like on the inside, to see if there was a way I could become more involved with Mafia. Icemario: The decline in activity of mafia games in recent years definitely correlated with the activity of the MHG board, and with players generally being pretty civil in the games I did play, I don't think there was ever much for us to do while I was on board (ha). So understandably, people put its continued existence into question, and I think it was good that it was ultimately disbanded because there really didn't seem like there was much we could do to improve the mafia experience that wasn't otherwise possible by any other player not part of the guild. Superchao: Pretty much. Heck, I joined to see if I could help, and honestly... it felt like it got too caught up in its own hype. Icemario: Yeah, spot-on. Even the whole vote for a local moderator would probably be much more appropriate to do publicly, as much of the guild had become pretty inactive. Superchao: it didn't help that the super-fancy constitution looked... pretentious. Icemario: That as well, yeah Superchao: And it kind of handcuffed the guild so it couldn't actually punish anyone... Icemario: Or allowed it to clean up the main board, until late into its lifespan Superchao: Ultimately, it was a good idea that got too caught up in itself. Icemario: That's a solid summary of it. Superchao: Did you enjoy it, though? Icemario: Eh, not particularly. Icemario: While the novelty was still strong, I certainly enjoyed looking through its history. Icemario: But most of its activity was before I joined, so I caught the guild mid-decline. Superchao: Pretty much everyone from the guild's heyday is gone. Superchao: Coincidence!? Icemario: I think not. Superchao: So, were there any mafia games that were just... exceptional favorites for you? Superchao: Grand highlights of the past. Icemario: Free! Mafia, Mother 3 Mafia, Ace Attorney Mafia, Fire Emblem Awakening Mafia and even though I didn't play it, Packy Mafia, come to mind immediately. Superchao: If you don't mind sharing, what makes a mafia game a highlight for you? Icemario: I win them Usually it just has to feature enough reasonable shenanigans for it to become a vivid memory in my mind Icemario: Like with Free! Mafia, I had first begun adopting more experimental tactics, or Mother 3 Mafia, which I remember having a pretty hectic mid to late game Icemario: I felt like in the latter the Mafia were to some degree, underdogs, and somehow making a victory out of the dire circumstances we were in was not something I could easily forget Superchao: Heh, yeah, underdog victories can be really fun. Fond memories of making one work despite the fact I really shouldn't have... Icemario: Which game was that, might I ask? Superchao: MCD's Bloody British Mafia, where I was the robot godfather, pretty much outed, and the last member of my team. Superchao: Then I got an item that let me revive three dead people. Superchao: I promptly revived all three dead robots and the change in voting power let us force a win. Icemario: Aha, I remember being in that game as a replacement. Superchao: Yep! I even was totally blatant about being scum by the end and we still rigged it like fuck. Whadda game. Icemario: That's pretty amazing, pfft Superchao: So overall, you've always felt like an iconic part of the Mafia scene on Marioboards. Good work. Icemario: Thanks, I'm really happy to have joined during bits of its prime Superchao: I've noticed, really - you tend to vanish for long periods of time, and then come back. Why's that? Icemario: Recently (the past couple of years) or overall or? Superchao: Recently, mostly. Icemario: Real life commitments definitely had a huge influence on when I disappeared and resurfaced, generally Superchao: Ah, that explains it. At the phase of your life where the whims of fate will determine things Icemario: Having some fairly critical exams earlier this year and having gone to university recently come to mind, if I'm to be specific Icemario: Yeah, like a lot of the older users, it seems Superchao: Funny thing is, it feels like the oldest users (post-college) have less trouble with it... probably because work is more static time-wise than college. Icemario: You're probably right on that, yeah Icemario: I can't think of many jobs where you have to get back from work and then extensively study what you did during work Superchao: Imagine if you did. That'd be a ride. Icemario: Ooh man, that'd feel like an extension of the already really lengthy education system Superchao: PERPETUAL EDUCATION. Icemario: I don't think a backwards long jump can get us past that, unfortunately Superchao: It does, however, backwards long jump us nicely into the next question area I wanna ask you about. Superchao: You talked about Dream Team. Is it still one of your favorite Mario games, and do you have other high up there favorites? Icemario: I feel it's managed to hold on to its spot as one of my favourite Mario RPGs (TTYD is decisively my favourite, however), and given that's already one of my favourite genres, it's fairly easily retained its place as one of my favourite Mario games Superchao: Ooh, that gives me some ideas for things to ask... but we'll start off with the easy one - what other Mario games are your favorites? Superchao: I mean, you did just name one. Icemario: Some of the older games that I still have a deep appreciation for include Mario Strikers Charged (I really want them to bring this back), all of the Gamecube Mario Party games, Mario Tennis: Power Tour, and the Gamecube Mario Party games Icemario: I wouldn't outright call those my favourites, but they definitely were back when I owned them Superchao: Gamecube was a solid console in general, wasn't it? Here's hoping the Switch will end up feeling as iconic as the ol' cube by the end of it. Icemario: Other titles like Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Golf: World Tour, Yoshi's Island, both Partners in Time and Superstar Saga, Super Mario 64 DS and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon are more akin to my recent favourites Icemario: I thought Super Mario Odyssey was pretty fun, too Icemario: Yeah the Gamecube was really great, the lack of Virtual Console content on the Switch is such a missed opportunity Superchao: Clearly they're just saving it for the Gamecube Mini Icemario: I'm looking forward to that 2023 release Superchao: It'll be the talk of the town when it happens! Superchao: So what draws you to the RPGs, anyway? Icemario: In part it might be my inner mathematician speaking, but the abundance of numbers, the management of various resources and quite often, the strategy element of an RPG really pulls me in Superchao: That is... remarkably similar to Crackin, in the "numbers go up" part Icemario: The Mario RPGs especially, because they're notably more interactive than the standard "take your turn and watch this 15-second scripted clip of your character dealing a lot of damage to this enemy" Icemario: Nice, I'm glad I'm not alone on that front Superchao: Now, now. Superchao: Sometimes, it's a 2-minute clip! Superchao: Really though, I'm guessing this influences your tastes elsewhere? Superchao: Like, say... why people think of you liking Fire Emblem? Icemario: Yeah, absolutely. Icemario: Heck, that description loosely describes the Fire Emblem games. Superchao: Which ones got you into the series, anyway? There's basically three potential options but I'm curious anyway. Icemario: I'm not sure why exactly I started playing the series, but I remember FE7 playing a huge part in my early days with the series. Icemario: I then started to dabble around the GBA titles, and once I had played them all, I kinda just stopped for a while. Icemario: Then I saw some YouTube videos of people playing Awakening a few years later and thought it looked cool, and that had sparked my intrigue in the series anew. Superchao: I was going to say it's pretty much always 7/8, 9/10, or 13, but you did it with two of the three! How devious. Icemario: Not quite the trifecta I was hoping for, though. Superchao: All you need to do is drop three hundred dollars on Radiant Dawn and you're all set. Simple! Icemario: Indeed, I'll just have to live on pasta for the next few weeks. Superchao: So what is your favorite Fire Emblem game, anyway? Icemario: With every passing day and with every additional game I have to consider, that question really becomes more difficult. Superchao: Welcome to the interview, where we ask the hard-hitting questions journalism is known for. Icemario: It's quite a cop out, but I think it's currently a four-way tie for me. Icemario: Between 4 (Genealogy), 7 (Blazing Sword), 9 (Path of Radiance), and 12 (New Mystery). Superchao: 7 and 9 don't surprise me that much, but I was not expecting 4 or especially 12 Superchao: No one ever talks about 12! Icemario: Yeah, sadly. Coming off of Shadow Dragon, I can understand why so many people didn't end up playing it. Icemario: But I think it drastically improved on it in a vast amount of ways to the point I would urge people to give it a go, if they're interested in the series at all. Superchao: Doesn't help that it never got localized, I've noticed that's a barrier sometimes. Superchao: People talk about 7 and 8 way more than 6, after all. Icemario: Though 6 does at least get noticed more than 5 and prior, thanks to that one spin-off Fire Emblem series. Icemario: Super Smash Bros., was it? Icemario: 5 definitely really got hurt from the lack of localisation more than the others: it doesn't even have a full translation after all this time, which makes it notably less approachable than the rest of the series. Icemario: Even more than the other non-localised titles already are, anyway. Superchao: Good old Thracia "garbled gibberish" 776 Superchao: Hold on, lemme find a good picture. Icemario: Ah man, that logo. Superchao: Seems perfectly normal to me. Icemario: Yeah there's no glitched text to be seen, there. Icemario: Must've patched it out, I suppose. Icemario: I only got around to playing 9 last summer, and it definitely left a huge impression on me, good golly. Superchao: A good one, I take it. Icemario: Most certainly. Icemario: I'd probably call it my favourite if I wasn't so wary of recency bias, frankly. Superchao: What made you like it so much? Icemario: The gameplay was as solid as ever, for starters. I really like the inclusion of the Shove mechanic, and I think I much prefer the idea of Strength replacing your Constitution in weight calculations. Icemario: Bonus EXP seemed like a good way to make units that were lagging behind your squad relevant again, with how it's cheaper to use the lower level your character is. Icemario: So much of its soundtrack I thought was just fantastic, especially the map themes, like "Greil Mercenaries". Superchao: It's always weird to me how many little mechanical differences the FE titles have, really. Icemario: Yeah, there's always small instances of experimentation here and there, if nothing bigger. Icemario: I do think that helps keep the series from really staling, like other series might. Icemario: The Mario & Luigi series, referring back to that, comes to mind. Superchao: Of course, sometimes you can go a bit /too/ far in the other direction... Icemario: Absolutely: I do wish they didn't stray so far from the first two Paper Mario games, with the later iterations. Superchao: Speaking of Fire Emblem, is Nino actually your favorite character? Icemario: Contrary to what some might expect, no. Icemario: I don't have a favourite character in mind at the moment, though she wouldn't be it. Icemario: She'd probably make a top 10 if I sat down and thought about it. Superchao: And by some you mean me, because that is absolutely what I expected :V Superchao: Would you say it's actually your favorite game series? Sometimes it seems like it. Icemario: Definitely, no question about it. Superchao: Nice. Can't blame you, with all you've said about it. Icemario: I don't think there's another video game series I've engaged with as much as the Fire Emblem series, which sounds a bit treacherous considering I ended up joining the Mario-based community. Superchao: I mean, my favorite series fandom-wise is Touhou, and my favorite series game-wise is Metroid, so really, we're two of a kind in that. Icemario: I had never really considered a series' fandom and its games as separate, but that does make sense. Icemario: I think too many people sort of merge the two together and make conclusions about a game series based on the side of the fandom they get exposed to first, which doesn't seem like a fair assessment. Icemario: For the games themselves, anyway. Superchao: It depends on the series, really. Sometimes, like Metroid, there's not that much of a separation. But then you get things like Touhou with far more fanwork, fan games, fan remixes, etc than official games, and it becomes hard to judge the cutoff point. Icemario: Yeah, you make a good point there, and that kind of situation Touhou is in with its fandom is pretty reminiscent of Fire Emblem, actually. Superchao: Really? I'd always thought Fire Emblem was more game-centric... or is it more a split between Awakening/Fates and prior? Icemario: At least for the GBA games primarily, there's quite a romhacking scene, and some of the stuff that gets pumped out there honestly seems more innovative and enjoyable than some of the official games in the series. Icemario: That's kind of what I was going for, there. Superchao: Oh, yeah, I've seen so many GBA romhacks. Superchao: FIRE EMBLEM DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OSTIAN PRINCESS Superchao: and also some actually good ones Icemario: I don't think I've heard of that one, admittedly. Superchao: It's... a ride. You should read it later. Icemario: Fire Emblem 7x is definitely one I'd urge people to play, if they're at all interested in the FE7 or by extension, FE6. Icemario: And from what I see of the fandom, it doesn't seem as divided as it used to be when Awakening was fresh, thankfully. Icemario: I'm not sure what effect Heroes has had on the series either, for that matter. Superchao: Yeah, Awakening was pretty opinion-splitting. But you can't deny it literally saved the series, so that's nice. Icemario: Yeah, good on Awakening for that. Superchao: Anyhow, besides video games, I'm curious; do you have any other offline hobbies? Icemario: Oh, a handful. Icemario: As aforementioned, I'm a bit of a sucker for detective novels. Icemario: But I do like to read books in general, not necessarily just those. Icemario: It was originally a preference for fiction but it's expanded into non-fiction, as well, lately. Icemario: I've also picked up archery somewhat recently, which I normally worked on early in the mornings, back when I was at university, Superchao: I highly approve of you reading a lot. More people should do that. Icemario: I also play badminton, fairly regularly. Superchao: Archery, though... didn't expect that! Icemario: For sure, and The 'Shroom is a good place to start Icemario: Yeah I wasn't expecting it either, admittedly. Icemario: But it's been quite fun and I've stuck at it, so far. Superchao: What drew you to that in the first place? Icemario: The taster sessions were free, and I found the prospect of using a bow to be really interesting. Icemario: That's about all I needed, really. Superchao: And now you'll be able to attack at range. Superchao: Good luck with enemy turns, though. Icemario: Yeah, I'll need to recruit some allies who wield melee weapons. Icemario: But oh boy, fliers beware. Icemario: I'd be self-sufficient if I ended up liking fencing, but that wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped. Superchao: It happens! Better to go "nah this isn't for me" than force yourself into something you don't like much. Icemario: And better to have tried it and made that decision, than to sit wondering if it would've worked out. Superchao: Yep. So really, it was all for the best. Superchao: Oh, that does remind me of one other thing I wanna ask about - Konosuba. It's an anime that I associate with... basically you, Nitwit, and TFP entirely. Superchao: So since I'm interviewing you, what did you like about it? Icemario: It being loosely based on video games in general was a good start to it all, but what really sold it for me was how much charm it oozes, and its total quirkiness in both the characters and its loosely pieced together plot. Icemario: Especially the characters, though. Icemario: Hands down my favourite part of the show, definitively. Superchao: Light novel adaptations seem to be hit or miss, but I've heard this one is pretty solid relative to others. Icemario: Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen someone say a bad word about the show yet. Icemario: I'm really hoping for that season 3 becoming a thing. Superchao: I believeeee. Superchao: So, now that that's out of the way: Superchao: Is this the last question? Icemario: Only if this is the final interview. Superchao: Well, it may be December... but nah, not the final one! Superchao: Guess I'll have to ask you the last question next year. Icemario: Ah well, the interview already took a few months to even start, another year wouldn't hurt. Superchao: We'll see you then. Superchao: But seriously, thanks for coming! Icemario: Thanks for having me!

Conclusion: What a guy, huh? Icemario's a good member to have around, and while you'd be forgiven for sometimes thinking he might be gone for good, he always seems to find his way back to the boards and community somehow. He's friendly, and while he might not be outgoing he's always good for a good conversation. Here's hoping he sticks around even longer!

Interview 2
Written by:

Hello, 'Shroom readers! I hope you enjoyed the interview I did with Icemario. And if you were hoping you'd seen the last of me, well... too bad! Because here you go, getting a second interview this month! Finally delivered on that promise, even if it took me two extra months. This interview is with Mister Wu, who most people only know for being on the wiki a lot. I thought I'd dig in and learn a bit about him as a person, rather than the surface level stuff like "this guy likes the Koopalings". So, I sat him down and we went through this interview, and now you all get to enjoy it!

The Interview Superchao: Hello, 'Shroom readers! Have I got a treat for you this month! Superchao: That's right, a second interview besides my one with IceMario! And this time, it's with Mister Wu! Mister Wu: I hope it doesn't turn to be more of a threat for the readers... Superchao: So, there's only one place we can properly start, and that's at the beginning. Superchao: How did you personally find the MarioWiki? Mister Wu: well, the first time I remember it vividly was due to the... surprise, surprise... Koopalings! Well, yeah, I had rediscovered them in Mario Kart 8 after so many years I hadn't see them (I had skipped the Wii and just received the Wii U from some kind of.. sweepstakes I think it's the name?) Mister Wu: And had discovered that they weren't Bowser's children any longer Superchao: Grand High Lord Miyamoto strikes again with his rampant decrees. Mister Wu: I couldn't find very well organizaed information on what happened except on the Super Mario Wiki Mister Wu: this caught my attention Superchao: How heartbroken were you to discover the NEW TRUTH? Mister Wu: A Mister Wu: LOT Superchao: I can't blame you. I still wake up sometimes with traumatic flashbacks of Metroid: Other M... Mister Wu: good thing I left with Prime and Fusion, I guess... Superchao: It's okay, the new games look like they'll be good. So, once you learned the horrible truth, what kept you sticking around on the wiki? Mister Wu: That the truth was horrible! I wanted to go more into depth into that! And that I was curious to know if there I could start posting to a more general audience my discoveries on how Mario Kart 8 worked, at least initially Mister Wu: If I remember correctly, I actually started with the intention on focusing on Mario Kart stuff in general Superchao: Oh, so it was Mario Kart 8? Truly a powerful game. Superchao: What kind of discoveries? Mister Wu: The ones on how big was the speed difference, how much the Mini-Turbo lasted and how the charging changed in the series, the item probabilites Superchao: The first two just make me think of F-Zero but that's pretty neat stuff! Technical info is always cool to have on a wiki. Mister Wu: yeah, technical stuff, not very interesting for the readers, sorry! Superchao: Especially for something as RNG dependent as Mario Kart Superchao: Hey, I'm interested! But also I'm a nerd. Mister Wu: Still, the Wii U, thanks to Virtual Console and Wii compatibility, allowed me to play a lot of Super Mario games I had yet to play, I wonder if that was one of the things that kept me here as well... Superchao: Wouldn't surprise me. You've gotta have somewhere that documents what's really bad and what's a beacon of hope that pierces through a smog of despair, right? Mister Wu: Well, if anything, having a place that doesn't tell me that when I was little I didn't hear the story very well helps... but I must not understate the important role the people here had! Superchao: Oh? The community's always been an iconic part of the wiki, but I'm interested to hear more. Mister Wu: I'm not the most sociable person here, and I'm a little bit too focused on the matters of the wiki that interest me, but nonetheless even if you're like me you start noticing recurring editors in the talk pages, if I remember correctly the ones I soon started to notice were Baby Luigi, Bazooka Mario, SmokedChilli, LinktheLefty and Walkazo Superchao: I recognize... three of those names directly and a fourth indirectly. Superchao: Shows how much time I spend on the wiki! Mister Wu: I mean, if you spend time with the community you're probably getting the better part Superchao: i mean Superchao: you're probably not wrong Superchao: But I take it that noticing those recurring editors helped you reach out? Mister Wu: Maybe "reaching out" is still a bit excessive for me, as sadly I'm still the uber-focused guy, but they helped getting in contact with the Boards and with the Discord server Superchao: And if you hadn't done that, you'd probably not be here right now! Superchao: So it's all worth it, right? Mister Wu: Well, I met a lot of great people, actually, so it was worth for that, for sure! Superchao: Anything in particular you really enjoy about all the time you spend on the wiki? Superchao: Like, fixing typos or adding information? Mister Wu: Well, at the moment there are a few things I like doing inthe wiki: at the beginning it was surely keeping myself informed on the whole Koopalings arc, although at this point I fear I'm seeing the end of it... Mister Wu: then it was checking information on official sources on burning questions like "Seriosuly, what is this guy supposed to be?" - that actually became recently important courtesy of that Encyclopedia Superchao: Don't worry. Once Emperor Miyamoto locks the Koopalings in the sacred vault, he'll surely let them out in another 15 years! Superchao: Oooooy. The encyclopedia. Hoo boy, THAT was a headache. Mister Wu: I also like the concept and creation parts - you see the men behind the characters and what they were thinking, it's incredibly intriguing Mister Wu: and I also like the picture books I found while trying to get information of the Koopalings past, those have simple but somewhat awesome drawings! Superchao: Any particular examples of that which you like? Mister Wu: of course I started with the Koopalings, the bits about Bowser's redesign and the role of Tezuka and Kotabe were very interesting, as was the whole story of the "dinosaur who actually is a dragon and a turtle", Yoshi Mister Wu: the design of characters is something that I love a lot! Mister Wu: Bowser, Yoshi and the Koopalings caught my attention when I was little - and they still have it! Mister Wu: I mean, it's not like I don't like the new characters, I'd have loved if Glydon got more screen time Superchao: Any particular reasons those guys catch your eyes? Mister Wu: I'm exploring the reasons why they caught my attention, surely I love reptiles, I actually started to discover what I loved about them thanks to their "cousin" - Charizard! I immediately loved Charizard, and Pikachu's vacation and the discovery of Charla glued me to that Pokémon Mister Wu: there's somethign about the way they are designed that I really love, I even tried to document that on a separate page since many of these features can be seen even in the new characters Mister Wu: one thing is for sure, I like how they are cute without necessarily trying to hard to be cute Superchao: Alas, that didn't work for Daisy, it won't work for them. But you can certainly talk about them! Mister Wu: Well, maybe better spare the readers from that almost-obsession, the smart ones will easily find the page, in short however I like the cute design that don't necessarily aim to be cute but end having a lot of cute features - Bowser and the Koopaligns were surely the first case I met Mister Wu: they were supposed to be bad guys, but even at the time I loved them! Superchao: Hey, there's a reason Bowser does well in the favorite major character polls. Dude's iconic and memorable. Mister Wu: I msut say that Nintendo managed to show us the character in full, from the start, with the Super Mario Kart cover and the Game & Watch gallery having very cute moments of him Mister Wu: even now, with those beautiful Parental control clips, they show us a more multifaceted Bowser - who still is a more than competent villain, of course Superchao: Bowser is a good dad... to his ONLY SON Mister Wu: the missed opportunity, tho... Superchao: So Miyamoto wills it, so it shall be. Mister Wu: Yeah, for some reason I like characters that then frustrate me a lot, something like that is happening with the design of the Mega Charizards as well... Superchao: Let me guess, the Mega Charizards lost what you thought was special about Charizard? Mister Wu: Yup! Mister Wu: And the worst thing is that I actually like the artowrk of Mega Charizard Y a lot, I just wished they didn't go full throttle on removing the cute features, although I must say that their point is not replacing Charizard - there's two of them, so none of them can be considered the ultimate Charizard design Mister Wu: they all return being Charizards as well Superchao: Charizard, Charizardd, and Charizarddy Superchao: How'd you end up promoted? Mister Wu: I'm not sure how much I can tell, sinne they come from a private section of the boards, I can only say that seeing the reason why they looked for my promotion was heartwarming Mister Wu: I'm not really the administrative guy, I lie doing "research" Mister Wu: indeed, I woudln't say I did "patrol" very well so far Superchao: just repeat to yourself "on patrol, i'm on patrol" and it will inspire you Mister Wu: When they asked the first time if I wanted to be patroller, I was unsure how much I could have been on the wiki due to various interests and of course, everyday matters Mister Wu: the second time, well, I was still around... Superchao: And that's how you were granted access to the deepest, darkest secrets of the wiki. Superchao: All the bodies. Mister Wu: Cue E .Gadd's theme Mister Wu: (fun fact, I actually never played Luigi's Mansion, and rather heard that theme in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, so now the battle theme of that game is starting in my mind) Superchao: That battle theme goes incredibly well with any looping GIF, I've noticed. Mister Wu: I had the Game Boy Player hooked to a stereo with bass boost, the basses were insane on that theme and on the Oho Oasis theme, making them 200% catchier! Superchao: Who needs ears when you can have EAR-PIERCING MUSIC!? Superchao: I miss the original M&L trilogy. Those were excellent games. Superchao: It's a personal thing, but I've always felt there's some "spark" missing from Dream Team and on... Mister Wu: indeed, the animations are less exaggerated Mister Wu: they went full throttle with Superstar Saga, Mario & Luigi dancing to the bass pounding, Mario having that wonderful level up animation, the stupid plot that didn't even try not to be stupid (although now that I look at it it seems a bit dark as well) Mister Wu: I loved that game even before discovering that the Koopalings returned in it... Mister Wu: oh, and the animations when you revived one of the brothers left me in awe! Superchao: That must have been one heck of a nice surprise in the final area. Mister Wu: It was a big surprise, we were already understanding that Bowser Jr. was likely going to replace the Koopalings who had disappeared years before, so having them back in that game was a pleasant surprise for most long-time fans Mister Wu: and for me! Superchao: and it started the new super wild ride Mister Wu: we still don't know, Super Mario advance 4 still stated clearly that they were his children, and the amazing Italian translation team of the time had spotted that Kokuppa meant Little Bowser and thus had called them "Bowserotti" = Little Bowsers Superchao: Clearly Bowser disowned them because he wanted to spend more time with Jr Mister Wu: that change is one of the mysteries that will remain, especially because the character designers of the time don't really talk a lot about them Mister Wu: I mean, they proably are rather niche characters now Mister Wu: historical enoguh to be featured in Monopoly Gamer, but not historical enough to deserve an in-depth interview on their origins Superchao: I'd say the New Super Mario Bros onslaught keeps them from being TOO niche. Mister Wu: Bowser Jr. is arguably even worse Superchao: When In Doubt, Add Koopalings For Free Seven Bosses Mister Wu: we haven't found any material on his concept and creation Mister Wu: (worse as in this sense, I actually like Bowser Jr.) Superchao: i mean it's pretty simple Superchao: "what if bowser, but tiny" Mister Wu: well, yeah, Baby Bowser also helped Mister Wu: so maybe we can reconstruct the story by ourselves, but still... Superchao: Infilitrate Nintendo HQ, steal the SECRET DOCUMENTS Mister Wu: (by the way, niche as in "how many fans they have" and, most importantly, "how many people consider them seven actual characters and not just a group in which the individuals matter only up to a certain point") Mister Wu: i sometimes wonder if we'll ever have the info on some characters only by directly asking Nintendo... Mister Wu: they did a very good job with Odyssey, at least Mister Wu: we need more of that Superchao: Can't wait for Super Mario Iliad, the prequel set 20 years earlier Mister Wu: I was actually talking about releasing cocnept art and finally saying what they were trying to achieve with the palces and characters, in terms of 3D Marios I like that they tried something different again with Odyssey, I personally like the explorations-based Super Mario more Mister Wu: but yeah, I started with Super Mario 64, Banjo and Super Mario Sunshine, so maybe I was influenced a lot by those on how a 3D platform should be about Superchao: Hey, it makes sense to me! It happened with Sunshine. Mister Wu: (started in the 3D Mario sense, as I actually started with the very first Super Mario Bros - which I was totally unable to play - and then went to Super Mario Land 2 and 3, as well as Super Mario World and Super Mario All-Stars. Incidentally, I always played with other people's consoles) Mister Wu: (the first Nintendo console I actually owned was a Nintendo 64) Superchao: Mine was Gamecube, but... I don't seem to have missed out on that much :V Mister Wu: the Gamecube was an amazing era Mister Wu: I still have a working GCN with the digital A/V out and a GBA, as well as the Game Boy Player Superchao: 'Cube needs more respect IMO Superchao: Any particular games from then that were highlights to you? Mister Wu: well, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door are the first that come to mind, I actually reconsidered Super Mario Sunshine and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as well, needless to say, having a GBA I also had the pleasure to play the Golden Sun games Mister Wu: of course, I also liked Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion Mister Wu: I'm still wondering if I liked the latter more than the former, by the way... Superchao: They're both very good Metroids, so it's an acceptable opinion! Mister Wu: Yeah, one was a very interesting way to bring Metroid in 3D, the other had that very unique space station atmosphere Mister Wu: and those Samus-X moments + Nightmare almost-jumpscare before it actually destroyed the ice section Superchao: Fusion traded open roaming for a story that changed the world around you, and IMO it worked Mister Wu: agreed Mister Wu: the situation evolved while you were playing Mister Wu: also, there were also those introspective moments which were quite interesting Mister Wu: and very good map design, which is always important - it really looked like you were exploring a space station while at the same time it also kept some Metroidian parts in terms of design Superchao: It was everything Other M wanted to be but couldn't be. Superchao: So, am I right in assuming you're something of a Metroid fan? Mister Wu: Not really, mainly into Super Metroid, Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion Mister Wu: they left a lasting impression Mister Wu: I also tried playing the first one on the GCN, but had quite some difficulties... Superchao: Ah, yes, NEStroid has....... not aged well. Mister Wu: Super Metroid, on the other hand, definitely has Mister Wu: although the enemies are... odd in terms of movements... Mister Wu: the bosses, mainly Superchao: At least they were real bosses for a change! NEStroid's bosses were aggressively there. Mister Wu: yeah, won't disagree on them being actual bosses, the phantom one with the eye was the one that impressed me the most, while the one that fell in lava and melted left me... perplexed... Superchao: Good ol' Crocomire. Did you know he was a cut boss in a later game? Mister Wu: The poor guy, they were really thinking of melting another one? Superchao: Hey, they reused all the other bosses they could! Mister Wu: Well, at least Prime gave some kind of... valid reason of why they could return... Superchao: At this point Ridley's just going to be coming back by sheer Willpower Mister Wu: plot twist: the next Metroid Prime will feature Kraid instead Superchao: I mean, I'd be down. Superchao: So, besides Mario, what other game series are your big favorites? Mister Wu: I guess Sonic? My first console was a Game Gear Mister Wu: And I had Sonic 2 8 bit Superchao: aka the one nobody remembers Mister Wu: the Game Gear one had an almost impossible first boss, and a lot of interesting settings, actually Superchao: It also had really good music! Underground Zoooone~ Mister Wu: Sky High Zoen also remained in my mind for some reason, also sonic CD Mister Wu: the beginning of Green Hils Theme actually sounds better than the one used in Sonic CD Mister Wu: to me at least Superchao: CD - now there's a classic! Sometimes it's interesting how many "minor" early sonic games there were. Mister Wu: anyway, I really really enjoyed 3 & Knuckles and CD, Mania is also very good and I'm pretty fond of the Advance series as well Superchao: Oh hey, Sonic Advance! I played the first. It was my first Sonic game on console after playing PC ports of some of the others. Superchao: I wonder, now that I've spent years on games, if I'd be any better at Sonic CD if I went back... Mister Wu: I think the only way to appreciate Sonic CD is trying to get in to the good future in every level - this way you can see all the various very interesting details buried there Mister Wu: I persoanlly like Quartz Quadrant having the present theme splitted in two sections, the bad future is based on the first, the good future on the second Mister Wu: theme as in OST Superchao: Yeah, the one problem with going for the good future immediately is missing out on the bad future. It's worth it to go explore there too! Mister Wu: Tidal Tempest is ear-piercing, tho Superchao: suffer for art Mister Wu: the present theme is amazing, I liked that they reintroduced the linker audio segment in the 2011 remake, it's really amazing. That linker can be heard in the past, indicating that they were indeed meant to be there from the start, plus the Boss theme with the linker is ultra badass, too bad the bosses are so easy to beat... Superchao: It's been so long that I barely remember the boss theme. Looks like I really should go back and play it Mister Wu: well, that theme alone is worth a play! As I said before, I like when they go full throttle and don't try soemthing tame! Mister Wu: Too bad that most boss battles were so short, you didn't even hear the full theme Mister Wu: by the way, from what I had seen it seems that Mazin, on Twitter, confirmed that he drew that creepy Sonic picture (Fun is Infinity), that Mazin was indeed his signature! Superchao: Oh, neat! See, that's the kind of behind the scenes stuff people depend on you for. Mister Wu: I was a bit perplexed as well, luckily some reasearch was being done on Sonic Retro and they had found the Twitter account of the guy, unfortunately the posts were more recent than their research, though Mister Wu: there was a lot of Tail Doll tier lore surroudnign that picture... Mister Wu: in terms of fan-made lore, that is Superchao: hahaha, Tails Doll. Now THAT takes me back. Mister Wu: Now that I think about it, I'm a bit disappointed that DS Virtual Console didn't have Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure, I liked Sonic Advance 2 and Sonic Rush seemed to expand that in very interesting ways, plus just the soundtracks were worth it... Mister Wu: (by the way, I'm not talking about 3D Sonics because my pc is barely powerful enough to play Adventure DX, I actually played that plus Heroes and Colors) Mister Wu: (adventure 2 as well, now that I think about it) Mister Wu: (Tails Adventure as well, by theway, but that one is not 3D) Superchao: would you say you could go on... an adventure!? Superchao: Wait, no, you couldn't Mister Wu: Big's Big Fishing Adventure -pure Aaron Webber madness Superchao: Honestly I'm pretty sure Big Fishing Adventure is the only canon game, and every other game is simply Big's overactive imagination. Mister Wu: can't argue against that Mister Wu: (meanwhile I had forgotten I fully played Sonic Lost World on Wii U, complete with that marvelous "here's a present for you" message after the missions that gave nothing...) Superchao: don't you love complete fakeouts Mister Wu: it must be said that Yoshi's Island Zone is something I couldn't even imagine, though Superchao: i'm sad sonic has never had any Zone Zones Superchao: that'd be funny Mister Wu: quick, ask Webber! Mister Wu: The Dessert Ruins joke made it in, after all Superchao: So, clearly you're quite the fan of video games. Do you have any offline hobbies, though? Mister Wu: Photos, mainly! Superchao: Oh, that's neat! Do tell! Mister Wu: Apart from the important moments that are of course nice to be taken, I also like vistas and panoramas, or getting peculiar skies or beautiful flowers Superchao: Any particular photos you've thought of showing off? There's a thread on the boards for 'em Mister Wu: actually, I'm having diffciulties fidning times to take them on the PC in the first place! Mister Wu: Choosing some to show off is a bit off-limit for now - sometimes I feel like I'd need 48 hours long days... Superchao: Hahaha, yeah... I feel you. Crunch time with the 'Shroom is... tough. Mister Wu: (P.S.: of course, I also love taking photos of animals, although the chances to do that are usually more limited) Superchao: Well, I'm sure if you ever get to show 'em off, they'll be worth it! Mister Wu: Well, I haven't studied anything about composing or that, so maybe they won't be that great - it's more something I like to do Superchao: Hey, amateur hobbies are juuust fine. Trust me! Mister Wu: Well, I'm not arguing against hobbies, just about what I can achieve - I'm pretty sure the courses of composition have a point! Superchao: That's true, but there's something to be said for not pressuring yourself with making it super detailed. Superchao: Though it might be neat if you talked to Anton about it sometime Mister Wu: Indeed, at the moment it woudl be overkill to take courses Superchao: So, on the note of photography and the world around, what's it like in Italy? I've considered visiting sometimes, but money and time after all. Mister Wu: Italy is like a treasure chest, even my little town has a few gems! In terms of history, where I live here both the Middle Age and the Romans left a trace - actually even the Barbarians left something noteworthy! Superchao: Reminds me of when I went to Germany and was wandering around in aw at how casually people would go "oh yeah that building is a thousand years old" Mister Wu: of course, you should first visit the big ones, like Rome and Venice, but it's impressive how even small places have something! Superchao: When you live in a city that maxes out at four hundred, it really puts things in perspective Superchao: And Italy's got Germany beat by a millenium or so! Mister Wu: yeah, well the city where I live mainly "stops" at the Middle Ages, although if I remember correctly traces of an older civilization were found as well Superchao: Ooh, that sounds interesting. You should definitely fill us in if you find more info. Superchao: Ever thought about traveling? Mister Wu: Yes, due to finances I can't really afford traveling alone, I like visiting other places with my family, though Mister Wu: thanks to school and similar study-oriented initiatives I visited a few important cities in Europe, like London, Paris and Munich Mister Wu: and of course Rome Superchao: Oooh, now that's a bonus of living in Europe Superchao: Probably couldn't pull that off in the USA except with maybe Canada or Mexico Mister Wu: I actually went to Rome and Venice multiple times - you always have something new to see there Superchao: Kinda like New York City, huh? That's part of what I love about the big city lifestyle. Mister Wu: Rome spans so many years of history you always need to know what you want to see beforehand, otherwise you get lost! Mister Wu: In the possibilities, I mean Mister Wu: as you guessed, I love living in Italy Superchao: Hey, better than "oh man I can't wait to get out"! Enjoying the place you live in is a Good Thing Mister Wu: Yeah, I just need to avoid finding myself trapped in the status quo - I'm one who tends both to love plunging into that, but I also like something new every now and then Superchao: Speaking of the status quo... Superchao: I gotta ask. Superchao: Is this the last question? Mister Wu: well, yes, I need to go Superchao: Sounds fair to me. Superchao: Thanks for being here! Mister Wu: You're welcome! I hope I wasn't too boring!

In Closing As I said at the start, you never really see Mister Wu outside of wiki contexts, do you? But there's a nice guy to know under there! Someone with some interests outside of the basic ones everyone knows about, and with a lot to talk about when he finally gets the chance. I'd certainly recommend people get to know him if they can!

And now... I can go interview twelve more people for 2019. Why do I do this to myself?

NIWA Spotlight
Written by: Hello everyone and welcome back to NIWA Spotlight, a NIWA-focused spotlight that covers one article from all of our partnered wikis that need help. These can range from articles that need more information or created to images that need replacing or uploaded. Notice something on a different wiki you can't fix and want to get the word out? Let me know on my talk page or in this forum topic and it will be added to a future issue. For our Mario-related topics, check out the current The 'Shroom Spotlight!

This month, we have a theme! I found as many Smash Bros.-related pages that needed improvement as I could. And, uh… the characters that usually chime in for their respective games seem to have disappeared. Weird. Well, I'm sure they'll be back next issue. SmashWiki is absent from this list, mainly because it is all about Smash Bros.! Pick something relating to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate over there and see what you can do!

From last month: The Hairstyle page on Nookipedia got a design overhaul and a few additional images from a couple of users, but could still use some more images. Lip on Smash Wiki got an overhaul as well, though may need some more updates.

Poll Committee Discussion
Written by:

Welcome to December’s edition of Poll Committee Discussion, the section that makes up for its lack of discussion about the Poll Committee by offering commentary on the past month’s Main Page polls. I’m Hooded Pitohui and, with any luck, I’ll provide the aforementioned commentary without boring you by rambling on for pages. Of course, it is the Smash issue, so if things do get boring, maybe you can read this in the voice of Xander Mobus to spice it up.

We have plenty of polls lined up this month (“Boy, is it sweet to line ‘em up like this!”), so why don’t we jump straight in?

Archives How do you feel about Spirits replacing Trophies in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? ( and, November 18th, 2018) It's been over 10 years since the last Wario Land game, Wario Land: Shake It!, has been released. What's your favorite Wario Land game? (, November 25th, 2018) Would you be interested in a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition? (TheNintendood, December 2nd, 2018) Recently, Nintendo has been adding content from other Nintendo series to Mario games, such as Animal Crossing in Mario Kart 8. How do you feel about this trend? ( and, December 9th, 2018) Analysis -Our first poll this month focuses on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and more specifically the Spirits which offer a variety of creative options for matches and play a central role in the new World of Light Adventure Mode. Of course, this poll came out a few weeks before the game did, so there were still plenty of unanswered questions about Spirits at the time. Despite that, it seems that people had a generally favorable view of Spirits based on the information which was available at the time, with nearly three-quarters of the respondents expressing an interest in Spirits or at least stating that they don’t mind their inclusion. That group was split pretty evenly, though, in terms of levels of enthusiasm for Spirits. About a third of those expressing favorable views of Spirits were very enthusiastic about the new addition to the franchise, while another third looked forward to their inclusion, but with less fervor. The remaining third, though having nothing against Spirits, would have preferred the Trophies from the previous three entries. Of the quarter of respondents who didn’t like Spirits, about fifteen percent of them had no opinion or didn’t plan to play the game. Another ten percent felt that, no matter their opinion on Spirits, the removal of trophies was a loss for the series. Honestly, all of this seems fairly understandable. During the period this poll was taken, we didn’t have a full picture of Spirits but we did know enough to make them seem like an intriguing new gameplay mechanic. In light of that, it’s not surprising that most people were receptive to the idea of Spirits. That said, the loss of Trophies, with their full models for a wide variety of characters and their interesting and sometimes humorous descriptions, was definitely felt, something reflected in both the reservations of those respondents who otherwise liked Spirits and the ten percent who’s contempt for the loss of Trophies outweighed any of their feelings on Spirits. Plenty of folks, myself included, were cautiously optimistic about Spirits when they were announced, thinking they could be interesting and fun but also hoping that they might at least come with descriptions. Now that the game has released and we know that Spirits lack descriptions, I’d be interested in seeing where people stand on them. While I still would like descriptions, I’ve personally found that the attention to detail and unique references incorporated into Spirit Battles and the abilities of Spirits make up for it by taking a “show, don’t tell” approach and actually impacting the gameplay. Now that we have a full picture of Spirits and understand how they stack up to Trophies, I’d certainly be interested in seeing if people’s responses have changed. -I would say that this question made me feel old, but, when I thought about it, I realized that it makes sense in the frame of my personal experience. I mean, I’ve only played a brief portion of Shake It!, and that’s only because I rented it for a few days from a brick and mortar video rental store, which we already know are an extinct species from a time far beyond memory. If the results of this poll are any indication, the Wario Land series might similarly be fading out of the memory of the living; over forty percent of the respondents had never played any Wario Land game. That’s not too surprising, though. The series hasn’t had a new title in a decade, and most of its titles go back further than that, being on the Game Boy Color and original Game Boy, so most modern gamers may never have picked the originals. The two most recent titles (Wario Land: Shake It! and Wario Land 4) are the top picks among those who have played the series, though I’d speculate that’s in part because, like myself, they’ve only played those titles. In the process of writing this, I’ve discovered that all four of the handheld Wario Land titles are on the 3DS Virtual Console (though Wario Land 4 is restricted to those in the Ambassador Program who purchased their 3DS before the initial price cuts), so perhaps accessibility isn’t so much the issue as a general lack of awareness that the older titles exist and are available? Moving beyond the top three options, a bit under ten percent of voters said they were unable to pick a favorite game in the series. Presumably these folks just can’t get enough of the greedy treasure hunter? Or perhaps they don’t feel there’s enough to set each title apart? I’m not honestly sure what would leave you unable to choose one title over the others in that list, but moving further down, the original Wario Land and Wario Land 3 end up rather close. I’m honestly surprised they both did better than Wario Land 2, with its branching storyline and level structure. Then again, I haven’t played these three titles, so perhaps the gameplay of the first and third is just more fulfilling and enjoyable and I’m unaware. As for the poor forty-six of you who chose Virtual Boy Wario Land as your favorite title, I can only presume that it’s the only experience you’ve had with the series and for that I’m deeply sorry. -Classic consoles have been quite popular lately, with the NES Classic and SNES Classic in particular causing quite a buzz. With classic editions of its first two consoles being so successful, it would seem sensible for Nintendo to push forward with an N64 Classic Edition, but is that really a good idea? Well, nearly thirty percent of you say you’d buy it without reservation, which seems to paint it as a sound decision. Forty percent of respondents, though, stated that they’d be interested but would have to see the console’s selection of games before they’d commit to purchasing it. Altogether, if Nintendo released an N64 Classic Edition with an appealing selection of games, they could probably move a fair number of units. For both those of you who would jump in without hesitation and those of you who want to see what games are being offered first, I have one question. What games, exactly, are you hoping for on this console? I’ve seen numerous articles which conclude that an N64 Classic would need notable titles from Rare, which might be a challenge for Nintendo to arrange. Even just considering first-party titles, most options are either available through the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console for those looking for the “authentic” experience. If you value gameplay improvements and additions over authenticity, remakes on the DS and 3DS are better options. Compounding the issue, even many of the console’s biggest titles haven’t aged particularly well in terms of gameplay and graphics, creating the question of why someone would play them even if they had them. I don’t mean to disparage anyone who wants an N64 Classic Edition, but I can’t say that I personally see the appeal. It’s not so much that the games are all bad, but I don’t think there’s enough good ones to pad out the console’s library and make a classic version worthwhile. About fourteen percent of you agreed that a N64 Classic Edition is not a smart strategy for distributing N64 titles, wanting to access them through Nintendo Switch Online Service or, I must imagine, a hypothetical Switch Virtual Console service. Unlike a classic console, these distribution services let you pick and choose which games you want. Though you might end up paying more if you try to get every game that’s available on a classic console, that’s not a concern if you don’t want every one of those games. Those options, unlike classic consoles, give consumers a choice of software. Fittingly for our Smash issue, we end this month with a discussion of crossover content, though this poll is exclusively about crossover content in the Mario franchise. Most of you like the recent increase in representation of other Nintendo franchise in the Mario series, with forty-three percent of respondents welcoming it with no reservations. A bit under thirty percent of you enjoy it but want to keep it limited to spin-off titles. Personally, I agree that crossover content belongs in the spin-offs. Mario Party and Mario Kart can easily accommodate a few extra characters or vehicles or stages here and there without losing cohesion and ceasing to feel like a Mario title. Super Mario Maker was able to get by because the Mystery Mushroom and Costume Mario Mechanic fit in with the theme of creative level design and the costumes were all highly stylized, but beyond that I don’t know that it would feel right to watch Link or Captain Falcon bounding through a platforming stage with the famous plumber himself. Even among some of the spin-off series, it would be odd to see crossover content outside of cameos. I can’t very well see someone like Villager or Fox McCloud making an extended appearance in Paper Mario, for example. In those cases, it would erode the identity of the Mario franchise, making it feel less unique in comparison to Nintendo’s other franchise. I’d speculate that a loss of identity for the franchise is the main concern for those of you who want to keep crossover content in the spin-offs as well of those of you who only want to see it as add-on content. After all, if they have to complete the entire base game before adding elements from other franchises, there’s always going a be a solid foundation that feels like a Mario game.
 * How do you feel about Spirits replacing Trophies in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate?
 * It's been over 10 years since the last Wario Land game, Wario Land: Shake It!, has been released. What's your favorite Wario Land game?
 * Would you be interested in a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition? (TheNintendood, December 2nd, 2018)
 * Recently, Nintendo has been adding content from other Nintendo series to Mario games, such as Animal Crossing in Mario Kart 8. How do you feel about this trend?

And, with that, we’ve covered all of the polls that have been completed since last month’s issue. I certainly hope that you’ve felt like you’ve walked away from reading this with some new insight or perspectives. If nothing else, I walk away from this with a mental note to get my 3DS and try the first three Wario Land games. I have nothing more useful to say at this point, so I’ll simply ask that you please keep voting in the Main Page polls as we bring this year to a close. Though the year is ending, Poll Committee Discussion will continue, so be sure to check back here in January to see what Geeky has to say about the last polls of 2018 and the first few of 2019. Until next time, have a grand day!

Upcoming Game
Written by:

Greetings everyone! Alex95 here for one last Upcoming Game, but let's not end the year on a sour note. After all, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has finally been (officially) released! That's not relevant to this section, but felt like I had to put that somewhere given the issue theme. Anyway, we're rounding out the year of 2018, and 2019 is looking to be filled with many great games… mixed in with all the ports and remakes. They're mostly games for the Wii U being brought onto the Nintendo Switch, but every now and then we get a pleasant surprise. In 2003, we were given a fan-favorite title based around GameCube to Game Boy Advance connectivity, and the game spun off into its own sub-series. And now that Nintendo GameCube game is being remade for the Nintendo Switch with additional features, better connectivity, and sharper visuals. I'm talking about Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition. Crystal Chronicles revolves around the story of a group of young travelers as they collect enough myrrh, fuel for crystals to protect town settlements from being covered in destructive Miasma. Yep, the world is dying and you gotta protect it! You travel in your caravan from place to place, sometimes encountering events as you, and then it's time to adventure on foot. During a single-player campaign, you and a Moogle carry a bucket meant to carry this myrrh to special trees. But the Moogle can get tired of carrying it, and you have to remain in the bucket's protective shield while battling enemies and exploring areas. Straying out of the bucket's shield will cause the player to take damage gradually until they return. Once you've beaten the dungeon boss, you collect the myrrh from the tree, and when you gather enough, you return home and celebrate! Then a year passes and you do it again! When making your team, you choose from one of four playable races: the human Clavats, the short Lilties, the tall Yukes, and a slightly different human race Selkies. Each race has their own starting position in the town of Tipa, and each has their own family, abilities, weaknesses, tastes, and events. You can create up to eight party members (don't know if that number will be the same for the remake), and three other players can join you on your quest! With the original game, each player needed a Game Boy Advance connected to the GameCube so each could have an inventory menu. Gameplay wasn't as smooth with a GBA controller as it was with a GameCube one, but the Switch aims to fix that. Now, players can connect their Switches to each have their own screen and additional controls, and it's all wireless! Technology! However, I believe this means each player needs their own copy of the game, but that would mean that each player has a pool of characters of their own to select from rather than sharing the eight on the original game.

And if you think you're going to get a traditional RPG experience with this Final Fantasy game, think again! The combat in the Crystal Chronicles games are nothing like what you would see in the main titles. Combat plays out in real-time, using the Control Stick to move and the A Button to attack. As you travel through the dungeons, you'll pick up certain items you can use until you leave the area. This includes spells like Fira and Heal to items like Phoenix Downs and Fish. You cycle through them using the shoulder buttons, and then holding down the attack button will cause your character to remain stationary and start casting, creating a targeting reticle you can use on your enemies, friends, or self. In a multi-player game, the combat can get hectic, so you have to coordinate between offense and defense as you work together to collect the energy needed to save the world.

Final thoughts
As I own the original game for the GameCube and don't presently own a Nintendo Switch, I don't see myself getting this game soon. But I still want it! Unlike how I felt about the Bowser's Inside Story remake I covered last issue, I do feel like this remake is a welcome one. We've never had enough GBAs or cords for the game, at most we can do two-player. But with four Switches being able to connect both locally and through online, we may be able to play the game the way it was meant to. And it's been said additional material will be added to this remake, such as additional dungeon rooms, so even returning players can look forward to something new when this game releases sometime in 2019.

And with that, Upcoming Game comes to a close, at least from me. I've been writing this section since March of 2017, so not very long, and it's been a fun ride, but I no longer have the time to continue. I don't know when the section will come back or who will be writing it, but I wish them good luck with this section! Thanks for reading everyone!