The 'Shroom:Issue 135/Pipe Plaza

Director’s Notes
Written by:

Hello, 'Shroom readers! You know who I clearly am not? TPG. That's okay, though, because I can still bring you Pipe Plaza. And really, isn't that the most important thing of all?

No Poll Committee Discussion this month, by the way.

Section of the Month

New Articles
Written by:

Hello, readers! LudwigVon here, with another edition of New Articles. As usual, it is an up to date about all the new articles created within the past month. By the way, if you want to create new articles on the Super Mario Wiki, the Manual of Style and Good writing gives you several information in order to help you in the process.

Without further ado, here is the list of all articles created from May 13th to June 7th.

Anniversary Announcements
Written by:

Can you believe it is already June? I know I can't! But it does mean that is is time for a new Anniversary Announcements!

The Grindels The polls open shortly after this paper is released! You can then vote on your favourite and least favourite things in the Mario series. View the polls here! Remember, you can vote once a week, so if you can't decide on your favourite, vote on multiple options by waiting a week in between.

Tournaments Now for tournaments! In the table below, you can find information about the tournaments that are up for sign-ups or being planned. For more information on each of them, go to their respective forum topics.

Awards "But you finished these last month!" And you are correct! But Alex95 sharply noted an inconsistency which has been fixed and needs to be covered! It is shown in the table below.

Refer to this document for a full list of nominees.

Committee Interviews Welcome to Committee Interviews! In this part of Anniversary Announcements, I will do short interviews with the members of the Awards Committee, so you can get to know them a bit better! This month: MrConcreteDonkey, GBAToad and Stargazing!

MrConcreteDonkey

GBAToad

Stargazing

Everyone has their own ways of dealing with ghosts, and this diversity is nice to see in the committee.

And that was Anniversary Announcements for this month! Join back in next month, when life has given us some more Awards-flavoured lemons for some nice lemonade. ¡Adios!

All information above was correct as of 2018-06-16.

Upcoming Game
Written by:

Greetings everyone! I'm Alex95 and welcome back to Upcoming Game! It's the month of Weegee here in The 'Shroom, and there's a couple of upcoming games that concern the green plumber. One of which is a remake of his first major standalone starring role, Luigi's Mansion for the Nintendo 3DS! The other title is Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, which I'll cover later, maybe if we have a "Bowser Month" before its release. Anyway, enough dilly-dallying, it's time to step into the original haunted mansion once again! For those of you that haven't played or seen the original Luigi's Mansion, shame on you here's a quick rundown. The original game released on the Nintendo GameCube as one of its launch titles back in November of 2001. … Er, sorry, felt old for a moment. Uh, the game centers around Luigi as he apparently wins a mansion in a contest he didn't enter. Thinking nothing of it, he invited his brother, Mario, to meet him there, but when he arrives, Mario is nowhere to be found, likely further on ahead. The mansion is dark and spooky, but Luigi wants to know what happened to his brother, so he gathers his courage and moves on. He soon encounters Professor Elvin Gadd, a ghost researcher who resides in his lab close by. Yep, ghost researcher. Turns out, this mansion is haunted by ghosts! After fleeing from an attack, E. Gadd brings Luigi up to speed on what's happening and learns that Mario is missing! What's more, that mansion apparently only just appeared a few nights ago, out of the ether. So now, not only does Luigi have to find his brother, he has to figure out the mysteries this mansion holds. Luigi soon finds that there are more powerful ghosts residing in the mansion. Apparently, E. Gadd had captured these ghosts and trapped them in portraits to display in his Gallery. Someone let these ghosts loose, becoming the mansion's bosses. The story and mansion layout appears to be the same in the 3DS remake, though it remains to be seen if there are any additional ghosts added. As Luigi progresses through the mansion, he finds a group of Boos, lead by the then-newly-introduced King Boo. The original game had 50 of them, not including King Boo, one for each room. If the mansion gains new rooms in the remake, it's possible there will be additional Boos added as well. …Okay, so that wasn't a quick rundown, but that's about everything important without spoiling too much. From footage seen so far, almost everything appears to be the same as in the original game. Almost. The visuals are more along the lines of the sequel Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, which was released for the Nintendo 3DS back in 2013, with Luigi and the Boos appearing to use their assets from that game. The graphics are updated, the controls are changed, and the game is now displayed in stereoscopic 3D. The map and inventory are displayed on the bottom screen, making navigation easier. Of all the rooms shown off for the remake, the only one that appears completely different is E. Gadd's Gallery. Other rooms have some more details added to them, but that's so far the only room we know of that has a different layout altogether.

The 3DS remake is being co-developed by Grezzo, the same company that worked on the 3DS remakes of The Legend of Zeldas: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Grezzo did a fantastic job with those remakes, and their work already shows with Luigi's Mansion 3D. Introduced in this remake is a new Boss Rush mode, similar to the one in Ocarina of Time 3D, where you have to fight through all of the mansion's bosses and try to get a good time. The mansion is brighter, the interface is better, and I can tell Grezzo is doing a good job with this remake already.

Thoughts
The original Luigi's Mansion was already a great game, and the 3DS remake looks to make it even better. I'm got the same chills I did when I first saw Ocarina of Time 3D! Ocarina of Time 3D also included a mirrored Master Mode, so I'm curious if they'll include the PAL region's mirror Hidden Mansion mode from the original game, which didn't get put in any other version. In the midst of all these Wii U to Nintendo Switch ports, it's nice to see some earlier titles get the remake treatment they deserve. The 3DS is a good choice to put the game on, as it was originally designed with 3D in mind (you can learn more about that in this month's Could Have Been section). I still have the original game, but I'm definitely going to try to pick this up… whenever that will be. The game is currently only set for a "2018" release, the exact date unknown. But the game will be back…and we'll be waiting.

Interview
Written by:

Hello, 'Shroom readers! For this month of the interview we're going back to the past in a relative sense, without actually doing so. I'm interviewing someone who has been around a long time compared to the rest of my choices this year, that being none other than 2257. As a very longstanding member of the community, he's been around the block quite a while and has spent a lot of time in the wiki and the forum alike. Primarily the former at first, though. So, without further ado, it's on with the interview!

The Interview: Superchao: Hello, 'Shroom readers! This month, I have braved the tomb of the ancients and unsealed the dreaded curse so as to dig up my special interviewee this time! Superchao: I've got 2257 here with me. Say hi to the people, skelly! 2257: hey Superchao: So! As per usual, there's really only one way I can start this interview off. What's your exciting and unique story of finding the Super Mario Wiki? 2257: uhhhhh 2257: to be honest, it's been like 11 years and i don't really remember 2257: i remember joining though Superchao: >11 years Superchao: Have I been defeated, at long last? 2257: nah 2257: it was 2007 Superchao: Oh right. 2007 was eleven years ago, I forget sometimes Superchao: So skipping over how you found it, how'd you join it? And why? 2257: yeaaaah 2257: well 2257: for a while i think i edited as a guest, but then whoever was in charge banned guests from contributing 2257: so i had to make an account to add some things i discovered abuot paper mario 1 2257: some unusued items 2257: things like tcrf didn't exist back then (or at least i didn't know about it) so this was the only place on the internet for them 2257: https://www.mariowiki.com/List_of_Paper_Mario_pre-release_and_unused_content#Unused_data 2257: you can still see some of my original edits from 2007 here 2257: although back then, they were listed together with unused content from every other mario game on a single page called "beta elements" Superchao: The cut content is always fascinating, and I appreciate you bringing it to light. You've done Poochy's work. Superchao: Have you always been interested in cut content? 2257: yeah, sometimes more than the finished game 2257: when i was a lot younger i stumbled on a website about the development process of zelda: oot 2257: i dont think it's still around Superchao: The slow demise of most of the early tiny sites makes me sad. 2257: but that game had a pretty long and well-documented development cycle 2257: yeah, it's unfortunate Superchao: but did the site tell you Superchao: how to get the triforce 2257: yeah actually, it did 2257: that was also part of oot's development cycle Superchao: Oh, huh, really? 2257: one of the early physics demos was a recreation of a dungeon from one of the older zelda games in 3d 2257: the reward for beating it was the triforce Superchao: Nice. Superchao: So what interests you so much? I'm guessing this OOT site helped make you realize "this is cool stuff and I wanna learn more", but... well, why? 2257: i'm not totally sure 2257: i think it might be because in that game there was something called "beta quest" 2257: do you know about that? Superchao: Nope, go on. 2257: well it was basically a gameshark code that caused the game to bug out 2257: on a technical level, i think it did something like scrambling cutscene pointers, but i honestly don't know enough about how the game works to tell you 2257: and at that age i was probably like 2257: 10 2257: so i didn't understand it at the time either 2257: but the practical effect was that all the areas in the game got rearranged weirdly Superchao: Reminds me of when I managed to run into glitches in Pokemon as a kid and it just. Blew my mind completely. "What's going on!?" 2257: like you would go through the door from hyrule field to kakariko village and end up in the forest temple 2257: yeah, i feel like all those old games had things like this 2257: it was kind of reminiscent of the minus world in smb1 too Superchao: Sometimes it feels like the increased documentation and anti-glitch efforts of modern gaming, while interesting, removes some of the sense of wonder from the wild weirdness of older games Superchao: Orrrr maybe I'm just getting old. Superchao: One of the two! 2257: but the thing about beta quest was, if you wandered through the world long enough, you could come onto leftover things that never made it into the game 2257: usually it was just like 2257: minor stuff, like a differently-shaped wall of red ice, or a platform with an ocarina mark that never got used in the game 2257: but at that age this was like a whole new adventure for me Superchao: And you got invested into looking into what happens with other games such as... Paper Mario? 2257: basically any game where i could find something 2257: i didn't really know what i was doing 2257: but paper mario was easy because someone had made a code to get any item Superchao: too bad you didn't have beta9 of paper mario 2 :V 2257: and it was pretty simple to just cycle through all the items and look for unused ones 2257: haha yeah 2257: did you know 2257: theres like 2257: people complaining about that on tv tropes 2257: someone pointed it out a while back Superchao: I've seen that. It's kind of funny to see it come up in that way. Superchao: Meanwhile I totally bought it when I first saw it but also I was 16 and gullible. 2257: i can't remember if i believed it on its own merits 2257: i definitely remember wanting to believe stooben wouldn't lie about that, though Superchao: I think that was a big part of it, he just wasn't the kind of guy you expected to make the entire thing up. 2257: yeah Superchao: Then I realized he probably did and aggressively shrugged in his general direction. Superchao: Still, the actual cut content of Paper Mario 2 is interesting enough on its own merits! 2257: i guess everyone makes mistakes 2257: yeah 2257: i didn't have much to do with that though Superchao: Speaking of, I'm curious; would you say in your experience that it has become harder or easier to find out about scrapped material of newer games? 2257: even though, in some ways, it's actually easier 2257: wow 2257: i almost answered before you asked Superchao: That's just how good of an interviewer I really am. 2257: but yeah on the whole i think it's easier 2257: starting with the gamecube and ds, nintendo has had their games internally organised into distinct files 2257: so you can pull an individual file out of a dumped rom/iso and look at it 2257: some file formats are more uh 2257: immediately comprehensible than others Superchao: esoteric Superchao: or that, yeah 2257: but like in n64 games 2257: everything is a single blob 2257: and that makes it more difficult to find anything 2257: blob is a technical term by the way 2257: it stands for binary large object Superchao: It sounds like they picked it as a technical term just to use the term itself, if that makes sense. 2257: (i dont know if it's normally used in this context but it sounds appropriate) 2257: yeah i think it's a backronym lol Superchao: So, I take it this fascination with these material was the big thing that got you to be such a huge wiki editor at the time? 2257: yeah for a while i was all about that Superchao: If I remember correctly, you were all about that enough to get promoted, even. 2257: oh no, that was later 2257: when i was mostly doing the unused content, i don't think most people noticed me 2257: i was like 2257: pretty antisocial i guess 2257: i just edited the wiki and never talked to the community Superchao: So the opposite of now. 2257: oh i'm still antisocial, i just like you guys Superchao: Thanks! Superchao: We like you too. Allegedly. Superchao: At the very least there's rumors of such. Superchao: So what got you later involved in the community, enough to get your new jobs? 2257: well 2257: back then wayoshi was an administrator 2257: and he liked an extension called dynamicpagelist 2257: he convinced steve to install it Superchao: A dangerous move, I'm sure. 2257: basically what it was was a way to select lists of pages according to rules 2257: actually dpl itself was fine 2257: it could be a little bit hard on the server because of how complex the queries could get 2257: but the thing is, he also got him to install something called nukedpl 2257: which would supposedly let administrators enter a dpl query and then automatically delete every page that came back Superchao: aka the Tragedy of Userpedia Superchao: a play in 3 acts 2257: yeah 2257: the thing about nukedpl is 2257: it actually was bugged 2257: and didn't check permissions before doing a deletion 2257: so in fact, any user could use it 2257: and maybe any guest too 2257: anyway, at some point i figured that out Superchao: In time to avert disaster for a change 2257: i guess i was the only one who could have, since i was the only one who used dpl other than wayoshi 2257: yeah, so i panicked 2257: and i got on chat and told them about it 2257: which in retrospect, wasn't really a great idea 2257: since anyone can come into chat Superchao: "hey, here's the GIANT GAPING EXPLOIT" Superchao: "now you all know! :D" 2257: but i didn't know anything about the community back then Superchao: it's ok Superchao: neither do some of our current editors 2257: i honestly don't think i even realised there was a forum 2257: which would have been the actual place to discuss it, since there were pms 2257: anyway, steve got the message and removed the extension 2257: and after that i hung around on chat and actually started talking to people Superchao: scary 2257: which i think is what made them actually notice me 2257: that's still not when i got promoted though 2257: that happened in 2009 i think 2257: whatever year bowser's inside story came out Superchao: Man, I remember that. That was a trip. 2257: i think they promoted me because i wrote basically all the articles about that game 2257: which happened because at that time i had just recently decided to learn japanese, and the game came out months earlier in japanese than in any other language 2257: so i played it before anyone else Superchao: A power that would later be relentlessly abused and exploited? 2257: i don't think i was an amazing administrator but i don't think i abused anyone either 2257: i have no idea though, maybe from someone else's perspective it looked that way 2257: i hope not 2257: the thing is 2257: i basically just rose through the ranks by editing a lot Superchao: I mean the power of knowing Japanese. Superchao: And by other people on you 2257: oh 2257: well i don't know if i abused that Superchao: Also editing a lot sounds like a solid plan, although these days I keep thinking it's hard to get into that 2257: goolgenerade probably thinks so Superchao: googlegrenade was a hero of our time 2257: no one'll help u if sad Superchao: You eventually lost interest in editing regularly, right? What happened? 2257: basically i just felt like i was a bad fit for the position of guy in charge of the entire wiki 2257: which is basically what i was, since steve very rarely intervened with anything 2257: so after a while i resigned Superchao: The knowledge to give up power... truly, I could say something that looked really deep without meaning anything about that. Superchao: So you decided to shift full time to the community side, huh? 2257: yeah Superchao: How'd it feel? 2257: after me i think walkazo took over, and she was probably better at it than i ever was anyway 2257: rip Superchao: Rest in peace. 2257: anyway, i basically just hung around the community because i had friends by that point 2257: and i had become aware of the forums when they promoted me Superchao: and then you ended up having friends and a boyfriend Superchao: Good work! 2257: yeah 2257: did you know i met him arguing about shady koopas Superchao: Were you arguing with him specifically? 2257: yes Superchao: Good, that makes it better. 2257: it's probably still on a talk page somewhere Superchao: What was the argument, anyway? 2257: whether or not they existed in the first paper mario Superchao: Just look on the Mario Wiki to find the answer- Superchao: Oh, wait. 2257: well, the answer is that they don't 2257: they were a new enemy in paper mario 2 2257: the confusion happened because of dark koopas, who existed in both games 2257: but they changed in pm2 2257: which was confusing 2257: and then spm came out and gave the same name to a different enemy (in english) which was even more confusing Superchao: I miss how many enemy variants the old Paper Marios had Superchao: that was fun 2257: interesting that you say that, i miss almost everything about the old paper marios Superchao: I mean, I assumed that went without saying? 2257: well, there might be sticker star fans out there somewhere Superchao: A hidden and rare breed. 2257: and i mean, color splash even had some moments i enjoyed, even if i would have preferred a game in the style of pm1 Superchao: I feel like Color Splash would have been received as okay if it came directly off of SPM Superchao: but Sticker Star bogs it down too much 2257: it's possible Superchao: So, this is a good lead-in to my next topic - What's your favorite Mario game? If you have one? 2257: it's a hard question honestly 2257: i think i usually vote for paper mario 2 in the awards polls 2257: but then, i can't honestly say that i like yoshi's island any less 2257: and i'm basically always a big fan of whatever the most recent mario kart game is Superchao: I know you've been one of the most vocal people about Nintendo games declining in quality over the years. Do you think they've reversed that trend? 2257: well i liked odyssey Superchao: i'm still excited for the prequel, Super Mario Iliad 2257: and since you said "nintendo" and not "mario", i can say that i loved zelda botw 2257: honestly 2257: that might be my favorite zelda game ever 2257: i can't decide between that and majora's mask Superchao: I can! Becaue for me it's neither of them! Superchao: What /did/ tank your Nintendo opinion, anyway? Skyward Sword and Sticker Star, right? 2257: yeah, but do you like ooa or oos more Superchao: ...Damn. Superchao: Got me there. 2257: actually i would say the mario game i thought was a low point was galaxy 2 2257: and it's weird because a lot of people loved that game 2257: but to me it just felt like 2257: someone sold me a rind and called it a watermelon 2257: all the things that weren't good enough to get into the first game Superchao: That's a unique metaphor. 2257: it was inspired by the watermelon i was eating earlier Superchao: A fair reason. So what things stand out as being that? 2257: well 2257: battle belt galaxy i think it was called? 2257: you're dropped on a series of astroids and you have to fight waves of enemies to progress to the next one 2257: also twisty trials galaxy, which was just lifted from the secret of ricco harbor (i believe) from super mario sunshine 2257: and uhhhh the mario sprite galaxy, and the cyclone stone galaxy, which were single planets from the first game expanded into entire worlds 2257: except 2257: they werent really expanded 2257: because they had about as much content as the single planets in galaxy one 2257: and of course, the green stars Superchao: That's fair. I think Galaxy 1 having the more lopsided set of "galaxies with a lot of stuff" and "galaxies with only one star" was the better way to go than "all galaxies only have two or three stars" 2257: which a lot of people liked i guess, because they doubled the total number of stars Superchao: it was a better way of doubling than Do The Entire Game But Green 2257: see i really don't agree 2257: i think playing a good set of missions twice is more entertaining than playing a mediocre set of missions followed by a bad set 2257: and the green stars to me were essentially busywork 2257: only a very few of them required you to do anything more than walk to where they were Superchao: So... the Donkey Kong 64 Situation? 2257: donkey kong 64 is a disaster Superchao: But it's a fun disaster! 2257: that depends on whether you enjoy suffering i guess Superchao: What if I do? 2257: you could adopt a less dangerous hobby than playing donkey kong 64, such as self-immolation 2257: remember that time they discovered a new 25-coin coin in donkey kong 64 and it invalidated all those speed runs Superchao: That was honestly hilarious. There's something amazing about watching DK64 break the hopes and dreams of people who play it. 2257: the game is truly a malevolent presence Superchao: You dislike it just because it has way too much to do with too many arbitrary barriers, right? 2257: well my biggest complaint is with the tag barrel 2257: you spend so much time just running back and forth to it 2257: like there's a part in the first level where 2257: a trail of, i think, green bananas leads through a tunnel 2257: well only chunky can collect green bananas 2257: on the way, there's a kasplat with blue hair 2257: only lanky can fight that kasplat 2257: at the end, there's a door that's locked with feather switches 2257: only tiny can activate those switches 2257: so to get everything in this tunnel you have to go there 3 times 2257: and you have to run back to the tag barrel somewhere else in the level 2257: every time 2257: and this is just like 2257: one corridor 2257: the entire game is constructed that way Superchao: Sounds like Obvious Filler to me! 2257: you end up playing the same thing over and over again just because the first time you happened to go there with the wrong character 2257: and then, on top of that 2257: the characters aren't even all that different 2257: they all have a gun that opens one kind of lock 2257: they all have an instrument that activates one kind of music pad 2257: and they all have a ground pound that activates one kind of switch 2257: in terms of gameplay 2257: those moves are the same no matter which character you have 2257: but they just arbitrarily don't activate a switch that isnt appropriately marked Superchao: the deep secret of dk64: the entire game is just padding? 2257: more or less Superchao: How heartbreaking was it to realize? 2257: i actually liked the game when i was a kid so 2257: coming back to it when i no longer had infinite patience was kind of astonishing Superchao: I know the feeling. Sometimes you get amazed at what you let slide in the past. 2257: its also astonishing to me that most people thing the problem with the game is that there were too many collectibles 2257: thats such a weird analysis Superchao: I mean, to be fair, it did have a lot! 2257: yeah, but 2257: that's not really a problem in itself 2257: it's the fact that they were arranged in such a frustrating way 2257: and locked behind so many identical minigames Superchao: The minigames were probably the most annoying thing and I can't even defend them. Why make you do an extra task when you already did a bunch of tasks? 2257: i think it was meant to connect the game to the donkey kong country series and its bonus rooms 2257: but it didn't really work out Superchao: And here's where I reveal myself as a sinner and say I have next to zero knowledge of DKC 2257: well 2257: in dkc there were hidden rooms in each level where you could play a short minigame for a prize 2257: in the first game it would usually be some extra lives, and in the other two it was a coin that you could redeem to unlock secret levels 2257: but the thing is 2257: the games were all optional, and generally more varied than dk64's mini games 2257: and none of them were beaver bother Superchao: DK64 had what Superchao: 5 minigames? Superchao: so is DK64 your personal least favorite game of all time 2257: i don't know if ive ever decided to rank games i don't like like that 2257: if i did, it would have to fight for the position with metroid other m Superchao: Do not speak the name of the curse! 2257: people need to know so they can protect themselves 2257: you wouldnt want some innocent person to play it Superchao: True, but saying a demon's true name gives it power in some texts. Superchao: And that game is basically a demon. 2257: we can only hope metroid prime 4 renders it noncanon Superchao: Even if it doesn't I choose to believe it's not canon just due to how little sense it makes. 2257: its pretty much just a rehash of fusion with all the good parts removed Superchao: Ah, Sakamoto. Your magnus opus was shit, and it's tragic. 2257: i wonder if he knows nobody liked it Superchao: I bet he just doesn't believe it's true 2257: he's only ever been a producer on metroid since then, right? Superchao: Yeeeep. They put him back on the leash. 2257: it's for the best Superchao: Speaking of games you don't like, are there any non-Nintendo games you're a huge fan of? 2257: i used to say i liked skyrim, but that's become dangerous since it might encourage them to port it to microwaves or something 2257: incidentally, all those ports, and they still haven't made a version that runs on my computer 2257: thanks bethesda Superchao: They already ported Skyrim to anime, we're beyond hope now. 2257: i guess i've played minecraft for approximately ever 2257: and i like the tomb raider games a lot, although i still havent had the opportunity to play the newest one Superchao: Is that the one that was really controversial for a time and then everyone stopped caring? 2257: tomb raider? if so i don't think i heard about that 2257: for a while it was only out on xbox one, or xbox one x or whatever was new at the time 2257: and i don't have one of those, so i wasn't really paying attention to it 2257: what was the controversy about? Superchao: Uhhh... something about some backstory scene. I forget the details, it's been years. 2257: huh, i'll have to look into it 2257: oh i looked 2257: i never heard about this, but yeah Superchao: Did you go and see? 2257: it's the same game Superchao: Oh, good to know. Superchao: So! What do you like about Skyrim and Minecraft, anyway? 2257: well 2257: i'm big on exploration in games 2257: so an open world setting like skyrim hooks me pretty easily 2257: i honestly like wandering around looking at the environment more than killing dragons or anything like that 2257: not that that isn't entertaining too 2257: minecraft is kind of the same way for me 2257: a lot of people mostly like to build things in minecraft 2257: and i build things sometimes too, but i'm really more interested in looking at the environment 2257: we go on group expeditions sometimes 2257: that's always fun Superchao: Someday I should get Minecraft, but also I'm pretty sure group games die when I get into them. Superchao: I don't get minecraft or overwatch to save you all 2257: minecraft is actually pretty dead already, at least here 2257: there's usually only a lot of activity after an update, when everyone wants to collect the new things 2257: as for overwatch, i've never played it 2257: i'm not so much into competitive multiplayer games Superchao: Do you prefer being able to take your own pace in a game? 2257: i just dont get that much out of games that are mostly about doing the same thing better and better 2257: i can never get into things like tetris either Superchao: Fair enough! Rather than get good, you get going! Superchao: Anyhow, thinking of your community involvement to get back to an earlier point. Superchao: I've noticed one of the biggest things you've contributed to was The 'Shroom. What got you interested in that as a staffer? 2257: you know it's pretty strange because i've essentially never been a writer for the shroom 2257: i did one-off sections once or maybe twice, but that's it Superchao: Ah, so the nepotism then 2257: yeah, mariowiki is corrupt 2257: people just promote their friends 2257: no, actually 2257: it's because css is kind of 2257: not widely understood i think 2257: well, in the community anyway Superchao: That's 'cause we're Mario nerds, not CSS nerds 2257: most of my contributions to the shroom have been to that aspect 2257: and some other technical support 2257: although i was also the editor for a while 2257: honestly though, css is pretty simple Superchao: Did anyone write you letters? 2257: if they did they never sent them Superchao: Maybe they tried to, but you couldn't find them since you're a skeleton with no eyes Superchao: Ever think of that?! 2257: listen i have eyes 2257: they're just like 2257: metaphysical... or something 2257: i dont know 2257: ask your local necromancer how it works Superchao: I tried. He just resurrected the steak I was going to eat. Superchao: It was all really awkward. 2257: well you have to make sure you're working with a professional Superchao: That's a fair point. Superchao: Still, what do you like about working with the 'Shroom? There's gotta be a reason you keep doing it. 2257: i really just like being in a position where my skills are useful 2257: and it's nice to be able to support a creative project of the community Superchao: Ayyy, that's a very good reason. Superchao: And look! You're supporting said creative project EVEN MORE right now! 2257: :clap: 2257: we did it Superchao: So, when you think about it, you've been around here for a really long time. Superchao: Do you see yourself sticking around for a while longer? 2257: i don't intend on going anywhere 2257: i'm mostly around to talk to my friends though Superchao: I feel like the greatest strength of the community is... well, the community. 2257: so if a lot of the people i'm friends with left, i might end up going with them Superchao: If we didn't have forums and chat and bonds outside of wiki editing I can't imagine it lasting this long 2257: that strikes me as pretty unlikely though Superchao: Can't just let the awards die, after all! Superchao: As the #1 sole barometer of the opinions of the entire Mario fandom, they need to stay. 2257: i dont think the awards will die 2257: they're more or less our most popular event 2257: the community would have to totally dissolve Superchao: ...is there even any competition 2257: i dunno, the community is pretty big, and there's whole aspects of it i don't really get involved with 2257: mafia was a big deal for years and i played that like twice 2257: so i'm not prepared to claim i know about what's popular Superchao: And once you were kidnapped and tied up in a basement until you joined. Superchao: At least, that's a good comparison. 2257: yeah ralph is something, isn't he Superchao: He sure is. Superchao: Speaking of important questions, though... Superchao: Is this the last question? 2257: nah Superchao: ...Well, shit. Superchao: I didn't have any other questions lined up Superchao: What do I do now? 2257: that Superchao: ...Good point. Superchao: Anyhow, thanks for your time, and try to avoid cursing the entire MarioWiki with the ancient curse I unleashed while freeing you, okay? 2257: listen i don't control the curse 2257: it just happens Superchao: That's what the last mummy said, too. 2257: you know, that makes it sound like you're doing this on purpose Superchao: Look, can I help it if the effects of ancient curses on the population are fascinating? 2257: ...no, i guess you can't Superchao: Exactly.

 In Closing  22's someone you always see as part of the fabric of the community itself these days. He's so long-standing that he's only bones! Heh heh. But in seriousness, he's one of those people you can't imagine the wiki without, and he's one of those I don't want to imagine the wiki without. Here's hoping he keeps the streak alive!

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!

The only thing that got done from the last month was I added an image on Icaruspedia's Information Center. And that wasn't even what was requested, so I guess that means absolutely nothing got done in the last month. Come on, now.

I ask that any additions that could be made to the Donkey Kong Wiki be made to the Super Mario Wiki instead, where possible, as per this discussion. And remember to follow the wiki policies when adding content!

Retro Feature
Written by: Hello readers, this is your Spotlight and former Pipe Plaza director here with another issue of Retro Feature. In this section, we look at previous sections that featured in The 'Shroom from yesteryear.

This time I want to look at a section that is almost timely. E3 has just been and gone, and as such many upcoming games were announced. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this one. This time, we'll be taking a look at one of The 'Shroom's most popular sections, Upcoming Games. Over the years, this section has had a multitude of writers, including, who currently writes the section and a former Core Staff member. Another former member of the Core Staff who wrote this section, was Paper Pikachu, our former Art & Music – better known as Palette Swap today – director. Now, even though our theme for this month is Luigi, and E3 didn't give us any big 3D Mario game, the game that Paper Pikachu is a big 3D Mario game, and doesn't feature much of Luigi. But let's not have me spoil it, let's just enjoy it.

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Upcoming Games by

Paper Pikachu here, welcoming you to a new edition of Upcoming Games! That said, there isn't really much news, and I can only give you the news we already know on Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
POSSIBLE RELEASE?: The only real news of the game is the announcement by Shigeru Miyamoto that the game is nearly finished, hinting at a release in either the First or Second Quarter of 2010. On that note, I give you all the other information we already know, which has already been documented in the 'Shroom.



The Star Spin is confirmed to return, as well as the Bee suit and Launch Stars. One of the main additions to Super Mario Galaxy is the addition of Yoshi, who makes his first appearance in a 3D Mario game since Super Mario Sunshine. Using fruit to change colors, an aesthetic change in Super Mario Sunshine, Yoshi will be able to gain new powers. Turning orange will allow Yoshi to run at Super Speed, which in-turn allows him to run up steep platforms. Turning blue will give Yoshi an ability similar to the Bee suit. While on Yoshi, the Wii Remote cursor acts as Yoshi’s Tongue, which can be used to eat enemies, and swing on special flowers.

Another Gameplay element introduced is a drill item, which will allow you to dig into the earth, or dig to the other side of the planet. There are multiple switches in the game, with varying effects. One switch freezes water, while another slows down time, a mechanic which, according to Shigeru Miyamoto, will be used in a boss fight. 2D stages return, as do purple coin missions. In the latter, Mario is followed by Dark Versions of himself, which do everything he does.

Nothing much has been confirmed about the story. However, airships have been seen coming out of a warp, while an ice sculpture of Bowser is seen in a galaxy. Mario is also seen using the drill to fight a Megaleg-like robot which is powered by a star. However, Shigeru Miyamoto has stated he would like to go with as little story as possible for Super Mario Galaxy 2.

It has been confirmed it will be released in 2010 for North American, European, and Japanese audiences. No release date has yet been announced for Australia.


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The 'Shroom Report
Written by:

Hi, ‘Shroom readers! It’s your Statistics Manager, LudwigVon, with another edition of The 'Shroom Report.

This is how this works: in the First-time Writers section, I will mention writers who had their first ever section featured in our last issue. For the Milestones section, writers will get mentioned every 10 team sections and every 50 overall sections, team will get mentioned every 100 sections, and The 'Shroom will get mentioned every 500 sections. Finally, for Most Sections Written, every section ever written by that user is counted. All information in this section is based off our Historical Sheets. This section will cover Issue 134.

Tables are based off the End-of-the-Year Awards tables, so credit goes out to.