The 'Shroom:Issue 127/Palette Swap

Director's Notes
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Hi, everybody! I hope you're as ready for the release of Super Mario Odyssey as I am! If it's half as good as Breath of the Wild was, we are in for a real treat.

As always, we have room for new writers! If you'd like to join Palette Swap, we'd love to hear your ideas. Send your completed application to Tucayo on the forums, and if you have a question about a section, you can ask me on the forums. Palette Swap is also open to fan art as well, so if you have a piece of fan art that you'd like us to feature, send it in!

Please enjoy the wide variety of sections we have for you this month! ~FunkyK38 Section of the Month

This time around, wins the vote for his What's on the Box? section about Yoshi's Cookie! Thank you everyone for voting, and please do keep it up for this issue as well!

What's on the Box?
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Hello readers, and welcome back to What's on the Box.

It's Halloween(ish), and so this month I have decided to take a look at one of the scarier games out there. And why's Super Mario Odyssey scary, you ask? Because of all the collectables that you will spend the rest of eternity attempting to collect, especially the ones on high ledges that you have the faintest idea how to get it, but each time you try, you fail... Ahem, where was I?

Ah yes, the boxart for Super Mario Odyssey, and I have a lot to discuss. The boxart is divided up into five separate parts, each showcasing a screenshot from one of the various kingdoms. And if you didn't notice, the way they're framed is like photographs. It's almost as if Mario is showing us his holiday snaps. Speaking of Mario, as him and Cappy are the main characters of the game, they take centre stage.

The kingdoms featured are Metro Kingdom (centre), Cascade Kingdom (top left), Luncheon Kingdom (top right), Lake Kingdom (bottom left), and Forgotten Isle (bottom right). And each of them feature Mario doing something different. Also, judging by the skeleton dude on the left side, it looks like Sand Kingdom is also there

In Metro Kingdom, Mario is throwing Cappy, as they both have left the Odyssey. A T-Rex can also be seen, and judging by the fact that Mario hasn't possessed it, it can be assumed that Mario hasn't seen it, because who wouldn't be a T-Rex is they ever got the chance? In Cascade kingdom, Mario is all decked out in explorer gear, while some parrots fly nearby. In Luncheon Kingdom, Mario is doing battle with a Chef Hammer Bro.. In Lake Kingdom, Mario is swimming underwater near a Cheep Cheep, though with that rubber ring, I have no idea how he's staying underwater. And in the Lost Isle, Mario has possessed a Goomba Tower.

This is a really good boxart, it shows off the game's wide variety, from its worlds, to its clothing to even its enemies. I'm struggling for ways to improve, so maybe Mario's nipples? I mean, doesn't everyone show off their beach bod when on holiday?

Mario's Boombox
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Greetings to all of our ‘Shroom readers. I hope all of our readers are enjoying their October. I decided that this month, the section should feature a song which fit the theme of Halloween, so ghosts, demons, death, and fears of all sorts were fair game. As I looked over my options for this month, I realized I had a huge number of songs which would work. This in mind, I decided that, rather than give you a full analysis of one song, I would provide you with shorter notes about four different songs. That being said, we ought to jump into looking at these four songs.

After August’s Pok&eacute;mon song, we’ll start off this month with … another Pok&eacute;mon song, specifically, “Destiny Bond” by TrickiWi. Named after the Ghost-type Pok&eacute;mon move, this song shows off the tricky and malicious nature of Ghost Pok&eacute;mon very well. Looking at the lyrics, its rather clear that "Destiny Bond’’ is ultimately a story of power and trickery. The narrator (presumably an unidentified Ghost-type Pok&eacute;mon) uses Destiny Bond to flip the hierarchy of power when confronted with a more powerful foe. The chorus is really just a drawn out and poetic description of the effects of the move Destiny Bond. It feels fitting though, as it’s exactly the kind of thing that a Ghost-type would do. Ghost-type Pok&eacute;mon have generally been portrayed as pranksters who revel in trickery and enjoy taunting their foes. The song highlights how Destiny Bond can radically shift the power dynamic between two Pok&eacute;mon. Fitting the nature of Ghost type Pok&eacute;mon, the narrator taunts their foe and reminds them of who’s really on top in the situation with lines like, “I‘ve never really thought of what I could do / with a little touch I could crush you if I wanted to.” While the narrator makes it clear to their foe that they’re in command of the battle’s dynamic, they do make a hollow gesture and state that “I’ll be polite and wait just for you.” Ultimately, the narrator ends their little psychological game with a blunt warning, telling their foe that “You’ll learn to fear me.” At the conclusion of the song, the narrator once again taunts their foe with the fact that their own actions will bring about their downfall, inquiring “Is it your destiny to cause your own misery?” The last line of the song has the narrator confidently requesting that their foe “take your move because you’re coming with me.” Just like the move it’s named for, “Destiny Bond’’ revolves around turning the tables on your opponent using a nasty trick. All in all, it’s right in line with Ghost-type Pok&eacute;mon, who use moves like Destiny Bond, Trick Room, and Will-O-Wisp to trip up their foes and ruin their strategies. The accompanying artwork and subdued but high-pitched instrumental contribute to the mood of the song, but if you would prefer a different take on the song, I would recommend checking out the “Glitchop Mix”. It’s a remix which is a bit faster paced and incorporates elements of Lavender Town’s original theme. In any case, that about covers “Destiny Bond,” so let’s move on.

The next song is a bit simpler than the other songs which have been featured in this section, but I’ve included it because it’s still a fun song which fits this month theme. That being said, take a look at Brentalfloss’ “Game Over Tinies.” This is a simple song which, well, I think the first chorus summarizes the aim of the song well enough. As the lyrics go, “Game Over, Game Over / Everyone’s game ends eventually. / Game Over, Game Over / Let’s count the ways, from A to Z.” If it’s not clear enough from that, this song looks at the various ends which famous videogame characters have met over the years, arranged to show one form of “Game Over” for each letter of the English alphabet. The song has a catchy rhythm which easily gets stuck in the listener’s head, cute accompanying comics which illustrate the many deaths depicted, and references to well-known videogames from the arcade to modern PC games. For fun, I recommend you test your knowledge of video games and see just how many of the references you understand. In a sense, I see this song as the gamer’s memento mori, a reminder that, no matter how skilled you may be or how hard you might try, at some point you’re bound to see that Game Over screen. There isn’t much more to say on this song, so I’d recommend just giving it a listen and seeing what you think.

This next song really fits this month’s theme well. “Twisted” by Nathan Sharp is an intense and unsettling song about fear, spirits, and despair. Normally, this is where I would provide a full analysis of the song, but I would like to try and keep this month’s section at a somewhat reasonable length, so I’m just going to point out a few interesting bits from the song Now, the context of the song is truly important for understanding its lyrics, so I highly recommend that listeners find out some detailed information about Ocarina of Time’s Forest Temple and give the song a close listening afterwards. The song itself is about Link’s experience in the Forest Temple of Ocarina of Time. Rather than, as one might expect, the song being told from Link’s point of view, the song is actually narrated by the Mini-boss of the dungeon, one of the four Poe Sisters, who seems to be tormenting Link with the song. These undead sisters impede Link’s progress in an already eerie and complex dungeon filled with skeletons, ghosts, and other such creepy creatures. The lyrics of the song refer to the dungeon as the “home where ghosts dwell” and makes note of the “shadows crawling on the ceiling.” Further, the Forest Temple is filled with puzzles and has an unusual and confusing architectural style which includes twisted corridors, rooms which can be rearranged, and rooms which can have their orientation altered. Add on to this the fact that the Forest Temple is the first dungeon which Link traverses after a seven-year time skip in which the evil king Ganondorf had conquered Hyrule and spread suffering throughout the realm, and it’s not hard to see why the Poe Sisters would assert that “You can’t light this world of darkness.” and that “This world, it isn’t worth the saving.” The song is a great interpretation of the Poe Sisters’ character, and the lyrics of the song communicate the sense of despair and fear which they try to instill in Link. The lyrics and rhythm of the song captures the feeling of going through the Forest Temple extremely well. While I haven’t provided you with a full analysis of the song here, I highly encourage you to listen closely and perform your own analysis of the song.

The final song which I want to share with you this month (there’s actually a lot of others, but let’s save the rest for the next October), is “Go Back” by Andrew Stein. This song connects to this month’s theme in a direct manner, being inspired by the popular horror game series Five Nights at Freddy’s, but it also connects to theme in a meta sense which I’ll explore a bit more near the end of the article. This song is a reflection on the Five Nights at Freddy’s series, and captures the enjoyment which its fans experienced. The song’s narrator expresses a desire to “go back and … relive the time we thought we'd die” and longs for the thrill of the fear which the games provided. As the narrator notes, “my blood is pumping but I've never felt less alive. / I wish that I could go back to night number five.” Having finished the game, the narrator recognizes the feeling of being alive which fear and stress provide in a unique way which other emotions just can’t. The song is wonderful and I encourage you to give it a listen and analyze it for yourself, but I would like to examine it in light of this month’s theme. Ultimately, the song communicates the idea that we all appreciate a good scare, and that the tenseness and stress which our fears produce enliven us and reminds us of our dynamic, living nature. Fear reminds us of our ignorance and our vulnerability, and, while that might not sound like the most pleasant part of the human experience, there’s an undeniably enjoyable vigor we associate with being scared. I would say that “Go Back” captures this idea very well, and it should serve as a musical reminder of why we embrace and celebrate our fears at this time of year.

With that reflective note out of the way, that brings this month’s edition of Mario’s Boombox to a close. I thank you for reading all the way to the end and I hope that, even if you got tired of my rambling, you enjoyed the songs featured here this month. I know this was a different approach than usual, so please don’t be afraid to let me know what you think of this section. On a final note, I have something quite special prepared for December. It’s again, going to be a little different, but, at the heart of it, I’ll still be providing you with some great songs about the Wii U. Until then, all I can do is express my hope that you all enjoy the rest of October.

Take Cover!
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HI, everyone! I'm your passionate Statistics Manager, Tucayo, here with your monthly dose of Take Cover! Last time I centered a section around a specific artist I had a blast, so I figured, why not do it again? The band I have chosen to dedicate this section to has been active and has had the same lineup since 1976, a feat few other bands can match. They have released 13 LP's and have won more Grammys than any other band in history, they have sold over 150 million records, and they have the most attended and the highest grossing tour ever. If by now you don't know who I'm talking about, I may as well already tell you: it's. Loved by many, hated by some, there's no denying U2 is one of the most influential artists of all time, and they are still going strong 41 years after their debut. I want to thank the good people at U2gigs.com for being a great resource for this section.

U2's    enjoyed ample success but it was their fifth album, the timeless , that placed at #1 all over the world and turned them into global icons. The Joshua Tree was released 30 years ago - in fact, U2 is currently to celebrate this anniversary - and from it came three international singles that make it so hard to choose just one for this section: ', ', and . In the end, I chose Streets because the cover to your right is so different from the original and yet it works so well that I wanted to showcase it here. It's the with their mashup cover of Streets and 's , turning a rock song into a disco tune in a way only they could have done it. U2's first reaction to this cover was a one-liner: ""; reportedly, was unhappy with the Pet Shop Boys for over a decade, but it was probably taken in good spirit, as Bono even  (4:50) while performing Streets in Rotterdam a year after it was released. It would be absolutely unfair to say this cover outshines the, but what it definitely does do is give it a very interesting twist, which is one of the purposes of covering a song.

Fast forward four years, and we find U2 at the beginning of the 1990's seeking to reinvent themselves after the mixed reception of their live album . Enter , an album shifting to alternative rock and even dance music which turned out to be a huge commercial success. In this album there is no doubt at all which is the most famous single, that is definitely, a song which was directly preceded by a near-breakup of the band, something which can be seen in its lyrics. This song has been covered by numerous artists, ranging from to  (whom later recorded it  with U2), but to me the One that takes the cake is the version by The Man in Black,. Cash recorded this cover for his 2000 album, , an extremely emotional work given his health at the time, and the third album in the American series, which included two. This is a cover which takes to a whole new level, with Cash singing from a very different place than Bono. In his final years, Cash centered much of his work around covering songs, and while this is a terrific cover, undoubtedly the most famous of these is on  by the.

Nine years and two largely  after Achutung Baby came , a return to a more traditional sound by the Irish band. Fun fact, this is the only album ever to have more than one song win Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards: ' in 2001 and ' in 2002. The song to your right is a cover of the former, which is one of my favorite U2 songs, and it has an interesting story behind it. In 2014, Bono suffered a serious biking accident which left him hospitalized for weeks; during these weeks a concert for took place in Times Square, sponsored by, an initiative founded by Bono to raise AIDS awareness. As this is a cause very close to U2, the band decided to participate in the event even without their frontman; as such, of  and  split singing duties for the Bono-less U2, called "U2 Minus 1" at the event. Chris started the event with Beautiful Day before proceeding to, while The Boss sang. In fact, Bruce had for Still Haven't Found. It's clear Chris and Bruce were deeply enjoying the gig, and since they were backed by, , and , the songs were kept pretty much in line with the originals, but with guest vocals, which is always exciting to see.

Now, I was going to end this section at three covers, but it felt right to include this cover, to never forget that people have the power. To dream, to rule, to wrestle the earth from fools. You will remember the tragic, in which one of the attacks took place in the at an  concert, where 89 people lost their lives in this senseless act of terror. This U2 concert from which the cover to your left is taken was originally scheduled for the day after the attacks, but was rescheduled and the Eagles of Death Metal were invited to perform this cover. Sadly, attacks at concerts have kept happening, the latest of these at the festival at Las Vegas, in which 58 people lost their lives. As I have said before, concerts can and should be one of the best days of your life, and to have something like this happen... I can't find words to describe it. May all the victims of this cowardly act rest in peace.

And sadly, I must mention another tragedy before closing my section, the terrible earthquake that hit Mexico on September 19th, claiming the lives of 370 people and injuring more than 6,000. This natural disaster occurred on the anniversary of the, which took over 10,000 lives. During the aftermath of the earthquake, the best of our people came forward. People sending help from all across the country, strangers risking their lives to save strangers, and people who have nothing donating. . Stay strong.