The 'Shroom:Issue LVIII
|
| ||
| Issue LVIII | January 21st, 2012 | About |
|
| ||
Director's Notes
Hello everybody!
Everything that I really would have covered in this month's Director Notes is covered in my Directorial Address. Be sure to check that out to find out what will be happening over the course of the next year!
Be sure to check out the Feedback Survey. Last time we got ten votes, which was twice the amount of the previous survey's responses. So let us aim for twenty votes and beyond this time! The survey covers a wide range of important topics, including certain plans that might be implemented throughout this year. So be sure to make your voice heard and to give us some feedback!
That is all. Be sure to check up on February 18th, 2012 for the next issue (the first of this new term)!
Until next month,
Directorial Address
Hello again, fellow readers. I am Super Mario Bros. (talk), the incumbent Director who has been elected to a second year of managing The 'Shroom. I am happy to have been given the chance to serve the paper for a second term in this capacity, and I will do my best to make this year one full of improvement, innovation, and excitement for The 'Shroom. I would like to thank my supporters for ensuring my reelection, and I would also like to thank my opponents in the election, Marioguy1 (talk) and Tucayo (talk), for sharing their ideas and participating in the election process.
For the past year, the Core Staff, the writers, and the readers have worked hard to improve The 'Shroom. We increased the amount of affiliates, expanded The 'Shroom Awards from five awards to ten awards, held multiple feedback surveys, created new Core Staff positions in order to better manage certain projects, improved the application form, had several Special Issues, and introduced the Section of the Month process. It was a good year for The 'Shroom, and I am happy to have presided over the paper during this time of innovation. Towards the end of the term, however, certain sub-teams lost a huge amount of writers and have been doing their best to recover. During the past election, my proposed plans have centered around further improving certain aspects of The 'Shroom and ensuring that we get good writers for the paper.
I would like to first announce the Core Staff that will be helping me implement these plans throughout the next year:
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros. (talk) | Director |
| Edofenrir (talk) | Sub-director |
| Ralphfan (talk) | Statistics Manager |
| Crocodile Dippy (talk) | Affiliates Manager |
| Tucayo (talk) | Social Networking Manager |
| MrConcreteDonkey (talk) | Fake News Director |
| Gamefreak75 (talk) | Fun Stuff Director |
| Fawfulfury65 (talk) | Music & Artwork Director |
| Marioguy1 (talk) | Pipe Plaza Director |
The individuals that I have selected to participate in the Core Staff are completely dedicated to bettering the paper over the course of the next year. I know that they will do their best, that they will accomplish what they need to accomplish, and will be overall productive members of the team. My team and I will work hard to bring forward necessary improvements in order to make this year the best year The 'Shroom has ever seen!
Throughout the next year, we will have a maximum of two Special Issues to make sure that they remain as special and of the highest quality as possible. These sorts of projects are extremely time-consuming and require a lot of effort from the writers and the Core Staff, and to have them on a regular basis would not only be undesirable, but it would also be practically impossible. Having a smaller amount also increases each individual Special Issue's uniqueness and quality, and will enable the readers to look forward to each one as they come.
We will also start posting more on our social networking accounts and add more affiliates. We have created a new position titled "Social Networking Manager": the individual that holds this position (Tucayo (talk)) will make posts on our Facebook and Twitter accounts in order to make announcements, communicate with the readers, and advertise new issues. Adding affiliates will allow us to network and create good relationships between other news projects, as well as potentially bringing in more readers and writers to The 'Shroom.
The About page and the Archives page will also be overhauled. The About page will be expanded to provide more information about paper and will also cover more of the history of The 'Shroom. The Archives page will be significantly changed in order to make access to the older issues easier. We will also be working on fixing up any errors any of the archived issues may have that were not originally included (an example being if the entire content of the Front Page of that issue was deleted accidentally during a move) and making sure that all content that is included in The 'Shroom is on the wiki (this includes images that are linked to).
Feedback Surveys will be run three times throughout this next year: May 2012, September 2012, and January 2013. Questions about existing processes and on various new ideas will be included in each one, and decisions and changes will be made based on the results of the surveys. The readers must have a voice in how the paper goes: without the readers, the paper would be nothing.
The forum board and chat will be used more often this year. We will have events every time we have a Special Issue, during election debates, and much more. Some of those events will be held on the forum, and others will be hosted on the chat. Logs of the events held on chat will be posted up on the forum in order to allow people to see what happened and to encourage more posting in the board. Polls will be posted after every issue on the forum by the Statistics Manager (Ralphfan (talk)). We will also try our best to keep the 'Shroom Awards (which is held on the forum as a part of the Awards Ceremonies) at a total of ten Awards.
Finally, we will take several steps in order to counter the current employment situation for the paper. We will simplify and condense the rules on the Sign up page so that finding out how to join The 'Shroom is not a hassle. A one-week time limit for the staff to review applications will also be implemented in order to prevent them from piling up and applicants waiting ages for a response. We will maximize writer turnout by allowing people to contribute to The 'Shroom in three ways: either by committing to a monthly submission schedule, committing to a bi-monthly schedule, or submitting a one-time section voluntarily (a question regarding which one the applicant would like select will be added to the application form). We will also allow each sub-team Director to increase or decrease the section limit in order to fit their team's needs.
I hope that these plans will allow The 'Shroom to grow and move forward, as well as to be able to serve the community to its furthest extent. Thank you once again everybody, and I look forward to the rest of this year! Be sure to check by on February 18th, 2012 for the next issue, which will be absolutely fantastic!
Section of the Month
| Section of the Month | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Last month, a lot of great sections have been sent in. A great holiday issue has been put together because of those contributions, so thank you very much, all of you who supported the project. And since there was so much excellent material to choose from, picking one of them was not an easy task. Now, this is usually a pretty hollow phrase to say, but we really mean it. The discussion was pure chaos. Nobody could make up their minds. In the end we agreed to award the honor of Section of December to Crocodile Dippy for his outstanding Non-Marioverse Review, which focused on the game Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. Crocodile Dippy has only recently joined the 'Shroom team, and publishes his third review in this month's issue. Nevertheless, despite not being a 'Shroom writer for very long, his articles are usually excellent and definitely worth a read. With keen observations, a distinct lack of euphemisms, and a healthy dose of Australian sass, he takes the fight to unsatisfactory games and game companies who keep using the same stale formula over and over again. If you aren't bothered by strong language, and are interested in game reviews in general, you should definitely check it out. However, as mentioned beforehand, Crocodile Dippy's contribution was not the only notable thing in last month's issue. Other great sections include:
We are grateful for your help, and we will look forward to an opportunity where we might be able to work together again. Thank you very much. |
Feedback Survey
We need your opinion!
As the core staff of this paper, it is our responsibility to ensure that the 'Shroom meets a certain standard. We want you to enjoy your time here. In that spirit, we would like to hear your opinion about the current state of the paper. What do you like? What do you find unenjoyable? How and where can we improve the paper for you?
This will be the third of three surveys available to you, giving you an opportunity to voice your concerns in an organized fashion.
There are four categories in this survey:
- General – General questions about The 'Shroom.
- Special Holiday Issue LVII – Questions about last year's December issue.
- Plans for 2012 – Questions about the future, and about how to advance the 'Shroom.
- Survey – Questions about the quality of the survey itself.
The survey itself can be found through the link below.
This survey will close on February 18th, 2012, with the release of Issue LVIX.
Thank you for your time. It is very much appreciated.
Fake NewsMusic & Artwork
Editorial
Hello again...uh, Fake-lovers(?), and welcome to another edition of the Fake News. This is the fakest Fake News to ever fakely hit the fake shelves. By the way, Happy New Year! Now, sadly, due to a few unfortunate complications, there won't be any Fake TV, Cooking Guide or Ask '3K this month. But we do, however, have a few sections.
On the subject of news, we have a writer for Character Battle, after a very long time of...not having a writer for Character Battle. KoopaTroop (talk) will be writing this section from now on. We don't have much, this month, but it's of good quality, so enjoy!
Written by: KoopaTroop (talk)
KoopaTroop here with this month's edition of "Character Battle"! This month, it will be an explosive battle between Bowser's minions and Mushroom Kingdom residents, Bob-Omb and Goomba! Different, you say? PM me your ideas! You can also vote for the next competitors on the forum! Now, the battle shall begin!
And the winner is Bob-Omb! He had Goomba fooled, and made his move. What an explosive finish!
Written by: 
Baby Mario Bloops (talk)
Hello all to the not so famous section everyone looks forward too! Okay, let’s see…yada yada yada, skipping the introduction…ah, here we are! Excuse me for some lack of preparedness; accidentally lost my paperwork for most of the stuff. Anyways, the guest we are bringing out today for the beginning of the new year is Tayce T.! Let’s just right on in!
BMB: Just got to say, love your cooking, probably the best in the town.
Zess T.: Hey!
BMB: Maybe next month Zess, but not now.
Tayce T.: Okay, what do you want to know, sweetie?
BMB: Well…did you bring me some of your tasty – yes, punny – samples like I asked?
Tayce T.: I was supposed to bring in treats?
BMB: Ugh, darn it MCD, I told you to get the list over to Tayce! There was supposed to be Honey Shrooms, Nutty Cake, and even Snow Bunnies!
Tayce T.: Um, sorry sweetie, I don’t make Snow Bunnies.
BMB: And she doesn’t even make Snow Bunnies! Everything is so chaotic this month!
Tayce T.: Ahem…sweetie, don’t you have an interview to conduct?
BMB: Ah, yes I do. Hm…well, what was one of the most traumatic situations you have even been with during Paper Mario?
Tayce T.: Well, probably when I lost my Frying Pan to a Shy Guy. Ever since sweetie, I’ve been very agile around a Shy Guy.
BMB: Remind me to keep the stage crew from catching your sight. Anyways, what’s one of your-
Tayce T.: SHY GUY!!!
Shy Guy: He ho?
BMB: RUN FOR YOU LIFE SHY GUY! RUN LIKE I’M GOING TO GIVE YOU MINIMUM WAGE!
Tayce T.: AHHHHHHH!
Tayce T. starts attacking the poor Shy Guy with a frying pan.
BMB: Come on, don’t hurt him. Ouch…stop smacking him with that! Ow…he’s been on here many times before, please…oh, that had to hurt.
Shy Guy: White Flag, white flag! Help...me...
BMB: Well….while they are doing that, why don’t we take a short intermission and-what? Seriously, I don’t have one of those? Well, no intermissions I guess. Let’s see if I can pull Tayce T. back into focus.
Tayce T.: I’m going to kill you and every one of you masked weirdos!
BMB: Actually, I think we should cut off now. Wasted about enough time only to cause a massive war to happen. I’ll see you guys next month.
Tayce T.: GET BACK HERE!
BMB: Well…if I can stay out of her way.
Written by: 
MST3K (talk) (usually)
MST3K received no questions this month. If you have an account on the Super Mario Boards, our forum, you can send him a question by personal message.
Fun Stuff
Director Notes
by Gamefreak75 (talk)
Superemo78 (talk) has decided to leave the MarioWiki community, thus forfeiting his position as Guess that Character writer.
Yoshimitzu (talk) now writes for the Picross section.
This also marks the end of my term as Fun Stuff director for this ‘Shroom year. Whether I’m the director or not is up to the new (or former) ‘Shroom director. I hope you enjoy this issue.
Mystery ImagesTriviaby Marwikedor (talk)
Kongs, and spiders, and birds, oh my! What is it about the spider that makes so many people despise them? Is it because they have eight eyes and legs instead of two? Is it because their mouths move from side to side instead of up and down? In any case, the spiders of the Marioverse are far less ugly, but far more likely to bother you! The second half of this month's Trivia will deal with Mario creatures of the avian variety. After all, haven't you heard that the bird is the word? Did you know that...
|
Quizby Marwikedor (talk)
Happy New Year, 'Shroom Readers! The new year shall indeed be started off happy with this double-length quiz! In honor of the recent release of one of the greatest and innovative Mario Karts ever, Mario Kart 7, there will be three sets of seven questions. The first set seven questions (1-7) will be one question from each and every console Mario Kart. The next seven (8-14) will be random questions from the Marioverse. And the final set of seven (15-21) will be random questions from the Marioverse that pertain to the number 7! So seven is indeed the lucky number this month, paisans. Ciao.
| |||
Guess that Game
Crossword PuzzleWord Searchby Gamefreak75 (talk)
Today, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 celebrates its 18 year anniversary. This month’s word search is based off the bosses.
Hiding KoopaBy General bob-omb (talk)
PicrossBy Yoshimitzu (talk) | ||||||
Music & Artwork
Director's Notes
Hello, everyone, and welcome again to Music and Artwork! To those who read last month's special issue, I hope you enjoyed it very much. I am very thankful for those of you who volunteered to write for it. You guys did a great job! If it's your first time reading, I am very pleased to welcome you here, and I hope you enjoy the issue!
There are currently two open sections for Music and Art, and they are: Photoshopped Image of the Month and Box-art of the Month. If you would like to write for one, or both, contact me either by PM, or on my talkpage. If you're not interested in either of them, but want to write, you can also head to here to see other 'Shroom jobs and more information about signing up. Also, if you have any Mario-related drawings that you want to show on the 'Shroom, you can send them to me, and I'll put them here.
Alright, I think that's it. Enjoy!
Screenshot of the Month (Fawfulfury65)
This month, I've chosen a picture of Yoshi from Mario Kart 7 as the screenshot of the month. It may not be the biggest picture out there, but it shows very beautiful scene. The track that Yoshi is racing on is Wuhu Mountain Loop (or Maku Wuhu, as it is called in North America), a straight-forward (no laps) track that is based off of Wuhu Island from Wii Sports Resort and other Nintendo games.
This main reason I chose this is because of the scenery. The sky really caught my eye, and the palm trees make it look a relaxing place to be. I like the bridge too, and the area overall looks like the perfect vacation spot. Far behind Yoshi and his Bumble V kart, you can see Donkey Kong, and, in the air, what seems to be a bomb-omb. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be any other racers or hazards in view, since the track is pretty low on obstacles.
This picture definitely deserves to be a Screenshot of the Month. Sure, it's a little small, but the image itself is just breathtaking. That's all for this month, and I hope to see you again for the next Screenshot of the Month!
Character Artwork of the Month (Marwikedor)
Happy New Year, 'Shroom Readers! Of all the sublime character artwork of the Marioverse, which one stands out to be named my pictorial pick of the first month of the year? When all is said and done, there is only one: Donkey Kong dressed like a wizard, 'tis you. My decision to name this great work the victor is imbued by that unbelievable fact that Mario Party 2 turns one dozen years old this month for we yanks. Mario Party 2 came out, believe it or not, in January 2000 in America. Not since that time has Uncle Sam ever played a Mario title just released in January. Let it sink in: A dozen years. I simply, emphatically, cannot believe it. I remember exhaustively playing Mario Party 2 when it first came out like it was only... Well, not twelve years ago, that's for sure. The artwork of Donkey Kong personifies the wonderful, yet lost concept of each character wearing different costumes/outfits suited to the theme of each of the game's board maps. DK also dons the garb of my favorite horror-theme board ever, Horror Land. A poster with this image of DK along with various other characters dressed accordingly to other boards to this day adorns my Nintendo Room wall. It is a poster from Brady Games. The only difference in regards to this particular image on the poster is you cannot see DK's feet because Yoshi's head is blocking them. Mario Party 2 is Mario Party at it's very best. How fitting this statement is, going along with the winning artwork: Mario Party 2 left us spellbound. Not just for Horror Land, but Pirate Land, Western Land, and all the great, delightfully simple yet utterly magical lands and moments brought to the fore. And in the future, I don't care how many marvels await us such as virtual reality games, etc. Mario Party 2 will always be a masterpiece of a party game. Not that Wii sports or party or resorts or whatever anyone calls that garbage. Mario Party 2 twelve years later is every bit as great as it was six and one or half a dozen minus six years ago. And it will be every bit as great 144 years from now. Even if no one plays it then, assuming man is still here, the euphoria the game gave I and millions others by playing it can never be extirpated from history. MP2 has left it's mark on the world. Here's to you, Mario Party 9. May your resolution for the new year help us all do what they say you can't: Go home again.
Sketches Related to Mario (Fawfulfury65)
I didn't receive any artwork this month, unfortunately. To make this section more interesting, I'll entertain you with a picture drawn by Shigeru Miyamoto, the individual responsible for everyone's favorite plumber. It seems to have been made for New Years, so it's appropriate for this time of year.
Pipe Plaza
Director's Notes (Marioguy1 (talk))Ah, January, the new year, nice cold weather (at least here in Canada) and tons of leftovers from Christmas. Not to mention the intense pleasure of final exams!!...wait what? Hello everyone and welcome to the first 'Shroom issue of 2012! As usual, we have a few spots open for writers - however I would like to welcome Bop1996 to the team as the writer for Community Report! Now on with the issue! Community Report (Bop1996 (talk))Hello everyone, and welcome to this month’s edition of the Community Report! I’m Bop1996, and I’ve recently signed up for this section after remarking on how easy it seemed compared to the rest of the available sections. Policy changes and updates:
Proposals that ran last month:
Promotions/Demotions this month:
That’s all for this month’s Community Report section. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next month! Forum Update (MrConcreteDonkey (talk))Hello, and welcome again to Forum Update! Happy New Year! December certainly had some interesting stories for us on the Super Mario Boards, so let's get started right away. Top Stories: Noah (Noahp89 (talk)) has been banned again, infinitely, from the MarioWiki Forum, after returning for only about a week. He was banned based on the content of some of his posts, and recent chat events. Baby Time (Mario Super Sluggers (talk)) and Marwikedor (Marwikedor (talk)) were also banned, both for a month. The forum has changed its type of Spoiler tags ( (click to show/hide) ). Up until recently, to open them, they only had to be hovered over. Now, a button must be clicked to open them. Statistics: In December, there were 863 new topics made, which is an all-time high. 36053 posts were made, 47 new users joined, and 134 was the largest amount of users online at once. In 2011, overall, 6212 new topics were made. 359371 posts were made, and 1334 members registered. 591 was the most online. Sharks Territory (Ralphfan (talk) – 22207 Smasher (Smasher (talk)) – 20574 Pinkie Pie (UltraMario3000 (talk))– 19754 Nega-Man (Mileycyrussoulja (talk)) – 18327 Solar Blaze (SolarBlaze (talk)) – 15658 Kick Buttowski (Superjeff64 (talk)) – 13247 Herr Shyguy (Shyguy27 (talk)) – 11821 Christian Brutal Sniper (Marcelagus (talk)) – 11603 Lario (Lario (talk)) – 11161 Baby Luigi (BabyLuigiOnFire (talk)) – 11145 Green signifies the user is at a higher position than last month. Mafia: Currently ongoing are Smasher (Smasher (talk)) and Fi's (Baby Mario Bloops (talk)) Awesome Mafia, Skyward Yoshi's (Skyward Yoshi (talk)) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Mafia, and Toad2012's (Toad85 (talk)) Harry Potter Mafia.
Thanks for reading, and see you next month! Happy New Year! Tip of the Month (FunkyK38 (talk))Tip of the Month: Using a signature when you leave comments makes it easier for the person you're trying to talk to to reply back. A good signature should contain a link to your talk page and your user page, and it shouldn't have huge pictures in it. Any other pages you link to shouldn't be pages intended to cause harm to the follower, whether by leading to an inappropriate page or site or a page that can send a virus to the other person's computer. NIWA News (Marioguy1 (talk))Hey guys! NIWA News has a new format! Whenever NIWA has news, the section will be present. But if there is no news, then the section will not be included. So that means that this month, there have been a few newsworthy things and I am here to point them out to you!
While NIWA may not have a lot done this month, there are a ton of plans for the future so stay tuned! |
Hello readers of the Shroom. New Super Mario here, writing for the Review Corner section. Lots of 3DS games have been released lately, so I thought I would review one of my personal favorites, Mario Kart 7.
Gameplay
- The gameplay for Mario Kart 7 isn’t perfect, but there are a lot of great features that make the game lots of fun. In Single Player Mode, you can race in Grand Prixs, Time Trials, or Battles. It is kind of a bummer that there is no single player versus, cause if you hate half of the courses in a cup but love the other two, you will be forced to do the whole thing, instead of just select the ones you want. I’ve had this frustration in the Star Cup, where I love Piranha Plant Slide, but hate Wario Shipyard and Neo Bowser City. However, even though this is a downfall, the racing style is perfected.
- The customizing kart feature lets you take your own unique style, whether it’s high speed, or high off-road, you’ll find the right combination for you. Paragliding and underwater driving have been added in for even more thrill. I feel Paragliding was perfected, and it’s so fun to fly over Shy Guy Bazaar or Maka Wuhu to name a few. It adds additional strategy and skill to the game. I fell Underwater was…. OK. I don’t know, I just think they could have made it better, and feel it’s not very different from racing.
- The tracks in this game were great! Shy Guy Bazaar, Music Park, Piranha Plant Slide, and DK Jungle are some of my favorite new ones. However, not all can be as great as these, such as Wuhu Loop and Neo Bowser City. With new tracks comes the retuning tracks, and I think they couldn’t have chosen a better selection. All of the retro courses are perfect, and I wouldn’t change the selection one bit.
- This is great fun, but the real action is in Local Multiplayer or Online Play. After playing Local with my sister and brother, I love it! I like that each player can suggest a course, instead of the host picking all the time, like in MKDS. In Local you can do V.S this time, which makes it another reason to get a friend to play along with you. As for Online Play, it is very fun. It is similar to MKWii’s online but now with new communities. I fell these are a great feature. They allow you to set up a community with different rules. I set up one so my cousin and I can play when we aren’t with each other for local play.
- Starting from the original Super Mario Kart, Battle returns in this game. Coin Battle, I find ok, but I never cared for it, but it hasn’t changed much from MKWii. Balloon Battle in this game I think is the best Balloon Battle in any of the games. I like how you aren’t on a team and are solo, unlike Mario Kart Wii. I could play Balloon Battle for hours on MK7, unlike MKWii where I would get bored within the first couple.
- The last thing I want to talk about are the Characters. I feel that MK7’s roster is good, but I don’t care for any of the newcomers except Wiggler. I am glad that Shy Guy and Rosalina returned, and all the other classic characters are good. But one thing that bugs me is that there are so many other great newcomer choices and yet they choose Queen Bee and Metal Mario. These are the two I REALLY hate. Queen Bee I thought wouldn’t be that bad, but she is so annoying in the game and talks as if she’s about to shake to death. Metal Mario is just uncreative and feels like a copy of Mario. Queen Bee could have been replaced with a better large character choice, such as Lubba, and Metal Mario could have been replaced with someone like Dixie Kong. Plenty of other choices to name. Lakitu I like, I just don’t like him enough to ever be him. Wiggler is one of my favorites, and I think he’s fun to be. Also Mii, I think could’ve been left out for a spot for an actual Mario character, like Waluigi, Diddy, Toadette, Petey, or King Boo.
- To conclude, MK7 is overall a great game.
Good Features: Balloon Battle’s improvement, Online and Local play, Paragliding, and Kart Customization.
Bad Features: No Single Player V.S, Character newcomer choices.
NSM’s Rating: 9/10
Got any suggestions for what game to review? PM me, New Super Mario, on our forums!
Ah, welcome to another exciting interview with I – Baby Mario Bloops! It is the start of another year, where people try to restart their lives with resolutions far beyond their reaches, snow falling in forms of silver storms, and the annual Director Election for our beloved ‘Shroom!
Yes, that’s right, the debate between Super Mario Bros., Marioguy1 , and latecomer Tucayo is nearly almost done. The votes are tight, neck and neck. It will only take just a matter of one or two votes to swing the election entirely! We’ll be doing the interview with last year’s director, and potential director for 2012, Super Mario Bros! Let’s dive right in!
- BMB – So Super Mario Bros…when did you first join the wiki?
- SMB – I joined the wiki back on March 8th, 2008. I barely made any edits (mostly just some bad userspace edits and some failed attempts to vote on a proposal). I left immediately after and returned a little over a year later, on April 2nd, 2009. I started contributing on a more active basis at that point.
- BMB – That’s actually a rather intriguing beginning compared to some others. When did you decide to join The ‘Shroom?
- SMB – I believe it was sometime in Summer, or Fall, of 2009... I know I started writing a Character Battles section for the Fake News sometime around then. I also convinced Tucayo to let me create and manage the Music & Artwork Team, so I actually started my time in the Core Staff early on in my time with The 'Shroom.
- BMB – Wow, around the time I joined. Anyways, you have been through many years on The 'Shroom. What made you decide to run for Director in the election last year?
- SMB - I decided to run in the Director Election of 2010 based on several factors... Having, at that point, been in the Core Staff for eighteen months (under various positions: Music & Artwork Director, Pipe Plaza Director, one-time Fake News Director, and one-time unofficial Substitute Director for Stooben Rooben and Tucayo); having run a campaign in 2009 (in which I learned how the election process goes); and most importantly, having had big new ideas for The 'Shroom so that we could move forward and accomplish many things. I did my best to stress that I could handle hurdles that would come in the way and that I was one hundred percent dedicated to improving The 'Shroom.
- BMB – Do you feel like you made a better improvement on The 'Shroom during your course as Director?
- SMB – I would honestly say "yes" to that question, but I did not improve The 'Shroom by myself (my Core Staff and all of the writers were there when things needed to be done). We increased the amount of affiliates, increased the amount of 'Shroom Awards in our second ceremony, started the Section of the Month, and created several good projects and ideas (all while continuing previous processes and maintaining the paper). Good ideas combined with a smart, supportive, and dedicated Core Staff and writing team will go very far for the paper.
- BMB – How pumped are you for this year - relating to the 'Shroom - whether you become second-year director or not?
- SMB – I am absolutely excited. Back when I wrote my campaign, I observed the issues and problems that are existent in The 'Shroom and thought up an entire set of solutions in order to counter them throughout the next year. Since I have a high amount of support, I am going to assume that a good amount of the voters understand how my solutions will solve problems and improve The 'Shroom, and that they have invested their trust in me to ensure the execution of these solutions. Should I win the election, I will proudly start a second term and live up to my promises, and (as stated in my campaign) "make the next year an organized, productive, and fun year for all of the writers, readers, and Core Staff members."
- BMB – It is going to be a close one for this year's election. What is your prediction for the outcome?
- SMB – It most certainly will be a close election this time around. I cannot really predict the outcome, as there honestly are really too many variables: the fact that there are three great candidates, the fact that my rival Tucayo has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the amount of votes that his campaign has received, and the fact that a lot of people have been participating in the election process in general... However, I can say that no matter which of the three candidates ends up winning, The 'Shroom will be under the leadership of an individual who cares greatly for the improvement of, maintenance of, and overall success of the paper.
- BMB – Well, I’m sure your ‘shortened’ summaries has reached the climax. Before I end this interview, I wish you luck for the Direction Election.
- SMB – Thank you, I highly appreciate it! I hope that I have the chance to serve The 'Shroom and the readers well for another year!
And with that, we have a good enlightenment about one of our own candidates! I wish all three of them the best of luck for the upcoming event! And, as a message from all three, be sure to support The ‘Shroom in any way possible sometime this year! With that, I’m BMB, and I plan to see you all next month!
This month, I'm going to cover Super Mario 3D Land. Oh, and, before you asked, nobody suggested anything: send me a personal message on the Super Mario Boards if there's something you want me to cover.
What should have been in this game?
Starting off, I loved this game. I felt it was an almost perfect escapade for the red-capped hero on the 3DS. But the game, in some places, could be improved. First, the story of the game is a little bit bland. I mean, yes, it's not different than that of many other Mario games, but that's usually only for 2D platformers. This is a 3D game, albeit still a platformer, so I'd expect there to be a better story behind it. The design for the overworlds also seemed pretty simple to me. Simple isn't always bad, but, especially going by the overworlds in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, I think they really could have looked better.
Next, I think there should have been more different bosses in this game. There were only, what, four Bosses in this game (not counting rematches or final battles or whatever)?
The Super Leaf returns in this game (in case you haven't looked at anything about it ever before), but arguably its most useful feature, the ability to fly through the air, is missing. While the player can Flutter Jump while wearing it, I don't think this would be as useful as flying. Flying, in my opinion, would eliminate the need of the Invincibility Leaf, in my opinion. Alternately, the Statue Leaf (which, in my opinion, was a pretty useless update to the Super Leaf) could have had the ability to fly, instead of Flutter Jump.
Now, each of the 16 worlds has only about four or five levels: I would have honestly preferred less worlds to less levels per world. I would have also liked if there was a distinct theme for every world, e.g. jungle, forest, ice world etc., but all of the levels in each world just seem...random. Next, there is a good chance some players will not be able to get the stars which appear on their profile, after completing certain aspects, to sparkle. To get the sparkling stars, I think you have to complete every level without losing no less than 5 Lives. I think there should be another way you can get these stars, if you lose these lives. It's only a minor thing, but it's the little things that count.
Now onto something that some people really think was toned down in this game: the difficulty. Now, I personally think this game has a pretty good level of difficulty, especially in the later levels. But I do think it takes quite a while to kick in: Special 2 was, where I felt, I began struggling on some of the levels. In a normal game with around 8 worlds, that would respond to about World 6. Yet I felt, in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the same level of difficulty kicked in at about World 5, or maybe even World 4. The game seems very forgiving with the Invincibility Leaf and whatnot. I think the game could have been less forgiving. Finally, on a more minor note, I really thought the optical illusion rooms, where you may need to switch to 3D to see the game better, very innovative and a great idea. However, there weren't many parts of the game where this mechanic was used, so I'd have liked to have seen more of it.
Enemies who should have been in this game
- Fire Bro. – This guy, if I remember correctly, is the only major member of the Hammer Bro. family not to appear in a 3D main series game yet (and no, NSMBW doesn't count as 3D). These enemies could be challenging, as Fireballs tend to bounce around quite a lot.
- Wiggler – In case you don't know, I love Wigglers. They could act like they did in Super Mario Galaxy.
- KING BILL
- Shy Guy – These guys haven't appeared in a main series game since Super Mario Bros. 2! They really deserve another appearance, in my opinion, because they're awesome.
Beta elements
Upon Stomping an enemy, Mario would have to collect the Coin manually, instead of automatically. The game was originally called Super Mario, then Super Mario 3D, before gaining "Land". The Invincibility Leaf was originally meant to appear after 8 lives were lost, then the P-Wing after 16. The pause menu interface was changed, and some glitches were fixed. The battle with Boom Boom on the World 2-
Airship originally used Peewee Piranha's theme from Super Mario Galaxy 2.
Well, that's all for this month. Don't forget to send me a personal message on the Super Mario Boards if there's something you want me to cover. See you next month!
Welcome, Brawlers, to this month's edition of Brawl Tactics! Since Sonic is wrapping up his 20th birthday celebration, I thought I'd put a little blue spin on this month's issue. I will be covering Green Hill Zone!
Anyone who has played a Sonic game, from classics like Sonic the Hedgehog to newer games like Colors or Generations, has played on this stage. It's probably the most recognizable location in Mobius, to say the least. It received the Brawl makeover- looking totally new yet still possessing the retro spin that older gamers enjoy. Throughout your battle you will see Tails, Silver, and Knuckles running around on the loop in the background, but don't let them distract you too much!
This stage has some pretty significant advantages and disadvantages. The first and foremost are the sides. This stage has very strange sides. When you start to go off screen, the camera will not follow you. Although there is a bit of room back there, you will take damage for being off camera, and that will hurt you in the long run. The edge also comes up fast once you're off camera, and that makes for an easy KO. I've done a few right at the beginning of the battle when my opponent has almost no damage done. If you get an assist trophy of Knuckle Joe or Little Mac, keep your opponent near the sides, because these two pack a wallop when it comes to launch power, and one hit from one of them is enough to send your opponent off the screen. The shallow sides are perfect for Final Smashes like Jiggypuff's or Donkey Kong's, because your opponent will have nowhere to hide if you are right in the middle. Ironically, though, this stage does not give Sonic much room to run around, so if you are playing as him, be careful not to go too far off screen when using his Final Smash or you will have no time to recover.
The second notable trait is the way the loop will give way if you pound on it too hard. Using bombs, Pokemon, assist trophies, or Final Smashes can do major damage, so be careful that you're not standing on the ground when it gives way. If you miss your recovery jump, or if you are playing a Final Smash where you will drop after using it, such as Samus, be careful. The other thing to do when the stage collapses is to get your Landmaster to the edges where the pilot can jump out safely. I don't think I need to elaborate on what will happen if you don't.
Thirdly, the balloon bumpers make things interesting. They do a lot of damage if you hit them hard enough and they have a lot of launch power. Set them off near the edge of the stage if you can and box your opponent in so that they will be KO'ed when the bumper hits them and knocks them back.
Finally, watch your views. Although you will get some view when you are off-screen, it will not be much, and there really is no way to tell what's going on. Due to the stage's box-like construction, mid-battle shots are out of the question when you're in the loop, as the land will get in the way when you are trying to get a new angle, making the only decent shot on this stage straight at the front.
Well, that's all for me this month, Brawlers! Enjoy using the Green Hill Zone, and I'll see you next time on Brawl Tactics!
I'm so behind the times I didn't bother playing as many 2011 releases as I prob'ly should've so I can't make a top 5 list. Oh well, mistakes were made. So of the ones I've actually played, I'll just suggest Portal 2, Bastion, inFamous 2 and Rock of Ages as some 2011 games you should totally play. Happy New Year, by the way.
| The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Developer | Nintendo EAD | ||
| Publisher | Nintendo | ||
| Platform(s) | Wii | ||
| Genres | Action-adventure, puzzle | ||
| Rating(s) |
| ||
- Everyone 10+
