The 'Shroom:Issue 166/Pipe Plaza

Director’s Notes
Written by:

Hello readers old and new! Welcome to 2021!!! Hopefully this year goes infinitely better than the last, even if it doesn't seem to be going that way for now. It's only January though, and there's about nowhere to go but up!

Don't forget, if you like what you see here in Pipe Plaza and you want to contribute, head on over to the sign up page to get started! I have nothing else of importance to share, so enjoy your time here!

Section of the Month

NIWA News
Written by:

Hello, everyone! Welcome to NIWA News, a section where I show the going ons with the wikis in our NIWA group within the last month!

Somehow I counted KPH2293's promotion on the Super Mario Wiki last issue as a November promotion, when it was actually a mid-December promotion. Dunno how that ended up in the wrong spot, but aside from that, there were no further staff changes last month. Have a happy new year!

Maintenance
 * Several wikis may be updating to the new MediaWiki version 1.35, so if something looks off, hang tight! Check with an admin on their wiki for more information.

Mario Calendar
Written by:

Hello everyone! I hope that you all had an excellent holiday season, and a wonderful start to the new year! A new year means a new cycle of Mario Calendars, and we’ll be starting with January! You all know how this works, so let’s just go :D

Region Abbreviations Console Abbreviations


 * January 1
 * 1983 (NA): Donkey Kong (TI-99)
 * 1998 (JP): Wrecking Crew '98 (SNES)


 * January 2
 * 2015 (EU): Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U)


 * January 3
 * 2015 (AU): Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U)


 * January 5
 * 2000 (AU): Super Smash Bros. (N64)
 * 2012 (AU): Fortune Street (Wii)


 * January 6
 * 1998 (JP): Dr. Mario (SNES)


 * January 7
 * 2005 (EU): Classic NES Series: Dr. Mario (GBA)


 * January 9
 * 1986 (EU): Pinball (NES)


 * January 11
 * 2019
 * (NA): Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey (3DS)
 * (ALL): New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (Switch)


 * January 12
 * 2007 (EU): WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Wii)


 * January 13
 * 2005 (JP): Mario Party Advance (GBA)


 * January 15
 * 2007 (NA): WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Wii)
 * 2009 (JP): New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis (Wii)
 * 2014 (JP/EU/AU): Dr. Luigi (Wii U eShop)


 * January 16
 * 1995 (JP): Undake30 Same Game (SNES)
 * 2001 (NA): Mario Tennis (GBC)


 * January 17
 * 2008 (JP): Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS)
 * 2014 (EU): Mario Party: Island Tour (3DS)


 * January 18
 * 2007
 * (JP): Wario: Master of Disguise (DS)
 * (AU): Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis (DS)
 * 2014 (AU): Mario Party: Island Tour (3DS)
 * 2018 (JP): Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (NS)


 * January 19
 * 2006 (JP): Super Mario Strikers (GC)
 * 2017 (JP): Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World (3DS)


 * January 21
 * 1993 (EU): Super Mario Kart (SNES)
 * 1994 (JP): Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (GB)
 * 1999 (JP): Super Smash Bros. (N64)
 * 2001 (JP): Donkey Kong Country (GBC)


 * January 22
 * 2008 (NA): Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS)
 * 2016 (NA): Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (3DS)


 * January 23
 * 2020 (JP): Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition (Arcade)


 * January 24
 * 2000 (NA): Mario Party 2 (N64)


 * January 25
 * 2007 (AU): WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Wii)
 * 2008 (EU): Donkey Kong Barrel Blast (Wii)
 * 2009 (EU): Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey (3DS)


 * January 26
 * 2019 (AU): Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey (3DS)


 * January 27
 * 2005 (JP): Yoshi Touch & Go (DS)
 * 2006 (EU): Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (DS)
 * 2011 (AU): Mario Sports Mix (Wii)


 * January 28
 * 1993 (EU): Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (GB)
 * 2000 (JP): Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong (GBC)
 * 2011 (EU): Mario Sports Mix (Wii)
 * 2016 (JP):
 * Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash (Wii U)
 * Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge (Wii U eShop)
 * Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge (3DS eShop)


 * January 29
 * 1981 (JP/NA): Manhole (G&W)


 * January 31
 * 2008 (JP): Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

And that’s all for this month! Overall, this month did not have a ton of crazy releases, but it’s at least cool to see the origin of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I guess this month is about as plentiful in Mario games as it is in other interesting events! Hope you guys have an amazing end of your January and finish out the first month of 2021 well! See you next month!

Poll Committee Discussion
Written by: and

Looks like I made it again into Pipe Plaza, hurray!!!

Oh, hello there, 'Shroom readers! It's your Statistics Manager, Ninja Squid, coming with some stats regarding the Poll Committee, huh, it's fitting with my current 'Shroom position, right? Well, first I must say that I am happy to be back in my beloved Pipe Plaza, and secondly, well... I don't really have anything else relevant to say here actually, so how about we move on to the most important part of the section?

The News
I don't have much information to share right now about the Poll Committee other than we keep creating polls, which is pretty much the important part of our job as Poll Committee members. Otherwise, since last month, and  both took over the committee for a two-weeks term, thanks to our chairperson rotating system, and I have to say that it is a good concept so far. It's a good way to get some good leadership experience after all!

Analyses
Which Mario sports series would you most like to see receive a new installment on the Nintendo Switch? Mario Strikers got first here, and you know what? Now that Next Level Games is a Nintendo subsidiary, it should be a good reason to bring a new installment of the series to the Switch. Come on, Nintendo! Nintendo Switch games are selling incredibly well, so I don't see why Nintendo and Next Level Games could not come up with a new game for this series, and especially as the demand seems there. Given that Nintendo recently purchased Next Level Games, it seems like a new Srikers title ought to be in the cards.

Beyond Mario Strikers the two clearly preferred options here are Mario Baseball and Mario Golf. The latter isn't too surprising, being such a long-running series of spinoff games that has appeared on handhelds and consoles alike and has maintained a consistent quality. There haven't been any Ultra Smash level bombs with Mario Golf. It seems that consistent, if not always outstanding, quality matters. Mario Baseball, is the real surprise here, considering how long it has been since we've had a title in that series and the handicap of Mario Super Sluggers not even seeing a European release. That said, the latter game has always punched above its weight in our Mario Awards ceremony, so it seems like its solid gameplay and its huge roster earn it a large amount of support.

On the whole, the takeaway here seems to be that people would rather have more of what they know than take a chance on something they don't. It's the established series that drew attention, even though two of them haven't had a game in years. There are folks out there who want new types or sports or new spin-offs altogether, but they seem to be in the minority.

Would you like to see the Super Mario franchise cross over with more obscure properties? It looks like folks are open to more Super Mario crossover titles! Was this perhaps influenced by Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle? I wouldn't be suprised if that were the case. Expectations for the game were generally low, but it ended up being broadly well-recieved. That's likely made folks more open to even unexpected Mario crossovers.

It seems that people are most interested in crossovers that keep elements of the series crossing over recognizable, though there's some splits on who should have creative control and which series are more important to protect.

Conclusion
Well, that's it for this month's Poll Committee Discussion! Next month, will be here to report on the polls from early 2021, so keep an eye on this space.