The 'Shroom:Issue 111/Critic Corner

Director's Notes
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So... this is it for me. In case you're unaware, me,, and are all resigning after this issue. It's been a fun adventure, but we have to move on and sort our respective lives out from here on, and we can't have the stress and interference of The 'Shroom holding us back. We'll still be around for special issues, of course, but we'll no longer be part of the decor here anymore. Don't cry for me, Argentina!

Part of the reason I'm moving on is due to the unfortunate circumstances that have led us to this special issue; Walkazo's passing earlier in the year, which has impacted me very deeply as she was my best friend, not just counting online friends but offline ones as well. I don't want to get super sentimental in the director's notes after my little outburst a few months back when the tragedy was still fresh and I was still desperately trying to come to some sense about it, so I'll instead link to my tribute and memories of her. She can't be brought back, but her memory can live on through us, so make sure she gets the honour and love she deserved from this community that she held dear.

So, moving on! ...nothing really new at all! No new sections, no new applicants, nada. Just another day in the Critic Corner, and I pray that whoever takes over my post will do a damn better job at keeping it tidy than I ever did. My fur is a bitch to clean up when it starts molting, let me tell you! So, until the next special issue; enjoy this special issue, and above all, have fun!

Marioverse Reviews
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Hello! It's summer, and it's extremely hot outside, especially in the afternoons. I hope everybody is enjoying their June - I am, but I try to avoid the heat. Well, anyways, I am going to review Mario Party 9 today!

Mario Party 9 is a game that changed up the gameplay of Mario Party. Instead of going around on your own, gathering coins to buy stars as you go, you instead are in a car with the other characters, collecting ministars. Now, it's like you can’t even explore the boards anymore. You’re in this car instead moving with other characters. I don’t like this. Id rather explore and walk around the board instead of be in a stupid car and letting others moving around the board for you. Ugh.

The minigames are good, in my opinion. My favorite minigame is Smash Compactor, because I like how it’s like a challenge to not be squished like a piece of paper. I really don’t know why I like it; I guess I have good memories playing it with my friends in the past. I also like Manor of Escape, because it’s a maze to get out of the building. My favorite extra minigame is Shell Soccer, because I also have good memories with it.

About the boards, my favorite board is Blooper Beach. I like it because it’s relaxing, pretty, and… umm… I want to be there, just relax, swing on a hammock, just relax in the ocean… Ahem! The main reason I like it is because I think it looks better than the other boards; it’s more fun.

Time to rate!

Pros: Minigames; Boards; Creativeness Cons: Tedious Gameplay; No Exploring

I would give this game a 7/10. It's alright, but it could be better. Buy it if you please, but I would only play the minigames.

Thanks for reading! “Have a Great Summer!”

Character Review
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Pom Pom Remember Boom Boom? That random Koopa character in Super Mario Bros. 3 who swung punches and jumped, well in Super Mario 3D Land they gave him a female counterpart. Hooray?

Well, hooray is actually kind of accurate. Whilst she's hardly the most original character concept she is actually quite a neat character, bringing a (sort of) new battle in both of her main series games. In Super Mario 3D Land, whilst she does need to be jumped on three times (or fireballs and other power-ups), her battle is actually quite good. Instead of the usual dodge tactics that Boom Boom and the Fake Bowsers have, in Pom Pom's fight you are dodging her attacks before she quickly moves away, and think you'll be jumping away from her? Oh no, if you do that chances are you'll be hit by her as she takes to the air after receiving the old show on head treatment. Her minor appearance in Super Mario 3D World is also another decent battle seeing as it employs the underutilized clone mechanic, even though figuring out the real one is easy enough. Her other appearances are in two spin-off games, but there's nothing really notable to talk about.

Unfortunately, though her being a female character is played out in the most clichéd and generic ways. She's pink, has a ponytail and winks flirtatiously at our male heroes. Yawn! This was 2011, could they not come up with some other way to make a female character? On the bright side though, they didn't go with the usual Mario trope of "If it's female shove a bow on it".

All in all, whilst there is probably a lot more they could do with Pom Pom, especially what her relation to Boom Boom is, as a boss she's not a laughable, poorly thought-out, blank slate excuse for one, even if she is a generic female.

Meta Knight's Boss Battle Reviews
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was truly amazing. Daring, talented, etc. We're going to take a look at one of her favorite games, Super Paper Mario. There are plenty of bosses, and different characters to play as, but to honor her, lets take a look at one where a strong individual has the spotlight, just like she had. This of course, is Bowser vs. O' Chunks. One thing that should be mentioned, is that if you are not a big fan of Super Paper Mario's combat system, you probably won't like this fight. Then again, you probably wouldn't have the patience to get this far if that were the case. With that out of the way, lets get into the details. The fight takes place in Chapter 8-1, meaning that you're battling in Castle Bleck. While you're going through the corridors, you can also play as Mario, Peach, and Luigi. You have to be Bowser for the fight though. Which isn't bad at all, because Bowser is the best character in the game.

You'll get a good idea of when you're going to fight him, because in the room before there is a Save Block next to a giant door, which is pretty much the Mario RPGs way of saying that there is a boss about to appear. When you go through the door, the group is interrogated by Chunks, who implies that Mario and the group should have just stayed out of the way. Bowser then mocks him, declaring that he is the strongest. Bowser then tells Mario and the others to move ahead. Bowser shows a lot of character here. You can tell that he's determined to get through, and that he will go past anyone that will go against him, similar to how Walkazo was always doing her best to help the community.

After that segment O' Chunks becomes a lot bigger, and the fight begins. O' Chunks doesn't have much variety with his attacks. All he does is jump around all over the place. Sometimes he'll do his fart-rocket thing to propel in the air to try and crash into you. Seriously, just what is he doing to fly up like that. It looks unsettling. Anyway, there's also a possibility that O' Chunks will grab you, and throw you all over the place. Despite his efforts to beat you, O' Chunks is a pushover. Seriously, he is no challenge whatsoever. Not only does he not have very many attacks, but they are all incredibly easy to avoid. Not to mention, Bowser is the strongest character in your party, so it only takes a couple jumps and/or fire breath to do Chunks in.

Once O'Chunks is defeated, he begs for Bowser to end his misery. Chunks wants to die with honor, but Bowser refuses to finish him off. Before any time for a happy ending though, the ceiling proceeds to fall, crushing everyone and everything, ending the game... Nah just kidding, O' Chunks decides to hold the ceiling up, so that Mario and the crew are able to escape. However, Bowser wants to prove that he is the strongest, and holds the ceiling up as well. He demands that everyone else escapes. Mario, Peach, and Luigi reluctantly leave. From there on, Bowser and O' Chunks play a game of chicken, each urging the other to leave first. Neither of them do, and the ceiling collapses, crushing them both.

Both Bowser and O' Chunks end up surviving, but the first time experiencing that, I was shocked. I thought they were both dead. You end up being hopeful that Bowser will survive, and we're lead to believe that he does not. I already mentioned there isn't much to the fight itself, but in retrospect there aren't many bosses in the game that are centered on the combat itself. Besides, at this point you've already fought O' Chunks multiple times before, so he wouldn't really be much of a threat now. However, I do like the story aspect of it. For one, it gives Bowser more screen time, which is always a plus (except in Sticker Star but that's for another day).Additionally, I do like how Bowser doesn't just finish him off. Sure, he's still his normal self, but he isn't just a psychotic monster like Ridley. In regards of the story, this segment certainly delivers. All in all, if you've enjoyed the rest of Super Paper Mario up to this point, you probably like this fight as. If you are not a fan of SPM, you most likely don't enjoy it.

On a little more personal note, with every RPG the player is able to interpret events and stories as they see fit. People take certain segments, and can make connections etc. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I see a lot of Walkazo here. She had a lot of determination to achieve her goals, and no matter how hard it was, she got through them with a smile. She was doing her best to make sure her friends were doing well. She did what she wanted to do until the very end. Thank you for everything Walkazo, you will truly be missed. You may be gone, but you will never be forgotten, and we will continue to remember you and your spirit.

Movie Reviews
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Warcraft

Warcraft is a fantasy film, inspired by Blizzard's Warcraft series of games. The plot follows both the humans and orcs as large groups of warrior orcs come into their world and start to take it over so they can bring the rest of their kind over.

My small above paragraph does its best to explain the overarching plot, but in a film that has a runtime of over two hours there are several other side-plots, including orc infighting, the capture of the half orc half draenai hybrid and something to do with fel magic corrupting everything it touches. And in all honesty it does get a bit confusing as each of these plots all end up intermingling with each other and at times you're left wondering which one you're supposed to be following. There's even a forced will they won't they relationship subplot between Gorona and Anduin, which is helped by shoehorned in hints about how he hasn't found anyone since his wife died in childbirth. Thankfully parts of these plots are resolved by the end of the final confrontation, but there are still traces of them throughout this portion of the film.

As this is a large fantasy film there are a lot of special effects, CGI and make-up and the film manages to deliver the perfect balance of these being good and these being bad. The effects of the fel always look realistic, but when CGI creatures, like the griffons, are in front of green-screen forests it is extremely notable, bizarrely however, during flying sequences it yet again looks flawless. The same goes for the make-up, sometimes it looks perfect on the orcs and then other times, most notably during the scene where Gorona was in prison and the moonlight was shining on her, it doesn't look like there is any at all.

Warcraft has a deep lore running through, and from someone who has played World of Warcraft and therefore is familiar with some of the lore, I can confirm that it seems to do a good job at preserving that lore. Stormwind and Ironforge look identical to their in-game counterparts, and guns having come from the dwarves and gnomes (although the latter don't make an appearance in the film) are again correct, as are the orcs and draenai sharing the same homeworld. One thing that did seem incorrect to me, however, were the elves. Although according to the Wikipedia page they are High Elves, the elves in the film look more similar to the blood elves who in the games were allied with the Horde, perhaps later on they switch allegiance, but to stick more with lore the night elves would have been a better choice.

The film does have a major weakness, and that is the characters. Despite there being several sub-plots, the plot itself never feels like it's being stretched too far, however, this is not the case with the characters. With there being so many the film darts around them so quickly that they all become extremely forgettable. There was an orc who appeared in the closing scenes who I actually thought had died quite a while beforehand, and directly after leaving the theatre, I could only remember the names of two of the major characters, and upon opening up Wikipedia to make sure I was spelling everything correctly I found out that the two names I did remember I actually got wrong meaning the only name from a major character that I could remember was the young mage whose name began with 'P', and then I found out even that was wrong.

I enjoyed Warcraft the first time around, but in all honesty I doubt I'd go back and watch again when it comes out on DVD and I wouldn't recommend it to those who aren't fans of the series or the genre, as it is pretty by the books. I would probably be tempted by the inevitable sequel, though.