The 'Shroom:Issue 190/Pipe Plaza

Director's Notes
Written by:

Happy 2023, friends! I hope you've all has a good start to your year. On my end, I've started rehearsals for my college's production of Radium Girls. This time around is special, however, as I am not acting in it, but instead I am taking on a special behind the scenes role on it! I'm the dramaturg for this production, which basically means I'm spending a lot of my time doing research on a lot of historical aspects of the show. But I love this show a lot so I'm VERY happy with my role in this production!!

We've got some cool things here to kickstart the year! Don't forget, you can become part of the very cool things we do! Just head to the sign up page to find out how!

Enjoy the rest of your month~

Section of the Month

NIWA News
Written by:

Hey it's me PanchamBro. It's time for this month's NIWA News, a section regarding news with each of the 32 members of the Nintendo Independent Wiki Alliance. We'll be going through staff changes and related wiki news over December and into January.

That's it for any related NIWA news that I could gather for this month's 'Shroom. I'll see you next month!

Poll Committee Discussion
Written by:



Hello all! Raregold here, your favorite fictional unlicensed real estate dealer and real estate columnist. I can’t believe it's been a year and a half since I last wrote an article. Since I am on a long winter break from school I am writing this month’s Poll Committee Discussion. I hope you all are ready to dig in like I am when it comes to freshly baked snacks at this time of year.

I have some brief news to share before we proceed to the poll results and analysis.

News
Poll Committee Chairperson ’s proposal to move the Chairperson Election from June to February recently passed. As a result, the next election will occur in February 2024 following a refresh of the Poll Committee’s membership in June 2023.

It has been over 20 years since the last cartoon show based on the Mario franchise. Would you like to see a new cartoon show?


The thirst for new Super Mario Bros. media is no surprise given the generally positive reception to the Super Mario Bros. movie trailer and its star-studded cast combined with the opening of Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Florida on February 17th. The trailer quelled anxieties about remaking a Mario Film after the 1993 film received poor reviews among fans and critics. With the time past since that cinematic disaster and the recent success of Nintendo IPs, it is not surprising that fans wish to see an entirely new Mario cartoon. That option received 59.08% of the total votes cast.

As a result of the winning option’s overwhelming majority, the rest of the votes are somewhat splintered in their desires. The option to see a continuation of the Super Mario Bros. Movie or a reboot/continuation of the DiC cartoons placed 2nd and 3rd garnering 10.16% and 8.06%. The prevalence of a Super Mario Bros. Movie-based cartoon over the DiC cartoons in the results is curious as it suggests a potential new wave of fan enthusiasm tied directly to the movie. Running a poll similar to this after the film’s release could provide insight into the viability of expanded Super Mario Bros. media in the future.

Votes with no opinion or negative opinions of a potential Super Mario Bros. Cartoon ranked 4th and 5th in the results. No opinion received 6.8% and those who did not wish to see a new cartoon cast 5.95% of the overall votes. While these two make up a relative minority of the votes cast, it still shows that while Nintendo’s investment in media production has received wide acclaim some fans remain unconvinced.

Lastly, the final options regarding a spin-off cartoon and other forms of Mario media received 5.35% and 4.64% of the total votes cast. The low rankings of these options really suggest that it is Mario and his associates like Bowser and Mario being depicted in highly visual mediums like movies which drive the generally positive reception of the Super Mario Bros. Movie’s previous trailers and the opening of Super Nintendo World. These characters and the medium combine recognizable icons with media capable of generating wide exposure. Overall, it seems that for nostalgia purposes and to capitalize on a general thirst for more Mario media Nintendo may want to consider developing a new Super Mario Bros. cartoon.

Mario Kart Tour has recently updated, removing the pipe "gacha" system and replacing it with a rotating shop. How do you feel about this change?


This poll is not as decisive as the previous one with no single result achieving a clear majority of the total votes cast. However, grouping together options one and two (38.32% and 28.29%) does reveal that support for removing the gacha system is high overall despite the flawed implementation of its replacement. By including updates Nintendo can increase enthusiasm among the Mario Kart Tour fanbase, including fixing the issues noted around pricing and selection. Hopefully, these updates would convince the crowd which has no opinion (22.48%).

Those that dislike the system share some similar grievances with those who like the system but remain dissatisfied with the higher item prices. The lack of free currency and those who enjoyed the gacha system remain more difficult to address. While reintroducing the gacha system alongside the rotating shop is possible, possible concerns about users overspending and balancing remain in place. Perhaps the best suggestion is to include gacha mechanics during certain holiday seasons or rebalance pricing in the shop with the aim of pleasing the maximum number of users while recognizing pleasing everyone is not possible.

Overall, the results seem to indicate that with some revision, namely in terms or pricing and selection, users will grow more accustomed to the new system Nintendo has put in place, even with the growing popularity of gacha mechanics in mobile games.

Conclusion
Overall, Nintendo is shaking things up. Investments and changes to current products and IP offer the chance for a bright future for Mario-based media in the worldwide market. While expanding into new areas, like and developing new mechanics comes with growing pains, time, patience, and care on the part of Nintendo and its fanbase can help bring about some exciting developments in the Mario franchise in the coming years.

That is all, Raregold signing off.

Mario Calendar
Written by:

A new year for the world means a new year for Mario Calendar!!! I hope you all had a fantastic New Years’ celebration! Let’s get into a whole new year for Mario games!

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)
 * 2009 (JP): Art Style: PiCTOBiTS (JP)
 * 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)

I had this theory last year, and every year it seems to ring more true. With all of the big holiday releases that come at the end of each year, it really does seem like January has to deal with the leftovers! A few great games snuck in, like Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Party 2 but, for the most part, it just wasn’t that great. Oh well! Here’s to a better February!!!

Roleplay Update
Written by:

Hello again! This is MightyMario with Roleplay Update! 2023 is here and with it new updates! Let’s see what happened in the Roleplay section in December!

New RPs Slice of Life in Material World | by Meowkie | Set in a world made of plastic, the residents are toys brought to life with an unknown power. This RP is more calm and relaxed compared to the standard fare. Meowkie stars as... well, Meowkie, a pink cat, and Cosmic Cowboy plays Nami and Melodii, two romantic partners.

Notable Events
 * The Car Wash crew celebrate Christmas in Mushroom City Car Wash, complete with snow angels and a giant feast to top it off.
 * Axel + giant insects on Zebes = frenetic chaos as Luz and the Halberd crew go to save their friend in Tales from the Megaverse.

And this was another edition of Roleplay Update! I’m MightyMario and see you in February for more updates!

What's in a Campaign?
By:

Hello again, Pipe Plaza readers, and welcome to What's In a Campaign?, a section where we look at various competitors from the hit UK TV series Robot Wars. For this month, we're going to do something different, because, for the first time in section history, we're going to be looking at a robot from outside the heavyweight weight class. This month, we're going to looking at the full televised career of the antweight robot Anty B.



Created by the Behemoth team, Anty B is essentially a very small version of their heavyweight robot Behemoth. Weighing in at an astonishingly small 153 grams, Anty B is powered by a 6v 300mAh Ni-Mh battery. Made primarily out of titanium, for a weapon, Anty B sports a scaled-down version of Behemoth's bulldozer-like lifter. Capable of lifting 150 grams, Anty B in theory had the ability to toss other antweights out of the arena, but it would never get to show this off. Anty B also has two arms (one at each side of the weapon) that served as self-righters. Also, the wheels are made out of LEGOs, which I think is just cute! Because antweights were only allowed to have one team member control them in the arena, Team Make Robotics captain Anthony Prichard is both the driver and weapons operator of Anty B.

Now you might be asking yourself "what exactly is an antweight"? Well, you see, an antweight is essentially a micro-sized combat robot typically weighing around 150 grams. In robot combat proper, antweight is the second smallest recognized weight class, only ahead of the fairyweight class, but in the show Robot Wars, they're the smallest weight class to ever appear in televised fights. Because the robots are so small, the producers couldn't have them fight in the arena proper, so they were instead placed inside a specially built tiny arena.



This arena is a pretty good replication of the regular arena, sporting both the floor flipper and the pit. Sadly, they didn't go the full mile and build tiny little House Robots, which is a shame because that would have been great. One big difference between the arenas, though, is that the floor flipper fires when a robot drives over it, not just when a dead robot is placed on top of it. Also, unlike in the heavyweight scene, falling into the pit is not an instant loss and if you escape it you can continue fighting.

As a reminder, all pictures are sourced from the fantastic Robot Wars Wiki. If you'd like to watch any of these fights, check out this video. Time stamps are provided in the section.

Antweight fights would make their televised debut in Robot Wars Extreme 1 in episode 15. There are some rumors that there may have been plans for some sort of antweight competition in Series 3, but, if there were going to be something, it never happened, and nobody is sure if it was ever going to happen. There's only one antweight fight in Extreme 1, a special antweight melee to determine the Robot Wars antweight champion. In this rumble (2:06), Anty B faces off against the spinning disc of Combatant, the crushing claw of Razzler (which is actually just a modified pullback Razer toy), the clusterbot Legion, the devastating axe of Pants, the mousetraps of Little Nipper, and finally the lifter of Anto. The fight starts well for Anty B, who immediately gets under and lifts up (but does not topple) Anto. Anty B than pushes Razzler into the side wall, flipping it onto the wall. As this happens, Combatant sends Pants flying out of the arena with its blade! Anty B then drives to the otherside of the arena in pursuit of one of the halves of Legion. But then it happens! As Anty B is driving near the floor flipper, Combatant drives over the floor flipper and activates it.



The floor flipper sucks Anty B in, wedging it under the flipper because, goddamn it, you can shrink a Behemoth, down but it's still a Behemoth. What can go wrong, will go wrong! With Anty B eliminated, Combatant would go on to win the fight in a judges' decision.

Sporting some minor upgrades, Anty B would return for the antweight championship in Robot Wars Extreme 2. In this series, the antweight championship is much more of a legitimate tournament, now sporting twelve robots. This tournament features two rounds. In the first round, six robots face off against each other, with two robots entering the championship final. Anty B is placed in the harder of the two "heats", being matched up against returning champion Combat Ant, the lifter from hell known as Hades, the flywheel of Mesmer 2, the lifter (not from hell) Anty Gedden, and finally the flipper of Chroma. Once again, Anty B starts the fight (6:00) off strong, immediately flipping Hades up onto its wheels, immobilizing the bot.



I'll be honest, this fight is kind of hard to talk about, because there's a lot of robots and a lot of cuts to the roboteers. But the next time Anty B is on the attack, it was pushing Anty Geddon towards the pit before turning its attention to Chroma. While this happening, Combatant was pushed into the pit. We never see how it gets out, but I assume it hit Hades with its spinner and bounced out. Chroma and Anty B would have a good little tussle, with Chroma getting the better of Anty B by flipping Anty B on its back. Chroma attempted to keep up the attack on Anty B, but Anty B, landing on Chroma's flipper, was able to get traction on the flipper and speed away. Anty B and Chroma then made their way to the arena corner, where Anty Geddon and Combatant were fighting each other. Here Anty B would get the better of Chroma, flipping it onto its side (while Chroma was flipping Anty Geddon, lol). Anty B and Combatant then decided to kind of work together, with Anty B pushing Chroma, on its side, into Anty Geddon, also on its side, preventing Anty Geddon from landing on it's wheels at the same time Combatant drove in for a devastating attack ripping Anty Geddon to shreds.



Pushing Chroma around, Anty B made sure Chroma never landed back on its wheels before turning its attention to its eternal foe, Combatant. Here, Anty B would easily get the better of Combatant, pushing it around before tanking a hit from its spinner. The fight ended with Anty B pushing Combatant back into the pit, but since Anty B and Combatant were the last two standing, they both moved onto the final.

Through to the Antweight championship, Anty B faced off in a four-way fight with its old rival Combatant, the returning axe bot Pants (fun fact, Pants would be the only robot from Team Pants to ever win a televised combat battle), and, finally, the crushing claw of the only newcomer in the final, Lower. Anty B starts the fight (8:03) by charging at its rival for antweight dominance. Pushing Combatant into Lower, Anty B causes Combatant to spin away after its blade hits Lower. Then, as Combatant fights Lower and Pants, Behemoth collides scoop-first into Combatant's blade, again causing Combatant to spin away, with Combatant slamming itself into the arena wall. Either from recoil of the blade or hitting the wall, Combatant is knocked out, ensuring that the antweight division will have a new champion. With Combatant out, Anty B manages to flip both Pants and Lower, although both of them end up back on their wheels. Deciding that Lower is the easier target, Anty B flips Lower repeatedly as it pushes Lower into the back wall. Anty B dominates Lower, flipping it over and over as it pushes it into the wall until one of Lower's wheels stops spinning. With Lower unable to move outside of a circle, the bot is declared out. With only one robot remaining, that being the axe bot Pants, who is already having some mobility issues, things are looking good for Anty B.



Anty B then backs into Pants before spinning around and flipping Pants over. Pants manages to right itself, but then, under the assault of Anty B's rams, Pants breaks down on the floor flipper, which sends it flying across the mini arena. Anty B then rams itself into Lower, who would completely break down under this pressure. After a round of domination, Anty B was declared the Robot Wars Extreme 2 antweight champions, doing something the full sized Behemoth never did, winning a televised Robot Wars competition. For the Behemoth team who had fought in so many competitions from the World Championship to the Campus Challenge, they finally won that elusive combat trophy.



Antweights would never return to televised Robot Wars because, although weight class tournaments would return in Series 7, the antweights were not among them. Anty B would continue to receive upgrades and continue to appear on the live circuit. Anty B would also be joined by another antweight built by the team, a crusher bot named VX. Neither robot would see great success, however, and both were retired after Antweight World Series 14. As for Behemoth, the team would continue participating in Robot Wars to mixed success. But those, my friends, are stories for another day. That's all for this month. Join us next month when we return to heavyweight robot action!