The 'Shroom:Issue LXXVI/Pipe Plaza

Pipe Plaza {| border="1px solid black"

Director's Notes ()
Hey, there, and welcome to the July Issue of Pipe Plaza!! I have no special news to share with you this month, so let's get to the...

...Section of the Month Results!
Last month's SotM poll got a total of 14 votes, with a 40% increase from the previous poll.

The June Section of the Month, with 6 votes (42.86% of the total), is...

...Mario Calendar, for the fourth time overall, the second in a row!

Mario Calendar, written by myself,, presents readers with a list of all the Mario-related games released in a certain month of the year, the one in which the latest 'Shroom issue is released. Last month, we took a look at the games released in a June day. Tip of the Month, written by, got second place for the second time in a row, with 3 votes (21.43%). and tied for third place with their Community Report and Forum Update sections, respectively, earning 2 votes each (14.28%).

And that's all for this month's notes! I hope you enjoy this issue!!

Monthly Report ()
Hello, and welcome to another issue of Monthly Report! There are no news regarding this section, so let's check the wiki stats from July, June and May, followed by comparisons between those sets of statistics.

(Credit goes to and  for the table coding. Stooben originally created it when writing this section back in Issues XXIII, XXV and XXVI, and SMB based his coding for Issues XXXIX, XL and XLI – which I am using in this issue – off of Stooben's coding.)

*All times EST.

Community Report ()
Hey and welcome to the Community Report, here to keep you updated on the latest wiki happenings. Well to begin, we've had a few changes in policy, most of which are due to outcomes of proposals. Galleries was created, which contains guidelines and standards which must be followed when creating gallery subpages. Personal images was to include a point about personal audio and video files. Several corrections and updates have been made to the Manual of Style, including various. The template was created, which is placed on and includes links to every Help, Policy and Writing Guidelines page on the wiki, improving navigation between them. The Featured Article requirements was made more lenient when it comes to article length and coverage for obscure titles. And all glitch pages were semi-protected as a precaution against frequent addition of false and poorly-written content.

These are the most recent Proposals which have reached a consensus.


 * 's proposal to create a failed 1-15. (archive)
 * 's proposal to create a template which lists all policy pages passed 8-1. (archive)
 * 's proposal to form a "Good Articles" system was withdrawn at a score of 4-1. (archive)
 * 's proposal to get rid of the very short Mario Party series minigame sections failed 1-10. (archive)
 * 's proposal to remove for names of glitches was withdrawn as a score of 0-5. (archive)
 * 's proposal to have no bullet point for a Trivia section with only one fact failed 1-15. (archive)
 * 's proposal to change the Featured Article size requirements passed 8-0. (archive)
 * 's proposal to be more lenient when it comes to obscure game coverage as a Featured Article requirement passed 13-9. (archive)
 * 's proposal to split characters such as Koopa, Shy Guy and Wiggler into a character page from the species failed 0-10. (archive)
 * 's proposal to allow images unrelated to games in the subject's gallery passed 11-0. (archive)
 * 's proposal to semi-protect glitch pages passed 10-0. (archive)
 * 's proposal to add all Nozzle locations in the Super Mario Sunshine articles was withdrawn at a score of 2-0. (archive)
 * 's proposal to create a "Spoilers" template was withdrawn at a score of 1-1. (''archive)
 * 's proposal to have a navigation box for game articles and their subpages failed 4-13. (archive)
 * 's proposal to create "Remake" and "Port" articles was withdrawn at a score of 1-0. (archive)
 * 's proposal to create an archive system for Talk Page Proposals was withdrawn at a score of 3-3. (archive)
 * 's proposal to have a guideline for what is a reference or not failed 1-8. (archive)
 * 's proposal to not allow "ex-subpages" to become Featured was withdrawn at a score of 1-6. (archive)
 * 's proposal to create policy page for Galleries passed 16-0. (archive)

And that's all for this month's edition of the Community Report. I hope that you enjoy the rest of the issue!

Featured ()
Hey there, and welcome to Featured!! This section hasn't had an official writer for quite some time, so I decided to write it once again.

Featured Articles
Six articles have been featured since the last issue of Featured, although one of them was unfeatured later. They are:


 * Coin Rush (December 15th, 2012)
 * Baby Donkey Kong (December 29th, 2012) – Later unfeatured
 * Toad Town (February 7th)
 * Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (April 9th)
 * Yoshi's Island DS (May 11th)
 * Mario Kart 7 (July 9th)

Re-featured Articles
Additionally, one article has been re-featured since December. It is Waluigi, which was re-featured on March 19th.

FA Nominations
There is only one ongoing Featured Article Nomination. Bianco Hills was nominated for Featured Article Status on June 15th.

Failed FA Nominations
Fourteen FA Nominations have failed since December:


 * Mario Hoops 3-on-3 (Nominated on October 14th, 2012; failed on December 13th, 2012)
 * Lakitu (Nominated on November 9th, 2012; failed on January 8th, 2013)
 * Baby Mario (Nominated on November 27th, 2012; failed on January 14th, 2013)
 * Star (Nominated on November 16th, 2012; failed on January 14th, 2013)
 * Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nominated on November 28th, 2012; failed on January 27th, 2013) – Later featured
 * Shigeru Miyamoto (Nominated on February 15th; failed on February 17th)
 * Mario Kart 7 (Nominated on January 2nd; failed on March 3rd) – Later featured
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Nominated on January 7th; failed on April 8th)
 * Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (Nominated on February 19th; failed on April 20th)
 * Baby Mario – Second nomination (Nominated on March 4th; failed on May 3rd)
 * Nintendo 3DS (Nominated on March 19th; failed on May 18th)
 * Mario Tennis Open (Nominated on February 19th; failed on May 20th)
 * Mario & Luigi (series) (Nominated on March 13th; failed on June 11th)
 * Super Paper Mario (Nominated on June 19th; failed on June 20th)

Unfeatured Articles
A total of nine articles have been unfeatured in the past seven months:


 * Princess Daisy (February 23rd)
 * Count Bleck (February 24th)
 * Super Paper Mario (February 28th)
 * Baby Donkey Kong (March 2nd)
 * Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (March 27th)
 * Mario Kart (series) (March 29th)
 * Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (March 30th)
 * Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (March 31st)
 * Bowser (May 8th)

Unfeaturing Nominations
There are currently no FA Unfeaturing Nominations.

Failed Unfeaturing Nominations
Seven of those Nominations, however, have failed this year:


 * Goomba (Nominated on April 20th, 2012; failed on January 1st, 2013)
 * List of Tayce T. Recipes by ingredient (Nominated on January 7th; failed on February 17th)
 * Dry Bones (Nominated on February 3rd; failed on April 4th)
 * Dimentio (Nominated on February 17th; failed on April 18th)
 * Dixie Kong (Nominated on February 23rd; failed on April 24th)
 * Mario Super Sluggers (Nominated on March 31st; failed on May 2nd)
 * Smithy (Nominated on March 22nd; failed on May 22nd)

And that concludes this issue of Featured! I hope you enjoyed it!!

Projects Seeking Contributors ()
Hey and what's up? Welcome to Projects Seeking Contributors. This section will bring attention to any new and active projects on the wiki where input and general discussion are needed. Let's start with the most active and recent projects seen on the Wiki Collaborations forum board. And that's it for Wiki Collaborations. Once again, see the forum board for the complete list. Next up, we have the discussions which are currently taking place on article talk pages. These can be seen at Category:Talk pages with unresolved issues. The list is as follows. And that's all for this month's Projects Seeking Contributors. If you think you could help out with any of the issues above, please take part in the said discussion taking place. We'll be updating this section next issue with any new discussions and projects that need collaboration.

Tip of the Month ()
When creating new pages, always look over your information to make sure you have enough to fill a page. Two to three good sized paragraphs will do, unless it is a very obscure topic. If your page does not contain enough relevant information, it will be deleted by an administrator promptly.

Mario Calendar ()
Hello, fellow readers and writers, and welcome to another issue of Mario Calendar!! As usual, I have no news regarding this section, so let's get to its calendar part. These are the Mario, DK, Yoshi and Wario games released in the seventh month of the calendar year:


 * July 1st
 * 1992 (AU): Super Mario World (SNES)
 * 1999 (EU): Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (GBC)
 * 2004 (JP):
 * Donkey Konga 2 (GCN)
 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (GBA)
 * 2010 (AU): Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
 * July 2nd, 2007 (NA): Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES-VC)
 * July 3rd, 2010 (HK/TW): New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
 * July 4th, 1984 (JP): Donkey Kong 3 (NES)
 * July 5th, 2012 (NA): NES Open Tournament Golf (NES-3DSVC)
 * July 7th, 2004 (NA): Classic NES Series: Super Mario Bros. (GBA)
 * July 8th, 2010 (KO): Mario & Luigi RPG: Partners in Time (NDS)
 * July 9th
 * 1993 (JP): Yoshi no Cookie (SNES)
 * 2007 (NA): Yoshi (NES-VC)
 * July 10th
 * 2003 (AU): Wario World (GCN)
 * 2004 (EU): NES Classics: Donkey Kong (GBA)
 * 2007 (JP): Mario Story (N64-VC)
 * July 11th, 2003 (JP): Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (GBA)
 * July 13th, 2007 (EU/AU): Paper Mario (N64-VC)
 * July 14th
 * 1983 (JP): Mario Bros. (NES)
 * 1992 (JP): Mario Paint (SNES)
 * 1993 (JP):
 * Super Mario All-Stars (SNES)
 * Yoshi's Safari (SNES)
 * 2005 (JP): Dance Dance Revolution with Mario (GCN)
 * 2008 (NA): Donkey Kong 3 (NES-VC)
 * 2011:
 * (EU/AU): Mario's Picross (GB-3DSVC)
 * (NA): Game & Watch Gallery (GB-3DSVC)
 * July 15th, 1983 (JP):
 * Donkey Kong (NES)
 * Donkey Kong Jr. (NES)
 * July 16th, 2007 (NA): Paper Mario (N64-VC)
 * July 17th, 2008 (KO): Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES-VC)
 * July 19th
 * 2002 (JP): Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)
 * 2007 (AU): Mario Party 8 (Wii)
 * 2009 (CN): New Super Mario Bros. (iQue DS)
 * 2012 (EU/AU): Wario Land II (GBC-3DSVC)
 * July 21st
 * 2001 (JP): Mario Kart Advance (GBA)
 * 2005 (JP): Mario Superstar Baseball (GCN)
 * 2011 (EU/AU): Game & Watch Gallery (GB-3DSVC)
 * July 22nd, 2004 (JP): Paper Mario RPG (GCN)
 * July 23rd
 * 2005 (CN): WarioWare: Touched! (iQue DS)
 * 2008 (JP): Donkey Kong 3 (NES-VC)
 * July 24th (JP):
 * 2007: NES Open Tournament Golf (NES-VC)
 * 2008: Wario Land Shake (Wii)
 * July 25th
 * 1995 (EU): Tetris & Dr. Mario (SNES)
 * 2012 (JP): Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES-3DSVC)
 * July 26th
 * 2007:
 * (JP): Mario Party 8 (Wii)
 * (KO): Super Mario 64 DS (NDS)
 * 2012 (NA): Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (GB-3DSVC)
 * July 27th
 * 1990 (JP): Dr. Mario (NES/GB)
 * 1995:
 * (EU): Mario's Picross (GB)
 * (JP): Donkey Kong Land (GB)
 * 2006 (JP): Mario Basketball 3on3 (NDS)
 * 2011 (JP): Dr. Mario (GB-3DSVC)
 * July 28th
 * 2003 (NA): Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (GCN)
 * 2006 (JP): Game & Watch Collection (NDS)
 * 2012 (JP): New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)
 * July 30th, 2007 (NA): Mario Strikers Charged (Wii)
 * July 1992 (NA): Yoshi (GB)

And that's all for now! I'll see you again in Upcoming Games!!

Upcoming Games - Special E3 Issue ()
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Special E3 Issue of Upcoming Games! Last month was full of news for Mario fans, with the announcement of many new games and features from previously announced games in the Nintendo Direct @E3 2013 video, broadcast simultaneously around the world on June 11th. As usual, the President of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, walked the Big N fans through the company's upcoming games for 2013 and 2014, including many Mario titles.

Nintendo Direct @E3 2013
The first Mario game to appear in the video was Super Mario 3D World, for the Wii U. It is the direct sequel to Super Mario 3D Land, and brings back many elements from said game, such as the 2D-based 3D levels. It also brings new features to the 3D Mario series; the most obvious one, as seen in the game's logo, is the new Cat Mario form, which allows players to scratch enemies and climb up walls. Additionally, SM3DW is the first 3D Mario game to include a multiplayer mode, featuring the four playable characters from the North American version of Super Mario Bros. 2: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Toad. Each one of those has a special ability, as in SMB2: Mario is the all-around character, making him suitable for casual players and beginners; Luigi can jump higher and farther than the other characters, but has worse traction; Peach is able to hover in mid-air for a short period of time; and Toad runs faster than the other three characters, although it takes longer for him to reach the top running speed. Super Mario 3D World will be released in North America in December.

Afterwards, Mr. Iwata unveiled the eighth installment in the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart 8. As shown in the game's trailer, it borrows elements from its two predecessors, Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7. Bikes make a second appearance in the series, after being absent from MK7, and the number of characters per race changes once again, going back to the twelve from MKWii. Mario Kart 8 will also feature tricks, similar to Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7, aside from the gliders and underwater racing from the latter. However, none of these is the game's main feature. Mario Kart 8 will introduce yet another gimmick to the Mario Kart series: players will be able to race on vertical walls and upside-down with the new anti-gravity driving feature, with new courses that take advantage of this gimmick. Last, but not least, WAAAAAAAluigi will return to the series, after being inexplicably left out of Mario Kart 7. Mario Kart 8 will hit shelves all around the world in the spring of 2014.

The third new Mario-related game to be unveiled was Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, the sixth game in the Donkey Kong Country series. The Nintendo Direct broadcast focused on a few aspects of Tropical Freeze. It showed all the different camera angles present in the game, which, along with the Wii U's HD graphics, make up for an outstanding gaming experience never seen before in the series. Tropical Freeze will also see the return of Dixie Kong to the series after eight years, as she joins the two characters from Donkey Kong Country Returns, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, in a quest to save Donkey Kong Island from a group of Vikings. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will be released in November.

Last, but definitely not least, a final Mario-related game, or should I say, two final Mario-related games were unveiled by Satoru Iwata in the Nintendo Direct conference. Those are none other than two new installments in the highly successful Super Smash Bros. series, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The gameplay remains virtually unchanged from the other games in the series, with a few changes from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The game speed will be much more similar to that of Melee, and tripping has been removed altogether. As for other elements, each new version of Super Smash Bros. will have some platform-exclusive features. For example, characters will have a cel-shaded graphical style and a black outline in the Nintendo 3DS version, so that they can be seen better in the smaller screen, while the Wii U version retains the graphical style of Brawl, with the addition of HD graphics to the game. Stages will also differ between the two versions. The 3DS version will have more stages based on handheld games, while stages based on home console games will appear in the Wii U version.

Despite those differences between the two versions, they will have the same character roster. Thirteen characters have been confirmed so far, with three of them being newcomers to the series. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U will mark the debut of the Animal Crossing Villager, the Wii Fit Trainer and Mega Man in the Super Smash Bros. series. The other ten veteran characters are Mario, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Pit, Fox, Kirby, Pikachu and Captain Olimar. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will be released in 2014.

Other News
Two new Mario games were released since the last issue of Upcoming Games; Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D was released for the Nintendo 3DS in North America and Europe on May 24th, in Australia on May 25th and in Japan on June 13th, while Game & Wario was released in North America, Europe and Australia on June 23rd, 28th and 29th, respectively.

In the field of digital releases, the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U got new Virtual Console titles in May and June. A total of four games have been released for the Wii U Virtual Console. The first one is Mario Bros., released in Japan on May 29th, and in North America, Europe and Australia on June 20th. The second title is none other than Super Mario Bros., released only in Japan on June 5th. Japanese and European players are now able to purchase the first game in the Mario Kart series, Super Mario Kart. It was released in Japan and Europe on June 19th and 20th, respectively. The last new Virtual Console title is Yoshi, released in Japan and North America on June 12th, and in the PAL regions on June 13th.

The 3DS Virtual Console, on the other hand, got only one new title; Wario's Woods was released in Japan on May 29th.

Released Games

 * Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (3DS)
 * North America and Europe: May 24th
 * Australia: May 25th
 * Japan: June 13th
 * Game & Wario (Wii U)
 * North America: June 23rd
 * Europe: June 28th
 * Australia: June 29th
 * Wario's Woods (NES) – Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console
 * Japan: May 29th
 * Mario Bros. (NES) – Wii U Virtual Console
 * Japan: May 29th
 * North America, Europe and Australia: June 20th
 * Super Mario Bros. (NES) – Wii U Virtual Console
 * Japan: June 5th
 * Yoshi (NES) – Wii U Virtual Console
 * Japan and North America: June 12th
 * Europe and Australia: June 13th
 * Super Mario Kart (SNES) – Wii U Virtual Console
 * Japan: June 19th
 * Europe: June 20th

Upcoming Games

 * Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U)
 * North America: November 2013
 * Super Mario 3D World (Wii U)
 * North America: December 2013
 * Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
 * North America: Spring 2014
 * Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
 * North America: 2014

And that's all for this month's Pipe Plaza! See you in August!!


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