User:Nintendo101

Casual Nintendo historian. Otherwise an artist and a professional zoologist. Bio degree. I've had an account here since 2012.

I wrote the character sections for Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Super Mario Odyssey. I contributed much of the article for Super Mario Sunshine and am currently working on Super Mario Galaxy.

I have been a fan of Nintendo since a very young age. My first Mario games (and three of the first video games I ever owned) were Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, Super Mario 64 DS, and Mario Kart DS. These games were good company for a young kid who moved around a lot and had difficulty keeping long-lasting friends.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I sequentially played some of my favorite games in the Super Mario series to 100% completion. This includes, in order, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and Super Mario Odyssey. It's been really fun so far! These are great games, and I always wanted to marathon a series like this before but never had the time. It has been interesting to see where the series began and where it has ended up. The design philosophies, the characters, the art directions, world building, level design, narrative, etc. All good stuff. It might be fun to write something about it some day.

My favorite video game character is Yoshi.

Sandbox for current project

Prankster Comets

Main article: Prankster Comet

Comet Medals are collectibles hidden in galaxies. Every galaxy has a Comet Medal. Collecting one adds it to the player's total, much like Power Stars, Star Bits, and coins. If Mario loses a life after collecting one and finishes the mission, the Comet Medal will not be added to his total. He will have to return to a mission in that galaxy to collect it again. Accumulating Comet Medals causes Prankster Comets to orbit previously visited galaxies. The comets unlock new missions in their corresponding galaxies with unique attributes, namely speed runs; "daredevil" runs (in which Mario is defeated if he takes a single hit); Purple Coin runs; races against Cosmic Clones; romps requiring Mario to defeat 30 enemies within a time limit; and missions where the speed of obstacles is increased. Not every galaxy can be orbited by these types of Prankster Comets. After completing all 120 missions and completing "Bowser's Fortified Fortress" a second time, Green Comets begin orbiting every galaxy except for Grandmaster Galaxy. This causes hidden Green Stars to appear in previously completed missions.

Prankster Comets were an element in the game's predecessor, but their integration has been simplified in Super Mario Galaxy 2. Additionally, unlike in the prior game, Prankster Comets permanently remain in orbit around their corresponding galaxies, allowing the player to access the new missions at any time they wish.

Starship Mario

Main article: Starship Mario

Screenshot of the Starship Mario's Engine Room. The display of power-ups is one of the ways that progress is passively tracked.

The Starship Mario is the hub of the game. It is a planetoid-turned-spaceship created by Lubba as a home for his Lumas. After becoming acquainted with Mario, he transforms it into his likeness. Rather than invoke a spaceship design comparable to those in science fiction, the Starship Mario has a fantastical design: it has a bow like a seafaring vessel, a stone chimney, and is flocked by sea gulls. It is covered in flowers and has a small brook. It has two accessible rooms: one is the Engine Room that houses the beacon – the source of energy for Starship Mario. The other is a Pipe Room occupied by Lumalees accessible via a pipe in the starship's left ear. It only appears after Mario has collected a Power Star in World 3. The bow of Starship Mario has a button before a steering wheel that allows the player to access the world map and move the starship like a cursor. After collecting sixteen Power Star, Lubba places a Totals Sign to the left of the helm that outlines all of the Power Stars and Comet Medals that the player has collected. Lubba himself is to the right.

A grassy platform with berries begins orbiting the starship after completing "Saddle Up with Yoshi", and a Starshroom baring members of the Toad Brigade flies with it after completing "Digga-Leg's Planet".

In Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy, completing missions would cause portions of their respective hub worlds to become illuminated. This gave the player a passive visual indication of progress and an indicator as to where one can go. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, this is instead achieved by filling up the Engine Room and in having non-playable characters board the Starship Mario as passengers. The Engine Room is accessible under the stone brim of the starship's cap. Most power-ups will be put on display here after Mario has encountered it in a mission. The only exceptions are the Cloud Flower and Yoshi's Egg, which instead appear on the exterior of Starship Mario and can actually be used. The power-ups in the Engine Room are only for display. The Spin Drill is among them despite functioning as a held item.

The passengers that board the Starship Mario represent the various people and characters encountered in the galaxies. Some passengers will board once they are met in a mission, but others have more specific criteria required (see below). The more the player completes of the game, the livelier the Starship Mario becomes with characters and the more elaborate its music becomes – elements shared with the Comet Observatory in Super Mario Galaxy. The passengers will share tricks on level progression or actions when prompted. Some allude to late-game secrets. The last passenger – Rosalina – is the final unlockable of the game. Piantas are the only people to not have a representative on the Starship Mario. The passengers and the criteria needed for them to board is outlined below.

No.	Name	Unlock criterion	Placement	Dialogue
01	Yoshi	Complete "Saddle Up with Yoshi".	tip of nose	none
02	Yellow Toad	Complete "Digga-Leg's Planet".	below right ear	"Hey--everyone's waiting for you on the Starshroom! We found a , so we're keeping it there for you."
03	Banktoad	Accumulate 7 Power Stars.	small patch of white flowers on the deck	"Hello from your friendly Banktoad! I can help share your stash of Star Bits with other adventurers!"
04	Mailtoad	Accumulate 13 Power Stars.	patch of red flowers on the deck	"Hello! I've held on to every I've recieved! Here--look…"
05	Star Bunny	Complete "Think Before You Shake".	under right ear lobe	"Shake when you're in midjump! Spinning will give you just a little more OOMPH! How do you think I jump so high, boiyoing? Try it with me!"
06	Honeybee	Complete "The Secret Wall Jump".	left of the middle engine	"Bet you'd like to know our secret… When we get coins in the air, we can fly farther!"
07	Penguin	Complete "Exploring the Cosmic Cavern".	back of the head, near the tea set	"Shake when you're in the water for a burst of speed! A lot of penguins don't know that…"
08	Jibberjay	Complete "Jungle Fluzzard Race".	near the path above the left sideburn	"Listen up! Listen up! There's a trick to going fast with Fluzzard! Point down to dive! Keep diving to go fast! Dive! Dive whenever you can! Fast! Fast!"
09	First Lumalee	Collect one Power Star in World 3.	Pipe Room in the left ear	"Lumalee! ♪ Lumalop! ♪ Welcome to the Luma Shop! Care to spin a Chance Cube for only 30 Star Bits?"
10	Whittle	Complete "Tall Trunk's Big Slide".	behind the left ear	"Collect many ? Comet arrive! First time in galaxy… Always one somewhere! Look hard."
11	Gold Gearmo	Complete "C'mere, Goomba".	at tea set	"I kinda dig those guys!"
12	Silver Gearmo	Complete "C'mere, Topman".	at tea set	"I just love the way those li'l red guys spin!"
13	Second Lumalee	Complete "The Magnificent Magma Sea".	Pipe Room in the left ear	"Care to spin 5 Chance Cubes for only 100 coins?"
14	Bob-omb Buddy	Complete "Return of the Whomp King".	near bridge, north of tea set	"Have you heard of this mythical, legendary world? It sounds like an amazing place, but I wonder how you get there…"
15	First Green Luma	Complete "Throwback Throwdown".	left of the stern, by the tree	"Seeking the cosmic jewels…it's been our lifelong pursuit… There is a saying that 'they can be found when all the stars have been collected…'"
16	Second Green Luma	Accumulate 120 Power Stars.	left of the stern, by the tree	"The universe is so full of joy… Have you ever seen a cosmic jewel? They have such a happy shine! And if you listen closely, you can hear the wonderful tinkling sound when one is nearby! Seriously!"
17	Rosalina	Complete "The Perfect Run".	big patch of white flowers on the deck	"I want to give you my thanks."