The 'Shroom:Issue 152/Pipe Plaza
Director’s Notes
Hello my dear readers, and welcome to November! We're about halfway through the month and the amount of stuff that's been on my plate has beaten, battered, and broiled me alive. The combination of a fall show, senior government, and college comp has been rough to say the least. But that first thing is over with and the second is nearly done! And on top of that, it's already snowed here so that's been my cue to start breaking out the Christmas music. (despite many people I know yelling at me that "It's Thanksgiving first!!" But what good are Christmas songs if you can only listen to them one month of the year, anyways?? Most of them are really good!)
My deal aside, 'Shroom Recap has returned after a lengthy absence! Be sure to check it out! And remember that we're always looking for new writers, so head on over to the Sign Up page if you're interested!
To the American readers, I hope your Thanksgiving goes splendidly and may you not be trampled in your Black Friday adventures. To everyone else, enjoy what the rest of the month has to offer. Without further ado, the offerings of this month's Pipe Plaza awaits!
Section of the Month
| Pipe Plaza SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Votes | % | Writer |
| 1st | Poll Committee Discussion | 6 | 100% | YoshiFlutterJump |
Rain may make icicles when it's cold, but don't let this interview with IcicleRain leave you frozen!
[read more]
Interview
Hello, 'Shroom readers! It's me, Perch! Here with yet another interview - my second to last, actually. Just this month and December, and then I'm out. Can you blame me, though? It feels like two years is about how long I can handle doing this section at a time. Don't worry, I'll still be around writing other things! But in the meantime, we've got two more to go, and one of them's with IcicleRain. That one you're getting right now, so go ahead and give it a good read!
The Interview:
Superchao: Hello, 'Shroom readers! Welcome to the penultimate interview I'll do unless for some reason I come back in 2023 to do even more interviews! Probably not, though.
Superchao: And for this month, I've decided to extract information through intense interrogation from IcicleRain!
IcicleRain: oh no
IcicleRain: thats not what i was told
IcicleRain: also: 2023 is really far away
IcicleRain: spooky
Superchao: It is, and yet it's entirely possible I'll still be writing Mach Speed Mayhem in 2023. Depends on what Nintendo does!
Superchao: (This is where I'd tell you to go vote, but there's no voting this month)
IcicleRain: (what if i vote anyway)
Superchao: then you've DEFIED THE NATURAL ORDER
IcicleRain: years of not voting only to finally vote
IcicleRain: when theres no voting
Superchao: it's preparation for making everyone vote harder later
Superchao: So! Speaking of years, you've been around a while. What brought you to the boards in the beginning!
IcicleRain: oh boy that was a while ago
IcicleRain: im pretty sure i was just exploring links on the wiki
IcicleRain: and found the boards
IcicleRain: i do remember i liked the boards because i liked the idea of putting pictures in my signature
IcicleRain: so i guess peoples' cool sigs brought me to the boards!
Superchao: Well, how'd you find the wiki, then?
IcicleRain: ah, that i do remember
IcicleRain: i was trying to find green stars in mario galaxy 2
IcicleRain: and i decided to cheat a bit and google them lol
IcicleRain: and i ended up on a wiki page for one of the galaxies!
Superchao: wow
Superchao: how COULD you
Superchao: you cheated yourself
IcicleRain: i think it was yoshi falls
IcicleRain: i did cheat myself
Superchao: So that explains what brought you here - our encyclopedic knowledge. But what made you stay around?
IcicleRain: but it turns out cheating pays because i 100%ed it
IcicleRain: well, i admit ive never been very active on the wiki. but i definitely stuck around the boards for a while
IcicleRain: mostly it was just the cool people i met
Superchao: Like me, naturally!
IcicleRain: i dont think a lot of those people are still around but i remember having lots of fun playing games like bgo and draw it
Superchao: But yeah, you were part of what I like to call the 2015 Crew
IcicleRain: very much like you
Superchao: NEX, LN1, Star, that whole gang
IcicleRain: yeah exactly
Superchao: i am perpetual and transcend time gaps
IcicleRain: i think i really joined about 2014 but thats definitely when i was most active
Superchao: It feels like most of those people are still around, just not on the boards themselves... which applies to a bunch of people.
IcicleRain: i have large time gaps but just when you think im gone for good....i come back
Superchao: It's an interesting observation in the way the community shifted venues while remaining relatively cohesive
IcicleRain: yeah, i think a lot of people have moved from the boards to other parts of the community, including me!
Superchao: And yet i drag you back to the boards for voting. Truly, I am a monster.
IcicleRain: i guess thats the nature of the internet, right?
Superchao: Pretty much!
IcicleRain: im pretty sure all of my most recent posts are indeed voting
Superchao: I've seen a lot of communities move off message boards in the recent years but stay firm.
IcicleRain: there are definitely lots of people who i've become friends with here that i would find it hard to just totally cut ties with, even if im not on the boards
IcicleRain: so its good that its such a varied community!
Superchao: I've never quite understood how people are just able to go "nah, bye everyone" and drop all connections like a hot potato. I don't think I ever will, honestly
IcicleRain: im definitely a bit guilty of that. i dont 100% remember why/when i left, but i think i just became so busy i couldnt be active for a few weeks and just...stayed inactive
IcicleRain: definitely do not advise
Superchao: Ghosting people is the woooorst.
Superchao: At least say goodbye
IcicleRain: yeah, ghosting sucks
Superchao: but then you came back!
Superchao: What made you remember the place?
IcicleRain: i did indeed
IcicleRain: oh boy
IcicleRain: i got discord and like a fool i linked my skype account
IcicleRain: my skype account that was in that old mwiki skype chat
IcicleRain: am i even allowed to talk about that anymore
Superchao: I mean, you can, but it doesn't change that the skype chat was a horrible mistake.
IcicleRain: anyway, discord recommended me a lot of mwiki people due to the skype account
IcicleRain: so i guess you have internet big brother to thank!
Superchao: Fond memories of the time people discussed how they were going to bait someone they didn't like into getting banned, right in front of multiple people in authority
Superchao: thanks, NSA
Superchao: i know you're reading this
IcicleRain: i think i left before it got too bad
IcicleRain: hi eu nsa
Superchao: Then you lucked out! It got pretty bad.
IcicleRain: so yeah, that was what triggered me coming back! i think i found it easier to be active on discord because i could have it on my phone
Superchao: Honestly having a wider range of people in the discord chats probably helped a lot with avoiding some of the circlejerking from the skype days
Superchao: M O B I L E F I R S T
IcicleRain: yes, from what i remember the skype group i was in was extremely 2015 gang
IcicleRain: okay perch i have a question for you
IcicleRain: is there a 2019 gang
Superchao: Yes, actually!
IcicleRain: thats good
Superchao: But they've basically stuck to the boards entirely
IcicleRain: yeah, that makes sense
IcicleRain: i dont think i strayed far from the boards too much back then either
IcicleRain: a bit of irc i guess
Superchao: so they probably feel nonexistent due to not trying to join the discords and talk to the older people more active on there
IcicleRain: i definitely wouldnt know them, yeah
Superchao: So, speaking of the community, what's your personal view on the 'Shroom?
Superchao: Feel free to needle us in our own paper
Superchao: Nobody will mind because nobody reads the interviews HEYO
IcicleRain: i admit i dont read the shroom too much, probably as a result of not being that active off discord
IcicleRain: but i know that it is immensely high quality
Superchao: You should!!
Superchao: Everyone should!!
IcicleRain: and its a very important part of the community
IcicleRain: i know i should
Superchao: We've got over 150 issues to read and by that I mean don't read all of them the early ones are very 2007.
IcicleRain: ill read the 2015 ones
Superchao: valid
Superchao: also read my MSMs
IcicleRain: yes i will
IcicleRain: next time i have a break im probably gonna sit down and read the last few issues
IcicleRain: i remember i used to read fun stuff back around 2015 actually!
IcicleRain: or the equivalent of fun stuff
Superchao: That was fun stuff, we haven't changed the teams at all since Issue 100
Superchao: Kinda wild to think about that, really
IcicleRain: thats about 4 years ago, that was 2015
IcicleRain: but yeah, i like all the puzzly stuff
IcicleRain: good fun
Superchao: Is a good team, though I feel it tends to get overlooked
Superchao: I still don't get why Fake News has such a massive audience in SOTM votes compared to everything else.
Superchao: It's real weird.
IcicleRain: people prefer fiction to non-fiction i guess
Superchao: *shrug*
Superchao: Anyhow!
Superchao: Any other comments on the community or your personal history you feel like making?
IcicleRain: hmmm
IcicleRain: oh one thing in particular is that i never know if im using the right name when im talking to older community members
IcicleRain: i still always have to check before i call you perch
Superchao: Luckily, I consider all five or six of my names valid
IcicleRain: so if i ever use the wrong name for somebody please forgive me!
Superchao: Will do!
IcicleRain: my mwiki brain is stuck in 2015
Superchao: You could call me Silver Waddle Dee and i'd just be confused as to how you learned that name
IcicleRain: so it will never accept name changes
IcicleRain: i hadnt heard that one actually
IcicleRain: can i call you dee
Superchao: I mean, if you want!
Superchao: But yeah it was my Userpedia name
Superchao: From like 2008-2013 when Userpedia was actually, y'know, alive in some capacity
IcicleRain: now thats a throwback
IcicleRain: yeah, i missed out on userpedia mostly
Superchao: The rise of the boards as a community hub meant that most community fiction was generated there instead
IcicleRain: i think potentially there is still a page for me there
Superchao: And these days people don't really focus hard on it, most comics and stories appear for the Awards
IcicleRain: that makes sense about things being generated on the boards
IcicleRain: if thats where the community is, thats where you want to put things
IcicleRain: ah, i checked. im listed as a user but i dont have a page
Superchao: And you NEVER WILL
IcicleRain: i know
IcicleRain: i think i tried to make a page before it closed but anton deleted it
IcicleRain: very sad times
Superchao: oh yeah, wasn't it like
Superchao: a five word joke page
IcicleRain: yep
IcicleRain: to be fair
IcicleRain: my history here is basically a five word joke page
IcicleRain: but i fully understand not wanting that immortalised on userpedia, haha
Superchao: "who is iciclerain even lol"
IcicleRain: thats worse than i remember
IcicleRain: i thought it just said 'iciclerain is a user'
Superchao: Oh yeah, it did! Which... yeah, no need to leave that on userpedia when you're archiving it.
IcicleRain: true
IcicleRain: like i said, i do understand deleting it
IcicleRain: at least my name is in the records
IcicleRain: hey, and now there'll be proof of me in the 'shroom!
Superchao: Yeah, when you agree to sign up for a section once your schedule clears up some
IcicleRain: honestly, i have often talked about writing for the 'shroom, and i definitely would like to
IcicleRain: but my life is perpetually busy
IcicleRain: 'things will get less busy when i finish school! things will be less busy at university!'
IcicleRain: all lies
Superchao: Maybe try your hand at a special section?
Superchao: We've got a special issue next month and it'd be a good non-committed one-off to practice
IcicleRain: yeah, thats probably the best idea, but not next month im afraid
IcicleRain: got lots of deadlines coming up
IcicleRain: i was talking with people about it last summer, so hopefully this summer
IcicleRain: if you've got any ideas of something for me to write, and you have a way to contact me, let me know!
Superchao: Sounds like a plan!
Superchao: So all in all
Superchao: Are you glad you came back, even on the edges?
IcicleRain: yeah, definitely
IcicleRain: theres a very strong sense of community around mwiki, even with users im not especially close to
IcicleRain: and ive also met lots of new users who ive become good friends with!
Superchao: I've seen some negativity about the future of the community, buuut I think we've collectively got a few years in us yet!
IcicleRain: absolutely
IcicleRain: i think its inevitable that the community will change forms
IcicleRain: but i find it hard to imagine it ever dying out completely
Superchao: Same here yo
Superchao: it'll be 2050 and the community will be alive, having completely abandoned text for instantaneous thought transmission
Superchao: With the exception of two people still on IRC.
Superchao: (and I'll be one of them, just in case)
IcicleRain: imagine trying to moderate instantaneous thought transmission
Superchao: the fools
Superchao: i can now moderate them at the SPEED OF THOUGHT
IcicleRain: oh no
IcicleRain: it backfired horribly
Superchao: at last i will rule with the iron fist i have always dreamed of
IcicleRain: you won't have to tell anyone who to vote for - you can just see who they want to vote for straight away
IcicleRain: oh, i just meant tell anyone to vote
IcicleRain: its been a long day haha
Superchao: That's the matter of timezones. At least you're not in Australia
Superchao: or Malaysia
Superchao: I've had some exciting interviews
IcicleRain: but then it would be the morning! i would have had a short day
IcicleRain: you certainly have, i read up on a few so i knew what to expect
Superchao: I've done, let's see...
Superchao: this is my 44th interview
Superchao: wow
IcicleRain: oh wow
IcicleRain: you're a real pro by now then!
IcicleRain: that explains why its such high quality content
Superchao: Pretty much!
Superchao: It's like the oft-mentioned MSM, it improves over time
Superchao: I look at my debut Captain Falcon article and I'm like "wow this is very clearly before I got my groove"
IcicleRain: yeah, writing is definitely helped by experience
Superchao: I'd also say go look at my old 2007 writing for comparison, but better yet:
Superchao: Don't.
IcicleRain: haha, okay, i won't.
IcicleRain: i'll find some that are slightly more recent
IcicleRain: 2008?
Superchao: jokes on you
Superchao: it took me five years to write for the shroom again
IcicleRain: oh no, i really have been fooled
Superchao: i wrote for like 3 issues in 2007 and then completely ditched writing for the paper until 2012
IcicleRain: and live on the internet too
Superchao: You really think someone would do that?
Superchao: Just go on the internet and fool people?
IcicleRain: not until today :<
Superchao: I'm sorry for shattering your now-lost innocence
IcicleRain: oh well
IcicleRain: it had to happen eventually
Superchao: So, circling back to Mario games
Superchao: Would you say Galaxy's among your favorites? It did bring you here after all!
IcicleRain: yes, the first one definitely
IcicleRain: i actually replayed it over the summer and it still really holds up!
Superchao: Oh, nice!
IcicleRain: i was surprised by how much better 2 was compared to how i remember it actually
Superchao: Yeah, I personally preferred the first one, primarily due to enjoying the more open levels
Superchao: Dusty Dune, Freezeflame, and so on
Superchao: reminded me in a good way of Sunshine, which is still my favorite 3D mario
IcicleRain: yes, thats a good point. two's levels felt a lot more linear
IcicleRain: potentially im just a little bit biased since one was the original
IcicleRain: so it was in my heart first, haha
Superchao: Makes sense to me, I've got a couple games that I keep around and replay because of nostalgia value
IcicleRain: i will say playing it now it seemed a lot easier than 9 year old me remembered as well
Superchao: Luckily for me, some of my big nostalgiaburgers hold up just fine - oh I know, right!?
IcicleRain: but maybe thats just because i remembered the levels
Superchao: For me I think it's because like
Superchao: take Yoshi's Island GBA, it was super difficult for me in 2008
Superchao: then i spent the intervening six years playing a bunch of ridiculous Platform Hell games
Superchao: and then I come back and blitz through YI
Superchao: it's all in the training
IcicleRain: ah, true
IcicleRain: its all my gaming experience
Superchao: soon you will be invincible
IcicleRain: the best
IcicleRain: there were still a few levels that were very rage inducing, though. so i guess that comes after i get good at them
Superchao: Any other big standout Mario games for you?
IcicleRain: hm. i really loved bowser's inside story!
IcicleRain: but i never actually beat it. i got to the final boss and it was just too hard. and then the game ended up being sold at some point
IcicleRain: which is a shame. but i loved the humour in it!
Superchao: Perhaps you can save the day with the remake! SAVE ALPHADREAM except too late they're dead
IcicleRain: i was always more into rpgs than platformers
IcicleRain: yeah, im definitely interested in the remake
IcicleRain: ive been keeping an eye out for sales/pre-owned copies
Superchao: I think it's a shame because it feels like the remakes lost out hard, especially BiS, due to being remakes
Superchao: but AlphaDream probably couldn't afford to make fully new games
IcicleRain: yeah, thats a good point
IcicleRain: i just didnt use my 3ds enough to justify buying it when it came out, sadly
IcicleRain: and now im not sure id have time at all to really commit to it
Superchao: It happens, yo.
Superchao: I have such a goddamn backlog
IcicleRain: but! definitely would recommend on the off chance anyway on mwiki hasnt played it
IcicleRain: same perch
Superchao: At least better organization has helped me make a real start on it!
IcicleRain: i think i have a steam backlog of like...100
Superchao: As it turns out, all I needed on steam was an indicator of "i beat this game" and "i didn't"
IcicleRain: haha, that sounds like a good idea!
Superchao: and now despite the imposing size I've already cleared like 15 games off of it in one year
Superchao: with plenty linedu p next
IcicleRain: i bought dark souls a couple months ago so im trying to hold off buying anything until i beat that
Superchao: Whch doesn't SOUND like much, but when you consider my usual was 3 or 4 on steam a year...
IcicleRain: no, thats definitely a big achievement
IcicleRain: forget reading 7 books a year. try beating 7 games a year!
Superchao: I probably read like 70 books a year.
Superchao: I'm a fast reader.
IcicleRain: i'm a pretty fast reader, but again, i lack the free time
IcicleRain: i think i've read about 3 or 4 this year so far.
Superchao: What I do is make time! Commute, bathroom, mealtimes, anything with a spare moment can be used for reading!
IcicleRain: i think i would get a lot of strange looks if i was reading while i walked to university, haha
IcicleRain: and probably some angry people after i walk into them
Superchao: It takes practice, but eventually you learn how to detect people approaching and adjust accordingly
Superchao: Source: personal experience
IcicleRain: hey, do you know what was very useful to help me finishing a book this year?
Superchao: My first guess for some reason is "hospital stay"
IcicleRain: haha, no thankfully.
IcicleRain: not yet at least!
IcicleRain: i spent about two hours in a customs queue when i visited the us.
IcicleRain: so it was quite handy to be able to pull my book out and read it in the queue!
IcicleRain: not quite how i imagined reading on my holiday
Superchao: Hey, it works!.
IcicleRain: oh, definitely
Superchao: Whenever you visit I'll be sure to accidentally break your leg to ensure more reading
Superchao: Because that's what friends do
IcicleRain: oh no! not with us healthcare prices!
Superchao: Damn, you're right
Superchao: Okay, I'll visit you overseas, and THEN break your leg
Superchao: Problem solved!
IcicleRain: that sounds a lot better
IcicleRain: thank you for the thought!
Superchao: Have you ever had any Mario games that just Did Not Work for you?
IcicleRain: so for some reason
IcicleRain: i was never able to get into mario and luigi dream team!
IcicleRain: was that what it was called? im sure you know the one
Superchao: i do because i had the EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE
IcicleRain: even thought it was an m and l rpg, my favourite genre
Superchao: like
Superchao: i love the original M&L trilogy to bits
IcicleRain: yeah, im really not sure what it was. i think i just wasnt very captivated by the story
Superchao: superstar saga, partners in time, and bowser's inside story
Superchao: and then dream team just... didn't work
IcicleRain: yeah, i loved BiS
Superchao: I eventually sold it off and I almost never do that with my games
IcicleRain: in a more literal sense
IcicleRain: i had uh...super paper mario? the wii one
IcicleRain: and at one point the game just kept freezing!
Superchao: Oh yeah, I heard of that
IcicleRain: i learned after that it was a bug, but id already taken it back to the shop
Superchao: apparently it's a very rare glitch with the disc is - yep
IcicleRain: but i got to trade it in for strikers charged instead
Superchao: did you feel HARDCORE
IcicleRain: which is still a game i enjoy playing when i have access to my wii
IcicleRain: haha, not especially i dont think
IcicleRain: i thought it was a bit goofy tbh
Superchao: It's definitely got a unique aesthetic though
IcicleRain: yeah, it was quite unique. i liked the style a lot, but just in the context of mario i thought it was quite goofy
IcicleRain: but other than that i think i've enjoyed all the mario games i've played!
Superchao: Somebody sure isn't picky.
IcicleRain: well, i haven't played them in a long time. going back now it might be a different story!
Superchao: Very true, very true.
Superchao: Anything exceptional with regards to other series game-wise?
Superchao: Good or bad!
IcicleRain: hmmm, i have to admit ive never been too loyal to many series
IcicleRain: wait, do you mean any mario series
IcicleRain: or just any game series
Superchao: Oh, any games series in general. You talked about your big good and bad Marios.
IcicleRain: yeah, okay!
IcicleRain: i played all the original mass effect games.
IcicleRain: i thought they were all pretty good tbh
IcicleRain: oh, and I've played all the recent animal crossings
Superchao: Did 3's infamous ending bother you?
IcicleRain: yes, i hated the end of animal crossing 3.
IcicleRain: no, i didn't actually think me3 had that bad of an ending
IcicleRain: it was anticlimatic, yes, but I think the end of anything that big is more than likely going to be pretty anticlimatic
Superchao: Huh, interesting!
IcicleRain: by big, i just mean dramatic more than anything
Superchao: I remember seeing the controversity live
IcicleRain: yeah, i remember it too
IcicleRain: to be fair, i played through all 3 of them in the space of about a year
IcicleRain: whereas i can imagine if you'd been playing them all in real time, waiting years for each one to come out
IcicleRain: then it would be a lot more annoying
IcicleRain: of course, there is also my one true love
IcicleRain: Sid Meier's Civilization
Superchao: Which I have also never played!
IcicleRain: I've only really been around to be properly interested in V and VI
Superchao: We have much different tastes in games.
IcicleRain: yeah, i think that's true
IcicleRain: but in a way that's good
IcicleRain: having a community with lots of varied interests keeps things exciting!
Superchao: It does! Other people can write about the series I would never cover, for example
IcicleRain: yeah, exactly
IcicleRain: haha, i often get told I should write for the Shroom about civilization
Superchao: See? People understaaaand.
IcicleRain: i guess that would go in strategy wing, right?
Superchao: Pretty much, unless you go hard on the review side, in which case Critic Corner.
IcicleRain: ah yes, of course
IcicleRain: hmm, i'm trying to think of other game series
IcicleRain: but i think im much more into standalones
Superchao: A valid decision!
Superchao: Standalones include some of my favorite vidya
Superchao: especially when it comes to steam
IcicleRain: yeah, definitely
IcicleRain: pc is a good home for stand-alones, especially for indie devs
IcicleRain: oh, i play the sims a lot!
IcicleRain: thats another series
IcicleRain: and another one that's not too common around here, haha
Superchao: It's interesting to think about how much PC pulled away the hidden esoteric games that you used to see on stuff like GBA and DS
IcicleRain: i had to google esoteric but yeah i agree
IcicleRain: i guess it makes sense, especially for games that need less power to run
Superchao: Pretty much. Especially with Nintendo phrasing out the handheld line, now your choices are either big consoles or PC
IcicleRain: a lot of people who would be interested in games would own at least a slightly below average pc, right
Superchao: yep!
IcicleRain: yeah, they stopped making games for the 3ds range now didnt they?
Superchao: Yep
IcicleRain: and with that, my nintendo journey has been stopped at least temporarily
Superchao: I think the UTTER FAILURE of the BiS remake and the fact it straight up finished AlphaDream was a big part in that
Superchao: just "it's clearly no longer sustainable"
IcicleRain: yeah, i heard almost nothing about that after it was announced
IcicleRain: it makes sense - the switch has done pretty well, hasnt it
Superchao: pretty much!
Superchao: switch has taken off like a rocket
Superchao: revived dead series
Superchao: gotten all sorts of big titles
Superchao: (IT'S F-ZERO TIME I STILL BELIEVE)
IcicleRain: i wouldnt be that surprised by a new f-zero
IcicleRain: i still say that ill get a switch when they announce mk9'
IcicleRain: or maybe when they release it
Superchao: See my hope is, no offense, that they don't put out a new MK9 for a while
Superchao: Because if they do F-Zero's screwed with the ONE RACING GAME policy :V
IcicleRain: i can understand that
IcicleRain: ah, i see
Superchao: Also I got a switch when they announced Metroid Prime 4!!
Superchao: ...Yeah.
IcicleRain: i was moreso thinking that it ultimately probably wont be a huge step up from mk8 at this point
IcicleRain: i've never actually really played any metroid games!
Superchao: That's also true, they'd have to overhaul with gimmicks
IcicleRain: and yet i main zss in smash
Superchao: You should! They're good.
IcicleRain: yeah, i really should
IcicleRain: are the prime games platformers?
IcicleRain: i always forget
IcicleRain: ah okay i googled it and i was correct in thinking they weren't
IcicleRain: if i was going to play metroid games i think i would play the prime series, but right now i dont think i really have a way of playing them
Superchao: No Wii?
IcicleRain: not with me, no
IcicleRain: back at home with my parents
IcicleRain: so maybe a game for next summer!
Superchao: perhaps!!
Superchao: So, besides gaming.
Superchao: Any other habits you've developed?
IcicleRain: like hobbies? or do you want to hear about my terrible nail-biting habit
IcicleRain: in my free time, i play hockey and i like running
Superchao: Hobbies, though good luck with the nails!
Superchao: Took me years to handle that.
IcicleRain: and more relaxing, i like to read as much as i can, but otherwise i like to just game and/or watch youtube/netflix
IcicleRain: i do some coding outside of my uni work as well, but i'm not very good and i don't have too much time to learn, haha
Superchao: Someday! That's what I always tell myself.
Superchao: I've got 60 more years, time to learn stuff
IcicleRain: haha, exactly
IcicleRain: time to learn stuff when im learning stuff all day every day
IcicleRain: when i'm NOT learning stuff all day, i mean
Superchao: Pretty much. Just gotta find the tiiime.
IcicleRain: yep!
IcicleRain: lately i've been trying to get into livestreaming as well. but again, where's the time?
Superchao: Beyond the horizon.........
IcicleRain: hopefully!
Superchao: So, I'm curious
Superchao: Would you say this is the last question?
IcicleRain: is it cheating if i've seen this question in other interviews
IcicleRain: because i think it might be the last question
Superchao: A litttttle.
Superchao: But you came to Mariowiki by cheating, so...
IcicleRain: true, it's very in-character for me!
Superchao: Makes sense.
Superchao: Thanks for the interview!
IcicleRain: No, thank you!
Conclusion:
I know I've said this many times, but it remains solidly true - just because someone doesn't have any special ranks or isn't the most active ever, doesn't mean they aren't worth learning about! In fact, I think only a handful of people I interviewed in this entire run of last year and this year have any sort of significant rank or position. Most people this time around have been just regular users who I thought were worth putting the spotlight on. I'll see you next month as I do that one last time!
Poll Committee Discussion
Hello, 'Shroom readers! It's everyone's favorite unelected Director, Superchao! I'm doing Poll Committee Discussion this month, so... time for some discussing of the polls!
Poll Committee News
Not much to say here! We've got some plans in the works, but no need to spill the beans just yet. More importantly, we'll soon be opening a new position in the Poll Committee! Get those applications ready!
Archives
Are you interested in the upcoming game, Luigi's Mansion 3? (ArchagentEverlasting (talk), Roserade (talk) and LudwigVon (talk), October 14, 2019)
| Are you interested in the upcoming game, Luigi's Mansion 3? |
|---|
| Yes, I'm very much interested in Luigi's Mansion 3. 71.87% (1,009 votes) |
| I'm interested, but I'm concerned it will be worse than the previous games in the series. 4.99% (70 votes) |
| I'm not interested, but it looks as though it holds more promise than previous games in the series. 5.63% (79 votes) |
| No, I'm not interested at all in Luigi's Mansion 3. 5.34% (75 votes) |
| I'm currently neutral towards Luigi's Mansion 3, and prefer to play it first before I have an opinion on it. 12.17% (171 votes) |
| Total Votes: 1,404 |
Nintendo recently added 20 SNES games to the Nintendo Switch Online service. How do these games affect your opinion of the service? (Doomhiker (talk) and Roserade (talk), October 20, 2019)
| Nintendo recently added 20 SNES games to the Nintendo Switch Online service. How do these games affect your opinion of the service? |
|---|
| These games are the only thing that makes the Nintendo Switch Online service good. 12.56% (131 votes) |
| These games make the service considerably better, but it was still good previously. 27.04% (282 votes) |
| I like the addition of these games, but the service still needs to include more options or be overall improved for me to want to subscribe/renew my subscription to it. 24.35% (254 votes) |
| I like the addition of these games, but another console should have been added instead. 4.03% (42 votes) |
| I dislike the addition of these games, because they distract Nintendo from making other parts of the service better. 1.44% (15 votes) |
| I would rather be able to purchase these games separately and own them permanently, like with the Virtual Console. 13.42% (140 votes) |
| The games do not make the service any more enticing for me. 4.79% (50 votes) |
| I don't have an opinion on these SNES games or the Nintendo Switch Online service in general. 12.37% (129 votes) |
| Total Votes: 1,043 |
How important is a Mario game's soundtrack to your enjoyment of the game? (Koopaboye (talk) and Roserade (talk), October 27, 2019)
| How important is a Mario game's soundtrack to your enjoyment of the game? |
|---|
| The soundtrack is one of the most important aspects of a Mario game to me. 35.71% (526 votes) |
| I appreciate a quality soundtrack, but there are one or two aspects of the game that are more important to me (such as gameplay or story). 44.6% (657 votes) |
| Soundtracks are important to me, but their importance varies between the different Mario series. 10.79% (159 votes) |
| Soundtracks are far from the most important aspects of a Mario game to me, but I do still appreciate it when a soundtrack is good. 6.92% (102 votes) |
| The soundtrack means nothing to me in Mario games. 0.68% (10 votes) |
| I have no opinion, or don't listen to Mario soundtracks. 1.29% (19 votes) |
| Total Votes: 1,473 |
Analysis
- Are you interested in the upcoming game, Luigi's Mansion 3?: If there's one takeaway I can make from this, it's that people are on the whole really interested in LM3. Not only do we have about 72% of our voters just flat-out saying they're interested, another 12% are reserving judgement entirely. Between those two, over four-fifths of respondents confirm that they aren't negative about it! What's interesting to me is how evenly the rest of the voters are split. Whether they're not interested but thinking LM3 looks good, interested but thinking LM3 looks bad, or just don't care at all about it. It seems like Luigi's Mansion 3 has done a good job of winning people over - it'll be interesting to see how people feel about it after it's been out for a while.
- Nintendo recently added 20 SNES games to the Nintendo Switch Online service. How do these games affect your opinion of the service?: The addition of the SNES games resulted in some surprisingly varied opinions! But the main two are "this improves my already positive opinion of the service" and "this is not enough to make me want to commit" - pretty much the exact opposite viewpoints, interestingly enough. The other viewpoints aren't as strong, though we do have some blocks in terms of no opinion, as well as people wanting them separately like VC, which I really can't blame them at all for. We know NSO will go down someday in the future, so what if you wanna keep playing then? Can't keep it around like Virtual Console could on Wiis. We've also got people who think the SNES games are carrying the service to begin with! What really interests me is how little anyone voted for "I dislike it because it stops Nintendo from making the other parts better". A simple rejection of the theory that they could repartition time elsewhere, or just a preference for different poll choices? It's always hard to tell.
- How important is a Mario game's soundtrack to your enjoyment of the game?: Music! Game music has been memorable since the days of the NES and arcade... though not really before that. Pretty sure Magnavox didn't even have music... anyhow, quite a lot of people agree good music's very significant! Between the 36% saying the soundtrack is the most important aspect, and the 45% saying that a quality soundtrack is significant though not the most important, we've got four-fifths of respondents saying Music Matters. And I mean, look at Yoshi's New Island - absolutely infamous for its soundtrack issues. What's interesting to me is the 10% of people saying it depends on the different Mario series. I'd really like to hear more about this - is it RPGs where the music matters? Platformers? What is it, my mysterious voters? Regardless, as the tiny, tiny portion of votes at the bottom shows, soundtracks matter to almost everyone on some level. Better get those composers some paychecks, Ninty, because they're raking in some cash for you!
And that's all the polls I have the info to discuss this month! Next month, expect an extra-large poll analysis!
'Shroom Recap
Written by: Hooded Pitohui (talk)
After an extended hiatus, I'm overjoyed to welcome you back to The 'Shroom Recap! Raregold has, for personal reasons, elected to step away from this section, so, for the foreseeable future, the Section Feature will no longer be a part of this section. If anyone out there happens to have in interest in digging into the history of The 'Shroom, though, it can certainly make a return.
That said, the User Feature is making its return this month. For this month, we'll see if we can't strike a chord with one of The 'Shroom's prominent writers from the paper's early days. Yes, remarkable towards the end of his tenure for his music, Stooben Rooben has a long history with The 'Shroom as both a writer and a staff member. So, what did this musician do for the paper?
| Stooben Rooben | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | Section | Articles |
| Staff Position | Director | 23-24 & 28 & 35-46 |
| Staff Position | Sub-Director | 25-27 & 29-34 |
| Staff Position | Affiliates Manager | 50-58 |
| Staff Position | Fake News Director | 13-18 & 22 |
| Staff Position | Strategy Wing Director | 100-111 |
| Main | Director’s Notes | 23-24 & 28 & Holiday Special & 34-38 & 40 |
| Main | Sub-Director's Notes | 25-27 & 29-33 |
| Main | Awards Committee Commentaries | 66 |
| Main | From the Mushroom Vault | 11-23 & 25-26 |
| Main | Interview | 36 & 40-45 & 47 & 49 |
| Main | Monthly Report | 23 & 26 |
| Main | Please Understand: A Satoru Iwata Memorial | 100 |
| Main | Walkazo Memories | 111 |
| Main | The Best Songs of the Decade (So Far) | 111 |
| Main | ’Shroom Mafia III | 100 |
| Main | ’Shroom Mafia III: An Overview | 111 |
| Main | 12 Days of ‘Shroom Christmas | 105 |
| Fun Stuff | Crossword | 103 |
| Fun Stuff | Rare Crossword | 100 |
| Strategy Wing | Director’s Notes | 100-111 |
| Strategy Wing | From the Mushroom Vault | 100 & 102-103 & 105 |
| Strategy Wing | Pokémon Calendar | 107 |
| Strategy Wing | Zelda Calendar | 107 |
| Fake News | Obituaries | 12 & 14-16 & 18 |
| Fake News | Local News | 14-16 |
| Fake News | Poll | 23 |
| Fake News | Police Blotter | 100 |
| Fake News | Cooking Guide | 111 |
| Palette Swap | 8-Bit Ampitheater | 100-105 & 107 & 111 |
| Palette Swap | Christmas in the Key of 2012 | 69 |
| Critic Corner | The Stoob Tube | 103 & 106 & 108 |
Early History: Real Tips and Tricks and Fake News
If you've been reading The 'Shroom for some time, you might be aware that Stooben Rooben was the first Strategy Wing Director, taking the helm of The 'Shroom's gaming-centric team and creating a platform for those looking to share tips, tricks, and histories for games of all kinds. Would you believe, though, that Stooben sowed the seeds for that major development with his very first section? Stooben first joined The 'Shroom all the way back in issue XI, where he debuted From the Mushroom Vaults, a section which explained its purpose rather succinctly with its tagline of "Tips, Secrets, Hints, and Cheats for Mario's games!" That description wouldn't sound too out of place for the team he would eventually go on to direct, would it? In his first edition, he quickly established the section's usual structure by divulging some secrets for The Thousand Year Door, providing hints for Super Mario Galaxy, sharing some cheats for Super Princess Peach, and sharing some tips for how to best make use of items to win at Double Dash!!
Stooben would continue following this strategy of providing one example of each category in the section's tagline every month until he reached issue XVII, at which point the section's structure became more variable from month to month. After one more month of a random smattering of games in issue XII, he took to giving each month's edition a theme, announcing the month's theme right next to his name in the upper right corner of the page. In the following months, Stooben would theme the section around retro games of the time, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart, Mario RPGs, Paper Mario, DS titles, Nintendo 64 titles, obscure Mario titles, DS Yoshi titles, and the outgoing Director Blitzwing as he produced a new edition month after month. The first major change came to the section in issue XXIII. Theming the edition around the Famicom, Stooben announced that, from this point on, the section would feature only one, slightly more extensive cheat so that he could focus more on his duties as Director of The 'Shroom. Beyond that point, the section slowly began to dwindle away. It was absent in issue XXIV, so Stooben showcased two cheats in his SNES month in issue XV. The section covered Wario Land 4 in its final edition, before disappearing once more in issue XXVII. The section's story comes to an end with the Director's Notes in issue XXVIII, where Stooben promises From the Mushroom Vaults will return the following month. Unfortunately, that promise would not come to fruition… in the near future, at least. Even though the section unfortunately came to an end without a proper conclusion at the time, it remains notable as Stooben's first endeavor with The 'Shroom, one which lasted two years.
From the Mushroom Vaults wasn't Stooben's only section during this time period, though. Stooben juggled three Fake News sections around 2008 and 2009. He made his Fake News debut in issue XII, writing Obituaries. He had a simple take on the section, keeping to the core idea of providing humorous accounts of the deaths of various Super Mario characters ranging from Don Pianta to Bowser Jr. He stuck with the section through issue XVIII, only skipping issue XIII and XVII in that time. Simultaneously, he briefly wrote Local News from issue XIV to issue XVI, coming up with absurd news stories about various community members, including on about his own mysterious disappearance. Fittingly, that edition brought an end to his time with the section. He returned as a Fake News writer to write a single edition of Poll in issue XXIII before completely moving away from his early work with Fake News, though. Of course, he had a rather good reason to be invested in Fake News during this period. He was the Fake News Director from issue XIII to XVIII. Records list him as Fake News Director in issue XXII, as well, but as far as I'm able to tell, there is no Fake News in issue XXII. Normally, I'd have something to say about Stooben's work as Fake News Director, or I could at least give a nod to his Director's Notes for the team, but, looking through old editions of the paper, it's difficult enough to even verify that he held the position at the time. There's little indication of Stooben's activity in the position beyond The 'Shroom's historical records.
Stooben's early work may not have always been the most organized or predictable, but whether a long-runner like From the Mushroom Vaults or miscellaneous sections like the two editions of Monthly Report he added to issue XXIII and issue XXVI, his numerous contributions added a significant amount to the publication as it found its footing. He didn't limit himself to writing in this period, however. He would soon aim for a much more substantial position within the paper…
(Sub?) Directorship and Interviews: Stooben's Middle Years
In the middle of this busy period of writing, Stooben ran for the Directorship at the end of 2008, ultimately winning issue XXII's Director Election with forty-seven voters endorsing his leadership. Tucayo, who took second place in the election, with five votes, would go on to become Stooben's Sub-Director when he officially stepped into the role of Director in issue XXIII. In that very same issue's Director's Notes, Stooben lays out some ambitious plans for the paper. From that issue onwards, Fun Stuff is formalized as its own team. In order to improve the quality of the paper, Stooben also introduced a rule stating that any writer who is at least one month late with their sections must be fired from The 'Shroom. Stooben also promised two new sections which he planned to debut in issue XXIV. The second of these two sections, Fan Fiction Monthly, was intended to be a showcase of an user-created content which members of the community wanted to share. It never materialized as a formal section, but similar concepts have been used in Palette Swap and its precursor Music and Artwork. The first proposed section is a bit more unique, and nothing quite like it has since arisen. As Stooben puts it, "Additional Commentary allows users to PM or e-mail 'Shroom staff members questions, comments, or suggestions." The staff member who users reached out to with their commentary was expected to provide a publishable response to Stooben. Unfortunately, this unique idea never truly materialized as a regular section either. There were instructions in the Director's Notes of issue XXIV letting users know they could contact any staff member to offer their commentary, but no commentary was ever published. When issue XXV came out, the idea was scrapped in favor of providing a "Contact Us" link on the Main Page.
Why did those ambitious plans get derailed? Well, as it turns out, Stooben went inactive a month into his tenure as Director. Though he was still considered the Director in issue XXIV, Tucayo had to step in to write that issue's Director's Notes and put The 'Shroom together that month. By the time issue XXV released, Stooben had swapped positions with Tucayo, becoming the Sub-Director. Given his circumstances at the time, Stooben decided that Tucayo could better serve as the paper's Director, and settled into the Sub-Directorship to aid him as he could. Stooben continued to serve in his new role through issue XXVI and XXVII, before again swapping places with Tucayo and resuming his Directorship in issue XXVIII. The wild up-and-down ride continued in the following issue, as Stooben resigned and Tucayo once again rose to the occasion and filled the Director position. At that time, Tucayo expressed his uncertainty as to whether Stooben had resigned completely or had elected to return to the Sub-Directorship. As it would turn out, Stooben had chosen the latter route, and would once again serve as Sub-Director under Tucayo from issue XXIX to issue XXXIV. As it turns out, Stooben would remain a significant force during this second tenure as Sub-Director. In response to arguments about the quality of The 'Shroom and the future of the paper in the wake of the proposal which reconstructed the Wiki's Pipe Plaza project as a team in The 'Shroom, Stooben proposed some major revisions to The 'Shroom in The Director's Notes of issue XXXII. As he explains:
Let's face it. The 'Shroom has reached an all-time low in quality that I never even fathomed possible. The paper's quality is poor, our sections are far too short, our "funny" sections are anything but, and we've done NOTHING to stop this. (I include myself in the blame.)
Stooben's proposals included a section limit on users, keeping writers limited to only actively writing two sections at a time. He advocated for increased standards for grammar, formatting, spelling, and content. As part of this, he proposed the requirement that a section should have a minimum of seven-hundred characters (excluding coding). This suggestion remains a part of The 'Shroom Manual of Style to this day, albeit in a modified form. He proposed that trusted users be put in charge of overseeing teams and sections to ensure they met standards of quality, proposed creating a position for an Editor-in-Chief who would proofread and edit issues before release, proposed an overhauled method of handling situations where writers could not submit their sections on time, and advocated for the abolition of multiple sign-up pages for different sub-teams. That there is currently only one centralized page for anyone interested in writing for The 'Shroom reflects the influence Stooben's suggestions had on the evolution of the paper. Of course, not all of his proposals remain relevant. He suggested that the paper be split between Wiki news and entertainment, with Wiki news being The 'Shroom's priority. As the paper's six varied teams show, subsequent developments have taken The 'Shroom in a different direction.
At the end of 2009, Stooben once again tossed himself into the fray in issue XXXIII's Director Election. While the results were more divided than they were in his first election, Stooben won with 21 votes with a campaign in which he continued to promote the reforms he introduced during his time as Sub-Director and promised that, with his recent retirement from Userpedia, he would have more time to devote to The 'Shroom. Stooben assumed the Directorship in issue XXXIV, and, with Tucayo once again at his side as Sub-Director, started his term off with a short survey for all readers and an outline of his ambitious plans to expand The 'Shroom's team of writers and create new systems of rewards and surprises. This second tenure as Director proved much more stable than his first, and The 'Shroom made some major advancements in this period. By issue XXXVI, Stooben had already overseen aesthetic improvements, with Tucayo making new banners for the paper's teams to give them extra personality and visual appeal and Super Mario Bros. introducing the paper's new seasonal backgrounds. Though he contributed nothing but his signature to them in issue XXXVII and almost completely ceased writing the Director's Notes starting in issue XXXIX, Stooben's second term as Director proved much more stable than his first term. Stooben remains the Director for his entire term, seeing the position through all the way to issue XLVI. In that time, the paper continued to grow and improve. One notable leap forward came in issue issue XL, where Stooben briefly resumed writing Director's Notes to announce the creation of an Awards system for The 'Shroom (the precursor to the current End of the Year Awards) and to update the community on his plans to overhaul The 'Shroom Sign-up page. Unfortunately, Stooben did disappear for a short spell when issue XLII released. With Stooben missing and Tucayo unavailable, Super Mario Bros. stepped up as a substitute director and put the issue together that month. Thankfully, Stooben returned the following month to see out the end of his term.
Stooben didn't leave The 'Shroom just because his time as Director came to an end, though. While he was still Director, he conducted his first interview' with Super Mario Bros. in issue XXVI. Though it would be a short while before Stooben fully committed to writing the section, this early experience helped him to establish his style of providing a short summary of his interviewee's history with the community before moving on to an extensive interview. His first regular edition of the section debuted in issue LX, where his interviews with Master Crash and Crocodile Dippy snagged him the Section of the Month Award and set the stage for a series of regularly-published interviews. He would go on to interview Superchao, Smasher, Ralphfan, Tucayo, Anton, and New Super Mario before conducting his last interview with Edofenrir in issue LXIX.
Outside of Interview, Stooben's engagement with The 'Shroom was limited during this period. He assumed the now-defunct position of Affiliates Manager for a brief time, taking the position up in issue L and holding it through issue LVIII. Of course, no one would ever know that without looking at The 'Shroom's historical records. As far as I can tell, his tenure in that position is never once mentioned in The 'Shroom itself. He also contributed an extensive reflection to issue LXVI's Awards Committee Commentaries, sharing detailed thoughts on his experience as a member of the Committee that removed Ralphfan from the directing staff, his experience hosting a Team Fortress 2 tournament and co-hosting Awards Mafia with Smasher, and his overall impressions on making presentations and watching the ceremonies come together. Stooben ended this period of his time with The 'Shroom with his special contribution to Palette Swap in issue LXIX. Yes, Christmas in the Key of 2012 both referenced the popular notion that the world would end in December of 2012 and showcased Stooben's musical talent by presenting to readers an original edgy Christmas song about the apocalypse. As it would turn out, though, music and Team Fortress 2 would go on to be significant factors in his grand return to The 'Shroom…
Stooben's Big Finale
After an extended absence, Stooben Rooben makes a grand return in issue 100, where, in The 'Shroom's largest issue to date, he contributes a Rare Crossword themed around the game development studio Rare and celebrating the then-upcoming Yooka-Laylee, an introduction fo his upcoming 'Shroom Mafia III game, a special Police Blotter honoring The 'Shroom's beloved mascot, the first edition of two new regular sections, and a brand new team with himself at the helm. In addition, he worked with the rest of the staff to produce a tribute to Satoru Iwata in the form of Please Understand: A Satoru Iwata Memorial. We'll return to Strategy Wing and Stooben's efforts there in a moment. Before we dive into that, it's worth looking at what Stooben was up to in other sections of the paper during this busy period.
The first of the two regular sections Stooben debuted in issue 100, 8-Bit Amphitheater put Stooben's musical talents on full display. The premise of the section is simple. Every month, Stooben shares a number of chiptune versions of popular songs and songs from videogames that he created himself. These chiptunes are neatly displayed in a compact table packed with information and links so that readers can listen to Stooben's music through whatever medium they prefer. He then goes on to explain his reasons for selecting the songs to, share some general thoughts on each song, and gives readers some insights on the process of creating these chiptune versions. He dutifully kept chipping away at his chiptunes through issues 101, 102, 103, 104 105, and, after switching to a bi-monthly schedule in issue 106, issue 107. The decision to put the section on a more relaxed schedule helped to alleviate the time crunch that led to issue 105's edition lacking the usual videogame music chiptunes. It might have allowed for the section to continue on past issue 107, but unfortunate circumstances intervened to bring the section to a premature end. There will be more to say on that in a moment, though. Before moving on completely, though, it's worth noting that Stooben put his musical talents to work with one other special section during this time period. Stooben worked with Crocodile Dippy to create the 12 Days of 'Shroom Christmas, the two of them not only coming up with the lyrics, but actually performing and recording the song so readers can listen to it. It's easier to just listen to the song and read the lyrics than to read about it, but the highly unusual holiday piece does an excellent job of celebrating The 'Shroom's staff from the time it was written.
Stooben wasn't just making music, though. He also put together a Halloween-themed Super Mario crossword puzzle in issue 103, an issue in which he also debuted the new bi-monthly Critic Corner section The Stoob Tube. The section's tagline puts it best, asking with characteristic charm "[y]ou say you need a TV junkie to review TV junk?" He starts off with a review of Supernatural in issue 103. Though he misses issue 105 due to computer issues, he makes up for it with his Bojack Horseman review in issue 106 and immediately follows up with a review ofThe X-Files in issue 108 as he tries to get back on schedule. Once again, the section came to an early end after issue 108 because of unfortunate circumstances, but we're still not quite there. We still need to discuss Strategy Wing!
Yes, in issue 100, Stooben becomes the first Director of the newly-created Strategy Wing team. Month after month all the way through issue 111, Stooben leads the fledgling team through a major debut followed by a period of fewer sections marked by a struggle to attract new writers. Even though it was not the largest of teams, Strategy Wing found its footing under Stooben with a selection of consistently high-quality sections. He was able to celebrate as he finally attracted his first new writer in issue 105, and he gave his Director's Notes a bit of flair each month by including nods to Team Fortress 2's Medic in his notes and his staff portrait. It only seems fitting that the writer who so long ago had his start with The 'Shroom writing From the Mushroom Vaults and covering the hidden secrets and strategies which could help readers beat various videogames should go on to oversee the creation of The 'Shroom's videogame-focused team.
Speaking of From the Mushroom Vaults, actually, it must be noted that the section made its grand return in issue 100 as a cornerstone section of Strategy Wing! Yes, after a hiatus which spanned more than seventy issues, the section even returned with the same tagline of "tips, secrets, hints and cheats from Mario's games!" The section kept the same simple premise it had been built around during its original run, though it now emphasized quality over quantity. Rather than aim to have one example of each category in its tagline, it now focused on one or two extensive examples. In issue 100, it covered Donkey Kong Land and Yoshi's Woolly World. After skipping issue 101 due to technical difficulties, the section continued with an overview of all of the secret exits in New Super Mario Bros.2 in issue 102 and a look at the locations of all the Speedy Spirits in Luigi's Mansion in issue 103. Stooben missed issue 104, but kept the section going into issue 105 with cheats from Donkey Kong Country 3. He skipped out on issue 106, and forewent the section in issue 107 in favor of putting together the Zelda Calendar and the Pokémon Calendar in order to showcase how much had come from those two franchises in their respective thirty years and twenty years. While Stooben would continue promising the section would continue in his Director's Notes through issue 109, it unfortunately never returned with Stooben as a writer. Like Stooben's other sections during this period, From The Mushroom Vaults came to a premature end with the changes in staff and the changes in the community which resulted from the tragic death of Walkazo.
The 'Shroom's tribute to Walkazo, issue 111, would turn out to be Stooben's final issue with the publication. As he explains in his final edition of Strategy Wing's Director's Notes, Stooben decided to leave all of his positions with The 'Shroom in order to focus more on his personal life. He may have left in this issue, but he did not leave quietly. In this single issue, he shared his retrospective on 'Shroom Mafia III, worked with Crocodile Dippy to create an annotated list of the best one-hundred songs of the decade, wrote a fever dream of a Cooking Guide with Dippy, Packy, and Super Mario Bros., joined the community in sharing his memories of Walkazo, and created one last chiptune for a special 8-Bit Amphitheater as a farewell to Walkazo. With that final song, Stooben Rooben's long history with The 'Shroom came to an end.
All in all, Stooben's work with The 'Shroom continues to echo in the structure of the paper and its policies today. He's no longer with the publication, but dig deep enough and you can find his traces of his proposals which continue to shape The 'Shroom. It seems unlikely he'll return, but he's left a legacy behind nonetheless.
Thanks are offered to Crocodile Dippy (talk) for the tables and LudwigVon (talk) for allowing us to modify them. All information is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of issue 151.
| The 'Shroom: Issue 152 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • Awards Director Election |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
