The 'Shroom:Issue LXIX: Difference between revisions

	Leirin
First article:	Non-Mario Reviews, Issue XXIV
Last article:	Non-Marioverse Reviews, Issue XLIV
Sections Written:	Main: 18

Assassin's Creed III
Developer	Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher	Ubisoft
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, XBox 360, Wii U, Microsoft Windows
Genres	Platform, stealth, sandbox
ESRB:	- Mature
PEGI:	- Eighteen years and older
CERO:	- Eighteen years and older
ACB:	- Fifteen years and older
Available From
	Amazon (US); GameStop (US); Amazon (UK); Play.com (UK); Electronics Boutique (AUS);

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Developer	Intelligent Systems
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS
Genres	Role-playing game
ESRB:	- Everyone
PEGI:	- Three years and older
CERO:	- All ages
ACB:	- General
Available From
	Amazon (US); GameStop (US); Amazon (UK); Play.com (UK); Electronics Boutique (AUS);

Revision as of 17:17, August 17, 2019

The 'Shroom calendar for 2024
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September 21st 210	October 19th 211	November 16th 212	December 21st 213


Issue LXIX	December 22nd, 2012	About

STAFF SECTIONS

The director's address to you about what's been going on behind-the-scenes.
[read more]

See our lucky winner for the month, as voted by you!
[read more]

Goals and achievements that 'Shroom writers can aspire to.
[read more]

Find out more about one of the special events the Core Staff organized for December!
[read more]

An Awards celebration for our dedicated writers! Congratulations!
[read more]

Come and vote for who you want to manage The 'Shroom for the next year!
[read more]

SUB-TEAMS

Fictional news section.
[read more]

A series of games and fun sections for readers to participate in.
[read more]

The artistic part of the wiki, box-arts, music, comics and more!
[read more]

Find out all wiki-related events, news, and statistics.
[read more]

Reviews and opinion pieces for games, movies, books, and more.
[read more]

MAIN SECTIONS

A trip into the newspaper's past.
[read more]

Each month interviewing one of our users.
[read more]

Comparisons of Nintendo characters from all generations.
[read more]

Strategy information for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
[read more]

Miscellaneous information for the Mario Kart series.
[read more]

A look at some of the forgotten or obscure characters of the Mario games.
[read more]

SPECIAL SECTIONS

Groden talks about his Team Fortress 2 tournament event.
[read more]

Class is in session, and Walkazo's the teacher! Koopalings 101.
[read more]

See why RandomYoshi views the community as a giant roleplay.
[read more]

Take a look at Post-Damage Invincibility's lighthearted Christmas comic!
[read more]

See how Lakituthequick envisions submitting a guest section.
[read more]

MST3K would like to share one thing he has reflected on this year.
[read more]

Let's read as Mario4Ever describes his opinions on this anthology of games.
[read more]

Dippy challenges those who adamantly reject modern music in this opinion piece.
[read more]

The Fresh Prince takes his throne and schools you in Paper Mario.
[read more]

The Director would like to give out some thank yous.
[read more]

Director's Notes

^{Thanks to Master Crash (talk) for the logo!}

Welcome to the Special Holiday Issue 2012, everybody! We have a lot in store today!

As of the time that this has been posted, we are having a chat party in #mwshroom (applet · Mibbit)! The schedule for the release of this issue is below. Please be sure to read all of the sections that our regular writers and our guests contributed! Also be sure to check out our new 'Shroom Achievements program, and congratulate those that have won an End-of-the-Year Award!

Also, if you like Team Fortress 2, please be sure to check out Groden (talk)'s TF2 Christmas Community Event! The tournament will start at 5 PM EST today (December 22^nd, 2012). Be sure to read the article for more information.

Be sure to go check out the Director Election article as well in case you are interested in choosing who will run The 'Shroom for the next year! Check below the chat schedule below as well for some information that I shared last month and decided to share again this month.

Thanks for coming, and enjoy the rest of the issue!

Time (EST)	Section
12:00:00 PM	Director's Notes
12:05:00 PM	Scavenger Hunt
12:10:00 PM	TF2 Christmas Community Event (Special Section)
12:15:00 PM	Fading Into Obscurity
12:20:00 PM	Mario Kart: Wheel Tips Corner
12:25:00 PM	Brawl Tactics
12:30:00 PM	Character Comparison
12:35:00 PM	Interview
12:40:00 PM	Retro Feature
12:45:00 PM	Critic Corner
12:50:00 PM	Pipe Plaza
12:55:00 PM	Music & Artwork
01:00:00 PM	Fun Stuff
01:05:00 PM	Fake News
01:10:00 PM	—
01:15:00 PM	—
01:20:00 PM	—
01:25:00 PM	—
01:30:00 PM	Section of the Month
01:35:00 PM	—
01:40:00 PM	—
01:45:00 PM	—
01:50:00 PM	—
01:55:00 PM	—
02:00:00 PM	Special Section
02:05:00 PM	Special Section
02:10:00 PM	Special Section
02:15:00 PM	Special Section
02:20:00 PM	Special Section
02:25:00 PM	Special Section
02:30:00 PM	Special Section
02:35:00 PM	Special Section
02:40:00 PM	Special Section
02:45:00 PM	—
02:50:00 PM	—
02:55:00 PM	—
03:00:00 PM	'Shroom Achievements
03:05:00 PM	—
03:10:00 PM	—
03:15:00 PM	—
03:20:00 PM	—
03:25:00 PM	—
03:30:00 PM	End-of-the-Year Awards
03:35:00 PM	—
03:40:00 PM	—
03:45:00 PM	—
03:50:00 PM	—
03:55:00 PM	—
04:00:00 PM	Director Election

Flashback to Last Month

The annual Director Election is up this month! For those who may not know, the individual that holds the position of Director of The 'Shroom is elected every December— candidates file their campaigns on the election article, attend sessions in which the candidates discuss their plans with each other and the voters, and the person with the most votes at the time that the January issue is released wins! If you are considering running for the position, you should probably start preparing your campaign, arrange to have a runningmate should you opt to do so, and coming up with plans that you want to implement in the following year. The election will run from December 22^nd, 2012 through January 19^th, 2013. Directorial Addresses should also be prepared for the January issue in the case that you are the winning candidate.

Also, I would like to announce that there have been new policies that Porplemontage (talk) is planning on implementing on The 'Shroom. It will affect certain long pages and will require for there to be some changes. To quote Porplemontage himself:

One thing we're beginning to crackdown on is super-long pages. It's why this policy was created for the main namespace, and changes need to be applied to the long issue pages of The 'Shroom.

To quickly solve this, I would take the contents of The 'Shroom:Main Page and make that how the issue pages are handled— linking to each individual section. If you guys want to do some restructuring/combining to end-up with less pages, that's fine. To give you an idea when combining pages, you probably don't want the result to be longer than The 'Shroom:Issue LXVI/Critic Corner.

Updates

The 'Shroom:Issue ???? - How the Shroom main page is now.

The 'Shroom:Main Page - Could use something more-distinct from the issue pages, but otherwise: {{The 'Shroom:Issue {{The 'Shroom:ShroomIssue}}}}

The 'Shroom:Single - Gone/redirect to Shroom main page.

The changes do not have to be exactly along those lines, but the main point is that changes need to be made with the Single Page and the Issue Pages in order to comply with the policy. And after discussing it with him, the Core Staff has determined a timetable for implementation that will allow for the candidates in the Director Election to propose their own ideas on this topic! The timetable for the implementation of this new policy is as follows:

December 22^nd, 2012 - January 19^th, 2013: Director Election candidates should come up with a plan for the Issue Pages and Single Page that fits in with the new policy,
January 19^th, 2013 - April 2013 Issue: The candidate that wins the Director title should work with their staff to plan the changes in question and come up with a plan to implement them,
April 2013 Issue: The new designs and plans must be implemented, or the default plan that Porplemontage proposed will be implemented.

That said, should you plan to be a candidate in the Director Election, be sure to think of what you will propose to do with the Issue Pages. It is a very important topic that will likely generate a good amount of interest from the voters this year.

And that is all I have to say this time around. Please check back on January 19^th, 2013 for the next issue! Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas to all!

Until next month,

— Super Mario Bros. (talk)

Section of the Month

Section of the Month - Main Team

Month	Issue	Section	Writer
July 2012	Issue 64	A History of Video Games	Toad85 (talk)
August 2012	Issue LXV	A History of Video Games	Toad85 (talk)
September 2012	Issue LXVI	A History of Video Games	Toad85 (talk)
October 2012	Issue LXVII	A History of Video Games	Toad85 (talk)
November 2012	Issue LXVIII	Character Comparison	Post-Damage Invincibility (talk)
November 2012	Issue LXVIII	Mario Kart: Wheel Tips Corner	Coincollector (talk)

Heeelloooo dear readers, I'm your wintery Statistics Manager, Tucayo, here with this last month's Section of the Month results. Last month we got 41 votes, which I believe is a record for the Main Team poll, so thanks a lot for that. Remember your vote make be the difference. And, as a matter of fact, one single vote could have made the difference this time, since we had our first tie with this new system. Or one more vote for the second place could have made it a three-way tie.

Tying for first place, with 12 votes each and cutting Toad85 (talk)'s 4-win streak, we have Post-Damage Invincibility (talk)'s Character Comparison and Coincollector (talk)'s Mario Kart: Wheel Tips Corner. It's the first Main Team SOTM win for the latter, who in his latest Comparison faced two highly arrogant flowers. For Coincollector, this win represented his first win under the current system, and first win since September 2011; on his last Tips Corner he took a look at two heavy vehicles from Mario Kart Wii, the Jetsetter and the Flame Runner.

Be sure to check the winners of the Sub-Teams SOTM polls in their respective Director's Notes, and also be sure to vote in the poll below, it takes less than a second. Maybe. The poll will close one week before the release of the January issue.

'Shroom Achievements

Hello, members of The 'Shroom! You must be wondering, "what's all of this about?" To explain, the idea of 'Shroom Achievements was presented as a potential partnership between The 'Shroom and the Awards Committee as a sort of way to draw attention to both projects. If a 'Shroom writer manages to unlock some sort of achievement– boom!– you not only get the achievement unlocked, but you make tokens as well. Currently, the negotiations for this idea have not been completed, so in order to transition into it, the Core Staff will hand out so-called "'Shroom Tokens" for every achievement unlocked. Once an exchange rate is agreed upon by both the Core Staff and the Awards Committee, 'Shroom writers will be able to exchange these tokens for Awards tokens.

As a note, tokens will only be handed out to current writers automatically. In order for retired writers to collect tokens, they must contact the Director and make arrangements for the transaction. The only achievement for which tokens may not be collected retroactively by certain retired writers is the "Send a Section on Time" (only writers that have written from January 2012 and/or onward may collect these tokens).

There are currently two classifications for 'Shroom Achievements: "Multi-obtainable Achievements" and "Once-off Achievements." The former, as the name implies, can be unlocked multiple times due to the nature of the achievements within the category (in example: you can unlock "Send a Section on Time" as many times as you send a section in on time). The latter can only ever be unlocked once (in example: you can only ever join The 'Shroom for the first time, well, once– therefore, you can only ever unlock that achievement once).

And without further adieu, here are the categories and the achievements.

Multi-obtainable Achievements

Description	Tokens
Send a Section on Time	1
Win Section of the Month	2
Every Ten Submissions (Total)	1
Win an End-of-Year Award (Diamond)	5
Win an End-of-Year Award (Gold)	2

Once-off Achievements

Description	Tokens
Welcome to the Team	1

Scavenger Hunt

Hello dear readers, welcome to our Special Holiday Scavenger Hunt! This is an event we started planning some months ago, so we hope you enjoy it. Here are the instructions

Scattered throughout the issue we have hidden several holiday-themed items, the goal of the game is to find them all.
These items can be hidden anywhere in the issue, except in the Director Election page (it is sacred). These items are confined to only this issue, so there is no point in checking the archives or other pages such as the Sign-Up page. Search extensively, as some of these items may not be visible.
When you find all the items in the list, PM Super Mario Bros. with the specific locations of each item.
The first reader to give us the complete list of the items will be able to earn a prize and a shout-out in the January issue. All subsequent readers who get the complete list will get a shout-out on the January issue!
Here's the list of items you need to find:
- This stocking.
- A candy cane
- Yoshi's Eggnog
- A piñata
- Pudding plum
- A fruitcake
- A menorah
- A snowman
- Our beloved director, SMB
- A penguin
- Kwanzaa-candle color themes

Have fun, and try not to go crazy! The contest ends Wednesday, January 16th. Oh, and there is one item hidden in this very article. A small hint, it’s on a place you probably wouldn’t look at in the first place.

End-of-the-Year Awards

Hello, wonderful viewers! Welcome back to the annual End-of-the-Year Awards! To explain what this is— in 2011, The 'Shroom Core Staff decided to give out honors to those that participated in The 'Shroom and related activities. We had six regular categories, with one award in each category. They were:

Golden Mario Award – Given to those who wrote for The 'Shroom for all of 2011.
Golden Luigi Award – Given to those who almost always submitted their sections with perfect spelling, grammar, and formatting.
Golden Bowser Award – Given to those who consistently submitted their sections on time.
Golden Peach Award – Given to those who consistently produce sections of excellent quality.
Golden Toad Award – Given to those that have helped out The 'Shroom in some form.
Golden 'Shroom Award – Given to the individual that was deemed to have produced the best section overall.

This year, the Core Staff wanted to go further in depth and wanted to honor more writers than last year. So what we did was expand the amount of categories to seven, and most of the categories (save for two) consist of two tiers. So without further ado, here are the categories and awards, and the recipients of said awards.

Mario Award

Mario Award
Given to those who have been writing the same section for The 'Shroom for a long time in 2012.
	Tier	Description
	Diamond	Given to those who have been writing the same section for The 'Shroom for all twelve issues of 2012.
	Golden	Given to those who have been writing the same section for The 'Shroom for nine to eleven issues of 2012.

Diamond Recipients

Writer	Section(s)
Bop1996 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Community Report (Pipe Plaza)
Crocodile Dippy (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Non-Marioverse Reviews / Crocodile Style Reviews (Critic Corner)
FunkyK38 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Brawl Tactics, Tip of the Month (Pipe Plaza)
General bob-omb (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Hiding Koopa (Fun Stuff)
Henry Tucayo Clay (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Mystery Image (Fun Stuff)

Golden Recipients

Writer	Section(s)
Coincollector (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Mario Kart: Wheel Tips Corner
Chivi-chivik (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Cooking Guide (Fake News)
Gamefreak75 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Word Search (Fun Stuff)
Marshal Dan Troop (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Trivia (Fun Stuff)
MrConcreteDonkey (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Should Have Been (Critic Corner)
Paper Yoshi (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Upcoming Games (Pipe Plaza)
Post-Damage Invincibility (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Character Comparison, Quiz (Fun Stuff), Music Factoid (Music & Artwork)
Pyro (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Travel Guide (Fake News)
Toad85 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	A History of Video Games
Toadbert101 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Fake Ads (Fake News)

Luigi Award

Luigi Award
Given to those who have consistently submit their section(s) with proper spelling, grammar, and formatting.
	Tier	Description
	Diamond	Given to those who have consistently submit their section(s) with proper spelling, grammar, and formatting.

Diamond Recipients

Writer	Section(s)
Bop1996 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Community Report (Pipe Plaza)
Crocodile Dippy (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Non-Marioverse Reviews / Crocodile Style Reviews (Critic Corner), Dippy's Matilda (Critic Corner)
Fawfulfury65 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Sketch Related to Mario (Pipe Plaza), Screenshot of the Month (Pipe Plaza)
FunkyK38 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Brawl Tactics, Sprite of the Month (Music & Artwork), Tip of the Month (Pipe Plaza)
Gamefreak75 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Word Search (Fun Stuff)
Henry Tucayo Clay (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Retro Feature, Ask Tucayo (Fake News), Mystery Images (Fun Stuff)
Kibago (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Interview (Fake News)
Marioguy1 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Fading Into Obscurity, Character Reviews (Critic Corner)
McZaky29 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Fake Sports (Fake News)
MrConcreteDonkey (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Fake Shop (Fake News), Forum Update (Pipe Plaza), Should Have Been (Critic Corner)
MST3K (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Ask '3K (Fake News)
Nabber (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Review Corner / Super Nabber Reviews (Critic Corner)
Paper Yoshi (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Random Image of the Month (Music & Artwork), Upcoming Games (Pipe Plaza), Mario Calendar (Pipe Plaza), Monthly Report (Pipe Plaza)
Post-Damage Invincibility (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Character Comparison, Quiz (Fun Stuff), Music Factoid (Music & Artwork)
Pyro (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Travel Guide (Fake News), Find the Differences (Fun Stuff)
Stooben Rooben (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Interview
Toad85 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	A History of Video Games
Turboo (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Guess That Game! (Fun Stuff), Guess Who? (Fun Stuff)

Bowser Award

Bowser Award
Given to those who generally submit their section(s) to the staff in a timely manner.
	Tier	Description
	Diamond	Given to those who have submitted at least ten sections to the staff and have submitted their sections by the deadline at least 90% of the time.
	Golden	Given to those who have submitted at least five sections to the staff and have submitted their sections by the deadline at least 80% of the time.

Diamond Recipients

Writer	Section(s)
Bop1996 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Community Report (Pipe Plaza), Special Review (Main Team)
Fawfulfury65 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Sketch Related to Mario (Pipe Plaza), Screenshot of the Month (Pipe Plaza)
FunkyK38 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Brawl Tactics, Sprite of the Month (Music & Artwork), Tip of the Month (Pipe Plaza)
Henry Tucayo Clay (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Retro Feature, Ask Tucayo (Fake News), Mystery Images (Fun Stuff)
Marshal Dan Troop (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Guess That Game! (Fun Stuff), Guess Who? (Fun Stuff), Trivia (Fun Stuff), Virtual Console Reviews (Critic Corner)
MrConcreteDonkey (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Fake Shop (Fake News), Forum Update (Pipe Plaza), Should Have Been (Critic Corner)
Paper Yoshi (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Random Image of the Month (Music & Artwork), Upcoming Games (Pipe Plaza), Mario Calendar (Pipe Plaza), Monthly Report (Pipe Plaza)
Post-Damage Invincibility (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Character Comparison, Quiz (Fun Stuff), Music Factoid (Music & Artwork)
Pyro (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Travel Guide (Fake News), Find the Differences (Fun Stuff)
Toad85 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	A History of Video Games

Golden Recipients

Writer	Section(s)
Chivi-chivik (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Cooking Guide (Fake News)
Crocodile Dippy (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Non-Marioverse Reviews / Crocodile Style Reviews (Critic Corner), Dippy's Matilda (Critic Corner)
General bob-omb (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Hiding Koopa (Fun Stuff)
McZaky29 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Fake Sports (Fake News)
New Super Mario (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Review Corner
Rise Up Above It (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Character Artwork of the Month (Music & Artwork)

Peach Award

Peach Award
Given to those who have won a Section of the Month distinction many times.
	Tier	Description
	Diamond	Given to those who have won the most Section of the Month distinctions.
	Golden	Given to those who have won the second- and third-most Section of the Month distinctions.

Diamond Recipients

Writer	Section(s)
Paper Yoshi (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Random Image of the Month (Music & Artwork), Upcoming Games (Pipe Plaza), Mario Calendar (Pipe Plaza), Project Travel Guide (x15!) (Guest Section)
Toad85 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	A History of Video Games

Golden Recipients

Writer	Section(s)
Crocodile Dippy (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Crocodile Style Reviews (Critic Corner), Dippy's Matilda (Critic Corner), Project Travel Guide (x15!) (Guest Section)
General bob-omb (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Hiding Koopa (Fun Stuff)
MrConcreteDonkey (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Fake Shop (Fake News), Forum Update (Pipe Plaza), Should Have Been (Critic Corner), Project Travel Guide (x15!) (Guest Section)
Post-Damage Invincibility (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Character Comparison, Music Factoid (Music & Artwork)

Toad Award

Toad Award
Given to those who have made extra contributions to The 'Shroom that have enhanced it as a project.
	Tier	Description
	Diamond	Given to those who have made extra contributions to The 'Shroom that have enhanced it as a project.

Diamond Recipients

Writer	Section(s)
Beanbean (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a special section to Issue LXI.
Bop1996 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Writes for Pipe Plaza, contributed two scripts to the 'Shroom Awards III and a special section to Issue 64.
Crocodile Dippy (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Held the Affiliates Manager rank and created the Critic Corner team, contributed a script to the 'Shroom Awards III, a special section to Issue 64, and multiple guest sections to Issue LXIX.
Fawfulfury65 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Directed Music & Art, wrote for Music & Art.
Gamefreak75 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Directs the Fun Stuff team, contributed a special section to Issues 64, LXVI, and LXIX.
Groden (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a special section to Issue LXIX.
Henry Tucayo Clay (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Held the Social Networking Manager position and holds the Statistics Manager position, writes for Fake News, Fun Stuff and Main Team, hosted the 'Shroom Awards III, contributed a script to the 'Shroom Awards III and a special section to Issues 64, LXV, LXVI, and LXIX.
Kibago (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Sub-directed The 'Shroom, created Issue 64's backgrounds and graphics, created Fake News sections' headers, wrote for Fake News and Fun Stuff throughout the year and contributed a special section to Issue 64.
Lakituthequick (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a special section to Issues LXVI and LXIX.
Lily x (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a special section to Issue LXIX.
Lindsay151 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Suggested the themes for some issues; has helped alerted the Core Staff of errors in several issues.
Mario4Ever (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a special section to Issues 64 and LXIX.
Marioguy1 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Directed the Pipe Plaza sub-team, created and holds the Activities Manager position, hosted 'Shroom Mafia II, contributed a script to the 'Shroom Awards III and a special section to Issue 64.
Marshal Dan Troop (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Writes for Fake News, Fun Stuff and Critic Corner and has helped find several inconsistencies in the archives.
Master Crash (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Created the regular side banners, the Holiday top and side banners
Mr bones (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a script to the 'Shroom Awards III and a special section to Issue 64.
MrConcreteDonkey (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Directs the Fake News sub-team, contributed a script to the 'Shroom Awards III and a special section to Issue 64.
MST3K (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a special section to Issue LXIX.
Paper Yoshi (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Directs the Pipe Plaza team, writes for Music & Artwork, contributed a special section to Issue 64 and several guest sections to the Pipe Plaza.
Phoenix (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a special section to Issue 64.
Post-Damage Invincibility (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Writes for Fun Stuff, Music & Artwork and the Main Team, contributed a special section to Issues 64, LXV and LXIX.
Pyro (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Writes for Fake News and Fun Stuff, contributed two scripts to the 'Shroom Awards III.
Ralphfan (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Held the Statistics Manager position, wrote for Music & Art
RandomYoshi (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a special section to Issue LXIX.
Shyguy27 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a special section to Issue LX.
Smasher (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Directs the Music & Artwork sub-team, contributed a script to the 'Shroom Awards III and a special section to Issue 64.
Stooben Rooben (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a special section to Issue LXIX, wrote for the Main Team.
Superchao (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a special section to Issue 64, writes for the Main Team.
Super Mario Bros. (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Director of The 'Shroom, contributed a script to the 'Shroom Awards III and a special section to Issues 64, LXVI, and LXIX.
Super-Yoshi (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed special sections to Issues 64 and LXIX.
Twentytwofiftyseven (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Helped direct an issue, was vital to making the front page redesign, the Critic Corner template, and the Crocodile Style Reviews template. Contributed a special section to Issue LXIX.
Uniju :D (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a special section to Issue 64.
Walkazo (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Contributed a special section to Issues 64 and LXIX.

Yoshi Award

Yoshi Award
Given to those who have submitted many sections throughout 2012.
	Tier	Description
	Diamond	Given to those who have submitted at least twenty-five sections throughout 2012.
	Golden	Given to those who have submitted from fifteen to twenty-four sections throughout 2012.

Diamond Recipients

Writer	Section(s)
Crocodile Dippy (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Non-Marioverse Reviews / Crocodile Style Reviews (Critic Corner), Dippy's Matilda (Critic Corner)
FunkyK38 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Brawl Tactics, Sprite of the Month (Music & Artwork), Tip of the Month (Pipe Plaza)
Henry Tucayo Clay (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Retro Feature, Ask Tucayo (Fake News), Mystery Images (Fun Stuff)
Paper Yoshi (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Random Image of the Month (Music & Artwork), Upcoming Games (Pipe Plaza), Mario Calendar (Pipe Plaza), Monthly Report (Pipe Plaza)
Post-Damage Invincibility (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Character Comparison, Quiz (Fun Stuff), Music Factoid (Music & Artwork)

Golden Recipients

Writer	Section(s)
Gamefreak75 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Word Search (Fun Stuff)
Marioguy1 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Fading Into Obscurity, Character Reviews (Critic Corner)
Marshal Dan Troop (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Guess That Game! (Fun Stuff), Guess Who? (Fun Stuff), Trivia (Fun Stuff), Virtual Console Reviews (Critic Corner)
MrConcreteDonkey (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Fake Shop (Fake News), Forum Update (Pipe Plaza), Should Have Been (Critic Corner)
Pyro (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Travel Guide (Fake News), Find the Differences (Fun Stuff)
Turboo (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Guess That Game! (Fun Stuff), Guess Who? (Fun Stuff)

'Shroom Award

'Shroom Award
Given to those who the Core Staff deems as having written the best section overall in 2012.
	Tier	Description
	Diamond	Given to the individual who the Core Staff deems as having written the best section in 2012.
	Golden	Given to those who the Core Staff deems as having written excellent sections in 2012.

Diamond Recipients

Writer	Section(s)
Crocodile Dippy (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Dippy's Matilda (Critic Corner)

Golden Recipients

Writer	Section(s)
FunkyK38 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Brawl Tactics
Toadbert101 (Talk Page · Forum Profile)	Fake Ads (Fake News)

Userboxes

For those who have won awards, please feel free to add the userbox(es) that match which award(s) you received:

Sample Code

This user won a Mario Award from The 'Shroom!

{{userbox|border=#0070DD|mainbkgd=#88A6F8|codebkgd=#ffffff|codecolor=#000000|code=[[File:GoldMarioAward.png]]|msg=[[The 'Shroom:Issue LXIX/End-of-the-Year Awards|This user won a '''Mario Award''' from The 'Shroom!]]}}

This user won a Luigi Award from The 'Shroom!

{{userbox|border=#0070DD|mainbkgd=#88A6F8|codebkgd=#ffffff|codecolor=#000000|code=[[File:GoldLuigiAward.png]]|msg=[[The 'Shroom:Issue LXIX/End-of-the-Year Awards|This user won a '''Luigi Award''' from The 'Shroom!]]}}

This user won a Bowser Award from The 'Shroom!

{{userbox|border=#0070DD|mainbkgd=#88A6F8|codebkgd=#ffffff|codecolor=#000000|code=[[File:GoldBowserAward.png]]|msg=[[The 'Shroom:Issue LXIX/End-of-the-Year Awards|This user won a '''Bowser Award''' from The 'Shroom!]]}}

This user won a Peach Award from The 'Shroom!

{{userbox|border=#0070DD|mainbkgd=#88A6F8|codebkgd=#ffffff|codecolor=#000000|code=[[File:GoldPeachAward.png]]|msg=[[The 'Shroom:Issue LXIX/End-of-the-Year Awards|This user won a '''Peach Award''' from The 'Shroom!]]}}

This user won a Toad Award from The 'Shroom!

{{userbox|border=#0070DD|mainbkgd=#88A6F8|codebkgd=#ffffff|codecolor=#000000|code=[[File:GoldToadAward.png]]|msg=[[The 'Shroom:Issue LXIX/End-of-the-Year Awards|This user won a '''Toad Award''' from The 'Shroom!]]}}

This user won a Yoshi Award from The 'Shroom!

{{userbox|border=#0070DD|mainbkgd=#88A6F8|codebkgd=#ffffff|codecolor=#000000|code=[[File:GoldYoshiAward.png]]|msg=[[The 'Shroom:Issue LXIX/End-of-the-Year Awards|This user won a '''Yoshi Award''' from The 'Shroom!]]}}

This user won a 'Shroom Award from The 'Shroom!

{{userbox|border=#0070DD|mainbkgd=#88A6F8|codebkgd=#ffffff|codecolor=#000000|code=[[File:GoldShroomAward.png]]|msg=[[The 'Shroom:Issue LXIX/End-of-the-Year Awards|This user won a ''''Shroom Award''' from The 'Shroom!]]}}

Director Election

It's that time of the year again, the Director Election!

What is This?

This is an election to decide the new director of The 'Shroom. Naturally, the one with the most votes wins the title.
If a director retires, then an election is held again in the latest issue of The 'Shroom.
An election takes place every December Issue regardless whether an election has already been held that year.
The current director may run in elections if they wish.
This election will start December 20nd.
In the January issue (Saturday, January 19^th 2013. 00:00), the winner will be announced, and they will have at most a week to announce their Core Staff in the comments section at the bottom of the page, as well as their calendar.
There will be a debate between the candidates, please also state when you can participate in the debate in order to get this to work.
You must submit your campaign at least a week ({{{2}}}) before the release of the January issue, or else it will be considered invalid and removed by the Core Staff!

It is currently 13:51, December 22^nd (EST/EDT)
This election ends {{{3}}} (EST/EDT)

Candidate Rules

Anyone may run for director during any time of the election (except in Overtime), but they must have a forum account.
A user may only run for themselves, another user cannot nominate them.
All candidates must say what changes will they make. They can also campaign to promote voting for them.
- Campaigns must use acceptable grammar (judgment is given to the Core Staff).
- Campaigns must be original. Nobody is allowed to steal another candidate's ideas. However, if campaigns, for the most part, differ from each other or have key elements to which the candidates disagree on, then sharing a few ideas here and there is allowed.
- No joke campaigns are allowed to be ran.
- No bribing voters is allowed.
Candidates can also hold debates among them in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
This is what a voting section should look like:

===Candidate===
What will you do, etc.
 #'''X'''
 #'''X'''
 #'''X'''

So as you can see, that candidate has three votes.

Voter Rules

Voters may vote with their username, no signatures allowed, or they opt to list themselves as X ('''X''') in order for their vote to not be immediately identifiable– note that people may see who voted in such a manner in the page editing history.
Anonymous editors (who do not sign in to edit) are not allowed to cast votes. If you have an account and are simply logged out, please sign in to your account. If you want to vote and you do not have an account, simply create one, sign in, and vote!
Voters may only cast one vote.
Voters may change their vote at any time while the election is in progress.

Ties

In the case of a tie, the Core Staff will establish a runoff election for another week between the tying candidates. Ties beyond that will be handled if they come up by a process decided by the Core Staff.

Duties of the Director

This is what you must do if you win, so read carefully.

The director must accept or decline all new writers' ideas for sections they want to write.
The director assigns a section to users who want to write, but don't know what to write.
The director gives out a warning to users who have not yet sent in their sections one week before The 'Shroom is due.
The director puts The 'Shroom together, and edits the front page, the single page, the 'Shroombox template, and the Shroom Issue template.
The director writes the Director's Notes section, which comments about the month's issue.
The director includes the due date of the next 'Shroom in the Director's Notes, and in the Shroomwarning template.
The director gets to choose their Core Staff, this is: Fake News, Fun Stuff, Music & Art, Pipe Plaza, Critic Corner directors and Sub-Director.
The director must send applications to users who want to become writers.

Looks easy? It is not. So get ready.

Now get out there and go!

Debates

A debate will take place in #mwshroom (which can be accessed either from the applet or through Mibbit) on Wednesday, December 26^th, 2012 at 9:00 PM EST (which is Thursday, December 27^th, 2012 at 2:00 AM UTC).
- Debate over: Logs
A second debate will take place in #mwshroom (which can be accessed either from the applet or through Mibbit) on Thursday, January 3^rd, 2013 at 4:00 PM EST (which is Thursday, January 3^rd, 2013 at 9:00 PM UTC).
- Debate over: Logs
A third debate will take place in #mwshroom (which can be accessed either from the applet or through Mibbit) on Thursday, January 10^th, 2013 at 9:00 PM EST (which is Friday, January 11^th, 2013 at 2:00 AM UTC).
- Debate over: Logs

Candidates

Tucayo

You know what they say, third time's charm. What? This is already my fourth time running? So I already lost three elections? Holy poochy. Oh well, fourth time's charm, then.

Hello, I am longtime 'Shroom contributor, Tucayo. If you have read The 'Shroom over the course of the past 5 years, then you have probably heard of me, but in case you haven't, allow me to further introduce myself. I have been part of The 'Shroom for almost five years, and I am a former Super Mario Wiki SysOp. I started as a regular writer and, after half a year, I thought I had what it took to become Director. I lost the 2008 Director Election, but I managed to get a job as Sub-Director. During that year I acted as Director many times, often doing the jobs of both the Director of the Sub-Director. Once again I ran for Director, and once again I lost, but I managed to keep my job as Sub-Director, even getting the job of Fun Stuff Director later in the year. After a year-long break from directing duties (never from writing), I decided to run for the third time; and, for the third time, I lost. I was kindly invited back into the Core Staff for this part year, and throughout the course of the year I’ve held the Social Networking Manager and Statistics Manager positions. And now, once again, I'm running for Director.

But enough of the past, let's focus on what 2013 can look like for The 'Shroom, should I win. Here are my plans for next year (all of which will be carried out with the help of an excellent Core Staff, of course):

Naturally, a Special Issue. Next year we'll be releasing the 75th issue of The 'Shroom (big number), which is why, in June 2013, we'll be having our big Special Issue. I can guarantee this will be the biggest and best issue so far.
We'll have one or two big, juicy Special Issues, but that doesn't mean the rest of the issues will be your typical 'Shroom issue. Be it special sections, guest writers, a special theme or a special event, all issues will have a feature that will distinguish them from one another and will keep readers interested.
I'll continue with the Shroom Achievements system that started this issue.
'Shroom Awards IV, a big part of our yearly events. First and foremost, we at the Core Staff will work closely with the Awards Committee to come up with the best possible categories for the awards. If we can come up with 15 good categories, we'll make the push to get 15 awards; but if we can't come up with 15, we have guaranteed we'll get our 10 awards. Quality before quantity. A huge problem in last year's ceremonies was the apparent lack of informed voters in the Community Awards; that is why I promise the Core Staff will work with the Userpedia Staff to raise awareness of the Community Awards. But this project won't be limited to raising awareness; we'll also create a feature to help voters cast a more educated vote. This feature will likely explain the categories and the nominees, giving voters solid and objective information to base their vote on. Who knows, this feature may even come as a 13th issue.
As for the situation with the Single Issue pages, as much as I oppose it, I'm forced to do something about it, so I'm going to follow a suggestion that was thrown around during the first discussions of the subject, which is to show a sneak-peek of each section with a Read More link at the end. Here's how it would look, thanks to Super Mario Bros. (talk) for helping with the coding.
As I was browsing the Super Mario Boards today, I thought of something. We have a great amount of promising fan creations on the community; be it games, stories, comics... you name it; but sadly, most of them never see the light, which is often due to the lack of attention they get. And even when they do see the light, they still get less attention than they deserve. But it doesn't have to be that way. One of our goals at The 'Shroom is to help our community and their projects grow, and a great way of doing so would be promoting their work. What I propose is that we create a section similar to the old Fangamers Report, in which we could advertise fan creations that need it. Advertise which ones need sign-ups, which ones were just released, which ones need editors... whatever we can do to help their authors. We could even further expand our relationship with Userpedia and, should authors want it, show previews of upcoming updates of their creations; this would help create expectation and would give them a wider audience.
One of the things I would like to see more of next year is more interactivity with the readers. Right now several writers encourage readers to interact with them, but I feel we have to take this one step further. As I mentioned in the point above, we have several users who enjoy drawing, which is why I would create a Monthly Drawing Contest in the Music & Art Sub-Team. This proposal is simple but would greatly help us engage with our readers. We give our readers something to draw, they then have a couple of weeks to send in their submissions and we then post them in the forum so other users can vote for their favorite. On the next issue we announce the winner and give readers something else to draw. This would help readers feel more connected to us and will help the Music & Art Sub-Team gain more followers.

As you can see, I have the experience, the commitment, the enthusiasm and the plans. So please, vote for me and allow me to direct the newsletter I love so much. I won't let you down.

Votes

Super Mario Bros.

Hello readers of The 'Shroom! This is Super Mario Bros., but can also be referred to as SMB. I am a seasoned Super Mario Wiki member, having been active on this website since April 2009 and having been on the administrative team since October 2009. I joined The 'Shroom in August 2009 in order to direct the Music & Artwork team (which I suggested to the staff team at the time to implement), and held that position for four months until I switched over to direct the newly-created Pipe Plaza team in December 2009. I remained in the position of Pipe Plaza Director when I returned as a Music & Artwork Director in July 2010. I continued to be a part of the leadership of those departments until February 2011, when I assumed the role as Director of The 'Shroom (after having been elected to the post in January 2011, and reelected to a second term in January 2012). After two years of serving this project in this capacity, I would like to ask the community to give me the opportunity to direct the operations of The 'Shroom for a third year— I have a great deal of experience in how things operate around here, and am also willing to propose and consider new and fresh ideas in order for our project to progress and grow.

My Qualifications

Wiki Sysop/Administrator
Former Wiki Patroller
Forum Global Moderator
#mwchat Owner
Incumbent 'Shroom Director
Former Pipe Plaza Director
Former Music & Artwork Director
One-time Fake News Director
Former Poll Committee Chairperson
Sub-Director of the Mario Awards V (2011) and Mario Awards VI (2012) festivities
Mafia Hosts Guild co-founder and member

The Past Two Years

Throughout the past two years, the Core Staff had run an affiliation program in order to associate The 'Shroom with other good newsletter projects around the internet in order to help promote our paper in other communities as well as to promote the affiliated projects to our memberbase. A position entitled the "Affiliates Manager" was designed to manage the communications with potential and current affiliates (which Stooben Rooben (talk) first held, then Crocodile Dippy (talk) succeeded him), although in the end the position was abolished and the affiliation efforts were shifted toward more local projects.
The 'Shroom Awards are held each year in conjunction with the wiki's anniversary festivities in order to honor those that make this paper possible. In 2011, we saw 'Shroom Awards II be expanded from five awards to ten awards. In 2012, despite attempts to cut down on the amount of awards and even attempts to outright remove the Ceremony, 'Shroom Awards III was kept as a ten-award Ceremony.
Several Feedback Surveys were held throughout my terms in order to ensure that the readers had the ability to comment on the overall quality of the paper and to provide assessments of the numerous changes that were applied to how the paper is managed and designed.
Various positions were added, removed, and merged together in order to change the direction of how The 'Shroom was managed. The Editor-in-Chief position that once served the purpose of reviewing sections to check their coding and grammar and such was merged into the Sub-director position. The Statistics Manager position was created in order to create and maintain lists and tables vital to the progress of The 'Shroom. The Affiliates Manager (mentioned above) was created to manage the affiliation program, but was phased out after these responsibilities were absorbed by the Director and the Core Staff. The Social Networking Manager was a position designed for maintaining the Facebook and Twitter pages for the paper, but was also phased out and delegated to the entire Core Staff in general. Finally, the Activities Director (suggested by Marioguy1 (talk)) was tasked with assisting in the scheduling and planning of important issues, events, and projects for The 'Shroom.
The application form was rewritten and made more direct and the concept of limiting the amount of time applications could be open was introduced in order to allow for the process to run along faster and hiring to be more frequent was implemented. Additionally, a question asking the applicant whether they want to submit their section on a monthly or bi-monthly (every other month) basis or as a one-time submission was added to the form.
Sub-team Directors were given more flexibility over the amount of sections that an individual could hold on their team: each Director was permitted to change their section limits for their own team so long as they were to provide solid reasoning for a change and were to obtain my permission for the modification.
The rules on the sign-up page were simplified and a copy of the application form was provided publicly in order to streamline the process for signing up for a section on the paper.
The About page was rewritten so that it would better inform the readers about the history of The 'Shroom.
Several new sections were created in the past year, and Crocodile Dippy (talk) also took charge of the newly-organized Critic Corner sub-team (where reviews and opinion sections are displayed for the readers).
Numerous chat meetings were held in order for the Core Staff to discuss and debate ideas in a medium that would allow for the conversation to flow better and to allow for any problems to be quickly dealt with.
Section of the Month was started during my first term, and was significantly modified during my second term. Public voting was introduced for the Section of the Month earlier this year, and SOTMs specific to each team were also introduced. Due to conflicts between the Overall SOTM and Team SOTMs, the Overall Section of the Month was eliminated and the team-specific versions still run to this day.
Several Special Issues were held on The 'Shroom throughout the past two years. Among the list of these are Special Issue L (which was held in celebration of the fiftieth issue to be released), Special Issue LVII (celebrating the Christmas/Holiday season), Special Issue 64 (held to honor the sixty fourth issue of The 'Shroom and was themed after the Nintendo 64), and Special Issue LXIX (our newest Holiday Issue).

What are my plans for the next year?

I would like to suggest that the Core Staff make serious efforts toward revamping the Archive page in order to make navigating through past issues easier. This would include redesigning the table to include more information about each issue to make identifying specific issues or sections quicker.
During the process in which we will revamp the Archives page, I would also like to check every issue and every section to find and correct any major technical mistakes that have arisen. This includes uploading externally-hosted images to the wiki and using the local copies to ensure that images are preserved for the issues forever, making sure that old issues do not accidentally list the current issue number due to the fact that The 'Shroom:ShroomIssue was not replaced upon the archiving of the issue, making sure that coding that is now broken due to the changing of extensions is corrected to the furthest extent possible, and much more. The older issues should not be changed content-wise, but most certainly should be maintained to ensure that their original look and style is maintained as closely as possible.
Last year, restrictions were placed on the Core Staff that limits the amount of time that could be taken to review applications. This has helped add a pressure that makes reviewing applications faster and gives the applicant an idea of when to check back for the results of their application. I would like for the deadlines to be followed more strictly this year to allow for more writers to be hired in a smaller amount of time.
Throughout the year, advertising The 'Shroom and promoting it throughout the community has helped increase awareness and interest in the paper. However, most of these efforts were voluntarily done by certain members of the Core Staff (one major contributor was Crocodile Dippy (talk)). I would like to establish an official effort to advertise and attract attention by delegating this responsibility to the Activities Director throughout the next year.
I will work with The 'Shroom Core Staff to plan up to two Special Issues this year. Doing any more would make each one less significant, and doing none would make the next year a very boring one.
As the Core Staff has done throughout the past few years, I would like to continue the practice of asking the readers about our progress and for their ideas on how we can improve. Unless it is decided that having more or less of these is vital to the well-being of The 'Shroom, we will have three Feedback Surveys throughout the next year.
I would like for the Core Staff to work with the Awards Committee to come up with good, solid ideas for awards and nominees to include in 'Shroom Awards IV next year. Several people have mentioned that we should run a program to inform individuals that vote in the 'Shroom Awards polls about the history of The 'Shroom in a manner that would allow them to make educated votes on the polls, and I support this effort completely and will work with the Core Staff and Awards Committee to make this possible.
Throughout the past year, the Core Staff often planned meetings whenever we needed to discuss major topics or an assortment of minor topics (and often combinations of both). I would like to ensure that we schedule more meetings so as to cover more topics and further plan out major projects or issues and make a standard, regular schedule to go by.
On the Sign-up page, there are three classifications of staff members: "Director," "Leading Staff," and "Core Staff." Next year, there will only be "Director" and "Core Staff." The "Leading Staff" is simply unnecessary and may send off various wrong messages to members of the staff and the community. All positions that are currently classified as "Leading Staff" will be reclassified as "Core Staff."
I would also like for the Core Staff to investigate ways to make the Sign-Up page even more organized, simple, and streamlined than it already is. We did a good job at removing a lot of unnecessary content that bloated the page earlier this year, but there is certainly more action that we can take to make navigation and viewing much easier.
As suggested by Ralphfan (talk) during my first term, I would like to see the Core Staff create a Manual of Style for those who apply to be able to read to understand what we expect from applicants when they apply. Coding tips and instructions will be provided to the users so that they may format their own sections properly when they submit their application. Expectations and notices about proper spelling and grammar, a mature and intelligent vocabulary (and informing them to use {{ShroomStrongContent}} if the content is strong), and section length (not making the section one or two sentences that do not inform people of anything) will also be displayed in said manual.
I would like to take our Subscription service and overhaul it into something actually worthwhile. Currently, it is simply a box that only registered users can put on their userpages. However, this does nothing for guests who like to read the paper or those who do not frequent often enough to find out when new issues are released. Firstly, I would like for the {{'Shroombox}} to undergo a redesign to make it look more appealing and to keep that as one means of subscribing and showing support for our publication. Secondly, I would like to make it possible for the readers to subscribe to receive updates about releases and events via wiki talk page, private messages on the forum, and/or e-mail notifications. A subscription list with the wiki, forum, and/or e-mail accounts to which updates must be sent will be created and maintained in GoogleDocs.
I would like to continue to work with the Awards Committee to have The 'Shroom partake in the so-called "Anniconomy" by offering tokens for 'Shroom Achievements, and would also like to set up a similar partnership with Userpedia in order to offer Userpedia Shopping Credits as an alternative prize for these Achievements as well. Additionally, I would like to work with Userpedia to license official 'Shroom products to be placed in the Userpedia Shop system should that system be set up soon.
I would also like to feature a section or two relating to Userpedia in our paper. Perhaps reviews of fiction from there, and maybe a Userpedia news section. I would be willing to work with their staff team and ours in order to allow something like this to happen.
I will work closely with the Music & Artwork Director to discuss possible innovative changes that can be applied to the team in order to foster an environment for its success and its growth. This team should be shifted in a direction that will allow those with artistic/musical talent and appreciation to have a stronger role in shaping our publication.
The 'Shroom Spotlight has been very inactive for the past year, even though there were some changes in who led the project. I will try my best to work with the Activities Director, the Core Staff, and the editors of the wiki to revive this project and to see if it can survive in its current form. If the project cannot pick up by May 2013, I would like to either remove it completely, or modify it so that it can serve as a vehicle to accomplish other tasks around the wiki.
Porplemontage (talk) has made new policies for several namespaces that disallow certain gigantic pages. In the end, what this basically boils down to is that we can no longer use the Single Page format for Issue articles, and must come up with an alternative design by the April 2013 issue.
- A possible alternative design that I think could work would be having blurbs on the Issue page that offer a small preview of what is in each section, and possibly include images in them if there are any present in the section(s). The end result could look similar to the wiki's Main Page (small snippets of information with links to the rest of the article, making use of colorful boxes that liven up the page, making use of columns that run down to the end of the page, etc.). The Single Page article can redirect to the Issue Page. This is not set in stone, though, and other ideas can be brought up and considered.
- I will, of course, consider other options and will have the Core Staff as a group approve of all changes before they are implemented. In addition to that, questions about certain aspects of the design changes will be included in the Feedback Survey in order to give the readers and writers a voice in the process. Appropriate changes will be made after the implementation of the new design in April 2013 until we achieve the best possible look that we can.
Added after start of campaign: My opponent Henry Tucayo Clay (talk) proposes that "we create a section similar to the old Fangamers Report, in which we could advertise fan creations." I support this idea completely and will implement it if elected. However, I feel that this one proposal that he offers is not sufficient enough to attract attention to our community's fan creations or to build a substantial partnership with Userpedia. I would therefore like to reinforce my support for strengthening our bond with the community and Userpedia by adding other sections related to fan projects and Userpedia, such as fiction reviews and a Userpedia news section, as well as partnering with Userpedia to enhance both our 'Shroom Achievements and the upcoming Userpedia Shop. I am certain that implementing all of these ideas will allow for a more extensive growth and development of The 'Shroom and the community overall.

In the end, I would like to be elected to a third term in order to continue the successful policies of the past two years, continue to implement new ideas and projects, and refine processes that might have come to a standstill or might need modifications. Reaching out to the community will be a priority this year, and providing incentives to write for the publication will be in place. I feel that my plan will succeed in making the 2013 - 2014 term one that will stand out for years to come.

Votes

Election Comments

Fake News

Editorial

If you're reading this, it means the world didn't end - whoops!

Either way, not much of great importance to say here, except have a merry christmas and a great new year!

Also, remember to bug Gamefreak75: there's an image in his News Flush from a year ago he still hasn't uploaded. Do anything - throw stuff at his house, yell at him in the street, spike his water supply...there's a lot of ways to grab his attention. I'm sure, with...persuasion, we can get him to upload the image and save Christmas!

November's Section of the Month was Pyro's Travel Guide, with 23 votes. Ask Tucayo and DaShroom's Weather Forecast were close behind. Either way, congratulations!

Written by: Marshal Dan Troop (talk)

“Hello everybody, welcome to Shroom News the Mushroom Kingdoms top News program! I’m your anchor, Johnny Fungi. Our top story tonight, folks... the famous Mario and Luigi’s plumbing company, Mario Brothers Plumbing, is facing a storm of controversy due to allegations of fraud. For more, we go to field reporter David Mushstien has more.”

“Thanks Johnny, I’m here with Mary and David Toad who claim that they hired the Mario Bros. to fix their plumbing as well as put in a new toilet. However, they claim that despite paying for the job to be done in advance and the Mario Bros. promising that the job would be done in two weeks, they say that the Mario Bros. started the job only to disappear for three months after only doing half the work. Now Mary, would you like to explain what happened?”

“Thank you, David. Well, you see some of our pipes had rusted and needed to be replaced, so we hired Mario and Luigi to do it. And basically everything started off very well - after all they were professionals. But then they just didn’t show up and we had no way to get ahold of them. Finally, after about three months, they returned and proceeded to rush the job putting in the wrong type of pipe which caused all our waste to be shot back into the septic tank causing it to break. So now we are left to pay for the damage that they caused and we don’t feel that’s right, so we’ve decided to sue. Even though they are heroes, they shouldn’t be able to not do the job they agreed to do and then stick normal people like us with the bill.”

“Thank you Mary. Now, this isn’t the first time Mario Bros. Plumbing has come under fire. In the past, they’ve been accused of using their fame to push other plumbing companies out of business thus allowing them to be a monopoly on plumbing companies. And of course, there are the accusations that Mario isn’t actually a licensed Plumber, but rather he is a Carpenter. However, when we attempted to reach Mario and Luigi, they didn’t reply. And with that, we go back to the studio. This is David, signing out."

Written by: MrConcreteDonkey (talk)

Written by: Pyro (talk)

Hey everybody, welcome back to some more Travel Guide, with your one and only Pyro.

Now, I have an invisible Santa hat on, so that shows I'm ready for CHRISTMAS. And getting a Wii U. But that's another story.

On my (short-lived) Christmas vacation, I traveled to a snowy island northwest of Decalburg, commonly referred to as "World 4". This snowy paradise has many attractions to see, but they're covered in snow anyways.

Mario in a snow level in Paper Mario: Sticker Star.

This place sucks!

The main attraction is the gigantic, crystal snow fields blanketing this island. Now, I hate snow. Now, I'm saying "now" too much. Now. So, I slipped and crashed into the wall one too many times, but finally, after eight weeks, staggered into a non-slippery area.

The next attraction I came across was the Enigmansion, which towered over me. I entered for no reason and did two important, exciting things -

Infini-freaking-jumps.
Attacked by Boos.

How fun.

Aren't they just adorable? Oh wait.

After that heck of a time, I came across Shaved-Ice Cave, a cramped cave with a frozen person and a lot of stickers. Unfortunately, I blew all my money on Big Shiny Clone Jumps. After seeing that those stickers were useless, I demanded a refund. However, he responded with "I've got a wide variety of shiny stickers!". Him being encased in ice, I couldn't beat him up.

I then caught a ride on the famous Whiteout Valley Lift, where I was then attacked by a swarm of Fuzzies & Shiny Paragoombas. Apparently, these Fuzzies must have been genetically modified, for they didn't suck my blood - er, HP.

Finally, I went to the Bowser Snow Fort, the biggest attraction of all of them. Since I'm a bastard, I cut in front of the line and grabbed some sewing scissors along the way. Not that I needed them.

On the ride, I was pierced by spikes, suffered sharp turns, blown up, frozen by Ice Bros., thrown up by a giant statue, collided with pink nothingness, and fell off the rails quite a few times.

So, you can certainly see that I have been through a lot, and please give me insurance, becuase State Farm is just a good neighbor. See you next time, where I visit a less painful place. Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS, CHANUKAH, KWANZA, MY BIRTHDAY, AND WHATEVER HOLIDAY THOSE OTHER PEOPLE CELEBRATE!

Written by: Gamefreak75 (talk)

Welcome to the Galaxy?

After making a fortune selling Brick Blocks, I decided to put my money to good use. Nope, I did not donate it to the Stop Violence Against Goombas organization. Instead, I have used my money to take vacations to the most bizarre and exotic places in the universe. The first stop was the newly discovered Spaguetti Unreleased Galaxy. Little did I know that I would make one of the biggest blunders in the history of everything by traveling to this dump…

When my Intergalactic Taxi Cab dropped me off at the Starting Planet, I was fascinated by the sight that beheld by me. There were giant meatballs and Parmesean Cheese Stars as far as the eye can see. Tomato sauce splotches decorated the sky as giant plates of spaghetti soared through the eternal darkness. This was the only positive part of my trip though.

Unbelievable!

After relaxing on the first day, the first place I decided to visit was the 'Ghetti Museum of Arts and Crafts. There were macaroni paintings and noodle statue of the Great Pasta Lords. At the back was the History of Pasta Making, but apparently someone ate the exhibit. How disappointing. Frankly, this bored me rather quickly and I decided to leave thirty minutes after arriving. The most popular site in this galaxy was supposedly the Meatball Falls, so I made my way through the Pasta Plains to go there. It was closed down because some idiot decided it would be a good idea to drink the water or sauce whatever this crap is. I wasted two hours of my time driving there just because some moron gets poisoned for by at their own will? Unbelievable! Finally, I just gave and decided to go to the Marinara Tar Pits. Everything seemed to be going fine. I got to view the poor beasts foolish enough to submerge themselves. Then disaster struck! There was a fork in the road. I just gave up bothering to try fun in this stupid place.

I don't want to even remember this slop.

Finally, the most important part of this trip was to try their local delicacies. Turns out there's only one restaurant in this damn galaxy: The Spaghetti Noodle. I looked at their menu and my stomach immediately churned as I read the words. Spaghetti, Mushroom Spaghetti, Green Spaghetti, Blue Spaghetti, Fried Spaghetti, Spaghetti Pizza, and even Spaghetti Ice Cream. I didn't even bother to read the rest of it, since I immediately asked for a hamburger with fries and an orange soda. The food arrived in about two minutes, and I immediately knew something was not right. My “hamburger” was nothing more than a bunch of meatballs with noodles between two sesame seed buns. My “fries” were nothing more than dried spaghetti noodles. My “orange soda” was…surprisingly a normal glass of orange soda. I tried my best to finish the burger, but the taste of the meatballs along with some creepy green-garbed dude looking at me eat made me lose my appetite. I left without paying the bill. I canceled my vacation and immediately called a taxi to take me back home.

Overall, STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. Even if you like spaghetti and pasta, it's not worth it. This entire galaxy is terrible. The attractions suck. The sites suck. The food sucks. The people suck. And now my life sucks. You don't want your life to suck. Please, just don't go here.

Written by: MrConcreteDonkey (talk)

Is your life extremely tiring? Ha, mine isn't! But if it is, then this CD is the perfect ~~frisbee~~ cure to your ~~nonexistent~~ problem! Why not get away from the hustle and bustle and rustle and muscle and apostle of daily life, and sail across the stars with Toadofsky's Songs from Spaguetti Unreleased Galaxy?

The most popular track on the CD is "In Space, Noodles Can Hear You Scream". It recently reached number 92 on the Top 100 songs for this week! 92! The album has gained a small amount of attention because it's very different from the kind of music Toadofsky usually composes - all of his previous albums, such as "Thrash" and "Burn Everything" were entirely classical, yet this one is heavy metal, and partially rap as well. It's also been 50 years since he last released an album. When we asked him about his long break and sudden change in style, he started crying uncontrollably.

If you're boring, this album will appeal to you, or if you're interested in astronomy and space, as there are many incorrect facts about space in these songs you may want to yell at.

Written by: Yoshi K (talk)

Hello! Welcome back to the next edition of Gamer Guide. Hosted by yours truly, Yoshi K.

This month had a title I found simply fascinating, it looks to be another great game!

General Info:
Name: Sidekick Olympics
Console: Wii

Yes, the newest Wii game, Sidekick Olympics! Sidekick Olympics was known in development as Luigi & Tails at the Olympic Games, but was changed due to the fact that many other series besides Mario & Sonic were included with their sidekicks.

Many characters are available in this great game, including Luigi, Tails, Waluigi, Metal Sonic, and many more!

This game also includes a great story mode! In this mode Bowser Jr. has crashed Olympic headquarters demanding all the gold medals be given to him! Who can stop him? Only the best sidekicks are up to the challenge! It's your job to give Bowser Jr. the beating he deserves!

So, heard enough? Make sure to get this great new game at your local store today!

Written by: Chivi-chivik (talk)

Hi everybody! Your hostess, Chivi-chivik, is back! And this is Cooking Guide, where we teach you how to cook excellent dishes!!
So, let’s go!

Since today it was too late for us to go see one of the great chefs we know - don’t ask why - I’m going to cook today’s dish!

Me: Okay... you know it’s December. Oh my, time passes very fast!! And it’ll be Christmas soon... AGAIN... So this is a special somehow.

Christmas Special

Me: The last year we made a super complicated and delicious cake. Since I’m alone and things like that would take a looooooot of time to cook, this year I’ll make something easier (I hope)...

X-mas Shrooms

For us to do this we need a Snow Cone, a Cake Mix and an Ultra Shroom Shake.
Yes, Ultra S. Shakes are not cheap, but since X-mas is once a year, it doesn’t really matter. I guess.
Let’s begin with this!

Me: First of all, we need to mix the Cake Mix with water and sugar. It has to be a bit of the mix and a good bit of water, so we get a liquid instead of a dough.
Me: Preheat the oven at 170º for 10 minutes.
Me: Next, we open the shake and throw the content inside. Stir this a bit. Take a pair of tweezers, take the ‘shrooms out and put them on a plate. After this, put the plate in the oven, but be sure it is hot. Leave them there for 30 minutes.

--After those 30 minutes...--

Me: Take them out, and let it cool. We’ll continue when they have cooled.

--After waiting again...--

Me: Now, take the Snow Cone. Put it on a narrower bowl, and with help of a spoon make it have a real cone shape.
Me: Take the shrooms and place them on the snow cone. Be careful, or it will fall!!

Me: You’ve probably noticed that this looks like an X-mas tree! I should’ve named this dish ‘X-mas tree’ but I wanted to give you a surprise!
Me: That’s it. Here’s something that everybody will love, and now if you’ll excuse me... I have to eat this! *leaves*

Summary:

X-mas ~~Tree~~ Shrooms

Ingredients: A Snow Cone, a Cake Mix and an Ultra Shroom Shake.

Make a liquid from the Cake Mix, some water and sugar.
Pour inside the Ultra S. Shake. Stir a bit, and take the mushrooms out.
Put the ‘shrooms in the oven. The oven must have been preheated at 170º for 10 minutes. Leave them in there for 30 minutes.
After that, let them cool.
Now, take the cone and make it have the shape of a cone. A narrower bowl will make the cone be taller.
Place the shrooms as if they were X-mas tree decorations and stuff.

Effects: Gives you 7500 points.

Thanks for being here reading, Merry Christmas or whatever you celebrate and until next Cooking Guide!!

Written by: Toadbert101 (talk)

Written by: McZaky29 (talk)

Merry Christmas, everyone! McZaky29 here with the sports report! *insert cool theme song here*

We’ll take you inside some football action between the Toad Town Fighting Mushrooms and the Castle Town Beanies, the Beanies traveling from Beanbean Castle Town inside the Beanbean Kingdom. The game was played in Toad Town, with the temperature at -9 degrees Fahrenheit. With the wind chill, though, it was -10. Toad Town won the coin toss and elected to kick off. Within the first 3 minutes, the Beanies scored on a 38 yard pass despite the Beanies ~~not having hands~~ having a 3rd down and 26. The Fighting Mushrooms almost scored with their own passing touchdown, but the receiver dropped the pass, without anyone within 10 yards of him. The Toad blamed the sun being in his eyes, which was contradictory to the fact that there was a thick cloud cover and a heavy snow. The Fighting Mushrooms were able to tack on a field goal. Around the start of the second quarter, the snow was piled up so high, the game was postponed until a snowplow arrived, almost 3 hours later. By that time, the temperature dropped 4 degrees. Not much happened in the second quarter, except for a 99 yard touchdown run with around 1 minute in the half to give the Fighting Mushrooms a 10-7 lead. The Beanies would tack on a field goal as time expired in the half to tie the game at 10. At halftime, multiple heating devices were carted into the stadium, as another snowplow rumbled in.

Midway through the third quarter, the Beanies threw an interception, taken by Toad Town to the 1 yard line, before fumbling into the arms(?) of a Beanie, who took the ball 102 yards for a touchdown. The score was 17-10 up until 10 seconds left in the quarter, where the Fighting Mushrooms scored a touchdown but the extra point was short. Castle Town scored a touchdown with 8 minutes in the quarter to make the score 24-16. The ball went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and you probably get the idea by now. With 9 seconds left in the game, Toad Town scored a touchdown, and made a two-point conversion to tie the game up at 24. On the Beanies last play of regulation, the quarterback was sacked, causing him to fumble the ball. Nobody realized this, and the sidelines came out on the field to prepare for overtime. However, the defensive tackle for Toad Town scooped up the ball and moseyed into the endzone. The officials called the touchdown, and the game was over, with one of the most blown finish in the history of football. Well, that’s all for this issue, and I can’t wait to bring you heated action in sports of all kinds in 2013, but as for now, this is McZaky29 saying, peace out, merry Christmas, and have a happy new year!

Written by: Gamefreak75 (talk)

For those of you folks planning to visit Spaguetti Unreleased's Galaxy, let me tell you about one of the finest restaurants here. This place, called The Spaghetti Noodle, is one of the oldest and most renowned places in this fine galaxy. It's specialty dish is spaghetti, but it also has some other dishes that some customers prefer.

Item	Price	Description
Spaghetti	20 Coins	"A delicious plate of spaghetti. Eating it does nothing, but it's the best damn spaghetti in the galaxy."
Spaghetti with Extra Sauce	25 Coins	"This delicious spaghetti plate has more sauce than a normal plate! The bester spaghetti in this galaxy! "
Secret Spaghetti with Secret Spaghetti Sauce and Secret Parmesean Cheese	40 Coins	"I will let you in on the secret: it is the bestest spaghetti in this galaxy!"
Mushroom Spaghetti	30 Coins	"A delicious plate of spaghetti topped with freshly cut mushrooms. Only the best and mostly non-lethal mushrooms are used in this dish."
Spaghetti Mushroom	40 Coins	"Please, do not consume this item! It is a collector's item and if eaten…bad things will happen. Let's just leave it at that."
Spaghetti with Brick Block Meatballs	2 Coins	"A delicious and HIGHLY NUTRITOUS spaghetti plate. The meatballs are made from only the HIGHEST quality Brick Blocks provided by a tall, mysterious man. Please buy this, we'll even let you keep the plate and fork as souvenirs!"

I'll let you in on a little secret of my own: stay away from the Spaghetti with Brick Block Meatballs. The blasted meatballs are dry and chalky and I felt sick for the next week after I ate it. Everything else is edible, at least.

Oh and another thing, when the chef says not to eat the Spaghetti Mushroom, listen to him. The lady next to me didn't heed the warning and ate the thing. Just, please don't eat it. Why do they even serve these stupid things in a restaurant if we aren't supposed to eat them?

If you're a fan of spaghetti, I would recommend this restaurant. If you're not, I would recommend not only staying away from this restaurant, but this entire galaxy.

Written by: Tucayo (talk)

HI, I'm our magical Statistics Manager, Tucayo, and welcome to ~~Jackass~~ Ask Tucayo! I love the holiday season, which is why this month's advice comes with an extra bit of holiday spirit. What does that even mean, you may ask. Well, I have no clue, to be honest, but it makes it seem as if this section is following the holiday spirit everyone has. Without more, let's get to the holiday-ish questions we have this month!

An anonymous reader who was dressed as a reindeer when I last saw him, asks:

As you can see, I am a fan of cookies.

I have this friend let's call him Captain Dan Troop and he wants to kill this guy who we shall call Bop1997 how do you think he should go about doing that?

Hello, Captain. Well, that type of question doesn't exactly set the holiday mood I talked about earlier, so I'll tell you how to bake him some Christmas Cookies. I know, you're probably thinking "you dumb Koopa, how will that even help?"; well, Captain, you have to listen to the whole plan first. No one can resist eating morbid amounts of food during Holiday time, so you'll be sending this Bop1997 person box after box after box of delicious home-baked Christmas Cookies, and when he least expects it, he'll be as fat as Queen Bean. When he reaches the shape of a perfect sphere, you simply roll him down a hill while singing some Holiday song, so as not to lose the holiday spirit

Next we have YoshiKong, who asks:

What would you do if you had a million dollars?

Of course, I would first buy about a dozen of those Christmas villages, I simply love them. It's all fun and games until something falls and breaks. After buying those, I'd most probably buy a huge house, which would leave me with somewhere around 400k. I'd then by a Ferrari Italia 458, which would leave me with around 150k. With the remaining money I'd buy everything on this website: I just love those stupid but awesome things, like this Pac-man hats.

Skylandude wants to know:

What Is Your Appearance?

I'm Just Wondering.

Just wondering? More like you want to stalk me!! EEEK, POLICE!!!! Well, maybe if I hire some bodyguards you won't be able to do so. Yes, I'll do that so I can answer your question. I'm extremely good looking, that's all you need to know, really. But if you want to follow me you probably need more details... I'm about 1.82mts tall (6ft for everyone who doesn't understand the much simpler metric system), I have black hair (according to my mom it's long, but it really isn't) and dark brown eyes. Oh, I almost forgot the holiday spirit in this answer! And I am wearing a Santa Hat right now.

Frequent asker, Bowser45, wants to know:

Mr. Tucky the ~~all knowing~~ Snowman.

What do you want for Christmas? And also what's your opinion on Christmas trees?

A holiday-themed answer, great! You get some of the Captain's cookies. All I want for Christmas is ~~you~~ a dog. Seriously. I've always wanted a dog but my parents won't let me have one. It's kind of my childhood trauma. I already told them I'd trade all my gifts for a dog but they won't let me do that. Since my plan to get a dog has failed for like the 10th year in a row, I'll probably ask for a Kinect and some games. As for Christmas trees, I love them. I'm usually the one who puts it up in my house and in my grandparents' house. I like to put them up in the second-to-last week of November, even if some people think that's way too early. I'm also a firm believer that the more decorations, the merrier.

That's all for our SPECIAL HOLIDAY THEMED Ask Tucayo, if you have more questions, just send them to me! Remember, this section is as fun as you want it to be (that is just a way to blame you in case my section bored you). BYE!

Fun Stuff

Director Notes

by Gamefreak75 (talk)

IF YOU ARE READING THIS, IT MEANS YOU HAVE SURVIVED THE APOCALYPSE. CONGRATULATIONS!

In all seriousness, welcome to the Holiday Issue aka Issue 69 of the 'Shroom.

General bob-omb (talk) won Section of the Month for last month's Hiding Koopa. Green Disaster (talk) has been fired due to not sending in his section, so Mind Bogglers is now open.

Special thanks to Tucayo (talk), Crocodile Dippy (talk), and Twentytwofiftyseven (talk) for contributing a special section for this issue.

Remember to stay away from the yellow snow and don't drink too much eggnog. Happy Holidays to all of you! See you guys next year…

Mystery Images

by Tucayo (talk)

HI, wonderful readers! I'm your snowy Statistics Manager, Tucayo, and welcome to Mystery Images! I normally don't say much on this section, but this month I have two messages for you. First, I'd like to invite you to vote on the 2012 'Shroom Director Election. And, from the bottom of my reptilian heart, I wish you all the happiest of holidays. Whether you celebrate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas or await for the Holiday Armadillo (if no one gets this reference then maybe I'm getting old); I hope you have a great time and that 2013 brings you nothing but the best. One last thing before I go: thanks for reading my sections throughout the year, I hope you enjoyed them. See you in January.

The Festive Answers!

Quiz

By Post-Damage Invincibility (talk)

Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!! Merry Christmas!!! Red and green together is the most unpleasant color-combination to the eyes. And yet when we are more ecstatic when we see these colors together at that same time, because of Christmas Trees, and the Mario Bros.! For the first ten questions, I will list a noun from the Marioverse, and you must state whether it is Red or Green . 12 questions for the 12 days of Christmas!

Color of the roof of the building with the Hammer Throw Badge in Paper Mario
Clumph
The first balloon in Snow Barrel Blast
The second snowball throwing Shy Guy in Poochy and Nippy
Yoshi's hair color if he is pink in PMTTYD
Color of the head of the Toad who is always talking about what he wants to be when he grows up in Paper Mario
The shell that doesn't home in on players in Mario Kart
How many red items does Cranky sell in DKCR? How many green?
Darkly's face
The Thousand Year Door
What characters has candy cane-colored socks in the Mario & Luigi series... but NOWHERE outside of that one particular series?
True/False: Not a SINGLE Candy Cane is red & white in Paper Mario.

Click to find answers!
Red Green Red Red Green Green Green 4, 1 Green Red Luigi True, they're Blue

Merry Christmas once again, and enjoy New Super Mario Bros. U, which most of you will play for the first time on the 25th!!!

Trivia

by Marshal Dan Troop (talk)

Did you know that…:

That Yoshi’s Safari is the only shooter game Mario has ever stared in?
Klingers are the only Kremlings with the ability to climb ropes?
That Super Mario World was the first Mario game to feature the ability of controlling a Lakitu Cloud? (not counting the item in Super Mario Bros. 3)
That Inspector Gadget supposedly appears in the Super Mario Bros. Super Show live action episode Treasure of the Sierra Brooklyn?
That Lakitu is the character that best represents Shigeru Miyamoto?

Guess Who

By Marshal Dan Troop (talk)

This character has held many jobs.
This character has many enemies.
This character has many abilities.
This character is not from the Mushroom Kingdom
This character has been featured in everything from video games to cartoons.

Click to find answers!
Mario

By Freakworld (talk)
Special Holiday Rules: You'll get 5 Hints on a character, which should be used to guess the answer. The twist is that this Character is not from any of the Mario, Wario or Donkey Kong Universe. Instead I have taken a Nintendo character OUTSIDE of said universes (This character does not have to be included in any of the Super Smash Bros. Games, or any Marioverse game whatsoever).

This character has his origins in a series, which has had 3 installments so far, but reaches back to the times of the NES.
This character does not need to use his legs to reach faraway places.
This character has been spotted in a non-Super Smash Bros. Game together with Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach and Donkey Kong.
This character is a child.
This character is also talking as opposed to most Nintendo characters.

Spoiler Alert!
Pit (Kid Icarus)

Guess that Game

By Marshal Dan Troop (talk)

This game was not made by Nintendo.
This game was released on the NES, SNES, and PC.
The enemies in this game are invincible.
This game takes place on Earth
This game features what some say was the inspiration for Donkey Kong in a bag.

Click to find answers!
Mario is Missing!

By Freakworld (talk)

Special Holiday Rules: Same as in "Guess Who". Yes it's also a game not included in the Mario-franchise.

This game is the second installment in its series.
The main character in this game does not have a set name.
This game is very similar to its predecessor (in terms of story, gameplay and overworld).
In fact, this is the only game in its series, where the whole overworld of its predecessor is included.
Also, this is not one game, but actually 3 games (If you know what I mean...).

This should be easy.
Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal (Generation II)

Crossword

by Tucayo (talk)

HI, readers! I'm your puzzling Statistics Manager, Tucayo, with a special Crossword! This is my first Crossword in almost two years, enjoy!

Answers!

Non-Mario Crossword

By Crocodile Dippy (talk) and Twentytwofiftyseven (talk)

WARNING! This crossword has spoilers!

Crossword

Answers

Word Search

By Gamefreak75 (talk)

Here are the answers to the last word search:

Now that winter has come upon us, this Word Search is themed after 25 ice and snow related enemies and items. Happy holidays and happy searching!

Find the Differences

By Pyro (talk)

Original:

Edited:

Answers.

Hiding Koopa

By General bob-omb (talk)
Merry Christmas! It's that time of year again! Time for family, friends, food, and fun. It looks like Mario is spending his Christmas on Cool, Cool Mountain. I see the koopa had tagged along... and he brought friends. A bob-omb, a goomba, a boo, and (of course) a snowman. Hope you have a great Christmas!

Answer

Music & Artwork

Director's Notes (Smasher (talk))

Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you're enjoying the Holiday Issue, as well as the world not ending. There's nothing really new to report this month, but I'd like to congratulate Post-Damage Invincibility, as he has won Music & Artwork's Section of the Month award for the second month in a row!

And now, enjoy the holiday version of Music & Artwork.

Character Artwork of the Month (Rise Up Above It (talk))

DOES HE LOOK LIKE A SNOWMAN?!

A newer, more minor character gets this month's artwork of the month slot: Frosty. (Make your own Frosty the Snowman/RUAI joke here) He's a living snowflake/ice cube. Such wonder as befits the icy cold harshscapes of winter. That ice will cut, so don't hug him. And don't lick him, either. See you next time, readers/viewers! Merry whatever-holiday-you-celebrate-at-this-time and a Happy New Year!

Random Image of the Month (Paper Yoshi (talk))

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Holiday Issue of Random Image of the Month!

December's Random Image comes from the eleventh installment in the Mario Party series, Mario Party DS. It depicts Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad playing the 2-vs.-2 minigame Book It!

In said minigame, the objective is to reach the top of a stack of books. In order to do so, the player must press the , , and buttons as quickly as possible twice, in that exact order; that will raise his or her teammate onto the next step. Afterward, the player's teammate must do the same thing, raising the player instead. The game ends when one of the teams reaches the top.

Music Factoid (Post-Damage Invincibility (talk))

Merry Christmas. On the day of writing this, we suffered another tragedy in our country. But let the joy of Christmas cheer your spirits and enjoy this great Christmas music from great Marioverse games. The first is the Freezezy Peak (the Christmas level) theme from Banjo-Kazooie. The composer was the great Grant Kirkhope, who composed many of the great games music made by Rareware in it's glory days. Rareware is responsible for some of the greatest games of all time, including BK, the Donkey Kong Country series, Star Fox 64, 007, etc. Here is Mr. Kirkhope's opinion of Microsoft: I think Rare have completely fucked themselves. And - it isn't their fault; it's Microsoft's fault. They have completely ruined that company, and it makes me cry every day of my life. He is not the only one. Let's give a shout-out to Microsoft for destroying the greatest video game company of all time. Next I'm linking to the SMB2 theme in honor of the last issue of Nintendo Power, whose final edition came out on the day of writing this. When I think of the SMB2 theme, I think of the first, and the last issue of Nintendo Power, which both featured clay Marios, the first with Wart, and the next in honor of NSMBU. The final few pages of the final issue are covered in my tears. Sometimes it is hard to think positive, but Merry Christmas once again, and remember to pray for those who won't be celebrating it (at least not here on earth) due to being dead.

[1] [2]

Sprite of the Month (FunkyK38 (talk))

To wrap up our villains finale, I have this sprite of Cackletta from Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga!

Man, I never really noticed how she actually looks... yikes... it's a good thing Fawful was better looking than she was. If he had been ugly, they would have been one fearsome team. But, anyways, this wraps up my villains series! Come back next month for another random sprite from the Marioverse!

Christmas in the Key of 2012 (Stooben Rooben (talk))

For your listening pleasure (or pain, as the case may, in fact, be), this holiday, I decided I would reward readers of The 'Shroom with a little song. A Christmas song, specifically. Although, not just any Christmas song. A Christmas song with an apocalyptic edge to it. Because, what better way is there to celebrate the world not ending, than ~~listening to the sound of your brain dribbling out of your left ear~~having a good laugh about thinking it would? The song will take up less than 4 minutes of your time to listen to. The lyrics can be found below.

Before it is asked; no, I am not crazy.

http://thexephyrboard.net/shroom/Solitary%20Confinement%20-%20Christmas%20in%20the%20Key%20of%202012.mp3

It's Christmastime once again
Or Kwanzukkah Solstice or whatever you want to call it
But I'm afraid to say that it's coming to an end
In a few days
And there's nothing you can do
Except gimme some more of that Roast Beast
It tastes really good

The world will end and then we'll
Worry about something else
Like, if we're going to Hell
Gee, wouldn't that be just swell?
And now you're laughing at me
Just drink your eggnog. You'll see!
That something big is coming
You need a forewarning!

'Cause it'll take time that you don't have
To hang up those Christmas lights
And it'll take time for that gift to arrive
So you better send it overnight
We're not getting eight reindeer
We're getting four horses with men on their backs
There's no time to relax
Before Mars attacks
Or the skies turn gray
Just like in Pompeii

Don't tell me I'm wrong when I'm right
Don't tell me you've heard it all before
They were wrong, and, well I'm not
True story
Maybe there's a chance the world won't end
I guess I'll have a good laugh and then
Run outside
For some last minute Christmas shopping
'Cause I've yet to buy anything
For anybody

Oh, it'll take time that you don't have
To hang up those Christmas lights
And it'll take time for that gift to arrive
So you better send it overnight
We won't be seeing Santa's sleigh
Instead, we'll die from a cliche
On Casual Friday
You won't get a lump of coal
How 'bout an asteroid?
The world's getting destroyed
Or sucked into a void

So, it'll take time that you don't have
To hang up those Christmas lights
And it'll take time for that gift to arrive
So you better send it overnight
We won't have a white Christmas
Unless there's an ice age
We're at our final days
We could die a million ways
"Goodbye" is something I must say
Without further delay

Huh...I guess everything is all right after all...

Pipe Plaza

Director's Notes (Paper Yoshi (talk))

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Special Holiday Issue!! This is a very special time of the year, and I would like to say something.

I would like to thank everybody who worked hard this year for the paper, especially the Core Staff and the Pipe Plaza writers. I was just a normal writer in the beginning of the year, and now, after twelve months, I am a Sub-Team Director. Not everyone has this opportunity, and I thank Marioguy1 (talk) and the rest of the Core Staff for inviting me to be the new Pipe Plaza Director, which allowed me to contribute further to the team I simply love. I would also like to thank my team for making the Pipe Plaza what it is now. You are the ones who make up this Sub-Team, and you should be proud of your work. I may be the higher authority here, but my hands would be tied without you.

Those are the guys – and girl – who worked very hard this year for the Pipe Plaza:

Marioguy1 (talk): Former Pipe Plaza Director, NIWA News writer;
Bop1996 (talk): Community Report writer;
FunkyK38 (talk): Tip of the Month writer;
MrConcreteDonkey (talk): Forum Update writer;
And myself, Paper Yoshi (talk): Pipe Plaza Director, Upcoming Games, Mario Calendar and Monthly Report writer, guest writer in several issues.

But that team got a new member very late in the year; I got my first real application, and, along with the Core Staff, I decided to hire the applicant. Please welcome YoshiKong (talk), the new Projects Seeking Contributors writer, to the team!!

Section of the Month

The Section of the Month poll for the November issue got 22 votes, three more than last month. It was also the first Pipe Plaza SOTM poll to have a tie for first place.

The winners, with 8 votes (36.36% of the total) are...

...Forum Update, for the first time, and Mario Calendar, for the second time!!!

Forum Update, written by MrConcreteDonkey (talk), brings readers news on the Super Mario Boards, including, but not limited to, promotions and demotions, policy changes and results for the forum games, such as Mafia or Hurt & Heal. Mario Calendar, written by myself, presents users with a list of all the Mario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Wario games released during the month in which the newest issue of The 'Shroom is released. Last month, it covered the games released in a November day. Community Report, written by Bop1996 (talk), got second place, with 3 votes (13.64%), while Tip of the Month, written by FunkyK38 (talk), was the third-placed section, with 2 votes (9.1%).

Well, that was quite a big section, so I shall no longer hold you. The Pipe Plaza writers surely put a lot of work into this issue, so please be sure to read on! I hope you all enjoy it!!

Monthly Report (Paper Yoshi (talk))

Hello, readers, and welcome to the December Issue of Monthly Report!! Once again, there are no announcements regarding this section, so let's get to what matters quickly! These are the wiki's statistics for October, November and December:

(Credit goes to Stooben Rooben (talk) and Super Mario Bros. (talk) 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.)

December Statistics
Statistic	As of 10 December 2012 (22:00)*
Content Pages	12,954
All Pages	103,385
Files	40,534
Edits	1,240,103
Edits per Page	11.99
Registered Users	26,144
Active Users	522
Bots	1
Autopatrolled	35
Patrollers	5
Administrators	13
Bureaucrats	4
Proprietor	1

November Statistics
Statistic	As of 9 November 2012 (11:45)*
Content Pages	12,613
All Pages	102,507
Files	39,972
Edits	1,225,048
Edits per Page	11.95
Registered Users	25,779
Active Users	454
Bots	1
Autopatrolled	35
Patrollers	5
Administrators	13
Bureaucrats	4
Proprietor	1

October Statistics
Statistic	As of 10 October 2012 (17:40)*
Content Pages	12,533
All Pages	101,335
Files	39,565
Edits	1,212,908
Edits per Page	11.97
Registered Users	25,451
Active Users	515
Bots	1
Autopatrolled	19
Patrollers	6
Administrators	12
Bureaucrats	4
Proprietor	1

November — December Statistics
Statistic	As of 9 November 2012 (11:45)*	As of 10 December 2012 (22:00)*	Percentage Change
Content Pages	12,613	12,954	+2.7%
All Pages	102,507	103,385	+0.856%
Files	39,972	40,534	+1.406%
Edits	1,225,048	1,240,103	+1.23%
Edits per Page	11.95	11.99	+0.335%
Registered Users	25,779	26,144	+1.416%
Active Users	454	522	+14.978%
Bots	1	1	0%
Autopatrolled	35	35	0%
Patrollers	5	5	0%
Administrators	13	13	0%
Bureaucrats	4	4	0%
Proprietor	1	1	0%

October — December Statistics
Statistic	As of 10 October 2012 (17:40)*	As of 10 December 2012 (22:00)*	Percentage Change
Content Pages	12,533	12,954	+3.36%
All Pages	101,335	103,385	+2.023%
Files	39,565	40,534	+2.45%
Edits	1,212,908	1,240,103	+2.242%
Edits per Page	11.97	11.99	+0.167%
Registered Users	25,451	26,144	+2.723%
Active Users	515	522	+1.36%
Bots	1	1	0%
Autopatrolled	19	35	+84.21%
Patrollers	6	5	-16.667%
Administrators	12	13	+8.333%
Bureaucrats	4	4	0%
Proprietor	1	1	0%

*All times EST.

Community Report (Bop1996 (talk))

Hello, welcome to a completely non-themed Community Report. I'm here to bring a little bureaucracy into the orderless system that is December.

Policy Changes

MarioWiki:Notice templates was created. This page outlines the types and uses of notice templates.

Proposals

DKPetey99 (talk)'s proposal to remove sprites from image galleries failed, 11-1.
Coooool123 (talk)'s proposal to merge 10-Point star and 20-Point star to Point Star failed, 4-2.
Yoshi K (talk)'s proposal to allow support reasoning for featured article nominations failed, 6-2.
YoshiKong (talk)'s proposal to create articles for the non-Mario Nintendo Land attractions passed, 9-4.

Proposals in Progress

A TPP to create a navigation template to navigate between all the navigation templates. (Read More)
A TPP to move Bonecoaster to Spine Coaster. (Read More)
A TPP to merge Squirpina XIV to List of Implied Characters. (Read More)

Featured (Paper Yoshi (talk))

Hello, 'Shroomers, and welcome to Featured!! This month's issue is a Special one, so I decided to guest-write this section once again.

Featured Articles

Two articles have been featured since October:

List of Paper Mario beta elements (December 1st)
New Super Mario Bros. (December 1st)

FA Nominations

The active Featured Article Nominations are:

Mario Hoops 3-on-3 (Nominated on October 14th)
Baby Donkey Kong (Nominated on November 5th)
Lakitu (Nominated on November 9th)
Star (Nominated on November 16th)
Baby Mario (Nominated on November 27th)
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nominated on November 28th)
Coin Rush (Nominated on December 2nd)

Failed FA Nominations

A whopping eleven FA Nominations have failed since the last issue of Featured:

Shy Guy (Nominated on May 12th; failed on July 11th)
Bob-omb (Nominated on May 17th; failed on July 16th)
Toad (Nominated on May 30th; failed on July 29th)
Super Mario Kart (Nominated on May 17th; failed on August 24th)
Good Egg Galaxy (Nominated on July 22nd; failed on September 4th)
Thwomp (Nominated on June 20th; failed on September 30th)
Macho Grubba (Nominated on August 19th; failed on October 18th)
Mario Party 9 (Nominated on August 22nd; failed on October 21st)
New Super Mario Bros. Mii (Nominated on July 24th; failed on October 21st)
Megasparkle Goomba (Nominated on November 18th; failed on November 18th)
Wario Land 4 (Nominated on October 4th; failed on December 1st)

Unfeatured Articles

No articles were unfeatured in the past two months.

Unfeaturing Nominations

Only one FA Unfeaturing Nomination remains active; Goomba was nominated to be unfeatured on April 20th.

Failed Unfeaturing Nominations

The other FA Unfeaturing Nomination, however, failed; King K. Rool, nominated to become unfeatured on August 28th, failed unfeaturing requirements on September 9th.

And that concludes this issue of Featured!!

Forum Update (MrConcreteDonkey (talk))

You guys know what the best thing about Christmas is? The Super Special Fire-Breathing November Forum Update, of course! For there is no better gift. So let's see if anything important happened this month (or otherwise just try to make unimportant stuff sound slightly important, like I do every month!)...

Top Stories
Mason Vorhees (Mason) resigned from his position as a Global Moderator this month, due to real life stuff. Marioguy1 also resigned from being a Global Moderator, but still remains a Local Moderator of the Mafia board.

The moderators have got into the festive mood, and will allow anyone, for the month of December, to change their name and be able to change it back on Christmas day. Yes, everyone. Even those who hadn't had their name changed for a month.

Zackcota was permanently banned on November 19th. He was banned for continuous spamming, despite being warned multiple times.

New Super Yoshi, MKGirlism (YamiHoshi) and IceShadow1199's bans expired.

"Damn" is now censored to "dang".

Statistics
In November, 632 topics were made. 36386 posts were made, which seems to be the highest so far this year. To contrast that, 21 users joined, which overtakes last month as the lowest so far this year. 199 was the most users online.

TOP 10 POSTERS
Smasher Claus (Smasher (talk)) – 40228
A Festivus Miracle (Ralphfan (talk)) – 27327
MCS (Mileycyrussoulja (talk)) – 27209
Goodolph (UltraMario3000 (talk))– 22574
Nabber (Nabber (talk)) – 19691
Phantom L (Lily (talk)) – 17928
Staraptor (Superjeff64 (talk)) – 16984
Solar Blaze (SolarBlaze (talk)) – 15954
New Year Baby Luigi (BabyLuigiOnFire (talk)) – 15572
Octoberry (Marshal Dan Troop (talk)) – 13323

TOP 10 TOPIC STARTERS
Mason Voorhees (Puddin (talk)) – 654
A Festivus Miracle (Ralphfan (talk)) – 584
ugozima (Aiko Heiwa (talk)) – 494
Nabber (Nabber (talk)) – 491
Lario (Lario (talk))– 484
'3Klaus (MST3K (talk)) – 422
New Super Mario (New Super Mario (talk)) – 411
Vanillite (Pyro (talk)) – 404
SiFi (SiFi (talk)) – 342
Goodolph (UltraMario3000 (talk)) – 340

TOP 10 MOST TIME ONLINERS
Uniju (Uniju :D (talk)) – 220d 5h 11m
Northern Verve (SonicMario (talk)) – 204d 14h 56m
Smasher Claus (Smasher (talk))– 196d 18h 57m
'3Klaus (MST3K (talk)) – 195d 20h 24m
Mason Vorhees (Puddin (talk)) – 170d 10h 25m
Gamefreak75 (Gamefreak75 (talk)) – 167d 10h 8m
Christian Brutal Sniper (Marcelagus (talk)) – 161d 17h 49m
Octoberry (Marshal Dan Troop (talk)) – 144d 20h 56m
Herr Shyguy (Shyguy27 (talk)) – 137d 5h 23m
Super Mario Bros. (Super Mario Bros. (talk)) – 131d 9h 23m

Green signifies the user is at a higher position than last month.
Blue signifies the user is at the same position as last month.
Red signifies the user is at a lower position than last month.
Bold signifies the user is a new entry to the top 10. Italics signify the user is banned.

Mafia and Forum Games
Currently ongoing Mafia games are Beauty Queen Etna's (Rocker64) Post-Apocalypse Mafia, Marioguy1's Heroscape Mafia, Phantom L's (Lily) Kid Icarus: Uprising Mafia and New Super Yoshi's Paper Mario Mafia. Among the currently ongoing Vote to Wins are Vanillite's (Pyro) V2W: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Yoshi Claus' (Yoshi K) V2W: Nintendo All-Stars.

a!lpha!bet ma!fia!, hosted by SMB, was won by the Mafia, Gamefreak75 being the only member of it to die (the other members were Rocker64, Palkia47, Smasher and Toad85).
The Rebel Alliance (Innocents) won Northern Verve's (SonicMario) Star Wars Mafia.
Dangan Ronpa Mafia, hosted by Enobarbus (Bop1996) and Kamome Tsurubami (Superchao), was won by the Innocents (8 of which survived, at the end)...and Nabber.
The Oakland A's won Toad85's Major League Baseball Hurt and Heal/Vote to Win combination, after 8 months.
Monobear won Smasher's Vote to Win: Forum's Choice IV.
After 5 months, Kiyotaka Ishimaru won Pyro's Forum Triathlon.

That's all for this considerably unfestive edition of Forum Update for this festive time. Despite that, have a great Christmas, and make sure the world doesn't end or something like that.

Projects Seeking Contributors (YoshiKong (talk))

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.

Request: NSMB2 World Maps, started by LTIan (LTIan (talk))
– A request for the world maps found in the New Super Mario Bros. 2 official Prima game guide.
Request: Bigger Pictures of the following things, started by LTIan (LTIan (talk))
– A request to obtain larger images of those seen in the topic, which are to be uploaded onto the wiki.
Request: New Super Mario Bros. 2 Stage Icons, started by LTIan (LTIan (talk))
– A request for several different stage icon sprites from the game New Super Mario Bros. 2, which are to be uploaded onto the wiki.
Collab: Good writing, started by Enobarbus (Bop1996 (talk))
– A collaboration to suggest and rewrite poorly written articles which go against the policy MarioWiki:Good writing.
Colab/Request - PMSS List of Stickers, Kersti's Tattles, Level Info, started by StiGir Star (Pyro (talk))
– The article Paper Mario: Sticker Star is currently missing much needed info and images about the Stickers, Tattle info and levels seen in the game. Help us out!
Bad Walkthrough-style Writing, started by Enobarbus (Bop1996 (talk))
– A collaboration to improve articles which are currently poorly written in a walkthrough-style matter., such as this for example.
Collaboration: Unstubify, started by Knife (Knife (talk))
– A collaboration to help clear the stub list, which is currently at around 160 articles.

And that's it for the forum's wiki collaborations. Once again, see the collaboration board for the complete list.
Next up, we have the discussions which are currently taking place on the wiki. These can be seen at Category:Talk pages with unresolved issues. The list is as follows.

Bloober/Blooper, started by Banon (talk) – Discuss whether the early name of the enemy Blooper should be acknowledged in the relevant game sections of the article.
Sick status effect?, started by Glowsquid (talk) – A source is requested for a piece of info regarding a "sick status effect" seen on the beta elements page of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
Release date, started by Baconator (talk) – Help us find the correct release date for the game Mario's Early Years! Fun with Letters.
Super Mario Bros. movie, started by Banon (talk) – As the characters seen in the Super Mario Bros. (film) aren't considered the "same" as the character appearances seen in other media, it has been suggested that the Mushroom King article should be split and the relevant appearance given its own article.
Name, started by 1337star (talk) – Discuss whether the article Planet Bomber should be moved to Bomberland, as that is the title seen in Mario media such as the game Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!.
Podoboo (Old Name) < Lava Bubble (New Name), started by New Super Yoshi (talk) – Discuss whether Lava Bubble should be the new title of the article Podoboo, rather than having it as a redirect.
Flip-Swap/Reversible, started by Banon (talk) – Rename the article Reversible Platform (which came from a French translation) to the more suitable translation Flip-Swap Platform.
Split article Roof, started by Bop1996 (talk) – Discuss possible ways to split Roof into more appearance-specific articles.
Selecting a picture, started by Megadardery (talk) – There are two versions of a picture which shows the first floor of Princess Peach's Castle. Decide which one to keep and which one to delete.
"Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS" section, started by Glowsquid (talk) – Decide whether this section of Super Mario 64 DS should be organized with bullet points, rather than how it is being organized at present.

And that's all for this months 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 that need attention.

Tip of the Month (FunkyK38 (talk))

Unlike other wikis around the internet, the MarioWiki is not here to provide a subjective view of the items we write about. Objective writing on non-userspace pages, please. Save your opinions for your own page, and please edit the wiki in an objective light.

Mario Calendar (Paper Yoshi (talk))

Hello, everyone, and welcome to this month's Mario Calendar!! The Holiday Season is under way, which means there are plenty of games in December's Calendar. Without further ado, here are all the Mario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Wario games released in the last month of the year:

Abb.	Region
NA	North America
JP	Japan
EU	Europe
AU	Australia/New Zealand
KO	Republic of Korea
CN	People's Rep. of China

December 1st
- 1999 (NA): Game & Watch Gallery 3 (GBC)
- 2005:
  - (AU): Mario Power Tennis (GBA)
  - (JP): Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (GBA)
- 2006 (EU): Yoshi's Island DS (NDS)
- 2011 (JP):
  - Itadaki Street Wii (Wii)
  - Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
December 2nd
- 1998 (JP): Mario no Photopi (N64)
- 2004 (JP):
  - Super Mario 64 DS (NDS)
  - Sawaru Made in Wario (NDS)
- 2006 (JP):
  - Odoru Made in Wario (Wii)
  - Donkey Kong (NES-VC)
  - Donkey Kong Jr. (NES-VC)
  - Super Mario Bros. (NES-VC)
  - Super Mario Bros. 4: Super Mario World (SNES-VC)
  - Super Mario 64 (N64-VC)
- 2010:
  - (AU):
    - Super Mario All-Stars - 25th Anniversary Edition (Wii)
    - Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
  - (JP): Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Assault! Mini-Land (NDS)
- 2011 (EU): Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
December 3rd
- 2001 (NA): Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN)
- 2009 (JP): New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
- 2010 (EU):
  - Super Mario All-Stars - 25th Anniversary Edition (Wii)
  - Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
- 2011 (AU): Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
December 4th
- 1991 (JP): Yoshi no Tamago (NES)
- 2006 (NA): Donkey Kong Jr. (NES-VC)
- 2011 (NA): Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
December 5th
- 2003 (EU): Mario Party 5 (GCN)
- 2005 (NA):
  - Super Mario Strikers (GCN)
  - Mario Tennis: Power Tour (GBA)
- 2011 (NA): Fortune Street (Wii)
December 6th
- 2004 (NA): Mario Party 6 (GCN)
- 2007 (AU): Mario Party DS (NDS)
December 7th
- 2000 (JP): Mario Party 3 (N64)
- 2006 (AU):
  - Mario Bros. (NES-VC)
  - Wario's Woods (NES-VC)
  - Super Mario 64 (N64-VC)
December 8th
- 2005 (JP): Mario Kart DS (NDS)
- 2006 (EU):
  - Donkey Kong (NES-VC)
  - Mario Bros. (NES-VC)
  - Donkey Kong Country (SNES-VC)
  - Wario's Woods (NES-VC)
  - Super Mario 64 (N64-VC)
- 2011 (JP): Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii)
December 9th (JP)
- 2004: Yoshi's Universal Gravitation (GBA)
- 2010: Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
December 10th
- 1992 (EU): Mario Paint (SNES)
- 1994 (NA): Wario's Woods (NES/SNES)
- 1999 (JP): Donkey Kong 64 (N64)
December 11th
- 1999 (JP): Mario Artist: Paint Studio (N64DD)
- 2008 (JP): Wii de Asobu Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Wii)
- 2010 (KO): Super Mario 25th Anniversary Special Edition (Wii)
December 12th
- 1983 (JP): Donkey Kong Jr. Math (NES)
- 1991 (JP): Yoshi no Tamago (GB)
- 2003 (JP):
  - Donkey Konga (GCN)
  - Donkey Kong Country (GBA)
- 2006 (JP):
  - Mario Bros. (NES-VC)
  - Donkey Kong Country (SNES-VC)
  - Wario no Mori (NES-VC)
- 2010 (NA): Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition (Wii)
December 14th
- 1995 (EU): Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)
- 1996 (JP): Mario Kart 64 (N64)
- 2001 (JP): Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (GBA)
- 2011 (JP): Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land (GB-3DSVC)
December 15th
- 2008:
  - (NA): Game & Watch Collection (NDS)
  - (JP): Game & Watch Collection 2 (NDS)
- 2009 (CN):
  - Paper Plane Challenge (DSiWare)
  - Bird and Beans (DSiWare)
December 16th, 2004 (JP): Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (GCN)
December 17th
- 1992 (EU): Mario & Yoshi (GB)
- 1999 (JP): Mario Party 2 (N64)
December 18th, 1998 (JP): Mario Party (N64)
December 19th, 2006 (JP): Mario no Super Picross (SNES-VC)
December 20th, 2010 (NA): Mario Party 2 (N64-VC)
December 21st, 1997 (JP): Yoshi's Story (N64)
December 22nd, 2006 (EU): Donkey Kong Jr. (NES-VC)
December 24th
- 2007 (NA): Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (SNES-VC)
- 2008 (JP):
  - Chotto Dr. Mario (DSiWare)
  - Kami Hikōki (Paper Plane) (DSiWare)
  - Tori to Mame (Bird and Beans) (DSiWare)
  - Utsusu Made in Wario (DSiWare)
- 2010 (EU): Mario Party 2 (N64-VC)
December 25th
- 2003 (CN): Mario Kart 64 (iQue Player)
- 2006 (NA): Super Mario Bros. (NES-VC)
- 2007 (EU): Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (SNES-VC)
December 29th, 2005 (JP): Mario & Luigi RPG 2x2 (NDS)
December 30th
- 1992 (EU): Mario & Yoshi (NES)
- 2008 (KO): Mario Bros. (NES-VC)
December 1990 (NA): Dr. Mario (GB)
December 1993 (NA): Mario's Time Machine (SNES)
December 1994 (NA):
- Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World (SNES)
- Tetris & Dr. Mario (SNES)

And that concludes the 2012 Mario Calendar!! We shall meet again in Upcoming Games, so see you there!

Upcoming Games (Paper Yoshi (talk))

Welcome, everyone, to the last Pipe Plaza section of the year! This issue of Upcoming Games is all about news, so let's not waste time!

Mario News

As most of you have probably seen, Nintendo released its newest home console, the Wii U, last month. The Japanese company also released the first Mario title for the console, New Super Mario Bros. U. NSMBU was the first Mario platformer to be released as a launch title since Super Mario 64, for the Nintendo 64. Another Mario-related game, Nintendo Land, was a launch title for the Wii U as well.

In the portable realm, the fourth Paper Mario installment, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, was released in all regions within the last 30 days. Players may also download additional DLC packs for New Super Mario Bros. 2: two packs were made available for download on October 25th, one on November 27th – which is free until January 1st, 2013 – and two more on December 5th.

There are also new additions to Nintendo's digital library of games: Super Mario Bros. 2 and Wario Land 3 have been released for the 3DS Virtual Console in Japan and Europe, respectively, while Wario Land II and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels are set to be released in North America later this month.

Release Dates

Wii U
- North America: November 18th
- Europe: November 30th
- Australia: November 30th
- Japan: December 8th
New Super Mario Bros. U & Nintendo Land: Wii U launch titles
Paper Mario: Sticker Star
- North America: November 11th
- Japan: December 6th
- Europe: December 7th
- Australia: December 8th
Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES) – 3DS Virtual Console
- Japan: November 28th
Wario Land 3 (GBC) – 3DS Virtual Console
- Europe: December 6th
Wario Land II (GBC) – 3DS Virtual Console
- North America: December 20th
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES) – 3DS Virtual Console
- North America: December 27th

And that concludes 2012 for the Pipe Plaza! I wish you all the best in the upcoming holidays!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

"Stay tuned to Upcoming Games for news on the games you'll be playing soon!"

Critic Corner

Director's Notes

Crocodile Dippy (talk) I'm feeling so spent. You start to realise how much the holidays suck when you're a hard-working man in a customer service role at one of Australia's largest shopping centres. The worst isn't even over yet, and I had to sort out all this shit on top of it! Aren't I just such an amazing person to care so much for your entertainment that I'm willing to put myself through hell and back to keep this sub-team up to scratch? You don't have to say it; I know you all love me! Well except for you, Abdul.

Anyway, marioboy14 (talk) has been fired from Marioverse Reviews for not sending his section in for the past four months. So now we have plenty of openings for Mario game reviews! Everyone flock to that as soon as you can, it's kind of awkward that we have two Non-Marioverse Reviews sections but no Mario ones. Aside from my guest section for this month, but that's not going to happen very often!

OK so not much happening, aside from Raven Effect (talk) resigning from his Virtual Console Reviews position, regrettably. He'll probably return sometime in the future, and we'll all welcome him with open arms when that day comes… or else!

And with that, I'm just really happy to have spent this year working with a superb staff. I love my colleagues here, I love my writers, and I love all the readers that validate and give purpose to everything we do here. Thank you all so much for the great year here, and enjoy the holidays! Now, back to work for me… goodie!

Critic Corner Section of the Month

And so, the winner of last month's Critic Corner Section of the Month was… YoshiMonsta (talk), for his Entertainment Section! Give a round of applause, especially since he was unfortunately unable to write for this month. Don't worry, mate, clearly everyone is eagerly awaiting your return! Runners-up were myself… for both places. Thanks blokes, I'll be sure not to snipe you quite so viciously in our Team Fortress 2 game later.

1) Entertainment Section – 11 votes (%45.83)
2) Crocodile Style Reviews – 6 (%25)
3) Dippy's Matilda – 4 (%16.67)

Dippy places his critical sticker on Paper Mario: Sticker Star.
[read more]

Raven farms a cult classic with Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom.
[read more]

Dippy fights for his liberties in Assassin's Creed III.
[read more]

MCD greets the end of the world with loads of SKIING.
[read more]

Dippy observes the deeper complexity behind game mechanics.
[read more]

Marioverse Reviews

Crocodile Dippy (talk)

Warning – This section contains harsh language, vulgar content, spoilers. If you prefer to avoid this content, we recommend that you skip this section.

My disdain for recent Mario games is well-documented in this community – in fact, I've been called stupid and told to leave the website because of it – but a fact that most people tend to gloss over is that I've always had a strong fondness of the Mario RPGs. Paper Mario and Mario and Luigi have both shown more interest in exploring the unique world of the Mario series beyond largely unconnected levels with specific world themes repeated over each same-y release enough times to drive Phil Connors insane, and the quirkiness and lovability of the writing and characters has always put them high on my favourite games of their respective consoles lists.

Paper Mario in particular holds a special place in my heart for being the very first video game I ever played that engaged me as something beyond simple recreation akin to throwing rocks at your classmates, which put me on the agonising path towards becoming the snooty games are art hipster you see before you today. I hate seeing nostalgia factored into games criticism, but Paper Mario probably remains the only game I am unable to say anything nasty about on the count of it being so important to my childhood. Well aside from the combat just being kind of shit, but shut up, it's the only thing that drowns out the memories of all those kids pointing and laughing at me!

And so here I am with Sticker Star in hand hoping to once again relive that moment of puppy love delight I first felt when I played the first entry into the series. Of course that'd be already be impossible as is without the bloody 3D carving boot-shaped dents into my eye balls, as the game is a bit of a dull experience. Not a bad one, mind, certainly more enthralling than most of Mario's outings lately, but not quite capturing the beauty and charming essence of the series quite like the last three have. I think the problem is how safe it is, there's a very distinct lack of ambition in the design with only five largely generic worlds to explore, all of which contain almost nothing but enemies airlifted from previous platforming releases including that goddamned vomiting venus fly trap that could only be considered amusing to people who enjoy John Waters films.

I just don't get the point. Wouldn't you want to expand on Super Paper Mario's combat, rather than going back to taking turns?

The reasoning for that was probably because the game has eschewed a lot of its RPG roots for a stronger platforming focus, which I remember putting me off Super Paper Mario as well since it less resembled a nicely brewed RPG platformer fusion and more a platformer with RPG elements. Although the only RPG elements left in Sticker Star are the turn-based battles, which absolutely baffles me; of all the things you could keep in-tact from previous titles, you keep the most boring part of them? Action commands are still there, of course, but having to take turns slapping each other in the fibres is only mildly more invigorating than watching ice melt on Orcadas. The battles do roll by quickly, but given the pacing of the platforming segments it just constantly breaks the flow, like jogging through a park only to stop every five seconds to fend off rabid Chihuahuas.

You've probably noticed I haven't mentioned anything about the story yet, and that's because there is none. Bowser steals a wish-fulfilling crown, Peach gets kidnapped yet again, and Mario now has to save her, it's the standard shit with less of the Paper Mario personality. Just like Super Paper Mario, the game eschews partners boasting rich personalities and unique takes on pre-established social conventions of the different species in the series for a single Navi-esque companion that does little more than belittle Mario and grants him the ability to “paperise”, who the hell comes up with these names? Paperisation allows Mario to manipulate the very fabric of paper time and space by placing loose stripes of paper he's found onto designated areas of the map, essentially making it like the Celestial Brush from Okami but with the only puzzle being “find oddly specifically shaped key to insert into oddly specifically shaped keyhole”, so it's all sort of a waste.

Nothing more to say on this “paperisation”, it really is pointless.

The most significant addition of any real merit is the sticker feature which forms the very core of the game, as if you couldn't tell from the bloody subtitle. It's almost ludicrous how much focus is put on these little things; absolutely everything revolves around them, from the combat to the puzzles to the side-quests to the diplomatic treaties. In opposed to most role-playing games having a metre measuring your special skills that would need to be restored using items or by sleeping with warlocks at the local inn, Sticker Star cuts out the middle man by only allowing you to attack by using the collectible stickers which seems a bit gamebreaking to me. Not that I'm necessarily against a streamlined approach, but you're never likely to run out of stickers due to them being more common in the Mushroom Kingdom than crownies are in Melbourne cricket stadiums, and the fact that HP upgrades are stupidly easy to find basically makes Mario the overall-wearing Odin.

Not that there's any real reason to get into common enemy fights, since as said before they just break the flow of the platforming, and even then you don't earn any experience for the fights so it's all just a waste of stickers. You do get coins for it, but all they can be spent on is a shallow roulette that doesn't really cost all that much to use, or more pillocking stickers! Bloody buggery, Intelligent Systems, what is with you and these things? Did you all collect stickers when you were kids, or does the adhesive just remind you a little bit of cum? There's also random knick-knacks hidden across the world that can be turned into special stickers that can be used to speed along the combat process considerably, but many of them are also necessary for solving puzzles meaning that if you used it up you have to backtrack all the way through an earlier level in order to find the item again, like a forgetful businessman constantly forgetting to bring his pants to work.

This is still pretty funny, though.

And those special stickers are also pivotal to winning boss fights that are all stupidly powerful, with specific stickers being able to make bosses more vulnerable to basic attacks and thus easier to defeat, which isn't a bad way to make turn-based combat more engaging. That is if the solutions make sense half the time, which they most certainly do not. Some are fairly straight-forward like using a hook to pull a giant fish out of the water, but the quirky nature of the game places many of the strategies firmly in adventure game logic wherein using a giant sponge to deflect poison back at a giant poison squid is considered a more beneficial strategy than, say, throwing some fucking scissors at it because it's just paper. At one point you're expected to figure out on your own that the giant cactus monster boss is weak to a baseball bat; who the fuck spawned this logic, Syd Barret?

But get past the entire glimmer and polish of the whole thing, when you get right down to it Sticker Star is just kind of lifeless. The writing is still really nice and it has its fun moments, but outside that the game has very little personality or identity to speak of, and the excessively linear, non-explorative nature of the platformer-style progression sort of shoots replayability in the leg. Anyone who likes platformers probably won't have patience for the turn-based combat that heeds little reward, and anyone who likes Japanese RPGs won't appreciate the lack of story, gameplay or character depth, so throw this one into the “only for hardcore Nintendo fanboys” pile. Sticker Star isn't the worst the Mario series has to offer, but you could get the same degree of satisfaction by skimming through your dad's stamp collection, at least those might have giant robots and tits in them.

Virtual Console Reviews

Raven Effect (talk) (edited by Bop1996 (talk))

Last month I reviewed the Platformer title DoReMi Fantasy: Milon no Dokidoki Daibouken and the month before that I reviewed the historical simulator/real time strategy game Nobunaga’s Ambition. In an effort to continue to review games with genres that have nothing to do with each other, this month I will be reviewing the cult "hit" Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom, released by Hudson Soft in 1988 for the NES (it was also released earlier on some computers). Princess Tomato is different from most games on the virtual console because it is actually a text-based adventure game, which is a turn-off for many people more interested in killing things. If you are one of these people and you know already that you have no interest in a text adventure game just stop reading right now because there is no point in reading this review.

Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom stars the legendary hero Sir Cucumber in his quest to save Princess Tomato from the sinister Minister Pumpkin, who has stolen the Turnip Emblem from King Broccoli and kidnapped Princess Tomato. Minister Pumpkin plans to force her to marry his son Pumpkin Jr. Sir Cucumber is different from most NES era heroes because instead of being a one-man army and challenging the entire Pumpkin army (called farmies in the game) by himself, Sir Cucumber, along with his sidekick Percy Persimmon, tends to stay in the back ground and avoid direct confrontation with the farmies (that’s not to say he won’t throw down and play a mean game of rock paper scissors when necessary). Instead Sir Cucumber and Percy conspire with other resistance members to learn information as to where Princess Tomato is. However, not every part of the game revolves around the Princess. Some quests involve things like rescuing the Peanut mayor’s daughter from a giant three headed banana (it’s just as hilarious as it sounds) or rescuing a group of vegetables from a farmer. Now that we've covered the plot let’s move on to the controls.

The gameplay consists mainly of the following 14 actions:

Move: This allows you to move to the next screen (duh).
Look: This allows you to uncover certain hidden areas as well as some objects in rooms.
Check: This allows you to find items, uncover secret areas, and check objects that you found by using look.
Talk: This allows you to talk to people. Some say useful things and some don’t (it’s pretty self-explanatory).
Take: This allows you to take certain items you find (however you can’t take things like tables which I think is bullshit but whatever).
Use: This allows you to use items.
Give: This allows you to give certain people items.
Buy: This allows you to buy items from stores (duh).
Hit: This allows you to hit both people and things (sometimes it reveals hidden stuff and other times it just provokes a hilarious reaction from Percy).
Fight: This rarely used option allows you to fight enemies using the traditional combat system Rock Paper Scissors.
Praise: This allows you to compliment people, which is used a few times to solve puzzles.
Dump: Allows you to get rid of items.
Item: Allows you to check your items.
Percy: Only available after you find Percy. This option lets you talk to Percy, who sometimes says useful things but not always.

The way you activate these options is by moving the D-Pad on them and clicking B. The combat system works differently for rock paper scissors; up and down represent rock, left represents scissors, and right represents paper. And after making your move if you happen to win the round you still have to look the same way as the enemy which basically means if you want to move left you press left on the D-Pad and so on. Now that I've discussed the controls I’m going to move on to the graphics.

The Graphics are quite basic with few animated images (although there are at least two, one being some birds and the other being the recurring character Octoberry.) But the graphics being basic and simple should be expected considering the fact that this is a text adventure game from the NES. Now that I’m done talking about the graphics you might be wondering whether the sound is any good. (this is my way of lazily transitioning to the sound section by the way)

Each level has a different song and most of the songs are short and somewhat pleasant to listen to, although they do get annoying after a short period of time and I have at times muted my TV because I was tired of listening to it. However it is important to note that the reason the sound is so simple is because this is pretty much a port of an old computer game. With that out of the way let’s talk about the difficulty.

The game's difficulty fluctuates from really easy to fairly hard at different points in the levels. And while most puzzles are easy to solve some of them seem to be completely reliant on trial and error gameplay such as the fact that nowhere in the game does it tell you that you need to exchange your gold coins for regular coins until you try to buy something also every little bag filled with money is only contains gold and since you only use gold in one area it kind of makes gold pointless since you use coins everywhere else. Some puzzles are annoying because they seem to require you to do things in a certain order and I swear that twice on the final level I couldn’t get the game to let me advance because I did one thing out of order. And sometimes the game doesn’t let you do what seems to make sense such as when I was in the resistance base one guy said he wanted grape juice which I had so I figured that I needed to give him Grape juice to advance only to find out that I didn’t need to give it to him at that time. Also the game gives you a limited inventory which is common in games but it also gives you items you don’t use but it’s almost impossible to know beforehand what items you will and won’t use which makes the limited inventory unfair imo. With that out of the way let’s move on to the best part of the game.

This game is hilarious beyond belief and every level has at least one hilarious moment such as when the game references the fact that the Hudson bee often means a bonus in Hudson games, hitting the owner of the book store and having him yell “I KNOW NOSSING”, and the fact that King Broccoli has two daughters one is a tomato and the other is a human named Lisa. Also at one point when I was extremely pissed off the game managed to make me laugh by calling me a pervert when I looked into the shower of a female orange (it makes sense in context). And I think the humor makes up for any flaws the game really has because no matter what I was always entertained.

I like this game. Sure, it might not be great, but it’s fun and entertaining. However, I understand that this game is the ultimate niche market game. I mean, how many people really want a text adventure game for the NES (fun fact the way I discovered this game was by sending it to my friend Jacob as a joke)? And because this game is for such a niche market I have a hard time recommending it because I know that most won’t be able to get past its slow pace, its large amounts of backtracking, and all the reading. But for those who think they can I recommend this game full on if you have 500 wii points that you are looking to spend because for all its flaws this game is still entertaining and hilarious and a worthy addition to anyone’s virtual console library. Final score: 7.5/10

Crocodile Style Reviews

Crocodile Dippy (talk)

Warning – This section contains harsh language, vulgar content, spoilers. If you prefer to avoid this content, we recommend that you skip this section.

Being this community's resident alpha male critic, a statement I'm sure will come across as self-congratulatory to any heathens who deny my greatness, I have very little shame in anything I've ever done. I can, for instance, say without regret that when I was younger, dumber, and less ruggedly charming, I used to watch Lucky Star, or that I once drank dishwashing liquid and hiccupped bubbles for the next few weeks. But when I say something in these reviews that comes back to bite me in the ass later on, I can't help feeling a little ridiculous. Point in case, implying at the end of my Dishonored review last month that Assassin's Creed III would blow it out of the water as far as sandbox stealth-assassination games went, and with the revelation that only one of us has done any improvement since Assassin's Creed: Revelations, the egg on my face is now rotten enough to put Sam I Am out of business.

The first problem was an inevitability with Assassin's Creed III continuing the same bloody storyline as the last four games, a story whose welcome has been so overstayed it needs a fucking escort to the nearest retirement home. Desmond and his cronies are now attempting to enter a magical door containing whatever it is that's supposed to sort out all of their problems, except they need a key to get past it – for fuck's sake, Ones Who Came Before, how many bloody artefacts do you want him to collect before you'll let him save the world? – forcing Desmond to yet again relive the memories of an ancestor.

I don't come to Assassin's Creed to hear old people talk about delivering news and letters to people. I'm an assassin, not a carrier pigeon.

This time he takes on the role of Haytham Kenway, a British Templar who comes out to the new world to fuck up some native shit except no you actually play as his illegitimate native son Connor after two hours of faffing about, who decides to take vengeance against the Templars for burning down his village, a plot point I might've cared about more if Connor wasn't such a bland tosser. His circuits seem to malfunction all the time in the heat of the moment, so he responds to every scenario with emotionless pleasantries or blistering fury at the slightest inconvenience, especially concerning his cunt daddy and surrogate black daddy. Jesus Christ, mate, at least Ezio played a buggering lute after his family carked it.

Actually most of the story-based stuff bored me to tears. OK yeah, it's properly researched, it avoids being jingoistic to appeal to the American dipshit demographic, the mistreatment of the natives is displayed fairly balanced on both factions of the conflict, blah blah blah, but none of that really matters to me if you're not doing something interesting with that research, namely carving my initials into unsuspecting bludger's spinal cords. The choice of setting probably didn't help matters much, since while heated anti-imperialist political conflict over who had the stupider hairstyles is intriguing enough in its own right, it doesn't really translate to sneaky rooftop-dwelling assassin very well, never mind the architecture just isn't as interesting as beautiful Venice or majestic Constantinople.

But yeah, gameplay. If you've glimpsed an Assassin's Creed game for even a fraction of a second then you can guess exactly what you're not in for in this game since by this point assassinations are no longer core to the series. With the gradual addition of more and more trivial micromanaging bullshit throughout all the previous titles slowly engulfing the actual assassinations, it really shouldn't have come as any surprise to me that Assassin's Creed III has decided to throw the blade into the river and take up accounting instead.

Connor has a homestead in which he can enlist random tradies to set up shop there and gradually create a bustling economy, crafting stuff that has no better use but to be sold to strangers by caravan, from which the proceeds can then be spent on ship upgrades to complete naval objectives in order to open up more trade routes to get even more money. But none of this has any relevance to bloodily stabbing people in the throats, so what the hell is the point if all this effort is invested solely into making more money for myself? Or is Connor the reason antitrust laws exist?

Not that there isn't room in my heart for Economics Creed, just not when the game is still called Assassin's Creed because then you're just talking crap, like calling Sim City “Godzilla Rampage City” instead. Or labelling Coca Cola “Pepsi”. And that's not to say the parkour and assassinations aren't still there, but they're kind of token; the vast majority of story missions are strictly linear with no room for improvisation in case you slip on a gutter and face-plant on a box of small children, forcing you to restart the mission from scratch because Ubisoft will not allow such butchering of their oh-so perfect story! Usually not even that, more often the missions are once-off mini-games that have absolutely no business being in an Assassin's Creed game, such as firing cannonballs or patriots at oncoming redcoats. It's nice to see you trying to mix things up, Ubisoft, but you should probably get their priorities straight, otherwise you're just spreading yourselves thin with crap no one cares about.

Combat has always been the worst part of the core Assassin's Creed gameplay, so why does it seem like that's all you do?

Speaking of which, the game has significantly improved combat from the gooey mess designed for nervous turtle people that it was in previous games, although that is because it's a lot like Batman: Arkham Asylum now, just with a tomahawk instead of a bat-tomahawk. But 'Screed III isn't getting off the hook for this either since the sheer volume with which you're forced into combat could shame a Glasgow pub, probably on the count of there being more guards than a Vietnamese rice field. It kind of defeats the purpose of free-spiritedly running along the rooftops when you could end up with an entire conga line of guards after you on the count of one roof-dwelling hobo happening to spot a single thread on your laundry basket of a costume.

Maybe that's why the frontiers exist in this game, with endless rows of trees and rock formations forming suspiciously convenient freerunning paths, but while I won't say there isn't a certain amount of charm in pretending to be the American Tarzan, gracing the treetops overlooking the thick-headed redcoats as they enjoy the taste of dirt below, Connor is anything but graceful in the trees. In a swift freerunning segment it would help if there was a clear indication which trees and hills could be climbed and which couldn't, as the forests are so dense and the lighting so awful that half my “sweet tricks” just result in Connor becoming “one” with the land.

Nothing says espionage quite like blowing up someone elses ship in a raging storm.

OK so yeah, the game still has its moments, just not in the story. It seems a bit stupid to me that I have to go out of my way to find the fun because the game is too busy showing off its fancy new clothes to entertain me. Connor's story is utterly tedious and drawn out but it also doesn't seem to have much relevance to the overarching plot, Connor only learning of the key at the very end of the game, so kind of a sore finish all things considered. I hate to say it, but I actually found Desmond's missions more enthralling than Connor's, linear as they may be, as they seemed to be the only parts of the game that understood exactly why people play Assassin's Creed in the first place. Then the ending completely shits on you in the most slimy and illness-inducing way possible, offering absolutely no closure and leaving an opening for yet another fucking sequel. 2012 has not been a good year for series endings, that's for damn sure.

To bring things to a close, I can only go so long without indulging in the delicious gooey centre of the pavlova that was the core stealth/parkour/assassinations routine without dozing off, but even if it was just that I would've called it out on being stagnant and out of ideas. It's a catch-22, really; once you're at the point where you can no longer improve on what the central appeal of your game is, and you can only attach more and more frilly tassels to the handlebars that only make it look even more old and rusted, you've hit a brick-wall from which there is no salvation from the critical noose. Probably best to end this series right here and now before we're stuck arguing with Templars over what Obamacare will do to their new hospital taxation scheme.

The 'Shroom: Crocodile Style Reviews
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2011
										Psychonauts	Assassin's Creed: Revelations
2012
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword	Ōkami	NeverDead	Kid Icarus: Uprising and Asura's Wrath	I Am Alive and Journey	Prototype 2	Dragon's Dogma	Spec Ops: The Line	Darksiders II	Sleeping Dogs	Dishonored	Assassin's Creed III
2013
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale	MediEvil	Dead Space 3 and Crysis 3	Tomb Raider	BioShock Infinite	Metro: Last Light	Remember Me	The Last of Us	State of Decay and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
2015
	Half-Life series	Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate	Darkest Dungeon and Hand of Fate	Bloodborne	The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	Splatoon	Life Is Strange	Until Dawn	Mad Max	Guitar Hero Live and Rock Band 4	Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
2016
Fallout 4	Ico and Shadow of the Colossus	Far Cry: Primal

Should Have Been

MrConcreteDonkey (talk)

In CANADA!

Our hero.

LAST TIME ON SHOULD HAVE BEEN:

"I don't want to buy this game..."

"mini mario"

"which"

"wonderfully straight beaches!"

Hey, everyone, welcome to this festive edition of Should Have ~~made this bi-monthly sooner~~ Been! You may remember what happened last time. If you don't, those random tidbits aren't going to be any assistance at all out of context, so you're out of luck. I don't know if you guys saw but the world ended yesterday. It was pretty cool, I'd give it an 8.8, there should have been more explosions, and everything looks the same, no graphics updates or anything. And the story? Don't get me started.

Speaking of terrible stories, I have one today. It's known as "Waluigi's Canadian Kerfuffle!". I'll also tell you what should have been in (the Wii version of) Mario~~guy1~~ and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games!

What should have been in this game?

Downhill. I wonder how they named this one.

≈It was a cold winter's night. Waluigi was among the 20 athletes chosen to participate in the Winter Games. As he walked through the snow, he noticed the place was devoid of life; there weren't any people for miles - that's Canada!≈

If that bacon-wrapped story wasn't enough, I'm going to be doing what I'm supposed to be doing to! So, up until recently, I thought this game with the annoyingly long title was fairly fun, yet, when I went back and played it again a few days ago, I found it quite boring. But enough of that for now, let's get going:

Mario never quite recovered from this trick.

≈After the opening ceremony, Waluigi donned his pair of skis and looked at the many hills and slopes and random speedbumps in the middle of this winter blunderland.≈

I know skiing's, like, one of the main Winter Olympic sports, but I really felt there were too many skiing events in this game. There was the Downhill, the Giant Slalom, the Individual and Team Ski Jumping, the Moguls and the Ski Cross. Starting off with the Downhill, it was okay. The skiing controls weren't hard to get the hang of. The Giant Slalom was effectively a harder version, and I didn't enjoy it much. I don't think it needed to be in the game, honestly. Then, there were the Individual and Team Ski Jumping - this is a fairly minor complaint, but, in Olympic events, the Individual and Team are classed as separate events, yet, for Dream Events, they're grouped under one event. I think it's pretty inconsistent, and just one way should have been used (in my opinion, the Dream Event way). Either way, I think the Ski Jump should have been harder, or at least you'd have the choice between easy and hard times to play against.

The Moguls...I really didn't enjoy this one. It felt really boring and pointless to me. The Ski Cross was okay, I guess. By the time I got to it I was really sick of skiing events. So anyway, back to my original point, I felt there were too many skiing events in this game. Personally, I'd remove Giant Slalom and Moguls, and combine Individual and Team Ski Jump, which would leave us with the Downhill, Ski Jump and the Ski Cross. Also, if you jump, you get the chance to wave the Wii Remote around to do some totally RADICAL tricks! Unfortunately this is ruined when the game asks you to draw some weird shapes with the remote, and it doesn't recognize the shapes well. In my opinon, they should have just left out the shape-drawing stuff, and left it as borderline enjoyable Wii Remote-waving.

Snowbored

≈Then, a bored Waluigi picked up his board and tried to escape. The jaws of the Olympics trapped him and his pursuit of escape was ultimately futile.≈

Next up were the Snowboarding events. I felt the number of them was okay, but I thought the controls for the snowboarding were pretty bad - it was hard to control your snowboard, and too hard to recover if you went in the snow or screwed up otherwise. I think the controls should have been improved. I didn't really care much for the Halfpipe. I think it could have possibly been replaced by an Individual snowboard course, like the Downhill or Giant Slalom.

≈After the snowboarding, Waluigi went home because he'd had enough of this.≈

As with the skiing, I felt there were too many Speed Skating events. There was the 500m, the 1000m/Short Track and Short Track Relay. The controls for the 500m were way too sensitive - moving the remote an inch counted as a swing for some reason - and, even with that, it was laughably easy, and same goes for the last two. The 1000m just adds tilting the remote to the side at the edges, and the Relay introduces doing whatever the hell you want with the remote to pass the baton. I feel, after so many similar events, the game becomes quite redundant. Either the 500m or 1000m should have been removed, I don't really care which.

≈I told you this story was bad. You just can't tell immediately because it's covered by this bacon ->≈

However, I did enjoy some events of this game - the Bobsleigh events, Figure Skating and Ice Hockey were fun. I remember Curling being pretty boring too, but I haven't played that for a long time. Finally, overall, I feel all of the Dream Events were far superior to their normal counterparts (if they had them, that is). To combat this, they could have...made them better? I don't know. You try to complete that sentence.

I thought the village was quite a nice addition.

Now onto non-event related stuff...the announcer is quite annoying. He seems to shout out most of the words that appear on the screen. Also, when he says "the" and "olympic", it sounds like "th'olympic", which is terrible.

Secretly, this guy is Santa Claus.

I think you should have been able to disable his voice (without physically harming him, I might add). Personally, I felt four new characters was a good amount, but I think there should have been some unlockable characters this time around - for example, characters like Shy Guy or Espio would have been nice additions, or maybe even some of the Rivals. I thought the shopping was a great addition - the atmosphere was festive and enjoyable, it was fun to see things slowly being added to the town, and the shops were pretty cool. The music shop had some pretty nice remixes...when it came to the Mario songs, that is. A lot of the Sonic songs weren't remixed, or remixes from different games (for example, the Angel Island song was actually the version used in Super Smash Bros. Brawl). The songs were great anyway, but I think it was a bit lazy not to remix them.

Also, the Big Bullet Bill should totally have been replaced by a KING BILL.

Beta elements

Unfortunately, this game has no beta elements I can talk about. How sad. This is worsened by the fact that it's Christmas. No Beta elements in the December Should Have Been is like no turkey on a Christmas dinner - but there are many people in the world who won't be having turkey on December 25th. Well, actually, it's everyone, the world ends in December. Either way, bye! Have a great pre-Christmas apocalypse, and I'll hopefully see you in February! Maybe! Probably, but perhaps not! Yet still, most likely! However, I may not! But I will! Or will I?

Dippy's Matilda

Crocodile Dippy (talk)

Hey guys, happy holidays and welcome to another one of my matilda stories! I was thinking of maybe having a holiday-themed section this month, but aside from a religious debate I'd much rather not get into at this point, I didn't have many ideas for that specific theming. But Assassin's Creed III gave me an idea for a subject to bring up so I'm not coming into this completely empty-handed, although I'm certainly doing this empty-headed, so this month let's talk about Game Mechanics.

What are game mechanics? Simply put, they're the rules and functions on a technical level that define the way we interact with the game and its world on an experiential level. They lay out what actions a player can take to progress through the game, whether that be shooting, jumping, running, sorting out puzzles, or even just managing city finance, and they also establish the challenges and non-player actions in the game. They're the very essence of the medium which allows us to engage in and interact with the game events rather than simply be an audience to them, and thus it is essential game developers put a tremendous deal of care into how they build up their game mechanics, and how they reconcile them with all the other factors being put into play.

Most good games start with a core mechanic from which the rest of the experience is built on, with most design decisions being carefully crafted around that core to ensure there are no rough edges. In many Mario platformers, the core mechanic is jumping on platforms to progress through levels, so they include interesting level design to ensure you don't get bored jumping through each level, they include quirky enemies that complement the level design and encourage challenge, and a variety of power-ups to overcome those quirky enemies, all while still retaining and supporting that core 'jump on things' mechanic. While the argument is still there whether that rigid structure has halted innovation – an argument I'd very much back, but that's neither here nor there – it's still a good example of a game that is all about its central mechanic, eschewing what might otherwise feel tacky and forced in.

The goal of all developers is to ensure their game flows and allows for the maximum amount of player immersion, which means they have to be wary that what they're adding to their game fits in with everything else, otherwise they run the risk of breaking player immersion with features that really don't belong. This means thinking of every aspect of your game; you could have a mechanic or feature that's completely functional and fits in on a technical level, but might not support the overall tone or experience of the game you're making when in practice. The game Brutal Legend remains one of the most depressing examples of this, with two different perspectives going into the design decisions resulting in a game that was half hack and slash/half real-time strategy, which could work but was poorly designed and lacked focus. This essentially left the game with two core mechanics to work from, neither of which saw their full potential realised or complemented each other in even the slightest way. This sort of mess can easily result from a failure to understand your core mechanics and how to craft a good experience from that base.

Genre combinations are a fairly easy and highly effective way of innovating, but they can also be tricky affairs if done without care. Like the Brutal Legend example, or all the finance management objectives in Assassin's Creed III, haphazardly marrying two genres that can't just shallowly be slapped together without a second thought can be a disaster. But with care, it can be a highly effective way of creating a deeper, more engaging experience than if the game was only based around one genre; Batman: Arkham Asylum fluidly shifted between fist fighting action and ceiling-swinging stealth, while The Walking Dead has shown a very clever way to combine the simplicity of point-and-click adventure games with the tension of survival horror. I'm sure a great many gamers would scoff at the mere idea of an action shooter that's turn-based, but any fan of Valkyria Chronicles or the latest X-COM game will tell you exactly why that's a solid idea with the proper attention to detail. All of these ideas were designed carefully to ensure each feature and concept supported their respective core mechanics and didn't take away anything from the overall experience.

By no means am I asking developers to stick to short, simple games just because that's easy, certainly not. One of the best examples I can think of for a deep game with so many features going for it that rarely feels awkward is the first Deus Ex, a release best described as a first-person sandbox action role-playing stealth shooter game. Think about how the game outright encourages exploration and choosing the path that works best for you, and how it offers you a variety of weapons and espionage skills that you can upgrade to suit your playstyle. This allows you to just as adequately play an action shooter guy as you can a hacker, or a sneaky assassin, or even just a passive sneaky thief who wouldn't dare harm a fly, with all the enemies and even bosses balanced out in such a way that you can progress past them in any way you prefer, and even the well-implemented dialogue trees create the possibility of talking your way out of conflicts. Yes, there are a lot of mechanics in play here, many that at the time of its release might've seemed contradictory, but as they were all built with the utmost precision around the central concept of 'choose your playstyle', it all blended together to create an absolutely stunning, well-rounded journey. Barring the useless swimming skill, of course, but I'm sure we can conveniently push that one under the rug.

And of course it's supremely important to understand how your mechanics relate to and affect the story, characters, and setting of the game as well, less you create a disconnect between the events of the game and the player's experience. I mean, you can't have high-action kung-fu gameplay in a game about political debate... well I guess you can, if you're gearing for satire. That'd be pretty awesome, actually. Uh… but anyway, Team Ico are phenomenal at this blending of game mechanics and narrative, telling the love story of Ico through a well-implemented escort system and a desperate combat system that accentuated Ico's status as a confused, frightened child trying to do the best he can for the meek Yorda; or accentuating the mystery and tense nature of the world of Shadow of the Colossus through the massive but quiet overworld that allowed for active exploration and juxtaposed brilliantly with the actual boss fights. Metroid Prime also emphasises mystery and backstory intrigue in order to encourage exploration and scanning to understand more about the world you're stuck on, but more on that game another time.

I think I'm rambling at this point. To sum it all up, designing a game isn't as simple as adding what you think is cool or what you think might fit, but understanding fully what the core appeal of your game is and then carefully evaluating all of your decisions to ensure there are no noticeable loose bricks in the game. Don't just judge the mechanics on their own merit, analyse how they affect every other mechanic and feature – gameplay and story – in the game, ensure they all merge together seamlessly to create the most refined and immersive experience you can. Try using early tech demos to see what appeals most to the most amount of participants; you might be surprised to learn what engaged them the most. Don't be afraid to discard ideas or change your design pathway plans to suit that core appeal of your game, even if it's frustrating; you don't want to bore or frustrate the player with something that's unrefined or that would just be a slog to put up with, after all. I've been talking silly about things I don't know much about for too long now, so I'll stop here; thanks for reading, and enjoy your holidays. See you next month.

Retro Feature

by Tucayo (talk)

HI, magnificent readers! I'm your holiday-spirited Statistics Manager, Tucayo, and welcome to another trip into our newsletter's history! So far all the contributors I have covered are what you can consider "big names" in the Super Mario Wiki community, but The 'Shroom has had its fair share of unsung heroes. One of those unsung heroes is Leirin (talk), the first user featured on this section not to have been part of the Core Staff.

Most of you have probably not heard about him, so I'll tell you a bit of his history in the wiki. Leirin joined the Super Mario Wiki July 22nd, 2008. On the wiki he was not exactly what you could call active, only editing a couple of times a month and occasionally partaking in proposals discussion. But, if there was one part of the community he was dedicated to, that was The 'Shroom. In February 2009, a couple of days after the first issue of Stooben’s first term was released, Leirin signed up to write the Reviews section, but was kindly turned down by me, since that section was already taken and back then we didn’t allow for a section to have multiple writers.

But that’s by no means the end of the story. During the past couple of years, the Non-Marioverse Reviews have been an important part of the newsletter, now even having their own sub-team, but this section didn't exist back in 2008. In the 2008 Director Election, I suggested Stoob to add a Non-Mario Review to the ‘Shroom, so we could appeal to a larger audience. Since Leirin originally wanted to do the Mario Reviews, I suggested him to take the Non-Mario Reviews, which he happily took. And so Leirin began what would be a long run as our Non-Mario Reviewer in turn.

Leirin wasn't able to use the forum, which eventually led to him being the only exception I can think of to the "you must have a forum account" rule; he would e-mail me his section and then I would pass it on to whoever had to be the final receiver. Despite what you may think, Leirin was always on time. Back in a time in which most sections were sent late or never sent at all, he was the one writer I was certain would send his section in time.

He wrote for us during most of 2009 and 2010, but, starting 2011, he simply disappeared. In his last edit on January 4th, 2011, he describes himself as the "writer of those Non-Mario review articles for The Shroom". But he wouldn’t send another section after posting that to his user page. Did he forget his password? Is he living in a secret island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean along with Son of Suns (talk)? Was it my breath that scared him away? We might never know. All we know for sure is that every month he wrote a great review for us to read. While his reviews were often centered in the good points of the games, they were certainly a good read. Without more, here is Leirin's first review, where he covers The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker. Enjoy.

Non-Mario Review

By Leirin (talk)

While series like The Legend of Zelda are generally smiled upon by all, there are always entries in a series that not absolutely everyone will love. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But does it mean the actual game in itself is bad? Well, let’s take a deeper look into it.

Story

Now here’s something different. The story of Wind Waker, at first, seems almost more like a Mario story: heroine gets kidnapped (although in this case, it’s Link’s sister, not the princess Zelda), gotta go save her. Some thought Wind Waker even had the laziest story to date! But again, they’re wrong, because it expands into something much bigger.

Link discovers he’s actually connected to the Triforce. To Zelda, and to Ganon. He finds out his true destiny is to save the sunken land of Hyrule, which is now buried beneath the waves of the Great Sea as a result of the Flood. While saving his sister started out as the main objective, you have to save the entire country of Hyrule as well. The game actually connects itself with previous Zelda’s, and particularly, Ocarina of Time--there are many homages and references to it.

And plus, there are many heartfelt moments in this game, such as the reunition scene with Aryll, among other things.

Graphics

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Yes, this game, although stirred up lots of controversy, is quite a gem. It is often considered the true sequel to Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64. Really the only part of Wind Waker that was controversial, was the cel-shaded graphics. Fans were just outright appalled that Nintendo would try making a more realistic Mario but a more cartoony Zelda. It just didn’t seem like Zelda’s style. So it must have sucked. Did it really? Contrary to the belief of some gamers, it really didn’t! The graphics: pure beauty! The cel-shaded effects and cartoony look of the game give it quite a charm of its own, unique to all who look at it.

The cut-scenes all have characters making all sorts of different expressions, some of which can be outright hillarious (Link’s "startled" face still makes me laugh every time I see it). Everything in this game just looks crisp and smooth and the colors all fit in perfectly and look vibrant. Furthermore, it was quite a refreshing take on a Zelda game. People figured that, if it were on the GameCube, it would push the system to its limits and look as realistic as it could be. Though they were wrong, I think it’s better that they were.

And the look of the game is really something quite different. It makes it feel like less of a graphical style and more like a piece of art. A Zelda fan would probably have to approach it with an open-mind, but once they get used to it, no doubt they should like it, or at least accept it.

Gameplay

Zelda games are well-known for their remarkably deep puzzle solving and fighting aspects, Wind Waker is no different. While the puzzles and dungeons are definitely not as hard as Ocarina of Time’s, they are still quite challenging. And, you have to keep in mind that Miyamoto (the beloved creator of the Mario franchise) wanted this game to be slightly more kid-oriented, but it’s still for everyone. Wind Waker adds all sorts of side-quests and fun things to do, some of which are amazingly distracting. It’s like you have your whole little world out there to explore; the sea is enormous and the tiny islands on it are aplenty.

Swordfights have been greatly improved with the addition of the all-new and awesome parry attacks, which create a new level of tension and drama to the battles. There are many sword techniques to learn, and the Link in Wind Waker is even faster than that of Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask, so battles are quick, but not completely "easy", either!

In a way, Wind Waker also has some more platform game-like elements, such as being able to fly on Link’s Deku Leaf. It gives one a sense of freedom, a freedom like no other Zelda.

Sounds

Another recurring theme in a Zelda game, is the importance of music. In the 3-D Zelda’s, it has become almost like a tradition to give the hero some sort of instrument. While there are nods to classics in Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker’s music isn’t quite as vibrant or memorable, but it is extremely far from being bad. The tunes all had some thought put into them; Forest Haven’s music makes you think of a friendly forest, Outset Island’s music makes you think of a happy town, etc., so they all portray what they mean to portray quite accurately. Some music really creates the feeling of a mysterious area, or dangerous enemies lurking nearby.

Contribution

No doubt Wind Waker made a lot of fans worry that it wouldn’t be like Zelda, and that it would stray too far from the series’ roots. It tried lots of things out; most of them were successful, but I can clearly see why a fan would not like the game because of this. But it also expanded the core audience for Zelda, in a way, for the younger players. It added either more or less to the Zelda franchise. But no matter what they say, it’s my personal favorite in the series.

Pros and Cons

The good: More gameplay variety, plenty of new characters, totally new setting and scenery, homages to Ocarina of Time, good music
The bad: Puzzles are easier, dungeons are fewer, using the Wind Waker to change the direction of the wind is a bit repetitive.

Story Score: 10/10
Graphics Score: 10/10
Gameplay Score: 10/10
Sounds Score: 9.8/10
Contribution Score: 9.6/10
OVERALL: 10/10

The Wind Waker is a truly unique game that changed a lot for Zelda. It replaced a lot of the dungeons with seafaring and treasure-hunting. While it received occasional mixed opinions or even sometimes outright-negative ones from fans, it if far from being bad, and will remain in the hearts of gamers everywhere.

That’s it for this month's trip to the past. I’ll see you next month. Happy Holidays, please remember to vote, to brush your teeth and to not embarrass yourself in front of your family after you've had too much to drink. BYE!

Interview

by Stooben Rooben (talk)

Hello, once again, and Happy Holidays, valued 'Shroom readers! I have returned for yet another interview. However, there is a plot twist this time: This will be my last Interview as an official writer for The 'Shroom. Actually, this is my last section, period, as a writer for our local 'zine. I'll still—

Wait...what? Did I just hear somebody go "woo hoo"? You. YEAH YOU. How 'bout we step outside after the show and settle this like MEN?

Anyway, the point I was getting to is that I still intend to return for very occasional guest sections, but they will be far and in-between. So let's consider this my formal "goodbye" to avid readers who expect to see me every month...or two.

The Target

Moving on, this month I decided to interview a familiar face of the wiki, forum, and chat: Edofenrir, more recently known by the name Kibago. Edofenrir joined the wiki roughly 3-and-a-half years ago. He almost immediately began making edits on the wiki's articles, as well as providing some impressive contributions to proposals, which quickly caught the attention of the administrative staff of the time (including me). His initial edits to the wiki's articles were rather small—"gnome-work" as some would call it—but he eventually started up a personal project involving creating separate, detailed pages for each of Wario Land II's 51 levels.

However, Edofenrir's initial intentions were not to stay an active, steady contributor of this magnitude. If not for the convincing words of a dear friend, Edofenrir would likely have left or remained an inactive member of the community. Upon deciding to stay, he continued to make significant contributions to the community, which eventually resulted in his promotion to Patroller about 5 weeks after creating an account. That's rather impressive. His contributions continued to increase in significance—not just edits to articles, but to templates and policies as well...he even fought a fair amount of vandals. The result of his actions was a well-deserved promotion to Sysop on the wiki, 3 months later. He maintained his position as Sysop for roughly 20 months, until his resignation in August of 2011.

Beyond the MarioWiki, Edofenrir is perhaps most well-known for his brilliant talent in the field of visual arts. Edofenrir is capable of creating detailed sprites, pixel art, vector images (including The 'Shroom's backgrounds), banners (including those used for The 'Shroom's sub-teams), and of course physical drawings (perhaps, for which he is best known). He's hand-made visual artwork for numerous members of our community, detailing their online personas in one fashion or another. (But that doesn't mean you should pester him to get an image for yourself...) You can find many of his original creations on Userpedia (where he is also a Sysop), from comics to sprites to elaborate drawings.

Edofenrir has also been a steady contributor to The 'Shroom for...2-and-a-half years? I'm actually not too sure how long it has been, but it has been a long while. Among his many contributions to The 'Shroom include our dashing default graphics (backgrounds and banners, like mentioned earlier), an extensive tenure as Sub-Director (including directing sub-teams), and perhaps my favorite Fake News section ever. I'm starting to do that rambling thing I always do. Maybe I'll just get to the interview now.

The Interview

Stooben: Hello, readers of The 'Shroom! Welcome to yet another interview hosted by me.
Stooben: Getting tired of me, I bet.
Stooben: But not of our guest! Everyone say hi to Edofenrir!
Stooben: (say hi to your fans)
Edofenrir: huh
Edofenrir: what
Edofenrir: oh
Edofenrir: the interview!
Stooben: yes, remember? we rehearsed all this last night!
Stooben: or was it this morning for you
Edofenrir: Maybe it was both? Who knows.
Edofenrir: Maybe I exist in some sort of time vacuum.
Stooben: So...you will never age? o_0
Edofenrir: Correct. No matter how much time seems to pass, I will always remain consistently at one age.
Edofenrir: That age is "too old".
Stooben: but...that is better than "too young", right? Otherwise you could end up in crib and rattler territory...
Edofenrir: I suppose so.
Stooben: Anyway, before we get into deep philosophical discussions of paranormal time paradoxes, how about I start out with the basics.
Stooben: When and how did you run across the wiki?
Edofenrir: That was relatively unceremonial.
Edofenrir: I was kind of new in the whole "meme" scene, and I came across that strange version of Luigi that many call "Weegee".
Edofenrir: And since I had no idea what that thing was supposed to be, I searched for information about it.
Edofenrir: I eventually found the wiki, and searching "Weegee" redirected me to the "Mario is Missing" page, and I couldn't figure out why.
Edofenrir: Anyway, I started looking around, fixing some typos, and out of boredom I made a bunch of Wario Land II articles.
Edofenrir: Then I was about to leave again when Walkazo said "Oh no you don't!" and I had no choice but to stay.
Edofenrir: Did I miss anything?
Edofenrir: Hmmm
Edofenrir: No, that's pretty much the story I told my therapist as well. *Stooben removes Freudian beard and mustache*
Stooben: We'll talk about your childhood later.
Edofenrir: Didn't we just establish that I had no childhood?
Stooben: ... oh snap
Stooben: I was not prepared for this.
Edofenrir: It's ok, Stooben.
Edofenrir: The Mario series has continuity issues, so nobody will bat an eye at an interview on a Mario website having continuity issues as well.
Stooben: lol, I should have thought of that. I have nothing to worry about.
Stooben: Anyway, Walkazo is one of this site's greatest contributors, and a really kind person. It's cool that she's what kept you here initially.
Stooben: "Weegee" is terrifying, though.
Edofenrir: In fact, I bet you could even take the end of this interview and put it at the beginning, and nobody would notice.
Stooben: i'm totally going to do that now
Stooben: So, I take it Walkazo was your first friend around these parts?
Edofenrir: Well, no, I guess it's a bit more complicated than that.
Edofenrir: The first person who ever responded to something I said was 2257, I think.
Edofenrir: The first person to have a conversation with me was Tucayo.
Edofenrir: Walkazo and I started talking more or less regularly only way, way later.
Stooben: I see. Cool, then. It sounds like you value all of those initial experiences quite high, if you can remember them so well.
Stooben: I only remember the first conversation I had on this site
Stooben: All three of those people are good friends of yours to this day, too.
Edofenrir: Since your head is like, about 98% nose, you shall be forgiven for being forgetful.
Stooben: I must have sneezed my brain out at some point
Edofenrir: That is possible.
Edofenrir: Let's hope nobody will use it to power an army of psychic tanks to take over the world or something.
Stooben: I doubt that such a...small brain is capable of something so catastrophic. :(
Edofenrir: Maybe not.
Edofenrir: Then let's instead hope the person who finds it won't do something silly, like, kiss it or something.
Edofenrir: I heard of cases where people did that.
Stooben: perhaps it will turn into a frog, then!
Stooben: wait...i think i have that wrong
Stooben: Moving forward; you were promoted to admin on the wiki in...about a month after joining. That's really impressive.
Stooben: What did promotion feel like?
Edofenrir: Well, you sorta stand around in some place, the music swells up dramatically, everything sparkles, and lightning strikes you. Then you suddenly wear different clothes, your title card flips over, and you start at level 1 again.
Edofenrir: It feels... peculiar.
Stooben: You have start at level 1 again? That's unfair! Don't you get any power-ups or snazzy items?
Edofenrir: You don't understand. Your level caps at 20, but when you get promoted, you keep your stats and have your level reset, meaning you can go all the way up to level 20 again.
Edofenrir: It's a blessing.
Stooben: Oh...my mistake, then. That sounds very rewarding.
Stooben: Did you ever reach level 20 again? What happens then?
Edofenrir: You're put somewhere in the back, and everyone starts hating you for stealing their EXP.
Edofenrir: It's depressing, let's not talk about that.
Stooben: Stealing EXP is a totally legit tactic... Wimps.
Stooben: Anyway, I will move on, then. Hm...what would you say is your greatest (or, your personal favorite) accomplishment around this community?
Edofenrir: Well
Edofenrir: Being around the community has actually taught me some valuable lessons. I guess you could learning those lessons an "accomplishment" of sorts.
Edofenrir: Being a new member of the MarioWiki community can be hard and frustrating at times, but with time it tends to get easier, and if you actually manage to pull through and figure out how things work, you can get some useful things out of it.
Edofenrir: You just need to somehow get out of this initial "Nobody likes me and everyone is out to get me!" phase.
Edofenrir: I had such a phase too when I was new, but luckily, it is in the past. <_>
Stooben: True enough it is, that there are plenty of members of our community who are friendly and will actually stick by your side after time.
Stooben: There's always grouches and bad seeds in the community, but...if you realize that there are people who'd like to be your friend...well, I'm bad at words, but it gets easier from there.
Stooben: You just need the comforting welcome of a few friends.
Edofenrir: I guess growing out of that phase is somewhat of a "test" or something. An obstacle to overcome.
Edofenrir: Occasionally, someone gets stuck in that phase, and by constantly living with the expectation that everyone is out to get them, they push the others away and ensure that they will never grow out of it.
Edofenrir: That is something to be avoided.
Edofenrir: It's sad when that happens.
Stooben: I've seen it happen, and I agree, it is sad. Even more so, I don't like seeing members disappear under such circumstances.
Stooben: That is a valuable lesson. Thank you for sharing. :)
Edofenrir: :)
Stooben: Hm...let's see...oh yes, I suppose I should ask; what is your favorite Mario game? And what are your favorite non-Mario games?
Edofenrir: I kind of... can't really enjoy the Mario series anymore. I don't quite know what it is, but the latest entries are driving me away for some reason.
Edofenrir: It's the same with the Zelda series. I think Pokémon is the last of the big Nintendo franchises that I am still in some way interested in.
Edofenrir: My favorite Mario game is and probably will forever be Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
Edofenrir: My favorite Zelda game remains Majora's Mask
Edofenrir: My favorite Pokémon game is probably Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
Edofenrir: And as for other games, I think everyone should go and play Beyond Good & Evil.
Edofenrir: Like, right now. Don't even finish reading the interview!
Stooben: The Thousand-Year Door is my favorite Mario game too, hands down. Although, I've yet to complete it's prequel...I feel ashamed.
Edofenrir: Spoilers: The final villain is Bowser!
Stooben: omg lies
Stooben: I thought it was Luigi. :(
Edofenrir: No, you're confusing that with something else.
Stooben: more proof to validate the whole "sneezed out own brain" theory
Edofenrir: You really should get that checked.
Stooben: Later. I still have to finish Beyond Good & Evil.
Stooben: Which, by the way, I can verify it's awesomeness concentrate. So, yes, readers; go play it NOW.
Stooben: (I love Pey'j)
Edofenrir: Pey'j is awesome
Stooben: Hm...what about music? What kinds of music do you enjoy? Any recommendations for our readers?
Edofenrir: I'm not very knowledgeable about music, so I don't know if I should recommend anything. I might recommend the wrong thing, and then Dippy will read it.
Edofenrir: (he has a sniper rifle)
Edofenrir: (he is probably up in those hills over there somewhere)
Stooben: it's what's in the bullets that you have to worry about...
Edofenrir: lol
Stooben: Dippy wouldn't be up in the hills, don't worry. Australia has no hills. He wouldn't snipe from unfamiliar territory.
Stooben: (I hope.)
Edofenrir: Probably.
Stooben: Anyway, there is no wrong thing to recommend. Music is completely subjective, and it'd be neat to find out what you enjoy.
Stooben: It doesn't have to be "mainstream" music, either. It could be something classical, or video game music.
Stooben: Or novelty songs, even.
Stooben: and if dippy gives you a hard time, i will harass him in tf2 for a long while
Stooben: Probably as Pyro. He hates fire.
Edofenrir: Well, right now, I am listening to the Banjo Tooie soundtrack, and earlier I was checking out Daggerfall music.
Stooben: Banjo Tooie has some great music. I downloaded the OST for it a while ago, and was impressed with some of the songs. I think...Glitter Gulch and Grunty Industries were the ones I liked most.
Edofenrir: Oh, you need to play the game and hear it in the game!
Stooben: I would love that.
Edofenrir: It's not quite the same without that experience.
Edofenrir: The songs have this tendency to seamlessly blend into each other, depending on the situation.
Edofenrir: Also, the folks at Rare were masters at remixing.
Edofenrir: Especially notable are the boss themes, which usually were fast-paced remixes of the level music.
Stooben: I didn't know that. I kind of want to play it now.
Stooben: It's not available on the Virtual Console, is it?
Edofenrir: I have absolutely no idea!
Stooben: lol
Edofenrir: Probably not, now that I think about it.
Stooben: Yeah, I'm doubtful as well. I'd have to resort to *banned* since I don't have an N64.
Stooben: Moving on...oh yes. Most people around here probably know this, but you are a very talented artist, if I may say so.
Stooben: How did you learn to draw and create visual art so well?
Edofenrir: Practice, mostly.
Edofenrir: There's really no special way. You just do it, do it again, do it some more, and never stop doing it, and eventually you get better.
Edofenrir: You kind of need to be able to enjoy it, though, or else it is pointless to try.
Stooben: Sounds like how I taught myself to play instruments. I guess that just goes to show art can't be achieved without passion?
Edofenrir: Pretty much.
Stooben: What would you say is your favorite art style?
Stooben: visual, that is
Edofenrir: anything that looks kind of cartoony, without being too abstract.
Stooben: I see, I see. I too am a fan of cartoony graphics, but I can't bring myself to like the visual style of...say, Adventure Time.
Stooben: Although I'd probably find out I'm in the minority on that.
Edofenrir: I don't even know what that is!
Stooben: link
Stooben: well I guess I can't really knock the background graphics, but I don't really like the character design.
Edofenrir: Yeah, I understand.
Stooben: I guess I'll move ahead again. Sorry if this is a broad question, but what are things like in Germany?
Edofenrir: Bureaucratic.
Edofenrir: I don't really know what else to say. oo
Stooben: That doesn't sound so good... What about German cousine? Are there any scenic locations to visit, or things to do? Events to attend?
Stooben: I heard you guys drive on the wrong side of the street...dispicable.
Stooben: (actually you could argue we drive on the wrong side of the street since most other nations drive on YOUR side of the street...oh god why am i rambling)
Edofenrir: So... you drive on the left side of the road? oO
Stooben: We drive on the right side...wait, you do too?
Stooben: I'm so challenged
Edofenrir: Are you confusing us with the UK?
Stooben: I guess so, but I was under the impression most of Europe drove on the same side of the street
Stooben: needless to say i'm kind of embarrassed
Edofenrir: Oh you, so silly.
Stooben: but it's all ok! because i sneezed my brain out
Stooben: The end of the year is almost here; do you have any plans for 2013?
Edofenrir: I guess I'll just work on a couple of things and see what happens.
Stooben: That's fair. I'm not entirely sure what I'll be doing next year either, honestly.
Stooben: (I think I only have one or two more questions, so this should be concluded shortly)
Stooben: At the risk of looking like Creepy Stalker Guy, what kinds of hobbies do you have?
Edofenrir: Well, most of it you already figured out.
Edofenrir: I draw stuff and I hang out on the internet.
Stooben: Ah, but I think you can also design games? Unless I'm totally tripping.
Edofenrir: Yes, but I haven't managed to put something presentable together yet.
Stooben: It's very tedious and detailed work to put together, especially for something with a decent amount of gameplay. But it is rewarding.
Stooben: Although, I'm not familiar with any programs or methods of game-making, outside of RMXP...
Stooben: Do you have any recommendations for software that help you create detailed games?
Edofenrir: Well, I'm currently working with Game Maker.
Edofenrir: I could show you a demo once I made some progress with my current engine and ironed all the bugs out.
Edofenrir: That will probably take a while, though.
Stooben: A demo would be really nice; I'd enjoy that.
Stooben: There's no rush though, of course.
Stooben: I've heard Game Maker is one of the most flexible software for making games.
Stooben: ...I just noticed I have it installed. o_0 Though, I'm certain I've not made anything with it.
Edofenrir: Yes, it definitely is very flexible.
Stooben: Maybe I should toy around with it.
Edofenrir: It also takes some effort to put together something presentable, since you have to code stuff pretty much from scratch.
Edofenrir: At least compared to the RMXP
Edofenrir: There is no default engine to fall back on.
Stooben: So you need some sort of coding knowledge to get things off the ground, then?
Edofenrir: Yes.
Edofenrir: The program won't do anything if you don't tell it what to do beforehand.
Stooben: Good to know. So does that mean you can make anything from an arcade shooter, platformer, traditional rpg, to even a first person shooter? Provided you supply the appropriate coding?
Edofenrir: Yes, although its 3D capabilities are somewhat limited.
Edofenrir: I guess you could put together something that looks a bit like Wolfenstein, or an old Doom game, but there is probably programs out there that can deliver better results.
Stooben: Heh, even something like Wolfenstein would be pretty cool to create. I wasn't sure what all Game Maker was capable of, but it sounds like it could please anybody looking to make a game that isn't super-elaborate
Stooben: or in HD
Edofenrir: I guess.
Stooben: Well, it looks like we're just about done, but I have one question I forgot to ask earlier.
Stooben: What has it been like contributing to The 'Shroom? You've done so much over your time as a writer/staff member.
Edofenrir: Well, there were some highpoints and some lowpoints
Edofenrir: Work got especially stressful before a special issue, but those are also usually the most rewarding.
Edofenrir: I feel somewhat sad that I could contribute barely anything to this one due to some RL nonsense going on.
Edofenrir: But that can't be helped, I guess.
Stooben: Sometimes that kind of stuff just happens; there's nothing you can do to prevent it.
Stooben: One month out of...what, 2 years(?) is not bad at all, if you ask me.
Stooben: Especially when you consider all the graphics you've provided for The 'Shroom (issue backgrounds, sub-team banners), massive projects (travel guide, that two-part RPG walkthrough you did for Fake Games), and just sections in general you've created
Stooben: Plus proofreading everyone's sections...including mine lol.
Edofenrir: Proofreading your sections isn't really that big a deal, since they are mostly quotes, and I always leave quotes the way they are.
Stooben: Oh...that's nice to know, actually. Good thing I'm not too much of a windbag in the introduction and outro...
Stooben: What would you say is your favorite section you've written?
Edofenrir: I think it was that one weather forecast, where I taught about the danger of space magnetism.
Edofenrir: It was very educational!
Stooben: Oh yes, I do believe I remember that. Your Fake News sections were always among my favorites.
Stooben: Excellent choice.
Stooben: Issue 64 is probably my favorite issue of The 'Shroom.
Stooben: Anyway, um...it's seems to be that time.
Stooben: Time for...the question. THE question.
Stooben: Is this...the last question?
Edofenrir: Of course not.
Edofenrir: Since we've established earlier that you're going to put the end of the interview at the beginning, I would say this is actually the FIRST question, hmmm?
Stooben: No, this is...wait...but...
Stooben: ...hm
Edofenrir: I win.
Stooben: :(
Edofenrir: :)
Stooben: Abnormal time fluxes scare me. I hope you know that.
Stooben: we're never going to escape this interview
Edofenrir: You mean, YOU are never going to escape this interview! Geyback escapes through a plot hole.
Stooben: YOU JUST DREW THAT
Stooben: you...Hello, readers of The 'Shroom! Welcome to yet another interview hosted by me.
Stooben: Getting tired of me, I bet.

In Closing

Edofenrir is awesome. I'm not sure how else to put it. In times of stress and mayhem, Edofenrir usually approaches things from a very mature level, and has helped me out in some very heavy situations in this community's past. He also helped me greatly during my days of working on Spirit Lies (a Userpedia RPG), including providing me with some of the most stunning graphics I've ever seen a person create. He's also created some of my favorite 'Shroom sections to read (including the Fake Games section and Travel Guide portions mentioned earlier). And I guess this goes without saying, but he's also one of my favorite people to talk to, even if I don't talk to him as much as I should. When I've been worried about things in the past, Edo has provided comforting outlooks and scenarios without sugarcoating things and saying, "everything will be okay". He's also a damn fun person to goof around with; many of my fondest memories of chat involve him. Edofenrir has given me a lot of enjoyment and friendship during his time here, and I think it's safe to say he's had the same or greater impact on more than a few of our other members.

It was an honor to have Edo be my final interview with The 'Shroom, and it's been a pleasure writing these sections for you all. Thank you all for reading.

Now you can color me gone.

Character Comparison

by Post-Damage Invincibility (talk)

Warning – This section contains harsh language. If you prefer to avoid this content, we recommend that you skip this section.

It's a Battle Royale of clouds this month in the Glitz Pit. Fwoosh versus Foo versus Ruff Puffs versus Cyrrus. And the winner faces a surprise challenger.

Fwoosh versus Foo

Fwoosh can actually blow Mario off of Tall Tall Mountain, but he can't move Wario. But Wario was no problem for Fwoosh in the original N64 classic because he wasn't in it, let alone Luigi. The Fwoosh is more menacing and is a much bigger threat than Foo. Foo blows fog that merely blocks part of the screen, much like Bloopers and their ink in the Mario Kart franchise. And plus, they can be defeated. All Mario has to do is spin to clear a lot of the fog. Therefore, Foo is easily defeated, although he is pleasant to look at.

Cyrrus versus Ruff Puff

Cyrrus is no match for a Ruff Puff. He cannot move, and with the Ruff Puff's aggressive, powerful head bonks and electrical attacks, he is a sitting duck. Until he secretly eats a Red Apple and grows to massive proportions, catching Ruff Puff off guard. The Ruff Puff is unexpectedly crushed, and beaten. However, Cyrrus still cannot move beyond what he has just expanded. So when it comes time to fight Fwoosh, Fwoosh keeps his distance and blows at Cyrrus until he is reduced to nothing.

Fwoosh Faces Surprise Challenger for Championship

Cloud N. Candy: Foo was poo, and you Fwoosh, are a douche. I will defeat you, and dress you in ruche. You're no Yoshi, so you can't eat me. For you can't suck, you can only blow. Your cloudy mass I'll chuck, and destroy pronto.

Fwoosh: You're a joke as a boss! You lost to baby Yoshi! Face it, you've already lost! I'll save a piece of you as a trophy! I'll blow you apart just like I did Cyrrus. I'll scatter your DNA like a retrovirus! At least I've killed a gamer or two, as an enemy there is no one lamer than you!

Winner

For the first time ever, I'll let You decide. PM me on the forums (Our forums, which one did you think?!) and tell me who you think won based on the rap battle, and I'll count it as one vote. Then, I'll declare the winner next month based on the character you picked! Have a Merry Christmas, and don't forget to check out my comic.

Brawl Tactics

by FunkyK38 (talk)

What's up, Brawlers? This month on Brawl Tactics, I will be continuing our three part series on the Pokemon Trainer with his second Pokemon, Ivysaur!

Ivysaur is a medium-sized Brawler that doesn't move too terribly fast. You wouldn't, either, if you had a plant that was almost half your size growing out of your back, so don't be too hard on it. Its jump is not too impressive, either, but it packs a decent punch for a second evolution Pokemon.

Ivysaur's Standard Special is Bullet Seed. In the Pokemon series, it's a basic grass-type move that deals up to five attacks in a single turn. Here, you only get one round of seeds, but it's a quick, solid attack. I would recommend using it several times in a row on an opponent who is above you (as that's the only way this attack can shoot), to get a good combo in with one of your standard attacks. If you can figure out a good rhythm with Ivysaur and the B button, you can get a pretty steady flow of seeds going.

Ivysaur's Side Special is Razor Leaf. In the Pokemon series, this is one move every grass-starter learns as it is leveling up, and it is a good move to learn. In Brawl, however, it's slow and a little lame. And you only get one leaf. What's up with that? Anyways, I suggest using this move after you've pulled your foe close and pummelled them using your other moves. Otherwise, they will be able to get away from your attack.

Ivysaur's Up Special is Vine Whip. This is a special move because it can also be used as a grapple for a third jump. When you're near the edge of the stage, try this move and Ivysaur will grab the ledge, and you will be able to pull yourself back up. In the Pokemon series, this move is also a grass-starter move, and a good one at that. When you are using it as an attack, you can whip your opponent senseless. Get them with the end of the vine. That hurts. It always hurt more when someone hits you with the tip of a whip. The long reach of this attack makes it a good one to use if you're trying not to get too close to your opponent but you still want to take a crack at them.

Ivysaur's Down Special is Pokemon Change. It's just like Squirtle's. You will call Ivysaur back and Charizard will come out. Like Squirtle, Ivysaur gets temporary invincibility when it is using this move, but it won't last, so don't get cocky.

Ivysaur contributes to the Triple Finish Final Smash that all three Pokemon share. It fires a continuous SolarBeam on opponents, which can be incredibly hard to get away from, so don't get caught up in it or you will regret it. It pulls you in and you will be stuck. So aim carefully when you are using Triple Finish.

That's all for me this month, Brawlers! Tune in next month for another edition of BRAWL TACTICS!

Mario Kart: Wheel Tips Corner

by Coincollector (talk)

A clear idea of how we'll play the next Mario Kart for the Wii U console. Yeah, the image is edited and the shots are from Mario Kart 7. I'm sure that the future game will look even better than this picture.

Hello, Mario Karters, and welcome to The 'Shroom's Mario Kart: Wheel Tips Corner. Twelve months have passed and finally the last tip of the year is here! Oh, wait, sorry... This time there won't be any tip. Today, I want to make something special for the Holidays, inspired by the wishlists that children write to Santa Claus. This article will be a list of wishes for the upcoming... Mario Kart for the Wii U. Alright, I know that it's too early to start thinking about another Mario Kart game, but like many professional game developers, thinking of ideas for the next game is a process that starts instantly after having made the last one. Additionally, as the Wii U has just been released, it's becoming a trend see many reviews, comparisons, and speculations about the projects that are in the works for the new console. So why shouldn't I try to do this?

As we know, the Wii U offers some new features to make a fascinating Mario Kart game for the console. The most remarkable characteristic is the GamePad controller that can serve as almost anything. However, there are some applications and functions inside the console itself that can make a future Mario Kart game an unique experience, aside from the idea of a controller with a screen. This is a list of possibilities that we can see (maybe someday) in a future Mario Kart game:

A bigger Mario Kart game: Every new Mario Kart that appears is obviously bigger in content, modes and features than its predecessor. No wonder that in this generation, the next Mario Kart game should be the biggest in the history of the series.

Massive online gaming: As of Mario Kart DS (and partly Mario Kart: Double Dash!!), the Mario Kart series has been becoming the representative of Mario titles that exploit online gaming in the Nintendo console systems. The online capabilities of the Wii U are an excellent option to make the future Mario Kart game the best at this.

New and interesting modes: Sometimes, the Mario Kart games have given new modes for a change aside from the usual Grand Prix, Time Trial, Versus and Battle Modes. The future Mario Kart for Wii U should have new game modes to extend the joy and fun of that game - unlike Mario Kart 7, which took away many good ones. An example to follow is Mario Kart DS and its Mission Mode, which is a fresh idea and an alternative to enjoy the game alone and without the use of online connectivity. The next Mario Kart title may have a mode based on this or even based on the competitions of Mario Kart Wii, although, unlike the Missions that appear inside the earlier game, competitions can only be accessed by connecting online. I'd rather see them like they were shown in Mario Kart DS because they were easier to enter and you could select any of the levels without being forced to compete in the event of the moment and not in others, unlike Mario Kart Wii.

Story Mode: This wish may go beyond the Mario Kart games' standards, as no Mario Kart title to date has given a story mode. The reasons for that might be that Mario Kart games are just for fun, but adding a story to this can be something interesting for players beside the usual game modes that, as of late, are becoming very familiar and quite short. The story mode can be somewhat similar to the missions, as they have basic levels that players must clear. But a story mode in Mario Kart can act as a way to unlock the Missions mode, where the difference between them is that the story mode has the objective of completing the entire set of levels in order to unlock the levels of the second mode. This would basically be similar to unlocking the race courses of VS mode while playing those courses in Grand Prix in some Mario Kart games. This idea is based on a similar game, Diddy Kong Racing, that had a story mode that received relatively good reception.

Downloadable Content: DLCs, oh, DLCs. Some consider the concept good, while others think that it is the worst thing for a game. Lately, Nintendo seemingly has a strong interest in this new means of profit and has implemented it in some of their best-selling games, and it is no wonder that the next Mario Kart will likely get some of the cake. DLCs can sometimes be useful because they extend the duration of game. The downside is that some developers may abuse this, especially giving chunks of unnecessary trash at unjustified prices. If Nintendo wants DLCs for the next Mario Kart, they had better go with the upside. Additional content can be interesting to buy if it has substantially new features in it. The best example that can be provided from Nintendo is New Super Mario Bros. 2. However, the contents given here are mostly levels that are added to a specific mode. Personally, I doubt that Nintendo can add new courses into the Mario Kart games, but it can certainly do with new characters and possibly new modes or levels for the suggested mission mode. I almost forgot that the GamePad has its NFC sensor, so another way to "download" content can be searching toys and stuff like that and putting them in the front of the controller to make it appear in the game. Actually, that option can be kind of useful to get new playable characters into the game (similar to Mario Tennis Open and the QR codes to unlock the hidden characters).

Improved Graphics: I think this is self-explanatory... but not only nice graphics, but also improved game physics and such. The latest Mario Kart games have practically used the same engine in order to make their games in the least amount of time possible. Unfortunately, the mechanics have nerfed considerably in some aspects, such as the item's effects and falls of objects being a bit unrealistic. Coming back to graphics, another thing I've seen is that the latest games almost always use the same models and textures from previous games, making little effort on improving the graphics considerably. The best example is the use of recycled animation of characters in the character selection screen of Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart Wii. I wish that the next Mario Kart game avoids the overuse of recycled models and make something graphically new and fresh to dazzle the player with striking visuals.

Course editor: This can be another risky feature alongside the story mode. A course editor can be a radical change in the Mario Kart series, but can also be very interesting. Lately, the possibility to create your own levels has gained some popularity in several games, and a future Mario Kart game can provide this idea as option. On the other hand, I doubt that Nintendo wants to add something like that, at least something so big and complex that it may move away from the essential feeling and concept of a Mario Kart game (providing a venue for a lot of fun and little work). I think that a minor editor, for example, to create your own missions and challenges similar to the likes of the one seen in New Super Mario Bros. U for the Coin Battle mode is a good way to provide unlimited fun and if possible, to share your work with other players throughout the web.

Customizable vehicles: Based on Mario Kart 7, the idea of customizable vehicles should be used again in the next Mario Kart game. Selecting the best combinations of vehicle parts is actually useful and, combined with the character's special stats boost, gives a lot of variety to the selectable vehicles. I don't know if we would see gliders or water propellers in the next Mario Kart again, but if they don't appear, that doesn't mean "good-bye" to customizing vehicles with other tools to create them.

Now you can play many games away of your TV with this wonder. The Wii U GamePad will be good also to play races in first-person views, as it is in the 3DS.

All-purpose GamePad: The core feature of Wii U. It's no wonder that this controller will make the difference between all the Mario Kart games regarding gameplay experience. It is safe to assume that many players will want to make use of the GamePad on the next Mario Kart. Based on MKDS and MK7, I'm sure that the GamePad will basically serve as a GPS to watch the map of the course and the objects and characters located onscreen. But that's not the only thing that the GamePad can do. Thanks to the off-TV play, now it will be possible to play the game with the GamePad's screen and away from the TV, therefore I'm certain that the next Mario Kart will support that for sure. As the Gamepad itself has gyroscope and motion sensors, I think it will be possible that this Mario Kart, like MK7, features a first-person view of the races, which would give the gameplay a more realistic feeling on driving the kart. Another interesting thing is that someday Wii U will have support for two GamePads, which perhaps the future game will be able to support too. Sure, I'd also bet that there will be space to use the Wii Remote (Plus), the Wii's Classic Controllers and the Wii U Pro Controller as well.

Social network experience: With Miiverse, the new Mario Kart for Wii U must exploit the online world greatly. For this next Mario Kart, I wish it would take a step further regarding the social interaction with other players. In the latest Mario Kart games, the only way to know people and to make friends was using a poorly-made chat with lame dialogues. The next Mario Kart game should have support for a better-built chat, and also add a voice and video chat to talk with friends before the races.

Cross-play would be a great implementation for a game like the Mario Kart for Wii U.

Interaction with 3DS and Mario Kart 7: Although there isn't any evidence of it yet, it might be possible that the 3DS can interact with the Wii U serving as an additional accessory for the console, especially as a controller. In fact, both the Gamepad and the 3DS have some characteristics in common, so this shouldn't sound so wacky after all. Additionally, the two consoles might also transfer some type of information which players can use later. An example of this is to transfer characters or racecourses from the 3DS to the Wii U via spotpass. Sounds fascinating, huh? And in this way it can be possible to make a cross-play of sorts where a user can play on his or her 3DS Mario Kart 7 against somebody else that is playing the other Mario Kart game on the Wii U.

Return of old mechanics and strategies: In the latest Mario Kart games, many gameplay mechanics and strategies that made Mario Karts challenging sometimes, have been removed or changed in favor of a more balanced gameplay between pros and beginners. Unfortunately, for some Mario Kart connoisseurs (like me), these changes make things a bit disappointing as the original aspects were an essential part of the gameplay of several other racing games. The most infamous case is snaking. The future Mario Kart must mark the return of these mechanics, or at least, give the players the ability to modify the game mechanics in a simple way to satisfy the needs of some types of players, such as the pros. Oddly, they have returned some mechanics from past games to the latest ones like, for example, dragging an item behind, although the function of some items have nerfed a bit from game to game (especially the most powerful ones obtained from lower places). I also hope for a good buff-up of the items and their functions as well.

No Bikes: Yeah, that's right, no comeback of bikes in the next Mario Kart game, please. Bikes just made karts four-wheeled junk in Mario Kart Wii.

Asymmetric Gameplay: Combining the use of the gamepad and multiplayer, the next Mario Kart game could use asymmetric gameplay. Looking at some games like Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U, the asymmetric gameplay will only serve in local multiplayer. It's hard to think if it is a good alternative to implement the concept in the online multiplayer mode, but this may have the advantage of showing a dinstinctive gameplay aside of the usual online gaming that usually is focused on a single player. I don't know how exactly this gameplay can serve the game, but maybe it will be useful in a mode that involves co-operative gameplay, like the Versus or Battle modes where one is able to see all the course and have the ability to change some elements of it through the GamePad while the others play the race normally with the traditional controllers. This can be the second Mario Kart game to use co-op mode since, as we know, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! had one as well.

Personally I'd like to see this game in HD.

(Bonus) Remake of a past Mario Kart game: I'd like to see this, and the game that best fits the bill is Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The reason is that there have been some statements and news that Wii U will bring back games from the Nintendo GameCube, despite the fact that the Wii U no longer supports the hardware and components of that console. However, they would return as digital games from the Nintendo eShop and perhaps these games could be remade and eventually have improvements to fit to the specs of the Wii U, for example, be in HD format. But not just that, and maybe this sounds too much to be real but if it's possible, also add new modes and online support for those games that had some rudimentary form of them in those times, especially for a racing game like Double Dash!!. Wouldn't be awesome?

And that's all, Shy Guys! Hope you have enjoyed this last issue of Mario Kart: Wheel Tips Corner for the year. Prepare to see nice games next year for the Wii U and that upcoming Mario Kart game we hope hear some news about next year. This is Coincollector and the members of The 'Shroom wishing you a happy Holidays and a happy New Year!

Fading into Obscurity

by Post-Damage Invincibility (talk)

How my heart doth fawn for the days now gone in the dark, grassy jungle predawn with the one and only... Neuron!

Neuron, soft and squishy, Yoshi took him for a ride. By that I could abide, although at times it did smell fishy... Ok enough rhyming. It's been fourteen years since last we've seen the Neurons in that pitch-black, perilous jungle in Yoshi's Story. I long to see these splendid creatures just once more. And I'm drawn to go back to Neuron Jungle. I'm not sure what Neurons are... They are long, squishy creatures with googly-eyes and multi-colored hair. They even came in four Yoshi colors: red, pink, yellow, and cyan and with various colored dots. They were necessary to reaching certain high-up platforms and Fruit.

But they weren't all useful... The Neurons, though well meaning, often got in the Baby Yoshi's way. For example, two Neurons side-by-side blocked a Special Heart and either of them needed to be ground-pounded in order to get it. They moved diagonally from right to left, or vertically, helping or hurting the Yoshi depending or where they were, even sometimes causing their death by falling into the windy bottomless pit. I believe they were all well intentioned. But sometimes the road to having to be rescued by a White Shy Guy is paved with good intentions. They do make a funny noise frequently, and it's debated what they are saying, but it always sounded to me like they were saying their name, "Neuron! Neuron!"

I never understood the lyrics to their level. I tried to sing it in school and one of my classmates thought I was singing about "tacos". It does kind of sound like "tacos" now doesn't it?

We have not seen the Neurons in fourteen years, and soon it will be fifteen, and I don't think we'll be seeing them before then. No, like many other creatures and characters from the marvelous but much maligned game of old, we have seen the last of them. Neurons, soft and squishy, have faded into obscurity.

TF2 Christmas Community Event

by Groden (talk)

Warning – This section contains harsh language. If you prefer to avoid this content, we recommend that you skip this section.

Play Team Fortress 2? Want to mob half a dozen poor, innocent men? Then come join the Christmas Calamity 2012!

Stooben, TheFreshPrince, Toadbert, Groden, Martiniman, and Uniju have decided to challenge nine random players, to various matches of Control Points, Payload, and King of the Hill. However, there are rules, not just 3 Medics and 3 Heavies daring you to fight them with more bullshit tactics. The Veterans are using the standard 6v6 competitive standards, while the Challengers are running the standard Highlander competitive standards. What does this all mean?

Highlander means there is one of each class, and nothing less or nothing more. Basically, what the idea of 9 classes working to balance each other's faults out is truly all about, instead of spamming 4 of the same class. You can be whatever class you like, so long as no one else is currently playing it or doesn't agree to switch.

6v6 restrictions are 2 of every class, except for 1 Heavy, Engineer, Medic, and Demoman. There is almost always a Demoman and a Medic simply because they are too good to not use, but the remaining 4 have jobs, not specified classes. They are the Roamer, the Pocket, and the Utilities. On a very generalized level, the cookie-cutter team is 1 Medic, 1 Demoman, 2 Soldiers, and 2 Scouts.

The Roamer is almost always a Soldier, and does a variety of things. First, he watches the flanks and controls high ground so the enemy Roamer doesn't. Second, he follows his namesake, and roams the map attempting to ambush priority targets on the enemy team. Last, he serves as the backup protector of the Medic should the Pocket die. Sometimes the Roamer may go Sniper or Pyro should strategy call chokepoint defending.

The Pocket is also almost always a Soldier, but might go Heavy when the team is defending the last point when speed is not a huge priority. He protects the Medic from ambushers, while leading assaults against the enemy team. If the Medic goes down, he usually resorts to being a second, more defensive Roamer.

Lastly, the Utilities are usually Scouts. They carry out more variable strategy, like going offensive or defensive. Sometimes, one or both of the Scouts may switch classes for strategic reasons. A common example is Sniper or Spy for picking off their Medic, Pyro for defending chokepoints, and Engineer for defending the last point. The Utilities' jobs are protecting the Demoman, watching flanks, fighting off enemy Utilities, and picking the Medic.

Competitive is more than class restrictions, as well. Random critical hits, giving a 2% chance to deal three times regular damage, are disabled to remove luck from the factor of winning. Shotgun pellet spread is made linear and more predictable, as well. On Attack/Defend and Payload-type maps, Stopwatch mode takes place. Players have to beat their enemy's time needed to capture however many points they get. If they capture one point in 12 minutes, then the other team is going to have an easy time winning. If they capture two points in 5 minutes, then the other team will go through hell in a handbasket.

Well, that's how its all being played. Again, the Veterans are in 6v6 restrictions, while the Challengers (that means you!) have one of each class. The game is a "come-and-go" experience, meaning you are free to join the Challengers so long as a slot is available, but can leave any time. Contact any of the aforementioned players in order to gain access, if you're not already involved. We hope to see you there!

We will be playing on December 22nd at 5:00 PM EST! Please come if you can!

A Genetic Analysis of the Koopas

by Walkazo (talk)

There are few topics in the Mario series that are as polarizing as Bowser's parentage. Originally he had seven Koopaling children, featured in all sorts of games, cartoons and comics, but then they started to appear less and less, and their relationship to Bowser didn't really come up anymore. Many of us were saddened by this, while others were happy to see the Koopalings replaced by more varied world bosses. Then Bowser Jr. came along and really made things interesting: some thought of him as an unimaginative Baby Bowser clone and resented him for "replacing" the original Koopalings, while others accepted him as the eighth Koopaling, and still others reserved their love for Junior alone and jumped on the opportunity to forget Bowser's original kids. Then, when the seven Koopalings came back, feelings were mixed: some were overjoyed, others bemoaned the new designs, and of course, the haters still hated. One thing that didn't change was the ambiguity about how the seven Koopalings fit into the Koopa family - that is, until someone asked Shigeru Miyamoto about it. His answer? Nintendo's "current story" is that Junior is Bowser's only child.

Character artwork of all the seven Koopalings with their magic wands from Super Mario Bros. 3

These are (seven of) Bowser's kids!! ...or are they?

Playing some sports: quality bonding time with his only kid?

Fond childhood memories were destroyed upon hearing the revelation, while others vowed to keep them related in their headcanons, and some just shrugged. The faction that had always favoured Junior over the Koopalings, on the other hand, were quite happy at this development, and while most played nice about it, there are always a few in every group who just gotta say "I told you so". Now, there are many valid reasons to dislike the Koopalings, and we're all entitled to an opinion, however one of the main arguments that's brought up as to why the Koopalings were never suitable as Bowser's offspring was that they look too different, and that's just not true. I've seen many fans trying to explain their varied by looks by saying they were adopted or had different mothers or whatever, but it is conceivable that they were all produced by Bowser and a single mother, and genetics can show us why.

Yes, real world genetics can prove that they could be related, and because I'm as much of a science nerd as a Mario fan, I'm going to explain how this is so. Obviously none of it is canon, especially in light of Miyamoto's little bombshell, but Nintendo saying they aren't related doesn't mean that from an in-universe perspective, they couldn't be related, and after reading this, hopefully you'll understand why it's misguided to say "they could never have been a family anyway". And who knows, maybe you'll learn a bit about genetics too.

Step 1: Simplify, Simplify, Simplify!

If we were going to go through the genetics for every trait seen in the Koopalings, we'd be here all day, so I'm limiting our scope to the different eye, hair, head and shell colours. For the sake of argument, I'll be including both the seven Koopalings' original designs and their new looks introduced in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

What a colourful bunch of kiddies.

The main benefit of looking at colours is that they're what's known as discrete traits, which means either you've got 'em or you don't (such as eye colour), whereas most qualities (like height) are continuous traits, and have (in theory) an infinite amount of potential values, rather than a few specific groupings. Continuous traits are controlled by many genes, hence there is a much finer degree of variation in something like height compared to blood type, and while qualitative traits are usually controlled by more than one gene as well, to keep things simple, we're just gonna say there's one gene per trait as far as we're concerned. By default, that means we can't analyze continuous traits like the Koopalings' heights or builds, and while their various powers are discrete traits, there are so many present in the family, it would just cause needless clutter to look at them today. There are a few straightforward discrete traits I'm not assessing either, mainly because things like the number of teeth poking out, baldness or whether or not the kid needs glasses are kinda... boring.

Step 2: Genetics 101

With all that our of the way, we can finally move on to the actual genetics, but even simplified as much as possible, there's still a fair bit of science involved, so I believe a quick tutorial is in order. (And considering how I'm condensing three years of genetics classes into a few paragraphs here, yes, it is short.)

An image for Walkazo's Guest Section for the December 2012 issue of The 'Shroom.

A diagram showing most of the key terms appearing in this genetics article.

First of all, you don't actually have "the gene for blue eyes" or "the gene for red hair" or whatever: you have genes for eye colour and hair colour, but what actually determines the colour are called alleles. Every gene (as far as we're concerned here) has multiple alleles - i.e. for the eye colour gene, there are alleles for blue eyes, green eyes, brown eyes, etc. On a more technical level, genes are sections of DNA, which are long winding coils of, essentially, coding, meaning alleles are equivalent to alternate chunks of coding. Makes sense, right? If the eye colour section of DNA has the code for blue eyes, and you get blue eyes; if the DNA codes for green eyes, you get green eyes, etc. So far so good? Because now it gets complicated...

DNA is grouped together into structures known as chromosomes, and everyone has two copies of every chromosome - one from your mother, one from your father. (On a side-note, don't confuse this with the fact that DNA is double-stranded: the two copies from your two parents are two completely separate pieces of DNA.) This means that you have two copies of every single gene, and this has a huge impact on what you end up looking like. If the allele is the same in both copies of the gene, then you're known as homozygous, and more importantly, you express that given trait, simple as that (i.e. two copies of the blue-eyed allele = blue eyes). However, if you're heterozygous and have different alleles, it's not so straightforward, and your genotype (what alleles you have) might not be the same as your phenotype (what you look like).

complete dominance	R	b
R	RR	Rb
b	Rb	bb

incomplete dominance	R	B
R	RR	RB
B	RB	BB

codominance	R	B
R	RR	RB
B	RB	BB

The chart on the left shows the basic results you get when you combine two different alleles. You see, not all alleles are created equal, resulting in one allele being dominant over the other allele. The most basic form is complete dominance, where if one allele is present, what it codes for is what gets expressed, regardless of what the other allele is. In the chart's top section, you can see how if the "R" allele is present, the colour that results is red, and you only see the blue phenotype if there are no "R"s, only two "b" alleles. (By the way, in this and all the other tables, the dominant gene, i.e. "R", is uppercase, while the recessive gene, i.e. "b", is lowercase.) In real life, eye colour is an example of this: if you have the allele for brown eyes, you will have brown eyes, end of story. Unfortunately, complete dominance isn't the end of our story, since you can also have incomplete dominance, where the one allele isn't overpowering enough to completely mask the second allele, resulting in an intermediate quality being expressed in heterozygotes. In the middle section of the chart, having an "R" allele and a "B" allele means you're not red or blue, but purple. Codominance works the same way, only instead of the two traits blending together into something new, you actually see both traits at work: in the chart, the "RB" heterozygotes are red and blue instead of purple, and in real life, this is why you get AB type blood as well as plain A and B types. For the sake of argument, we're only going to involve complete and incomplete dominance in this exercise, but it's still good to know the full story, n'est pas?

complete dominance
	R	b	y
R	RR	Rb	Ry
b	Rb	bb	by
y	Ry	by	yy

incomplete dominance
	R	B	Y
R	RR	RB	RY
B	RB	BB	BY
Y	RY	BY	YY

Of course, most genes have more than two alleles, but for simplicity, we're only going to go up to three alleles in this article, and the chart on the right shows the basic results you get. Complete dominance is still nice and simple: if you have "R", you are red; if you have "b" but no "R", you're blue; if you have nothing but "y"s in your genotype, you're yellow. (Incidentally, since the English alphabet only has two cases, I can't differentiate between the intermediate "b" and completely recessive "y", but I'm hoping the fact that "y" dips below the line while "b" sticks up is enough to infer the hierarchy.) Incomplete dominance is still intuitive too: homozygotes express the primary colours, while heterozygotes blend their alleles' colours together into purple, green or orange phenotypes depending on the combination. However, just as alleles aren't equally dominant, how they react with other alleles also isn't consistent. For example, even though the aforementioned "A" and "B" blood type alleles are codominant to each other, they're both completely dominant over a third, "o" allele, meaning the only way you can have type O blood is if you're homozygous for "oo". But like codominance, this level of complexity isn't going to be involved in the Koopa analysis - I'm just bringing it up to give you a better idea of how complex genetics is. It's fun stuff. Nerdy, nerdy fun.

Step 3: Simplify some more!

Even with each trait only being controlled by one gene with three possible alleles and only complete or incomplete dominance, this still leaves us with a tonne of potential patterns for the crosses. Fortunately, we can whittle it down a bit more by stating that Bowser and the mother are both heterozygotes, since if either one were homozygous, they'd only be able to produce offspring with two phenotypes at most. In fact, if the parent was homozygous for a completely dominant allele, or if the second parent was also a homozygote, all the kids would look the same - and that's definitely not the case.

We can also assume the mother doesn't have any colours not seen in the Koopalings, and similarly, we can assume that all the phenotypes we see in the Koopalings are all the phenotypes we can see. I.e. if there's three eye colours, we don't assume there could be a fourth colour whose particular combination of alleles, while possible, didn't come up. Both of these assumptions cut down on excess fan speculation, and the added constraints makes it easier to zero in on the genetic pattern we're looking for.

Step 4: Solve the Puzzles

All this leaves us with a manageable amount of potential patterns to choose from (but for space, I won't listen them here), and we can finally start figuring out the genetics of the Koopa family.

Head and Old Shell Colours

Head colour phenotype		?	?
Head colour phenotype		Bowser
???	?	5	1 (2)
???	?

First we'll start with the simplest trait: head colour. And, if we assume Wendy's head is the same colour as her body because she's a female, rather than being gold because of a gold-coding genotype, the head colour phenotype pattern is the same as the phenotypes for the old shell designs - so we can kill two birds with one stone. Another thing we can do to simplify matters is ignore Morton's weird piebald light-and-dark colouration as a mutation - it's not a crucial step here, but it will be for some of the other traits, and it's best to be consistent throughout the analysis, so out he goes. Therefore, we only have two relevant phenotypes seen in the offspring, meaning we only have a couple potential genotype patterns to choose from, which are shown below.

Head colour genotypes
Complete dominance 1		Bowser
Complete dominance 1		A	b
???	A	AA	Ab
???	b	Ab	bb

Complete dominance 2		Bowser
Complete dominance 2		A	b
???	b	Ab	bb
???	c	Ac	bc

Each individual 4x4 square is known as a Punnett square, and shows how the potential genotypes of Bowser and the unknown mother can combine to form genotypes that yield the phenotypes we see in the Koopalings. In this case, we only had to use simple complete dominance to explain how green-shelled Bowser could produce green- and pink-shelled Koopalings: the dominant "A" allele codes for green shells, the intermediate "b" allele codes for pink shells, and what "c" codes for is never seen because "c" is recessive (but like the "y" allele from the tutorial, there's no third case to distinguish "b" and "c", so bear with me). Since we don't know what the mother looks like, this gives us some flexibility, and in this case, she could be either green-shelled like Bowser, or pink. In this situation alone, she could even be homozygous for "b", as this would produce the same phenotypic pattern in the Koopalings as the "Complete dominance 2" pattern.

Now, once we have a couple options, we can go a step further and determine which pattern is better. As you'll soon see, this isn't always possible, but it is here, because of the numbers shown in the left-hand square. Five of the seven assessed Koopalings (about 70%) have green heads and former shell colours, whereas only one has a pink head and two had pink shells. Now, looking at the crosses on the right, we see that the first option produces green Koopalings with 3/4 allele combos while the second option has a 2:2 ratio. Seeing as 70% is a lot closer to 75% than 50%, it's more likely that the "Complete dominance 1" pattern is the right one, making the mother green-shelled. This is also advantageous in that we don't have to worry about what the "c" allele codes for, since only "A" and "b" are involved now.

New Shell Colours

Phenotypes
New shell colour		Bowser
New shell colour		?	?
???	?	2	2
???	?	1	2

Spike ring colour		Bowser
Spike ring colour		?	?
???	?	2	2
???	?	1	2

After the redesign, the Koopalings' shells got a lot more colourful, with purple, blue and orange joining green and pink as the phenotypes. The rings at the bases of the original seven kids' shell spikes also became colourful, now coming in orange, yellow, pink, purple and blue, instead of plain brown like Bowser and Junior. However, as we've seen in the above Punnett squares, a cross of a single gene can only produce four distinct genotypes, and thus, four phenotypes. This means that simply ignoring Morton's weird shell isn't enough: we have to group a couple of the more similar colours to get the options down to four. As seen in the squares to the left, pink and purple get combined, as do the red and orange rings and the different shades of greens and blues that occur. Obviously one or more additional genes will need to determine whether, for example, the colour comes out purple or pink, but we're keeping this simple, and while a cross with two genes would produces 16 genotypes (more than enough to cover all the Koopalings' colours), it's a lot more overwhelming to the untrained eye, so we're just gonna stick to colour grouping today.

Spike ring colour genotypes
Incomplete dominance 1		Bowser
Incomplete dominance 1		A	b
???	A	AA	Ab
???	c	Ac	bc

Incomplete dominance 2		Bowser
Incomplete dominance 2		A	b
???	A	AA	Ab
???	c	Ac	bc

Incomplete dominance 3		Bowser
Incomplete dominance 3		A	b
???	A	AA	Ab
???	c	Ac	bc

New shell colour genotypes
Incomplete dominance 1		Bowser
Incomplete dominance 1		A	b
???	A	AA	Ab
???	c	Ac	bc

Incomplete dominance 2		Bowser
Incomplete dominance 2		A	b
???	A	AA	Ab
???	c	Ac	bc

Incomplete dominance 3		Bowser
Incomplete dominance 3		A	b
???	A	AA	Ab
???	c	Ac	bc

Our four combined phenotypes can be explained by six different genotype patterns, but unlike with the old shell / head colour situation, all the crosses result in the same phenotypic pattern in the offspring, so I only bothered showing one pattern. However, while what the alleles coded for were fixed in the old shell case, for both the new shell and spike rings, it's the combinations that matter, not the alleles themselves, and as long as Bowser's two pairs of alleles make him green-shelled and brown-ringed, all the other pairs could code for any of the other colours. Conversely, as long as the mother isn't green-shelled and brown/orange-ringed, she could have any combination of any of the colours of shell or rings seen in the Koopalings, which is what's being shown by the inclusion of three Punnett squares for both the New Shell and Spike Ring patterns. While the genotypes remain the same for both Bowser and the mother in all three squares, the different combinations have been assigned different colours, showing the three possible colours the mother could have for each trait (then just mix n' match to get your lady's looks).

And that's not even the half of it: for every square, "AA" and "bc" can actually have their colours swapped, since neither combination is seen in the parental genotypes, but since that doesn't add anything to our analysis, I left those squares out. This is also why I left out the other five genotype patterns: they're all exactly the same as the one shown, but with different combinations of alleles for the parents (i.e. Bowser is "bc" instead of "Ab", or he and the mother are swapped with him being "Ac" and her being "Ab", etc.).

Now, one disadvantage of combinations being the determinants for the colours is that the alleles themselves can't be assigned colours, otherwise you'd get situations like "blue + yellow = pink", which doesn't make sense. However, genes don't actually code for colours, they code for proteins, which then go on to react with other proteins to make the colours. So, while we can't use the colour wheel to figure this one out, the idea that Bowser can indeed produce a veritable rainbow of offspring is still scientifically sound.

Eye Colour

Eye colour phenotype		?	?
Eye colour phenotype		Bowser
???	?	1	2
???	?	3

Much less varied are the Koopalings' eye colours: three are clearly blue-eyed, and if you zoom in on the recent artwork, you'll see grey rings in the irises of all the formerly dot-eyed Koopalings (except the pure-black-eyed Lemmy, but we're ignoring him as a mutant; we also have to disregard Roy since we simply can't see his eyes at all). Assuming Junior's resemblance to Bowser extends to his eyes, and we just can't see the red irises because he's a baby, that gives is a total of three phenotypes, shown in the square to the left.

Eye colour genotypes
Incomplete dominance		Bowser
Incomplete dominance		A	B
???	A	AA	AB
???	B	AB	BB

Complete dominance		Bowser
Complete dominance		b	c
???	A	Ab	Ac
???	c	bc	cc

Three phenotypes can be explained by six possible crosses, but these fall into the two overall patterns shown on the right. The first pattern is incomplete dominance when the parents have the same genotype, which works for every pair of alleles (i.e. the parents could be "BC" or "AC" as well as the "AB" genotypes shown). The second pattern is complete dominance, which only works if one parent is "bc" and the other is "Ac" (in the genotype shown, Bowser is the "bc" one). For complete dominance, one allele can code for red, one for blue and one for grey, but for incomplete dominance, like with the new shell colours, the combinations, not the alleles, are what determines the eye colour. Either way, while Bowser's allele combo always has to correspond to red, which genotypes result in blue and which ones result in grey can be swapped, meaning the mother could have either colour if the dominance is complete (whereas in the incomplete dominance pattern means she has to have red eyes like Bowser).

Unlike the new shell colour crosses, the eye colour patterns here do not yield four phenotypes that occur with equal likelihood: instead, one eye colour has twice the odds of occurring than the other two. The differences in the amount of each phenotype that occur in the Koopalings isn't as extreme as in the old shell / head colour situation, but if one phenotype has to be more likely, it might as well be blue - the one that is seen a little more often. With this in mind, we can say complete dominance and a blue-eyed mother is the more likely situation, which works out well because complete dominance is the simplest pattern, and it allows for the alleles themselves to be the colour determinants, simplifying things even further.

Hair Colour

Phenotypes

Old hair
colour

Bowser

?

???

?

1

2

?

2

New hair colour

Bowser

?

???

?

1

2

?

2

1

Like the shell colours, the Koopalings' hair colours changed a bit after their redesign: including Junior, the original colours were blue, red and rainbow hair, but the new designs changed Iggy's hair to green and made Larry's blue a bit fancier (but it's still blue, so no problem). It also changed Wendy's eyebrows from colourless lines to blonde lines, but this bumps the number of phenotypes up past four, even if we ignore Morton's still-colourless black lines. Therefore, like the shells, we have to lump Wendy in with another colour; where she goes doesn't really matter, but given how Lemmy's ponytail is yellow, it could be that excess hair in a rainbow genotype is yellow, including Wendy's blonde, so I just grouped her there.

Old hair genotype

Complete dominance

Bowser

b

c

?

??

A

c

bc

cc

New hair genotype

Incomplete dominance

Bowser

A

C

???

B

A

B

BC

C

AC

CC

Since it has three phenotypes showing up in the offspring, the old hair colour is the same situation as eye colour, so for simplicity, I only showed our trusty complete dominance pattern. In this genotypic pattern, "A" is rainbow, "b" is red and "c" is blue, but the "A" and "c" values can be swapped to make the mother's hair blue instead. In an incomplete dominance pattern, the mother would have red hair like Bowser, just like the shared red eyes, but there's no need to go over the same thing twice, so I didn't show that cross here. As for which pattern is more likely, that would be complete dominance (since incomplete dominance would favour red eyes in the offspring, but that phenotype comes up the least), but since blue and rainbow hair occur the same number of times, which one is also the mother's hair colour is anyone's guess: both would work equally well.

The new hair, on the other hand, has four options, making it the same situation as the new shell colour. The mother, therefore, could have blue, rainbow or green hair, but seeing as we've been down this road before, I only bothered showing a cross that makes her blue-haired. However, while I'm admittedly biased towards blue, there's a good reason for using this as the example, because if we make "C" recessive instead of incompletely dominant like the others, that means that while the "A" allele codes for red and the "B" allele codes for blue, when put together, you get rainbow hair (which is actually the exact same pattern as the blood type stuff in the tutorial). Granted, rainbows have other colours besides red and blue, but like I said before, proteins work in mysterious ways sometimes, and besides, it's better than simply saying the combination's what matters, because this way, we can attribute the colours to the alleles, and as always, the simplest solution to the puzzle is the best one.

Step 5: Sit Back and Relax

So there you have it, a complete rundown of all the colours seen in the would-be Koopa family, and the genetic patterns that could be responsible for them. Genetic analysis is tricky stuff, even simplified to the most basic level like I've done here, but as you can see, you can do neat stuff with it if you have the time and patience to work through it all. To me, showing that Bowser and the seven Koopalings could have been related all along was always a worthy task, and I hope you guys found it interesting as well. But even if the technical details are a little fuzzy, just remember, it is possible for a plain old Koopa like Bowser to have produced a crop of kids as colourful as the Koopalings (including Junior). So whether or not you accept Nintendo's "current" story, and regardless of if you even want Bowser's family to include the seven original Koopalings, keep one thing in mind: they could be related, and whether they are or not... Well, that all depends on you, and what you make of this twisty little aspect of the Mario mythos.

MarioWiki - A Huge Roleplaying Session

by RandomYoshi (talk)

You may be mentioned in this section. If you are, remember that I am not out to hurt you in any way or otherwise make you look worse in any way possible.

Before we begin, I should also like to utter a slight Dangan Ronpa-related SPOILER WARNING.

Hello here, RandomYoshi here, a seemingly random steed. For this guest section, I'll be analysing the community from a rather different perspective than usual, which is to say not different at all because everyone has to be different these days, right? But little did you know, I actually view this community as a huge roleplaying session. For those of you not in the know, a roleplaying session is a session in which the participating players try to play as somebody they aren't, essentially testing their creative abilities and whatnot.

As I see this community like a giant roleplaying session, this raises the totally legitimate question of why, the equally totally legitimate question of how and the equally legitimate question of when. As it turns out, I have answers to everyone of those questions, even to the degree that I can pinpoint the question of when to specific dates.

Now, why do I see this community as a huge roleplaying session? Well, if there's something that's true, then that is that certain users are "meant" to act in a certain way. This shows itself if we look at individual users and their behaviour. For example, Lily is the "Insane Fangirl of Many Things", Count Bonsula is the "Stupid person", Anton is the "Hypnotiser" (and he's rather good at it, too @_@), I am the "Grammar Hitler", Dippy is the "Audiophile", Mason is the "Toucan Lover" (granted, that still applies to him IRL, but it still applies here), etcetera, etcetera. Sure, there are some exceptions to this. The users who fall under that category have yet to find their place in the community, but they too will find their place in the community, accompanied with an appropriate title and such. How we as individuals are looked upon is always strengthened by a rather popular site called Userpedia. The users who have an article about their "User form" — basically their appeareance on the community, in rare cases, their abilities as a User, and sometimes personality — and while reading those articles, I concluded that Userpedia essentially is a way for everyone who is new in the session to read up on how specific users act and whatnot. While this may seem like a surprising way of viewing the community, so is also viewing the community as a whole as a huge roleplaying session, so that really shouldn't come off as that surprising.

With that being said, look at the basic structure I've laid now; we have users acting in ways that may or may not be natural for them if it wouldn't be for the fact that they were in this community. (And because it's all in good fun, there's nothing inherently wrong with that in my eyes.) But for a roleplaying session to be really interesting, it has to have more than that, hasn't it? But it has got more than that! Even though I wasn't even aware of that the MarioWiki existed back then, the primary example of when a major element was added to the community was during the Homestuck fad. What exactly did the Homestuck fad contribute to the session? A lot of elements. The two main elements that the Homestuck fad contributed to was Homestuck shipping, i.e. applying the concept of troll romance on users, and the titles. For example, my title is Heir of Maths, Edofenrir's title is Seer of Heart, 2257's title is Prince of Life, etcetera, etcetera. And for specific users, namely the ones who are shipped, the Homestuck shipping makes them able to safely confine in a role and just stick that, creating a comforting situation for those involved. Sure, not everybody wants to be involved, which is respected to some degree, which in turn is great. Sure, around Valentine's Day, everyone ends up getting shipped anway, but that shipping isn't the Homestuck shipping. That shipping is the "normal" kind of shipping. In conclusion, for this community, Homestuck isn't just a comic — it shapes the way they can roleplay in this community that is, and I say it again, a huge roleplaying session.

There was also a Dangan Ronpa fad. That fad contributed to the community in the sense that it made despair a normal thing to induce to someone who also liked it at the time. There was even made a Mindless Junk-thread in which you could request an ironical execution, an element which I'd say is a key part of Dangan Ronpa. There was also a name-change fad related to Dangan Ronpa. Because nearly everyone who was part of the fad changed names, everyone started acting like they were the person who they had changed their name to. For instance, when one character in the game was revealed to be in love with another, those two users who had changed their named to the relevant characters had a "quarrel", all based off how the game's events had enrolled at the time. Dangan Ronpa also contributed the "Super High-school Level"-prefix into our daily vocabulary and such.

In conclusion, when a fad becomes large enough, some elements from the fad's "original content" (in Homestuck's case, the shipping and the titles, and in Dangan Ronpa's case, the executions and the "Super High-school Level"-prefix) are implemented into the session for some arbitrary amount of time. Sometimes, it might even be permanent, which is the case with Homestuck. I've also come to the conclusion that this is just for fun, making this community one of the more enjoyable communities to be part of at times.

I'm sure that answers the answers of how and why, and additionally when.

This has been RandomYoshi, the Heir of Math, Packy's wife/husband (nobody is certain about this. For all we know, I may be the wife or I may be the husband), Grammar Hitler, Maths Nerd, and eventually more titles to come.

By the way, Merry Christmas, everyone!

PDI Christmas Comic!

by Post-Damage Invincibility (talk)

Merry Christmas. Click on the link below and enjoy my comic. Be sure to watch in in HQ/HD.

How Guest Sections might be Submitted

by Lakituthequick (talk)

Hello! Nice seeing you again!
wait, I can't see you...
Never mind.

Well, I'm honored to be able to write again. This time I have no summary's to give, so I'm making a comic in this original way.

It pictures how it could look like if you get invited for a guest section. And, all these frames are in 3D! You can open this page on your Nintendo 3DS for this.

Thanks for reading! See you next time.

I can't just use models not to be credited.

The Models Resource

A.J. Nitro
Joh2k4
Peardian
RandomTalkingBush
Roxas358

SketchUp 3D Warehouse
botos andrás
Brady
Cordelle
Jeroen v. Kalkeren
J-m@n
Lilothestitch
Lucia
matériel pneumatique
maysam industries
Natedogg
noakes-ey
Rickard Lantz
SmartFurniture.com
Smegma(ximum)
TDK 3D
Wraithwynd
Xaya
Xhable

A New Year's Resolution

by MST3K (talk)

Hi. Merry Christmas. Happy Chanukah. Happy Kwanzaa. Joyous Festivus. Blessed Saturnalia. Happy Non-Denominational Wintertime Holiday to you and yours. Your friendly neighborhood forum admin Three K here with a holiday-themed special ‘Shroom thingy for you to scan with your eyeballs.

I'm here to share one of my New Year's Resolutions with you guys. I was going back through some of my old posts and noticed something I didn't like seeing. It has come to my attention that I have been, how can I put this nicely, kind of a jerk to this community's Pokemon fanbase. For that, I apologize. I'm sorry if I ever offended any of you. I'm sorry if I ever made it sound like I insulted your taste in games or anything else. That's no way for a higher-up to act. Basically what I'm getting at is that I promise to knock that off. I've always been against the act of fan-hating, but for me to turn around and do it myself is downright hypocritical of me. Again, I'm sorry.

Let's all do what we can to make this community a great one in 2013!

An Introduction to Alt-Play

by Mario4Ever (talk)

It goes without saying that those reading this have played or at least have heard of at least one game, and whether it was or is a paper-and-pencil adventure or the latest digital marvel, the memories or opinions of these games were and are likely based on their degree of fun or their value as a form of entertainment, whatever those may be. Indeed, some would argue (and have argued) that such terms as “fun” and “entertainment” define the game industry and its products, that the game as a medium, as opposed to film, television, and literature, cannot address “serious” issues. Every so often, designers challenge this idea and produce works that not only address “serious” issues but also do so in a way which encourages people to evaluate their views on the purpose of gaming, if not their views on games in general. Jason Rohrer is one of those designers, and through the three games included in the DSiWare title Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology (though each is also available online), he has created experiences which have shifted the focus away from the idea of gaming as a source of fun or entertainment, instead shifting it toward the idea of gaming as an art form.

The first game in the 8-bit anthology is called Passage. The game world is a maze littered with treasure chests and obstacles, though only a narrow strip of pixels is visible at any one time. There are barriers to the left of and above you, forcing you to move either down or to the right. If you move down, you will encounter an increasing number of treasure chests. Some of these will contain blue stars, which add 100 points to your score, while others contain dust, which adds nothing. Moving down also increases the number of obstacles that appear on-screen, forcing you to eventually move up and to the right (though your character inches ever so slowly toward the right of the screen as you play). If you move right at the start of the game, you will encounter a woman. She and your character will fall in love and remain together for the duration of the game, which is five minutes. While traveling with her doubles your score, it also reduces your ability to explore the environment, since it doubles the size of your hitbox and makes some areas inaccessible. Regardless of which option you choose, over time, your character(s) will age, and your view of the areas to the right will be diminished. Eventually, you and/or your “wife” will die, and once you do, the game ends, at which point you are returned to the main menu and can either replay the game or choose a different one.

Passage’s length makes it ideal as a means of passing time (I can think of worse ways to spend five minutes), and since there is no one way to play Passage, it allows for limited experimentation while playing, such as seeing how high you can get your score or how much of the maze you can explore before the game ends, and that’s without factoring in how traveling alone as opposed to traveling with your “spouse” impacts things. Sure, the ending’s the same regardless, but setting these objectives for oneself allows one to have fun (well, I have fun) in a game not designed around being fun, which I think makes each playthrough unique and more interesting.

The second game in the anthology is called Gravitation. Much more complex than Passage, the game is eight minutes in length, and unlike Passage, it utilizes a visible timer. You play as Rohrer himself and begin by playing catch with his child, Mez. Walking toward Mez causes him to throw a red ball in arcs of various heights, and you return it by ensuring it touches you. Each time the ball returns to Mez, your mood increases. The game’s music becomes faster and more upbeat, and the amount of the screen you can see also expands (you initially see yourself and a furnace; Mez is to your left). In addition, since you can jump in this game, your jump height increases with your mood, with the spontaneous combustion of your head indicating that your mood and possible jump height are at their respective maximums. After playing catch long enough, you will see a hole in the top of the area in which you are located. Jumping out of it will reveal a series of platforms and a blue star, introducing you to the game’s other mechanics. When you are not playing catch with Mez, your mood and jump height steadily decrease (the music also becomes more somber). Collecting blue stars will increase your mood and allow you to jump to higher and higher platforms. These stars fall upon contact and end up in the starting area as numbered ice cubes, which must be pushed into the aforementioned furnace in order to earn and increase your score. Eventually (if you decide to climb as high as you possibly can), you will encounter platforms you cannot reach, and your mood will drastically decrease to its lowest point. The screen will shrink until it displays your immediate surroundings, and you will have to return to and play catch with Mez, push ice cubes into the furnace, or simply wait for your mood to increase again. This cycle of increasing and decreasing your mood repeats until the game abruptly ends.

As I slightly hinted above in my description, Gravitation also allows for a degree of experimentation. You can either remain with Mez or vary the frequency with which you venture upward and return to the starting area. Without spoiling anything, that second option has the potential to drastically alter the course of the game, not that it has much of a course to begin with. Because of its platforming elements, Gravitation is, in a sense, more "fun" than Passage, though it is just as useful as a means of passing the time. Before I continue, I’d like to point out that there is much more to these games to that, but it is difficult to discuss these games without diminishing their potential impact on people who have yet to play them, which is why I have avoided discussing how these games are examples of the medium being used as art; that is something which must be realized through experiencing them, several times if necessary.

On that note, the final game in the anthology, Between, is the only one I have yet to experience. Unlike the other two games, Between is multiplayer-only, and the only multiplayer options the anthology offers are wireless and download play, both requiring two Nintendo DS systems, which isn’t practical for me (trying to play the game on PC isn’t any easier, since it involves finding someone who wants to play and having that person enter a code in order to join the game. The other option is to “join with a stranger” and hope someone is playing at the exact time you are), especially since Rohrer’s games aren’t exactly games to which most people are or would be attracted. In any case, I’ll include the description here as a courtesy to you all, since I don’t to want to deny you a potentially rewarding experience should you be interested enough to try it out, not to mention that it wouldn’t really be a review if I didn’t at least mention the game. Anyway, Between involves you and another person working together across three worlds to construct towers made of colored blocks from your inventory, displayed on the touch screen. You must balance using the blocks to build the towers and ensuring you have blocks to use in each world, though you can transition between worlds at will. Regarding the worlds, two are completed independently, but one is common to both players, requiring the players to cooperate in order to build the tower for that world, which not only is an interesting game mechanic but is also a potential bonding experience, since sabotage is impossible (as far as I know).

Aside from the three games, Alt-Play’s other content consists of a biography of Rohrer and a creator’s statement for each game (it’s $1.99, so you get what you pay for). I recommend reading the latter after playing the respective games. These games are vastly different from most games on the market in terms of general design and purpose, and having played Passage and Gravitation, I am certain my experiences with them would have been far less enjoyable than I have found them to be, and I think they are among the best experiences in the game industry right now. I know that not all of you will share my opinion, but I hope that I have at least piqued your curiosity enough for you to play them (and Between, of course). If you do so, I recommend playing them online first (they’re free and easily accessible through Google) , so that you buy the anthology if you like them, since the eShop video, description, and screenshots do not do them justice. With that, I express my thanks to the 'Shroom staff for offering me the opportunity to contribute to this issue and share these games within a game with you, and I hope you enjoy whatever experiences the holiday season may provide.

Old vs. New Music

by Crocodile Dippy (talk)

Warning – This section contains harsh language. If you prefer to avoid this content, we recommend that you skip this section.

My position as the supposed go-to guy for music in this community – at least one of them, anyway – isn't quite as glorious as you might think. I have a lot of knowledge on music, yes, and while I'm no expert on musicology I can say I probably know enough to get me by simple conversations, but being a socially awkward nerd who does video game criticism on the internet, all that really amounts to is me listening to albums on my lonesome whilst locked away in my room, so I don't have too many opportunities to truly observe the wider music community in general.

Despite this, I've been on the internet long enough to know how people tend to react to things they're not fond of, especially when they don't actually know what they're talking about; I do it all the time for my Crocodile Style Reviews section, so I know hyperbole when I see it. But being a huge music fan, there are some common topics or arguments I do see crop up a lot here and there; things that are so aggravating to the audiophile within me that I have no choice but to comment on it, and today I'll be talking about one of those topics – the argument that Old music is inherently better than new music.

So I've rarely seen a proper explanation even given for this argument, usually I only see smartasses claiming that “things were better in the old day, when we didn't have all this toilet music!” and leaving it at that. So I'll just start by saying what I think is the logic; music has lost its soul, that everything considerably popular in the modern age is manufactured, committee-designed, overproduced, specifically crafted to meet a specific set of properties so generic and easily applicable to any range of emotions so as to be identifiable by the largest crowd of people, even those not that into music. The “casual gamer” argument as applied to music, to put it in rather trite terms.

This is what you consider a high point for music? Are you people serious?

This seems to be ignoring that by their narrow definitions, music lost its soul the moment people acquired the technology to record and properly market music to the average consumer, rather than simply playing ragtime or folk tracks in the local pub and hoping you could amass a large enough audience. The Vera Lynn's or Frank Sinatra's of the old days were just as manufactured as the Nicki Minaj's and Katy Perry's of the modern age – probably moreso when you note that at least most modern chart toppers write their own songs, thank you Kate Bush for paving the way for that – and the dominance of said commercialised acts has always been pervasive in the now-markettable music industry.

If you just prefer the styles of music that were more popular back in the old days, then that's fine, there's no accounting for taste unless you like Limp Bizkit. All musical interests are purely subjective based on what each individual person is looking for in their music, which is why the argument about talent not being quite as prevalent anymore is nothing short of wilful ignorance. T-Pain and Lil Wayne – artists who objectively have no talent due to their adoration for that awful auto-tune device – may have a strong radio presence, but what did you have on the charts in the 70s; The Carpenters, Cher, The fucking Osmonds? Oh yeah, real grand musical cred right there!

The test of time tends to weed out the loser acts and only grant shining medals to the genuinely good artists that still hold up to this day. Most of the time, anyway, I would argue time has not shone a particularly kind light on the 1980s… but uh anyway, this is why you still hear about Led Zeppelin in virtually every major rock music outlet in existence, but Rainbow have sunk into niche appeal, and I can guarantee that the same will happen with contemporary music. I'm not really sure how this attitude became so prevalent among the younger age, perhaps it was adopted by the alternative crowd in some vain attempt to distinguish themselves from the mainstream despite the “old music” they listen to basically being the same sort of commercialisation just in a different time period, but this degree of blind arrogance really has to stop. It's becoming quite exhausting trying to share more recent bands with these people only to be snubbed because the year it was released in has a '2' at the start of it.

I would by far much rather listen to a band like Cut Copy here, or Pendulum, than the majority of the synthpop/rock garbage dominating the 1980s music scene.

With how rich and varied music has become, how you can instantly lose interest in an artist for being part of a newer generation is beyond me; that's like saying all modern American literature is bad solely because Twilight gets all the attention. Just to give you an idea of what you're missing out on by locking yourself away in a time warp, Queens of the Stone Age, Gogol Bordello, PJ Harvey, and TV on the Radio (yes I know they're on hiatus, shut up that's besides the point) all rock just as much as the old rock masters did; the electronic and/or ambient styling’s of bands like Air, The Avalanches, Bjork, and Daft Punk are worthy of Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, or David Bowie himself; why restrict yourself to Public Enemy and Run-D.M.C. when there's also Gorillaz, OutKast, MF DOOM, and M.I.A. to listen to? It's tiring having to explain to someone how Erykah Badu and Cee-Lo Green are fantastic neo-soul artists with gorgeous voices, only for them to be looked down as phonies because they aren't Aretha Franklin or Marvin Gaye.

There's still so much decent music and genuine talent still finding its way into the public eye, that it's nothing but pure pretentiousness to outright deny it for no better reason than because you can. Yes, the modern music industry has its problem. I will say that the charts have become even more token and meaningless than they used to be, what with only a few songs topping the charts a year because they stay there for months non-end without allowing a richer variety of artists and styles to get more radio attention; so many producers are taking the lazy way out of production and audio balancing, which doesn't comply well with the new technology and data storage formats we have today; and auto-tune is still the tool of the devil that has sapped so much talent out of this industry.

These are all problems that certainly need to be addressed for the future of the industry, but you don't fix these problems by shoving your head down a hole and only listening to the Bee Gees all day long, praying to your god(s) that things go back to the way they were. Things will never fully go back to the way they once were, nor should they as human society only thrives when it adapts and evolves, exploring new areas of intrigue that we might not have ever even dreamed about decades ago. The future for music should be an exciting thing, but only if you're willing to accept all our recent triumphs and failures, and instead appreciate the talent that the new generations have to offer; there are still skilful up-starts trying to make something stunning in the industry, so give them your support and make a stand against the shit that undermines their ability and integrity. Just for everyone's sake, don't contribute to the problem indirectly with your closed-mindedness; because at the end of the day, that's what destroys music, not Father Time.

The Fresh Paper Mario Returns

by Super-Yoshi (talk)

Warning – This section contains harsh language. If you prefer to avoid this content, we recommend that you skip this section.

Whoa snap it's your main man TFP (S-Y for you slow pokes) bringing in that new good good for The 'Shroom, the sequel to the prequel shit I don't even know what im talking about right now but the point is last time we did Paper Mario for the N64 & now we about to step it up to the

I'M RICH BIATCH!

whole
notha
level

YEA we talkin' about Paper Mario: Sticker Star for the 3DS! Damn fasten those seat belts cause we ain't got insurance like Wario's piece of shit bike.

Ok I gotta say it came out about a month ago, it wasn't too bad...shit what am I saying, this game was a piece of fuckin' garbage man. I want Nintendo to bring back the classical RPG elements that made the series so good. Lemme talk it one level back for a minute, you see, Paper Mario & Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door were excellent, they had the best everything. Yea man, the best everything, 10/10, no problems, you could replay those games for days & never get bored. Now Super Paper Mario came out and flipped shit to a whole nother dimension. The game wasn't so bad, but it wasn't really a Paper Mario, know what I mean? It's a sidescroller, but doesn't live up to that previous level that the first two put out for us. Now when Sticker Star came out, shit this game changed the whole "game". No partners, just some ~~Amazing Flyin' Hammer Bro.~~ annoying flying bitch sticker that lets you paste & remove stickers in the overworld. Oh, and guess what, this is also somewhat of a platformer as well. I don't even know how to classify it, there are fight scenes but they really, really suck. Well now you know a bit about this game, so let's get to the core shit about why I (and many other fans) dislike it oh, so very much.

This is how it shoulda been =(

Typical fuckin story. Ok it's all good we're in mothafuckin Decalburg chillin and the Sticker Comet comes by its like woah snap this is some mystical shit right here, but that one motherfucker crashes the party and takes that one bitch to that one castle. The story begins, you gotta collect some Royal Stickers to counter the last & most powerful one on that one motherfucker's head. You clean up the mess, and you get a Hammer, and that's it, you can't upgrade to like Super Boots and whatnot. No Star Points, No Flower Points, No Badge Points. A tear went down my face as I saw the horror of all this. TWO PAPER MARIOS IN A ROW WITH NONE OF THESE? My heart was broken, oh man, unrepairable shit. Anyway, off you go on your journey blah blah

FUCK THE POLICE

Now you start off in the jazzy town of Decalburg, and already paths to the six worlds in are unlocked for you so you can play them in any order (with the exception of Bowser's, dummy). Graphics were superb, I really liked that one thing they added in the Sticker Album where you tilt your 3DS and it reflects off, kinda making it feel realistic. Nice touches here and there, but what about the core gameplay? In battles, you do fight enemies in a battle scene type of thing but you can only attack the enemy thats in front of you, and can't hit the people in the back. I was like, is there some hidden combination or something that allows me to choose? But no, they just wanna make your life miserable but fixing something that wasn't even broke. To make matters worse, you gain no experience fighting so whats the point? They don't even give you anything, a few Coins if you deal damage while their HP is zero so why even battle? While it may seem pointless, sometimes it's fun because of how you battle; by using your wide range of stickers that you find, like Slaphammers and Iron Jumps, there's too many to count. You can even find stickers that are objects and use them in battle or the overworld. For example, if you found a Fan, you can place that somewhere in the overworld to blow something like a windmill, or you could use it in battle to do massive damage to all enemies. Kind of a unique idea, but poorly executed imo. Why I say this, is because the boss battles were fuckin intense. Holy shit, the enemies are little pussies compared to these guys. And some of them have weaknesses that you don't even know, you gotta go back to this one weird object -> sticker converter guy in Decalburg that makes your objects -> stickers and theres like 100 of them, so you'll be at this shit for days trying to figure out which object works the best against which boss. There's even some drug dealer that sells you objects beside this guy, that guys cool man, but I ain't saying go do drugs yknow. Overall it is pretty unique, but massive improvements could be made.

I swear, this is the only legit object sticker. Everything else is a fucking appliance or retarded thing like a balloon.

Some complaints I have are that once again we have a classic 3D sidescroller (if that makes any sense), like each screen is kind of like a typical PM or TTYD screen but you can keep progressing until you hit a star block thing like from SPM. Oh, and i'll mention that for the first time we have Kamek, not even that ol hag Kammy, like what happened did she die? Idk they just fucked it up kind of with all this new bullshit. Oh my god, I have to tell you, I literally got stuck on a boss because they had spikes on them, and I only had Jump stickers left. Like, gimme a break, this guy has a Hammer in his inventory and he cant even use it? What the fuck man, just what the fuck. It's kinda flawed like that, the sticker system that is, you shouldn't be having problems like this in 2012, a game from famed Nintendo, and arguebly one of the best series around. A Paper Mario game should be fun, fair, and of course, RPG-esque with no fucking bullshit stickers god damn I've had enough of stickers like I peeled one off my wall irl cause this game made me mad (TRUE STORY).

The Music/Sound in this game is very jazzy and nicely polished. That's one thing I like about this game, it sounds old school and fresh. Like listen to these, they sound so cheery, like any other PM game I guess. Sticker Star definitely has some tracks to make you get off your feet and just groove to the funky vibes yknow B) The sound effects are really nicely done as well, they actually feel like some real effects as if this shit were happening outside your backyard or something.

Overall, Paper Mario: Sticker Star was a pretty decent game, but i'd say probably the worst of the series. If you haven't played it yet I don't recommend you do, unless you're a diehard fan like me. Save your money for something like Luigi's Mansion 2 or a Wii U maybe (hopefully a Paper Mario 5 comes out for that and that will be the savior of the series!) I'd say this game is about a 5.5/10, with major flaws here and there, some bad platforming, and sometimes just too fucking challenging that you're like fuck this I'd rather go play TTYD again. (True story, that's actually what I did after this piece of shit.)

I hope you all enjoyed my review, seeya around!

Thank You

by Super Mario Bros. (talk)

Hello everybody, this is SMB here. It seems like it has been a long time– I have been directing this paper for two years now, and I have seen this paper in good times and in bad times. And so I look back on the time that has past, and I begin to realize how much The 'Shroom has actually changed— I can say without a doubt that the project has improved during my time as Director, and that many great things have developed. However, I can also say with certainty that I am not the one that should be credited with all of this progress. Of course, this distinction goes to the writers and the other Core Staff members of The 'Shroom... without these integral contributors, the project would be nothing and the effort that has been invested over the past years would be rendered moot.

And so I would like to offer my deepest thanks to everybody that has made The 'Shroom what it is. I am sure that the amount of people that have contributed to the news paper in my time as Director, let alone for the entirety of its existence, can never be narrowed down to a specific number. Many people have shaped the project in a variety of ways (those that respond to the Feedback Surveys, those that make suggestions to the executives, the ones that sign up for sections, members of the community that participate in The 'Shroom Awards, the staff that has helped us along the way, and people that have done us huge favors by contributing guest pieces and artwork and such)... everybody's support makes it worthwhile. The enthusiasm from the community in turn makes me enthusiastic about having the honor to lead the project and manage its operations, and as long as this constant excitement and yearning for improvement continues, The 'Shroom has a long and bright future ahead of itself.

On the managerial side of everything here, we have a strong team that makes each month go as smoothly as it can. Kibago (talk) has been an amazing Sub-director and an invaluable member of the Core Staff, and it is thanks to him that each month our new issues are ready to go out and that everything is prepared in time for release day each time. Henry Tucayo Clay (talk) has done an outstanding job as Statistics Manager– his job is absolutely not an easy one, and it often requires him to do extensive research into past issues and past discussions and whatnot, yet he always manages to be there when we need him to carry out his duties. Marioguy1 (talk), although slightly inactive at this point, has often pitched good ideas and has served The 'Shroom in an honorable fashion in his time as a staff member. Our Sub-team Directors— MrConcreteDonkey (talk) (Fake News Director), Gamefreak75 (talk) (Fun Stuff Director), Smasher (talk) (Music & Artwork Director), Paper Yoshi (talk) (Pipe Plaza Director), and Crocodile Dippy (talk) (Critic Corner Director)— have all put their fullest efforts into their teams and the staff discussions overall, and each and every one of them brings special and unique qualities to the table as staff members. Overall, it has been an honor to serve with them (as well as Twentytwofiftyseven (talk), Ralphfan (talk), Stooben Rooben (talk), and Fawfulfury65 (talk)) on the staff team throughout my time as Director, and the experience would not have been the same if any of them were not involved.

Of course, there are also the writers, who comprise the backbone of this project. Many people have come and gone, and several have consistently submitted sections over a longer period of time. Every writer's contribution to the paper has helped us grow and release quality issues over the months, and so I am always happy to see older writers stick around and newer members also trying out for sections– I feel that it is a very good way to get to know the members of our community and to have a melting pot of users of diverse backgrounds getting together and shaping this project into something fantastic. Volunteer writers, guests, and those that contribute special aspects to each issue also make a great impact and they bring a certain dynamic to The 'Shroom that we would not have any other way. All in all, seeing the different members of the community getting together and making this newspaper a reality is what makes it so great... the publication has truly been for the readers and for the writers, and in the end that is what makes it so great.

And so I say all of this because I truly appreciate the work that everybody has done. I have personally witnessed many excited individuals come in with the goal of making the paper its best, and in the end that makes me honored to be the Director of a project with such positive energy behind it. To think that practically four years ago, there were suggestions being thrown around that called for the abolition of this project... and that many years later, The 'Shroom has rebounded significantly and a new dedication to it has risen. I am thankful for everybody that has made this possible, and I myself will always hold a special place in my heart for the Official Newspaper of the Super Mario Wiki and everybody that has shaped it.

Thank you everybody,

— Super Mario Bros. (talk)

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Leirin

First article:	Non-Mario Reviews, Issue XXIV
Last article:	Non-Marioverse Reviews, Issue XLIV
Sections Written:	Main: 18