The 'Shroom:Issue XXXVI
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| Issue XXXVI | March 18th, 2010 | About |
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| Staff Notes | Fake News | Art & Music | |||
| Interview Stooben Rooben |
Brawl Tactics FunkyK38 |
Non-Marioverse Review Leirin | |||
| Fun Stuff | Pipe Plaza | Ultimate Character Tournament |
Fun Stuff
Mystery Image
By Tucayo (talk)
Last one is non-Mario!
Crossword
Find the Differences
This is the original
This is the edited version. It contains 10 differences.
Guess Who?
By Reversinator (talk)
I’m a dastardly spectre.
I’ve appeared an a boss, a character and an ally.
I have a rivalry with a certain moustachioed man.
I’ve disguised myself as the main villain himself.
Nothing is known of my past.
Who am I?
I have only appeared in a single RPG.
My true name is unpronounceable by you.
I am a soul that inhabited an inanimate object.
I joined the hero when he and his clan helped me beat a villain to reclaim something.
My goal was to save the wishes of all.
Who am I?
Mind Bogglers
Papero (talk) 10 sprites are hiding here.
Answer:
Link
Fake News
Director's Notes
Welcome to this month's Fake News! As you may know, many of our positions are open, so please add your name in the {{User|(your name)}} format to the lists below for up to two of the following positions:
Fake Music
Fake Games
Fake Weather
- LaLaLand123 (talk)
- Nintendude (talk)
- Mr.Nintendo (talk)
- -Dry Bones- (talk)
- KS3 (talk)
- bjdill (talk)
Character Battle
- VCS777 01:30, 21 March 2010 (EDT)
Travel Guide
This month, we are offering a vacation package to lovely Kyrgyzstan Poshley Heights. In Poshley Heights, people ſpeak in thy old tongue, ſor in be moſt un-Poſh indeed. That's right, ſpeaking ye olde Engliſh is one of the beſt noſtalgic traditions that Poſhley Heights has to offer! Needleſs to ſay, the reſt of the attractions aren't that bad. There's a big ſanctum, and you can find fake Cryſtal ſtars there. Touriſts have been known to ſteal them and re-ſell them on eBay, claiming they are the real deal...but you didn't hear that from us.
Cooking Guide
by Baby Mario Bloops (talk)
Welcome back, everyone, to the Cooking Guide section! This month, we are happy to bring out our special guest, Dyllis!
Today we...okay, Dyllis will show you all how to make the berry-filled icy treat, the Berry Snow Bunny!
Just as usual, we will show you a more tasty way to make this one of a kind treat. Yet this time, it is a double ingredient, so watch closely. Here is what you need:
- A pound of Pink Apples.
- An Ice Storm
- A pint of Turtley Leaves
- A blender.
- A mixing bowl and spoon.
- A bunny-mold.
- A working Freezer.
- You must go to The Overthere, which may be hard if you're an evil person. If you're good, kill yourself, and grab all the pink apples in the tree, which should be roughly three. Then go to King Grambi and eat crow 'til he revives you back into life.
- Buy an ice storm at the nearest store. Yes, I know, it's that easy.
- Then find a Koopa Troopa and jump on it 'til you get the turtley leaves it is holding.
- Go to the kitchen with all the supplies listed above.
- Put the pink apples into the blender, and set it on low. This will take a while.
- Mix the ice storm in the mixing bowl and stir until it is as white as snow.
- Now put the mixture into the bunny mold, and then put it in the freezer for approximately 2 hours, 1 minute, 10 seconds, 5 milliseconds, and 8 nanoseconds.
- Take out the hardened white treat and put the turtley leaf on it to make a Snow Bunny.
- Now turn off the mixture, but make sure that it is absolutely liquid.
- Pour the liquid on the snow bunny.
- Now, if all completely to perfection, you should have created a berry snow bunny. Eat it all, before it melts in the upcoming spring!
Ads
by Gamefreak75 (talk)
This month's special item is none other than...Wario's crap, I mean, cap. It's much more stylish than the boring Mario cap and horrendous Luigi cap.
Love the color yellow, but find all other headgears unfashionable? Well, it's your lucky day, because for a limited time only, Wario Caps are being given away. Oddly, this cap will give the wearer superhuman strength and a huge bulbous nose with a stupid looking mustache.
Side effects may include increased fatness, heart disease, diabetes, slowness, stupidity, increased cholesterol, abundance of gas, fatness, smelliness, extreme greed, high blood pressure, arrogance, and much more. Did I mention fatness?
Hurry while supplies last, because we don't Wario to find out his caps are missing...
Interview
by Baby Mario Bloops (talk)
Hello to all those smart readers that love drama, this is Baby Mario Bloops, host of the Fake News section called the Fake Interview! Today's chat is with Rosalina, the princess of the universe! With nothing further to say, let us begin this interview!
Baby Mario Bloops: Well, how to begin... So, how is the observatory holding up?
Rosalina: Well, it's much better since Mario and Luigi saved it, and all my children are now happy.
Baby Mario Bloops: That's always nice to hear. So, is it hard remembering all the Lumas' names?
Rosalina: Not at all, it is quite simple when you have infinite time to memorize them.
Baby Mario Bloops: That's so nice, it reminds me of the storybook you read. Speaking of which, was it hard to tell that story to everyone?
Rosalina: Not really. I swore never to shed a tear, and my tempo has never changed since that promise. Of course I still have sorrow deep down for all things horrible.
Baby Mario Bloops: Sniff...I'm sorry, but hearing that is so sad. I mean, you watch as all Lumas transform, you see them die.
Rosalina: Yes, yet they are reborn into another Luma, though they are never the same.
Baby Mario Bloops: And then there is the story of your mother...
Rosalina: Yes, that is a story I would like to keep mostly a secret.
Baby Mario Bloops: Understandable, yet you seem to keep your life excepting the events of the Storybook a mystery. Why is that?
Rosalina: It must be because of the terrors and harshness I've experienced that I truly feel no one should hear.
Baby Mario Bloops: I know this might be demanding, but could you please explain a little more of yourself, such as your human family?
Rosalina: That I can help out with. I have a brother, a father, and a mother. Yet, as time passes, I remain immortal while their lives ended quite a while ago.
Baby Mario Bloops: Sniff...I feel your pain. At least since you met Mario, everything has been better.
Rosalina: That is true.
Baby Mario Bloops: Hey, is there any chance that you will be one of the main characters in later games, such as Super Mario Galaxy 2?
Rosalina: Well, you may see. Now it is time for me to go, but I will watch over all of you.
Baby Mario Bloops: Thank you for the interview, Rosalina. Bye everyone, and thanks for another successful interview by your one and only BMB!
Fake Sports
Now that we have spent the better part of the month of February curling to our hearts' content, we get back into the world of professional sports with a bit of March Madness, Mario style! Due to recent injuries, fans are given fireproof suits upon entering the arena, and are advised to bring shields to protect themselves from flying objects. Other than that, I guess you can say it's a fun experience...as long as Duke doesn't win.
Fake Characters
by LaLaLand123 (talk)
Wow, Nintendo is on a roll isn't it? They've released ANOTHER new game. This one's a cool one. It's the first Mario game to introduce Mario and Luigi's extended family. This means many new characters are going to appear. For instance, it introduces Mario's wife cousin. Her name is Sally Mario. She helps you along on your journey to save Princess Peach. You find her in the sixth world. Another character is Mario's Grandfather. His name is Grandpoppy Mario. He can be found at different levels to heal your HP completely. Next is Mario's Uncle! His name is Uncle Slario. He is found in the third world. The new game is called Super Mario Family Adventure and comes out in 2022 for the Wii and DS. It's a 3-D third person game. I'm looking forward to it!
Fake Shop
by Travix Man (talk)
Welcome to the Fake Shop! This month, we have all new items! Yep, that's what Fawful said! MORE!!! Here are the items of the month.
1st item: Magic Paintbrush (Totally wicked!!!)
Information: The item that first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine. It will let you paint anything, and whatever you draw will come to life!
Price: 1000 coins (What? It's rare, and awesome!)
2nd item: Bowser Kart (from Double Dash!!)
Information: This will run through any terrain! Crush the ground, and drive like crazy!!!
Price: 30000 coins (because it's a kart.)
3rd item: Shadow Mario Bandanna (TRANSFORM!!!)
Information: This is no ordinary bandanna; this one will let you transform into Mario. Shadow or not? You decide!
Price: 50 coins (cheap, right?)
4th item: Daisy's Dress (I know, I stole it from her, but what can I say? I'm a genius.)
Information: This dress comes in children's size, teen size, and even adult size! This may get you dates more easily. (Probably, I don't know.)
Price: 100 coins (Again... cheap.)
5th item: Mario's hat (Yes, it's real, but I cloned it! Mario still has his hat, and we are all happy, right?)
Information: Protects you from the angry sun that hates Mario and all of you. (What? He's ANGRY, right?)
Price: 1000000 coins (Sorry, but it is. It's Mario's hat, so talk to him about it.)
Well, those are our items for this month, and the gift cards are still raging on. That's right! Just head to the part of the talk page where it says “Gift Card shop”, or something like that. I hope to see you all later!
Art & Music
Director's Notes
Paper Pikachu
Hi everyone! As of this month, we've had a lot of changes in the staff. All of the previous writers (excluding myself) have been fired due to inactivity, while FunkyK38 has joined us for Sprite of the Month, and Homestar Runner for Box Art of the Month. Anyone interested in a job can PM me on the forums, or send me a message on my talk page.
Boxart of the Month (Homestar Runner)
The boxart for this month is Super Mario Strikers (Mario Smash Football in Europe). I choose it for its artistic detail and excitement. I think next month I'll do an RPG.
Or not.
Soundtrack of the Month (Paper Pikachu)
The soundtrack for this month is from Super Paper Mario, and is the battle music [1] for the fight with Brobot L-Type. I chose it based on sheer randomness, but as I fondly recall, it turns out to be a good piece of music.
Sprite of the Month (FunkyK38)
A sprite of Midbus in his battle stance from Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
Pipe Plaza
Director's Notes
SMB
Hey guys, this is SMB. It's the first time in a while that I am putting the Pipe Plaza together (MG1 has done it in recent months), so it's a bit of a change. Sorry for the lateness, as I was busy a bit this past week.
NIWA News
By Tucayo (talk)
Hello readers! And welcome to the second issue of the NIWA News! Many things happened during these last days, so let’s give them a review.
- Some weeks ago we had an alliance request of Wars Wiki, but due to it being too small, it had to be worked on to make it to the approximate limit of 200 articles in order to join. March 16th they made it to the 200 articles!!! It is likely they will join the NIWA in the upcoming weeks. Thanks to Hotchmoney, Axiomist, JoJo, Mextex and Cipriano 119 for their amazing job in helping the Wars Wiki grow.
- During these last weeks, there has appeared a list of all the Nintendo franchises that would serve for a wiki, following an “old” discussion, the NIWA staff is planning to make a Nintendo Wiki to include all the small franchises that won’t have their own wiki. Here is the list as it appears in the NIWA forums:
1) Franchises With an Already Aligned Wiki • The Legend of Zelda (Zelda Wiki) • Mario (Super Mario Wiki) • Pokémon (Bulbapedia)
2) Franchises With Wikis That Need More Growth Before Joining NIWA • Animal Crossing (In the works) • Kirby (WiKirby) • Metroid (Metroid Wiki) • Star Fox (Lylat Wiki) • Super Smash Bros. (Reserved by NIWA staff) • Wars (Wars Wiki)
3) Popular Nintendo Franchises Without Independent Wikis • Earthbound/Mother • Fire Emblem • Ace Attorney • Prof. Layton • Golden Sun
4) Less Important Franchises Without Wikis • 1080° • Chibi-Robo • Custom Robo • Excite • F-Zero • Game & Watch • Kid Icarus • The Legendary Starfy • Magical Starsign/Vacation • Pikmin • Punch-Out!! • Pilotwings • Puzzle League • Sin & Punishment • Touch! Generations/Wii (Nintendogs is merged into this) • Trauma Center • Wave Race
- These are relatively old news, but Userpedia and Fantendo affiliations have been declined by the staff. Fantendo’s had originally been accepted, but due to some problems there were in moving out of Wikia, the userbase preferred to stay there.
- WiKirby has had some errors some days ago, but the amazing staff fixed it quickly Smiley
- We will have a new hub design in the next weeks, and with this new design, there will come the official affiliation of Wikirby, Metroid Wiki and Wars Wiki.
And this is all we have at the moment, but remember I will update this section when important stuff happens, so keep a close eye on it! See ya later!
Monthly Report
By Tucayo (talk)
Hello readers!! Well, I already greeted you in the last section...... anyways.... This has been a busy month in the wiki; here I will put you up-to-date with all the on-goings.
Proposals
These are the proposals that were, well, proposed during this last month:
- More transparency in discussions. Proposed by Cobold. Outcome was: AMEND RULES 21-0. Changes applied: Votes get stricken out instead of removed, no one has the rights to remove a vote if it’s not clearly rubbish, all past discussions get archived and linked to from the talk page.
- Change rules for invalidating votes. Proposed by Cobold. Outcome was: WAIT 24 HOURS BEFORE REMOVING INVALIDATED VOTES 18-0. Changes applied: 24 hours most pass before a vote gets removed so that the user can fix his/her vote.
- Change Proposal Archives. Proposed by Knife and RAP. Outcome: CHANGE 13-0. Changes applied: Proposals archive system will change to a better system where proposals have their own page, which is linked to from a main archive page so that they are organized by date and it is actually possible to find a certain proposal.
- 24-Hour Delay Before Voting on Proposals. Proposed by Time Q. Outcome: CHANGE 16-0. Changes applied: users must wait 24 hours before voting on a proposal. During this time the proposal may be discussed in the comments section to make any corrections needed
- Non-Mario Appearances in Infoboxes. Proposer: Time Q. Outcome: REMOVE 12-2. Changes made: Removes games that don’t belong to the Mario series from the “Last/First appearance” in character infoboxes.
- Another Proposal on removing the FI. Proposer: KS3 (formerly “I will help the mariowiki a lot”, “War of 1812”, “mariokart66!” and more). Outcome: KEEP 6-12. This proposal is the first of many proposals based on old proposals.
- Table Button On Editing Screen. Proposer: Lucariosaura. Outcome: cancelled because it was impossible to implement this.
- Add Quote of the Week (or Featured Quote) to the Main Page. Proposer: KS3. Outcome: NO QUOTE ON MAIN PAGE 4-13
- Proposals Should End At The end of the day one week after voting starts (In GMT). Proposer: Garlic Man (now known as Marcelagus). Outcome: CHANGE 8-0. Changes applied: Proposals will end at the end of the day (23:59 [GMT]) instead of ending at 17:00, 21:00, and those confusing hours.
- Bring back Weekly Polls. Proposer: KS3. Outcome: DON'T BRING BACK 4-8
- Deciding Birdo's Sex. Proposer: KS3. Outcome:CALL FEMALE 0-1-15
- Remove Construction template after a certain amount of time. Proposer: Reversinator. Outcome: DELETED
- TPP Archiving. Proposer: Marioguy1. Outcome KEEP AS IS 0-1-0-6 (to my displeasure)
- Final Vote. Proposer: Ralphfan. Outcome: NO FINAL VOTE PROPOSALS 1-11
- Recreate Snufit Ball. Proposer: KS3 (Is someone trying to break SMB’s record?). Outcome: DELETED
- The "Mario Series Games" Template Revision. Proposer: Luvluv321. Outcome:NO QUORUM 3-0
Ummm... Yes, it was long... You may think I am done with my section, well, no. That’s only the first part!! So get ready. Don’t worry, this stuff is not too long.
Forum
- Sadly, Glowsquid resigned from his position as Forum Admin for who-knows what causes.
- Noah, former Admin, was banned from the forum for sockpuppeting and trolling.
- NG pulled out what is called a “Noah” and apparently demoted himself after a discussion about post counts. We later found out that he didn’t resign.
Awards
Oh yes!! The 5th Anniversary of the wiki is approaching, and the preparations are getting started! Check the Child Board in General Discussion in our forum for further info.
Meeting will also take place Friday nights in #mwikiawards 8pm (Eastern time).
This year we will have something called Shroom Awards, forum for more info, not with me, I know nothing.
Sign Ups for Awards Committee will begin soon! Or at least I think so, I got confused over this……
Featured Content
- Yoshi was unfeatured
- Nomination for Castle Bleck failed.
- Yoshi’s Story also failed.
- Wario is getting nominated for unfeaturing, help it!! Or he will eat you!
Renames
- Garlic Man got renamed to Marcelagus
- SuperMarioGalaxy2 got renamed to LuigiFan
- Mastablasta got a rename to Not Bugsy
And now I will end my section with a piece of trivia…. Did you know that 64 is the most used number in nicks? Seriously! Well, I hope you liked my monthly report, I did it just as back up, but you may see me back here! BYE!
Upcoming Games (Paper Pikachu)
Super Mario Galaxy 2
In a recently released trailer, we were introduced to new bosses Gobblegut, Mallettoid, and Digg-Legg. New galaxies, such as Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla, Supermassive Galaxy, Hightail Falls Galaxy, and Upside Dizzy Galaxy were revealed. We saw already known game mechanics involving Yoshi, and saw the Drill being used yet again. It has also been confirmed that the Dino Piranha will return once more, presumably as the first boss, and new enemies, like a Dry Bones-esque skull that destroys ground with Dark Matter have been revealed.
Tip of the Month (FunkyK38)
When editing an article, you should link a character's name to their page the first time it appears, for example, In the Mario article, Luigi or Peach's name should only be linked to their articles once. You don't have to link articles every time they appear, or the entire article would be black and blue with links.
Brawl Tactics
What's up, Brawlers? As you all should know, March is Pokemon month on Brawl Tactics, so I will be doing the Spear Pillar stage!
Okay, all of you have seen this stage, but have you really looked at the details they put into it? For example, the two floating panels each have pictures of Dialga and Palkia on them, and you can tell which legendary you will get by the hue the stage is when you're brawling; Pink is for Palkia and Blue is for Dialga. Of course, Cresselia will sometimes appear, but that's another story. One thing that's good is that Dialga and Palkia's Pokemon cries sound exactly like they do in the Pokemon Anime. Even though they don't acknowledge the fact that there are TV shows made out of the games, they got the Pokemon cries right.
On to my analysis of the Pokemon themselves. Dialga first. Being the Temporal Pokemon, it can slow down time on the stage much more than can any item, such as the stopwatch or even Shadow the Hedgehog when he is used as an Assist Trophy. I can't tell you how hard it is to move your characters around when time slows down that much- A fast character like Sonic slows down to about Bowser's speed, and it's kind of annoying. Dialga can also use Hyper Beam on the stage and it can blast out parts of the stage like Palkia can. Those Hyper Beams are very powerful- They don't last as long as the Combo-Cannon on the Halberd, but they do as much damage and they have a very high launching power, so be careful. Dialga will also jump out onto the stage and use its moves, so when it roars and nothing seems to happen, it WILL jump out at you and it will hurt if you're not careful.
Palkia has a few of the same powers as Dialga when it comes to messing wit the stage levels, like taking out big chunks of the stage or shooting Hyper Beams, but Palkia has its own move set that is drastically different from Dialga. Palkia, being the Spatial Pokemon, can flip the stage a number of different directions, including completely upside-down. If you're really unlucky, it will reverse the stage controls, which lasts for only a few seconds, but, if you're like me, that's just enough time for you to send your character flying off the stage the wrong way to a KO. My advice is to stay on the ground, away from the edges, and hope for the best. Another thing about Palkia is that it can reduce gravity on the stage. I often find myself already in the air, and it catches me after my fifth jump, when I am completely defenseless. If you can get your character back to the ground, they will be fine unless you jump again.
Finally, Cresselia. There's a reason why I like Darkrai so much better than Cresselia, and that is this: I HATE it in Brawl. Cresselia attacks with Psychic attacks that move around the stage and have high launching power. They're fairly easy to avoid, but if you get hit with them, it hurts and it's annoying. Cresselia also has a high pitched, repeated cry. Unlike Dialga and Palkia, Cresselia's cry remains almost the same with each attack she flings out. But, she can't flip the stage, destroy parts of it, or shoot Hyper Beams like the others, so that's good for us!
That's it for me this month, folks! Next month, I think you'll all like what I'm doing next month, being April Fools and all.
Interview
Written by Stooben Rooben (talk)
Heyo, readers of this section. I decided to take over the Interview position since it's really easy and I want to look like I'm doing a lot...uh...I mean, because it's my job to make The 'Shroom more complete. So, shut up, sit down, and bask in the educational value of this amazing interview. ...Alright, alright; I'll stop being so arrogant.
The Target
This month, I chose to interview Super Mario Bros. (talk) -- Patroller of the Super Mario Wiki, and dedicated friend of many. SMB is 14 years old, and is among the youngest of the MarioWiki's current administrative staff. He's pretty mature for his age, but he still has a silly side that slips out at times and usually causes not only his friends, but mere acquaintances to loosen up. SMB is a wonderful user in many ways. He contributes greatly to just about any site he's a part of, has a great understanding of the rules, enforces rules well, and is an overall kind person. He's great at what he does, and I can just tell that he really enjoys every minute of it. SMB hasn't been an active member for a real long time, but he definitely has made his mark on the MarioWiki and it's affiliates. He's made a few mistakes in the past (mostly on Userpedia, though), but he's done more than enough to compensate for his wrong-doings. So, this month, I got to find out some interesting details about SMB that some of us may like to know.
The Interview
Me: Do you think I could...
Me: ...um...
Me: I've never asked anyone this before. ^^;
Me: Could I interview you for the 'Shroom? :D
SMB: :D
SMB: I'd be happy to be interviewed. :)
Me: Cool stuff.
Me: OK, so where to start...oh, yeah.
Me: How did you find the MarioWiki?
SMB: Well, to be honest, I can't really recall. I browsed the wiki during 2007, and then I joined in 2008 (only to go inactive). If I can think of the most probable reason, I probably found the link on TMK. I might have also found a link on Wikipedia, but I'm sure it was the former.
Me: So, you used to hang out on TMK? What did you do there?
SMB: Not much. I read all of the information I could find. :P
Me: I see. So, do you enjoy finding information on the MarioWiki?
SMB: Hm... To be quite honest, I really haven't read much information lately. I've mostly been on the chat and post on the forum (which is easier to do during the school-year than editing and reading the wiki, in my opinion). But when I have searched information on the wiki, I do enjoy reading it. :)
Me: I agree. Especially about the forum part. :P So, what is it like being a Patroller?
SMB: Well, as of now, not much different from when I was a regular user (except for having access to the Staff board, and being able to block trolls and the such). Perhaps this is because at the time of my promotion(s) (when I was more active), there were troll attacks more frequently. Everything seems more relaxed now, and most of the Sysops zap the trolls for us Patrollers. :P
Me: Yeah, back then there was far more to do as an Admin. Say, which do you think is better: The wiki, the forum, or the chatroom?
SMB: To tell you the truth, I like all three of them. there really isn't much comparison between them, in my opinion. The wiki is fun for me to edit. The forum is fun for me to post in. And the chatroom is fun for me to relax in. B)
Me: That's a nice way to look at it. :)
Me: Are you excited about the MW Anniversary coming up this year?
SMB: Totally. Last year's ceremonies were very exciting for me, and I'm sure this year's won't fall short. I'm also glad to be a part of the planning staff of the Awards as well.
Me: Good to know! Branching outside of MarioWiki questions...what kind of music do you like?
SMB: Oh, I like a lot of music. Most notably, I like music by The Beatles, Queen, Michael Jackson; although I like a lot of music from other groups and individuals.
Me: Those are really great artists! Do you have any notable hobbies or activities outside the wiki that you take part in? You in the military?
Me: The CIA?
SMB: Lol. :P Um... most of my hobbies are music-related and video game-realted. The rest of my time mainly goes towards schoolwork and internet (internet being all of my internet activities combined, like MarioWiki, Userpedia, FaceBook, etc.).
Me: I see. Sounds like you've got things well prioritized. :P
SMB: ...I guess. xP
Me: You've made a lot of proposals on the MarioWiki...are there any of them that you're really proud of?
SMB: Um... Maybe one or two. More so, I'm specifically proud of my proposal that organized the Poll Selection (replacing signatures on the voting parts with [[User:{{{1}}}|{{{1}}}]] ([[User talk:{{{1}}}|talk]])), as that caused a huge boom of proposals about the topic. It basically indirectly helped the Admins see the many flaws in the process in general. I'm also proud of my proposal that merged the Pipe Plaza into The 'Shroom; and my proposal that suggested bringing a Monitor ranking on the wiki (
Me: Interesting. Any that you are embarrassed by?
SMB: ...Most of my other proposals. :P
Me: lol
Me: *looks up*
Me: Hm, maybe just a couple more questions.
Me: What's it like being interviewed?
SMB: Hm... It's pretty fun. :)
Me: Cool. Now...how utterly depressing is it knowing that you'll never be interviewed for The 'Shroom again?
SMB: Hm... Not very depressing. At least I had the chance to get interviewed at all. :)
Me: You're too good of a sport for your own good. :P So...is this the last question?
SMB: Is it the last question?
SMB: I don't think it was. :P
Me: Are you sure?
Me: ...Oh wait, you're right. XP
Me: Haha, thanks for your time. :)
SMB: No problem, Stooben McRooben. :P
SMB: And thanks for interviewing me. :)
Me: You're welcome.
In Closing
Although this interview does hold some interesting facts about SMB, it doesn't even leave a dent in what this kid has to offer. For those of you who know SMB well, you know exactly what I'm talking about. But, if you don't know SMB yet, I'd recommend talking to him. You never know — you might just make a new friend.
Non-Marioverse Review
As we reviewed Pikmin in the past, this month we'll be reviewing Pikmin 2.
Few game sequels, especially these days, can live up to the original. No one really knows why, but they tend to lack the magic that made their predecessors so great in the first place. Pikmin 2 is not one of those sequels. Pikmin 2 is what other sequels should be.
Featuring an unlimited amount of time to play, a more strategic system, longer storyline and multiplayer modes, what's harder to think of is what Pikmin 2 doesn't have. It all starts when Olimar, after returning to his home planet Hocotate, hears the terrible news of his company going bankrupt when Louie, another space captain, claims "Space Bunnies" ate their prized stash of Pikpik Carrots, one of the main products of Hocotate Freight. While listening to the Presidents' woes, Olimar accidentally drops an old bottle cap -- a treasure he found on the Pikmin planet that he intended to give as a souvenir to his son. The ship tests its worth, and bang -- such a simple treasure is worth 100 Pokos, "more than a year's salary!" Determined that the Pikmin planet will get the company out of debt, Olimar is ordered to go with Louie to bring back more treasures.
Rather than collecting ship parts, the focus of this game is collecting treasures. What kinds of treasures, you ask? They vary from toys to jewelery to soda cans to batteries. They come in all shapes and sizes and have different worths that will, eventually, pull Hocotate Freight out of its massive debt. They are mainly found underground, in caves Olimar will travel through (and he'll usually have to put up a fight to obtain them). There are four main areas, based on different seasons, with at least one cave in each. Along with collecting treasures, Olimar's suit will also receive upgrades -- new capabilities, such as a stronger punch or a treasure-sensitive radar.
As for the enemies you encounter in this game, if you were frightened by some of the baddies in the first game, you'll be terrified of what Pikmin 2 has in store. Bosses, specifically the spider enemies, will appear right out of nowhere, potentially scaring you out of your skin, or crushing all your Pikmin before the fight even begins. There's a great variety, all of which have their own Olimar's Journal entry -- a great, overlooked feature where Olimar describes the enemies in scientific detail in his diary. Bring a full squad of Pikmin when you see a strange-looking creature, that's my advice.
Speaking of the Pikmin, the game has two new flavors, Purple and White. Burly purple Pikmin will crush enemies and can carry 10 times their own size, and white Pikmin will deactivate poisonous devices and can poison enemies when eaten.
I needn't spoil what happens, but there's also a great, unexpected twist in the game that reassures those who thought this game might also be too short. Pikmin 2 rarely loses its luster, though you have to be a very dedicated gamer to play.
The graphics are a slight improvement over the original, appearing less blurry and crisper, and the different scenes have some incredibly realistic rendering. The difficulty seems to be aimed at advanced players -- not experts, but those with a good grasp on the concept who can balance tasks out well enough to get those 100 Pikmin back in the pods before the day ends.
Pikmin 2 is superb, it raises the bar for sequels on every level. Most highly recommended.
Welcome
Welcome to the 1st annual Ultimate Character Tournament! I'm Ralphfan, and I'll be your host. What is the tournament? It's a series of polls in a bracket to determine the best character from the Mario, Sonic, Kirby, DK, Zelda, Banjo, and Conker games! Right now, we're in the sixth round, and you can vote in the polls listed below. Meetings were held in #mwUCT, which can be accessed here, on Userpedia, Darkmyst, Mibbit, mIRC, PJIRC, Chatzilla, or etc. We are also on the forum!
Meetings
Meeting 1
SMB and I covered the Banjo and Conker series with help from MG1 and SLNO.
Agenda
We determined a schedule:
- 9/16: Conker and Banjo
- 9/23: Zelda and DK
- 9/30: Sonic and Kirby
- 10/7 - ?: Mario
Mario might take a long time.
Entrants
14 Conker and 7 Banjo characters were accepted, and 4 more from Conker are on the bubble:
- Jolly Roger
- Gobi
- Cheato
- Roysten
Meeting 2
SUMMARY We covered Zelda. SMB missed a lot because of dinner, Tucky was there for most of the meeting, SLNO was logged on but inactive, Castle Toad was there towards the end, and MG1 was there throughout. We didn't have time for DK, plus I pinged towards the end.
Agenda
New schedule:
- 9/16:
Conker and Banjo - 9/23:
Zelda - 9/30: DK
- 10/7: Sonic
- 10/14: Kirby
- 10/21 - ?: Mario
Entrants
We added 18 Zelda characters, and two others are on the bubble:
- Agahnim
- Evil Wizard
Meeting 3
SUMMARY We covered DK. SMB was there for the last half-hour because of dinner, but MG1 was able to cover, and Tucky was able to drop by.
Agenda
- 9/16:
Conker and Banjo - 9/23:
Zelda - 9/30:
DK - 10/7: Sonic
- 10/14: Kirby
- 10/21 - ?: Mario
Entrants
We added 18 more, and put 6 on the bubble:
Meeting 4
SUMMARY We covered Sonic. SMB helped out, as did MG1, Turboo, Noahp89, and Tehchomps. Tucayo was probably watching the Yankees-Twins game.
Agenda
- 9/16:
Conker and Banjo - 9/23:
Zelda - 9/30:
DK - 10/7:
Sonic - 10/14: Kirby
- 10/21 - ?: Mario
Entrants
We added another 17, and put one on the bubble:
- Super Sonic
Meeting 5
SUMMARY We covered Kirby. SMB was my only assistant, but he did a great job!
Agenda
- 9/16:
Conker and Banjo - 9/23:
Zelda - 9/30:
DK - 10/7:
Sonic - 10/14:
Kirby - 10/21 - ?: Mario
Entrants
We added 11 characters and 0 maybes.
Meeting 6
SUMMARY We began Mario and got about halfway through because we ran long. We got through every game from Jumpman to SMRPG. We're going in chronological order by when the games were released. MG1 was there for most of the meeting; Tehchomps was very active as well; Packy was there for a good chunk of time; SMB, SLNO, and Yoshario also pitched in. Hopefully, we'll finish Mario next week, but I have the feeling it will go into November 4th's meeting.
Agenda
- 9/16:
Conker and Banjo - 9/23:
Zelda - 9/30:
DK - 10/7:
Sonic - 10/14:
Kirby - 10/21 - 11/4?: Mario
We hope to finish next week, but it'll probably run through the start of the November 4th meeting.
Entrants
We added 46 more characters and 0 maybes.
Meeting 7
SUMMARY We finished the Mario series. SMB was there, but busy, SLNO was there for a while, and Tucayo dropped by for a while, and Tehchomps was there for a bit.
Agenda
- 9/16:
Conker and Banjo - 9/23:
Zelda - 9/30:
DK - 10/7:
Sonic - 10/14:
Kirby - 10/21 - 10/28:
Mario - 11/4 - ?: Brawl, Seeding, and Bracket
Entrants
We added another 63 characters for a total of 109 from the Mario series and 194 total.
Meeting 8
SUMMARY
We did final touch-ups, covered SSB, and began seeding, but we didn't get much done, due to the World Series and people not really wanting to pay attention. However, I was able to work with a few users during the week, so we were able to make progress nonetheless.
For seeding, we have 222 characters. To narrow it down to 128, we will need to eliminate 94 of them. Therefore, 34 of the entrants are being given first-round byes and will advance directly to the second round. The next 94 will be matched up against the bottom 94.
Agenda
Continue seeding and fill out bracket.
Entrants
We added 28 characters, for a final? (unintentional) count of 222. I was going for something between 128 and 256, so it worked out well.
Meeting 9
We worked on the second tier of seeding. SLNO was there for a bit; Tucky and MG1 were the major contributors. We didn't add any new characters, but MG1 suggested the SMG bosses; you can now vote whether to include them or not.
Meeting 10
MG1, SMB, and SLNO helped nearly round out the second tier of seeding in a short meeting. It looks like the SMG bosses are going to pass; the poll will close at the start of the next meeting.
Meeting 11
MG1, SMB, Noah, and Tucky finished out the seeding groups. Since the Galaxy bosses pass, we finished with 231 characters. We're going to organize them into a bracket and set up dates beginning next week.
Meeting 12
MG1, SMB, Tucky, SLNO, and Noah helped organize the bracket. Because of the number of characters, 25 characters get byes, or free passes, to the second round. They have been placed throughout the bracket. We plan to open the first round of the tournament on January 6th or 13th.
Info
Dates
Here are the dates:
Round 1: 1/7-1/27- Round 2: 1/28-2/24
- Round 3: 2/25-3/24
- Round 4: 3/25-4/28
- Round 5: 4/29-5/26
- Round 6: 5/27-6/29
Round 7: 7/4-7/29- Round 8: 7/30-8/28
Director's Notes
Well, another month has already gone by. A few changes have been made this month, but mostly it's been a matter of narrowing down stuff to do for The 'Shroom between the staff. If you read this, this, this, and this, you'll notice that they all have logos at the top. Those logos were made by Tucayo (talk) to add a little flair to our sub-teams sections. We also have our new spring background in use, made by Super Mario Bros. (talk). That's just a small part of all the redesigns to be made this year.
Not much else to say than that. In closing, I want to urge you all to sign up for The 'Shroom if you see an intriguing position. We're really low on good writers at the moment, so we look forward to seeing some of you sign up to help. — Stooben Rooben 20:59, 18 March 2010 (EDT)
Sub Director Notes
Hello readers and welcome to the March issue of your well-loved ‘Shroom. I am your also well-loved sub director, Tucayo. I must say, I am very disappointed with this month’s issue, in particular with most of the few writers we have.
Only Leirin sent his section in on time. A couple of other users at least told us they wouldn’t be able to meet the deadline, but some users simply disappeared and showed no signs of life and/or interest. Actually, the Core Staff had to write many back up sections so that we would have a decent issue.
And this leads me to ask a favor of all of the readers. If you like The 'Shroom, please join us. It doesn’t matter if you are not good at writing, as not all sections require writing!! Please contact Stooby or myself if you would like to write for The ‘Shroom. Alternatively, check the thread in the forums.
Thanks to all and goodbye, until the next issue.
Editor in Chief Notes
by Twentytwofiftyseven (talk)
"....."
"Pistol! Apply directly to the forehead!"
