Thursday, October 31, 2019

Character Sheet: Piranha Plant (New Series)

PIRANHA PLANT

Settle in, folks, we've got a lot of revisions to get through for this one. The "New" series featured most of the series favorites, almost all of which have been included here already and most of them brought at least something new to the table. In fact, we only have four new characters to include this time. They are:

1. Mario (Revision 4)
2. Luigi (Revision 3)
3. Koopa Troopa (Revision 3)
3e. Dry Bones (Revision 2)
4. Goomba (Revision 3)
5. Piranha Plant (Revision 3)
6. Boo (Revision 3)
8. Princess Peach (Revision 2)
9. Toad (Revision 2)
10. Yoshi (Revision 2)
11. Bowser (Revision 2)
13. Lakitu & Spinies (Revision 2)
14. Hammer Bro (Revision 2)
15. Chargin' Chuck (Revision 2)
16. Kamek (Name change, Revision 2)
20. The Koopalings (Revision 1)
22. Boom Boom (Revision 1)
25. Rosalina & Luma (Revision 1)
27. Bowser Jr. (Revision 1)
30. Blooper (Revision 1)
31. Monty Mole (Revision 1)
33. Petey Piranha (Revision 1)
11e. Dry Bowser
22e. Pom Pom
39. Fursuit Mario
40. Sprixie Princess

You know what? Piranha Plants actually do a lot. I don't know why any of us were surprised when they got included in Ultimate. There is just so much to work with, of course the game designers looked at them and said "of course." Anyway . . . the Piranha Plants appear in all six of the games covered in this section, doing their standard rise and chomp animation, and have their basic ability to breathe fire. They can also walk around and can definitively extend their necks to the length shown in Ultimate. Their ptooie ability was shown off in these games as well, and they gained four offshoot version: a skeletal plant patterned after the Dry Bones, a black colored plant that spits ink, a red-and-black spiky version best known as Fire Piranha Plant in Mario Tennis Aces, and their long massive Creeper forms from the 3D games. I certainly do have plenty to work with.

Here's what we've got so far:

Standard B: Fireball
A notable "problem," if you will, of the Plant's Ultimate moveset is the lack of a fireball move even though it is the Piranha Plant's most notable attack. Going through all of this though, I can more or less understand it, between the Fireball, Ptooie, and Paint/Ink/Poison moves, there's just a whole lot to do with the Piranha Plant, and something had to give. Since, the fireball is common to a few other characters, I suppose it seemed natural to the designers to simply sacrifice that one. For now, however, I am choosing to leave it where it is, as the Extendo-Neck move that fills the Down B slot hasn't entirely made its mark with me quite yet.

Side B: Ptooie
I'm keeping this here as well.

Up B: Fly
Stays the same.

Down B: Paint
This one is reflecting the Ink/Paint/Poison moves present across various games including Sunshine, Odyssey, and 3D World. It's just too prevalent to leave it out.

Final Smash: Piranha Creepers
Today, we're changing it up and going back (sort of) to the original Final Smash on this series, with a Piranha Plant creeper snaking its way around every facet of the stage, forming a sort of Naval Piranha-esque death trap for players.

Entrance: Pops out of a pipe.

Taunts: Chomping around the way he does now. Doing the iconic up and down movement. Maybe the sleep animation.

Next up: Let's cover Boo!

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Character Sheet: Goomba (New Series)

GOOMBA

Settle in, folks, we've got a lot of revisions to get through for this one. The "New" series featured most of the series favorites, almost all of which have been included here already and most of them brought at least something new to the table. In fact, we only have four new characters to include this time. They are:

1. Mario (Revision 4)
2. Luigi (Revision 3)
3. Koopa Troopa (Revision 3)
3e. Dry Bones (Revision 2)
4. Goomba (Revision 3)
5. Piranha Plant (Revision 3)
6. Boo (Revision 3)
8. Princess Peach (Revision 2)
9. Toad (Revision 2)
10. Yoshi (Revision 2)
11. Bowser (Revision 2)
13. Lakitu & Spinies (Revision 2)
14. Hammer Bro (Revision 2)
15. Chargin' Chuck (Revision 2)
16. Kamek (Name change, Revision 2)
20. The Koopalings (Revision 1)
22. Boom Boom (Revision 1)
25. Rosalina & Luma (Revision 1)
27. Bowser Jr. (Revision 1)
30. Blooper (Revision 1)
31. Monty Mole (Revision 1)
33. Petey Piranha (Revision 1)
11e. Dry Bowser
22e. Pom Pom
39. Fursuit Mario
40. Sprixie Princess

Alright, today, let's talk about the Goomba again, Mario's most basic enemy. For most of these games, the Goomba more or less act as they always do, though they do again feature the stack-up ability shown in Super Mario Odyssey. They also made use of the Tanooki and Cat suit, mostly giving them the ability to flick with it or glide the way the cat does, and they wear a version of Kuriboh's shoe that they use to ice skate in snow levels. It's also worth mentioning that the Galoomba returns, alongside another offshoot of the Goomba called the Goombrat, and a skeletal version. They also can pop out of chestnut shells too, hearkening to their origins.

Here is the moveset as adapted so far:

Standard B: Goom Spear

Side B: Kuribo's Shoe

Up B: Paragoomba

Down B: Stack Up

Final Smash: Goomboss

Entrance: Changed to pops out of chestnut shell.

Taunts: The little hop around and squeak from Super Mario 64 for sure.

Galoomba and Goombrat for sure color swaps, also to be eventually joined by Goombella and Goombario and maybe a couple others.

Next up: Let's check out Piranha Plant.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Character Sheet: Dry Bones (New Series)

DRY BONES

Settle in, folks, we've got a lot of revisions to get through for this one. The "New" series featured most of the series favorites, almost all of which have been included here already and most of them brought at least something new to the table. In fact, we only have four new characters to include this time. They are:

1. Mario (Revision 4)
2. Luigi (Revision 3)
3. Koopa Troopa (Revision 3)
3e. Dry Bones (Revision 2)
4. Goomba (Revision 3)
5. Piranha Plant (Revision 3)
6. Boo (Revision 3)
8. Princess Peach (Revision 2)
9. Toad (Revision 2)
10. Yoshi (Revision 2)
11. Bowser (Revision 2)
13. Lakitu & Spinies (Revision 2)
14. Hammer Bro (Revision 2)
15. Chargin' Chuck (Revision 2)
16. Kamek (Name change, Revision 2)
20. The Koopalings (Revision 1)
22. Boom Boom (Revision 1)
25. Rosalina & Luma (Revision 1)
27. Bowser Jr. (Revision 1)
30. Blooper (Revision 1)
31. Monty Mole (Revision 1)
33. Petey Piranha (Revision 1)
11e. Dry Bowser
22e. Pom Pom
39. Fursuit Mario
40. Sprixie Princess

Today, let's talk about Dry Bones. Dry Bones, as mentioned in the Koopa Troopa post, comes with an already nearly perfected moveset, even having one more perfect move than Koopa does in its bone throw. However, with Dry Bowser now added as an echo fighter to Bowser, I find myself in a bit of a predicament as Dry Bowser had been the perfect Final Smash for Dry Bones. Now, it's possible that I could simply undo this, leave Dry Bowser as Dry Bones' final smash, or as a mere color swap of Bowser, but at the same time, I know Dry Bowser is quite popular on his own in the same way King Boo and Petey Piranha are. So, perhaps I had best search around for alternative Final Smashes. Hmm . . .

I think I've got it:

Standard B: Bone Throw

Side B: Shell Spin

Up B: Para Bones

Down B: Fall Apart

Final Smash: Mattermouth
I suppose there are things such as Bonetail and Bone Dragons, and I'll consider them as I come to them, but for today, I think I'll make good use of the Mattermouth enemy. The Mattermouths appeared in Super Mario Galaxy as Dry Bone heads that moved along the floor eating the very matter they crossed. In game, a series of Mattermouths will appear, crisscrossing the stage and eating literally everything in their path, insta-killing any opponents in their path, but also leaving behind temporary holes in the stage as well.

Entrance: Starts out in pieces before reassembling

Taunts: Giving a thumbs up and making the iconic Dry Bones rattling sound, one arm dropping off for a second, etc.

Next up: Let's go over the Mario series' most simplistic, yet oddly versatile, enemies: the Goomba!

Monday, October 28, 2019

Character Sheet: Koopa Troopa (New Series)

KOOPA TROOPA

Settle in, folks, we've got a lot of revisions to get through for this one. The "New" series featured most of the series favorites, almost all of which have been included here already and most of them brought at least something new to the table. In fact, we only have four new characters to include this time. They are:

1. Mario (Revision 4)
2. Luigi (Revision 3)
3. Koopa Troopa (Revision 3)
3e. Dry Bones (Revision 2)
4. Goomba (Revision 3)
5. Piranha Plant (Revision 3)
6. Boo (Revision 3)
8. Princess Peach (Revision 2)
9. Toad (Revision 2)
10. Yoshi (Revision 2)
11. Bowser (Revision 2)
13. Lakitu & Spinies (Revision 2)
14. Hammer Bro (Revision 2)
15. Chargin' Chuck (Revision 2)
16. Kamek (Name change, Revision 2)
20. The Koopalings (Revision 1)
22. Boom Boom (Revision 1)
25. Rosalina & Luma (Revision 1)
27. Bowser Jr. (Revision 1)
30. Blooper (Revision 1)
31. Monty Mole (Revision 1)
33. Petey Piranha (Revision 1)
11e. Dry Bowser
22e. Pom Pom
39. Fursuit Mario
40. Sprixie Princess

Today, let's quickly go over probably one of the only characters with nothing really new to consider. Although, I suppose that's to be expected. Koopa Troopa is a pretty solid character as he is, and the moveset I have already made is more or less accurate to how the character would play in any Smash representation of him. I'd imagine from here the biggest differences added would be color swaps for characters like Koops, Kooper, and Parakarry, and maybe some sports stuff. Really the only one of his moves that doesn't seem to fight right is his standard B, even though his echo, Dry Bones, has one that fits perfectly. Who can say, I suppose?

Here is the character's moveset as it currently stands:

Standard B: Shell Projectile

Side B: Shell Spin

Up B: Paratroopa

Down B: Shell Tuck

Final Smash: King Koopa

Entrance: Starts out in his shell, before emerging using the standard animation

Taunts: Giving a thumbs up and making the iconic Koopa sound, stepping outside of his shell and looking it over while in his underwear, maybe sleeping like a Snooza Koopa. One possibility is how they dance to the music in the New games.

Next up: Let's cover Dry Bones as well, considering his final smash is now a bit . . . taken.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Character Sheet: Luigi (New Series)

LUIGI

Settle in, folks, we've got a lot of revisions to get through for this one. The "New" series featured most of the series favorites, almost all of which have been included here already and most of them brought at least something new to the table. In fact, we only have four new characters to include this time. They are:

1. Mario (Revision 4)
2. Luigi (Revision 3)
3. Koopa Troopa (Revision 3)
3e. Dry Bones (Revision 2)
4. Goomba (Revision 3)
5. Piranha Plant (Revision 3)
6. Boo (Revision 3)
8. Princess Peach (Revision 2)
9. Toad (Revision 2)
10. Yoshi (Revision 2)
11. Bowser (Revision 2)
13. Lakitu & Spinies (Revision 2)
14. Hammer Bro (Revision 2)
15. Chargin' Chuck (Revision 2)
16. Kamek (Name change, Revision 2)
20. The Koopalings (Revision 1)
22. Boom Boom (Revision 1)
25. Rosalina & Luma (Revision 1)
27. Bowser Jr. (Revision 1)
30. Blooper (Revision 1)
31. Monty Mole (Revision 1)
33. Petey Piranha (Revision 1)
11e. Dry Bowser
22e. Pom Pom
39. Fursuit Mario
40. Sprixie Princess

Today, let's go over Luigi again. Luigi appears in all six of the games covered this time, usually acting as the default player 2 character. As such he does pretty much everything Mario does, with the exception of his fursuits being foxes instead of tanookis, but that's a problem for the Fursuit Mario character. It is possible that I could make use of any items not used by Mario himself to make a moveset, so let's see what we can do.

Here is the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Ice Flower
Since Mario is so well known for the fireball, and Luigi is in some way a counterbalance to his brother, it seems fitting that he take up the Ice Flower instead, throwing ice balls that freeze any opponents it contacts for a limited time.

Side B: Boomerang
Luigi also takes up the Boomerang Flower, present in several games, throwing out boomerangs that knock away opponents before returning back to him, hitting opponents on the way.

Up B: Balloon World
I guess I'll stick with Balloon World for now, as it is unique to Luigi. I could include the item box currently used by Mario, just with different items, but I think this works just fine.

Down B: POW Block
Still keeping the POW Block. It's still prominently used in a lot of these games, so . . . 

Final Smash: Starman
Maybe keep this one for Luigi's final smash? It can be more of an instant-KO upon contact move, while Mario's Up-B version is mostly just invincible?

Entrance: Enters through a Warp Pipe

Taunts: A lot of the taunts he uses during these games, such as after he grabs the flag.

Next up: Let's go over the Koopa Troopa and see if they brought anything new to the table.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Character Sheet: Mario (New Series)

MARIO

Settle in, folks, we've got a lot of revisions to get through for this one. The "New" series featured most of the series favorites, almost all of which have been included here already and most of them brought at least something new to the table. In fact, we only have four new characters to include this time. They are:

1. Mario (Revision 4)
2. Luigi (Revision 3)
3. Koopa Troopa (Revision 3)
3e. Dry Bones (Revision 2)
4. Goomba (Revision 3)
5. Piranha Plant (Revision 3)
6. Boo (Revision 3)
8. Princess Peach (Revision 2)
9. Toad (Revision 2)
10. Yoshi (Revision 2)
11. Bowser (Revision 2)
13. Lakitu & Spinies (Revision 2)
14. Hammer Bro (Revision 2)
15. Chargin' Chuck (Revision 2)
16. Kamek (Name change, Revision 2)
20. The Koopalings (Revision 1)
22. Boom Boom (Revision 1)
25. Rosalina & Luma (Revision 1)
27. Bowser Jr. (Revision 1)
30. Blooper (Revision 1)
31. Monty Mole (Revision 1)
33. Petey Piranha (Revision 1)
11e. Dry Bowser
22e. Pom Pom
39. Fursuit Mario
40. Sprixie Princess

Mario's presence in this series was more or less the same as it has always been: he is the main playable character, and he functions the way a Mario game would, though each brought with it a few new power-ups. Of course, he has his fireballs and invincibility, but he also gained the ability to get super-tiny or gigantic (ahem, Final Smash *cough cough*), an ice flower to go alongside his fire flower, a blue Koopa shell to wear, a penguin suit, a propeller hat, a gold form, boomerangs, a double cherry that makes copies of himself, and a few blocks to wear on his head that perform various abilities. While some of these can certainly be shared with Luigi and the Toads, some can certainly add to Mario himself and I think I can make it all work. Here we go!

I think I've got a pretty solid moveset established now:

Standard B: Fireball
Duh!

Side B: Cape
You know what? Now that all fursuit abilities are going to be their own thing, let's get that cape back in there. He will do a flick with it, but it will function far more similarly to its appearance in Super Mario World, where he spins it and it can reflect in both directions.

Up B: Item Box
I'm going to combine his Super Jump Punch here with the Power-up move that's been floating around in here so far, since that's where he gets items from anyway. He will perform his super jump punch but will hit an item box at the top of it from which will spawn one of five items. They are:
The Metal Cap: which will make him stronger and heavier.
The Mini Mushroom: which will make him tiny.
The Gold Flower: which will cause all connecting attacks to spawn coins.
The Super Mushroom: which will just make him bigger.
The Starman: which will make him invincible to damage.
All of these are for a limited time only and do not affect his moveset and only affect his own stats.

Down B: Mario Tornado
I guess we can keep this one. It doesn't sit quite right, since the cape has a spin to it as well, but who knows what the future holds.

Final Smash: Mega Mushroom
Mario will eat a Mega Mushroom, which will blow him up to gigantic proportions and let him tromp around the stage with reckless abandon for a limited time.

Entrance: Pops up from a warp pipe.

Taunts: Still okay with his various Smash taunts as most of them are reflected in game.

Next up, it'sa Luigi time!

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Super Mario 3D World

SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD

Today, let's go over Super Mario 3D World, the last of this section of games under the "New" series. 3D World followed heavily after its predecessor 3D Land, though with a unique aesthetic to it that helped it stand out enough that it was included as its own layout in Super Mario Maker 2, though the game does seem to pay homage in many ways to Super Mario Bros. 2, with its four player options being the same, and the plot revolving around Bowser having captured a band of fairies. (I'll have more to say about said fairies later).

Our main playable characters include Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Buckenberry (the blue Toad), with Rosalina being included as a fifth secret character upon completion of the base game. Captain Toad, our main red-spotted Toad, is also playable in certain sections which we soon found out was basically the equivalent of those episodes of TV shows that are stealth test pilots for other TV shows. This test pilot was successful as it spawned the creation of Toad's Treasure Tracker.

The four/five main game players all function the same way, gameplay wise, running and jumping and using all the basic Mario game mechanics, with the Starman, Fire Flower, Tanooki Suit, Boomerang Flower, Propeller Hat, and Mega Mushroom returning. The game also features the new power-ups including a new Cat Suit, which is basically the main Furry suit for this game, except that it lets you climb up wall with ease, as well as the Double Cherry, which spawns duplicates of the main characters, and a pair of blocks, one that shoots cannon blasts from its face and another with a flashlight. You can also skate around in a giant ice skate, but that's more an extension of Kuriboh's Shoe than anything. I suppose its also worth mentioning that Mario and Luigi are actually shown doing real plumber work in the game's opening cutscene. As for Captain Toad, really his whole mechanic is to simply walk around a maze, with no jumping or anything else attached, so not much yet.

Now, let's talk about the Sprixies. Did you ever have one of those characters that you had simply written off as never going to happen in a million years, only to start up an analysis of a game and said character has the nerve to go and make a really solid case for itself? I have. I'm not very happy about it. The Sprixies, the little fairies that act as Bowser's captives in this game, ahem, have little hammers and wrenches that they use to fix up pipes and other broken things, supply literally every power-up in the game as shown in the opening cutscene (meaning every unique item in the game can be attributed to them, including the collectible stamps), are also the only central characters of the game unique to this one meaning they can act as reference characters like Wart and Daisy before them, build a rocket ship, have a friendly pet dinosaur named Plessie that Mario can ride, I mean, even the bottle used to contain them can be attributed to them. They even have built-in color swaps. I ask you, how am I supposed to say no to all of that?

So, yes, I suppose the Sprixies get a yes for the roster. Oh, and Lumas and Rabbits crop up in this game. They don't do much, but they're here.

As for Bowser, he acts as our main villain, and fights our protagonists a few times. Most of his boss battles feature him driving a large car, from which he throws out soccer ball bombs and breathes fireballs that make patches of lava on the ground. He also gets a cat form which he uses to chase the heroes up a wall, claw at them, and break through said wall on multiple occasions. He also uses the cherry to multiply himself. And as mentioned before, he is also shown using a bottle to trap the Sprixies.

Boom Boom and Pom Pom act as recurring bosses once again, with Boom Boom swinging his fists, spinning like a tornado, and ricocheting around inside his shell, sometimes turning invisible. Pom Pom carries a shuriken this time, which she uses to create multiples of herself and teleport slightly. Five other bosses appear, including: the Hisstocrats, a pair of royal snakes with a bunch of servants carrying plates on their heads; Boss Brolder, a very large living boulder that can throw out lava; King Ka-Thunk, who clings to the corner of a frame and tries to slam down on Mario; Prince Bully, a silvery bully that tries charge enemies and gets knocked through a pipe to become cylindrical; and Motley Bossblob, a clownish Marx-looking enemy that attaches what looks like those metallic blobs from The Incredibles to make himself a giant and stomp around on stage.

Now, let's cover our enemies. Returning from previous games, we have Goombas (with cat versions), Koopa Troopas, Chargin' Chucks, Piranha Plants (with their large, elongated Creeper forms), Biddybuds, Stingbies, Magikoopas, Galoombas, Fuzzies, Fire/Boomerang Bros, snowman versions of Pokeys, Boos, Peepas, Cheep Cheeps, Porcupuffers, Fizzlits, Bullet Bills (with cat forms), Spinies, Bob-Ombs, Spikes (with spike bars now, instead of spike balls), Bullies, Coin Coffers, Ty Foos, Dry Bones, Bloopers, Octoombas, and Charvaarghs (Blaargs that leap from the lava) all returning. Man, some of these are a blast from the past.

Some of our new enemies include: Ant Troopers, who mainly just walk in a straight line and don't even really hurt you; Blocksteppers, who walk in formation and go crazy if you take out just one of their number; Brolders, living boulders; Conkdors, ostriches that think their those little drinking birds from people's desks; Flopters, little spinny helicopter things; Fuzzlers, the answer to "what would happen if you crossed a Fuzzy with a Wiggler?"; Hopchops, living springs that chase you; Madpoles, who just kinda swim; Rammerheads, hammerhead sharks that should probably get that looked at; Skipsqueaks, mice running on spinning wheels, some with spikes; Splorches, living lava balls that roll around a stage after you; Splounders, who bounce Plessie up; and Walleyes, who try to block you.

Each world has a theme, much like Super Mario 3D Land, but like 3D Land, that theme only occasionally matches up with the worlds within it. Basically, World 1 is a Grassland, World 2 is a Desert, World 3 is a Snowland, World 4 is a canyon/mountainous region, World 5 is a beach, World 6 is the sky, and World Castle is a Lava Land, but again the levels within often don't match up. There is also the final World Bowser, which seems to have a sort of carnival theme, then World Star where you encounter Rosalina, which has a space theme, and then World Mushroom, Flower, and Crown which are just post-game worlds with a random assortment of levels. And finally, we should consider the Captain Toad levels, which have their own unique design and mechanics to them.

Our new items include stamps, the Super Bell, which makes you a cat, the Double Cherry, and the two different kinds of blocks. Perhaps the teleportation boxes used in the game (crap, those can be attributed to Sprixies too, can't they?) could also present an interesting challenge as an item.

Let's see what we've got!

Characters:
Mario: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, grow gigantic, Koopa shell armor, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat, raccoon tail, gold flower, gold box, flying squirrel suit, Baby Yoshi, Tanooki suit, boomerangs, propeller block, statue, Cat costume, climb walls, double cherry, cannon block, flashlight block
Luigi: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, grow gigantic, Koopa shell armor, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat, fox tail, gold flower, gold box, flying squirrel suit, Baby Yoshi, Fox suit, boomerangs, propeller block, statue, Cat costume, climb walls, double cherry, cannon block, flashlight block
Toad: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat, give items, flying squirrel suit, Baby Yoshi, throw coins, presents, Cat costume, climb walls, double cherry, cannon block, flashlight block, Tanooki suit, Propeller block, Mega Mushroom, boomerangs
Princess Peach: not much, whack with umbrella, send postcards, run, jump, fire flower, invincibility, Cat costume, climb walls, double cherry, cannon block, flashlight block, Tanooki suit, Propeller block, Mega Mushroom, boomerangs
Rosalina: run, jump, fire flower, invincibility, Cat costume, climb walls, double cherry, cannon block, flashlight block, Tanooki suit, Propeller block, Mega Mushroom, boomerangs
Yoshi: run, flutter jump, eat enemies and fruit, breathe fire
Baby Yoshi: eat enemies, bubbles, inflate, glow
Toadsworth: give items, cast spells
Sprixies: hammer, wrench, fix things, clear pipes, all unique items, stamps, cannons, warp blocks, rocket ship, Plessie, bottle, reference character
Bowser: jump, breathe fire, charge, blue fireball, fan of fire, grow gigantic, destroy platforms, spin in shell, breathe meteors, airship, extendable arm, shockwave, throw barrels, throw barrel, bottle, ride car, soccer ball bombs, lava balls, Cat form, climb wall, break through wall, claw, double
Dry Bowser: jump, breathe fire, charge, throw bones, grow gigantic, destroy platforms, shockwave, throw barrels
Bowser Jr.: grab, charge, tuck in shell, jump, throw Koopa shells, ride Klown Kar, Airship, breathe fire, fire cannonbombs, submarine, punching gloves, Torpedo Ted, throw bob-ombs, slam down
Larry: tuck in shell, jump, cast spell, moving platforms, Klown Kar, flash, water jets
Roy: cast spells, tuck in shell, pipes, charge, Klown Kar, flash, bullet bill cannon, slam
Lemmy: ride ball, create balls, Klown Kar, flash, bombs
Wendy: create ring, jump, tuck in shell, raise water, summon Cheep Cheeps, Klown Kar, flash, ice skate
Iggy: cast spells, pulled by Chain Chomp, Klown Kar, flash, walk on ceiling, Magmaargh
Morton: slam down, spike balls, tuck in shell, create spike balls, Klown Kar, flash, hammer, Pokey pieces
Ludwig: float, jump, cast spells, dangle, Klown Kar, flash, doubles
Kamek: cast magic, broomstick, teleport, cast transformation spells, frozen enemies, dark cloud
Petey Piranha: fly, hop, divebomb
Boom Boom: swing fists, run around, spin, fly with wings, shell ricochet, turn invisible
Pom Pom: boomerang, float inside shell, slam down, shuriken, doubles, teleport
Goomba: walk forward, fly, stack up, skeleton, Tanooki tail, Cat form, ice skate
Koopa: walk, tuck in shell, fly
Piranha Plant: rise, chomp, breathe fire, extend neck, walk around, ptooie, skeleton, creeper
Dry Bones: walk, fall apart
Lakitu: float around, throw Spinies, lightning
Hammer Bro: throw hammers, boomerangs, fire, jump around, slam down, ice, stomp, electricity
Blooper: dart up
Boo: hide face, float around, puff up, Obake candlesticks, Obake blocks
Monty Mole: drive tank, fire bullet bills, throw Bob-Ombs, pop from ground
Chargin' Chuck: charge
Tentative - Spike: cough up spikeballs, snowballs, rocks; Nabbit: run, steal things

Bosses:
Mummipokey
Cheepskipper
Mega Goomba
Monty Tank
Lakithunder
Reznor?
Hisstocrat
Boss Brolder
King Ka-Thunk
Prince Bully
Motley Bossblob

Stages:
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Beach
World 4 - Jungle
World 5 - Snowland
World 6 - Mountains
World 7 - Sky
World 8 - Lava Land
Ghost House
Bowser's Castle
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Snowland
World 4 - Beach
World 5 - Jungle
World 6 - Mountains
World 7 - Sky
World 8 - Lava Land
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Beach
World 4 - Snowland
World 5 - Sky
World 6 - Lava Land
Acorn Plains
Layer Cake Desert
Sparkling Waters
Frosted Glacier
Soda Jungle
Rock Candy Mine
Meringue Clouds
Peach's Castle
Superstar Road
3D Land
Super Bell Hill
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Snowland
World 4 - Mountain
World 5 - Beach
World 6 - Sky
World Castle - Lava Land
World Bowser
World Star

Items:
Fire Flower
Super Mushroom
Starman
Blue Shell
Mini Mushroom
Mega Mushroom
Life Mushroom
Ice Flower
Propeller Hat
Penguin Suit
Raccoon Leaf
Gold Flower
Gold Block
Coins
Super Acorn
Tanooki Leaf
Statue Leaf
Boomerang Flower
Propeller Block
Super Bell
Double Cherry
Stamp
Cannon Block
Light Block
Warp Block

Thanks for reading! Now let's get started on our character revisions, starting with Mario!

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Super Mario 3D Land

SUPER MARIO 3D LAND

Today, let's cover Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS. The 3D series falls in more with the "New" series of games, mostly because they are more or less standard 2D Mario platformers, they just have a third dimension added to them, rather than the full three-dimensional worlds of the mainline games like 64 and Odyssey. They are both decent games in their own right for what they are.

Mario and Luigi are the stars of the game, both functioning more or less the same as all Mario games, with a third dimension added, though with not quite as much nuance as the mainline titles. Fire Flowers and Starmen return, alongside the Tanooki Suit (Fox Suit for Luigi), which takes up the Furry form slot for this game, though with a separate power-up that gives them the ability to turn into a statue that the form had before. They can also use a propeller box to launch themselves into the air, and a boomerang flower that allows them to throw boomerangs as weapons. Cosmic Mario's also return from their appearance in the Galaxy games.

Princess Peach is captured once again in this game, though with the added element that between the levels, Mario will receive a postcard, updating him on Peach's current status. This does include an escape attempt on her part, though whacking a Goomba on the head with her umbrella is the extent of any action shown on the cards themselves. Toads of all colors feature in the game, running ahead of Mario and tossing out special coins and presents for him to find throughout the levels.

Bowser of course acts as the big bad, though not accompanied by any of his children or his advisor the way he was in the "New" games. His boss battles feature him on a much more three-dimensional bridge over a lake of fire, with Mario stepping on a button to drop him in as always. He can be seen jumping around, breathing fire, creating shockwaves, and throwing barrels during this fight. Dry Bowser also appears, doing more or less the same, just more boney. Boom Boom acts as the world bosses, joined by a . . . girlfriend? Pom Pom. Boom Boom's battles consist of him spinning like a tornado and ricocheting around inside his shell at high speeds, while Pom Pom's battles feature her throwing a boomerang and hovering inside her shell to slam down from above. I'd say we probably have some echoes on our hands, considering her and Dry Bowser, but we'll wait and see.

Our returning enemies include: Goombas (with Tanooki tails), Cheep Cheeps, Piranha Plants (some who spit ink), Dry Bones, Coin Coffers, Thwomps (also with Tanooki tails for some reason), Pokeys, Bloopers, Porcupuffers, Chain Chomps, Fuzzies, Bob-Ombs (also with Tanooki tails), Koopas, Fake Blocks, Boos, Peepas, Hammer/Boomerang Bros, Rocky Wrenches, Spinies, Monty Moles (and their hefty cousin Morty), Magikoopas, and Magmaarghs.

A few new enemies are included this time, including: Biddybugs, little ladybug things that tend to travel in groups; Draglets, little dragons that breathe fire; Stingbies, bees who rocket toward you; Sandmaargh, a new version of the Blaarg or Magmaargh that lives in the sand; Wallops, walls that copy you; Blokkablok, snakelike lines of blocks that fly around; Spike Eels, another species of giant eel; Flophoppers, who flip themselves over like various predecessors; and Prongos, strange creatures with spiky buckets on their heads that like to dive at people.

Technically, each of the various worlds in this game do have a theme, but that theme seems mostly limited to the aesthetic of the world map and maybe one level within the world, but for the most part, each world seems to be made up of a random assortment of varying themes common to every Mario game. Although, I'd say the current 3D Land stage in Smash Ultimate does a fair job of demonstrating the core mechanics of the 3D Land game style, so, maybe we could keep it. (I know, moving stages aren't most people's cup of tea. I do find the sideways scrolling ones to be at least manageable though, unlike the vertically scrolling ones)

As for our items, we're joined by the Super Leaf once again, though this time supplying the Tanooki suit instead of the Raccoon tail, with a second gray leaf that supplies the statue ability. We also have the Boomerang Flower, and the Propeller Block.

Let's see what we've got!

Characters:
Mario: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, grow gigantic, Koopa shell armor, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat, raccoon tail, gold flower, gold box, flying squirrel suit, Baby Yoshi, Tanooki suit, boomerangs, propeller block, statue
Luigi: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, grow gigantic, Koopa shell armor, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat, fox tail, gold flower, gold box, flying squirrel suit, Baby Yoshi, Fox suit, boomerangs, propeller block, statue
Toad: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat, give items, flying squirrel suit, Baby Yoshi, throw coins, presents
Princess Peach: not much, whack with umbrella, send postcards
Yoshi: run, flutter jump, eat enemies and fruit, breathe fire
Baby Yoshi: eat enemies, bubbles, inflate, glow
Toadsworth: give items, cast spells
Bowser: jump, breathe fire, charge, blue fireball, fan of fire, grow gigantic, destroy platforms, spin in shell, breathe meteors, airship, extendable arm, shockwave, throw barrels
Dry Bowser: jump, breathe fire, charge, throw bones, grow gigantic, destroy platforms, shockwave, throw barrels
Bowser Jr.: grab, charge, tuck in shell, jump, throw Koopa shells, ride Klown Kar, Airship, breathe fire, fire cannonbombs, submarine, punching gloves, Torpedo Ted, throw bob-ombs, slam down
Larry: tuck in shell, jump, cast spell, moving platforms, Klown Kar, flash, water jets
Roy: cast spells, tuck in shell, pipes, charge, Klown Kar, flash, bullet bill cannon, slam
Lemmy: ride ball, create balls, Klown Kar, flash, bombs
Wendy: create ring, jump, tuck in shell, raise water, summon Cheep Cheeps, Klown Kar, flash, ice skate
Iggy: cast spells, pulled by Chain Chomp, Klown Kar, flash, walk on ceiling, Magmaargh
Morton: slam down, spike balls, tuck in shell, create spike balls, Klown Kar, flash, hammer, Pokey pieces
Ludwig: float, jump, cast spells, dangle, Klown Kar, flash, doubles
Kamek: cast magic, broomstick, teleport, cast transformation spells, frozen enemies, dark cloud
Petey Piranha: fly, hop, divebomb
Boom Boom: swing fists, run around, spin, fly with wings, shell ricochet
Pom Pom: boomerang, float inside shell, slam down
Goomba: walk forward, fly, stack up, skeleton, Tanooki tail
Koopa: walk, tuck in shell, fly
Piranha Plant: rise, chomp, breathe fire, extend neck, walk around, ptooie, skeleton
Dry Bones: walk, fall apart
Lakitu: float around, throw Spinies, lightning
Hammer Bro: throw hammers, boomerangs, fire, jump around, slam down, ice, stomp, electricity
Blooper: dart up
Boo: hide face, float around, puff up, Obake candlesticks, Obake blocks
Monty Mole: drive tank, fire bullet bills, throw Bob-Ombs, pop from ground
Tentative - Spike: cough up spikeballs, snowballs, rocks; Nabbit: run, steal things

Bosses:
Mummipokey
Cheepskipper
Mega Goomba
Monty Tank
Lakithunder
Reznor?

Stages:
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Beach
World 4 - Jungle
World 5 - Snowland
World 6 - Mountains
World 7 - Sky
World 8 - Lava Land
Ghost House
Bowser's Castle
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Snowland
World 4 - Beach
World 5 - Jungle
World 6 - Mountains
World 7 - Sky
World 8 - Lava Land
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Beach
World 4 - Snowland
World 5 - Sky
World 6 - Lava Land
Acorn Plains
Layer Cake Desert
Sparkling Waters
Frosted Glacier
Soda Jungle
Rock Candy Mine
Meringue Clouds
Peach's Castle
Superstar Road
3D Land

Items:
Fire Flower
Super Mushroom
Starman
Blue Shell
Mini Mushroom
Mega Mushroom
Life Mushroom
Ice Flower
Propeller Hat
Penguin Suit
Raccoon Leaf
Gold Flower
Gold Block
Coins
Super Acorn
Tanooki Leaf
Statue Leaf
Boomerang Flower
Propeller Block

Thanks for reading! Next time, we'll be covering Super Mario 3D World!

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

New Super Mario Bros. U

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. U

Today, let's cover the . . . technical last of the "New" series, depending on how you want to count the 3D series. I am including them in the same section, though one could make an argument they are a different series. Please note: I will not be including content from New Super Luigi U or New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. All remakes, re-releases, and special editions will be covered in their own section. Sadly, this probably means I won't be able to include a character I was hoping would be added this time, as I still don't have enough to build a character on. (Said character is Nabbit).

New Super Mario Bros. U follows after the trend of its prequel successor with Mario, Luigi, Buckenberry, and Alagold acting as our four playable characters, and with a who's who of Bowser's forces all coming out to play, including Bowser, Bowser Jr., Kamek, the Koopalings, and even Boom Boom get in on the action this time. Mario, Luigi, and the Toads play much the same as always, with fireballs and invincibility returning, alongside the propeller hat, mini mushroom, ice flower, and with a brand new flying squirrel suit as the game's resident fursuit. They can also carry around Baby Yoshis, who don't seem to move around much on their own, but can glow, inflate like a balloon, swallow enemies, and catch enemies in bubbles.

Princess Peach is mostly just held captive as per usual this time around, while Yoshi does his standard flutter jump and eating enemies. Another supporting character, Nabbit, appears, stealing Toads or treasure and running off with them, making the heroes chase him around various stages. He doesn't seem to do much but run so far, so I'm going to have to wait and see him in action in other games before I decide to include him in the roster.

As for our baddies, Bowser has an airship with a giant extendable arm this time around, while his battle features him teaming up with Bowser Jr., while breathing fire, jumping around, charging, spinning around in his giant shell, and breathing meteors. Bowser Jr. fights Mario in several boss battles, almost all in his Klown Kar and supplying much of his current Smash moveset. The Klown Kar has a submarine mode, his famous punching gloves, it can launch Torpedo Teds, he can throw bob-ombs, and it can be used by Mario to slam down. Kamek frequently casts spells to enhance the various boss fights, flies around his broom, and casts the spell that transforms Peach's castle. His own battle features him teleporting around, casting spells, unleashing enemies encased in ice, and sending out a wave of magic.

The Koopalings act as the end of world bosses for each world. Lemmy rolls around on his ball as always, throwing bombs this time. Morton has a giant hammer with which he whacks around Pokey pieces. Larry jumps around casting spells while water jets upward. Wendy skates around on ice, using her magic ring to fight. Iggy walks around on the ceiling and summons a Magmaargh to fight for him. Roy has a bullet bill cannon and will stomp around. And finally, Ludwig creates duplicates of himself while he hops around and casts spells. Just to finish off our bosses, Boom Boom appears a few times, waving his fists around as he runs across the stage, spinning like a tornado, and growing wings to fly.

Returning enemies include: Goombas and their cousins Goombrats, Koopas, Piranha Plants (who use Ptooie, extend their necks, and walk around), Bloopers, Dry Bones, Monty Moles, Hammer Bros (with Fire Bros, Ice Bros, Boomerang Bros, and a Sumo Bro as a boss, slamming with electricity, rather than fire this time), Pokeys, Swoops, Spikes (with Stone variants), Huckit Crabs, Cheep Cheeps, Urchins, Boos, Fishbones, Torpedo Teds, Munchers, Cooligans, Bullet Bills, Buzzy Beetles, Thwomps and Thwimps, Mechakoopas (with new Mechacheeps), Bramballs, Amps, Broozers, Scaredy Rats, Para-Beetles, Jellybeams, Bulbers, Wigglers, Fuzzies, Porcupuffers, Bony Beetles, Chain Chomps, Spike Tops, Lakitus and Spinies, Foos, Rocky Wrenches, Magmaarghs, and Flame Chomps.

The only truly new enemies include Waddlewings, little flying squirrels who seem only to exist to justify the Flying Squirrel suit (though fursuits never needed to be justified before?), with Dragoneels (another set of ginormous eels inhabiting the waters of the Mushroom Kingdom), and Flipruses, walruses who throw large snowballs.

New Super Mario Bros. U is in many ways very similar to its predecessors, though it does introduce a distinct new aesthetic that is all its own, everything having a slight tilt to it. Our worlds are made up of: Acorn Plains, a grassland that also features a giant tree from which came the acorns that supply the fursuits; Layer Cake Desert, a desert seemingly made of cake; Sparkling Waters, a beach level; Frosted Glacier, a snowland level; Soda Jungle, a rather toxic-seeming jungle; Rock Candy Mine, a mountainous level; Meringue Clouds, a sky level; and Peach's Castle, which has been transformed by Kamek into more of a Bowser's Castle type level. A special world, Superstar Road, is also included, featuring several random types of stages.

The Super Acorn, and I suppose Baby Yoshis, join all previously included items.

Let's see what we've got!

Characters:
Mario: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, grow gigantic, Koopa shell armor, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat, raccoon tail, gold flower, gold box, flying squirrel suit, Baby Yoshi
Luigi: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, grow gigantic, Koopa shell armor, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat, fox tail, gold flower, gold box, flying squirrel suit, Baby Yoshi
Toad: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat, give items, flying squirrel suit, Baby Yoshi
Princess Peach: not much
Yoshi: run, flutter jump, eat enemies and fruit, breathe fire
Baby Yoshi: eat enemies, bubbles, inflate, glow
Toadsworth: give items, cast spells
Bowser: jump, breathe fire, charge, blue fireball, fan of fire, grow gigantic, destroy platforms, spin in shell, breathe meteors, airship, extendable arm
Dry Bowser: jump, breathe fire, charge, throw bones, grow gigantic, destroy platforms
Bowser Jr.: grab, charge, tuck in shell, jump, throw Koopa shells, ride Klown Kar, Airship, breathe fire, fire cannonbombs, submarine, punching gloves, Torpedo Ted, throw bob-ombs, slam down
Larry: tuck in shell, jump, cast spell, moving platforms, Klown Kar, flash, water jets
Roy: cast spells, tuck in shell, pipes, charge, Klown Kar, flash, bullet bill cannon, slam
Lemmy: ride ball, create balls, Klown Kar, flash, bombs
Wendy: create ring, jump, tuck in shell, raise water, summon Cheep Cheeps, Klown Kar, flash, ice skate
Iggy: cast spells, pulled by Chain Chomp, Klown Kar, flash, walk on ceiling, Magmaargh
Morton: slam down, spike balls, tuck in shell, create spike balls, Klown Kar, flash, hammer, Pokey pieces
Ludwig: float, jump, cast spells, dangle, Klown Kar, flash, doubles
Kamek: cast magic, broomstick, teleport, cast transformation spells, frozen enemies, dark cloud
Petey Piranha: fly, hop, divebomb
Boom Boom: swing fists, run around, spin, fly with wings
Goomba: walk forward, fly, stack up, skeleton
Koopa: walk, tuck in shell, fly
Piranha Plant: rise, chomp, breathe fire, extend neck, walk around, ptooie, skeleton
Dry Bones: walk, fall apart
Lakitu: float around, throw Spinies, lightning
Hammer Bro: throw hammers, boomerangs, fire, jump around, slam down, ice, stomp, electricity
Blooper: dart up
Boo: hide face, float around, puff up, Obake candlesticks, Obake blocks
Monty Mole: drive tank, fire bullet bills, throw Bob-Ombs, pop from ground
Tentative - Spike: cough up spikeballs, snowballs, rocks; Nabbit: run, steal things

Bosses:
Mummipokey
Cheepskipper
Mega Goomba
Monty Tank
Lakithunder
Reznor?

Stages:
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Beach
World 4 - Jungle
World 5 - Snowland
World 6 - Mountains
World 7 - Sky
World 8 - Lava Land
Ghost House
Bowser's Castle
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Snowland
World 4 - Beach
World 5 - Jungle
World 6 - Mountains
World 7 - Sky
World 8 - Lava Land
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Beach
World 4 - Snowland
World 5 - Sky
World 6 - Lava Land
Acorn Plains
Layer Cake Desert
Sparkling Waters
Frosted Glacier
Soda Jungle
Rock Candy Mine
Meringue Clouds
Peach's Castle
Superstar Road

Items:
Fire Flower
Super Mushroom
Starman
Blue Shell
Mini Mushroom
Mega Mushroom
Life Mushroom
Ice Flower
Propeller Hat
Penguin Suit
Raccoon Leaf
Gold Flower
Gold Block
Coins
Super Acorn

Thanks for reading! Next time, we'll be covering New Super Mario Bros. 2!

Monday, October 21, 2019

New Super Mario Bros. 2

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 2

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is the third game of the "New" series, and from what I can tell, the least popular. New Super Mario Bros. 2 plays more or less similarly to its previous games, though it seems to borrow the heavy focus on coin collecting from the Wario Land games (albeit not as well, it doesn't really seem to affect the outcome the way it does the Wario Land games). As such, the game comes with a number of items that boost the coin count.

Mario and Luigi of course return, once again trying to save Peach from the clutches of Bowser and the Koopalings. Yeah, Bowser Jr. sits this one out apparently. Mario and Luigi both follow the same basic mechanics from other Mario games, with the Fire Flower, Super Mushroom, and Starman of course making regular appearances, alongside the Mega Mushroom, Mini Mushroom, and the Raccoon Tail returning from Super Mario Land 3 (kicking off a trend in these games to include a fursuit transformation that lets them fly and flick their tail and so on). Luigi's is the same, but with a Fox tail instead. They also gain a gold form that allows them to turn things into coins, and a golden box helmet that spews coins in their wake.

Peach once again is simply Bowser's captive, and Toad plays a support role, providing extra items and so on. Bowser starts off with his classic fight format again, jumping, charging, and spitting fireballs while on a bridge, though after his first defeat, he will become gigantic, filling up the background and destroying platforms as lava rises. Dry Bowser also appears, acting out the same boss fight.

Our Koopalings return, acting as the main bosses of the game, and showing up frequently in cutscenes all riding together in one giant Klown Kar. I guess that counts. One boss level features them working together trying to stun Mario by making the screen flash. Most of their battles feature them tucking into their shells and spinning while hit and casting spells. Roy will charge forward, Iggy is again pulled around by a Chain Chomp, Wendy will raise the water and summon Cheep Cheeps, Morton can create spike balls, Ludwig will dangle from above to cast spells, Larry will fight you on moving pillars, and Lemmy will again bounce around on a ball. We also see the return of the Reznor, the absolute joke of a boss fight who literally just stands on a wheel and screeches while you kill it (sometimes breathing fire).

For our enemies, we see the return of Goomba (who can fly, stack up, and has a skeletal offshoot now), Koopa, Piranha Plant (also with a skeleton form), Dry Bones, Cheep Cheeps (also spiny), Cheep Chomps, Thwomps, Hammer Bros (Boomerang and Sledge returning), Pokeys, Buzzy Beetles, Fuzzies, Boos, their cousins Peepas, Fire Snakes, Spinies, Chain Chomps, Urchins, Scuttlebugs, Fishbones, Wigglers, Bloopers, Amps, Swoops, Lakitus, Spike Tops, Crowbers, Whomps, Bob-Ombs, and Coin Coffers (which I'm not entirely sure are different from Moneybags or not). No new enemies, except for gold versions of all.

The game features only six main worlds, with Lemmy and Larry acting as the bosses of two post-game special worlds, with a random assortment of levels each. The main worlds include your basic Grassland, Desert, Beach, Snowland, Sky, and Lava Land levels, with some ghost houses and castles thrown in for good measure.

As for items, of course, we have the Super Mushroom, Life Mushroom, Fire Flower, Starman, Mega Mushroom, Mini Mushroom, Raccoon Leaf, Gold Flower, Gold Blocks, and of course, lots and lots of coins.

Let's see what we've got!

Characters:
Mario: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, grow gigantic, Koopa shell armor, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat, raccoon tail, gold flower, gold box
Luigi: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, grow gigantic, Koopa shell armor, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat, fox tail, gold flower, gold box
Toad: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat, give items
Princess Peach: not much
Yoshi: run, flutter jump, eat enemies and fruit, breathe fire
Toadsworth: give items, cast spells
Bowser: jump, breathe fire, charge, blue fireball, fan of fire, grow gigantic, destroy platforms
Dry Bowser: jump, breathe fire, charge, throw bones, grow gigantic, destroy platforms
Bowser Jr.: grab, charge, tuck in shell, jump, throw Koopa shells, ride Klown Kar, Airship, breathe fire, fire cannonbombs
Larry: tuck in shell, jump, cast spell, moving platforms, Klown Kar, flash
Roy: cast spells, tuck in shell, pipes, charge, Klown Kar, flash
Lemmy: ride ball, create balls, Klown Kar, flash
Wendy: create ring, jump, tuck in shell, raise water, summon Cheep Cheeps, Klown Kar, flash
Iggy: cast spells, pulled by Chain Chomp, Klown Kar, flash
Morton: slam down, spike balls, tuck in shell, create spike balls, Klown Kar, flash
Ludwig: float, jump, cast spells, dangle, Klown Kar, flash
Kamek: cast magic, broomstick, teleport, cast transformation spells
Petey Piranha: fly, hop, divebomb
Goomba: walk forward, fly, stack up, skeleton
Koopa: walk, tuck in shell, fly
Piranha Plant: rise, chomp, breathe fire, extend neck, walk around, ptooie, skeleton
Dry Bones: walk, fall apart
Lakitu: float around, throw Spinies, lightning
Hammer Bro: throw hammers, boomerangs, fire, jump around, slam down, ice
Blooper: dart up
Boo: hide face, float around, puff up, Obake candlesticks
Monty Mole: drive tank, fire bullet bills, throw Bob-Ombs
Tentative - Spike: cough up spikeballs, snowballs, rocks

Bosses:
Mummipokey
Cheepskipper
Mega Goomba
Monty Tank
Lakithunder
Reznor?

Stages:
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Beach
World 4 - Jungle
World 5 - Snowland
World 6 - Mountains
World 7 - Sky
World 8 - Lava Land
Ghost House
Bowser's Castle
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Snowland
World 4 - Beach
World 5 - Jungle
World 6 - Mountains
World 7 - Sky
World 8 - Lava Land
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Beach
World 4 - Snowland
World 5 - Sky
World 6 - Lava Land

Items:
Fire Flower
Super Mushroom
Starman
Blue Shell
Mini Mushroom
Mega Mushroom
Life Mushroom
Ice Flower
Propeller Hat
Penguin Suit
Raccoon Leaf
Gold Flower
Gold Block
Coins

Thanks for reading! Next time, we'll be covering New Super Mario Bros. 2!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII

Today, let's cover New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the second game in the "New" series and the first console version of the series. The game saw Mario, Luigi, and two Toads (named Buckenberry and Alagold respectively) journey through various Mario series levels in order to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser, Bowser Jr., the Koopalings, and Kamek, all working together to stop the heroes. The game is a pretty basic Mario game, not bringing much new to the table, but being just generally pretty solid overall.

We'll start off with our four playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Buckenberry, and Alagold. Buck and Al are really just "the blue and yellow Toads" so they won't be their own characters per se, simply adding to Toad's potential moveset. All four characters play pretty much the same, with the basic run and jump mechanics, and the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Starman returning. The Mini Mushroom also returns, alongside an Ice Flower that allows them to throw ice balls instead of fire balls, a Propeller Hat that lets them fly into the air, and a Penguin Suit that lets them slide on their belly across icy surfaces. POW Block, Yoshis, Koopa Shells, and Klown Kars can all also be used for various means as well.

As for Peach, she doesn't do much, once again acting as the damsel in distress for the full game. Toad himself (the red one) acts in a support role, delivering letters and items to Mario and his companions at various points. Finally, we have Yoshi who returns, allowing Mario etc. to ride him as he runs faster, flutter jumps, eats enemies and fruit, and spits fireballs from his mouth.

Our villains are basically a who's who of all the main Koopa villains of the series, with Bowser, Bowser Jr., the Koopalings, and Kamek all acting as bosses at various points. Bowser starts his by breathing fireballs and jumping while standing on a bridge, his classic appearance, before being enlarged by Kamek to gargantuan size and charging after Mario across a course. Bowser Jr. appears a few times, flying around in an airship and in a Klown Kar when in his actual boss fight, breathing fireballs and firing off cannonballs that double as bombs. Kamek appears at the beginning of most of the Koopalings' final battles, casting a spell to amp up their battle in some way while flying on his broom. In his own boss battle, he will teleport and cast spells to turn items into enemies, much like the general Magikoopa abilities. Also props to Kamek for finally making an appearance in this series.

Each Koopaling appears in two boss battles, one mid-world and one at the end of the world, the second being enhanced by Kamek. They all will tuck into their shells and spin around when hit. From there, they will all have their one specific thing. Larry will jump around and throw fire spells, Roy will also throw spells and travel around through pipes, Lemmy will ride a ball and create more balls, Wendy will create a magical ring, Iggy will be pulled around a track by a Chain Chomp, Morton will ground pound and send up Spike Bars, and Ludwig will jump and float in the air to cast spells from above.

As for our enemy characters, we have several returning, including: Goombas, Koopas, Piranha Plants (who display the ability to walk around on little feet, extend their neck, and use Ptooie), Hammer Bros (including Boomerang, Fire, Sledge, and new Ice variants), Dry Bones, Cheep Cheeps (with Spiny variants), Deep Cheeps, Clampies, Spikes (including Snow and Stone variants), Spinies, Spike Tops, Fire Snakes, Pokeys, Lakitus, Boos, Bloopers, Wet Bones, Mechakoopas, Wigglers, Flame Chomps, Swoops, Chain Chomps, Buzzy Beetles, Monty Moles, Rocky Wrenches, Fuzzies, Broozers, Para-Beetles, and Crowbers. All act fairly similar to their classical appearances with a few slight variations.

Our new enemies include Urchins, who float in the water; Cooligans, who slide around on ice; Porcupuffers, who chase you around; Huckit Crabs, who throw rocks; Scaredy Rats, who just walk around; Bramballs, who flip themselves over; Foos, who breathe out fog; Bulbers, who light up the dark ocean; and Jellybeams, who float around. Not much new brought to the table.

Much like its previous game, the game is split into eight worlds, being a Grassland, Desert, Snowland, Beach, Jungle, Mountain, Sky, and Lava Land respectively, with Ghost Houses, towers, and castles scattered throughout, and a special 9th world added at the very end, with various random stage types included.

As for items, of course we have the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, Starman, and Life Mushroom returning, alongside the Mini Mushroom, the Propeller Hat, the Penguin Suit, and the Ice Flower added on top of them, with things like Koopa Shells and Klown Kars added on top.

Let's see what we've got!

Characters:
Mario: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, grow gigantic, Koopa shell armor, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat
Luigi: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, grow gigantic, Koopa shell armor, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat
Toad: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, ice balls, penguin suit, propeller hat, give items
Princess Peach: not much
Yoshi: run, flutter jump, eat enemies and fruit, breathe fire
Toadsworth: give items, cast spells
Bowser: jump, breathe fire, charge, blue fireball, fan of fire, grow gigantic
Dry Bowser: jump, breathe fire, charge, throw bones
Bowser Jr.: grab, charge, tuck in shell, jump, throw Koopa shells, ride Klown Kar, Airship, breathe fire, fire cannonbombs
Larry: tuck in shell, jump, cast spell
Roy: cast spells, tuck in shell, pipes
Lemmy: ride ball, create balls
Wendy: create ring, jump, tuck in shell
Iggy: cast spells, pulled by Chain Chomp
Morton: slam down, spike balls, tuck in shell
Ludwig: float, jump, cast spells
Kamek: cast magic, broomstick, teleport, cast transformation spells
Petey Piranha: fly, hop, divebomb
Goomba: walk forward, fly
Koopa: walk, tuck in shell, fly
Piranha Plant: rise, chomp, breathe fire, extend neck, walk around, ptooie
Dry Bones: walk, fall apart
Lakitu: float around, throw Spinies, lightning
Hammer Bro: throw hammers, boomerangs, fire, jump around, slam down, ice
Blooper: dart up
Boo: hide face, float around, puff up
Monty Mole: drive tank, fire bullet bills, throw Bob-Ombs
Tentative - Spike: cough up spikeballs, snowballs, rocks

Bosses:
Mummipokey
Cheepskipper
Mega Goomba
Monty Tank
Lakithunder

Stages:
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Beach
World 4 - Jungle
World 5 - Snowland
World 6 - Mountains
World 7 - Sky
World 8 - Lava Land
Ghost House
Bowser's Castle
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Snowland
World 4 - Beach
World 5 - Jungle
World 6 - Mountains
World 7 - Sky
World 8 - Lava Land

Items:
Fire Flower
Super Mushroom
Starman
Blue Shell
Mini Mushroom
Mega Mushroom
Life Mushroom
Ice Flower
Propeller Hat
Penguin Suit

Thanks for reading! Next time, we'll be covering New Super Mario Bros. 2!

Friday, October 18, 2019

New Super Mario Bros.

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS.

Today, let's start in on the "New" series of Mario games, specifically covering New Super Mario Bros., New Super Mario Bros. Wii, New Super Mario Bros. 2, New Super Mario Bros. U, Super Mario 3D Land, and Super Mario 3D World, or as I like to call them: "The Developers Messing Around with Super Mario Maker for Six Games before Releasing It to the Public." These games are more or less six games that simply follow the basic Super Mario format while not bringing very much new to the table. They were a bit concerning for many fans when no major mainline 3D games were being released at the same time, but now that Odyssey is out, I think everyone's settled on them being a nice, charming little piece of the Mario series.

The first of these games included the basic story of Princess Peach being grabbed by Bowser Jr., leading to Mario pursuing the pair across eight worlds, ending in a showdown with Bowser himself.
So, obviously, Mario is our main character, with Luigi acting as an alternate or second player, able to do everything Mario can do. Of course, the brothers can do the basic run and jump mechanics standard for Mario games, alongside a number of power-ups including the Fire Flower, Super Mushroom, and Starman, alongside a Mini Mushroom that makes the brothers miniature, a blue Koopa shell that lets them tuck inside, impervious to damage, and the Mega Mushroom that shoots them up to colossal size, able to plow their way through every obstacle in their path. (Methinks I smell potential Final Smash material).

Peach doesn't give much, as is pretty standard, while Toadsworth acts mostly as Toad himself did in Super Mario Bros. 3, living in a Toad House, and giving Mario the chance to win a power-up. He can definitely be a color swap of Toad at any rate. Bowser Jr. and Bowser act as our main villains. Bowser Jr. fighting Mario at the midpoint of every world, with Bowser acting as the final boss of World 1 and the true final boss of World 8. Bowser Jr.'s boss battles have him out on his own two feet rather than in a flying machine, making his boss battles more akin to the Koopaling fights than his own (and cementing that he could be an eighth color swap for their moveset, just as they are for his). Across these fights, he will charge forward, jump, hide beneath his shell, and throw Koopa shells. As for Bowser, his boss battles return to their original model, with him standing on a bridge over lava, charging, jumping, and breathing fire, with his final battle adding a bright blue fireball, and a fan shape of fireballs. Another feature to consider is Dry Bowser, the initial final boss of World 8, Bowser but as a skeleton, whose boss fight plays out in the same way, with the addition of his throwing his own bones. Dry Bowser will likely work well as either a color swap or an echo fighter, but I'm not quite certain yet.

Each world features a boss at the end, most of which work mostly as their own boss fight than as a character. These include: Mummipokey, a mummified Pokey that spits balls of tape and burrows underground; Cheepskipper, a very large Cheep Cheep; Mega Goomba, a really big Goomba; Petey Piranha, returning once again to fly, hop around, and dive bomb the stage; Monty Tank, a Monty Mole in a tank that drives around and fires Bullet Bills, adds a turret with every hit, and one occasion will throw out Bob-Ombs; and Lakithunder, a large Lakitu that can shoot lightning from his cloud. Obviously Petey is already here, and most of the others give some options to the enemies they represent, but aren't much on their own.

For enemies, almost all are returning and act mostly the same as they always have. These include Goombas, Koopas, Piranha Plants, Dry Bones, Cheep Cheeps, Pokeys, Lakitus and Spinies, Swoops, Hammer Bros (with Fire, Boomerang, and Sledge variants), Fire Snakes, Bullet Bills, Bloopers, Boos, Whomps, Scuttlebugs, the Unagi of all things, Wigglers, Bob-Ombs, Thwomps, Spike Tops, Moneybags, Buzzy Beetles, Chain Chomps, Fire Chomps, and Amps, all more or less in tact the way you classically remember them. Those that are already playable obviously still are, and those that aren't, well, don't have anything new.

As for new enemies, we have: Sushi, a shark that darts forward; Spike Bass, Cheep-Chomps, and Deep Cheeps, which might as well be Cheep Cheeps except they like to follow you; Blockhoppers, who pretend to be blocks; Skeeters, who dump mines from their bellies; Splunkins, walking pumpkins; Balloon Boos, who start inflating when looked at (something to consider for Boos); Snow Spikes, wintery variants of Spikes who cough up snowballs; Snailicorns, spiky mollusks that charge at you; Broozers, musclebound ghosts that like breaking things; Squigglers, little baby Wigglers; Crowbers, crows that swoop toward you; and Kab-Ombs, Bob-Ombs but they have some kind of moss on them, I think? Not a whole lot.

As for the eight worlds, each of them follow a basic climate zone common to Mario games. World 1 is a Grassland, World 2 is a Desert, World 3 is a Beach, World 4 is a Jungle, World 5 is a Snowland, World 6 is a Mountain Range, World 7 is in the Sky, and World 8 is a Lava Land. We also have Ghost Houses sprinkled here and there, and a Tower and Castle at the end and midpoint of every level.

Items include our Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Starman, alongside the Blue Shell, Mini Mushroom, and Mega Mushroom, and of course the Life Mushroom.

Let's see what we've got!

Characters:
Mario: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, grow gigantic, Koopa shell armor
Luigi: run, jump, fireballs, invincibility, get mini, grow gigantic, Koopa shell armor
Princess Peach: not much
Toadsworth: give items, cast spells
Bowser: jump, breathe fire, charge, blue fireball, fan of fire
Dry Bowser: jump, breathe fire, charge, throw bones
Bowser Jr.: grab, charge, tuck in shell, jump, throw Koopa shells
Petey Piranha: fly, hop, divebomb
Goomba: walk forward, fly
Koopa: walk, tuck in shell, fly
Piranha Plant: rise, chomp, breathe fire
Dry Bones: walk, fall apart
Lakitu: float around, throw Spinies, lightning
Hammer Bro: throw hammers, boomerangs, fire, jump around, slam down
Blooper: dart up
Boo: hide face, float around, puff up
Monty Mole: drive tank, fire bullet bills, throw Bob-Ombs

Bosses:
Mummipokey
Cheepskipper
Mega Goomba
Monty Tank
Lakithunder

Stages:
World 1 - Grassland
World 2 - Desert
World 3 - Beach
World 4 - Jungle
World 5 - Snowland
World 6 - Mountains
World 7 - Sky
World 8 - Lava Land
Ghost House
Bowser's Castle

Items:
Fire Flower
Super Mushroom
Starman
Blue Shell
Mini Mushroom
Mega Mushroom
Life Mushroom

Thanks for reading! Next time, we'll be covering New Super Mario Bros. Wii!