Mario Artist: Polygon Studio

MARIO ARTIST: POLYGON STUDIO

Today, let's cover the third Mario Artist game. This one follows much in the same vein as its predecessors, except that it lets you get creative and play around with 3D art, like you would design on a computer. Again, not much to work with for our purposes.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: hammer, bombs, drop drum, golden hammer, pink (enemy), blue (block), yellow (metal plate), green (brick), Kanbank, throw Koopa shells, chisel

Luigi: same

Princess Peach

Bowser

Foreman Spike: push, best option for a gimmick character, see all above

Wario: chisel

Koopa Troopa

Eggplant Man: run around

Gotchawrench: run around

Onigiri

Onnanoko

Oyazi

Dogu

Stages:

Wrecking Crew

High Rise Building

Mario Paint

Clash House Tower

Items:

Hammers

Bombs

Drums

Blocks

Shells

Thanks for reading! Now, let's cover the Artist series' Communication Kit!

Mario Artist: Talent Studio

MARIO ARTIST: TALENT STUDIO

Today, let's cover the second game of the Mario Artist series, this time with more of a focus on music and movies and such. The game lets you design your own character, and then you can then feature the character in a number of short videos and animations and such. Not much for us to cover here, but still fun.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: hammer, bombs, drop drum, golden hammer, pink (enemy), blue (block), yellow (metal plate), green (brick), Kanbank, throw Koopa shells, chisel

Luigi: same

Princess Peach

Bowser

Foreman Spike: push, best option for a gimmick character, see all above

Wario: chisel

Koopa Troopa

Eggplant Man: run around

Gotchawrench: run around

Onigiri

Onnanoko

Oyazi

Dogu

Stages:

Wrecking Crew

High Rise Building

Mario Paint

Clash House Tower

Items:

Hammers

Bombs

Drums

Blocks

Shells

Thanks for reading! Now, let's cover Polygon Studio!

Mario Artist: Paint Studio

MARIO ARTIST: PAINT STUDIO

Mario Artist: Paint Studio is one of four games released for the Nintendo 64DD that allowed players to get creative. This one specifically is designed around painting and drawing images, with some teaching applications here and there to help you on your way. All with Mario's face slapped all over it. You know, like they do.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: hammer, bombs, drop drum, golden hammer, pink (enemy), blue (block), yellow (metal plate), green (brick), Kanbank, throw Koopa shells, chisel

Luigi: same

Princess Peach

Bowser

Foreman Spike: push, best option for a gimmick character, see all above

Wario: chisel

Koopa Troopa

Eggplant Man: run around

Gotchawrench: run around

Onigiri

Onnanoko

Oyazi

Dogu

Stages:

Wrecking Crew

High Rise Building

Mario Paint

Clash House Tower

Items:

Hammers

Bombs

Drums

Blocks

Shells

Thanks for reading! Now, let's cover Talent Studio!

Mario no Photopi

MARIO NO PHOTOPI

Mario no Photopi, or more or less Mario's Photography, is a pretty simple creativity game that lets you retouch and edit photos using Mario series iconography. There's not a whole lot to it, especially as far as our interests with this series are concerned.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: hammer, bombs, drop drum, golden hammer, pink (enemy), blue (block), yellow (metal plate), green (brick), Kanbank, throw Koopa shells, chisel

Luigi: same

Princess Peach

Bowser

Foreman Spike: push, best option for a gimmick character, see all above

Wario: chisel

Koopa Troopa

Eggplant Man: run around

Gotchawrench: run around

Onigiri

Onnanoko

Oyazi

Dogu

Stages:

Wrecking Crew

High Rise Building

Mario Paint

Clash House Tower

Items:

Hammers

Bombs

Drums

Blocks

Shells

Thanks for reading! Now, let's cover the Mario Artist series!

Picross NP

PICROSS NP

Picross NP is technically a series of eight games distributed through Nintendo Power and featuring characters from various Nintendo properties. The only ones we need to be worried about are volumes two, six, seven, and eight, based on Yoshi's Story, Super Mario 64, Wario Land II, and Donkey Kong Country respectively. Outside of all that, they're really just standard Picross games.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: hammer, bombs, drop drum, golden hammer, pink (enemy), blue (block), yellow (metal plate), green (brick), Kanbank, throw Koopa shells, chisel

Luigi: same

Princess Peach

Bowser

Foreman Spike: push, best option for a gimmick character, see all above

Wario: chisel

Koopa Troopa

Eggplant Man: run around

Gotchawrench: run around

Onigiri

Onnanoko

Oyazi

Dogu

Stages:

Wrecking Crew

High Rise Building

Mario Paint

Clash House Tower

Items:

Hammers

Bombs

Drums

Blocks

Shells

Thanks for reading! Now, let's cover Mario no Photopi!

Picross 2

PICROSS 2

Today, let's cover the third Picross game and the second handheld version. Once again, its basically just a Picross game, except that you're implied to be playing as Mario or Wario, and many of the secret images are Mario-related items.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: hammer, bombs, drop drum, golden hammer, pink (enemy), blue (block), yellow (metal plate), green (brick), Kanbank, throw Koopa shells, chisel

Luigi: same

Princess Peach

Bowser

Foreman Spike: push, best option for a gimmick character, see all above

Wario: chisel

Koopa Troopa

Eggplant Man: run around

Gotchawrench: run around

Onigiri

Onnanoko

Oyazi

Dogu

Stages:

Wrecking Crew

High Rise Building

Mario Paint

Clash House Tower

Items:

Hammers

Bombs

Drums

Blocks

Shells

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover the last of the Picross games!

Mario's Super Picross

MARIO'S SUPER PICROSS

Mario's Super Picross is a console sequel to the first Picross game. Once again, its mostly just a Picross game, just with Mario iconography slapped all over it. Also you play as both Mario and Wario, but their "playability" is tenuous at best. Either way, still fun. I actually downloaded a picross app after yesterday's blog and tried it out. It's neat.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: hammer, bombs, drop drum, golden hammer, pink (enemy), blue (block), yellow (metal plate), green (brick), Kanbank, throw Koopa shells, chisel

Luigi: same

Princess Peach

Bowser

Foreman Spike: push, best option for a gimmick character, see all above

Wario: chisel

Koopa Troopa

Eggplant Man: run around

Gotchawrench: run around

Onigiri

Onnanoko

Oyazi

Dogu

Stages:

Wrecking Crew

High Rise Building

Mario Paint

Clash House Tower

Items:

Hammers

Bombs

Drums

Blocks

Shells

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Picross 2!

Mario's Picross

MARIO'S PICROSS

Mario's Picross is, well, a Picross game, just with Mario characters and images all over it. For those who don't know, Picross is a brain-teaser game sort of like Crossword and Sudoku, where you have a square grid, and numbers along the side and top indicating how many squares need to be filled in on that particular row and column, and you then have to use logic to figure out which ones, in the end forming a picture. Honestly, it sounds like fun and I kind of wish it was a bigger thing here in America. As far as content for our purposes here today though, it doesn't give us much. Mario gets a chisel. That's about it.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: hammer, bombs, drop drum, golden hammer, pink (enemy), blue (block), yellow (metal plate), green (brick), Kanbank, throw Koopa shells, chisel

Luigi: same

Princess Peach

Bowser

Foreman Spike: push, best option for a gimmick character, see all above

Koopa Troopa

Eggplant Man: run around

Gotchawrench: run around

Onigiri

Onnanoko

Oyazi

Dogu

Stages:

Wrecking Crew

High Rise Building

Mario Paint

Clash House Tower

Items:

Hammers

Bombs

Drums

Blocks

Shells

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Mario's Super Picross!

Mario Clash

MARIO CLASH

Mario Clash is another of the handful of games made for the ill-fated Virtual Boy and a sorta-kinda sequel to the Mario Bros. arcade game. It's alright. It's no Virtual Boy Wario Land, but hey, what is? The premise of the game is Mario kicking enemies out of a tower. The typical stage layout has an upper and a lower level, and a foreground and a background, with pipes and ladders that take you in between. Koopas are your main enemies, but there are also Spikes and Thornies (Spike Tops and Spinies more accurately), Paragoombas, Sidesteppers, Snakes, Pokeys, Big Boos, and Lobbs (machines that throw fireballs). Most of these just move back and forth on different levels, and Mario would have to navigate between them and take them out with Koopa shells.

That's about it, honestly. Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: hammer, bombs, drop drum, golden hammer, pink (enemy), blue (block), yellow (metal plate), green (brick), Kanbank, throw Koopa shells

Luigi: same

Princess Peach

Bowser

Foreman Spike: push, best option for a gimmick character, see all above

Koopa Troopa

Eggplant Man: run around

Gotchawrench: run around

Onigiri

Onnanoko

Oyazi

Dogu

Stages:

Wrecking Crew

High Rise Building

Mario Paint

Clash House Tower

Items:

Hammers

Bombs

Drums

Blocks

Shells

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover the Picross games!

Mario Paint

MARIO PAINT

Mario Paint is a surprisingly popular game for the SNES entirely built around letting players use their creativity in several different ways. The game has four different modes: Art Mode, which lets players draw whatever they want; Pixel Mode, which gives players a grid that they can then use to make pixel art; Music Mode, with several images like Mario's face and Mushrooms and Fire Flowers and such that can be placed as notes, each representing a different instrument; and Animation Mode, which lets players create short little animations.

Outside of the four creative modes, there are two other features of note: the title screen and the minigame Gnat Attack. Gnat Attack is a minigame where the player controls a disembodied hand holding a flyswatter as a number of insects buzz around the screen. Most Smash players should recognize it as an assist trophy in Ultimate. The title screen is unique in that it is interactive, with each letter of the title causing a different effect: M shrinks Mario, A will fall, R will open an eye and make noise, I will invert the screen's colors, O explodes, P changed the screen to a grassy field, A will cause Yoshi to run across the screen, I causes all text on the screen to shake, N will cause the credits to roll, and T will let the player draw with a rainbow crayon.

Not much to say here, but it's fun to talk about. Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: hammer, bombs, drop drum, golden hammer, pink (enemy), blue (block), yellow (metal plate), green (brick), Kanbank

Luigi: same

Princess Peach

Bowser

Foreman Spike: push, best option for a gimmick character, see all above

Koopa Troopa

Eggplant Man: run around

Gotchawrench: run around

Onigiri

Onnanoko

Oyazi

Dogu

Stages:

Wrecking Crew

High Rise Building

Mario Paint

Items:

Hammers

Bombs

Drums

Blocks

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Mario Clash!

Wrecking Crew '98

WRECKING CREW '98

Today, let's focus on Wrecking Crew '98, a sequel to the original game, set in the Mushroom Kingdom this time rather than . . . Brooklyn, or the New Donk City equivalent of Brooklyn, or wherever all that pre-Super Mario Bros. stuff is supposed to be set, with Bowser contracting Foreman Spike and his crew to build a giant high rise building to block all sunlight from reaching the Mushroom Kingdom's plant life. The game is similar to the original but with a greater emphasis on two-player gameplay and it has a bit of a tetris feel to it, with multicolored panels that you can switch around and line up to destroy. You can still use the hammer but taking out the panels by lining them up causes problems for your opponent. Pink panels will cause an enemy to spawn on their side, blue will add panels to their side, yellow will create metal plates on their side that can't be destroyed, and green will cover all their panels in brick that they have to break first.

We have several playable characters, both from the core Mario series, Wrecking Crew itself, and, um, well, you'll see. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and Koopa Troopa all appear from the Mario side, and Foreman Spike, Eggplant Man, and Gotchawrench appear from the Wrecking Crew side. As for the other, well, there's four weird characters that seem to just be stereotype Japanese culture items for some reason (sorta like seeing a bald eagle, a cowboy, a fat tourist, and a cheeseburger in a random American game). These include a living onigiri, a creepy little ghost girl, a drunk old man, and a clay dogu figurine. I don't know, man. All of these basically play the same, so probably best not to worry about it.

As for the stage, well, it's basically just a series of buildings. It's a puzzle game, so the layout being generally the same is pretty standard. As for our enemies, they're all pretty much original, but are basically just living construction equipment. These include: Forkun, a living forklift; Blonya, a little character carrying around a cinderblock; Buruccho, a living bulldozer; Burnya, another little guy carrying a blow torch; Dumpty, a dump truck; and Jenya, a little dude with a jetpack. I also want to bring up Kanbank, a giant wall with Bowser printed on it that immediately ends the opponent's game by crushing all of their blocks. I bring it up purely because my final smash sensor went "Ding, Ding, Ding!"

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: hammer, bombs, drop drum, golden hammer, pink (enemy), blue (block), yellow (metal plate), green (brick), Kanbank

Luigi: same

Princess Peach

Bowser

Foreman Spike: push, best option for a gimmick character, see all above

Koopa Troopa

Eggplant Man: run around

Gotchawrench: run around

Onigiri

Onnanoko

Oyazi

Dogu

Stages:

Wrecking Crew

High Rise Building

Items:

Hammers

Bombs

Drums

Blocks

Thanks for reading! Next up, we'll cover Mario Paint!

Wrecking Crew

WRECKING CREW

So, up to now, we've been covering games in small bite-sized increments of around four to ten. That is now behind us, at least until we finish up the Mario series and move on to The Legend of Zelda. It will still come in sections, but they will be considerably larger. First up, we have a boatload of "mainline" Mario games that I couldn't fit perfectly into a group of their own, so they're all here. We'll start with Wrecking Crew.

Wrecking Crew was one of the earliest games of the Mario series, predating even Super Mario Bros. The game features Mario and Luigi running around a building under construction, attempting to destroy it (Why? Not exactly sure). They are challenged in this endeavor buy the site's foreman, a Wario-predecessor named Spike, and his crew of living eggplants and wrenches.

Mario and Luigi are our main players, using hammers to destroy sections, setting off bombs, dropping drums on top of enemies to trap them, and using the special golden hammer when it appears. Our villains are a bit more simple, with Foreman Spike running around in the background trying to push you off the level you are standing on, while the Eggplant Men and Gotchawrenches simply run around getting in your way. As for stages, its really just the said building in construction.

That's about it for now. Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: hammer, bombs, drop drum, golden hammer

Luigi: same

Foreman Spike: push, best option for a gimmick character

Eggplant Man: run around

Gotchawrench: run around

Stages:

Wrecking Crew

Items:

Hammers

Bombs

Drums

Thanks for reading! Next up, we'll cover the game's sequel, Wrecking Crew '98!

Super Mario Roster, Updated

SUPER SMASH BROS. UNIVERSE

SUPER MARIO BROS.

Now, let's add in our newcomers from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series!

1. Mario
2. Fursuit Mario
3. Dr. Mario
3e. Dr. Luigi
4. F.L.U.D.D. Mario
5. Luigi
6. Vacuum Luigi
6e. Professor E. Gadd
7. Princess Peach
7e. Peachette
8. Princess Daisy
9. Rosalina and Luma
10. Pauline
11. Cappy
12. Toad
12e. Toadsworth
13. Captain Toad
13e. Toadette
14. Bowser
14e. Dry Bowser
15. Bowser Jr.
16. Shadow Mario
17. The Koopalings
17e. Koopa Kid
18. Wart
19. Tatanga
20. Mario Kart
21. Robo Mario
22. Wanda
23. Plum
23e. Kid
24. Alex & Nina
24e. Ace & Clay
25. Tumble
26. Brighton & Twila
27. MC Ballyhoo & Big Top
28. Mini Marios
29. Perry
30. Sprixie Princess
31. Koopa Troopa
31e. Dry Bones
32. Goomba
33. Piranha Plant
34. Boo
35. Buzzy Beetle
36. Bob-Omb
36e. King Bob-Omb
37. Cheep Cheep
38. Blooper
39. Pokey
40. Lakitu and Spinies
41. Ninji
42. Monty Mole
43. Spike
44. Hammer Bro
45. Chargin' Chuck
46. Wiggler
47. Chain Chomp
48. Thwomp
48e. Whomp
49. Mechakoopa
50. Mini Donkey Kong
51. Ghost
52. Honeybee
53. Nabbit
54. Boom Boom
54e. Pom Pom
55. Birdo
56. Mouser
57. Petey Piranha
58. King Boo
59. The Broodals
60. Super Team

Thanks for reading! Now, we're going to go through a long list of random other games that I wasn't able to separate out cleanly into groups of four to ten.

Character Sheet: Mini Donkey Kong

MINI DONKEY KONG

Today, let's start our new characters. This time we have two. They are:

1. Mini Marios

2. Mini Donkey Kong

From the main protagonist to their arguable main rival among the series' enemies, Mini Donkey Kongs are a subspecies of enemies from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series and occasionally playable in their own right. When playable, they are more often than not simply just another player. As enemies though, they tend to be much more varied. The most common are the circus kongs and the capture kongs, who will toss you into the air and grab you and trap you in their bag respectively, but other forms include one carrying a pair of cymbals that charges forward if it sees an opponent, another with a cannon body that shoots projectiles, another that acts as both a lift and Thwomp stand-in, and another with a giant tie that can carry players across gaps.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Cannon Kong

The large cannon body appears around the Mini, firing off a cannonball directly ahead. My first gut instinct was to do Circus Kong, but I feel like that fits really well as the up grab.

Side B: Crash

The Mini would pull out a pair of cymbals and drive forward at high speed, ramming into anyone in its way.

Up B: Konga

A Konga Lift will appear under the Kong, carrying them upward in a straight line. The Mini can then jump off if it wishes, but the Konga will linger for a second before slamming straight down.

Down B: Capture Kong

The Mini will grab a character and/or projectile and stuff it into a bag on its back. The character will be stuck there for a while before being able to break out.

Final Smash: Mecha-Kong

This one is based on the final boss battle from the original Mario vs. Donkey Kong game. The mech will appear behind the stage, piloted by the mini, and it will then proceed to slam its fists toward all players in the vicinity.

Entrance: It will pop out of a capsule just like the others.

Taunts: Up, it will juggle a few empty capsules. Side, it will lose power for a second before the key on its back starts up again. Down, it will display its Cool Kong, which will hang down slightly past the platform its standing on.

Thanks for reading! Now, let's add them to the roster!

Character Sheet: Mini Marios

MINI MARIOS

Today, let's start our new characters. This time we have two. They are:

1. Mini Marios

2. Mini Donkey Kong

First up, let's cover the Mini Marios, arguably the main characters of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. My concept for this character will be a multi-character, along the lines of Ice Climbers or Olimar (probably somewhere between the two), with a lead Mini and up to three following behind and mirroring its actions. Mini Peach, Mini Toad, and Mini-Spek will occasionally appear among the minis like they do in most of the games.

We have a few possibilities from their moveset. Springs, hammers, and cannons are their most frequent abilities, but in other games they can shoot fireballs, swing around on bars, wall jump, throw bombs, and use a bubble shield. We also have the various types of floors and ladders that are used frequently throughout the games as well to possibly consider.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Hammer

The lead mini will pull out its hammer and swing it around wildly for a few seconds, doing damage to any it hits.

Side B: Cannon

The lead mini will load one of its companions into a cannon and fire it off in an upward diagonal direction. The companion mini will act as a large projectile.

Up B: Spring

The lead mini will toss out a spring and then jump on it, launching itself high into the air at an arc. His companions will jump sequentially after him.

Down B: Bomb Block

This one makes use of the various floor mechanics from the games, specifically using the one that appeared in, I believe, Minis on the Move. The lead mini will place a bomb block down in the ground at its feet. Any who cross it will walk into a trap. I thought about a move to summon more minis, but I think I like the idea better that you start with the four, and any that get killed just respawn at starting point in their capsule and only become active when the lead mini passes that point.

Final Smash: Mini Wave

There's not really a whole lot to work with here, so I figured I could take a couple liberties. Basically, a containment unit will burst open, and hundreds of minis in their little capsules will spill out across the stage, washing all players off of it.

Entrance: The minis will pop out of their capsules.

Taunts: Up, the leader will toss one of its companions into the air. Side, the minis will wave at the player. Down, the minis will go dormant for a second.

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow, we will cover their mini-nemeses, the Mini Donkey Kongs!

Smash Character Review: Mario vs. Donkey Kong Series

MARIO VS. DONKEY KONG SERIES

There's not a lot to go over this time. For the most part, Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pauline were the main recurring cast in the story. Mario only appeared as playable in the first game, relinquishing the role in subsequent games to the Minis, with Mario only acting in a commanding-type role. During that first hammer, he had a lot of moves that mostly hearkened back to those original Donkey Kong games, using hammers and springs to get around, while climbing and swinging on bars, and doing a whole lot of jumping. His handstand that protected him from falling objects was kind of a new feature, but that's about it.

Donkey Kong likewise played the role of villain throughout most of the games, but most of those fell into the same basic vein as those old arcade games. He threw barrels, swung around on chains and vines, hit buttons to make things happen, and generally had a penchant for kidnapping people when things didn't go his way. He could also toss bananas, a bit more of a modern feature of the big ape, and in at least one battle, he had a giant mech he could pilot.

Pauline was largely just the "living goalpost" character, the person Mario had to save from DK, and outside of that, her role in the games seemed to suggest a smart businesswoman using her skills to help Mario open up toy factories and run amusement parks, skills that I'm guessing later made her a shoe-in for the mayoral position a few years later. Other characters only kind of appeared. Mini versions of Peach and Toad were regular features, and minis for other characters such as Luigi, Yoshi, Diddy Kong, Rosalina, Bowser, and Bowser Jr. all cropped up toward the later games, and most had some kind of skill reminiscent of their full-sized counterpart, but I guess I really can't count them much, can I?

Last but not least, we saw a handful, not many, of common enemies appear, including Shy Guys and Snifits, Boos, Bloopers, Bob-Ombs, Piranha Plants, Ninjis, Pokeys, and Thwomps. Obviously all of these have made their way onto my roster already, and I didn't really see anything here that I haven't seen before.

That's it for now! Tomorrow, we'll have two new characters to go over!

Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge

MINI MARIO & FRIENDS: AMIIBO CHALLENGE

Last one! Hooray! Mini Mario & Friends was sort of a departure from the standard series. All the story elements of Donkey Kong kidnapping Pauline and Mario going after him are gone, as is pretty much everything Pauline entirely. Basically the game works with amiibos, adding in Mini-versions of whichever characters you have and having them go through levels for you. Each comes with their own special move that shakes up the gameplay a little bit.

The character amiibos that work with this include Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Rosalina, Bowser, and Bowser Jr., each getting their own mini, alongside a little robot named Mini-Spek, a stand-in for any other amiibo you might have tried to scan in (Say, you tried a Link amiibo, for instance). Mario can wall jump, Luigi can high jump, Peach can float, Toad can crouch and get through small areas, Yoshi can eat enemies, Donkey Kong can climb steep slopes, Diddy Kong can grab ledges, Rosalina can perform super high jumps, Bowser can ground pound, and Bowser Jr. can fly in his Klown Kar over spikes without injury. Mini-Spek has no special moves.

The levels in this game are mostly split up into unique worlds for each amiibo. For instance, Barrel Blast Jungle is Donkey's world and features barrel cannons. Mine Cart Cove is Diddy's and features minecarts. Egg Launch Land is Yoshi's, with eggs the player can ride in. Boost Pad Bonanza is Mario's with lots of boost pads. Balloon Float Castle is Peach's with balloons that can carry you upward. Mushroom Hills is Toad's with lots of bouncy mushrooms. Moonlight Mansion is Luigi's with candles that scare off boos and reveal hidden blocks. Air Tumble Rumble is Bowser Jr.'s with fans that push you across gaps. Fire Ride Fortress is Bowser's with lots of burners everywhere. Gravity Galaxy is Rosalina's with lots of gravity wells changing things up. Finally, we have Star World, the final world after the rest are complete.

That's pretty much it! Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: jump, handstand, hammer, climb, swing on bar, pick up and throw, springs

Donkey Kong: bag, rocks, barrels, chains, buttons, giant mech, bananas, vines

Mini Marios: spring, hammer, cannon, fireballs, swing on bar, wall jump, bombs, bubble shield, coconuts, rockets, bomb block

Mini Donkey Kongs: toss, bag, ram, giant tie, lift, cannons, climb slopes

Mini Luigi: high jump

Mini Peach: float

Mini Toad: crawl

Mini Pauline

Mini Yoshi: eat enemies

Mini Diddy Kong: ledge grab

Mini Rosalina: launch

Mini Bowser: ground pound

Mini Bowser Jr.: float

Shy Guy

Piranha Plant

Ninji

Thwomp

Boo

Bob-Omb

Blooper

Snifit

Pokey

Stages:

Mario Toy Company

Donkey Kong Jungle

Fire Mountain

Spooky House

Mystic Forest

Twilight City

Mushroom Mayhem

Tropical Turmoil

Pipe Works

Magnet Mania

Lava Land

Peach's Castle

Spooky Attic

Jungle Hijinks

DK's Hideout

Mini Mayhem

Sandstone Stroll

Magnet Mania

Jungle Rumble

Rooftop

Basement

Coaster Hills

Jumpy Jungle

Teatime Twirl

Warped Mansion

Sandstorm Steps

Cosmic Adventure

Cannon Cove

Super Skywheel

Final Ferris Wheel

Rainbow Summit

Secret Storage

Mario's Main Event

Puzzle Palace

Many Mini Mayhem

Giant Jungle

Rolling Hills

Jumpy Jungle

Runaway Warehouse

Crumbling Cavern

Dashing Desert

Twilight Valley

Orbiting Observatory

Barrel Blast Jungle

Mine Cart Cove

Egg Launch Land

Boost Pad Bonanza

Balloon Float Castle

Mushroom Hills

Moonlight Mansion

Air Tumble Rumble

Fire Ride Fortress

Gravity Galaxy

Star World

Items:

Hammers

Springs

Keys

Fire Flowers

Coconuts

Bomb Blocks

Pink Blocks

amiibos

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's go over all the characters again!

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars

MARIO VS. DONKEY KONG: TIPPING STARS

So, I'm guessing the new 3D model didn't pan out so well. Either that, or the developers simply wanted to go back to 2D. Tipping Stars was the first game in this series ever to be released for a console, and is largely the same basic game as always except now with a bigger focus on a reward system using stars. The Mini Marios are our protagonists once again, with more or less all the same gameplay. Mario, Pauline, and Donkey Kong also return in their standard roles, as do the Mini Peaches, Toads, and Paulines, as well as the new Mini Luigi.

Mini Donkey Kongs also return in their circus and capture forms as well as new cannon forms with cannons strapped to their chests that they can shoot projectiles from. Shy Guys, Piranha Plants, Thwomps, and Pokeys also make appearances as enemies, as well as new cursed Mini Marios under the control of monkeys that attach themselves to their heads.

The stages for this game include: Rolling Hills, a basic world; Jumpy Jungle, a jungle with lots of springs; Runaway Warehouse, a factory with conveyor belts; Crumbling Cavern, an underground level with movable pipes; Dashing Desert with lots of dash areas; Twilight Valley with blocks that can be added in and moved around; and Orbiting Observatory, a space-themed world with magnet floors.

That's about it. Here's what we've got:

Characters:

Mario: jump, handstand, hammer, climb, swing on bar, pick up and throw, springs

Donkey Kong: bag, rocks, barrels, chains, buttons, giant mech, bananas, vines

Mini Marios: spring, hammer, cannon, fireballs, swing on bar, wall jump, bombs, bubble shield, coconuts, rockets, bomb block

Mini Donkey Kongs: toss, bag, ram, giant tie, lift, cannons

Mini Luigi

Mini Peach

Mini Toad

Mini Pauline

Shy Guy

Piranha Plant

Ninji

Thwomp

Boo

Bob-Omb

Blooper

Snifit

Pokey

Stages:

Mario Toy Company

Donkey Kong Jungle

Fire Mountain

Spooky House

Mystic Forest

Twilight City

Mushroom Mayhem

Tropical Turmoil

Pipe Works

Magnet Mania

Lava Land

Peach's Castle

Spooky Attic

Jungle Hijinks

DK's Hideout

Mini Mayhem

Sandstone Stroll

Magnet Mania

Jungle Rumble

Rooftop

Basement

Coaster Hills

Jumpy Jungle

Teatime Twirl

Warped Mansion

Sandstorm Steps

Cosmic Adventure

Cannon Cove

Super Skywheel

Final Ferris Wheel

Rainbow Summit

Secret Storage

Mario's Main Event

Puzzle Palace

Many Mini Mayhem

Giant Jungle

Rolling Hills

Jumpy Jungle

Runaway Warehouse

Crumbling Cavern

Dashing Desert

Twilight Valley

Orbiting Observatory

Items:

Hammers

Springs

Keys

Fire Flowers

Coconuts

Bomb Blocks

Pink Blocks

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover amiibo Challenge!

Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move

MARIO AND DONKEY KONG: MINIS ON THE MOVE

Today, let's cover Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move, a 3DS eShop game that existed primarily to be a tech demo reimagining the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series in a 3D environment. Mario, Pauline, and Donkey Kong join their talents to create a brand new series of worlds for the minis to explore, with the Mini Marios, Mini Peaches, Mini Donkey Kongs, Mini Toads, and Mini Paulines as the main playable characters mostly just doing what they do, if a bit more simplified.

The game has four worlds: Mario's Main Event, that makes use of falling tiles; Puzzle Palace, with a series of mazes; Many Mini Mayhem, with shifting and rotating tiles; and Giant Jungle, which brings it all together. Enemies in this world are sparse, with only Shy Guys, Fly Guys, and Bullet Bills appearing alongside the returning Capture and Circus Kongs.

That's pretty much it! Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: jump, handstand, hammer, climb, swing on bar, pick up and throw, springs

Donkey Kong: bag, rocks, barrels, chains, buttons, giant mech, bananas, vines

Mini Marios: spring, hammer, cannon, fireballs, swing on bar, wall jump, bombs, bubble shield, coconuts, rockets, bomb block

Mini Donkey Kongs: toss, bag, ram, giant tie, lift

Mini Peach

Mini Toad

Mini Pauline

Shy Guy

Piranha Plant

Ninji

Thwomp

Boo

Bob-Omb

Blooper

Snifit

Pokey

Stages:

Mario Toy Company

Donkey Kong Jungle

Fire Mountain

Spooky House

Mystic Forest

Twilight City

Mushroom Mayhem

Tropical Turmoil

Pipe Works

Magnet Mania

Lava Land

Peach's Castle

Spooky Attic

Jungle Hijinks

DK's Hideout

Mini Mayhem

Sandstone Stroll

Magnet Mania

Jungle Rumble

Rooftop

Basement

Coaster Hills

Jumpy Jungle

Teatime Twirl

Warped Mansion

Sandstorm Steps

Cosmic Adventure

Cannon Cove

Super Skywheel

Final Ferris Wheel

Rainbow Summit

Secret Storage

Mario's Main Event

Puzzle Palace

Many Mini Mayhem

Giant Jungle

Items:

Hammers

Springs

Keys

Fire Flowers

Coconuts

Bomb Blocks

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Tipping Stars!

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem

MARIO VS. DONKEY KONG: MINI-LAND MAYHEM

Today, let's cover the fourth game in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. This one features Mario and Pauline opening an amusement park (an actual park this time, not just a tall building), and giving away free new Mini-Paulines to the first one hundred customers. Donkey Kong misses out, again, and goes on a rampage, kidnapping Pauline, again. Outside of that, it's a pretty standard Mario vs. Donkey Kong game, but this time with a stage builder mode akin to Mario Maker.

The Mini Marios are your standard playable characters, once again making use of hammers, springs, climbing vines, and cannons to get through the levels, while also kicking coconuts and firing off rockets on top of manipulating their environment with the touch screen. Mario, we assume, is doing all of that, while Donkey Kong plays the villain and Pauline plays the damsel in distress. Circus Kongs and Capture Kongs return as well doing as they did before, and Mini-Peaches and Mini-Toads also appear here and there. Shy Guys, Piranha Plants, Snifits, Pokeys, and Thwomps all return as enemies.

Our stages are all built around the new mechanic introduced. Coaster Hills is a pretty basic stage, Jumpy Jungle adds in springs, Teatime Twirl adds conveyor belts, Warped Mansion includes twists on pre-existing features like moveable pipes, Sandstorm Steps adds in extendable ladders, Cosmic Adventure uses magnets, Cannon Cove adds in cannons, and Super Skywheel adds blocks that spawn enemies. You fight Donkey Kong on a giant ferris wheel. Secret levels are found in Rainbow Summit and Secret Storage.

That's about all there is to say! Here's what we've got:

Characters:

Mario: jump, handstand, hammer, climb, swing on bar, pick up and throw, springs

Donkey Kong: bag, rocks, barrels, chains, buttons, giant mech, bananas, vines

Mini Marios: spring, hammer, cannon, fireballs, swing on bar, wall jump, bombs, bubble shield, coconuts, rockets

Mini Donkey Kongs: toss, bag, ram, giant tie, lift

Mini Peach

Mini Toad

Mini Pauline

Shy Guy

Piranha Plant

Ninji

Thwomp

Boo

Bob-Omb

Blooper

Snifit

Pokey

Stages:

Mario Toy Company

Donkey Kong Jungle

Fire Mountain

Spooky House

Mystic Forest

Twilight City

Mushroom Mayhem

Tropical Turmoil

Pipe Works

Magnet Mania

Lava Land

Peach's Castle

Spooky Attic

Jungle Hijinks

DK's Hideout

Mini Mayhem

Sandstone Stroll

Magnet Mania

Jungle Rumble

Rooftop

Basement

Coaster Hills

Jumpy Jungle

Teatime Twirl

Warped Mansion

Sandstorm Steps

Cosmic Adventure

Cannon Cove

Super Skywheel

Final Ferris Wheel

Rainbow Summit

Secret Storage

Items:

Hammers

Springs

Keys

Fire Flowers

Coconuts

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Minis on the Move!

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!

MARIO VS. DONKEY KONG: MINIS MARCH AGAIN!

Today, let's cover Minis March Again, a DSiWare game that very much follows up as a smaller version of March of the Minis. This time, Donkey Kong kidnaps Pauline again at the opening of an expansion of the theme park, only for it to turn out to be a ruse to test the new minis. It's mostly just a simplified version of the previous game, with the minis still using hammers, springs, keys, and cannons like before. Mini Peaches, Toads, and Donkey Kongs are also playable, and Mini Donkey Kongs also act as enemies here and there.

Donkey Kong once again acts as the main villain, with Pauline as the damsel in distress and Mario directing the minis. Piranha Plants, Shy Guys, Pokeys, Thwomps, Snifits, Snapjaws, and Birds all return as enemies, doing what they generally do best.

As for our stages, we have: Mini Mayhem, a basic stage; Sandstone Stroll, a desert level; Magnet Mania, a magnet level; and Jungle Rumble, a jungle stage. The Rooftop and Basement of the building feature a series of bonus levels.

That's all we've got for now!

Characters:

Mario: jump, handstand, hammer, climb, swing on bar, pick up and throw, springs

Donkey Kong: bag, rocks, barrels, chains, buttons, giant mech, bananas, vines

Mini Marios: spring, hammer, cannon, fireballs, swing on bar, wall jump, bombs, bubble shield

Mini Donkey Kongs: toss, bag, ram, giant tie, lift

Mini Peach

Mini Toad

Shy Guy

Piranha Plant

Ninji

Thwomp

Boo

Bob-Omb

Blooper

Snifit

Stages:

Mario Toy Company

Donkey Kong Jungle

Fire Mountain

Spooky House

Mystic Forest

Twilight City

Mushroom Mayhem

Tropical Turmoil

Pipe Works

Magnet Mania

Lava Land

Peach's Castle

Spooky Attic

Jungle Hijinks

DK's Hideout

Mini Mayhem

Sandstone Stroll

Magnet Mania

Jungle Rumble

Rooftop

Basement

Items:

Hammers

Springs

Keys

Fire Flowers

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Mini-Land Mayhem!

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis

MARIO VS. DONKEY KONG 2: MARCH OF THE MINIS

Today, let's cover the sequel to Mario vs. Donkey Kong and the first to feature the Minis as the main playable characters rather than Mario. The story follows Mario and Pauline opening a brand new amusement park based around the Minis, which Donkey Kong crashes, attempting to win Pauline's love and then kidnapping her when he's rejected. Mario then is unable to go after her, so he sends in a squad of Minis to do it for him.

In the game, the Mini Marios mostly walk along on their own, relying on you to use the touch screen to change things about their environment or to stop them or change their direction. Among the moves they can use, they can spring, use a hammer, shoot themselves from cannons, throw fireballs, swing on bars, wall jump, drop bombs, and use a bubble shield. Mario, I guess, is mostly taking your place as the stylus user, while Pauline is our standard damsel in distress, alongside a few Mini Peaches and Mini Toads.

Donkey Kong is the main villain, who fights you at the end of each level, dropping bananas, climbing vines, and throwing barrels at you across the various fights. He also has a number of Mini Donkey Kongs at his disposal, which all perform various actions of their own. These include Capture Kongs with big old bags that they toss your minis inside of, Circus Kongs who will toss you high into the air, Cool Kongs with large ties you can hang onto, Crash Kongs who will try to ram into you, and Kongas who are basically Thwomps/lifts for you.

Outside of these, we have returning enemies like Piranha Plants, Shy Guys, Bloopers, Bob-Ombs, Thwomps, Sparkies, Swoops, Snapjaws, and Snifits, alongside new enemies, the Cuttacuttas, which are basically just mechanical crabs.

As for our stages, each take place on a different floor. The ground floor is Mushroom Mayhem, a standard Mushroom Kingdom world; Tropical Turmoil, a beach world; Pipe Works, which makes good use of warp pipes; Magnet Mania, which makes good use of magnets; Lava Land, a volcanic area; Peach's Castle, I think you can imagine; Spooky Attic, a haunted area; and Jungle Hijinks, a Donkey Kong jungle world. Donkey Kong also has a hideout in the basement with bonus levels.

Items are about the same, but we do add in things like fire flowers.

That's about it! Let's see what we've got:

Characters:

Mario: jump, handstand, hammer, climb, swing on bar, pick up and throw, springs

Donkey Kong: bag, rocks, barrels, chains, buttons, giant mech, bananas, vines

Mini Marios: spring, hammer, cannon, fireballs, swing on bar, wall jump, bombs, bubble shield

Mini Donkey Kongs: toss, bag, ram, giant tie, lift

Shy Guy

Piranha Plant

Ninji

Thwomp

Boo

Bob-Omb

Blooper

Snifit

Stages:

Mario Toy Company

Donkey Kong Jungle

Fire Mountain

Spooky House

Mystic Forest

Twilight City

Mushroom Mayhem

Tropical Turmoil

Pipe Works

Magnet Mania

Lava Land

Peach's Castle

Spooky Attic

Jungle Hijinks

DK's Hideout

Items:

Hammers

Springs

Keys

Fire Flowers

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Minis March Again!

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

MARIO VS. DONKEY KONG

And now, let's move on to the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, a series of platforming puzzle games that pit the two iconic heroes against each other, introduces the Mini Marios, and acts as the connective thread keeping the character of Pauline on life support during the three-and-a-half long decades between Donkey Kong and Super Mario Odyssey.

The story centers around Mario having opened up a toy store selling tiny versions of himself (narcissistic much, Mario?) and Donkey Kong trying to get himself one only to find that they've been sold out, leading him to go on a rampage, break into the factory and steal all the toys, forcing Mario to go in after him. Obviously, Mario acts as your main playable character with the ability to jump, pick up items, use hammers, spin around on a bar, do a handstand to protect himself from falling items, climb on ropes, and pick up and throw enemies a la Super Mario Bros. 2. The Mini Marios will do more in later games, but for the time being, they just kinda follow you around after you rescue them.

Donkey Kong is the main boss and fights you at the end of every world. He has a bag he carries the toys around in, he throws rocks and barrels, pilots a giant mech, and hits buttons to activate traps. Outside of that, really the only major secondary characters here are the Toads who bought out the stock of toys before Donkey Kong could get there.

As for the enemies, we have several regulars such as: Shy Guys (including some who breathe fire, wield spears, and throw wrenches), Piranha Plants, Snapjaws, Ninjis, Thwomps and Thwimps, Ghost Guys, Boos, and Bob-Ombs, while more original enemies include birds that fly back and forth, walking trash cans, Brickmen that drop bricks on you, rhino-like Ramrams, robotic monkeys called Monchees and Robokikis with tails you can cling onto, and Sir Shovalot, a knight that pushes you with its shield. (Is it just me, or was that last one in Wario: Master of Disguise?)

In game, you chase Donkey Kong across six worlds, including: Mario Toy Company, the factory where the plot kicked off; Donkey Kong Jungle, a jungle world; Fire Mountain, a volcano world; Spooky House, a haunted house setting; Mystic Forest, a slightly more whimsical jungle setting; and Twilight City, an ultra-modern city world. There are also Plus versions of each world after the main game.

Items in the game include springs, hammers, special buttons, keys, and so on, a lot of things reminiscent of the original arcade games, to be honest.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: jump, handstand, hammer, climb, swing on bar, pick up and throw, springs

Donkey Kong: bag, rocks, barrels, chains, buttons, giant mech

Mini Marios

Shy Guy

Piranha Plant

Ninji

Thwomp

Boo

Bob-Omb

Stages:

Mario Toy Company

Donkey Kong Jungle

Fire Mountain

Spooky House

Mystic Forest

Twilight City

Items:

Hammers

Springs

Keys

Thanks for reading! Next up, we'll cover the game's sequel, March of the Minis!

Wario Series Roster, Updated

SUPER SMASH BROS. UNIVERSE

WARIO SERIES

And now, several updates late, let's add in Rudy the Clown and Princess Shokora, joining Captain Syrup to fill in representation for those original Wario Land games!

1. Wario
2. Biker Wario
3. Waluigi
4. Captain Syrup
5. Rudy the Clown
6. Princess Shokora
7. Mona
8. Jimmy T.
9. Ashley & Red
10. 9-Volt
11. 18-Volt
12. 5-Volt
13. Kat and Ana
14. Young Cricket
14e. Master Mantis
15. Dribble & Spitz
16. Doctor Crygor
16e. Penny Crygor
17. Mike
18. Orbulon
19. Lulu
20. Count Cannoli
21. Carpaccio
22. Terrormisu
23. The Shake King

Thanks for reading! Now, let us begin the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series!

Super Mario Roster, Updated

SUPER SMASH BROS. UNIVERSE

SUPER MARIO BROS.

Now, let's add in our newcomers from the Doctor Mario series, Dr. Mario and Dr. Luigi!

1. Mario
2. Fursuit Mario
3. Dr. Mario
3e. Dr. Luigi
4. F.L.U.D.D. Mario
5. Luigi
6. Vacuum Luigi
6e. Professor E. Gadd
7. Princess Peach
7e. Peachette
8. Princess Daisy
9. Rosalina and Luma
10. Pauline
11. Cappy
12. Toad
12e. Toadsworth
13. Captain Toad
13e. Toadette
14. Bowser
14e. Dry Bowser
15. Bowser Jr.
16. Shadow Mario
17. The Koopalings
17e. Koopa Kid
18. Wart
19. Tatanga
20. Mario Kart
21. Robo Mario
22. Wanda
23. Plum
23e. Kid
24. Alex & Nina
24e. Ace & Clay
25. Tumble
26. Brighton & Twila
27. MC Ballyhoo & Big Top
28. Perry
29. Sprixie Princess
30. Koopa Troopa
30e. Dry Bones
31. Goomba
32. Piranha Plant
33. Boo
34. Buzzy Beetle
35. Bob-Omb
35e. King Bob-Omb
36. Cheep Cheep
37. Blooper
38. Pokey
39. Lakitu and Spinies
40. Ninji
41. Monty Mole
42. Spike
43. Hammer Bro
44. Chargin' Chuck
45. Wiggler
46. Chain Chomp
47. Thwomp
47e. Whomp
48. Mechakoopa
49. Ghost
50. Honeybee
51. Nabbit
52. Boom Boom
52e. Pom Pom
53. Birdo
54. Mouser
55. Petey Piranha
56. King Boo
57. The Broodals
58. Super Team

There we go! Now for the Wario roster!

Character Sheet: Princess Shokora

PRINCESS SHOKORA

Today, we include the new characters brought in by the Dr. Mario series. Two of these are original character variants from the Dr. Mario series itself. The other two are more characters that the series gave me pause to stop, look back at and reconsider my stance on them. They are:

1. Dr. Mario

2. Dr. Luigi

3. Rudy the Clown

4. Princess Shokora

Well, since I looked back at Rudy with the benefit of hindsight, I had figured it best to look at the other Wario Land game with no character representation yet, just to be absolutely sure. And guess what, lo and behold, I can piece together a pretty solid gimmick rep moveset for her too. Basically, Princess Shokora is a major ally from Wario Land 4 who guides Wario in the form of a cat, only to reveal herself as a princess under a curse from a powerful golden idol.

Here's what I've come up with:

Standard B: Arewo Shitain-hakase

This one is based on the little scientist guy, who apparently may or may not be Mad Scienstein, whose role in Wario Land 4 is basically just to be a walking projectile, akin to the Mr. Saturns. Shokora will pick him up and throw him.

Side B: Cat Attack

This one makes use of her cat form. Basically she will transform into a cat and launch herself at your face, clawing at you with her claws.

Up B: Vortex

This one is based on the vortices that take you between levels in the game. Basically, the vortex will open and Shokora will be warped to a point higher up.

Down B: Bomb Dash

This one is based on the mechanic of Wario activating a bomb and then having to dash back to the start of the level to escape. Basically Shokora will drop a bomb on the ground, and then she will have a brief burst of speed to get away from it before it explodes.

Final Smash: The Golden Diva

This incorporates the main villain of the game. Basically, the Golden Diva will rise up onto the stage and perform several of the attacks that she used against Wario and Shokora.

Entrance: She will descend from heaven the same way she ascended at the end of the game.

Taunts: Up, she will hold up one of the jewel pieces like Wario would. Side, one of those key birds will come out and flutter around her. Down, she will take her cat form and lick her paw for a second.

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's update our rosters!

Character Sheet: Rudy the Clown

RUDY THE CLOWN

Today, we include the new characters brought in by the Dr. Mario series. Two of these are original character variants from the Dr. Mario series itself. The other two are more characters that the series gave me pause to stop, look back at and reconsider my stance on them. They are:

1. Dr. Mario

2. Dr. Luigi

3. Rudy the Clown

4. Princess Shokora

This one's a bit of a surprise. Rudy the Clown was the main villain of Wario Land 3 and made a surprise reappearance in Dr. Mario 64 as a villain, with his minion Mad Scienstein stealing Dr. Mario's megavitamins to cure his boss of a cold. This got me looking back at the original game and wondering to myself "Why didn't I make him a gimmick rep at the time?" I guess gimmick reps have become more prominent since, but, like, FLUDD Mario, Rosalina, and Cappy had already been a thing. And then that got me thinking about Wario Land 4 as well, and . . . well here we are.

Here's what I came up with:

Standard B: Mad Scienstein

Based upon the enemies role as his right-hand man in Dr. Mario 64, Rudy will call out the scientist and have him throw out a vial of his shrinking formula at an opponent. If it hits, it will shrink the character for a while.

Side B: Rocket Fist

This one is more or less based on his boss battle in Wario Land 3. Basically, his fist will grow larger, detach from his body and launch straight forward.

Up B: Vampire Form

Since it's his minions that inflict the vampire form on Wario, I don't suppose it would be all that weird for him to take this on himself. He will turn into a swarm of bats and fly upward for a short time.

Down B: Music Box

There's a couple of other possibilities here, including that virus attack Dr. Mario and Dr. Luigi had, but I like the idea of him throwing out his music box from Wario Land 3, which will then create a vortex and suck the nearest character into it, trapping them for a short time.

Final Smash: Boss Battle

This will be based on Rudy's final boss battle in Wario Land 3. He will grow to gigantic proportions and start smacking and smashing the characters with his giant hands.

Entrance: He will emerge from his music box.

Taunts: Up, he will throw his head back in a belly laugh. Side, he will detach his hands and clap them together before them. Down, he will disappear for a second, his eyes and mouth appearing and laughing.

Thanks for reading! Next up, we'll give Princess Shokora another chance too.

Character Sheet: Dr. Luigi

DR. LUIGI

Today, we include the new characters brought in by the Dr. Mario series. Two of these are original character variants from the Dr. Mario series itself. The other two are more characters that the series gave me pause to stop, look back at and reconsider my stance on them. They are:

1. Dr. Mario

2. Dr. Luigi

3. Rudy the Clown

4. Princess Shokora

Next up, we have Dr. Luigi. I wasn't going to include him originally, considering all the million doctors featured in World, but looking back on it, I would say that Dr. Luigi's a special case, considering he has his own game, which continued as a minigame into Miracle Cure and World. He is merely an echo, just with slightly updated moves reflecting newer additions to the series.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: L-Shaped Megavitamin

More or less the same, but his vitamins will be L-shaped, which will heavily affect their bounce and will deal more damage in general.

Side B: Bottle

More or less the same here, I suppose.

Up B: Miracle Bomb

I figure that while Mario's miracle bomb was sort of a cross-shaped blast, we can branch out a bit with Luigi, having him do more of a full area-of-effect bomb that still launches him skyward.

Down B: Viruses

While Mario had the original three, Luigi will have the three that made their appearance in his own game, Dizzy, Confused, and Drowsy. Dizzy will make an opponent dizzy for a second, Confused will mess up their controls, and Drowsy will make them fall asleep.

Final Smash: Dr. Luigi

I want to possibly add an alternative here: a miracle cure, since that is a late-series addition and it would fit better here. However, I still prefer the stage closing in, viruses wreaking havoc, and Luigi's L-shaped pills dropping from the sky.

Entrance: Current Dr. Mario Smash entrance, but Luigi is a bit more surprised to be there.

Taunts: It could be fun if they were all slightly flubbed variants. Up, Luigi will flick a pill along his shoulder but accidentally drop it. Side, he'll start making a note and end up doodling. Down, he'll open a bottle and shake it, and a virus will actually drop out, scaring him for a second.

Thanks for reading! Next up, we're going way back in time to reconsider Wario Land 3's villain, Rudy the Clown.

Character Sheet: Dr. Mario

DR. MARIO

Today, we include the new characters brought in by the Dr. Mario series. Two of these are original character variants from the Dr. Mario series itself. The other two are more characters that the series gave me pause to stop, look back at and reconsider my stance on them. They are:

1. Dr. Mario

2. Dr. Luigi

3. Rudy the Clown

4. Princess Shokora

First up, we have Dr. Mario. Now, the character is in Super Smash Bros. already, but for all intents and purposes is all but a clone of Mario. I think we can do better. I would rather create the character entirely built around inspiration from his games, and I think we can do it. First up, let's cover what we've got to work with. First off, we have the pills and the viruses, the core staples of the series. We also have the bottle I suppose, and then later we get the miracle cures and/or special moves from World. You know, I think I just might have it.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Megavitamin

This one will be more or less the same as it appears in Smash now. He will toss out a pill and it will bounce for a bit before hitting something. If we wanted to spice it up, we could make it so that more damage was done if the color of the pill hit something that matched its color, but I don't know how much of a headache that would be for the game's meta or anything like that.

Side B: Bottle

Dr. Mario will swipe out with a bottle, capturing and trapping a character inside it for a short time before they break out.

Up B: Miracle Bomb

This one is based on the most basic of Miracle Cures/special moves. Mario will place down a bomb as they appear in World, and it will detonate after a second, firing out a blast vertically and horizontally. The vertical blast will launch Mario skyward.

Down B: Viruses

This one makes use to the viruses, who sadly did not quite make it in themselves. Dr. Mario's will be based on Fever, Chill, and Weird, the original three. Dr. Mario will pull open a bottle and release a virus that will then attack the nearest opponent. They will function somewhat similar to Olimar's Pikmin. Fever will inflict fire damage, Chill will inflict ice, and Weird will make the character's controls go a little funny.

Final Smash: Dr. Mario

While I was tempted to use a Miracle Cure here, I'm rather more intrigued by the idea of turning the entire stage into a game of Dr. Mario. Invisible borders will appear around the edges of the stage, viruses will appear everywhere, wreaking havoc, while pills drop from the sky, doing serious damage any time they land.

Entrance: I guess the current Smash entrance is . . . fine. I can't really think of a better one.

Taunts: Up, Mario will flick a pill along his shoulder. Side, Mario will take down a note on his notepad. Down, Mario will open a bottle and shake it out, finding it empty.

Thanks for reading! Next up, we'll have his echo fighter: Dr. Luigi!