Was Super Mario Galaxy 2 Really Snubbed?

 

     Nintendo recently announced a lot of goodies to celebrate Mario’s 35th anniversary. A few new games and surprises include a Battle Royale version of Super Mario Bros, Game and Watch editions of old Mario games, and an enhanced port of Super Mario 3D World coming to the Switch. The golden mushroom of the reveal is easily an announcement of a collection of 3D Mario games. Titled Super Mario 3D All Stars, the collection will include just that, a collection of 3D Mario games (Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy). All cool right? Not apparently.

     Some fans are noticing, and are a bit bummed, that a certain intergalactic sequel isn’t a part of the collection, Super Mario Galaxy 2. Super Mario Galaxy, released 2010, was an official sequel to the previous predecessor, coincidentally titled Super Mario Galaxy. Galaxy was already a hit and critically acclaimed as fans were amazed at Nintendo flipping the franchise on its head, literally with gravity defying gameplay that had everyone’s favorite Italian plumber running completely around mini planets and launching to new ones. What else could you do? Expand to new destinations with a sequel, and let you ride a Yoshi. Thus Super Mario Galaxy 2 was launched. People loved the sequel as much as it’s predecessor. So why no love for Galaxy 2 by not including it in 3D All Stars? There are probable reasons.

     One reason could be is that they wanted to focus more on the major Mario releases, no sequels. If you think about it, each game marked a major milestone in the Mario franchise. Super Mario 64 was the first leap into 3D. Super Mario Sunshine was a unique entry in the series as it improved on the discovery and platform concepts of the Mario franchise while mainly being all about puzzles to accomplish missions. Galaxy really gave us something refreshing with it 360 roaming mechanic. All three games were iconic in their own right and Galaxy 2 would’ve oddly feel out of place as it just piggybacked off of Galaxy’s mechanics.

     Another reason could be perhaps be future plans Nintendo have in store for us. A galaxy sized picture for Galaxy 2 that we're not seeing. Nintendo could have a plan to Galaxy 2, along with other 64, GameCube, and Wii titles on the Nintendo Switch Online membership. It is fairly new and I feel that Nintendo will eventually include more titles than the usual NES and Super NES stuff they always release. If you honestly think of it, and the announcement of including the original Super Mario All Stars online, this collection could be a nice beginning to announce future Mario titles, and other games online. What are your thoughts?

Pokemon Let’s Go Should Be a Series

     Nintendo recently had a mini Pokémon reveal last week. To recap, they released the Sword and Shield expansion as well as announced mega evolutions for Pokémon Go and Pokémon Smile, a app to help you brush your teeth or something. There was also something about a sequel to Pokémon Snap, but who cares about that (everyone who’s been begging for a follow-up for YEARS). If you still haven’t gotten your Poké fix yet don’t despair as there will be another set of Pokémon announcements this week. A lot of fans are anticipating what could be announced this week. A Pokémon Stadium revival? Sinnoh remake? Pokémon Super Ultra Mega Sword and Shield? Not really for both but maybe it could and should be a follow-up to Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee and Pikachu.
     For those who aren’t aware, Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee was a enhanced remake of Pokémon Yellow. Very heavy on the word enhanced as it was a complete update on the previous games, incorporating the catching mechanic of Pokémon Go meanwhile using a tweaked updated  battle mechanic from the main series, so it doesn’t seem too outdated compared to the recent Pokémon games. So, you’re probably asking why the big focus on Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee? Simple. A follow-up would be good, but it could also make Let’s Go an official spin-off series.
     Pokémon isn’t new to spin-off and their not new to remake as they usually churn out a remake version of the previous generation every other generation with Red and Blue being the first remake made a couple of years apart from when they were originally released and have been a constant thing every generation. Let’s Go gamewise feels more than just a remake compared to the past ones. It’s Combining classic gameplay with Pokémon Go’s capturing system gives Let’s Go a fresh approach, fresh enough that it can stand on its own and be a spinoff on its own. There is obviously more to it and more they can play around with and improve that it would be a shame to only limit it to one game, well technically two, but you get the drift. What are your thoughts?

What Animal Crossing New Horizons Should Do With it’s Missing Special Characters

     Animal Crossing New Horizons has been out for a while and let me say it has been a well worth the wait, as well the pill of sanity we’ve been taking since this quarantine. It features new mechanics like building you town up from the ground up and crafting everything from tools and furniture, but we're not here for that. One of the qualities that make us love Animal Crossing aside from all the building and collecting are its characters. While we see most of the villagers moving in and living on our islands, a big hole is missing, its core NCP characters. We see plenty of new characters like Orville and Wilbur our airport running dodos and new characters replacing old ones, like CJ and Daisie May replacing Chip and Joan. There isn’t that many characters that are long staples of the series, like fashion icon Gracie and psychic panther Katrina. Even greedy con man, I mean con fox, and rival to Tom Nook, Crazy Redd seems to be M.I.A. It does seem plausible that most of these characters are not completely gone and will show up as updates, future events, and probably DLC. But what will they do? Time to do some DIY speculations.

Digby

     When we were introduced to Digby in New Leaf, Isabelle's younger less popular brother, he was running the Happy Home Showcase where you could view the homes of other players and order item and furniture via Streetpass. Digby later worked for Nook Homes in Happy Home Designer where he, obviously help you design homes. The Nintendo Switch does't have the Streetpass functionality so, where does that leave Digby? Well, they can an online island version where you can visit, and order furniture, pretty much like Luna, another NPC character introduced in New Leaf. We can do that OR have Digby host a front lawn event where the villagers and the player will do a contest to see who can decorate their lawn the best where, if the player wins you can get exclusive items and furniture.

Gracie

     Gracie is you noted fashion maven and has been a staple of the series since the first game, Animal Forest. From cleaning her car to owning her own store in New Leaf. Gracie has been a high fashion angel helping towns in need of a makeover and upscale designer clothes. even having her on furniture line. It is kinda weird not seeing her in New Horizons, so far. Gracie can make her fashion debut on the Nintendo Switch by showing up on your island by giving you fashion DIY challenges to win even better clothes and even get her own shop if you win enough where Gracie can even sell Nintendo themed items. Mario/Luigi themed sofas? Actual shirt with a DK tie? High fashion.

Crazy Redd

     Crazy Redd is another staple that is oddly missing in New Horizons. Redd would set up his shop in your town and sell items, paintings, and furniture. Beware as some of the paintings would be found to be fake when donating them to Blathers in his museum. Redd would have the same role in most games. except in New Leaf where he would also set up to sell items during a festival. Redd's return can herald the return of paintings, which are also missing in New Horizons. Also Redd can also events where he can host festivals where you can play minigames in order to win exclusive Nintendo items and furniture or paintings, not counterfeit either. Maybe minigames where you spot the fakes?

Phyllis, Pete, and Pelly

     Phyllis, Pete. and Pelly used to work in the Post Office in the Animal Crossing games, with Pelly working mornings, Phyllis working evenings, and Pete delivering the mail. Their roles have been minimalized with only Pete appearing in New Leaf as the games stopped featuring a Post Office, New Horizons included. Where does that leave these characters? Running a speedy delivery service of course! Mail usually takes 24 hours to be delivered in the game. Don't have time for that? Well, unlocking Pete, Pelly, and Phyllis' delivery service could get your mail in a few hours. Just pay them a small fee. Pay them enough and you can get furniture, clothing, and items.

Brewster

     Brewster is the owner of The Roost, a coffee shop, in your town. Residents and special characters would come from all around to drink his famous coffee. So, how can they incorporate Brewster in New Horizons? They can have him be an unlockable and set up shop on your island after you order enough of his coffee. But that would be boring, so they can spruce things up by having you help him out by doing coffee deliveries for him and he can either pay you in beans which you can plant and sell back like turnips, receive exclusive furniture and items, or he can give you Gyroids as they are missing from the game as well.

Booker and Copper (and Blanca)

     Booker and Copper are police dogs in your town. In most games they would run the police station where they would be in charge of a lost and found, where things would be “lost” and you find them to   claim. There’s already a lost and found/recycling bin in the in Tom Nook and Isabelle’s office so there doesn’t seem to be a purpose for Booker and Copper, right? Wrong! We can have an event where Booker and Cooper can be promoted to detectives a la Sherlock Holmes and Watson and they’ve come to your town to solve a capper where a person (animal) is trying to steal a valuable item and you have to help them out. Who’s the culprit? None other than our resident copycat Blanca who will be disguised as villagers in order to steal the item. Just like in New Leaf Blanca would leave clues, facts about the villager in your town, that you can use to decipher who’s Blanca and who’s the real villager. You win the item when you guess correctly with all the villagers.

Tortimer

     Tortimer has been the residential mayor of the towns you moved in in the earlier Animal Crossing games. That role has been diminished in the recent games in the series as in New Leaf you were the mayor and now in New Horizons, you’re basically building the town island from the ground up. That didn’t stop Tortimer from not showing up in games as he had his own island where you could get currency and points by winning mini games which you could use to purchase items and furniture. We can still have that in New Horizons where you fly to his island, by getting Tortimer miles, and play mini games. But why stop there with just winning furniture, maybe have a special Tortimer event where it could be the long awaited return of demo NES games you could win when he visits your town or you go to his island.

Katrina

     Katrina is a black panther fortune teller where she would set up her tent in your town and she would see into your future. She would tell if you had good luck or bad luck for the week and she would either cleanse you for a set number of bells or give you an exclusive item for protection. We could see her being an unlockable when she comes to your island and she reads your fortune a set number of times. Her good luck can range from trees and bell rocks giving you more money than usual and regular rocks giving you better ore, maybe gems like ruby, emerald, and sapphire nuggets. Not just gold nuggets in which you can craft better furniture. Bad luck could be bell rocks giving you less money and more wasp trees than usual. She can give out exclusive items like crystal balls, rabbit foot, or maybe a four leaf clover DIY tutorial. In October she can even have an event where she gives out the Spooky series, instead of Jack.

Harriet

     Harriet is a poodle uses her noodle to create the most amazing hairstyles in her own boutique Shampoodle. New Horizons already does this for you with their new customization mechanic which you can already unlock early in the game. So, what is Harriet to do? Well I guess this means that Shampoodle is in need of a new makeover. Shampoodle can be a boutique/wig and hat shop where adding to the hairstyles that you’ve already unlocked, you can choose to add two tones, or highlights. You can even have rainbow hair if that is possible. As for the wigs and hats, of course you can purchase extravagant and out of this world ones that aren’t already available at the Able Sisters’ Shop. Maybe exclusive Nintendo hats and wigs. A Big bro, Lil’ bro, Wario, and Waluigi hat? Maybe a Princess Peach or a Princess Daisy wig and crown? Bowser Mohawk? Maybe a Link cap. Fashion varies.

Cyrus and Reese

     Cyrus and Reese debuted in New Leaf where they ran a thrift shop/repostering shop ReTail. It would be a shame that we would only get one game appearance from them, considering that they laid the ground for New Horizons’ biggest mechanic. So, what they can do in New Horizons is that they can probably come to town and offer new DIY items.

Don and Mr. Resetti

     Mr Resetti's omission from New Horizons is probably the biggest shock to us. For most of the series Mr. Resetti has been talking off the ear of players, giving us long long loooooonnnnng lecture about the ethics of saving and not “cheating” by resetting the game. We’ve kinda seen it coming where in New Leaf, having Mr. Resetti, and his more laid back brother Don, actually be optional meaning you could reset the game. But I know some of us with morals and integrity chose him anyway. So, what could New Horizons due with one of its most popular characters? With his absence I’m sure this leave a lot of residents thinking that they can cheat and go unpunished. Which leaves Mr. Resetti and Don to form a task force: Hyper Super Surveillance Force Five (two other villagers can join)! It’s up to you to go patrol the island and stop people from doing not so nice things. You may get a few exclusive items and furniture for your heroic deeds. Hyper Super Surveillance Force Five Mecha? Maybe a Mr. Resetti suit and overalls.

What are your thoughts? What do you think New Horizons can do with these charaters?

Characters That Should Be Added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC 2 Pack

     Last week we were treated to the last, and long awaited, DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate lived up to its name by including every character that was featured in its past installments. But they were not done yet, by announcing that they will include five characters as part of a DLC pack as well and their own stage and a collection of music from their series. Was it another character from a third party game like Banjo, Joker, and Terry Bogard? No, it was Elise from Fire Emblem, yes folks another Fire Emblem character. Elise’s inclusion to the franchise would be a nice ending, except it isn’t. Along with her announcement, there will be another DLC pack, along with five other characters to be added. Six slots need to be filled, but whom? This is a list of who I think could be good inclusions to Smash's roster in the next DLC Pack.



Impa

Impa’s inclusion into the Smash Bros series has been long deserved. For most who don’t know, most incarnations of Impa have been fierce Sheikah warriors who have served the Royal Hylian family for years. Impa herself has been the personal bodyguard to Princess Zelda herself. So Impa is more than qualified to join the fray. As for her moveset, they could be a combination of Sheik and Zelda’s to give the players who missed the Zelda/Sheik duo that was recently split in Ultimate and the Nintendo/3DS games.

Dixie Kong

Dixie’s been a top choice pick for fans ever since the Melee games. At one point she was even considered to be added to Brawl but alas things weren’t meant to be. Maybe Ultimate is finally the opportunity for Dixie to swing right in. In the games Dixie used her ponytail as a weapon and to hover over things so it’s only natural for her to use them for attacks. Dixie could be for those fighters who want to keep their distance between competitors. She could even use her ponytail to deflect projectiles and for recovery purposes, floating back on stage. Dixie could whip the other fighters into shape.

Dr. Eggman

Sonic’s looking a little lonely as being one of the few characters in the series that is the sole representation of his franchise. Even Ryu has Ken! It’s been a long time coming for someone else from the Sonic franchise to join him. Tails and Shadow seem to be the top choices, but they’re also the most predictable and probably be clones, oops ECHO FIGHTERS. Dr. Eggman would be the perfect choice to mix things up and surprise fans. His attacks could range from his evil collection of gadgets and he could use his Death Egg as a final smash to deliver the final blow. Also, imagine seeing him, Bowser, King K. Rool, and Ganondorf in the same game. Iconic villains of video game history unite!

Medusa

Medusa has been a formidable for Pit and Palutena where Pit, umm PITTed himself against her forces. Before the events of Uprising and the original Lid Icarus she waged a war against Palutena, so there’s a grudge there. So how will Medusa fare in Smash? They can use attacks she used against Pit in Uprising and even her snakes as projectiles like she did in the original Kid Icarus.Plus it’s be nice to hear Cree Summer verbally smack talk Palutena and Viridi in one of those Palutena guidelines.

K.K. Slider

Yes, another Animal Crossing character. We already got Villager and Isabelle, who is fancy Echo Fighter with flair, and adorableness, so what will set K.K. apart? He can have attacks based on his guitar, literal killer beat attacking you with notes. His final could be DJ K.K. where you could jam right before you fly off stage.

Professor E. Gadd

Luigi’s Mansion is becoming a big series on its own so why not celebrate that by adding Professor E. Gadd? E. Gadd have introduced a ton of gadgets all throughout the Mario series, so why not use it. Magic paintbrush that uses the paint effect Inkling uses, damaging other fighters with paint that lingers on. He mainly attacks with his Poltergust sucking in character for quick attacks or thrashing them about like in Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon and 3. You could even use the elements from the first Luigi’s Mansion, switching them out. Paranormal studies find that Professor would be a good inclusion.

Tingle

Tingle’s inclusion would be only because he would be a good joke character and we don’t have that many in Smash. Him being a joke character wouldn’t mean he wouldn’t be fun as well? He can use attacks based off his spin-off series and might even blow himself up with Chuchus, hurling himself at fighters, damaging them. Tingle would be fun!

Rick, Kine, and Coo

Sometimes you need your friends. These three helped Kirby in Kirby’s Dreamland 2. They can help our little pink puffball in Ultimate using attacks they used in the game. You could also switch them out like Pokémon Trainer and in Kirby Star Allies. Gooey might even make an appearance.

Cinderace

Smash loves adding Pokémon. Smash loves adding starters as well. Cinderace also seems to be the popular final evolution for the recent Gen 8 games (Pokemon Sword and Shield) and I’m sure that the Pokémon Company was pushing Sakurai to add him in the game.

Lip

Lip’s stick has been a staple since Melee, so I’m sure Lip would be wanting to be reunited with it after being separated from it after all these years. Lip is from the game Panel De Pon, which we got as Tetris Attack here in the states. So being in an iconic game that has been a staple in Nintendo’s history warrants her being added to the roster. Aside from giving her opponents energy sapping flowers she could summon block to hurl at other fighters and her final smash could be an actual Tetris Attack where she summons a ton of blocks and rack up combos and hit points.

Who do you think should be added?

What Should Be Added in Super Mario Maker 2's DLC (Or Super Mario Maker 3)

Super Mario Maker 2 is the quintessential Mario level simulator. Nintendo has really stepped it up with taking everything that was great in its predecessor and thinking outside the ? Block by improving on certain mechanics and finding new and fun ways we could design Mario levels. What more could we ask for? Well, like Oprah at a Popeye's the answer is more. While Super Mario Maker gave us a lot, there is a lot more to be desired whether in an update, DLC, or in the a Super Mario Maker 3(we know it's coming). Here's some ideas on what they can add.

Add Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Land, or Super Mario Land 2 Themes

Super Mario Maker features some of Mario's most iconic 2-D games (Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros 3, and Super Mario World) as themes for you to create levels too. They've recently featured Super Mario 3D World for Super Mario Maker 2. Something does feel missing as we are missing another iconic game from the Mario franchise, Super Mario Bros. 2! It does seem a bit sad that even with Super Mario Maker 2, Nintendo still wants to not show it any love, but it could also introduce more gaming mechanics with lifting and throwing veggies and enemies at other enemies. Also considering that Super Mario Maker 2 does have the Super Flower from Super Mario Land as an unlockable, why not stop there. Why not give us the full Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2 treatment by featuring enemies, power-ups, and worlds based on those games.

Create Your Own World Map (Playlist)

We all know that Super Mario Maker 2 lets you create stages where you can think outside the box than your traditional Mario levels. While giving you all that creativity, and even giving you a Story Mode this time around, it still does seem a bit limited. Why not expand on not just creating levels but creating your own world as a Playlist you can share online and with friends? You can create a fire or sky world or you can make a challenge world full of insane difficult levels.

Add More Mario Enemies

Super Mario Maker 2 features an array of classic Mario enemies spanning from the entire franchise. Moreso the classic Mario enemies from goombas to koopa troopas, to boos. They've recently added Boom-Boom and Angry Sun to the mix. What more can you ask for? Maybe more enemies or at least more certain enemies from Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. 3. It would be nice to see Rex and Choco Island dinos from Super Mario World or maybe Spike and Fire Bros and Boomerang Bros from Super Mario Bros 3 in their game themes or better yet mixed in other themes.

Add Specific Character Traits 

Super Mario Maker 2 includes Luigi, Toadette, Blue Toad. Fun? You bet, but what would be funner is if they can do their character traits. Luigi, in most of the games, can jump higher but have less traction. This, and maybe giving this feature to other characters as unlockables, could spice up the gameplay when designing levels as well. Give Toadette a double jump as well.

Add Peach and Daisy

I know what you are saying. Why add the Mushroom Kingdom's residential Monarch in Distress? Who will Mario save? Well, if you must know, Princess Peach has been on a few adventures where she wasn't a kidnappee and actually assisted Mario and co. in saving the day. From Super Mario Bros. 2, to Super Mario 3D World, which is a theme. Peach has been shown to be capable to hold her own. A matter of fact adding her would be almost revenge for all the times Bowser has kidnapped her as well. Daisy in Super Mario Run has shown that she can get the job done. It's all cool. Just don't add Peachette.

Bring Back the Mystery Mushroom

The Mystery Mushroom was a very popular item in the first Super Mario Maker as it allowed Mario to turn into your favorite Nintendo characters. This of course was supported through Amiibo. We are kinda bummed it didn't make a return in Super Mario Maker 2 due to Amiibo sales declining. That shouldn't ruin it for everyone. Just like everyone download it and have a set of characters available each month. Problem solved.

Add Slope Warp Pipes

Slopes were a huge demand for the first Super Mario Maker. They teased slopes for a Super Mario Maker stage in Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and we thought we would get them in an update. Low and behold we had to wait a whole sequel to enjoy Mario slip sliding away through enemies and levels. No foul. Now let's up the ante with slope warp pipes. They could work just like slopes meanwhile providing a great aesthetic in levels. In Super Mario World some warp pipes also functioned as canons that could launch Mario through courses. Sounds like fun.

Add More Mini-Bosses

Super Mario Maker gave us bosses and mini bosses in the form of Bowser and Bowser Jr. It was a little neat but it got older quick where merely putting wings and making them bigger with the Super Mushroom was a bore. Super Mario Maker 2 did add Boom-Boom and Pom-Pom but it feels like it's still not enough. We need more bosses and mini-bosses that give new life to the level designer. Adding the Koopalings would be a huge step. Birdo from Super Mario Bros. 2 could work as well. Why not stop there? We could see a revival of old long forgotten Mario bosses return in the form of Tatanga. Maybe Wart too?

The Main Villain of Breath of the Wild 2 is Not Ganon (Probably)

     The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild was arguably one of the best games of 2017. The visuals, the story, the gameplay. It was perfect in everyway and all Zelda fans could ask for. Fans have already put the game in leagues of the series classic games like Ocarina of Time, A Link to the Past, and even the original Zelda. So what do you do when you make a game that everyone loves? You make another one.

     And that is exactly what Nintendo is doing when they announced that we are getting a sequel to Breath of the Wild during their E3 Direct. Aside from the announcement we got a special teaser.

    Not much is happening, everything is cryptic, but it does take place sometime after BOTW and aside from random cuts that from the game, Link and Zelda are in a cave witnessing the mummified remains of what looks like one of the sages from the previous game becoming corrupted and coming back to life. There's not much you can get from it but that isn't stopping fans from forming their own theories about what will happen in the game, more specifically who will be the antagonist. 

     Based on the how corrupting force that is in the teaser, most people are assuming that the villain will be Ganon, again.

*Before you read any further beware. There are spoilers.*

     In the last game Ganon, oops I mean CALAMITY Ganon, looked pretty much the same way for the majority of the game. Ganon evolved into a entity of pure evil and corruption, corrupting the guardians that were designed to destroy him should he ever came back to threaten Hyrule this time around. He actually succeeded in taking over Hyrule by fatally injuring Link enough that he had to be in a stasis in order to heal. Zelda however was able to partially seal Ganon or at least made him dormant so that he couldn't spread, completely corrupting Hyrule. In the end of the game Link was able to defeat him and Zelda was able to fully seal him away.

     Back to the teaser trailer, the corrupting force in the teaser looks very reminiscent of the how Calamity Ganon looked throughout most of BOTW. So, does this mean that Ganon's back this time around? Possibly, but it could be something else. Ganon is unquestionably the main antagonist of The Legend of Zelda series appearing in many titles throughout its history, but so have other villains, often taking his place while he was either sealed away, or killed. It wouldn't really make sense for him to come back and be the main villain in two games in the same era. Both examples of this are Majora's Mask and Spirit Trackers which were direct sequels of Ocarina of Time and Wind Walker, taking place in the same time era and where you had other main antagonists that Link had to defeat right after he just defeated Ganon.
     Story wise it wouldn't make sense either. A large part of BOTW was presented in Zelda's point of view and was in part a story of her growing and becoming this powerful person figuratively and literally as she was going through turmoil of how could she save Hyrule from Calamity Ganon's influence, meeting big obstacle, and overall being able to be strong enough to seal him away. Him coming back would cheapen BOTW's story. We do not know much of who will be the main antagonist and it could be very well be Ganon back again since he does tend to break out of his sealed prison just like a DC villain. This are just my thoughts. What are yours?

What Will The Legendary Mascots of Pokemon Sword and Shield Look Like?

     This week we finally got a look at the next generation Pokemon game for the Switch, Pokemon Sword and Shield.

    In the trailer you see new places in the brand new Galar region which is either based on England? Scotland? or maybe it the U.K. We also got a chance to already look at the new starter pokemon, Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble. With this being the first trailer we only got to see so much, but knowing Game Freak, the company who makes Pokemon games, there will be over a ton of information that will be revealed later on.
     I'm sure this has led a lot of pokefans to start speculating and making theories on what Game Freak has in store for us this time around. One of these is what will the legendary pokemon look like in the game, or more importantly what will Sword and Shield's legendary mascot pokemon will look like.
     If we want to find any clues, we may have to look no further than the logos for Sword and Shield. Game Freak often leaves indications on what the legendaries look like in the logos. A few examples are in Gold and Silver with Ho-oh and Lugia literally being gold and silver, X and Y where the legendaries Yveltal and Xerneas were X and Y shaped pokemon, and in Sun and Moon where not only were Solgaleo and Lunala were pokemon representing the sun and moon, but had their crests designed in the logo of their games as well. So, what clues are in Sword and Shield's logo?
   In both logos we see a wolf's head on top of a sword and shield. There is a chance that the legendaries can be wolf pokemon based how prominent wolves have been the staple in european mythology. In indo-european mythology, wolves are often associated with the warriors class with people who are said to transform into werewolves and the Celtic goddess Morrighan who sometime appear in the form of a wolf and represents sovereignty, along with being considered a goddess who guides and protects kings. It does make some kind of sense for the Galar region's key legendary pokemon to fit this since it is based on the U.K and there are a couple of castles in Galar's regional map one being in the center of the region and an old castle near the bottom near the lakes.
    Most legendaries have gotten a background story connected to their respected region for sometime now. Solgaleo and Lunala have been the pokemon to ward of ultra beasts in Sun and Moon as well as the Tapus being the pokemon who protect Alola. Groudon and Kyogre shaped Hoenn. How will the wolf legendaries' fit into Sword and Shield? We could get a similar story like Black in White where it's legendary pokemon, Zekrom and Reshiram where the two pokemon belonged to warring brothers. The only difference could be just like Morrighan, one of the wolf legendaries, or both, were responsible for the king of Galar to rule the region. There's a possibility of the legendary wolves to just be like Black and White's other dragon pokemon, Kyruem, and just be one pokemon and it having two forms, an attack form and a defense form, representing shield. This is of course all speculation and none of this is true. We will all have to see when we get further details about word and Shield. What are your thoughts?

The Bowsette Memes Are Proof We Need Another Super Princess Peach Game

     With the introduction of the Super Crown, a Power-up item in the Switch port of New Super Mario Bros. U which transforms Toadette into a peculiar yet mysterious Peach-like being known as Toadette, we were perplexed with what this could possibly mean and how exactly this could explain Princess Peach ruling a kingdom made up little mushroom people. While we were wondering if this would solve one of gaming's biggest mysteries we weren't ready for what would come next: Bowsette.

     The Bowsette meme started when someone on the internet, Twitter user @ayyk92, made a comic that had Bowser put on the Super Crown and change into a evil version of Peach which people named Bowette creating be a big wave of Bowsette memes. With the up rise and recent popularity of Bowette memes, one thing comes to mind, Super Princess Peach.

     If you don't remember Super Princess Peach, it was a platformer staring everyone's favorite pink clad mushroom monarch this time saving Mario, Luigi, and Toad from the evil clutches of Bowser. It was your standard Mario platformer, only with a bit of feminine flair as along the standard 2D Mario gameplay we all knew and love, by with Peach having a vibe meter which allows her to solve puzzles by being happy and fly, cry and run super fast, stomp angrily and pretty much be invincible, and heal herself by being calm. But like all really nice things, we get only one and we've never got a sequel which a lot of people want, mainly Peach fans.
     I know what you're saying. Why bring up Super Princess Peach when it has nothing to do with Bowsette memes? With the Bowsette memes and Peachette, they all have one thing in common. Both, do involve Princess Peach, but both also involved creatively playing around with Peach in a interesting unconventional way and in the end had amazing and interesting results. With Super Princess Peach, it flipped the script with Peach no longer being the damsel in distress and showed that Peach could handle her own in a Mario-esque game. With Bowsette, Peach is used as an avatar to get out of the role you usually see her in most Mario games. Hopefully Nintendo is paying attention and sees a good reason to give us another Princess Peach game, or at least give Peach her own franchise. They gave one to Luigi.

Is it Safe to Believe THAT Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Rumor?

     Recently we were treated to an all Super Smash Bros. Ultimate dedicated Nintendo Direct. Hype has been simmering and stewing within us to figure out what will be in store for us in this next installment for months since Nintendo announced the game for the first time. The first time we were met with small info like Daisy, an echo fighter, and Ridley already joining the full studded roster of every character that has been in the series.
     The recent Nintendo Direct containing new Smash Bros. goodness didn't disappoint. We've gotten news of over 100 stages, almost 800 tracks, quick stage changes happening in between fights, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. We've gotten new characters as well. Chrom and Dark Samus join as new echo fighters. But the big excitement has been over the inclusion of old Donkey Kong nemesis King K. Rool and both legendary vampire hunters from Castlevania, Simon and Richter Belmont. The new fighters have been a surprise, or were they?
     On July 1st, a user on 4chan claimed that there would be eleven new characters coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and they would be revealed monthly using codenames which would be the following:

• In July, the characters “King” and “Ponytail” will be revealed in a mini Nintendo Direct.
• In August, the character “Old Man” will be revealed at EVO 2018.
• In September, the character “Archer” will be revealed in a Nintendo Direct of some kind.
• In October, the Characters “Warrior” and “Secretary” will be revealed in a Nintendo Direct centered around Ultimate.
• In November, the character “Mech” will be revealed in a surprise character announcement.
• The Characters “Rhythm”, “Folklore”, “Doll”, and “Prime Ribs” won’t get reveal trailers until post-release.

Many speculated what characters the codenames stood for and determined the following:

• King: King K. Rool.
• Ponytail: Dixie Kong, Shantae the Genie or Ashley from WarioWare
• Old Man: Heihachi Mishima from Tekken.
• Archer: Decidueye from Pokemon Sun and Moon
• Secretary: Isabelle from Animal Crossing.
• Warrior: Simon Belmont from Castlevania, or a new character from Fire Emblem.
• Mech: Chibi-Robo or Elma from Xenoblade Chronicles X.
• Rhythm: A character from Rhythm Heaven or the Chorus Kids.
• Folklore: Amaterasu from Okami or a character from Touhou Project.
• Doll: Geno from Super Mario RPG.
• Prime Ribs: Dark Samus or Ninten from Mother.

      So, looking at this, let's get out what didn't happen. We didn't get a monthly reveal nor did we get a Dixie Kong reveal with King K. Rool. We did get King K. Rool, Dark Samus, and Simon Belmont. With most rumors, you shouldn't fully trust them and just take them with a grain of salt and this rumor for the most part was proven to be false, however, you can look at it as who could be announced instead of how characters will get announced. For the most part it was right revealing three characters that would be coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which is more accurate than most Smash Ultimate rumors out there. 

      Another Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. themed Nintendo Direct is coming where we will get even more characters coming to the game. There is more of a possibility that we may get to who will be added next, possibly Dixie Kong and Heihachi. Dixie Kong has been referenced a ton of times as trophies and has even at one point considered to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Heihachi has been used as an alternate costume for the Mii character in last game, Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 3DS/Wii U. Since Sakurai has been listening to the fans' wishes like a video game Santa Claus, these two may be the next added to the roster, hopefully. Maybe Geno too but who are we kidding. Again, this is all speculation and we will never know until the next Smash themed Nintendo direct.

Who do you want to see in Smash Ultimate?

Will We See Other Generation Pokemon In Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu And Eevee

    Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee is almost here, only a few months away to be exact, and Nintendo has given us a few new updates on what we will be seeing in the game. We saw how Kanto will look in the game also a few familiar faces in the form of Gym Leaders Misty and Brock, your rival Blue, and Jessie and James from Team Rocket. I'm sure with this and a look at gameplay we have this game figured out, except with one question: How will Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee deal with pokemon from other generations?
     We do know that all the original pokemon will be in the game since Pikachu and Eevee are both a Switch remake of Pokemon Yellow. What will be a big surprise is that we will be seeing the Alolan forms of some pokemon as well. The Pokemon company and Nintendo have been pretty mum on how they will treat the other 651 pokemon in the series. If the other gen pokemon will be implemented in some way,

Trading

This would be the most common way to have the pokemon from other generations be in the games. Let's go Pikachu and Eevee have been big on the idea of trading with a co-partner, friends, and online. Trading will require two Switches and a subscription to Nintendo's Switch Online Service. This is honestly how other games have dealt with including all 802 pokemon in games so it wouldn't be a shock if these games do that too. The only downside to this would be that it could only happen with Switch pokemon games which will be this and the upcoming Pokemon Switch game, unless there's a Pokemon Bank app for the Switch that's in the works.

In Game Achievement 

This has been done in a few remake sad well by having the player accomplish something in game and bam! You can now catch pokemon from other games. This will also most likely be how we will get Alolan pokemon as well. This was done in the Pokemon remakes, FireRed and LeafGreen and HeartGold and Soul Silver, where you can catch pokemon that came in later games in the post game or by completing the game or filling the National Pokedex.

DLC or Updates

DLC have been another way of how The Pokemon Company has been shoehorning pokemon into games. They could introduce certain Pokemon from another generation to be downloaded in the game or go the Pokemon Go route and release updates that will introduce generational pokemon all together.

Overall adding pokemon from other generations would be a hard thing to pass up as it would a great add to the game. What are your thoughts?

The History of Super Smash Bros' Adventure Mode

The original Super Smash Bros for the Nintendo 64 was released January 1999 and it was marvelous. All of Nintendo's biggest stars fighting each other in a lbs all out brawl, and fighting a giant hand! What more can you ask for? A sequel of course. While working on the next installment, Melee, Masahiro Sakurai and co are probably asking themselves what they can do to make the game even bigger and better. New characters? Of course. Add another giant hand to fight? Sure why not. Make a lot of the new characters clones of previous fighters? Nothing wrong there. But it was one thing that was a definite great ideal. Let's add an adventure mode. And the rest is wonderful history.

Adventure Mode for Melee

Melee's adventure mode was the one that really started it all. An amazing journey that took you almost everywhere in the Nintendo universe. Fighting Goombas, Koopa Troopas, and Yoshis. Wondering around a dungeon in Hyrule. Trying not to get run over by the cars in F-Zero. It was an adventure mode indeed.

The Subspace Emissary 

So when Brawl was announced Sakurai met a challenge. How can I make Adventure Mode even better? Let's give it a storyline and pair up all your faves together. The Subspace Emissary was Nintendo's Avengers Infinity War. Everyone has to go and stop Bowser and Ganondorf who have teamed together to enact a devious plan to take over the Smash World and turn everyone into trophies. It was also a nice introduction to Pit joining the fray.

Smash Run

Apparently we can't have nice things as when Brawl came out and the whole story of the Subspace Emissary was leaked on the internet. Sakurai was upset about it and decide to not give us another story with Adventure Mode. But that doesn't mean that we weren't going to get a new one. Instead he made a pseudo-Adventure Mode called Smash Run. You do go on an adventure on a giant map beating up as many baddies from Nintendo games in order to get coins, power-ups, and other goodies to do a mini Smash fight or challenge at the end. This was really his attempt to give us this as well as keep Break the Targets in the game in some form. So it may not be the great adventure epic Subspace Emissary was, but we should thank him in the end, right?

We don't know what Ultimate's Adventure Mode may be but it will most likely be good (But seriously, give us a Subspace Emissary sequel). What was your favorite? Please comment and share.

How Will Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee Play

Earlier this week we were treated to some major Pokemon Switch news. We are getting a core Pokemon game, but in 2019. Never fret we are getting two games to tie us over until then. First we have Pokemon Quest which is an adorable 8bit 3D? beat-em-up. We also will have Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Pokemon Eevee.

    According to The Pokemon Company, Lets Go Pikachu and Eevee is an enhanced chibi remake of Pokemon Yellow, which is done since it's based on the anime. If you can explain Let's Go Eevee and Pikachu it's pretty much your standard Pokemon game that we all know and love mixed with Pokemon Go. It even comes with a Pokeball that you can throw. Based on the trailer it does seem cool, but how will the game play seems to be a big mystery.
     Since the game is largely based on Pokemon Go, it would be safe to say that a lot of the gameplay will be based on Pokemon Go. You don't battle with wild pokemon. Instead you throw poke balls at it hoping that you can catch one. What's also different is that instead of random encounters from the games, you can see the pokemon in the wild and in caves. You will probably get different pokemon showing up whenever you leave and re-enter an area or if you catch one, maybe rarer ones will appear if you catch enough.
     You will have pokemon battles with gym leaders and other pokemon trainers as well as we see in the trailer where you fight a trainer on Nugget Bridge as well as a Team Rocket member. There will be trainers with different difficulty in the game so you may fight harder trainers later on on the game. There might be a possibility that you may be able to re-fight trainers with a harder difficulty level than previously like in the core games. Poke Marts and Pokemon Centers are in the game as seen in the trailer, so that will be a function instead of Poke Stops.
     One question is how exactly will you level up your pokemon in the game. In Pokemon Go, you get candies everytime you catch a pokemon which works like experience points in the game. In Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee that mechanic might still work where it won't be exclusive to a certain pokemon, like getting Pidgey candy for catching a Pidgey. You may get candies or money so you can buy poke balls and other items in trainer battles as well. You can use money from trainer battles to buy accessories to buy outfits for Pikachu and Eevee.
     This is all speculation. Nothing is official and I'm sure we'll find out new info as soon as Nintendo and The Pokemon Company updates us in the future. 

Who May Or May Not Be In The Next Super Smash Bros

     Last week we've got the game teasers to end all game teasers. We were treated to a brand new Smash Bros game coming out for the Switch. Not much was shown by for the people that missed out it first started out as a mock trailer for Splatoon as it started out with two Inklings fighting. On of them looks behind them and gazes in awe of the Smash logo engulfed in flames. We then see silhouettes of Mario, Link, and a few characters. This has led the internet to speculate who will be in the upcoming game with guesses of which characters are shown the silhouettes. There are a few obvious ones like Bowser and and DK, but everyone else is a complete mystery. People are speculating so we're going to speculate as well. Here's who I think will make the cut. Again, this isn't official but merely guess as to who will be and who may not be in the next installment for the Switch, hopefully.

N64 Fighters

     So, if you don't know who they are they are Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Pikachu, Yoshi, Samus, Fox, Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, and Jigglypuff. We know that Mario, Link, and Donkey Kong are pretty much confirmed (shockingly) but what about everyone else. So most of the character in this group are from well established titles in Nintendo's history and have been there from the very start so we know that most of them are going to stay, well mostly everybody. Ness was almost cut in Melee in favor of Lucas so could he end up being cut? The same is for Jigglypuff as it was also considered being cut for Melee and Brawl. Unlike Ness, Jigglypuff the case for being on the chopping block makes it more apparent as it has gotten worse over the franchise with it being in lower ranks with each game. Is Jigglypuff on the final chopping block?

Melee Fighters

     Zelda, Sheik, Peach, Ganondorf, Bowser, Marth, Roy, Mewtwo, Falco, Dr. Mario, and Mr. Game and Watch were in the remaining game with Young Link, and Pichu, being cut from Brawl and Ice Climbers being cut from Smash 4. Ice Climbers was cut due to the 3DS limitations and time constraints. Hopefully things have changed as the production team has probably have time to perfect their mechanics? Young Link and Pichu may be still setting this out especially considering Young Link since we already had Toon Link take his place, which also made more sense. As for the fighters who were in the last game, just like the N64 cast most of these characters are long staples of the group and will probably stay, most of them. Dr. Mario seems to have came back to give variety to Mario fans as Dr. Mario plays like old Mario before they changed his fighting style in Brawl. Mewtwo who missed out on Brawl, but came back to Smash 4 can either be cut again or might stay on the roster this time.

Brawl Fighters

     Wario, Toon Link, Lucas, Zero Suit Samus, Pit, R.O.B, Meta Knight, King Dedede, Ike, Olimar, Diddy Kong, Lucario, Charizard, and Sonic were the new fighters added to the mix. A lot of these fighters brought a lot of uniqueness with their mechanics and moveset. However I do feel like they will cut the least unique ones. Who will they be? They basically replaced Pokemon Trainer for just Charizard, but I feel like Charizard might not make it into the final roster and this will be a battle Ike will finally set out in favor of other Fire Emblem and Pokemon characters. They will probably bring back Wolf since fans have asked for him to be included in Smash4. Snake will most likely not return because I feel like he was a one time thing as Konami and Hideo Kojima did want Snake in Melee but it was too late so they included him in Brawl.

Smash 4 Fighters

     Just like the Brawl cast, I do feel like a lot of these fighters are new and have uniqueness in their fighting mechanics that we will be seeing most of them returning. But I do fee like they will be cutting a lot of Pokemon and Fire Emblem characters to make room for new characters from those franchises, so good bye to Robin, Corrin, and Greninja. I do feel like they will cut Rosalina in favor for Ice Climbers returning, using her gameplay mechanics. The question will be whether Mii will return since Nintendo has discontinued Mii recently. It would be nice to see if they stay as a nod. Dark Pit will probably not return as he is a clone of Pit or they might tweak him a bit to make them more different.

Is Super Mario Odyssey the Best Mario Game Ever?

     Super Mario Odyssey is out and holy goomba on a stick is it is awesome. This time Mario has to step out of the Mushroom Kingdom and brave a whole new world as he sets sail to rescue Princess Peach, again. It's no doubt that Odyssey is a great game with a ton of creativity in the many worlds Mario has to look for Power Moons in, new mechanics that spices up old traditional 3D Mario gameplay, and tons of stuff to explore in the many kingdoms, including secrets and easter eggs. With a ton of stuff to do and how great Odyssey looks and plays, you have to wonder is it the best Mario game ever?

     It is no doubt that Odyssey is modeled after past 3D Mario titles. Odyssey is the first open world Mario Game since Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario 64. The first Mario 3D title, Super Mario 64 is set the standard for ever 3D Mario game as its influence is not only calling back to the Mushroom Kingdom but to its exploration and gameplay as Mario is in these huge worlds looking for Power Moons which are the stars in the game, literally in the Mushroom Kingdom. While Mario 64 is the blueprint, Super Mario Sunshine is the biggest contributor to Odyssey's development.
       The goal in Odyssey's development seems to be to take things that were in both 64 and Sunshine and take it to newer heights like a P-Wing. Like Sunshine you do get traditional gameplay mixed in with a ton of puzzles elements, but Odessey takes thing and flip it on its head. The puzzles and puzzlier and funnier. What's also is on its head is Cappy which seems to be a huge step up than what FLUDD was in Sunshine. With Cappy, Mario is able to do all sorts of things from attacking enemies, using him to jump further, and possess enemies.

     If possessing enemies isn't enough then there are a ton of easter eggs and secrets in the game. Easter eggs and references isn't anything new to Mario games, especially the recent ones. Odyssey is however chock full of throwbacks to send you into a nostalgia coma for months. From almost everything in the Mushroom Kingdom (including Yoshi's house from Super Mario World) to Metro Kingdom referencing Mario's Jumpman days in Donkey Kong.
    Odyssey has up the ante in term of content and gameplay than its predecessors but is it a much better game than both? It's hard to make a definitive judgement as each Mario game have its charm. Odyssey is technically the better game, but it doesn't have the feel to it 64 exploring the castle grounds and the character that Sunshine had venturing Isle Defino. It is good that Odyssey does take things up a notch compared to 64 and Sunshine and it's great that it does those things without ruining classing 3D Mario gameplay.

What are your thoughts?