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Tag: Luigi
Luigi's Mansion 3 Review
When Luigi's Mansion was released as a GameCube launch title in 2001, it was an interesting little oddity in the Mario franchise. A small excursion starring the lesser Mario brother taking on a house full of spooks and specters in Ghostbusters-like fashion. It was fun and unique, but short-lived. And for over a decade it seemed that Luigi's Mansion was to remain a one and done affair. It was surprising then, that a sequel was released on the Nintendo 3DS almost twelve years later. Though it lacked the atmosphere of the GameCube original, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon proved that the concept of Luigi doing his best Peter Venkmen impression still had a lot to offer. It may have taken the timeframe between an original Pixar movie and its sequel, but Dark Moon turned the once isolated Luigi's Mansion experience into a viable franchise of its own (it even spawned an arcade spin-off).
Developed by Canadian studio Next Level Games (who also made Dark Moon, as well as the Mario Strikers games and the Wii installment of Punch-Out!!), the bluntly titled Luigi's Mansion 3 was released on the Nintendo Switch on Halloween of 2019. Taking the best bits of the GameCube original and the 3DS sequel, Luigi's Mansion 3 proved to be the best entry in the series yet by some margin.
Though the game still houses the word "mansion" in the title, the action this time around actually takes place inside of a hotel. This high-rise hotel, The Last Resort, is the vacation spot for not only Luigi, but also Mario, Princess Peach, and a group of Toads. Because Mario and the gang are never allowed a proper vacation, the whole thing ends up being a rouse. During the first night of their supposed vacation, Luigi awakes in the middle of the night to find that Mario, Peach and the Toads have gone missing, and the seemingly luxurious hotel has transformed into a dilapidated, nightmarish tower filled with ghouls. It turns out the hotel's owner, Hellen Gravely, is actually a ghost, working under Luigi's recurring foe, King Boo. King Boo has successfully captured Mario, Peach and the Toads and trapped them in portraits, and almost does the same to Luigi, before the younger Mario brother makes an escape (perhaps King Boo should try capturing Luigi first next time… and maybe he and Bowser should work together, because King Boo seems pretty adept at capturing Mario, so together they could get a lot done).
Luigi soon finds that his mentor in ghost-catching, Professor E. Gadd, has also been captured by King Boo, and is in the hotel. Luigi finds an extra ghost-catching device left by Gadd, and soon uses it to rescue the mad scientist. From then on, Gadd takes refuge in his 'ghost-proof' bunker, and provides Luigi with different gadgets and abilities along the way (including "Gooigi" Luigi's gelatinous doppelgänger) in the quest to save Mario, Peach, the Toads, and to put an end to King Boo and Hellen Gravely's plans.
Being a Mario game that isn't one of its RPGs of yesteryear, the plot of Luigi's Mansion 3 is of course simple stuff. But the action becomes something truly memorable by how much personality and character shines through. Luigi's Mansion 3 is one of the most vibrantly-animated video games ever made. The game is bursting at the seams with charm and humor, particularly physical comedy, with Luigi's Mansion 3 being on a level of its own in that category.
Not only has Luigi's anxious, trepidatiously-heroic personality never been more on display, but other characters, and even enemies, are filled with exaggerated movements and expressions (Next Level Games, perhaps realizing that Professor E. Gadd had never previously been seen walking more than a few feet, gave him a decidedly hilarious running animation). While Mario games have often had fluid character animations, they've never been so innately humorous as they are here, with Luigi's Mansion 3 evoking Loony Tunes at times.
The gameplay is an utter delight. The basics are still the same as they've always been for the series: stun ghosts with a flashlight, catch them in your vacuum, dwindle down their hit points until they finally get sucked up. The Dark Light from the second game returns, and is used to find/solidify invisible and spectral objects, as well as release your friends (and coins) from portraits. But there have been a few fun little quirks added to the proceedings: the Poltergust vacuum can now let out a burst to keep large groups of enemies at bay, should Luigi find himself overwhelmed. Luigi can now slam ghosts that are caught in the vortex of the vacuum, which depletes larger chunks of their health with each slam. The Poltergeist can now also fire a plunger, which sticks to objects for Luigi to pull and drag them.
The biggest gameplay addition is the inclusion of Gooigi, who works as a second playable character. Once Gooigi is obtained, the player can switch between Luigi and his gooey clone by the press of a button (or a second player can join in to take on the role of Gooigi for some fun co-op). Gooigi mostly controls identical to Luigi, but has some pros and cons unique to him. Being the slime-like creature he is, Gooigi can sink into drains, squeeze into narrow spaces, walk passed spikes, and pass through cages like Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean. On the downside, Gooigi cannot move in bodies of water or come into contact with fire, or else he dissolves and retreats back into Luigi's Poltergust.
Although on their own, these additions may seem small, when you put them all together, they really add a lot to the classic Luigi's Mansion gameplay. In particular, the puzzles that require both Luigi and Gooigi to step into action really bring out the game's creativity.
One of my complaints with Dark Moon was its mission-based structure. The first Luigi's Mansion had a unique atmosphere and sense of place for a game set in the Mario universe. It may not have been truly frightening, but the titular mansion of the original game felt like like a set place and, relative to the series, was appropriately eerie. Dark Moon removed that atmosphere in favor of a mission-based structure, which made the experience feel fragmented and episodic. The first game felt like you were scouring a haunted mansion. The second game simply felt like levels in a video game.
Luigi's Mansion 3 finds a nice compromise between the two. The Last Resort houses 17 floors, each with a different theme or motif. Because things no longer begin and end with a set mission, you have more freedom to explore and go at your own pace, like the first game. But with every floor featuring a different theme, Luigi's Mansion 3 has a stronger sense of variety, closer to the second game.
"Boy, doesn't this just personify Luigi's placement compared to Mario? Mario's key collectibles include stars, suns and moons. Luigi collects… elevator buttons."
Each floor houses its own collection of special treasures to find, as well as Boos to catch. The game is progressed by defeating a floor's boss and acquiring the elevator button they're holding, which then allows you to go to the matching floor of that button (though they aren't always in sequential order, which is a nice little touch).
The boss fights are a lot of fun. While the first two Luigi's Mansion games could admittedly get a bit repetitious, the boss fights alone in Luigi's Mansion 3 bring out so many fun ideas out of the series' gameplay that you'll always be wondering what's around the next corner. And while the boss ghosts may not capture the same (relative) scariness of the Portrait Ghosts from the first game (thus resulting in not quite the same unique atmosphere of the GameCube title), they are a definite step-up from Dark Moon, which had no Portrait Ghost equivalent.
Players who just want to complete the story can do just that, but for completionists, you can always backtrack and hunt down every last treasure from every last floor of the hotel. And if that's not enough, Luigi's Mansion 3 even features multiplayer!
Luigi's Mansion 3 not only houses a series of local multiplayer mini-game modes, but also builds on the "Scarescraper" online mode introduced in Dark Moon. This cooperative online mode sees up to eight players (four as different colored Luigis, and four as their corresponding Gooigis) brave the Scarecraper by completing one randomly-generated floor to move on to the next (up to ten floors). Most floors will ask players to exercise them of all their ghosts, while others will task players with collecting a certain amount of treasure, having everyone gather in a specific room, or finding lost Toads and escorting them to a teleporter. When all floors are completed, the Luigi-centric team then comes face-to-face with a boss fight in the form of Boolossus.
Scarescraper is a simple multiplayer mode in concept, but insanely addictive in execution. As the clock keeps ticking and you desperately try to find the last ghost/Toad/lump of cash, it becomes a hectic scramble that requires real teamwork to overcome. And while Nintendo's lack of voice chat is usually a hindrance, this is one instance where the feature isn't exactly missed. If a player gets caught in a trap and requires another player to rescue them (as getting yourself out of a trap takes considerably longer and exhausts the time limit), they press a few buttons to alert the other players of their whereabouts, hoping their team can get rescue them in time. Again, a lack of voice chat is normally a big problem with Nintendo multiplayer games, but here, it may have made things too easy. It's difficult to describe, but the Scarescraper is somehow more fun by forcing teams to work together while giving them minimal tools to do so.
Luigi's Mansion 3 isn't perfect: the controls can take a little getting used to (especially if you're not playing with the classic controller), I feel like there could have been some additional incentives for completionists other than a few (often easy to find) treasures and Boos, and there are a few annoying puzzles here and there (sadly, the movie-themed floor, perhaps my favorite in the game, possibly contains the most cryptic puzzles). And while the idea of a multiplayer-exclusive boss fight in the Scarescraper is really cool, it's kind of a bummer that it's always the same boss fight (just a couple more would have added a lot).
All things considered, however, Luigi's Mansion 3 is an extremely fun experience that is always at the ready to throw something unexpected at the player. There's something new seemingly around every corner, some of which might truly catch you by surprise (which is why I haven't gone into too much detail on what the different floors of the hotel have in store). And it does so with some of the most exuberant and hilarious animation in the history of video games.
Author themancalledscottPosted on October 31, 2020 October 31, 2020 Categories Nintendo Switch, Video GamesTags Luigi, Luigi's Mansion, Luigi's Mansion 3, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Video Games1 Comment on Luigi's Mansion 3 Review
Video Game Awards 2020: Best Handheld Game
Handheld gaming has come a long way. Once a simple means to get a quick fix of gaming on the go, that convenience came at the expense of quality. But over the years, as gaming evolved, so to did handheld gaming, with the GameBoy Advance and Nintendo DS notably taking it to new heights and success.
Now, handheld games are largely indistinguishable from console and PC titles (aside from graphics). And most notably, the Nintendo Switch has completely bridged the gap between home console and handheld. By merging the two concepts together, Nintendo has created a hybrid console that stands as one of the best of all time.
Because handheld gaming has changed so drastically in recent years, I'd like to once again stress that, as long as traditional handheld platforms are still (somewhat) prominent, I am only including games released on said traditional handhelds and Switch exclusives. If a game is released on Switch, but also available on other, non-handheld hybrid consoles, it seems a bit unfair to refer to them as "handheld games." So even though the Switch is a home console, its duel status as a handheld makes its exclusive titles eligible for this award. Ya dig?
Winner: Luigi's Mansion 3
Yeah, I know Pokemon Sword and Shield was Nintendo's big seller and most anticipated Switch title of 2019. But I don't know, am I the only one who found them to be way too padded out? And to be honest, Pokemon – ironically enough – is the Nintendo series that seems to refuse to evolve.
That wasn't the case with Luigi's Mansion 3, however. Taking the atmosphere of the GameCube original and combining it with the more level-based structure of the 3DS sequel, Luigi's Mansion 3 surpassed both of its predecessors with a game that's consistently fun and inventive.
The Ghostbusters-inspired action of the series has never been so deep as it is here, and with the game absolutely exploding with personality, Luigi's Mansion 3 is one of the unsung heroes of the Nintendo Switch.
Runner-up: Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey
2014: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
2015: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
2016: Kirby Planet Robobot
2017: Super Mario Odyssey*
2018: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
*Retroactively awarded after deciding Switch exclusives should qualify for this award.
Author themancalledscottPosted on March 14, 2020 Categories Nintendo Switch, Video GamesTags Luigi, Luigi's Mansion, Luigi's Mansion 3, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Video Games, Wizard Awards1 Comment on Video Game Awards 2020: Best Handheld Game
Luigi's Mansion Review
Nintendo was in an interesting place in 2001. Though the Nintendo 64 helped revolutionize gaming (namely due to Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time), its sales numbers paled in comparison to the Sony Playstation. And with the Playstation 2 releasing in 2000, it's safe to say that the GameCube was in a hurry to get out the door as soon as possible. As such, this meant that the GameCube's signature Mario game, Super Mario Sunshine, would miss the console's launch, marking the first time Mario wasn't present to cut the ribbon on the dawning of a new Nintendo console.
To fill that void, however, Nintendo had a separate game set within the Mario universe to make the GameCube's launch. But it ended up being quite different from any other game set in the world of the Mushroom Kingdom. The game in question was Luigi's Mansion, a kind of spoof on the survival-horror genre that marked the first official game in which Luigi received the starring role (wiseacres are quick to point out the existence of Mario is Missing from years earlier, but that title was an edutainment game that wasn't developed by Nintendo, so it doesn't count). Although Luigi's Mansion never boasted the depth of Mario's adventures, Luigi's first proper solo outing nonetheless provided enough unique ideas and personality that it retains a charm of its own.
The initial concept for what would later become Luigi's Mansion at first starred the more famous Mario brother, with the idea being to place Mario in a singular indoor setting. Originally conceived as a Japanese-style castle, the setting eventually became an American-style haunted house. With the change in setting, Nintendo decided to promote Luigi to be the star of the game for one very simple reason: Mario was known for being brave and adventurous, but now was the time to showcase Luigi's personality, whose constance presence in his brother's shadow made him easy fodder for a 'reluctant hero' character.
Though audiences saw glimpses of distinct personalities between the Mario Bros. through their television series and books, there was never any official, concrete characterizations between Mario and Luigi by Nintendo themselves in the formative years for the video game series. If Mario was the brave hero who would leap into action at the first chance, then it just made sense that Luigi would be the series' 'Cowardly Lion,' as he shares a similar heroic spirit as his brother, but it's buried far, far deeper. So it was a natural fit to have Luigi be the one to traverse a haunted mansion, facing his many fears as he tries to rescue Mario.
Luigi's Mansion might be the first Nintendo game to be centered around one of their character's personalities, and it remains one of their most successful attempts (the less said of Metroid: Other M, the better). Nintendo's critics often deride the developer for a supposed "lack of character," but that's a gross misconception. While it's true Nintendo rarely prioritizes actual storytelling and their characters tend to not have complex backstories (probably for the better. I again refer you to Other M), many of their characters are bursting with personality in a similar vein to classic cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny and Popeye the Sailor Man. Luigi's Mansion is a fine example of this. Between Luigi's constantly chattering teeth (which kind of makes him look like Wallace from Wallace and Gromit), shaky knees, and nervous humming of the game's catchy theme tune, Luigi's Mansion showcases its lead character's personality – while simple and exaggerated – to be thoroughly entertaining.
It simply wouldn't have been as good if it were Mario braving the haunted halls of its mansion. The game and its lead character both benefit one another in such a way that you wish more of the story-focused games of today would attempt to replicate that connection, as to avoid the common pitfall of gameplay conflicting with narratives and character motivation.
Even with Luigi's personality leading the charge, gameplay is still at the forefront of Nintendo's designs. And although it shows its age in certain areas, for the most part, Luigi's Mansion remains a uniquely fun and charming game even today.
As mentioned, the game is all about Luigi trying to save Mario, who has gone missing in the new mansion Luigi supposedly won in a contest he never even entered (red flag there, Luigi). The mansion is, of course, littered with ghosts. Luckily for Luigi, Professor E. Gadd – a lifetime researcher of ghosts – has been studying the mansion, and gives Luigi his ghost-catching vacuum, the Poltergust 3000.
Yes, the gameplay is more reminiscent of the 1984 Ghostbusters film than it is any of its Mario series predecessors (Luigi can't even jump in the game). Equipped with only the Poltergust and a flashlight, Luigi traverses the mansion fighting ghosts. The flashlight will stun ghosts, exposing their heart, which allows Luigi to suck them up into the Poltergust.
One of the most fun things about Luigi's Mansion is the act of catching ghosts itself. The player of course moves Luigi with the standard joystick. But Luigi aims the Poltergust and flashlight with the GameCube controller's 'C-stick.' If a ghost caught in the Poltergust's whirlwind changes direction, the player will have to accommodate and pull the direction opposite to that which the ghost is heading, occasionally cutting some slack so Luigi can avoid a potential hazard in his way as the ghost pulls him along the ground. Essentially, it's like an elaborate fishing game used as a combat mechanic.
It's simple fun with the standard enemies, but the real treat comes in the form of the "Portrait Ghosts;" unique mini-boss-like specters whom the mansion's many chambers are built around. Each Portrait Ghost has different tells and weaknesses, and can provide real tests of endurance for the player.
The Portrait Ghosts are memorable not just for how each one provides their own little puzzle for the player to solve, but also in their personalities and design. Most of the Portrait Ghosts are more humanoid than what we usually see in the Mario universe (keep in mind this was sixteen years before Odyssey brought realistic-looking humans into the fold), and although it would be difficult to call the game truly scary, the Portrait Ghosts' appearances do make the game feel appropriately spooky and (relatively) darker than the usual Mario title. The mansion itself could be considered a character in its own right, given its strong sense of place.
It may not match the combination of cartoony characters with a dark and dreary atmosphere of Donkey Kong Country 2, but Luigi's Mansion is probably the only other game I can think of that warrants a comparison in that regard. Luigi's Mansion's eventual 3DS sequel, though arguably an improvement in certain respects, lacks the original's sense of atmosphere and character.
Luigi's Mansion could be described as a "Diet Metroidvania," with Luigi gaining access to more chambers of the mansion as he continues to capture Portrait Ghosts. Though perhaps one of the game's drawbacks is that it could have taken an extra page from the Metroidvania sub-genre and had Luigi (or the Poltergust, as it were) gain new abilities to access more of the mansion, instead of it merely being a case of defeating sub-bosses for keys. The Poltergust does gain the ability to emit fire, water and ice, but they unfortunately never get utilized in any substantial way.
Another fun aspect of Luigi's Mansion is finding the many treasures hidden throughout the titular abode. While Mario is always grabbing coins, here, Luigi is on a quest for coins, pearls, dollar bills, gemstones and diamonds. Though gaining these riches does little more than effect your score at the end of the game, it still proves to be a fun diversion to see how much treasure you can collect.
The biggest complaint most people seem to have with Luigi's Mansion is its short length. If you know what you're doing, the game can be completed in about the time it takes to watch a movie. Luigi's Mansion could have done with just a couple more hours of gameplay, as some of its ideas don't meet their full potential with the little time they're allowed to have. On the plus side, I suppose the game's brief time makes it one of the few titles in the medium that can be seen as a holiday tradition with annual playthroughs (Halloween in this instance, obviously).
Luigi's Mansion was one of the earlier Nintendo titles to feature a New Game Plus mode after completing the campaign. Unfortunately in both its Japanese and US release, the differences between the main game and New Game Plus are little more than some stronger enemies and a weaker Luigi. The PAL version of the game (released well after the other versions) rectified this somewhat by making the post-game version of the mansion mirrored and changing the locations of certain treasures, but even that only goes so far. So unless you missed out on some treasures, or just really want to beat your high score, there's not a whole lot of reason to play through the "Hidden Mansion" mode.
The short running time of the campaign is unfortunate, but it's not the game's biggest issue. Though the GameCube has aged better than the Nintendo 64 on the whole, it's earlier titles still suffer a bit from the same kind of technical hiccups that plagued its 64-bit predecessor. And Luigi's Mansion is no exception.
Some of the controls feel a little clunky, particularly in regards to handling the flashlight in conjunction with everything else. The flashlight is turned on by default, and pressing the B button turns it off. You turn Luigi around and aim the Poltergust with the C-stick, and you suck up ghosts with a press of the R button. And while the flashlight stuns the ghosts, you have to stun them at the opportune time, or else they'll disappear. It can feel a bit awkward to turn Luigi around and aim the Poltergust while holding the B button to keep the light off and then release it to turn the light on when the time is right, especially in rooms with multiple ghosts.
Along with the standard enemies and the Portrait Ghosts, the Mario series' classic 'Boo' enemies show up as the primary baddies. While seeing these secondary foes get a promotion in the same vein as Luigi is nice, there are some issues with the Boos' presence in Luigi's Mansion. The game features fifty Boos hidden throughout the mansion. But unlike the other ghosts in the game, Boos ignore the aforementioned "fishing" aspects of the catching process, with Luigi simply focusing the vortex of the Poltergust on Boos to drain their hit points.
That may not sound too bad, and at first it isn't when the Boos have less hit points. But once you you realize Boos can travel from room to room, and they start getting more hit points, thus giving them more opportunities to do so, it gets a bit tedious chasing a Boo from one room to another, and downright frustrating when they exit a room to go into the hallway and back again repeatedly. It's also a bit disappointing that, despite the game claiming there are 50 Boos in the mansion to be captured, there are technically only 35, since 15 of them are automatically captured as part of a single boss fight.
Another note Luigi's Mansion should have taken from Metroidvanias is the implementation of fast-traveling. The game can only be saved by talking to Toads (who are perhaps a bit too far spread out from one another), or after catching a Boo. While the Toads save your game, they don't act as checkpoints. Every time you reload your game, or defeat a boss, or die, you start back at the foyer of the mansion. Although you can return to the foyer by scanning mirrors, there's no means to fast-travel anywhere else in the mansion. As you might imagine, backtracking to different sections of the mansion can quickly feel arduous.
Though these aspect do show that the game has aged a bit, the core gameplay, along with its undeniable sense of character, have helped Luigi's Mansion remain a fun and delightful experience nearly two decades later. It is perhaps the perfect launch game the GameCube could have hoped for (if maybe not the one it sorely needed), as Luigi's Mansion echoes the console itself in many ways. The GameCube may not have been the success story Nintendo was hoping for in the Playstation dominated market of the time, nor is it one of Nintendo's more iconic or innovative consoles. But it has a unique appeal of its own, a small-scale charm that's aberrant among Nintendo systems.
Just the same, Luigi's Mansion – though far, far away from being one of the best games set in the Super Mario universe – remains a unique and appealing offshoot of Nintendo's flagship franchise. We may not have realized it in 2001, but in hindsight, Luigi's Mansion seems to have encompassed the GameCube's place in Nintendo's history right out of the gate.
Author themancalledscottPosted on October 31, 2019 October 31, 2019 Categories Classic Gaming, Video GamesTags Classic Games, GameCube, Luigi, Luigi's Mansion, Mario, Nintendo, Video Games3 Comments on Luigi's Mansion Review
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Review
Poor New Super Mario Bros. U. As far as the "New Super Mario" games go, it was a marked improvement over the DS, Wii and 3DS titles that came before it. But due to its status as the fourth entry in the sub-series, and being released mere months after the uneventful New Super Mario Bros. 2, fans were a bit New Super Mario Bros-ed out. Being released on the ill-fated Wii U probably didn't help it in the long run, either.
While the Super Mario series as a whole is known for innovation and reinventing itself, the 'New' sub-series was a throwback to Mario's early side-scrolling years. The 2006 DS original was a nice nostalgic experience, and the Wii sequel added four-player co-op into the equation. By the time New Super Mario Bros. 2 on 3DS rolled around, and offered little to nothing in the realms of newness, gamers were burnt out on the retrograde sub-series. That really is a shame, because New Super Mario Bros. U felt like a refinement for the 'NSMB' series, even if the "New" in the title was increasingly ironic by this point.
NSMBU, like many Wii U titles before it, has been given a second life on Nintendo Switch (complete with the New Super Luigi U DLC intact). While it would be hard to argue that the title is one of Mario's finest, hopefully its presence on Switch will allow a wider audience to see what an improvement it was over its NSMB predecessors.
Like the other NSMB titles, 'U' was more interested in recreating Mario's past than it was in paving the way for his future. It's still a side scroller that sees players try to conquer obstacle course-like stages by reaching the flagpole at the end. With that said, however, this fourth New installment had a much more playful and intricate sense of level design. Though it may not stack up to classics like Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World, the depth and creativity of the level design was stronger here than it had been in any other 2D Mario title since those games (unless we're counting Yoshi's Island, of course).
"The Van Gogh "Starry Night" inspired stage is the one instance when the New Super Mario Bros. games decided to do something visually different."
Sadly, the visuals and music, while not technically bad, leave a lot to be desired. It's almost humorous that this game – not Super Mario 3D World or Mario Kart 8 – was the first Mario game to be released in HD. It looks great from a technical standpoint, but while the 2D Mario games of old were visually and aesthetically distinct from one another, the New Super Mario Bros. games all used the same visual style. Sure, the graphics are certainly better now than the previous games, but from an artistic standpoint, New Super Mario Bros. U – like the other NSMB games – is Mario at its most vanilla.
At least the world of Super Mario is colorful and vibrant enough that, even in this vanilla state, it still has its charm. The music, sadly, suffers considerably more. The music isn't bad per se, but it's more or less the same as it was in the previous NSMB games. It can be fun and catchy, but this is far from Mario music at its best.
When you consider that the classic 2D Marios such as Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World all looked stylistically unique to the point that you could identify them from a single character sprite, and provided some of the most iconic video game tunes of all time, it was more than a little disappointing that New Super Mario Bros. U simply provided more of the same in terms of visuals and audio.
Still, it's the gameplay and level design that are the stars of the show, and that's where New Super Mario Bros. U always shined brightly over the preceding 'New' Super Mario games. The four player co-operative mayhem of New Super Mario Bros. Wii made its return here, with level design that just feels better suited for the additional players this time around, while also having enough to them that they don't feel empty when going it solo.
As in the original Wii U release, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe can be played as Mario, Luigi and Toad. Unlike the original version, however, Toad isn't separated into two characters, with the yellow and blue variants merely being pallet swaps for the same character this time. The Switch release fills the void of the fourth character by bringing in the addition of Toadette, as well as Nabbit's inclusion in the main game this time around, as he only appeared in the DLC in the original release.
"Using the Super Crown on a character other than Toadette…what could possibly go wrong?"
While Mario, Luigi and Toad all play identically in the main game, Nabbit is tailor-made for beginners, as he is unharmed by enemies. Toadette is somewhere in between, as playing as her will turn 1-Up Mushrooms into 3-Up Moons, and many of the usual power-ups are replaced with the 'Super Crown.' The Super Crown can only be used by Toadette, and transforms her into Peachette, a suspiciously Princess Peach-esque character who gains a double jump, in addition to Peach's magic gliding abilities (essentially, she plays like the other characters when they get the flying squirrel suit).
I don't mind that these characters are made with first-time gamers and young children in mind. That's perfectly fair, as those audiences need to start somewhere. And these characters will probably make learning the ropes that much easier. What's less tolerable, however, is now that the yellow and blue Toad are the same character, and two players can't pick the same character, if you're playing with a whole group of four, someone is going to have to play as one of the beginner characters whether they want to or not. What's even worse, Mario isn't present in the New Super Luigi U campaign, meaning that two players will have to play as Toadette and Nabbit no matter their skill level. Somehow, Nintendo has made the four player mode less appealing on Switch than it was on Wii U as a side effect of this.
Again, I have no issues with Nintendo including easier characters with new players in mind, but the fact that one or two players will have to play as them if you have a full group seems like a glaring oversight. Couldn't the Switch version have added a few other characters who play like the standard ones in addition to the beginner characters?
The other big issue that's plagued NSMBU since its Wii U release are the lackluster boss fights. Mario games may not be known for difficult boss battles, but the series has always done a great job at making them creative. Even the first New Super Mario Bros. on DS had a good variety of boss fights. But in New Super Mario Bros. U, not only are all the end-bosses of each world merely the Koopalings, but their battles don't feel very different from what they were way back in Super Mario Bros. 3. And the mid-bosses of each world are mostly comprised of different fights against (the insultingly easy) Boom-Boom. Only in the late game does NSMBU throw different mid-bosses at you. And by that point, it feels like too little, too late.
As negative as I may be sounding by this point, New Super Mario Bros. U was always a great platformer, and a proper step up from its similarly-named precursors. Simply making it to the end of each stage is a joy to experience, but completionists will really have their work cut out for them by tracking down the three star coins hidden in every stage, as well as the secret exits found in select stages. And despite the unfortunate character limitations in the Switch re-release, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is still a good time with multiple players.
For those seeking a bit more of a challenge, the New Super Luigi U campaign provides just that. Not only does Luigi regain his slippery physics that originated in Super Mario Bros. 2 in this mode, but the stages themselves – though shorter – feature a steeper difficulty. Though the world map is identical in both games, the stages of New Super Luigi U are entirely different than those of New Super Mario Bros. U. The downside to this is that, by nature of sharing an identical overworld, the levels with secret exits in Luigi's adventure are found in the same exact spots as those in the base game, which is an unfortunate limitation that takes away a bit of distinction in Luigi's titular mode.
Having both games together, as well as returning challenge modes, means New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe certainly provides a good amount of content for platforming enthusiasts. Of course, even with its status as the best "New Super Mario Bros." game, U Deluxe still falls drastically short if compared to Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, which is unquestionably the better option for 2D platforming fans. And unlike the Wii U releases, Tropical Freeze was released first this time. So if you're only going to get one first-party 2D platformer on Switch, stick with DK.
New Super Mario Bros. U Summation
Consistently fun level design and fluid character control made this the best New Super Mario title. The levels feel more tailor-made for multiple players than previous entries. And like any great Mario game, it's held up strong over the years. But the game is ultimately held back by flavorless aesthetics and poor boss fights.
New Super Luigi U Summation
"I just find the hidden Luigis of NSLU to be a hoot."
The briefer, tougher levels make the Luigi-centric campaign something of the "hard mode" of NSMBU. A fun, steeper challenge for platforming veterans. But the multiplayer option is less fun now that half of a full group are required to play as the "easy mode" characters. And the fact it's confined to the overworld of the base game prevents it from branching out more into its own beast.
Overall Summation
"Okay, this level is beautiful. Why can't more of the game look like this?!"
While we were all burnt out on New Super Mario Bros. back in 2012, revisiting the Wii U installment on its shiny 2019 Switch release, and being reminded of how much of an improvement it was over its predecessors, makes you wonder what Nintendo could have done with a 2D Mario game in the seven years since. With NSMBU, Nintendo finally began to get their groove for 2D Mario back, which made it a fitting 'finale' to the New Super Mario Bros. sub-series. Hopefully this re-release inspires Nintendo to test where they can take the formula next (fingers crossed it comes with more distinct visuals and better music though).
Author themancalledscottPosted on May 26, 2019 May 28, 2019 Categories Nintendo Switch, Video GamesTags Bowser, Luigi, New Super Luigi U, New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Nintendo Switch, Princess Peach, Super Mario, Video Games8 Comments on New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Review
Something About Mario RPGs
Earlier this year, I picked up the 3DS remake of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. But before I play through it, I remembered I (strangely) never beat the 2017 3DS remake of Superstar Saga. So I recently started a new file on that game (and have since beat it, and will review it once I play more of the remake's exclusive "Minion Quest" mode). Not only did returning to Superstar Saga end up being an utter joy, but it also really, really made me miss what the Mario RPGs used to be.
It's been ten years since the original release of Bowser's Inside Story on the DS, and not counting the aforementioned 3DS remakes, that was the last time the Mario RPGs were truly great (I did enjoy Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle a great deal, but seeing as that was both a crossover and a strategy RPG, I guess it's not quite what I'm talking about). And I really, really miss the days when the Mario RPGs were among the best things Nintendo had going for them.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars remains my favorite RPG of all time, and arguably my favorite game period. It perfectly combined the accessibility and fun of Mario with the depth and turn-based gameplay of RPGs, without sacrificing the quality of either of its halves. Although it tragically never received a proper sequel, the Square developed title did receive two spiritual successors created by Nintendo's own internal studios.
Paper Mario simplified the formula a bit, but still made for a hefty adventure that boasted a unique art style, and saw Mario team up with party members based on the series' iconic enemies. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was more focused on fast-paced action, and featured genuinely hilarious writing. Both of these Super Mario RPG spiritual successors would wind up becoming their own sub-series.
Paper Mario was followed-up by the critically-acclaimed Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on the GameCube, while two Mario & Luigi sequels were released on the Nintendo DS: 2005's Partners in Time, and 2009's Bowser's Inside Story. Of the lot, Partners in Time is the only one that fell short of the rest, though even it was still a good game in its own right (though I'm not complaining that the 3DS remakes went directly for the best M&L entries).
While it's usually the Mario platformers and The Legend of Zelda that are held in the highest regard in Nintendo's canon, the Mario RPGs were, more quietly, delivering experiences that were often just as good. And with their Nintendo mentality of "fun at all costs," the Mario RPGs provided some of the most timeless games in the genre (Final Fantasy hasn't aged so gracefully).
But then, in a creative move that truly defies all logic and reason, Nintendo decided to begin stripping away many of the elements that made the Mario RPGs so memorable. The third Paper Mario title, 2007's Super Paper Mario, was still a fun game, but it removed the series' turn-based structure in favor of a platformer that featured RPG elements. Not a bad idea in itself, and Super Paper Mario still retained an RPG-like story, but considering the main Mario series are platformers, did Nintendo really have to sacrifice Paper Mario to test out this idea?
Hey, at least Super Paper Mario was still a good game. And it was followed up by the aforementioned Bowser's Inside Story. Little did we know that Bowser's Inside Story would be a one-time return to form. A "last hoorah" if you will. Because after that we got the 3DS's Paper Mario: Sticker Star, the first Mario RPG that could be considered a flat-out bad game.
Not that you could truly call Sticker Star an RPG. Sure, turn-based battles were back, but they were dictated entirely by consumable 'sticker' items. Every action you used in battle required these consumable items. And for victory, you didn't get experience points and level up.
For winning battles, you were rewarded with either A) more stickers, or B) coins…to buy more stickers. It was a self-defeating concept. Why should I bother fighting and spending my stickers if the only reward is more stickers? And if you think you're supposed to save up stickers for boss fights, that's not it either. Bosses required specific stickers to be defeated, so it's not like conserving and strategizing the stickers you've saved up even meant anything.
You know what's even worse? Sticker Star not only had virtually no story to speak of, and no party members, but it removed the humorous writing the Mario RPGs were known for (Bowser, of all characters, never even spoke). Sticker Star also marked the beginning of the bizarre trend of Nintendo not allowing the Mario RPGs to feature original enemies, with only established baddies from the platformers showing up. Perhaps strangest of all, this was also when Nintendo started making every last Toad in the Mario RPGs just look like the generic "blue vest, red spots" Toads. When the previous RPGs gave us Toads of all shapes, sizes and crazy geddups, why take that away and effectively remove so much personality from the games?
And yet, this was the direction Nintendo decided to stick with. Sure, the next RPG in the Mario pipeline, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (released on 3DS in 2013) was a step up in many ways (for one, it actually felt like an RPG again). But it also was, by a considerable margin, the most creatively bland M&L game up to that point. It did have some original enemies again, but the "Generic Toad" epidemic was still in full effect.
Then, in early 2016, the 3DS also saw the release of Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. In concept, Paper Jam sounds like it should have been the shot in the arm the Mario RPGs needed, being a crossover between the two continuing Mario RPG series.
Sadly, the concept is the best part of the game, as Paper Jam was really just a watered down Mario & Luigi sequel that doubled down on Dream Team's faults (Toads with zero distinction and personality, no more original enemies whatsoever). It just so happened to feature Paper Mario as a third party member. Considering how great the Mario & Luigi games once were, it was sad to see the series fall this far from grace.
To sum it up simply, Superstar Saga remains one of the funniest, most quotable games I've ever played, but I honestly can't remember any bit of writing that came out of Paper Jam.
Later in 2016, we'd get the last new Mario RPG so far (again, unless we count Mario + Rabbids), Paper Mario: Color Splash on Wii U. Despite fans wanting Nintendo to return to the turn-based, actually-an-RPG style of the first two Paper Marios for years, Nintendo decided to go all WWE and turn a def ear on fans. They actually made the game a follow-up to Sticker Star's gameplay.
Yeah, no kidding. I miss unique Toads.
To its credit, at least Color Splash had some humor and personality to it (though the Toads remain generic, and new enemies still weren't allowed), and some of the gameplay could be fun. But there still weren't any party members, and the battle system remained largely pointless (though the game's "cards" were an improvement over their sticker predecessors, seeing as you could power up cards by painting them, and you could gradually increase your maximum paint through battles, so there was some semblance of progression). So Color Splash was essentially a version of Sticker Star that wasn't completely broken. But that's not exactly "on par with the Mario platformers and The Legend of Zelda" now, is it?
Again, one could argue that Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle set things in a right direction for Mario RPGs (and it's certainly a better game than anything involving the Rabbids has any right to be), but you could also argue it should go in a whole other category. Even still, as enjoyable as Mario + Rabbids is, I still wouldn't put it on the same level as the Mario RPGs of old.
Thankfully, the fact that the 3DS now houses Superstar Saga and Bowser's Inside Story means we have access to brilliant Mario RPGs on contemporary hardware. But it's kind of sad that Nintendo had to resort to past success in order to do so. Don't get me wrong, the remakes are great, but it would be great if we could also get a brand new Mario RPG that could live up to its legacy.
Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario, Superstar Saga, Thousand-Year Door and Bowser's Inside Story are widely (and wisely) considered the top-tier Mario RPGs. But the sad thing is it seems like Nintendo has no plans on making a Mario RPG like they used to.
What's particularly sad about that scenario is that the Mario franchise on the whole has really never been better. The release of Super Mario Galaxy in 2007 began a Mario renaissance that continues to this day. Between it, Galaxy 2, 3D World, Mario Kart 8, Super Mario Maker and Odyssey, the Mario franchise hasn't lost any steam. And while Bowser's Inside Story was released within this timeframe, that was it for the RPGs.
For whatever reason, Nintendo decided to strip away the things that made Mario RPGs so memorable in the first place. And instead of listening to fans and changing course (as they have in other areas in recent years), they've just gone into overdrive in regards to watering down the once great sub-genre. If one were only to have played Color Splash and Paper Jam, they'd never know that Mario RPGs were, at one point, among Nintendo's finest achievements.
Here's hoping that the recent remakes of Superstar Saga and Bowser's Inside Story remind Nintendo of what Mario RPGs once were, and help them figure out how they can recreate that magic.
Whether its a worthwhile Mario & Luigi, a Paper Mario that returns to its roots, doing the impossible and teaming with Square to make a direct sequel to Super Mario RPG, or something new entirely, a new Mario RPG that can live up to the legacy of its best predecessors is something Nintendo sorely needs.
Author themancalledscottPosted on April 29, 2019 April 29, 2019 Categories Video GamesTags Luigi, Mario, Mario & Luigi, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, Nintendo, Paper Mario, Paper Mario: Color Splash, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Super Paper Mario2 Comments on Something About Mario RPGs
Replaying: Super Mario 3D World
The Super Mario Maker 2 trailer that launched back in February not only got me hyped for the upcoming Switch title, but its addition of the Super Mario 3D World play style had me feeling nostalgic for the 2013 Wii U platformer. And seeing as I previously stated I wanted to start replaying games more and writing more gaming articles besides reviews, now seemed as good a time as any to revisit Super Mario 3D World. Besides, after trudging through the overly-long and tedious Kingdom Hearts 3, and its mishandling of franchises I like, I needed to play something more fun, rewarding, charming, and that did justice to a franchise I like. Thus, replaying Super Mario 3D World was a no-brainer (it sure would be great if they could make a Disney game this good).
Okay, let's get this out of the way: No, Super Mario 3D World is not as good as the Super Mario Galaxy titles that preceded it, nor is it as good as Super Mario Odyssey that followed. But considering the Galaxy duo and Odyssey are among the greatest games ever created, not being as good as them pretty much refers to most games that aren't them. On its own merits, however, Super Mario 3D World is still one of the most consistently fun and creative games of the 2010s.
Yeah, it seems like I praise Mario games a lot. But while not every Mario game is good (New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Paper Mario: Sticker Star, both released a year prior to 3D World, were creatively empty and flat-out boring, respectively), I will say that Super Mario is the only series in which a game as great as 3D World could be considered one of its smaller achievements. It may not have the revolutionary factor of Super Mario Bros. or Super Mario 64, nor is it as great as the trio mentioned in the above paragraph or games like Super Mario World. And yet, it's hard to find much fault in Super Mario 3D World other than "it's not as good as some other Mario games." The Legend of Zelda is probably the only other series that can boast equal quality, though maybe not quite at the same level of consistency (and maybe Dark Souls/Bloodborne, but that has far fewer entries).
"One level combines a shadow aesthetic with the gameplay quirk of carrying around a hungry Piranha Plant."
What makes Super Mario 3D World so good? It all boils down to the two qualities that best define a good game: great gameplay, and a terrific sense of creativity. 3D World may not be the most innovative Mario game, but the gameplay and design is as polished as any of the heroic plumber's entries, and each stage is a showcase of one playful idea after another. It's the kind of game where the simple act of controlling your character is a joy (which is actually pretty rare, though seemingly less so with this series).
Many fans were at first disappointed with Super Mario 3D World's initial E3 reveal, as it followed in the footsteps of the 2011 3DS title, Super Mario 3D Land. This raised fans' eyebrows for two reasons: The first was that 3D Land was a solid game, but not a particularly standout one which, again, given the pedigree of the Mario series, is tantamount to a massive disappointment. The other reason is that, like 3D Land, 3D World seemed to be aiming more for the feel of a 2D Mario entry than a 3D one with its linear level design, with most fans protesting that the 3D Mario titles were losing their distinct identity due to the ludicrous sales of the New Super Mario Bros. side scrolling series.
While I admit I too at the time had some doubts about seeing a "proper" follow-up to 64, Sunshine, and the Galaxy duo (we would eventually get just that with Odyssey), I was hardly disappointed with what 3D World promised. After all, we were 'only' three years removed from Galaxy 2 at the time (most "proper" 3D Marios had much longer gaps in between releases), so it didn't really feel like the necessary time for another Mario title of that scale. Secondly, while the New Super Mario Bros. games were competently fun, they never really felt like the worthy continuations of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World that they wanted to be. 3D Land introduced the style and feeling of 2D Marios into the world of 3D Marios (linear stages with clear end goals, time limits, etc.) and felt like a step in the right direction. But again, didn't quite hit the mark.
Super Mario 3D World, however, quickly reveals itself as the worthy successor to games like Super Mario Bros. 3 and World that we had been waiting for, despite being a 3D title. It took the foundations of 3D Land, and combined it with the sense of invention and polish that we expect from Mario's best titles (which, again, was lacking from New Super Mario Bros. and 3D Land). The Galaxy games had refined what 64 started, so it was cool to get something that felt like a fitting continuation to the Mario games that predated 64 (now if only the Mario RPGs could get a worthy follow-up).
There are so many things that make Super Mario 3D World work so well: the level design is a constant delight, with each stage presenting something new, and always fun. The power-ups – from perennial favorites the Fire Flower and Tanooki Leaf, 3D Land's Boomerang Suit, and 3D World's own Double Cherry (which duplicates your character) and the surprisingly powerful and versatile Cat Suit – are all a joy, and add so much to the gameplay (the Cat Suit, in particular, has to join the ranks of Mario's best power-ups). And you get to play as not only Mario, but Luigi, Princess Peach and Toad as well, each coming with their abilities from Super Mario Bros. 2 (Luigi jumps highest, Peach floats, and Toad is fastest, with Mario being well-rounded). And of course you can unlock Rosalina, who comes equipped with the spin attack from Super Mario Galaxy. It's a Mario platformer where you get to play as Rosalina! That alone makes it a winner (Rosalina is best girl).
Oh yeah, I almost forgot that Super Mario 3D World is also the only four-player entry in the 3D Mario canon. And unlike many games that add co-op multiplayer to a traditionally single-player formula, the level design of Super Mario 3D World compliments playing alone or with friends.
"The Koopa/Blob/Clown/Monster."
If there's any downside to Super Mario 3D World, it's that the boss fights are an utter cakewalk. Yeah yeah, people claim Mario bosses tend to be easy, but the series often finds ways to make the boss battles feel creative, which makes it easy to look past a lack of difficulty. But aside from the final fight against Bowser and two other recurring bosses (a monarch snake and a Koopa/Blob/Clown/Monster), the boss fights of 3D World feel tacked on and rushed (Boom Boom should never serve as a world boss). But aside from the underwhelming boss battles, just about everything else about Super Mario 3D World is a constant barrage of fun and inspiration.
"Six years later, and the game still looks great!"
Along with gameplay and creativity, Super Mario 3D World also boasts what I consider to be the third key ingredient to a great game: a fantastic musical score. Again, the music may not quite be on Galaxy or Odyssey's level, but 3D World still provides one of the most memorable scores in the Mario canon. Even the sound effects of the game seem to reinforce the game's "fun at all costs" mentality.
Under my original ".5" scoring system, I awarded Super Mario 3D World a 9.0 out of 10. But now, under my current whole number system, I've flip-flopped between an 8 and a 9 (flip-flopping more than perhaps any other game). Unlike other games where I've been indecisive with its score, it's my 'heart' that rates the game lower and my 'mind' that rates it higher. In terms of 'heart,' I can say I don't feel quite as strongly for 3D World as some other games I would rate highly. After all, I gave both Red Dead Redemption 2 and 2018's God of War a score of 8/10, as I'm trying to make that the exceptional score that most games would strive for. In that sense, 3D World makes sense with that score. But in terms of 'mind,' I would say that Super Mario 3D World doesn't really have many notable faults. Aside from the boss fights and "not being as good as other Mario games," there's really not much to gripe about with Super Mario 3D World. As great as Red Dead 2 and God of War are – and yes, they are undeniably 'bigger' games than 3D World – they also have more notable flaws than Mario's Wii U outing. Super Mario 3D World doesn't feature an obnoxiously sidetracked trip to Guarma, for example. So I'm still undecided on which score to settle on.
As of this writing, I've beaten the "main game" of my current playthrough of Super Mario 3D World, and am currently playing through the post-game secret worlds. And after recently playing through lengthy games (including the aforementioned tediousness of Kingdom Hearts 3), revisiting Super Mario 3D World is exactly what I needed. Its constant sense of fun and invention, combined with its polished execution makes Super Mario 3D World an easy game to pick up and play, and a delight to revisit again and again.
Super Mario 3D World may not be the most groundbreaking Mario game, but it's an undeniable blast from start to finish. And while my favorite Wii U game will always be Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Super Mario 3D World is just about the only Wii U game left that hasn't either been ported to the Nintendo Switch, or have an improved sequel for Nintendo's hybrid console (even Super Mario Maker, once believed to be the justification of the Wii U's gamepad, is getting a Switch sequel). So along with the Virtual Console, Super Mario 3D World is basically the reason to keep your Wii U at the ready… at least until it gets ported to the Switch.
Is Super Mario 3D World worth a replay? Oh, hell yeah!
Author themancalledscottPosted on March 17, 2019 March 22, 2019 Categories Video Games, Wii UTags Bowser, Luigi, Mario, Nintendo, Princess Peach, Rosalina, Super Mario, Super Mario 3D World, Toad, Wii U4 Comments on Replaying: Super Mario 3D World
Super Mario Odyssey's First Anniversary!
Wow, can you believe it's already been a year since Super Mario Odyssey brought perfection into our gaming lives?
Yes indeed, Super Mario Odyssey celebrates its first anniversary today.
"Image originally from Super Mario Odyssey's Japanese Twitter, to celebrate the occasion."
Of the hundreds and hundreds of video games I've played over the course of my life, Super Mario Odyssey is easily among the very best. It stands as one of (currently) only nine games I've awarded a perfect 10/10, and probably its biggest competition for the title of best game of this decade is its own predecessor, Super Mario Galaxy 2 (another of my 10/10s).
How good is Super Mario Odyssey? So good that, when I beat its story and the credits started rolling, I actually stood up and gave the game a standing ovation. You might say that doesn't make any sense, since I just completed a video game by my lonesome and it's not the same as a theater environment where other moviegoers could join in. But that's just how good Odyssey is. Come to think of it, I don't know why I didn't mention my standing ovation in my review of the game somewhere. I don't believe I've done that before with a video game, so it's worth mentioning in regards to how much I enjoyed it.
Why is Super Mario Odyssey so good? Like all the best games that don the Super Mario name, its a non-stop barrage of creative ideas. And Odyssey might just showcase this better than any other entry in the series. From the second the game begins to well after the credits roll, Odyssey presents players with insurmountable imagination. There's not a moment in Odyssey that isn't utterly delightful and inventive.
Super Mario Odyssey is a game that takes elements from just about all of its predecessors, and rearranges them in such ways that it constantly feels fresh and new. Whereas most games – even exceptional ones – often present you with the long and the short of their vision within the first couple of hours and then repeat those elements for longevity, Odyssey never lets up with its restless imagination. It looks back on its peerless catalogue of predecessors not just to simply rekindle fond memories of gaming's past, but more importantly, to reinvent the very things we love about the series.
Happy one year anniversary, Super Mario Odyssey! One of the very best experiences gaming has to offer. Keep putting smiles on faces.
Full Super Mario Odyssey review can be found here.
Author themancalledscottPosted on October 26, 2018 October 27, 2018 Categories Nintendo Switch, Video GamesTags Bowser, Luigi, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Princess Peach, Super Mario, Super Mario Odyssey3 Comments on Super Mario Odyssey's First Anniversary!
Super Mario Party Review
Super Mario Party is something of a bittersweet occasion. It's mostly sweet, mind you, as this eleventh installment in the long-running series feels refreshingly like a return to form, after the past few sequels seemed to go off the rails. Super Mario Party is, in essence, what Mario Party should be: four-player multiplayer fun. The bitterness is felt in Super Mario Party's technical restrictions, a few unfortunate gameplay limitations, and at least one element in the main mode which feels outright unfair… even by Mario Party standards. So while Super Mario Party may be a return to form for the beloved series, its shortcomings prevent it from reaching the staggering heights it otherwise may have.
"Star get!"
First and foremost, Super Mario Party resurrects the series' classic gameplay (No more 'party car' nonsense). Four players face-off in a giant board game, where they compete to gain the most stars. In between turns a mini-game is played, with the winner of each mini-game claiming coins. Players primarily gain stars by purchasing them from Toadette on the game board, though there are a few other means of obtaining them.
Although the classic gameplay has returned, a few new twists have been made to the formula. Super Mario Party includes twenty playable characters (four of which need to be unlocked). While they may all play the same within the mini-games to keep things fair, each character now possesses their own special dice, in addition to the standard six-sided die that anyone can use.
"I kind of love how you can play as iconic enemies like Shy Guy, Boo, Monty Mole and a Hammer Brother."
The character specific dice are a case of risk and reward. Shy Guy's dice, for example, is comprised of five sides of 4 and one 0, giving him a safe chance of moving a decent number of spaces, but risking not moving at all. Meanwhile, Bowser's dice allows him to trample all over the place with high rolls of 8, 9 and 10 spaces, but also risks landing on a 1 or losing three coins (in addition to not moving). It's an interesting twist on the Mario Party formula, with the characters who boast the biggest advantages also having the biggest shortcomings, which not only balances things a bit, but prevents the standard dice from losing its relevance.
"Oh lord, it's Double Dash all over again!"
There's another interesting new element to the proceedings, as players can now gain allies by means of landing on a special space or using an item to summon them. These allies are comprised of any of the playable characters not currently in the session. Whoever you claim will not only add to your roll (allies can only roll a 1 or 2), but also give you access to that character's dice. You can also gain multiple allies, which means that much more can be added to your rolls, and you can use that many more dice. There are even a few mini-games in which your allies can help out, which may seem unfair, but it's the kind of "hate your friends" unfair that has always been associated with the series.
"Waluigi wins? Is it possible to use those words together in a sentence like that?"
As for the mini-games, Super Mario Party boasts no less than 80 of them. And for the most part, it's a pretty stellar lineup. The usual four player, two-vs-two and three-vs-one mini-games return, though the battle and dueling mini-games from the series' oldest entries are sadly still absent. The mini-games use a variety of different play methods, whether traditional button presses, motion controls, and even games with minimal interaction (like selecting objects in one of the game's surprisingly fun memorization games). Thankfully, very few of the mini-games feel based around luck this time around, and the motion-control implementation is top-notch (one game which sees players try to jiggle candy out of a jar is the best use of physics in a video game this year).
On the downside of the game, there is one aspect that is completely luck-based: the end-game bonuses.
Yes, the old Mario Party titles also included end-game bonuses, which could turn the tide completely at the last minute, but they were consistent with what their bonuses were. Those entries rewarded the player who won the most mini-games, landed on the most green spaces, and claimed the most coins (an odd choice, considering it usually coincided with the mini-game bonus). But in Super Mario Party, the bonuses are randomly selected, as are the number of bonuses it decides to dish out at the end of a match (usually it's two, but every so often there will be three).
In the first game I played, I managed to snag a bonus star for winning the most mini-games, but I ended up in a close second in my second game because one of my opponents got bonuses for having an ally and for moving the least spaces (why should that even warrant an award?). It was frustrating in the old Mario Parties when your friends would steal first place in the last minute thanks to the bonuses, but at least you could somewhat strategize with the knowledge of what the bonuses would be. You could try to win the most mini-games, or aim for the most coins. But here, you have no idea what the bonuses will be until they're dished out. If the game had to have random end-game rewards, it should at least inform players what they'll be at the start of the game, so that they can actually try working towards earning them, instead of keeping their fingers crossed.
"Hey! The Bob-omb King! Remember that guy? One of the boards revolves around him."
Aside from that (admittedly infuriating) aspect, the classic board game play style of Mario Party is at the best it's been since the early GameCube titles. And the excellent mini-games are the most memorable since the beloved N64 trilogy. Unfortunately, there is a strange shortage of game boards to choose from at only four. Each board is fun and finds ways to stand out, but you can't help but wish there were more.
On the bright of things, Super Mario Party makes up for the lack of boards by providing some interesting new modes, one of which – River Survival – is actually a great alternative to the classic board game setup. If classic Mario Party is all about competition, River Survival changes things up in the name of cooperation.
"Race for your life, Shy Guy!"
In River Survival, four players work together to – as the name suggests – survive river rafting by working together. All four players paddle their oars using motion controls, with the players on the left swerving the raft right, and the players on the right swerving the raft left. Players will have to pop balloons spread throughout the river to play cooperative mini-games, which will add more time to the clock upon completion. While the number of mini-games in River Survival are limited, the river itself contains branching paths, with each path providing their own challenges. So there's still a decent sense of variety.
The other new mode is Sound Stage, which pits players in a series of motion controlled, rhythm-based mini-games as they compete for the highest score. It's a fun and welcome diversion, but Sound Stage lacks the heft of the classic mode and River Survival. In addition to these modes, you can always choose to play a selection of unlocked mini-games.
"Alex, I'll take "Things Sakurai Would Never Say" for 500."
One unavoidable aspect of Super Mario Party that might not sit well with all players is that it's a Switch title that cannot be played in the Switch's handheld mode. There are a few mini-games that can be played with multiple undocked Switches – which serve as cool tech demos but won't last long – but you can't play any of the game's main modes in handheld form. At the very least, this is an understandable technical limitation, as the game requires players to only use a single Joycon so that it's easier for multiple players to join in (not to mention the game brings out some creative uses in the Joycons' motion and rumble features). But it's obviously a limitation that won't sit well for those who enjoy the on-the-go nature of the Switch.
A far, far less understandable restriction comes in the form of Super Mario Party's online mode. Continuing Nintendo's infamous trend of bizarre online decisions, Super Mario Party's online is limited to a single mode which sees players sprint through five mini-games. Five mini-games that are on rotation from a grand total of ten.
That's right, Mario Party finally has an online mode, but you can't get the whole Mario Party experience with friends across the world. You're limited to a measly ten mini-games, with only five of which being playable at a time. No board game, no River Survival, no access to the majority of mini-games.
This not only comes off as a huge downer, but also an embarrassing missed opportunity, considering Super Mario Party's release practically coincided with the launch of Switch's online service. Some might say that the board game matches are too lengthy, and have a higher risk of players dropping out, but I can't see why they couldn't limit the board games to be played with people on your friends list, and giving access to every mini-game to the broader online crowd.
"My favorite characters (minus Geno) teaming up? Yes please!"
For those who long for the glory days of Mario Party, Super Mario Party serves up a fitting return to form for the series. The classic board game style is resurrected and at full force – being muddled only by a lack of boards and the obnoxiously random end-game bonuses – and the additions of character dice and allies provide some meaningful change. The mini-games are varied and among the best the series has ever seen. The River Survival and Sound Stage modes provide some good versatility to the overall package. The game boasts simple-but-catchy music, and incredibly sharp, colorful visuals (it's no Odyssey, but it doesn't need to be). The single control option won't be to everyone's liking, but it's the bafflingly restrictive online features that serve as the real party-pooper.
Super Mario Party is a whole lot of fun, and it's great to see the series get back on track. But here's hoping the Switch sees a Mario Party sequel in the not-to-distant future that expands on what Super Mario Party started, and isn't afraid to take the entire friendship-ruining Mario Party experience online.
Author themancalledscottPosted on October 17, 2018 June 16, 2021 Categories Nintendo Switch, Video GamesTags Bowser, Luigi, Mario Party, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Princess Daisy, Princess Peach, Rosalina, Super Mario, Super Mario Party, Video Games, Waluigi, Wario, Yoshi8 Comments on Super Mario Party Review
Mario Tennis Aces Review
Although they've never produced any all-time classics in the way the primary platformers of the Super Mario series, the Mario RPGs, and the Mario Karts have, the Mario sports title may be the best example of the franchise's unique ability to seemingly make any genre more fun simply by having its name associated with it. Even those who have no interest whatsoever in any given sport should still be able to find enjoyment out of it when it's given a Mushroom Kingdom twist. I mean, when you add in characters like Luigi and Donkey Kong, and then throw in some crazy gimmicks and special moves, something like golf suddenly becomes a lot more interesting. Perhaps the most consistent of Mario's sporting endeavors are his ventures into tennis. The newest entry, Mario Tennis Aces, perhaps polishes up the core gameplay more than any previous Mario Tennis title, though it does come at the expense of a relative lack of content.
"Rosalina is best girl!"
Mario Tennis Aces seems to be all about refining what we've come to know about Mario Tennis. In this sense, the game is a roaring success. Mario Tennis gameplay has simply never felt so smooth and fluid. No matter which character you pick, the game feels great to control, with slight differences given to each character based on their weight class (don't expect Bowser to move as gracefully as Rosalina). Mario Tennis Aces features a variety of control styles, all of which feel comfortable, though my personal preference is a Joy-con in each hand.
"Waluigi is here. That's one thing Mario Tennis will always have over Smash."
Different types of shots are mapped to different buttons on the controller, while combinations of those buttons (one to prepare to strike the ball, one for the strike itself) add to the mix. Should you charge a shot long enough before striking the ball, you build up energy, which can be used to slow down time, perform a quick counter-shot, and – if the energy meter is completely full – a special move. Additionally, stars appear on the court from time to time, which allow players to perform a "zone shot," which briefly brings things to a first-person view for player's to throw an exceptionally fast ball.
This brings me to one of the more disappointing elements of Mario Tennis Aces' gameplay: the zone shots and character specials are more or less the same. The only difference is that the special moves come with a unique animation beforehand, and do more damage to your opponent's racket. If a player (or the CPU) doesn't time the ball just right after their opponent hits a zone shot or special, their racket will take damage. With enough damage, your racket will break, thus ending the game early.
It's easy to imagine this being a divisive mechanic. On one hand, it provides a unique spin to the series, and adds a different element of strategy to the proceedings as you gain energy and plot to build up to the point of destroying an opponent's racket. But on the other hand, it kind of makes a drastic change to the very game of tennis. But if you're among those frustrated with the mechanic, you can always turn it off.
Though this leads to another questionable design decision for the game. While you can choose whether or not your rackets can break during a match, you cannot change the length of a match or set in a game of tennis. And, bizarrely, you can't directly select which court you wish to play on, instead having to "deselect" stages you don't want on the options menu, which seems unnecessarily arduous. Perhaps in another tennis game it wouldn't be a big deal, but given the unique themes and gimmicks of Mario Tennis courts, it would make a basic level select option all the more ideal than in normal circumstances.
Thankfully, the core gameplay is so much fun, that if you're playing multiplayer (whether online or next to a friend), you might not mind the limited options. Single player, however, does leave a bit more to be desired.
"Mario Tennis Aces brings back the odd Mario sports tradition of resurrecting Super Mario Sunshine bosses."
The primary single player mode in Mario Tennis Aces is an adventure mode that sees Mario on a journey to collect five power stones to stop the power of an ancient, evil tennis racket, which has taken control of Luigi, Wario and Waluigi. It's a surprisingly humorous story mode with its wacky plot, and it features some fun RPG elements to it (Mario can gain experience points and levels, and additional tennis rackets can be obtained through optional stages). Not to mention it provides a fair bit of variety in its challenges. The downside to the story mode, however, is its severely fluctuating difficulty curve.
You would think that the stages would gradually get more progressively difficult as you go, especially seeing as this is a Mario game, and that's an area in which the franchise usually shines. But the challenge of the story mode in Mario Tennis Aces is all over the place. You'll go from a ridiculously easy stage to a ludicrously difficult one at any given time, with seemingly no warning as to when the difficulty is going to spike to a new high or drop to relaxing low. Two stages in particular – against Blooper and Boom Boom, of all characters – gave me a considerable challenge. The story mode does provide some solid fun in the gameplay, variety and RPG elements, but the inconsistent difficulty may be too jarring for some.
"Chain Chomp FTW!"
Even with these issues, however, Mario Tennis Aces is an undeniable good time. The sheer polish that exudes from its gameplay marks a new high for the series, while free play and tournament modes give multiplayer a huge amount of replay value. Add in the fact that you can not only play as series regulars like Mario, Luigi, Peach and Bowser, but entertaining newcomers like Spike and Chain Chomp, and you have one of the most distinctly 'Mario' of all Mario sports titles. If Nintendo and Camelot can take this core gameplay for the next entry, while refining the single player campaign and adding more play styles and customizable options, and we could have the Mario Kart 8 equivalent of Mario's sports titles. As it is, well, the pieces are in place.
Author themancalledscottPosted on July 2, 2018 July 30, 2018 Categories Nintendo Switch, Video GamesTags Bowser, Camelot, Luigi, Mario Tennis, Mario Tennis Aces, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Princess Peach, Rosalina, Super Mario, Yoshi9 Comments on Mario Tennis Aces Review
Happy Mario Day 2018!
Today is Mar. 10, which means it's Mario Day! I had originally planned on getting a review for a certain Mario game up today, but I was unable to get it done in time (be patient, my loves). To compensate, let's celebrate Mario Day with every Mario review I've written thus far (Plus one by Mr. AfterStory)! Here we go!
Dr. Mario 64
Luigi's Mansion Arcade
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Arcade)
Mario Golf (N64)
Mario is Missing
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Mario Party: Island Tour
Mario's Time Machine
Mario Tennis (N64)
Mario Tennis Open
New Super Luigi U
Paper Mario: Color Splash
Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Super Mario 3D Land
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario Odyssey (AfterStory Review)
Super Mario Sunshine
Yoshi's Story
Yoshi's Woolly World
Yoshi Touch & Go
Happy Mario Day, everybody! Let's-a go!
Author themancalledscottPosted on March 10, 2018 Categories Uncategorized, Video GamesTags Bowser, Luigi, Mario Day, Nintendo, Princess Peach, Super Mario1 Comment on Happy Mario Day 2018!


text:
Lexus thinks big with used cars
Lexus is putting the finishing touches to its used car programme – due to be launched in November and coinciding with the introduction of the latest IS model range.
The upmarket carmaker says it needs to be creative with the scheme because many of its retail centres do not have large used car display areas.
"We want to use the internet more and we plan to have used car brochures for individual cars," says Steve Settle, Lexus GB director. "We need to treat the customer the same as a new car buyer in terms of the process, customer service and overall experience."
The programme has yet to be given a name, but while there will be signage investment required, Settle says the costs will not be onerous to dealers.
He is calling on the retail network to help raise awareness among the UK's car buying population, both to reinforce residual values and in preparation for more new models.
The company says brand awareness is only 6% despite spending more money than ever this year on advertising.
"We have a responsibility to raise Lexus brand awareness and our centres have a role to play," says Settle. "They see the importance of this in their local communities."
Lexus intends to throw more money at TV ads and consumer press during launch periods. Third quarter sales have been tougher for dealers with the runout of the IS and lack of RX400h models due to unexpected global demand. Lexus was hoping to bring in 2,500 RX400hs this year, but dealers have had to settle for 1,635.
However, IS shortages have raised residuals values, which will help customers when it comes to replacing cars with the higher priced model due in November. The new IS will be sold with a diesel option for the first time, giving Lexus a boost in the corporate market. Sales to user-choosers account for 25% of annual volume, but Settle believes new products will put this closer to the market average of 55%.
"This will be great for the brand because of the aftersales business. It will strengthen profits for the network," says Settle.
Sales to date are slightly behind forecast, with the company predicting a year-end total of around 11,000, largely due to model shortages. Settle calls 2005 a "transition year" with the runout and launch of several key products. As a result, dealers' return on sales will average 1% against a strategy target of 2%.
"We have a number of undeveloped centres and it's mostly these that are performing below the network average," Settle says. "But the plan is to get these centres relocated or refurbished next year."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
A Pareiasaurus a hüllők (Reptilia) osztályának a Procolophonomorpha rendjébe, ezen belül a Pareiasauridae családjába tartozó nem.

Tudnivalók
A Pareiasaurus egy kihalt neme az anapsida hüllőknek, amely a perm korban élt. A Pareisaurus körülbelül 2,5 méter hosszú volt.

A Pareiasaurus egy nagy, négylábú, kissé görbehátú állat volt. Lábai elefántszerűek voltak. Koponyáján néhány tüske és dudor ült. Az állat levél alakú fogai alkalmasak voltak a száraz, szívós növények szöveteinek harapására. E növényevőnek még a szájpadlásán is ültek fogak.

Rendszerezés
A nembe az alábbi fajok tartoznak:

Pareiasaurus nasicornis (Haughton & Boonstra, 1929)
Pareiasaurus peringueyi (Haughton & Boonstra, 1929)
Pareiasaurus serridens (Owen, 1876) - típusfaj

Jegyzetek

Fordítás

További információk
Pareiasaurinae at Palaeos

Hüllők
Hüllőnemek
Afrika őshüllői
Európa őshüllői
Élővilág a permben
Fosszilis hüllők

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Improving your financial situation has to be your main concern always. Why?
Because if you are not financially free now, you will be in trouble sooner than later. At least you will be in trouble when you get retired, or if you lose your job suddenly.
When you have no backup, you have not backup.
While I am showing you 15 ways to make some money and improve your financial situation, I want you to pay special attentions to this opportunity which is the fruit of the technology, computer and the Internet: What Is Data Technology and How It Can Make You a Millionaire?
So, here is the list the 15 ways that can help you have a better financial situation.
Some stocks pay dividends. It means you receive money when you are holding those shares or stocks. That is a good way to have some income through the stocks you buy and hold.
Although this is one of the ways that some people make money through, I don't recommend you to focus on it as a job or as a source of income. You will lose more than what you can make.
That doesn't generate any income for you. But it can help you have access to better financial services.
For example you can easily get mortgage for your real estate investments when you have a good credit score.
While you take proper actions to generate new source of income, you can also limit your expenses. This helps you improve your financial situation in a better way.
Fortunately, sometimes you can buy the same things with a good discount and cheaper prices.
Visits this category to learn how to take the advantage of coupons and discount services.
If you need money, you can sell some of your assets. Sometimes you have to do it.
Sometimes selling something that you don't use, can help you have a better situation.
Many of the things you have, are nothing but expenses. If you can rent your properties, then do it to make some money. If you can't, then get rid of them, specially if they are in a situation that their value doesn't go higher.
Some people think there is no efficient ways to cut down the utilities expenses. But there are some very easy and good ways to do it.
Whether you pay your fuel bills, groceries or buy yourself some jewelry, most card payments today entail some amount of cashback for the customers. In fact, you have widespread SMS alerts and even announcements about the same across the board.
A smart shopper will never miss these opportunities to save some money.
You have to check the annual bank statement or the credit card statement to understand the prospect of gains that you can unlock by maximizing the cashback in your account. Of course, you would have to spend some time in looking out for the best deals and ones that suit your need best.
One simple way to save some money, is to increase the auto debit option for the various savings that you undertake.
Another reason that you can make money by raising the deductible is that the moment you raise the premium payment, you end up making significant gains by paying a lower interest rate on your loans.
Whether it is your home loan, car premium or whatever premium payment we might consider, a higher payment will make sire that the interest rate outgo gets moderated significantly. As a result, therefore, you make money in the form of the various savings that these type of transactions entail. In fact, for a more realistic understanding of how much money you can make this way, you must try depositing the savings every month in an account and take stock of the total amount annually. We can guarantee that you would be pleasantly surprised by the outcome.
A holiday home is something that most people love to have.
But the problem is when the kids grow up, you can hardly go there. It will be nothing but wasting of money.
However, thanks to the Internet and technology, you can rent your property through Airbnb like when you want to get a cab from Uber. You can do it just through your cell phone.
So if you are looking to have a better financial situation, you must remember the primary mantra is to think out of the box and concentrate on the exact extent of profit rather than the actual method you adopt to achieve it. You must remember the ways that you might opt for to make money should be able to yield a decent profit.
Another aspect to remember in this case is the long-term sustainability of the alternative and how much relative effort that you need to put in this. Because these factors together will contribute towards the actual money or profit that you garner from the proposition. If the cost and effort are more than your profit, it is not a worthwhile alternative.


Taste changes can cause your child to dislike certain foods or refuse to eat, which will lead to weight loss, fatigue, an impaired immune system, and a lack of energy. This is not good as a child needs every ounce of strength they can get to fight the cancer and endure any cancer treatments they may be undergoing.
There are several possible causes of taste changes related to cancer and cancer treatment. Understanding the cause of your child's problem may help you and your health care team manage these changes so that your child can eat again.
Taste changes are a common side-effect of chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Approximately 50% of people receiving chemotherapy experience taste changes. Fortunately these taste changes usually stop about 3 to 4 weeks after the treatment ends.
Individuals who have radiation therapy to the neck and head often experience taste changes, as the radiation can damage the taste buds and salivary glands. Radiation can also cause changes to the sense of smell, which may affect how foods taste.
Taste changes caused by radiation treatment generally start to improve 3 weeks to 2 months after the treatment ends and may continue to improve for about a year. If the salivary glands are damaged by the radiation treatment, the individual's sense of taste may not entirely return to the way it was before treatment.
While there are generally no specific treatments for changes in taste, sometimes treating the cause of the taste changes can be of some benefit. Treating causes such as dry mouth, mouth infections, or dental or gum problems can improve taste changes.
Changes in taste can make it difficult for your child to eat healthy foods and maintain their weight. If your child does not want to eat because of taste changes, you should speak to their doctor or treatment team, and possibly also a dietician.
Give your child protein sources, such as chicken, eggs, fish, peanut butter, beans, or dairy products if red meats don't taste good.
Zinc sulphate supplements may help improve taste in your child, but make sure that you discuss this with their doctor before giving them any dietary supplements, especially during active treatment.
In this interactive video, select the taste change you are experiencing to get specific food and lifestyle tips to help you manage them. Christy Brissette, Registered Dietitian at ELLICSR Health, Wellness and Cancer Survivorship Centre at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, provides practical information on what to do when food tastes too metallic, bitter, sweet or salty, or when food is bland or has no taste. Some people may also have a bad taste in their mouth when they are not eating. This video includes a recipe for baking soda mouthwash to help clean the mouth and get rid of bad tastes.
When food doesn't taste the same, it may make you not want to eat or lower your appetite and lead to weight loss. Losing a lot of weight can make you too weak to finish your treatment and make it more difficult for you to recover after treatment. It is important to manage taste changes so that you can do your best to eat well during and after cancer treatment. If you are experiencing taste changes, tell your healthcare team.
Enter FASS, my approach to teaching flavor through fat, acid, salt and sweet. I empower people — cancer patients, caregivers cooking for someone with cancer, and all of us getting behind the stove in our kitchen — with a little lemon, a little sea salt, a little olive oil, a little sweet — and that's a HUGE thing! It can be life saving.
You try! Grab my quick FASS lesson, and most importantly, try it out! You'll be amazed at how you can transform a dish that's blah to one that sings beautifully to your tastebuds.
Eating well during chemotherapy treatment can be a challenge. Chemotherapy can affect both appetite and flavor preference. Foods may start to taste strange or take on a metallic taste. In addition, there are many other symptoms that may affect your ability to keep yourself well-nourished. But don't despair! Here are ways to keep your body healthy and your immune system supported during treatment.
For more information, recipes, and tips, and to watch more videos on Eating Well During Cancer, visit http://www.dana-farber.org/eatingwell.