All posts by Cloud

Essay, Opinion, Review, Super Mario Bros., Switch, Wii U

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – As Good as New?

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If there’s one thing we can all agree on regarding the New Super Mario Bros. series, it’s that they aren’t all that new anymore. In fact, the New branding is kind of ironic, given that each title in the series is very much the same as the last. New Super Mario Bros. U was initially released as the Wii U’s flagship launch title way back in 2012. Seven years later – in 2019 – the game was re-released for Nintendo Switch as New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. The release of Super Mario Maker 2 – specifically its inclusion of the New Super Mario Bros. U theme – makes paying $60 for New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe a steep task. All these years later, does this game still have legs to stand on (figuratively speaking)?

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Essay, Opinion, Paper Mario, Review, Super Mario Bros., Switch

Paper Mario: Color Splash – A Fresh Coat of Pain

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Paper Mario: The Origami King was recently released for Nintendo Switch. If you’ve read my somewhat-recent review, I really liked The Origami King and felt that it made many improvements on the formula established way back when Paper Mario: Sticker Star came out.

So, Paper Mario on Nintendo 64. That happened. The Thousand Year Door and Super Paper Mario happened too. But out of all the Paper Mario games that happened, the one that “happened the least” is Paper Mario: Color Splash. In other words, I don’t see anybody talking about this game anymore. It was released in 2016 and was almost immediately swept under the rug. In fact, it’s one of the worst selling Super Mario games to date; if the statistic I viewed was correct, it’s only sold about 800,000 units total. That’s rough by Mario series standards.

Is Color Splash better than Origami King? Well, no. it’s certainly better than Sticker Star, but that’s not exactly a benchmark to strive for. Especially considering the fact that I’ve (accidentally) eaten stale food that wound up being better than Sticker Star. My point is, though, Color Splash never really got the attention that deserved! And I hope my occasionally-coherent writings on this game will give it just a bit of extra attention. Do note that we’ll be discussing a bit of spoilers here.

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amiibo Training, Guide, Pokémon, Super Smash Bros., Switch

Training the strongest Pikachu amiibo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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Pikachu was kind of ridiculous in Super Smash Bros. 4. Back then, its Figure Player couldn’t make any kind of tournament progress unless it spammed its custom down special, Thunder Burst. In regard to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, we’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that Pikachu can make better use of its full kit. The bad news is that Thunder Burst doesn’t exist anymore. Even so, Pikachu is much better off in Ultimate, and if you’re looking to train a good one, you’ve come to the right place!

Thanks to MiDe for contributing Pikachu’s training information! Feel free to check out their YouTube channel by following this link.

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amiibo Training, Fire Emblem, Guide, Super Smash Bros., Switch

Training the strongest Roy amiibo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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If you’re looking for the Koopaling and searched for “Roy” instead of “Bowser Jr.” for some reason, you’ve got the wrong character! The Bowser Jr. / Koopaling amiibo training guide can be found here.

Super Smash Bros. 4 was a sad time for Roy. In fact, he didn’t even make the cut at first! He was brought back as DLC, but was often seen as an inferior semi-clone of Marth and Lucina. Plus, Roy’s reverse tipper mechanic was kind of dangerous; it forced him to get up close and personal with fighters you really don’t want to get up close and personal with. Things are looking up for Roy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, though!

Thanks to MiDe for contributing Roy’s training information! Feel free to check out their YouTube channel by following this link.

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amiibo Training, Guide, Super Mario Bros., Super Smash Bros., Switch, Yoshi

Training the strongest Yoshi amiibo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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If it weren’t for Mii Gunner, Yoshi might have claimed the title for “most buffed Figure Player in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate“. In Super Smash Bros. 4, Yoshi was a bottom-tier contender who lacked tournament results and representation. That’s no longer the case, though! Yoshi’s a solid (albeit still underrepresented) pick in Ultimate. If you’re looking to train the strongest one, you’ve come to the right place!

Thanks to Blank for contributing Yoshi’s training information! Feel free to check out their YouTube channel by following this link.

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