winstein

Nintendo's recently released their sales figures, and one of my favourite things is this from their presentation slide:

I know it's not much but I revel in the fact that Mario Party is big enough to be placed side-by-side with the other two greats, Super Mario and Mario Kart. Mario Party is a favourite series of mine so to see it get an upgrade in how Nintendo sees it is very reassuring, not only for its popularity but for its future. If Jamboree sales were added (note that the sales were up to September 2024, before Jamboree released), it could very easily sell better than Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (at 35 million currently).

The only thing missing is comparing the series with their 3DS+Wii U games, because I want to know how well (or not) their 3DS Mario Party games did overall, since Star Rush and Top 100 didn't reach a million. Note that Kirby, Metroid, Xenoblade, and Pikmin have this comparisons so we were able to get a rough idea on how well their less-popular games like Hey! Pikmin and Kirby Battle Royale sold (the former definitely would be good to have a Switch port even if it's not popular with fans, so that every Pikmin game that's not the mobile one gets to be on Switch).

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Sometimes I can't tell if Brawl in the Family's depiction of Waluigi is generally a good thing or bad thing for the reputation of the character.

I guess it's good in that it's a popular webcomic so making Waluigi one of the standout characters augments his popularity, and he's kind of funny.

But it could also be bad because he is depicted as the most repulsive and unwanted thing in the world, and he also is drawn purposefully much uglier than usual as his regular depiction.

I am probably inclined to think that there is some good with it, but... I can't deny that negative influences exist.

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Whoa! Somehow that silly (as in, funny) comedic piece I drew a couple of days shot of to become the #4 most upvoted post on the Paper Mario sub-reddit! This is very unexpected because I never gotten posts that got thousands of votes (the most was 1.1k before this). And it's also my first post on this sub-reddit, which makes it even more unexpected. And funny only because I thought it would've been unassuming compared to the others.

Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/papermario..._normal_and_strange_ideas_on_how_paper_peach/


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In terms of Mario dream teams, I personally would like to see one featuring Mario, Wario, and Waluigi.

Is this an unpopular opinion? It most certainly is, because I don't think anybody would clamour for it (except me, as you can tell). Why do I like to see this? Partly, of the four plumber guys, these three are my favourites.

Another thing is, I like to see them interact more: Mario hardly interacts with anyone outside the main cast like Daisy and Waluigi (though Wario had a bit of benefit from being there early), and also Wario and Waluigi interactions are always great.

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I once asked about if Mario actually stole the Princess Peach statue in the Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 article, because the context of the game (between manual and the ending) indicates that Mario isn't a thief.

One person responded that he in fact did, even though the game's actions didn't line up. Separately from that response, the person mentioned how it's all semantics (indicating that it is too insignificant to argue about). But I would say that for a wiki, putting in the accurate semantic is important because, wikis are meant to be factual so if we misrepresent a fact, then it would send the wrong message.

One recent thing that it happened was that DK's Stone Statue mentioned how the star purchase was like Faire Square, which should've imply that you can buy multiple stars, but can be assumed as maxing out to 5 stars only. But that's not the case. A Let's Play collab got it wrong from this article, which affected the players' decision making.

I can already imagine that if it weren't changed to more accurately portray the game's event, some guy will use the original sentence (of Mario stealing the statue like he's a thief) as proof that Mario's a villain.

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Does the supposed existence of "spinoff hell" imply that appearing mainly in spinoffs is akin to them suffering because of their sins? Does this imply that there is a "mainline heaven" that every character is required to strive for? Are all characters who are born in spinoffs sinners from birth, including the RPG characters?

Seriously, it's so strange that a character appearing mainly in spinoffs is criticised for it, especially Waluigi, yet some characters who are the same like the RPG characters are generally not.

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It's disappointing when a game that I recently finished didn't have any speedruns. As an example, I recently finished the game Lair of the Clockwork God (which is adult-oriented despite its cartoonish graphics), yet there are no speedruns.

Velocity Ultra is another game that didn't have any speedruns and it's kind of sad because the game would look cool when it's speed-ran. (On the other hand, its sequel Velocity 2X has speedruns).

I guess there's just a great feeling in seeing someone blaze through a game and enjoying how they demolishing it, isn't it?

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I always thought the phrase "shove down one's throat" to be a graphic and violent way to describe intrusive messages. Especially because of how forceful and painful it sounds. And maybe it's also because sometimes what seems to be such to one person might not be realised by another.

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Recently learned about this: https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwi...periments-one-about-sex-the-other-about-lunch



Basically, one scientist conducted an experiment on frogs on the importance of the male in the mating process, by outfitting them in pants (to cover them, if you know what I mean). The experiment sounds funny in hindsight since he did this by putting an outfit on an animal and letting them roam wild in it (the opposite of going commando, I guess).

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(I don't know if it is appropriate to mention this)

Based on my results for some variations for "Mario Mania", only the following has meaningful results:

- Luigi Lania: Some professor's name
- Daisy Dania: Some author's name
- Toadette Tania: (to a lesser extent) Some user from Facebook

The others lead to either incoherent results like "Peach Pania" or "Rosalina Rania", or they have no results like "Yoshi Yania" and surprisingly, "Wario Wania".

And that's it for another one of my weird observations.

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Anybody has suggested something Mario-related, and was lashed out for it as a result?

For me, I was lashed out for suggesting that I would love to see Mario joining Luigi for his ghost-busting endeavours (since Mario lets Luigi joins him in many of his endeavours). Not everybody lash out of course, as some politely disagreed with it, but I've seen some who were aggressive with that thought. That actually took me aback.

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Thinking about the Game & Watch games, a lot of them have silly premises. Many video games are built upon silly premises like driving a jumping car on platforms, but the most important thing to note about Game & Watch is that it was one of the older video games, so it not adhering to what made sense might have stand out in the midst of more serious and grounded ones, like ones about shooting aliens in space, or maybe a frog travelling across the street to the other side.

Quite a few are more mundane and grounded, like how Ball is just some guy juggling multiple balls to keep them in the air, or how Boxing is merely two boxers punching each other until one is knocked past their side (now that I think about it, Boxing G&W and Urban Champion have a common DNA). And then you have things like Turtle Bridge, where someone must travel through a row of turtles to deliver packages from one end to the other, or how in Rain Shower, the person somehow thinks it's better to leave the clothes dry and then hop through the clotheslines to prevent raindrops from wetting the clothes. Even established characters aren't exempt, because there's Donkey Kong 3 where Stanley and classic Donkey Kong shoots bug spray to make an insect sting the other, or notably Mario's Bombs Away, where Mario must take a bomb to the other side to his comrade, who is inconvenienced by opposing soldiers and even a (presumably friendly and unaware) comrade callously throwing matches on gasoline.

Even then, I think there is something to be said how all these silliness don't matter, because those games are fun. Like it would seem more inconvenient for the Mario Bros. to endlessly move boxes through conveyor belts, but there is a fun challenge to be had while doing it. In fact, I kind of wonder what sort of Game & Watch might have been made now, if one may come once in a while, maybe if Nintendo decides to make another Game & Watch and add a new sort of game instead of a re-skinned one (reskinned are like Mario characters in Ball, and Link in Vermin)?.

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If given something, when one thanks the giver, that indicates gratitude. However, when one would respond with "you're welcome" instead, that denotes entitlement. The latter feels similarly if one does something good but felt the need to say "you're welcome" without waiting for the other person to thank them.

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I don't know if this will ever happen, but if Splatoon would be inducted for the World Video Game Hall of Fame, that would be awesome for personal reasons.

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Why is Siy getting kicked in the face in Gusty Garden Galaxy?

I know I posted this on my art thread, but I am pleased with the result and decided to put it in my profile post too.

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Looks you and me got our wish

It's odd how Mario Party, despite being popular and one of the better selling Nintendo IPs, is very much isolated. Mario Kart is referenced in Super Mario (3D World has a level referencing Super Mario Kart) and Paper Mario (Luigi's modern portrayal is known to be driving a kart from Mario Kart 8). Paper Mario's characters are reused in Mario Kart DS and Mario Party 6. Even Donkey Kong's series of games get occasional references in the wider Mario series!

Mario Party's original characters or settings are never referenced in the wider Mario series, and not even the Koopa Kids have that treatment. Even in Super Smash Bros., Mario Party's representation is extremely paltry (despite being popular that it outsold many majorly represented series like Kirby, Kid Icarus, and Star Fox), where it never got an item, a stage, or even a rearranged music track. While some say that Wario's series are hardly acknowledged in the wider Mario series, you must remember that Super Smash Bros. treats Wario's series as its own thing, so it has the perks of being a unique universe like having a playable character, at least one stage, and a host of music that includes a rearrangement.

The only contribution Mario Party has to the wider Mario series is a little thing from Mario Party 8, and can you tell what is it? If you don't, it's this:

Yes, Waluigi's rose is from a Mario Party game, and it's one of Waluigi's defining traits that newer games notably like to reference. Therefore, it should not be forgotten because Mario Party just can't catch a break when it comes to acknowledgement.

It would make me happy if Mario Party gets the proper acknowledgement in the wider Mario series the same way Mario Kart does.

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Sonic: Hi everyone, I'd like you to meet my new pal, Knuckles!
Knuckles: Hey.


Sonic: He's kind of a knucklehead, though.
Knuckles: HEY!

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I'm rather curious on which of these two sold the most...

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The thread about expressing popular opinions is a rather interesting exercise. It's actually a lot more common to have threads on unpopular opinions that one holds, so to have a twist on the age-old concept would really be an exercise in second-guessing any popular opinion that one also holds. Like for example, the opinion that Charles Martinet is a perfect fit for Mario, that's something that I can get behind. Even if there are some opinions that I don't share within that thread, like the fact that I consider Paper Mario: Colour Splash to be the peak manual design, I can still acknowledge that Wario's manuals are fun.

Strangely, it's rather difficult for me to mention any popular opinion, because I have a frequent belief that my opinions are generally unpopular. Like for example: preferring Daisy over Peach? Doubt that's popular. Considers Miis to be a great addition to the Mario games? I don't really see this opinion mentioned much (it still exists, I need to point out). Considers NDcube to be a worthy successor to the Mario Party series? The opposite is the more common opinion. Considers Daisy and Waluigi to be an important part of the Mario group? Given how the opinion for them to be shunned is more commonly expressed, I need to have empiric evidence in the form of a poll to be convinced otherwise. I guess it's easier when you check if an opinion is mentioned a lot, but since I have some that are not very common, it's assumed to be unpopular. That's why the only opinion that I could churn out so far is relatively benign.

It would probably make sense to put this opinion in that thread, but I think that it's a better fit here because I don't want to ruin the general sense of fun that the thread is currently having, compared to my somewhat boring opinions.

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You know how the person who is in charge of Supper Mario Broth would remove or replace any content that is deemed to be easily misconstrued? One example is the observation on how Wario's nose is not pink in WarioWare Gold during the Wario Deluxe ending, but the original had Young Cricket grabbing Wario by the butt, and that could be interpreted wrongly. The replacement is basically the scene before Young Cricket came into the picture, removing the suggestion of suggestiveness entirely. (Source: https://twitter.com/mariobrothblog/status/1067115340470149120)

I can relate to the embarrassment of this fellow and the feeling of personal failing, since I too would feel like I did something wrong if somebody took what I said with the unintended meaning. I do not know if people see this tendency to thank or apologise as a mere quirk, but this is the thing that I really loved, not only for the politeness but also because this type of behaviour speaks to me in an intimate way.

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Sometimes I would chance upon a post where someone would complain about the hate that their favourite character receives. Take this post for example, mentioning about how the hatred of Rosalina gets the goat of the topic creator. From my perspective, the reaction is overblown because well, is there really a campaign to encourage others to hate Rosalina? Besides, as far as Mario characters go, Rosalina is one of the more loved ones, which I attributed it to having more character than the average Mario character, her majestic and doll-like design, and having significant appearances in the Super Mario games. The same can really be said for several other characters like Peach, Luigi, Wario, or even Bowser, who generally have a great reputation among fans that I can't really see eye-to-eye when someone thinks their character is in danger merely because of a difference in opinion. I can understand why they felt that way though, since they are likely more sensitive towards the suggestion that their favourite characters are not perfectly loved. As a matter of fact, Mario is one such fellow: he is practically the prime target for being slandered as sin incarnate and it's not helped by how popular these theories are.

Now this would be contradictory towards the opinion I mentioned earlier, but if someone says how Daisy and Waluigi are generally hated, I think that made more sense that saying that Luigi of all characters is disrespected (he's actually significantly more respected than Mario himself: the Mario Awards proved this), and I can more or less emphasised that opinion instead of something like "I am in shambles that someone dare to hate Peach!". It's mainly because I noticed how much condemnation ("they have no character!") and dismissal (e.g. "they are roster filler!") those two get, with the common excuse that they are prominently in spin-offs, which is an opinion that is unfortunately relatively prevalent (for the record, their continued presence is one reason I liked them, and in Waluigi's case, he's a much more genuine underdog compared to Luigi). I would love to be proven wrong, but it might have to take years or even decades for this stigma to wane off.

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Thinking about it after my latest thread about Rosalina, I must say that it's a blessing in disguise that Super Mario Land's characters retained their original names in Japanese. They do sound foreign, but that also means that Daisy's name did not change. I have to imagine that if the names were allowed to change, the English might have already attempted to change Daisy's name to Toadstool (similar to SEGA of America's half-hearted attempts to pretend that Sally Acorn is in Sonic CD, despite the sprite clearly showing Amy Rose).

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A random thought came to me: What would happen if Tingle wears the Majora's Mask? What kind of powers would manifest out of Tingle when he has it? It's an interesting idea but I can't find any discussion on it from Google.

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