Tag Archives: super mario

#970 – Video Game Clothing

10 Mar

We as gamers aren’t necessarily known for our sense of style, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be stylish. As geeky as it may be, there is some really cool video game clothing available in the real world, from video game mash-up t-shirts to adorable Pikachu slippers. Some of it might not be the most practical, but as long as you believe it looks cool, you can rock anything your heart desires.

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I just want to clarify before we delve deeper into this awesome topic, I’m specifically talking about game related clothing and not cosplay (though cosplay is also extremely awesome and will be covered in another post in the future). With the abundance of new-shirt-a-day websites, the creativity of some of the mash-ups I’ve seen online is ridiculous. For example, there is one where Super Mario meets the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which is breaming with awesomeness (see picture below). The huge variety and ongoing support of the community speaks to the resilience of gamers.  

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But it’s more than just shirts, we need to pay tribute to the crazy hats, socks, jackets, backpacks, ties… the list goes on and on. You can’t tell me with a straight face that you wouldn’t rock a pair of suspenders inspired by Pac-Man. Most of it is way over the top, but that means it embraces some of the most amazing reasons why we even play video games; to escape reality.

Go ahead and grab your favourite piece of gaming clothing and stand tall. Shout out at top of your lungs,  “I am gamer, hear me roar” or don’t, either way it’s…

AWESOME! 

 

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#974 – Isabelle (and all the lesser-known Nintendo characters)

3 Mar

The long list of memorable Nintendo characters never seems to end; Mario, Luigi, Wario, Kirby, Link, Pikachu… I’m pretty sure you get the idea. But those names I mentioned are the well-known popular characters, that tend to get their own games; if this was high school they definitely would be sitting at the cool kids table. Yet the list of lesser-known characters is just as great and just as important if you ask me. And who belongs at the top of the list, the top dog of course, Isabelle from Animal Crossing fame.

It might seem weird that I’m dedicating a whole post to her, but then again I’m weird so in reality it’s normal. Think of this tribute to Isabelle as a celebration of all the lesser known Nintendo characters, but don’t forget that Isabelle rules them all. Impeccable style, remarkable hair with a cute bell holding it together, and most importantly a genuinely nice dog that is willing to help you accomplish anything as your own personal secretary in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. She is beyond sweet, look into those eyes and tell me your heart doesn’t melt.

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It unfortunately took me too long to appreciate Isabelle’s greatness. Only recently while playing a lot (and I mean a lot) of Mario Kart 8, did I come to fully respect her appeal. Honestly, there is absolutely no one cooler than her, she is an inspiration for dogs everywhere. I guess you can say she has become a bit of a good luck charm for me, as every time I play Mario Kart I have her Amiibo watch approvingly.

So no matter what lesser-known character is your favourite, be it the sexually confused Birdo from the Super Mario Bros. series or Rick the hamster from the Kirby series, raise your glasses and toast these characters as they are…

AWESOME!

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#985 – Creating a Super Mario Maker level that is actually fun to play

5 Nov

Super Mario Maker is a dream come true for those of us (basically everybody) who have ever wanted to partake in the creation of Nintendo’s magic. Think about it in another way; imagine if you had the opportunity to help create the latest Disney or Pixar movie, the films those studios create are literally what happiness is made out of. The only thing is without a background in film or connections in the industry, that will probably never happen (and if it does just remember who came up with the idea first!). SMM at least makes game creation a reality, but creating something worthwhile is a hefty task.

  
After playing and watching hundreds if not thousands of levels online, you realize that most of your own levels suck. I thought it was cool at the time to put 30 goombas on top of each other only to find out… that it’s not. It gives you a greater respect for those people who created the legendary Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, they not only made wonderful levels but also had to program it all, it wasn’t as easy as these tools make it out to be. So after frustrating creation after frustrating creation, I came up with something actually… decent. Notifications start popping up that people are playing my level and are actually commenting with positive criticism. I know I’m far away from Shigeru Miyamoto status, but this made me feel all awesome inside.

No doubt that creating something is fun, but creating something that is actually fun is even better. Give someone the proper tools and they can create a masterpiece. Don’t give up just because your first 723 attempts failed, you may finally hit the fun jackpot with number 724.

AWESOME!

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