Paper Mario: Sticker Star -- 2-1 Drybake Desert

With the extra page in our album, we have plenty of room to sling things. So we sling all of them. Oddly enough, the Trumpet is a small sticker. The Toad manning the stand says that something good will appear back there, probably meaning near the Thing shop. Back on the Sticker Fest grounds, Yellow Toad has set up some flags to honor accomplishments, like using the Battle Spinner 50 times. I haven't done that yet, so the flag will probably open when I do.

The next logical place to go is 2-1, so we head out. It doesn't initially look like a desert, but it's not long before you reach a giant door with pictures on it. Paperizing reveals that we need to stick stickers here, specifically, 2 Mushrooms, a Jump, a Hammer, a Spike Helmet, and a Flower. One of them must be a Poison Mushroom (it's eyes look a little evil). The doors open. This area has bats and Buzzy Beetles. We approach a hollow stump and jump through it to a lower level with coins and a Shiny Jump. Walk up the slope and jump at the top. The piece of the floor will allow you to hit the item block for three stickers. Outside to the right, you'll see a Heart Block, a Save Block, and a Shy Guy wearing a sombrero and playing the guitar. He'll run away in battle, so get the first strike. He'll also jump into battle and double all enemies' attack, so take him out when he's alone. This area has Paragoombas and Spinies. Sombrero Guys may appear in battle and drop Sombrero stickers. In the background is a Yoshi Sphinx and Parakoopas carrying Shy Guys. Up ahead are Paragoombas carrying a Toad. The Paragoombas want 25 coins to let him go. We decide to challenge all five of them.

They get into formation and form a wheel and have 40 HP. They are called the 5-Fold Paragoomba. They crumple easily, so you can do extra damage. Red Toad thanks us for saving him again. He wanted to see the pyramid and the sphinx, but traveling in the desert has been difficult. He gives us a Shiny Mushroom as thanks. He also mentions crazy music that never stops. He then leaves. The next area has a ton of quicksand and Pokeys. Beware of battling in the quicksand as you'll slowly sink. Don't sink into the quicksand. There are also green Pokeys in the area, which can crumple you in battle. At the top of the hill is some Bowser tape, which reveals a small room with coins. In the right patch of quicksand, under a ledge, is a Flashy Slaphammer. It's kind of dangerous to get. The item block near by has a Hammer, a Shiny Hammer, and a Flashy Hammer.

The next area has a slide of quicksand. The Pokeys quickly disappear at the bottom of the hill, so this should be quite a challenge. At the top of the hill, there will be two stickers. Walk towards the rocks to reach a hidden area with coins and a Big 1-Up sticker. The quicksand will slope downward to the right. Towards the back, on solid ground, you'll find something red sticking out of the sand. It's the Soda, which goes in "Things".

The next area is a pyramid with a comet piece near the top. There's an HP-Up Heart on a ledge that we can't quite reach. Around the back of the pyramid are lots of coins. You'll have to wander around almost the entire pyramid to reach the top. You can slide down to the left to get the HP-Up Heart. There's a door drawn behind the Sombrero Guy, but it's tricky to reach him to beat him. The Secret Door leads to the Car Battery. When facing the front of the pyramid, on the higher level where you can walk to the back, go to the back, go right around the corner, and drop to the level below, where you'll be able to hop up the blocks to reach him. We get tons of coins from collecting the comet piece. The path to 2-2 opens up.

New Super Mario Bros. 2: 2-1

The Koopalings are taking it to the desert. In this level, there are tilting platforms made of brick blocks. They contain one coin each. There are Red Coins that float down on parachutes. When you come across some brick blocks flipping 180 degrees, run up the top ones and jump to get the first Star Coin up in an alcove. You'll soon reach the midpoint. Take the yellow pipe nearby down. There is a lone item block in front of a wall of brick blocks. Get the item, which is a Gold Flower. Fireballs will turn enemies and brick blocks into coins, so get this item when you can. Stomping on enemies will also turn them into coins. Before you go crazy trying to hit every last brick block in the area, move ahead and hop up to the ledge with the second Star Coin. You can't reach it if all the brick blocks are turned into coins. Use the fireballs to clear a path to the coin, then destroy all brick blocks at your leisure. The brick block on the floor at the very end has the potential to become a Gold Block, so don't miss out. Go through the yellow pipe. The brick blocks to your right hold a 1-up, so destroy blocks carefully, (although I doubt you're in dire need of lives). The third Star Coin is a little to the left. Use the music note blocks to reach the tilting platform. Continue to the right, taking out Piranha Plants. Don't be afraid of hitting the tilting platforms with fireballs; they won't disappear. Once you reach the flagpole, you'll get coins based on your position if you're still golden, and Golden Mario will turn into Fire Mario. Darn, we lose a really cool powerup.

Coin Total: 9736

New Super Mario Bros.: 2-1

World 2 is a desert level, complete with Egyptian-themed music. This level has Pokeys and Spinies. To go over the Pokeys, we hit the yellow blocks three times to create a stack of four blocks, making it easier to hop over the Pokeys. The first Star Coin is between the second and third Pokeys. The second Star Coin is over quicksand, beneath a Pokey on a small, moving platform. The quicksand will slowly drag you under to your death. Farther along, there is a platform over the abyss and the third Star Coin floats above a lower platform. We have to jump over another Pokey and reach a pipe. There is a P-Switch in a block, so we can jump over a Pokey and reach the flagpole. That wasn't so bad.

Super Mario 3D Land: 2-1

This level starts us outside a castle. We use the binoculars and Toad throws us Star Coin. We get a Super Shroom and a Tanooki Suit. We take out some cutout Goombas and spring on mushroom blocks to reach the first Star Coin. We get a 1-up for pounding the tall stack of Goombas. The green pipe takes us to an optical illusion room. The eye square adjusts the camera to reveal the true location of the Star Coin. The P-Switch to the left of the green pipe makes music notes that play Super Mario 2 music for a 1-up and applause. We climb up the green stairs and duck through a small hole for another 1-up. I tried to jump for the third Star Coin, but fell.
Take 2- We get the first two Star Coins and the musical notes for a Tanooki Suit. We get the third Star Coin by walking behind the stairs. We deal with the yellow platforms by transferring at the top. We spring to an orange Mystery Box and warp. We step on a green tile, which folds out to form a bridge with coins. We have a time limit to cross before it folds back on itself. Getting all the coins results in applause. We use another set to reach a spring to the flagpole. (You can activate it multiple times.)

New Super Mario Bros. Wii 2-1 QSC

I don't like this level. It took a few more tries to get all of the Star Coins here, but I got them. I got the 1st Star Coin by riding the sand pillar up to the Star Coin and jumping to the ledge above before the sand disappeared. The 2nd Star Coin is under a Piranha Plant, so I jumped from the sand pillar to the right onto the ledge to get it. Later on, I got the 3rd Star Coin under a platform in between several sand pillars with a Helishroom. I'm glad I'm done with that level.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 2-1 -- If I had a Life, I'd hate it

This level contains rising fountains/ pillars of sand coming up out of the void. They show up periodically and disapper, signalling itself with a sand puff at the bottom of the screen, at which time it is safe to jump down, because the sand pillar will rise and catch you. This is how I got the first Star Coin, but I missed the next sand pillar and fell into the void.

Take 2- I got a Super Shroom, but I lost it to a Goomba coming out of a pipe. I then died from a Boomerang Bro.

Take 3- After I got a Super Shroom, I killed the Boomerang Bro and reached the midpoint. I died trying to get the 2nd Star Coin because I missed the sand pillar.

Take 4- Died immediately- missed sand pillar.

Take 5- Got 2nd Star Coin while cycling through the sand pillar, but I died landing on a Piranha Plant.

Take 6- Died on Piranha Plant. I have one life left.

Before Take 7, I went back to World 1 to get some lives. I redid 1-Taod Rescue, which had 3 giant Goombas. I got 3 Super Shrooms, went to 1-Star Shroom House and got a Starman, and then to 1-Shroom House, getting 1 Super Shroom, 2 Fire Flowers, and 1 Ice Flower, and 1 Helishroom. I did not get any more lives.

Take 7- I have to start the level over again and fell into the void missing the sand pillar.
Game Over.
I did not know that once you have 01 lives left and you die, it's Game Over. Other Mario games let you play until you have 00 lives and die. I lost all of my items, so I went back to World 1 for items at 1-Shroom House. I got 2 Ice Flowers, 1 Helishroom, 1 Super Shroom, and 1 Fire Flower.

Take 8- I used the Helishroom to start, which easily got me the first Star Coin. Unfortunately, I lost the Helishroom and died.

Take 9- I used the Ice Flower to start. At the beginning of the level, the Super Guide block appeared. I didn't use it. I got the 1st Star Coin, and was saved by the sand pillar. I died from falling in the void because I did not jump off the pillar, and was instead shooting ice balls (Button 1) rather than jumping (Button 2).

Take 10- Used the Fire Flower, got 1st Star Coin, reached midpoint, got 2nd Star Coin, missed pillar.

Take 11- Used Super Shroom to start, lost it to Piranha Plant. I skipped the Star Coins because I was low on lives, and made it to the goal.

I gained access to 2- Shroom House and got 1 Mini Shroom, 1 Helishroom, and 1 Ice Flower.