N64
We climb into the cannon and aim for the stone pillar next to the left wall. I overshot the pillar, then undershot it. Mario clung to the stone pillar on the third try, by aiming with about 2 inches of the stone pillar on screen. Mario then pole jumped off the pillar onto a ledge with an item block. We hit the block to get a Star.
Star Get #22, 2 Coins, 9 Lives
Nintendo DS
Now that we have Mario and the red item blocks unlocked, this will be an incredibly easy mission. There is a red item block on the beach where we land. We hit it to make a Power Flower appear. We touch it and Mario puffs out and starts floating, and a remix of the Wing Cap music plays. We get a message: "With the Power Flower, Mario can float like a balloon. In Standard Mode, press (B) repeatedly to make Mario float up, and crouch to land. Change his direction with the (Control Pad). Try it out!
All we have to do is float to the ledge with the Star instead of aiming with the cannon. At first, we just overshot it because we were too high in the air. The second time, we just undershot it. Timing and speed are important. We undershot it again, but on the fourth try, we landed, but took damage from falling. The Star is on the ledge, so we jump to get it.
Star Get #22, 0 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Red Coins on the Ship Afloat.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Whomp's Fortress - Switch Star of the Fortress
This mission is unique to the Nintendo DS.
We need Mario for this mission. (Actually, we can use anyone except Yoshi, but we don't have anyone else yet.) I walked along the base of the fortress to the right and around the corner. (This area doesn't exist in the N64 version.) I took a hit from a Goomba and kept going, jumping across the gaps, and dodging Piranha Plants and Bullet Bills. Near the Blue Coin switch, we find an empty glass sphere, like the one we got a Star in from collecting 5 Silver Stars. Near where we landed, on the grass past the pushing walls is the area added on for the DS. There is a brick under one of the sliding platforms. Yoshi can't break this block, so Mario will have to do it. Punching or ground pounding it will reveal a star-shaped switch. Stepping on it makes a Star appear in the Star Sphere. A timer starts ticking down and we have to break the Star Sphere to get the Star before time runs out. If we miss, we can always hit the switch again to make it reappear. I then ran off the fortress.
Take 2- We reach the Star Sphere with plenty of time to spare.
Star Get #21, 2 Coins, 8 Lives
The next Star is Blast to the Stone Pillar.
We need Mario for this mission. (Actually, we can use anyone except Yoshi, but we don't have anyone else yet.) I walked along the base of the fortress to the right and around the corner. (This area doesn't exist in the N64 version.) I took a hit from a Goomba and kept going, jumping across the gaps, and dodging Piranha Plants and Bullet Bills. Near the Blue Coin switch, we find an empty glass sphere, like the one we got a Star in from collecting 5 Silver Stars. Near where we landed, on the grass past the pushing walls is the area added on for the DS. There is a brick under one of the sliding platforms. Yoshi can't break this block, so Mario will have to do it. Punching or ground pounding it will reveal a star-shaped switch. Stepping on it makes a Star appear in the Star Sphere. A timer starts ticking down and we have to break the Star Sphere to get the Star before time runs out. If we miss, we can always hit the switch again to make it reappear. I then ran off the fortress.
Take 2- We reach the Star Sphere with plenty of time to spare.
Star Get #21, 2 Coins, 8 Lives
The next Star is Blast to the Stone Pillar.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
? Switch - 8 Red Coins
This is a mission unique to the Nintendo DS.
Now that we've saved Mario, it's time to use him to get more Power Stars. Some of them will require Mario to be powered up, so let's unlock the first power-up. We stand in the light and look over his shoulder into the light. We find ourselves wearing the Wing Cap in what looks to be the Wing Cap Course, but the message we get tells a different story: "Welcome to the ? Switches of Rainbow Tower! Step on the ?Switch at the top, inside the rainbow ring. When you trigger the switch, all of the ? Blocks you find will become solid. You'll have to hit them to see what's inside!" So, there's no instruction on how to use the Wing Cap. Oh, well. The Red Coins are in the same place and Mario is easier to control here. I get all 8 Red Coins without difficulty. The Star appears on the center tower. If you miss any of them, the Bob-omb Buddy says "Hello! Please take a look at the map below. Memorized it? If you are lost, please talk to me again." When you talk to him after getting them all, he says "Awesome! You've collected all 8 red coins... You don't look it, but you sure are a quick learner. There's nothing left for me to help you with. But I'm always up for a pleasant chat. We get the Star before hitting the switch, forgetting that it will take us out of the course.
Star Get #17, 27 Coins, 4 Lives
We go back into the course, as the light is still shining. We pound the ground to land on the tower, taking fall damage. We step on the switch, stars fly out, and we hear a chime. We get the message: "You stepped on the ? Switch. The ? Blocks have become solid. Hit them to see what comes out. Do you want to save? Yes/No
The clear block near the switch is now a solid red item block so we can get another Feather out of it if we would like to fly some more. We walk off the tower to fall back into the castle, where the light is gone. Let's continue the adventure!
The next Star is Mario Wings to the Sky.
Now that we've saved Mario, it's time to use him to get more Power Stars. Some of them will require Mario to be powered up, so let's unlock the first power-up. We stand in the light and look over his shoulder into the light. We find ourselves wearing the Wing Cap in what looks to be the Wing Cap Course, but the message we get tells a different story: "Welcome to the ? Switches of Rainbow Tower! Step on the ?Switch at the top, inside the rainbow ring. When you trigger the switch, all of the ? Blocks you find will become solid. You'll have to hit them to see what's inside!" So, there's no instruction on how to use the Wing Cap. Oh, well. The Red Coins are in the same place and Mario is easier to control here. I get all 8 Red Coins without difficulty. The Star appears on the center tower. If you miss any of them, the Bob-omb Buddy says "Hello! Please take a look at the map below. Memorized it? If you are lost, please talk to me again." When you talk to him after getting them all, he says "Awesome! You've collected all 8 red coins... You don't look it, but you sure are a quick learner. There's nothing left for me to help you with. But I'm always up for a pleasant chat. We get the Star before hitting the switch, forgetting that it will take us out of the course.
Star Get #17, 27 Coins, 4 Lives
We go back into the course, as the light is still shining. We pound the ground to land on the tower, taking fall damage. We step on the switch, stars fly out, and we hear a chime. We get the message: "You stepped on the ? Switch. The ? Blocks have become solid. Hit them to see what comes out. Do you want to save? Yes/No
The clear block near the switch is now a solid red item block so we can get another Feather out of it if we would like to fly some more. We walk off the tower to fall back into the castle, where the light is gone. Let's continue the adventure!
The next Star is Mario Wings to the Sky.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Goomboss Battle - The Key to Mario
This mission is exclusive to the Nintendo DS.
After checking out Sunshine Isles, we decide to see what's on the other side of the door marked with an 8. We see a pink couch, a window to a balcony, and a picture of Mario! It jiggles, so we can go in it. Mario is still trapped somewhere, so we should be able to find him in here somewhere! We go in. The music from Hazy Maze Cave plays, which is a remix of the Underground theme. The world is set in a leafless forest. We slide down a tree trunk onto checkered tile. There is a purple haze below us. It's purple, so it's poisonous. We will take damage if we fall into it. Ahead are Goombas and three tree trunks bobbing in and out of the haze. We pass a Piranha Plant and climb onto a vine pole while dodging Lakitu. We climbed to the top of the pole and got a 1-up. There is a bridge leading us to the top of one of the tallest tree trunks in this world. We cross it, taking out the Goombas as we go. We kill a Piranha Plant and come to the center of the trunk, which has a hole in it. We can't see what's down it, but here goes!
We land on another tree trunk in front of a huge Goomba wearing a crown and red and white striped pants. He says "Bwa ha ha! I'm no ordinary Goomba... I am Goomboss, the great Goomba, the grand poo-bah Goomba. That Mario always stomps on us. But now the tables have turned! I locked him up in a room. I bet he's crying like a baby. I have no business with you, so scram! There's no way a prehistoric wimp like you could beat my stupendous stomps!" Well, we now know what happened to Mario. That must be the voice we heard calling for help! Fiend! We shall now do battle!
The battle music starts. Three Goombas appear behind Goomboss as he marches around in a circle around the center of the tree, which has the purple haze. We do not want to fall in there. We run ahead of him to reach the Goombas behind him. We take a hit from a Goomba and spit another at him. He turns around, grows bigger, turns redder, and his eyes get more crazy rings. More Goombas appear behind him and he moves faster. We eat another Goomba and hit him with an egg. He grows bigger, redder, has more crazy rings around his eyes and more Goombas appear behind him. He also moves even faster. We hit him with another egg. His eyes shake violently as he stands still. He says "Beaten by a pip-squeak like you... How did that happen? Is it just the Goombas' fate to lose? I have Mario locked up in a room, you know. This key will open the door to his room! I still can't believe you beat me." He swells once again and explodes into a bunch of Goombas that disappear and a key. The key is a gold key with white swirled into it. It wears Mario's cap and has the letter M on its handle. Yoshi takes the key and poses with it.
1 Coin, 5 Lives
We go to the red door and Yoshi unlocks the door and goes inside. We hear a drumroll, then a fanfare remix of the Mario theme as Mario flips out the door, takes off his cap and poses. We get a message: "You've rescued Mario! Now he can smash Bowser in style. Red caps are everywhere. Grab one to turn into Mario. Thwart Bowser's sinister plans with super moves!"
The next Star is ? Switch.
After checking out Sunshine Isles, we decide to see what's on the other side of the door marked with an 8. We see a pink couch, a window to a balcony, and a picture of Mario! It jiggles, so we can go in it. Mario is still trapped somewhere, so we should be able to find him in here somewhere! We go in. The music from Hazy Maze Cave plays, which is a remix of the Underground theme. The world is set in a leafless forest. We slide down a tree trunk onto checkered tile. There is a purple haze below us. It's purple, so it's poisonous. We will take damage if we fall into it. Ahead are Goombas and three tree trunks bobbing in and out of the haze. We pass a Piranha Plant and climb onto a vine pole while dodging Lakitu. We climbed to the top of the pole and got a 1-up. There is a bridge leading us to the top of one of the tallest tree trunks in this world. We cross it, taking out the Goombas as we go. We kill a Piranha Plant and come to the center of the trunk, which has a hole in it. We can't see what's down it, but here goes!
We land on another tree trunk in front of a huge Goomba wearing a crown and red and white striped pants. He says "Bwa ha ha! I'm no ordinary Goomba... I am Goomboss, the great Goomba, the grand poo-bah Goomba. That Mario always stomps on us. But now the tables have turned! I locked him up in a room. I bet he's crying like a baby. I have no business with you, so scram! There's no way a prehistoric wimp like you could beat my stupendous stomps!" Well, we now know what happened to Mario. That must be the voice we heard calling for help! Fiend! We shall now do battle!
The battle music starts. Three Goombas appear behind Goomboss as he marches around in a circle around the center of the tree, which has the purple haze. We do not want to fall in there. We run ahead of him to reach the Goombas behind him. We take a hit from a Goomba and spit another at him. He turns around, grows bigger, turns redder, and his eyes get more crazy rings. More Goombas appear behind him and he moves faster. We eat another Goomba and hit him with an egg. He grows bigger, redder, has more crazy rings around his eyes and more Goombas appear behind him. He also moves even faster. We hit him with another egg. His eyes shake violently as he stands still. He says "Beaten by a pip-squeak like you... How did that happen? Is it just the Goombas' fate to lose? I have Mario locked up in a room, you know. This key will open the door to his room! I still can't believe you beat me." He swells once again and explodes into a bunch of Goombas that disappear and a key. The key is a gold key with white swirled into it. It wears Mario's cap and has the letter M on its handle. Yoshi takes the key and poses with it.
1 Coin, 5 Lives
We go to the red door and Yoshi unlocks the door and goes inside. We hear a drumroll, then a fanfare remix of the Mario theme as Mario flips out the door, takes off his cap and poses. We get a message: "You've rescued Mario! Now he can smash Bowser in style. Red caps are everywhere. Grab one to turn into Mario. Thwart Bowser's sinister plans with super moves!"
The next Star is ? Switch.
Sunshine Isles - Five Silver Stars
This is a mission exclusive to the Nintendo DS. After getting 15 Stars, it's about time to explore the door on the top right. When we enter the room, we see five double doors, one bordered in green with an L, a red one with an M, a regular set of doors, a yellow one with a W, and a white one. They each have a rug of the same color. There are also two stain glass windows of Princess Peach. If we approach the bordered doors, we get a message as well as hear Bowser's laugh. For the door with the M: "It's locked... Someone is calling for help on the other side." For the door with the L: "It's locked... Someone is shrieking on the other side." For the door with the W: "It's locked... Someone is growling on the other side." For the door with the white border: "It's locked... Everything is quiet on the other side." Since we can't open any of these doors, we go through the normal double doors. Inside is a colorful room with toys, a piano, a table with drawings, a large set of drawers, a painting, a door marked 8, and Toad. Toad says "Oh, no! Oh, no! I lost the keys to Princess Toadstool's secret drawer! She's going to chew me out big-time! Will you find the keys for me, Yoshi? This is just between you and me, but you can open the drawer when you have a key. The drawer leads to the Rec Room, where Princess Toadstool used to play games as a child. When you've found a key, you can go inside and play more minigames. Just select Rec Roo from the Title Screen to play." This is how we unlock and play minigames. We need to find the keys to unlock the drawers. The keys are being held by bunnies, who will now appear throughout the castle and the grounds. If we catch them, they will give us their key.
If we touch the painting it jiggles, which means there is a world inside it. It's a painting of islands with palm trees. Let's go in!
When we land, we hear the music from Delfino Plaza from Super Mario Sunshine. The world has six islands. If we check the map, we see Silver Stars, one of which is moving. Let's go get them! There is one on the island that is two islands to the left of where we start. Moving clockwise, there is another one on the next island with a Goomba. Lakitu appeared and I took a hit from the Goomba. Yoshi ate Lakitu and turned him into an egg. He drops Spinies, so beware. Throwing an egg at a Spiny makes lots of coins. The Silver Star is at the top of the palm tree. Nearby in the center island is a little cave where another Silver Star is hiding on the ground. We come across a condor called Klepto carrying a Silver Star. We chase Klepto around, and jump for him to knock the Star out of his talons. We then chase the Star around and get it. The last Silver Star is at the top of the center island. The Star appears in the Star sphere where we started. There is a coin on one of the other islands and an item block with a Koopa shell on the other. We break the Star Sphere and get the Star. It's another Secret Star!
Star Get #16, 26 Coins, 4 Lives
The next mission is Goomboss Battle.
If we touch the painting it jiggles, which means there is a world inside it. It's a painting of islands with palm trees. Let's go in!
When we land, we hear the music from Delfino Plaza from Super Mario Sunshine. The world has six islands. If we check the map, we see Silver Stars, one of which is moving. Let's go get them! There is one on the island that is two islands to the left of where we start. Moving clockwise, there is another one on the next island with a Goomba. Lakitu appeared and I took a hit from the Goomba. Yoshi ate Lakitu and turned him into an egg. He drops Spinies, so beware. Throwing an egg at a Spiny makes lots of coins. The Silver Star is at the top of the palm tree. Nearby in the center island is a little cave where another Silver Star is hiding on the ground. We come across a condor called Klepto carrying a Silver Star. We chase Klepto around, and jump for him to knock the Star out of his talons. We then chase the Star around and get it. The last Silver Star is at the top of the center island. The Star appears in the Star sphere where we started. There is a coin on one of the other islands and an item block with a Koopa shell on the other. We break the Star Sphere and get the Star. It's another Secret Star!
Star Get #16, 26 Coins, 4 Lives
The next mission is Goomboss Battle.
Jolly Roger Bay - Red Coins on the Ship Afloat
N64
It's time to get some more Red Coins and a 100 Coin Star. There are just enough coins to get 100, so collect every one you can. Four of the Red Coins are in clams at the bottom of the bay, one of which is in deep water. Two are near the Bob-omb buddy and one is near the drop-off. There are a few coin rings in the water. There is also a Blue Coin Switch in the cave to add to your coin total. Another Red Coin is on the stone pillar near the Bob-omb Buddy. The last three coins are on the ship, one near the bow and two at the stern. As the boat rocks in the water, the coins may be out of reach. There is also a sliding crate on board with the skull and crossbones, which means it is poisonous. We didn't touch it, but it does cause damage. After getting the 6th Red Coin, the 100 Coin Star appeared.
Star Get #20, 100 Coins, 7 Lives
After getting the last two Red Coins, the Star appeared at the stern of the ship, because there is no blue Star to mark where it will appear.
Star Get #21, 104 Coins, 9 Lives
Nintendo DS
We're also going to get 100 Coins here. We get the Blue Coins from the Blue Coin Switch using the shell in the bricks and take a hit from a Goomba. The Red Coins are in the same location as the N64. Getting 100 Coins is much easier due to the Blue Coin Switch on the beach. I struggled to find enough in the N64 version, but here, I don't even have to go into the cave.
Star Get #23, 100 Coins, 4 Lives
I get the Red Coins on the Ship last. There is no blue Star to mark where the Power Star will show up, so it appears at the stern of the ship.
Star Get #24, 106 Coins, 6 Lives
The next Star is Behind Chomp's Gate.
It's time to get some more Red Coins and a 100 Coin Star. There are just enough coins to get 100, so collect every one you can. Four of the Red Coins are in clams at the bottom of the bay, one of which is in deep water. Two are near the Bob-omb buddy and one is near the drop-off. There are a few coin rings in the water. There is also a Blue Coin Switch in the cave to add to your coin total. Another Red Coin is on the stone pillar near the Bob-omb Buddy. The last three coins are on the ship, one near the bow and two at the stern. As the boat rocks in the water, the coins may be out of reach. There is also a sliding crate on board with the skull and crossbones, which means it is poisonous. We didn't touch it, but it does cause damage. After getting the 6th Red Coin, the 100 Coin Star appeared.
Star Get #20, 100 Coins, 7 Lives
After getting the last two Red Coins, the Star appeared at the stern of the ship, because there is no blue Star to mark where it will appear.
Star Get #21, 104 Coins, 9 Lives
Nintendo DS
We're also going to get 100 Coins here. We get the Blue Coins from the Blue Coin Switch using the shell in the bricks and take a hit from a Goomba. The Red Coins are in the same location as the N64. Getting 100 Coins is much easier due to the Blue Coin Switch on the beach. I struggled to find enough in the N64 version, but here, I don't even have to go into the cave.
Star Get #23, 100 Coins, 4 Lives
I get the Red Coins on the Ship last. There is no blue Star to mark where the Power Star will show up, so it appears at the stern of the ship.
Star Get #24, 106 Coins, 6 Lives
The next Star is Behind Chomp's Gate.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Jolly Roger Bay - Treasure of the Ocean Cave
N64
The entrance to the ocean cave is found in deep water, so we dive under the floating ship. Unagi is swimming around, but is easily avoided. Near Unagi's cave is the entrance to the ocean cave, near the back wall. Once we surface, the music gets a drumbeat added to it. There are falling rock pillars that can and will hurt you if you don't get out of the way in time. I got hit twice. In the back of the cave are four chests. We have to open in the correct order, which is back, left, right, center. The center has the Star.
Star Get #19, 10 Coins, 7 Lives
Nintendo DS
When I entered the castle, a beam of light was coming down from the ceiling, which means the Wing Cap Course is now open. I looked into the light, but Yoshi just tumbled down, collecting a couple of coins along the way. Yoshi cannot use the Wing Cap, so we're going to continue with Jolly Roger Bay. Unagi is swimming around and the cave is in the same place. A sign at the entrance to the cave says "Keep out! That means you! Arrgghh! Anyone entering this cave without permission will meet certain disaster. -- The Cap'n" Seems like there were pirates here. I dodged the falling pillars, but took a hit from a Goomba. At the back are the four chests, which are opened in the same order, with numbers appearing out of them. The Star flies out of the last chest into the middle of the four of them.
Star Get #15, 4 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Sunshine Isles.
The entrance to the ocean cave is found in deep water, so we dive under the floating ship. Unagi is swimming around, but is easily avoided. Near Unagi's cave is the entrance to the ocean cave, near the back wall. Once we surface, the music gets a drumbeat added to it. There are falling rock pillars that can and will hurt you if you don't get out of the way in time. I got hit twice. In the back of the cave are four chests. We have to open in the correct order, which is back, left, right, center. The center has the Star.
Star Get #19, 10 Coins, 7 Lives
Nintendo DS
When I entered the castle, a beam of light was coming down from the ceiling, which means the Wing Cap Course is now open. I looked into the light, but Yoshi just tumbled down, collecting a couple of coins along the way. Yoshi cannot use the Wing Cap, so we're going to continue with Jolly Roger Bay. Unagi is swimming around and the cave is in the same place. A sign at the entrance to the cave says "Keep out! That means you! Arrgghh! Anyone entering this cave without permission will meet certain disaster. -- The Cap'n" Seems like there were pirates here. I dodged the falling pillars, but took a hit from a Goomba. At the back are the four chests, which are opened in the same order, with numbers appearing out of them. The Star flies out of the last chest into the middle of the four of them.
Star Get #15, 4 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Sunshine Isles.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Jolly Roger Bay - Can the Eel Come Out to Play?
N64
We land back on the beach and notice that the ship has resurfaced and is floating in the bay. We swim over to the Bob-omb Buddy on the rock near the floating platform and stone pillar so he will open the cannon for us. We then dive into the depths near the back to find a large eel named Unagi in a hole in the rock. (Unagi is Japanese for eel.) If you get close to Unagi, it will swim out of the hole and start circling the bay a couple of times before returning. It can hurt you when it swims out, so stay away while it's leaving. On its tail is the Star, which it trails behind it as it swims. All we have to do is touch the Star to release it and it will fly near an underwater rock. This may take some time, so be sure to surface for air. I didn't need to as I reached the Star with 2 bars of health remaining.
Star Get #18, 0 Coins, 4 Lives
Nintendo DS
Before we started the mission, we read a sign in the room with the aquariums: "Activate the ? Switch in the castle's mystical Rainbow Tower to make all the ? Blocks solid. Breeak the ? Blocks to get special items like Power Flowers. These bewitching blossoms strengthen each character in a different way. Depending on their dispositions, characters can float, turn into metal, disappear, or breathe fire. In addition to Power Flowers, ? Blocks can also give you Wings to fly. But only if you are the original plumber." Interesting. We will take care of that later.
We land on the beach and swim to the Bob-omb Buddy and get him to open the cannon, which appears to be filled with water when it is opened. We dive down and coax Unagi out of the hole. We don't get hit, but are close enough to touch the Star and release it moments after it appears. It flies a short distance and stops in front of the hole. We get it with 5 bars of health. This was easier!
Star Get #14, 0 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Treasure of the Ocean Cave.
We land back on the beach and notice that the ship has resurfaced and is floating in the bay. We swim over to the Bob-omb Buddy on the rock near the floating platform and stone pillar so he will open the cannon for us. We then dive into the depths near the back to find a large eel named Unagi in a hole in the rock. (Unagi is Japanese for eel.) If you get close to Unagi, it will swim out of the hole and start circling the bay a couple of times before returning. It can hurt you when it swims out, so stay away while it's leaving. On its tail is the Star, which it trails behind it as it swims. All we have to do is touch the Star to release it and it will fly near an underwater rock. This may take some time, so be sure to surface for air. I didn't need to as I reached the Star with 2 bars of health remaining.
Star Get #18, 0 Coins, 4 Lives
Nintendo DS
Before we started the mission, we read a sign in the room with the aquariums: "Activate the ? Switch in the castle's mystical Rainbow Tower to make all the ? Blocks solid. Breeak the ? Blocks to get special items like Power Flowers. These bewitching blossoms strengthen each character in a different way. Depending on their dispositions, characters can float, turn into metal, disappear, or breathe fire. In addition to Power Flowers, ? Blocks can also give you Wings to fly. But only if you are the original plumber." Interesting. We will take care of that later.
We land on the beach and swim to the Bob-omb Buddy and get him to open the cannon, which appears to be filled with water when it is opened. We dive down and coax Unagi out of the hole. We don't get hit, but are close enough to touch the Star and release it moments after it appears. It flies a short distance and stops in front of the hole. We get it with 5 bars of health. This was easier!
Star Get #14, 0 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Treasure of the Ocean Cave.
Jolly Roger Bay - Plunder in the Sunken Ship
N64
In the room with the aquariums is a picture of a sunken ship. Toad stands near the door and says "The names of the Stars are also hints for finding them. They are displayed at the beginning of each course." With that in mind, we have to find the Star in the sunken ship. The underwater music plays here and there is a foggy mist over the water. We land on a small beach and see lots of water and pointy rock formations coming out of it. We swim out to deeper water and dive down, seeing a ship resting at the bottom. One of its windows is closed and the other one houses an eel. We approach the eel and it swims out of the window, hitting us. We surface for air and dove back down to the ship to find that the eel was gone. We go through the empty window into the interior of the ship. There is a pocket of air at the bow of the ship, as well as an item block, which we can't open when we're underwater. At the stern are four chests. We have to open them in a certain order: back, right, left, and center, when you face the stern of the ship. We approach each chest in order. We hear a chime and the water starts draining. To make this easier, we started swimming to the bow immediately. There are several mollusks serving as platforms to the item block. They can be tricky to navigate, so we swam as fast as we could, and landed on the second to last mollusk near the item block. For a better aim, I backflipped to the last mollusk, so I wouldn't fall and have to start from where the chests were. I hit the block for the Star.
Star Get #17, 0 Coins, 7 Lives
Nintendo DS
In the aquarium room, Toad tells us "The Star you chose at the beginning fo the course appears on the map below. The name of the Star is also a clue. You can also collect stars that don't appear on the map. Get the Stars in any order you like. Keep in mind, though... Some Stars only appear when you choose specific missions, enemies, and items. Once you've retrieved some Stars, move on to the door to the next course. Everyon'es waiting for you to save us!" We jump into the painting of the underwater bubbles to begin our next mission. A Bob-omb Buddy brings a Mario Cap on the map to our attention: "Looks like red caps are really chic. I keep seeing them around here lately." We swim into deeper water and dive. We wait safely for the eel to exit and go through the window. We find a lone chest at the bottom and approach it to open it. An air bubble appears, the chime sounds, and the water drains. Yoshi isn't as fast as Mario was in the N64, but we make it over halfway up; only 4 mollusks away. We hit the block for the Star.
Star Get #13, 2 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Can the Eel Come Out to Play?
In the room with the aquariums is a picture of a sunken ship. Toad stands near the door and says "The names of the Stars are also hints for finding them. They are displayed at the beginning of each course." With that in mind, we have to find the Star in the sunken ship. The underwater music plays here and there is a foggy mist over the water. We land on a small beach and see lots of water and pointy rock formations coming out of it. We swim out to deeper water and dive down, seeing a ship resting at the bottom. One of its windows is closed and the other one houses an eel. We approach the eel and it swims out of the window, hitting us. We surface for air and dove back down to the ship to find that the eel was gone. We go through the empty window into the interior of the ship. There is a pocket of air at the bow of the ship, as well as an item block, which we can't open when we're underwater. At the stern are four chests. We have to open them in a certain order: back, right, left, and center, when you face the stern of the ship. We approach each chest in order. We hear a chime and the water starts draining. To make this easier, we started swimming to the bow immediately. There are several mollusks serving as platforms to the item block. They can be tricky to navigate, so we swam as fast as we could, and landed on the second to last mollusk near the item block. For a better aim, I backflipped to the last mollusk, so I wouldn't fall and have to start from where the chests were. I hit the block for the Star.
Star Get #17, 0 Coins, 7 Lives
Nintendo DS
In the aquarium room, Toad tells us "The Star you chose at the beginning fo the course appears on the map below. The name of the Star is also a clue. You can also collect stars that don't appear on the map. Get the Stars in any order you like. Keep in mind, though... Some Stars only appear when you choose specific missions, enemies, and items. Once you've retrieved some Stars, move on to the door to the next course. Everyon'es waiting for you to save us!" We jump into the painting of the underwater bubbles to begin our next mission. A Bob-omb Buddy brings a Mario Cap on the map to our attention: "Looks like red caps are really chic. I keep seeing them around here lately." We swim into deeper water and dive. We wait safely for the eel to exit and go through the window. We find a lone chest at the bottom and approach it to open it. An air bubble appears, the chime sounds, and the water drains. Yoshi isn't as fast as Mario was in the N64, but we make it over halfway up; only 4 mollusks away. We hit the block for the Star.
Star Get #13, 2 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Can the Eel Come Out to Play?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Secret Aquarium - 8 Red Coins
N64
We open the door with the 3 on it the right of Whomp's Fortress. It's a peaceful room with a couple of aquariums. On the left and right walls are two nooks. The one on the left has a 1-up and the other has the entrance to a secret course. Soothing, peaceful music plays as we find ourselves underwater (this is the version of the underwater music with the more uptempo beat). Swimming is like flying with the Wing Cap: press up to dive and down to surface. There are several coins, but there is nowhere to surface for air. With every passing moment, our Power Meter ticks down, but we can recover our health with coins, 1 bar for Yellow Coins, 2 for Red Coins, and 5 for Blue Coins. The windows are tinted with the colors of the towers in the Wing Cap Course. What's in here? There is a school of harmless fish, that won't affect you in any way. There is also a blue horizontal star, which means there are 8 Red Coins to get! Four of them are in the center of coin rings. The other for are on the floor of the aquarium in the corners. The are less than 100 coins here, so don't worry about getting the rest for another Star. Once we got all 8 Red Coins, the Star appeared in the center of the aquarium, on the floor.
Star Get #16, 28 Coins, 7 Lives
Nintendo DS
I entered the door to the right of Whomp's Fortress and got the 1-up in the left nook. I then entered the Secret Aquarium. The Red Coins are in the same place as in the N64 version. Soon, I had all 8 Red Coins and the Star.
Star Get #12, 22 Coins, 5 Lives
We get a message: "You've recovered 12 Power Stars! Now you can open the door with the big Star! But Bowser is just ahead... And is that the sound of the princess calling for help?"
We can't battle Bowser just yet, nor do I want to. I want to get as many Stars as possible before I tackle Bowser.
The next Star is Plunder in the Sunken Ship.
We open the door with the 3 on it the right of Whomp's Fortress. It's a peaceful room with a couple of aquariums. On the left and right walls are two nooks. The one on the left has a 1-up and the other has the entrance to a secret course. Soothing, peaceful music plays as we find ourselves underwater (this is the version of the underwater music with the more uptempo beat). Swimming is like flying with the Wing Cap: press up to dive and down to surface. There are several coins, but there is nowhere to surface for air. With every passing moment, our Power Meter ticks down, but we can recover our health with coins, 1 bar for Yellow Coins, 2 for Red Coins, and 5 for Blue Coins. The windows are tinted with the colors of the towers in the Wing Cap Course. What's in here? There is a school of harmless fish, that won't affect you in any way. There is also a blue horizontal star, which means there are 8 Red Coins to get! Four of them are in the center of coin rings. The other for are on the floor of the aquarium in the corners. The are less than 100 coins here, so don't worry about getting the rest for another Star. Once we got all 8 Red Coins, the Star appeared in the center of the aquarium, on the floor.
Star Get #16, 28 Coins, 7 Lives
Nintendo DS
I entered the door to the right of Whomp's Fortress and got the 1-up in the left nook. I then entered the Secret Aquarium. The Red Coins are in the same place as in the N64 version. Soon, I had all 8 Red Coins and the Star.
Star Get #12, 22 Coins, 5 Lives
We get a message: "You've recovered 12 Power Stars! Now you can open the door with the big Star! But Bowser is just ahead... And is that the sound of the princess calling for help?"
We can't battle Bowser just yet, nor do I want to. I want to get as many Stars as possible before I tackle Bowser.
The next Star is Plunder in the Sunken Ship.
Bob-omb Battlefield - Behind Chain Chomp's Gate
N64
It's time to get the Star that's been taunting us in the cage guarded by the Chain Chomp. What we have to do is ground pound the post the Chomp is attached to, while taking minimal damage. I took one hit, but I pounded the post one hit at a time, because the Chomp is trying to attack you. After you pound the post three times, you hear a chime and the Chomp bounces around, rams the cage to destroy the bars, and bounces away. Just go into the cage to get the Star.
Star Get #15, 2 Coins, 7 Lives
Nintendo DS
We approach the Chomp and take a hit due to a bad camera angle. We then pound the post three times at once, not having to retreat. The Chomp bounces around and rams the cage, allowing us to get the Star.
Star Get #25, 2 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Slip Slidin' Away.
It's time to get the Star that's been taunting us in the cage guarded by the Chain Chomp. What we have to do is ground pound the post the Chomp is attached to, while taking minimal damage. I took one hit, but I pounded the post one hit at a time, because the Chomp is trying to attack you. After you pound the post three times, you hear a chime and the Chomp bounces around, rams the cage to destroy the bars, and bounces away. Just go into the cage to get the Star.
Star Get #15, 2 Coins, 7 Lives
Nintendo DS
We approach the Chomp and take a hit due to a bad camera angle. We then pound the post three times at once, not having to retreat. The Chomp bounces around and rams the cage, allowing us to get the Star.
Star Get #25, 2 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Slip Slidin' Away.
Bob-omb Battlefield - Mario Wings to the Sky
N64
Now that we can fly, it's time to tackle this mission. I also got 100 coins here by getting Red Coins, a Blue Coin from a Koopa, and coins from Goombas and Bob-ombs. I also got a 1-up from the flower patch surrounded by coins. After I had several, I went to the highest usable cannon and blasted to the floating iale. I got the Wing Cap and hopped into the cannon on the island. From the cannon, we can see a ring of coins with a coin in the center. If we aim directly for the middle coin, we will get it, revealing a number with a special chime. This is a secret coin, which will produce a number when we discover it. There are 5 secrets total. If we aim for the first one, the updraft will take you to remaining 4 secret coins in the middle of four coin rings. You don't even have to steer. The Star appears, but I don't get it immediately, because we don't yet have 100 coins. I get more coins from the coin rings (the secret coins count as Yellow Coins), which is a little hard due to steering, the wind, and the fact that the coins will only appear when you get close to them. After I got 100 coins, a Star appeared, and I got it first.
Star Get #13, 100 Coins, 5 Lives
After I got the 100 Coin Star, I got the Star from the secret coins. You won't leave the course if you get the 100 Coin Star.
Star Get #14, 100 Coins, 7 Lives
Nintend DS
When we land in the battlefield, there are red item blocks available for our use. We attempted to get 100 Coins. The posts near the Red Coin blue Star produced 5 coins each. We took a hit from 4 Goombas, the Chomp, 2 Bob-omb and a metal ball. I got a 1-up from the flower patch and another under the bridgeto the mountain. When I reached the cannon to the floating island, I had 85 coins. Once on the island, there was a sign saying "When Mario gets Wings from a ? Block, he'll be able to fly. Perform a triple jump to take off. In Standard Mode, once Mario's in the air, press the (Control Pad) Down to ascend and press it Up to descend. Press (R) to stop flying." At least they don't make assumptions about our knowledge of planes.
We get the Wing Cap, which appears as a feather instead of a cap. we get a message: "With Wings on his cap, Mario can take to the skies! Triple jump to take off and crouch to land. In Standard Mode, press the (Control Pad) Up to descend and Down to ascend. Ready for takeoff? We jump into the cannon and aim for the center coin. Unlike the N64 version, we only get the first two secret coins this way. We collect coins from the rings, as well as the secret coins after a couple of passes and recharges. I got the 100 Coin Star first.
Star Get #18, 100 Coins, 6 Lives
After I get the 5th secret coin, the Star appears on the battlefield near the four posts where the Red Coin Star will appear.
Star Get #19, 105 Coins, 8 Lives
Now that we have Mario, the Toads will give us different messages.
The next Star we will cover is Find the 8 Red Coins.
Now that we can fly, it's time to tackle this mission. I also got 100 coins here by getting Red Coins, a Blue Coin from a Koopa, and coins from Goombas and Bob-ombs. I also got a 1-up from the flower patch surrounded by coins. After I had several, I went to the highest usable cannon and blasted to the floating iale. I got the Wing Cap and hopped into the cannon on the island. From the cannon, we can see a ring of coins with a coin in the center. If we aim directly for the middle coin, we will get it, revealing a number with a special chime. This is a secret coin, which will produce a number when we discover it. There are 5 secrets total. If we aim for the first one, the updraft will take you to remaining 4 secret coins in the middle of four coin rings. You don't even have to steer. The Star appears, but I don't get it immediately, because we don't yet have 100 coins. I get more coins from the coin rings (the secret coins count as Yellow Coins), which is a little hard due to steering, the wind, and the fact that the coins will only appear when you get close to them. After I got 100 coins, a Star appeared, and I got it first.
Star Get #13, 100 Coins, 5 Lives
After I got the 100 Coin Star, I got the Star from the secret coins. You won't leave the course if you get the 100 Coin Star.
Star Get #14, 100 Coins, 7 Lives
Nintend DS
When we land in the battlefield, there are red item blocks available for our use. We attempted to get 100 Coins. The posts near the Red Coin blue Star produced 5 coins each. We took a hit from 4 Goombas, the Chomp, 2 Bob-omb and a metal ball. I got a 1-up from the flower patch and another under the bridgeto the mountain. When I reached the cannon to the floating island, I had 85 coins. Once on the island, there was a sign saying "When Mario gets Wings from a ? Block, he'll be able to fly. Perform a triple jump to take off. In Standard Mode, once Mario's in the air, press the (Control Pad) Down to ascend and press it Up to descend. Press (R) to stop flying." At least they don't make assumptions about our knowledge of planes.
We get the Wing Cap, which appears as a feather instead of a cap. we get a message: "With Wings on his cap, Mario can take to the skies! Triple jump to take off and crouch to land. In Standard Mode, press the (Control Pad) Up to descend and Down to ascend. Ready for takeoff? We jump into the cannon and aim for the center coin. Unlike the N64 version, we only get the first two secret coins this way. We collect coins from the rings, as well as the secret coins after a couple of passes and recharges. I got the 100 Coin Star first.
Star Get #18, 100 Coins, 6 Lives
After I get the 5th secret coin, the Star appears on the battlefield near the four posts where the Red Coin Star will appear.
Star Get #19, 105 Coins, 8 Lives
Now that we have Mario, the Toads will give us different messages.
The next Star we will cover is Find the 8 Red Coins.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Whomp's Fortress - Blast Away the Wall
N64
This is an extremely easy Star to get. All we have to do is aim the cannon above the right corner near the rotating bridge. I aimed too low the first time, but on my second try, I hit the wall and it chipped off. I heard a chime and the Star appeared where the corner was. I walked to the rotating bridge and walked to the edge of the corner to get the Star.
Star Get #12, 9 Coins, 4 Lives
Nintendo DS
I went up to the cannon and aimed above the right corner. I was too close to the edge, so I didn't break off the corner, and took damage from falling. I aimed a little away from the edge and chipped off the corner. I heard the chime and the Star appeared. I went to the bridge and used Yoshi's tongue to get the Star.
Star Get #11, 18 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is The Secret Aquarium.
This is an extremely easy Star to get. All we have to do is aim the cannon above the right corner near the rotating bridge. I aimed too low the first time, but on my second try, I hit the wall and it chipped off. I heard a chime and the Star appeared where the corner was. I walked to the rotating bridge and walked to the edge of the corner to get the Star.
Star Get #12, 9 Coins, 4 Lives
Nintendo DS
I went up to the cannon and aimed above the right corner. I was too close to the edge, so I didn't break off the corner, and took damage from falling. I aimed a little away from the edge and chipped off the corner. I heard the chime and the Star appeared. I went to the bridge and used Yoshi's tongue to get the Star.
Star Get #11, 18 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is The Secret Aquarium.
Wing Cap Course - 8 Red Coins
N64
After we get 10 Stars, we find a light shining down in the foyer on the sun on the floor near the entrance to the castle. We zoom in for a close-up look and look up to where the light is coming from. This transports us into the Wing Cap Course! We see Mario wearing a cap with wings in the air where four towers stand. One of my favorite remixes of the Starman theme plays. We get the following message: "Welcome to the Wing Cap Course! Step on the red switch at the top of the tower, in the center of the rainbow ring. When you trigger the switch, all of the red blocks you find will become solid. Try out the Wing Cap! Do the Triple Jump to take off and press Z to land. Pull back on the Control Stick to go up and push forward to nose down, just as you would when flying an airplane."
I love how they assume you know how to fly a plane and how that works. You could just fly down to the tower in the center where the switch is, but there's a Star here, too. There are 8 Red Coins surrounded by coin rings in the air. Just follow the path of coins to get them. This is easier said than done. I tried to get the Red Coins, but I missed some and dropped out of the sky 4 times. The Wing Cap doesn't really allow you to gain altitude, so you are slowly descending. If you miss one of the first 6 coins while trying to get all 8, just start over. You won't be able to reach them again. If you fall, you just land in the moat near the castle without losing a life. Just go back into the castle and try again. On my fifth try, I got 7 Red Coins, but missed the last one on the lowest ring. I steered for the center tower and tripped the Red Switch. I got the message: "You've stepped on the Wing Cap Switch. Wearing the Wing Cap, you can soar through the sky. Now Wing Caps will pop out of all the red blocks you find. Would you like to Save? Yes/No"
The Slide music starts playing after the Wing Cap runs out. I hit the red block near the switch, look for the lowest coin ring, triple jumped and got the 8th Red Coin. The Star appeared over the center tower. As we land back in the foyer, we are told that this is one of the castle's secret Stars.
Star Get #11, 24 Coins, 4 Lives
After we get 10 Stars, we find a light shining down in the foyer on the sun on the floor near the entrance to the castle. We zoom in for a close-up look and look up to where the light is coming from. This transports us into the Wing Cap Course! We see Mario wearing a cap with wings in the air where four towers stand. One of my favorite remixes of the Starman theme plays. We get the following message: "Welcome to the Wing Cap Course! Step on the red switch at the top of the tower, in the center of the rainbow ring. When you trigger the switch, all of the red blocks you find will become solid. Try out the Wing Cap! Do the Triple Jump to take off and press Z to land. Pull back on the Control Stick to go up and push forward to nose down, just as you would when flying an airplane."
I love how they assume you know how to fly a plane and how that works. You could just fly down to the tower in the center where the switch is, but there's a Star here, too. There are 8 Red Coins surrounded by coin rings in the air. Just follow the path of coins to get them. This is easier said than done. I tried to get the Red Coins, but I missed some and dropped out of the sky 4 times. The Wing Cap doesn't really allow you to gain altitude, so you are slowly descending. If you miss one of the first 6 coins while trying to get all 8, just start over. You won't be able to reach them again. If you fall, you just land in the moat near the castle without losing a life. Just go back into the castle and try again. On my fifth try, I got 7 Red Coins, but missed the last one on the lowest ring. I steered for the center tower and tripped the Red Switch. I got the message: "You've stepped on the Wing Cap Switch. Wearing the Wing Cap, you can soar through the sky. Now Wing Caps will pop out of all the red blocks you find. Would you like to Save? Yes/No"
The Slide music starts playing after the Wing Cap runs out. I hit the red block near the switch, look for the lowest coin ring, triple jumped and got the 8th Red Coin. The Star appeared over the center tower. As we land back in the foyer, we are told that this is one of the castle's secret Stars.
Star Get #11, 24 Coins, 4 Lives
Whomp's Fortress- Fall onto the Caged Island
N64
We need Hoo's help to get this Star. We chased him out of the tree and took flight. Just before you reach the floating isles with the Red Coins, there is a floating island with the Star, surrounded by a cage. Because it appears so soon, it was hard to time the drop, so I missed it three times. On my fourth try, I timed it correctly and landed on the island. You can also wait a while until Hoo descends to get a better grasp on your location, but by that point, you may be too low to reach it. As long as you land on the fortress, you can keep trying without having to exit the level.
Star Get #10, 2 Coins, 0 Lives
Nintendo DS
We chase Hoo out of the tree and take flight. Soon, we land without a problem on the caged island, which is fenced in and has a domed cage over the Star, so it's easy to fall off of if we don't time the drop well. We walk into the cage and get the Star (there's an opening for us to go through.)
Star Get #10, 0 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Blast Away the Wall.
We need Hoo's help to get this Star. We chased him out of the tree and took flight. Just before you reach the floating isles with the Red Coins, there is a floating island with the Star, surrounded by a cage. Because it appears so soon, it was hard to time the drop, so I missed it three times. On my fourth try, I timed it correctly and landed on the island. You can also wait a while until Hoo descends to get a better grasp on your location, but by that point, you may be too low to reach it. As long as you land on the fortress, you can keep trying without having to exit the level.
Star Get #10, 2 Coins, 0 Lives
Nintendo DS
We chase Hoo out of the tree and take flight. Soon, we land without a problem on the caged island, which is fenced in and has a domed cage over the Star, so it's easy to fall off of if we don't time the drop well. We walk into the cage and get the Star (there's an opening for us to go through.)
Star Get #10, 0 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Blast Away the Wall.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Whomp's Fortress - Red Coins on the Floating Isle
N64
It's time for our second Red Coin mission! I also tried to get 100 coins in this mission, because in each course, collecting 100 coins gives you a Star. On my first try, I tried to get the coins before I got the Red Coins, but I fell off when I had 97. I got Blue Coins (worth 5 Yellow Coins) from Piranha Plants, and 5 Yellow Coins from the Whomps. There is also a Blue Coin Switch past the Bob-omb Buddy. More coinss can be found surrounding the flower patches and near the bridges.
Take 2- This time, I started to collect the Red Coins. I took two hits from Piranha Plants. The one of the Red Coins is over the 2nd pushing wall if you take the dirt ramp up instead of the stone one. I took two more hits from a Thwomp. If you stand on the top of the Thomp near the top of the stairs, you'll find another Red Coin above you. Jump to get it. Another is just behind the Piranha Plant at the top of the small stairs. Sidle near the wall where there isn't much to stand on in between the Piranhas for another Red Coin. Unfortunately, I took three hits from Piranha Plants and died.
Take 3- I took a hit from a Piranha Plant and got the above four Red Coins. I found another on the rotating bridge. Underneath the bridge, I slid for another Red Coin. I took out a Piranha Plant to bring my coin total to 100 and a Star appeared. Upon collecting it, we get a message: "You've collected 100 coins! Mario gains more power from the castle. Do you want to save? Yes /No
Star Get #8, 100 Coins, 2 Lives
We get another message: "You've recovered eight of the Power Stars! Now you can open the door with the big Star! But Bowser is just ahead...can yuo hear the Princess calling?"
No, I can't hear Peach calling, and I won't be taking Bowser down for a while. I'm trying to see how many Stars I can get in an area.
I went to the top of the fortress and jump-kicked the plank down so it made a bridge to the floating isles. Unfortunately, I fell off the fortress entirely.
Take 4- I got the above 6 Red Coins. I went back to where we landed and climbed the tree to chase out Hoo, the owl. He says "Whooo's there? Whooo woke me up? It's still daylight -- I should be sleeping! Hey, as long as I'm awake, why not take a short flight with me? Press and hold A to grab on. Release A to let go. I'll take you wherever you want to go, as long as my wings hold out. Watch my shadow and grab on."
We do so and he takes us high in the sky to the floating isles where the last two Red Coins are. The last two are on a floating grassy isle that spins and on a floating brick. The Star appeared near where we started, but I fell off the level entirely. Curses!
Take 5- This time, I flew with Hoo to the floating isles first. If you hang on for too long, he'll drop you. I got the rest of the Red Coins and took damage from the Piranhas. I got the last Red Coin over the pushing wall because the Star appears nearby and I would be less likely to fall off the level there.
Star Get #9, 48 Coins, 0 Lives
Nintendo DS
We climb the tree as Yoshi to find Hoo, who gives the same speech with some directional changes: "In Standard Mode, press (B) to hold on. Release (B) to let go." When we fly with him, a remix of the Starman (Wing Cap) music plays. We accidently let go and take damage from falling. We take off again and let go over the floating grassy isle with the Red Coin. We get the next one on the floating brick. We jump back to the fortress and take damage from falling. We also take a hit from a Whomp and two from a Goomba. We get the next one on the rotating bridge. We take another hit from a Goomba and hit the Blue Coin Switch to add to our coin total, which is now 62. We get the Red Coins by the Piranhas and take them out for Blue Coins. After falling off the bridge and taking damage, we get the coins in the pool, bringing our total to 90. One of the Red Coins moved to an area added onto the fortress for the DS version. It's faster to get there by going past the Blue Coin Switch. It's over a patch of flowers with two Piranhas instead of under the rotating bridge. We take out two of the Piranhas for the 100 Coin Star. We get a message: "You've collected 100 coins! You gain more power from the castle. Do you want to save? Yes/ No
Star Get #8, 1oo Coins, 4 Lives
We get another message: "You've retrieved 8 Stars! You can now open the door with an 8 on it! The door in the back of Princess Toadstool's Rec Room will open. What looms in the back of the secret room? And you haven't forgotten about Mario, have you?"
Interesting message. We will take care of that room later.
We get the Red Coin and follow the path to where we started. We backflipped onto the stone ramp and jumped on the Thwomp (with updated sprite) at the top of the stairs so we could reach the next Red Coin. We got the last Red Coin above the second pushing wall, which no longer has a face. The Star is where it was in the N64 version.
Star Get #9, 121 Coins, 6 Lives
The next Star is Fall onto the Caged Island.
It's time for our second Red Coin mission! I also tried to get 100 coins in this mission, because in each course, collecting 100 coins gives you a Star. On my first try, I tried to get the coins before I got the Red Coins, but I fell off when I had 97. I got Blue Coins (worth 5 Yellow Coins) from Piranha Plants, and 5 Yellow Coins from the Whomps. There is also a Blue Coin Switch past the Bob-omb Buddy. More coinss can be found surrounding the flower patches and near the bridges.
Take 2- This time, I started to collect the Red Coins. I took two hits from Piranha Plants. The one of the Red Coins is over the 2nd pushing wall if you take the dirt ramp up instead of the stone one. I took two more hits from a Thwomp. If you stand on the top of the Thomp near the top of the stairs, you'll find another Red Coin above you. Jump to get it. Another is just behind the Piranha Plant at the top of the small stairs. Sidle near the wall where there isn't much to stand on in between the Piranhas for another Red Coin. Unfortunately, I took three hits from Piranha Plants and died.
Take 3- I took a hit from a Piranha Plant and got the above four Red Coins. I found another on the rotating bridge. Underneath the bridge, I slid for another Red Coin. I took out a Piranha Plant to bring my coin total to 100 and a Star appeared. Upon collecting it, we get a message: "You've collected 100 coins! Mario gains more power from the castle. Do you want to save? Yes /No
Star Get #8, 100 Coins, 2 Lives
We get another message: "You've recovered eight of the Power Stars! Now you can open the door with the big Star! But Bowser is just ahead...can yuo hear the Princess calling?"
No, I can't hear Peach calling, and I won't be taking Bowser down for a while. I'm trying to see how many Stars I can get in an area.
I went to the top of the fortress and jump-kicked the plank down so it made a bridge to the floating isles. Unfortunately, I fell off the fortress entirely.
Take 4- I got the above 6 Red Coins. I went back to where we landed and climbed the tree to chase out Hoo, the owl. He says "Whooo's there? Whooo woke me up? It's still daylight -- I should be sleeping! Hey, as long as I'm awake, why not take a short flight with me? Press and hold A to grab on. Release A to let go. I'll take you wherever you want to go, as long as my wings hold out. Watch my shadow and grab on."
We do so and he takes us high in the sky to the floating isles where the last two Red Coins are. The last two are on a floating grassy isle that spins and on a floating brick. The Star appeared near where we started, but I fell off the level entirely. Curses!
Take 5- This time, I flew with Hoo to the floating isles first. If you hang on for too long, he'll drop you. I got the rest of the Red Coins and took damage from the Piranhas. I got the last Red Coin over the pushing wall because the Star appears nearby and I would be less likely to fall off the level there.
Star Get #9, 48 Coins, 0 Lives
Nintendo DS
We climb the tree as Yoshi to find Hoo, who gives the same speech with some directional changes: "In Standard Mode, press (B) to hold on. Release (B) to let go." When we fly with him, a remix of the Starman (Wing Cap) music plays. We accidently let go and take damage from falling. We take off again and let go over the floating grassy isle with the Red Coin. We get the next one on the floating brick. We jump back to the fortress and take damage from falling. We also take a hit from a Whomp and two from a Goomba. We get the next one on the rotating bridge. We take another hit from a Goomba and hit the Blue Coin Switch to add to our coin total, which is now 62. We get the Red Coins by the Piranhas and take them out for Blue Coins. After falling off the bridge and taking damage, we get the coins in the pool, bringing our total to 90. One of the Red Coins moved to an area added onto the fortress for the DS version. It's faster to get there by going past the Blue Coin Switch. It's over a patch of flowers with two Piranhas instead of under the rotating bridge. We take out two of the Piranhas for the 100 Coin Star. We get a message: "You've collected 100 coins! You gain more power from the castle. Do you want to save? Yes/ No
Star Get #8, 1oo Coins, 4 Lives
We get another message: "You've retrieved 8 Stars! You can now open the door with an 8 on it! The door in the back of Princess Toadstool's Rec Room will open. What looms in the back of the secret room? And you haven't forgotten about Mario, have you?"
Interesting message. We will take care of that room later.
We get the Red Coin and follow the path to where we started. We backflipped onto the stone ramp and jumped on the Thwomp (with updated sprite) at the top of the stairs so we could reach the next Red Coin. We got the last Red Coin above the second pushing wall, which no longer has a face. The Star is where it was in the N64 version.
Star Get #9, 121 Coins, 6 Lives
The next Star is Fall onto the Caged Island.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Whomp's Fortress - Shoot into the Wild Blue
N64
This Star can be a little tricky to get because it requires precise aiming with the cannon. If we miss the target, we'll fly off into the abyss. I got a 1-up on top of the flagpole, then went to the pool of water under the bridges. Nearby is a Bob-omb Buddy with a cannon. He will open the cannon for us. The Star is on a platform that is two platforms below the flagpole. I shot three times for the middle platform, which has a pole that leads to the Star. I missed each of those times and overshot on my fourth try and flew into the abyss.
Take 2- I went straight to the cannon, overshot, and flew into the abyss.
Take 3- See Take 2.
Take 4- I aimed the cannon into a pillar on the middle platform and hit it. I aimed for the back left pillar, which prevented me from overshooting. I slid down the pole and got the Star.
Star Get #7, 9 Coins, 4 Lives
Nintendo DS
I backflipped into the pool and walked over to the Bob-omb Buddy, who prepared the cannon. I undershot into the abyss.
Take 2- I hit the same pillar as in the N64 version. I had to aim higher (not a lot higher) to hit it. (You won't hit most of the things you want to hit if you aim directly for them.) I slid down the pole and got the Star.
Star Get #7, 13 Coins, 3 Lives
The next Star is Red Coins on the Floating Isle.
This Star can be a little tricky to get because it requires precise aiming with the cannon. If we miss the target, we'll fly off into the abyss. I got a 1-up on top of the flagpole, then went to the pool of water under the bridges. Nearby is a Bob-omb Buddy with a cannon. He will open the cannon for us. The Star is on a platform that is two platforms below the flagpole. I shot three times for the middle platform, which has a pole that leads to the Star. I missed each of those times and overshot on my fourth try and flew into the abyss.
Take 2- I went straight to the cannon, overshot, and flew into the abyss.
Take 3- See Take 2.
Take 4- I aimed the cannon into a pillar on the middle platform and hit it. I aimed for the back left pillar, which prevented me from overshooting. I slid down the pole and got the Star.
Star Get #7, 9 Coins, 4 Lives
Nintendo DS
I backflipped into the pool and walked over to the Bob-omb Buddy, who prepared the cannon. I undershot into the abyss.
Take 2- I hit the same pillar as in the N64 version. I had to aim higher (not a lot higher) to hit it. (You won't hit most of the things you want to hit if you aim directly for them.) I slid down the pole and got the Star.
Star Get #7, 13 Coins, 3 Lives
The next Star is Red Coins on the Floating Isle.
Whomp's Fortress - To the Top of the Fortress
N64
As the title says, we will find the Star on the top of the fortress. I backflipped onto the stone ramp, was hit by Piranha Plants twice, and crossed the bridge. I walked around the corner and took the elevator to the top, where the Whomp King was. In his place is a tall tower. To ascend, we must jump up the platforms sticking out of the tower. Unfortunately, every other platform moves in and out of the tower. We just have to platform up the tower. I recommend altering the camera angle periodically. There is also a Bill Blaster that shoots Bullet Bills we have to dodge. The last platform is an elevator to the top of the tower. The Star is on the top of the tower, so just walk around to find it.
Star Get #6, 10 Coins, 4 Lives
Nintendo DS
After backflipping onto the stone ramp, I took a hit from a Piranha Plant and fell off the bridge twice. After I crossed the bridges, and went around the corner, I took the elevator to the top of the fortress. Once again, the last platform on the tower is an elevator and the Star is on the other side of the tower.
Star Get #6, 15 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Shoot into the Wild Blue.
As the title says, we will find the Star on the top of the fortress. I backflipped onto the stone ramp, was hit by Piranha Plants twice, and crossed the bridge. I walked around the corner and took the elevator to the top, where the Whomp King was. In his place is a tall tower. To ascend, we must jump up the platforms sticking out of the tower. Unfortunately, every other platform moves in and out of the tower. We just have to platform up the tower. I recommend altering the camera angle periodically. There is also a Bill Blaster that shoots Bullet Bills we have to dodge. The last platform is an elevator to the top of the tower. The Star is on the top of the tower, so just walk around to find it.
Star Get #6, 10 Coins, 4 Lives
Nintendo DS
After backflipping onto the stone ramp, I took a hit from a Piranha Plant and fell off the bridge twice. After I crossed the bridges, and went around the corner, I took the elevator to the top of the fortress. Once again, the last platform on the tower is an elevator and the Star is on the other side of the tower.
Star Get #6, 15 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Shoot into the Wild Blue.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Whomp's Fortress - Chip Off Whomp's Block
Whomp's Fortress is the second course in the game.
N64
When we land at the base of the fortress, which is a floating island in the sky that we can fall off of, we get a message from the Lakitu Bros: "Hello! The Lakitu Bros., cutting in with a live update on Mario's progress. He's about to learn a technique for sneaking up on enemies. The trick is this: He has to walk very slowly in order to walk quietly. And wrapping up filming techniques reported on earlier, you can take a look around using C-right and C-left. Press C-down to view the action from a distance. When you can't move the camera any farther, the buzzer will sound. This is the Lakitu Bros., signing off."
The sneaking technique will be useful here, as we'll be dealing with sleeping Piranha Plants, that will wake up and bite at the slightest disturbance. To speed things up, I backflipped onto the stone wall and walked up the slope. I woke up the Piranha Plant at the top of the stairs and it bit me. I went across the stone bridge that falls into the water below. (Fortunately, it regenerates, unlike in Super Mario Galaxy 2.) I got on the rotating bridge, stood in the center until the path connected to the other side, and walked off. Around the corner are a couple of Whomps and an elevator to the top of the Fortress. At the top is the Whomp King, who says "It makes me so mad! We build your houses, your castles. We pave your roads, and still you walk all over us. Do you ever say thank you? No! Well, you're not going to wipe your feet on me! I think I'll crush you just for fun! Do you have a problem with that? Just try to pound me, wimp! Ha!"
Once again, we are given instructions on how to beat him. We have to trick him into falling over. If we run through his path, he will jump and fall over, trying to crush us. I tricked him into falling and pounded the ground on his back, which counts as one hit. Cracks appear on his back, which also has a bandage. I get in the last two hits necessary and he says ""No! Crushed again! I'm just a stepping-stone, after all. I won't gravel, er, grovel. Here, you win. Take this with you!" He explodes into the Star, just like Big Bob-omb.
Star Get #5, 12 Coins, 4 Lives
Nintendo DS
We land on the floating island and receive the following message: "Hello! The Lakitu Bros. here, with a news update. Our hero is about to learn a technique for sneaking up on enemies. According to eyewitnesses, the trick to sneaking is walking slowly. And, as reported earlier, our hero can use the Touch Screen to walk smoothly and run swiftly!"
Taking the same route as in the N64 version, I avoided taking damage from a Piranha Plant, but fell off the falling bridge and sustained damage. On my third try, I made it across both bridges and rode the elevator to the top. The Whomp King has an updated sprite (with larger feet), but the same speech. We get in one hit easily, as well as the last two. He says the same thing as in the N64. He explodes into the Star.
Star Get #5, 9 Coins, 4 Lives
Toad says "Bowser took all the Stars I tried to hide here. There are 7 Stars in each course. You'll need your buddies to get some of them. Teamwork goes a long way when you're going up against Bowser."
Buddies? We get buddies? We won't see these buddies for a while, but they will be extremely helpful.
The next Star is To the Top of the Fortress.
N64
When we land at the base of the fortress, which is a floating island in the sky that we can fall off of, we get a message from the Lakitu Bros: "Hello! The Lakitu Bros., cutting in with a live update on Mario's progress. He's about to learn a technique for sneaking up on enemies. The trick is this: He has to walk very slowly in order to walk quietly. And wrapping up filming techniques reported on earlier, you can take a look around using C-right and C-left. Press C-down to view the action from a distance. When you can't move the camera any farther, the buzzer will sound. This is the Lakitu Bros., signing off."
The sneaking technique will be useful here, as we'll be dealing with sleeping Piranha Plants, that will wake up and bite at the slightest disturbance. To speed things up, I backflipped onto the stone wall and walked up the slope. I woke up the Piranha Plant at the top of the stairs and it bit me. I went across the stone bridge that falls into the water below. (Fortunately, it regenerates, unlike in Super Mario Galaxy 2.) I got on the rotating bridge, stood in the center until the path connected to the other side, and walked off. Around the corner are a couple of Whomps and an elevator to the top of the Fortress. At the top is the Whomp King, who says "It makes me so mad! We build your houses, your castles. We pave your roads, and still you walk all over us. Do you ever say thank you? No! Well, you're not going to wipe your feet on me! I think I'll crush you just for fun! Do you have a problem with that? Just try to pound me, wimp! Ha!"
Once again, we are given instructions on how to beat him. We have to trick him into falling over. If we run through his path, he will jump and fall over, trying to crush us. I tricked him into falling and pounded the ground on his back, which counts as one hit. Cracks appear on his back, which also has a bandage. I get in the last two hits necessary and he says ""No! Crushed again! I'm just a stepping-stone, after all. I won't gravel, er, grovel. Here, you win. Take this with you!" He explodes into the Star, just like Big Bob-omb.
Star Get #5, 12 Coins, 4 Lives
Nintendo DS
We land on the floating island and receive the following message: "Hello! The Lakitu Bros. here, with a news update. Our hero is about to learn a technique for sneaking up on enemies. According to eyewitnesses, the trick to sneaking is walking slowly. And, as reported earlier, our hero can use the Touch Screen to walk smoothly and run swiftly!"
Taking the same route as in the N64 version, I avoided taking damage from a Piranha Plant, but fell off the falling bridge and sustained damage. On my third try, I made it across both bridges and rode the elevator to the top. The Whomp King has an updated sprite (with larger feet), but the same speech. We get in one hit easily, as well as the last two. He says the same thing as in the N64. He explodes into the Star.
Star Get #5, 9 Coins, 4 Lives
Toad says "Bowser took all the Stars I tried to hide here. There are 7 Stars in each course. You'll need your buddies to get some of them. Teamwork goes a long way when you're going up against Bowser."
Buddies? We get buddies? We won't see these buddies for a while, but they will be extremely helpful.
The next Star is To the Top of the Fortress.
Bob-omb Battlefield - Find the 8 Red Coins
As the numbers of the Stars do not perfectly align between versions, I will post and update them as the missions are completed.
N64
It's time for our first 8 Red Coin mission! We could've gotten the Red Coins at any time, but I'm going in the order of the Stars, so I'm tackling them as the 4th mission of the N64 version. There's no particular order to getting them. I got the first Red Coin over the flipping elevators near where we start. After taking a hi from a Goomba, I got my second Red Coin on top of the rock near the cannon and the small Koopa. There's another Red Coin on top of Chomp's post. I got a 1-up around a flower patch and the fourth Red Coin under the bridge to the mountain, near the water cannon. It's next to a 1-up, that I got. I climbed the mountain, took a hit from a metal ball, and slid down the long slope for the fifth Red Coin. I launched from the cannon to the floating island. The sixth Red Coin is above the island's tree. The last two Red Coins are past the tilting bridge, on the land before you go up the small stone stairs. The Star appears after we get the last Red Coin and will always appear over a horizontal, spinning blue Star.
Star Get #4, 71 Coins, 7 Lives
Nintendo DS
It's time to find the 8 Red Coins in this course! There is a Bob-omb Buddy who will show us the locations of the Red Coins. Another Bob-omb Buddy tells us "Thank you! The Big Bob-omb is nothing but a big dud now! But the battle for the castle has just begun. Other enemies have the rest of the Power Stars. Recover more Stars to open doors to new worlds! My Bob-omb Buddies are waiting for you. Be sure to talk to them. They'll set up cannons for you. The locations are the same as the N64. I got a 1-up next to the Red Coin under the bridge to the mountain. I took a hit from a metal ball. Otherwise, I got the Red Coins without incident. The Star appeared between the four posts near where two Red Coins are.
Star Get #20, 18 Coins, 9 Lives
The next Star is Switch Star of the Fortress.
N64
It's time for our first 8 Red Coin mission! We could've gotten the Red Coins at any time, but I'm going in the order of the Stars, so I'm tackling them as the 4th mission of the N64 version. There's no particular order to getting them. I got the first Red Coin over the flipping elevators near where we start. After taking a hi from a Goomba, I got my second Red Coin on top of the rock near the cannon and the small Koopa. There's another Red Coin on top of Chomp's post. I got a 1-up around a flower patch and the fourth Red Coin under the bridge to the mountain, near the water cannon. It's next to a 1-up, that I got. I climbed the mountain, took a hit from a metal ball, and slid down the long slope for the fifth Red Coin. I launched from the cannon to the floating island. The sixth Red Coin is above the island's tree. The last two Red Coins are past the tilting bridge, on the land before you go up the small stone stairs. The Star appears after we get the last Red Coin and will always appear over a horizontal, spinning blue Star.
Star Get #4, 71 Coins, 7 Lives
Nintendo DS
It's time to find the 8 Red Coins in this course! There is a Bob-omb Buddy who will show us the locations of the Red Coins. Another Bob-omb Buddy tells us "Thank you! The Big Bob-omb is nothing but a big dud now! But the battle for the castle has just begun. Other enemies have the rest of the Power Stars. Recover more Stars to open doors to new worlds! My Bob-omb Buddies are waiting for you. Be sure to talk to them. They'll set up cannons for you. The locations are the same as the N64. I got a 1-up next to the Red Coin under the bridge to the mountain. I took a hit from a metal ball. Otherwise, I got the Red Coins without incident. The Star appeared between the four posts near where two Red Coins are.
Star Get #20, 18 Coins, 9 Lives
The next Star is Switch Star of the Fortress.
Bob-omb Battlefield - Shoot to the Island in the Sky
This is a mission exclusive to the N64.
This is a simple mission, which requires the use of the cannons. We made our way partly up the mountain, taking damage from the Chomp and a metal ball. Mario climbed in the highest cannon on the mountain, aimed just above the tree on the island, and fired the cannon. We landed on the floating island and hit the yellow item block for a Star.
Star Get #3, 8 Coins, 4 Lives
After exiting the painting, we get another message: "You've recovered three Power Stars! Now you can open any door with a 3 on its Star. You can come and go from the open courses as you please. The enemies ahead are even meaner, so be careful!"
This is a simple mission, which requires the use of the cannons. We made our way partly up the mountain, taking damage from the Chomp and a metal ball. Mario climbed in the highest cannon on the mountain, aimed just above the tree on the island, and fired the cannon. We landed on the floating island and hit the yellow item block for a Star.
Star Get #3, 8 Coins, 4 Lives
After exiting the painting, we get another message: "You've recovered three Power Stars! Now you can open any door with a 3 on its Star. You can come and go from the open courses as you please. The enemies ahead are even meaner, so be careful!"
Friday, February 4, 2011
Bob-omb Battlefield - Big Bob-omb's Revenge
This mission is unique to the DS.
The battlefield has changed slightly since we were last here. There are bricks blocking the path to the mountain, but Yoshi can easily jump over them. Bob-ombs will also periodically fall from the sky. I took a hit from a metal ball. We warp up the mountain and talk to the Big Bob-omb, who says "The king refuses to be dejected by a single defeat. I'm back with a new Star from Bowser! I've also restyled my mustache. I'm unstoppable! If you want the Power Star, you'll have to knock it out of me! But the only way to do that is to pick me up from behind and fling me down. And that will never happen! Bring it, shorty!"
As mentioned before, Yoshi can't pick anything up with his hands. On the bright side, there is a Mario cap on the mountain, so we go and get it. I fell off the mountain and took damage, but not before noticing a Goomba with the cap. We put on the cap and warp back to the top. This battle is like the Big Bob-omb battle in the N64 version. The battle has stopped (the music switches from something like "The Flight of the Bumblebee" to the Battlefield music), so Big Bob-omb repeats his speech. He picks us up and throws us twice. For this, we decide to throw him off the mountain. Soon after, he flies up and lands back on the mountain. He says "You must fight with honor! It's against the rules to throw the king out of the ring!" So throwing him off the mountain doesn't count as a hit. He must stay on the top of the mountain for it to count. He throws us again off the mountain, we take damage, and have to start over. We pick him up and throw him, but he doesn't bounce. Once he gets back up, we circle behind him and pick him up and throw him again for the second hit. He throws us twice more, but only if we fall off the mountain will we take damage. Soon after, we throw him for the third and final hit. He says "Ow! That hurt! Your sneaking skills need help, but you're pretty strong. I've always wanted a servant like you. Here is your Star, as I promised. Take it. Farewell." He explodes into the Star and we get it.
Star Get #4, 4 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Chip Off Whomp's Block.
The battlefield has changed slightly since we were last here. There are bricks blocking the path to the mountain, but Yoshi can easily jump over them. Bob-ombs will also periodically fall from the sky. I took a hit from a metal ball. We warp up the mountain and talk to the Big Bob-omb, who says "The king refuses to be dejected by a single defeat. I'm back with a new Star from Bowser! I've also restyled my mustache. I'm unstoppable! If you want the Power Star, you'll have to knock it out of me! But the only way to do that is to pick me up from behind and fling me down. And that will never happen! Bring it, shorty!"
As mentioned before, Yoshi can't pick anything up with his hands. On the bright side, there is a Mario cap on the mountain, so we go and get it. I fell off the mountain and took damage, but not before noticing a Goomba with the cap. We put on the cap and warp back to the top. This battle is like the Big Bob-omb battle in the N64 version. The battle has stopped (the music switches from something like "The Flight of the Bumblebee" to the Battlefield music), so Big Bob-omb repeats his speech. He picks us up and throws us twice. For this, we decide to throw him off the mountain. Soon after, he flies up and lands back on the mountain. He says "You must fight with honor! It's against the rules to throw the king out of the ring!" So throwing him off the mountain doesn't count as a hit. He must stay on the top of the mountain for it to count. He throws us again off the mountain, we take damage, and have to start over. We pick him up and throw him, but he doesn't bounce. Once he gets back up, we circle behind him and pick him up and throw him again for the second hit. He throws us twice more, but only if we fall off the mountain will we take damage. Soon after, we throw him for the third and final hit. He says "Ow! That hurt! Your sneaking skills need help, but you're pretty strong. I've always wanted a servant like you. Here is your Star, as I promised. Take it. Farewell." He explodes into the Star and we get it.
Star Get #4, 4 Coins, 4 Lives
The next Star is Chip Off Whomp's Block.
Bob-omb Battlefield - 5 Silver Stars!
This is a mission unique to the DS.
When we land in the battlefield, we notice 5 Silver Stars on the Touch Screen, one of which is moving. This will allow us to locate the Silver Stars, but they won't just be lying on the ground waiting for us. Some of them we have to look for. The first one is on top of the first tree. When we get a Silver Star, we drop down (if we jumped for it) and pose, and a number appears over the character's head. This isn't exactly like how these missions are in the Galaxy games: the Stars don't follow us around, and will leave us if we take damage, and we have to chase them. I took a hit from a Goomba, and lost the Silver Star, but caught it soon after. The second Silver Star is attached to the Chomp's tail. The Chomp bounces around the plain to the right of its post. Using Yoshi's tongue might be a good idea. The third Silver Star is in a bed of flowers past the Chomp's post before you reach the base of the mountain. The fourth Silver Star is part way up the mountain. It's in one of the Goombas and I took a hit from one. Take out the Goomba to get the Silver Star. I recovered the other Silver Star. The 5th Silver Star is just past the tilting bridge, in the area with the 2 Red Coins and 4 posts. Take out one of the Goombas to get it. After collecting all 5 Silver Stars, a Power Star appears in a glass cage. This one is located near where we landed. All you have to do is break the cage (jumping into it works) to get the Star. If before you reach the cage, you lose a Silver Star, the Power Star will disappear until you collect the Silver Star again.
Star Get #3, 5 Coins, 4 Lives
We get another message: You've recovered 3 Power Stars! Now you can open any door with a 3 on it. You can also come and go between all the worlds on the first floor. But where is Mario? Does Yoshi have to save him, too? In any case, the adventure continues!
The next Star is Big Bob-omb's Revenge.
When we land in the battlefield, we notice 5 Silver Stars on the Touch Screen, one of which is moving. This will allow us to locate the Silver Stars, but they won't just be lying on the ground waiting for us. Some of them we have to look for. The first one is on top of the first tree. When we get a Silver Star, we drop down (if we jumped for it) and pose, and a number appears over the character's head. This isn't exactly like how these missions are in the Galaxy games: the Stars don't follow us around, and will leave us if we take damage, and we have to chase them. I took a hit from a Goomba, and lost the Silver Star, but caught it soon after. The second Silver Star is attached to the Chomp's tail. The Chomp bounces around the plain to the right of its post. Using Yoshi's tongue might be a good idea. The third Silver Star is in a bed of flowers past the Chomp's post before you reach the base of the mountain. The fourth Silver Star is part way up the mountain. It's in one of the Goombas and I took a hit from one. Take out the Goomba to get the Silver Star. I recovered the other Silver Star. The 5th Silver Star is just past the tilting bridge, in the area with the 2 Red Coins and 4 posts. Take out one of the Goombas to get it. After collecting all 5 Silver Stars, a Power Star appears in a glass cage. This one is located near where we landed. All you have to do is break the cage (jumping into it works) to get the Star. If before you reach the cage, you lose a Silver Star, the Power Star will disappear until you collect the Silver Star again.
Star Get #3, 5 Coins, 4 Lives
We get another message: You've recovered 3 Power Stars! Now you can open any door with a 3 on it. You can also come and go between all the worlds on the first floor. But where is Mario? Does Yoshi have to save him, too? In any case, the adventure continues!
The next Star is Big Bob-omb's Revenge.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Bob-omb Battlefield - Footrace with Koopa the Quick
N64
We land back in the battlefield, and to prepare for upcoming missions, we talk to one of the Bob-omb Buddies. He says "We're peace-loving Bob-ombs, so we don't use cannons. But if you'd liek to blast off, we don't mind. Help yourself. We'll prepare all of the cannons in this course for you to use. Bon Voyage!" The cover over one of the cannons slides under the ground, opening the cannon. Most of the cannon fire from the last mission has subsided, so water bonbs are not as much of an issue. "Ready for blast off! Come on, hop into the cannon! You can reach the Star on the floating island by using the four cannons. Use the Control Stick to aim, then press A to fire. If you're handy, you can grab onto trees or poles to land.
Now we can use the cannons, a valuable resource in this game. We then approach a tall Koopa, who says "Hey, Mario! Is it true that you beat the Big Bob-omb? Cool! You must be strong. And pretty fast. So, how fast are you, anyway? Fast enough to be me... Koopa the Quick? I don't think so. Just try me. How about a race to the mountaintop, where the Big Bob-omb was? Whaddya say? When I say "Go", let the race begin!" He gives the options "Go" and "Don't Go". I choose "Go" and the race starts. I tried to use the cannon to my advantage, but it was a bad idea and I fell behind. I got to the mountaintop by using the warp in the side of the mountain where the metal balls come out, but Koopa the Quick did not like this, saying "Hey!!! Don't try to scam ME. You've go to run the whole course. Later. Look me you when you want to race for real."
This game does not tolerate cheating in races, so don't try it. Nothing else happens, so I exited and returned.
Take 2- This race did not go well, either. I fell off the bridge, took hits from the Chomp and some metal balls, and lost the race. Koopa the Quick says "I win! You lose! Ha ha ha! That's what you get for messing with Koopa the Quick. Better luck next time!" I exited and returned, but swapped for a controller with a better joystick.
Take 3- Third time's the charm. I took hits from a Goomba and a metal ball, and started long-jumping up the mountain. I won with a time of 1'20"1. I had to wait for Koopa the Quick to show up and acknowledge my victory, saying "Hufff...fff...pufff...Whoa! You...really...are...fast! A human blur! Here you go-- you've won it, fair and square." The Star flies out from him and we get it.
Star Get #2, 4 Coins, 4 Lives
Nintendo DS
We open the cannons with the Bob-omb Buddy's help, who gives the same speech, except he says "In Standard Mode, use the (Control Pad) to aim, then press (B) to fire! While in flight, you can grab trees."
Yoshi approaches Koopa the Quick, with an updated sprite, who says "Howdy! Do you know where Mario is? I've been looking but he's nowhere to be found. You don't look like you're busy. If you don't mind, would you bring Mario here? Thanks."
No, I don't know where Mario is, I'm looking for him to. And I am busy, trying to get Power Stars, find Mario, Luigi, and Wario, and save Princess Peach.
Mario isn't in the course, but on the Touch Screen, we see a couple of red hats. The closest one is being worn by a Goomba. We take out the Goomba and get the hat, and a message: "While searching for the Power Stars, you found a red cap. Put it on and, voila! You suddenly look just like Mario! While playing as Mario in Standard Mode, you can punch, grab, and throw objects and enemies by pressing (A). You can also perform the famous wall kick! (Currently referred to as a Wall Jump.) Just press (A) to jump against a wall, then press (A) again to jump high. Princess Peach is counting on you. Don't give up!"
We have transformed into Mario! We now have Mario's sprite and all of his abilities, which are different than the ones in the N64 version. We can do wall jumps, but some of his abilities are lost, as we shall see in later missions. This also introduces us to the modified Cap system: Caps will now turn one character into another. Yoshi can use all of the character caps, but no other characer can change into Yoshi. Even as Mario, Yoshi still sounds like Yoshi, and his icon on the Touch Screen is Yoshi wearing a Mario cap. Taking damage will cause the cap to fall off and move away. It can be retrieved if you chase after it and catch it before it disappears. If it disappears, it will reappear shortly somewhere else, which you can locate on the Touch Screen. We return to Koopa the Quick, who thinks we're Mario. He says "Well, if it isn't Mario! Long time no see. You've put on a few pounds since I last saw you. Too much pasta and lounging, huh? You should really get some exercise. Hey, how about a race to the mountaintop where the Big Bob-omb was? Done! When I says "Go", let the race begin! Ready... Go!/Don't go
We choose "Go!" and the race is on! I find the DS much easier to control and quickly sprint up the mountain. Past the Warp is the 2nd cap, laying on the ground. I finish with 1'01"98, much better than on the N64. Koopa the Quick shows up later, saying "Huff...fff...puff...Whoa! You...really...are...fast! A human rocket! Here you go. You won it, fair and square!" The Star appears. He says "It's been a while since I had a race like this. I got a great workout. If you want to race me again, come back later. All you have to do is press START to pause and then select Exit Course." We get the Star.
Star Get #2, 8 Coins, 4 Lives
If you lose the cap and finish as Yoshi, Koopa the Quick says "Huh? Where is Mario? ... Aha. He must have wimped out knowing my spped. Looks like Super Mario isn't so super after all!"
If you use the warp as Mario, it will still count as a win.
The next Star is 5 Silver Stars!
We land back in the battlefield, and to prepare for upcoming missions, we talk to one of the Bob-omb Buddies. He says "We're peace-loving Bob-ombs, so we don't use cannons. But if you'd liek to blast off, we don't mind. Help yourself. We'll prepare all of the cannons in this course for you to use. Bon Voyage!" The cover over one of the cannons slides under the ground, opening the cannon. Most of the cannon fire from the last mission has subsided, so water bonbs are not as much of an issue. "Ready for blast off! Come on, hop into the cannon! You can reach the Star on the floating island by using the four cannons. Use the Control Stick to aim, then press A to fire. If you're handy, you can grab onto trees or poles to land.
Now we can use the cannons, a valuable resource in this game. We then approach a tall Koopa, who says "Hey, Mario! Is it true that you beat the Big Bob-omb? Cool! You must be strong. And pretty fast. So, how fast are you, anyway? Fast enough to be me... Koopa the Quick? I don't think so. Just try me. How about a race to the mountaintop, where the Big Bob-omb was? Whaddya say? When I say "Go", let the race begin!" He gives the options "Go" and "Don't Go". I choose "Go" and the race starts. I tried to use the cannon to my advantage, but it was a bad idea and I fell behind. I got to the mountaintop by using the warp in the side of the mountain where the metal balls come out, but Koopa the Quick did not like this, saying "Hey!!! Don't try to scam ME. You've go to run the whole course. Later. Look me you when you want to race for real."
This game does not tolerate cheating in races, so don't try it. Nothing else happens, so I exited and returned.
Take 2- This race did not go well, either. I fell off the bridge, took hits from the Chomp and some metal balls, and lost the race. Koopa the Quick says "I win! You lose! Ha ha ha! That's what you get for messing with Koopa the Quick. Better luck next time!" I exited and returned, but swapped for a controller with a better joystick.
Take 3- Third time's the charm. I took hits from a Goomba and a metal ball, and started long-jumping up the mountain. I won with a time of 1'20"1. I had to wait for Koopa the Quick to show up and acknowledge my victory, saying "Hufff...fff...pufff...Whoa! You...really...are...fast! A human blur! Here you go-- you've won it, fair and square." The Star flies out from him and we get it.
Star Get #2, 4 Coins, 4 Lives
Nintendo DS
We open the cannons with the Bob-omb Buddy's help, who gives the same speech, except he says "In Standard Mode, use the (Control Pad) to aim, then press (B) to fire! While in flight, you can grab trees."
Yoshi approaches Koopa the Quick, with an updated sprite, who says "Howdy! Do you know where Mario is? I've been looking but he's nowhere to be found. You don't look like you're busy. If you don't mind, would you bring Mario here? Thanks."
No, I don't know where Mario is, I'm looking for him to. And I am busy, trying to get Power Stars, find Mario, Luigi, and Wario, and save Princess Peach.
Mario isn't in the course, but on the Touch Screen, we see a couple of red hats. The closest one is being worn by a Goomba. We take out the Goomba and get the hat, and a message: "While searching for the Power Stars, you found a red cap. Put it on and, voila! You suddenly look just like Mario! While playing as Mario in Standard Mode, you can punch, grab, and throw objects and enemies by pressing (A). You can also perform the famous wall kick! (Currently referred to as a Wall Jump.) Just press (A) to jump against a wall, then press (A) again to jump high. Princess Peach is counting on you. Don't give up!"
We have transformed into Mario! We now have Mario's sprite and all of his abilities, which are different than the ones in the N64 version. We can do wall jumps, but some of his abilities are lost, as we shall see in later missions. This also introduces us to the modified Cap system: Caps will now turn one character into another. Yoshi can use all of the character caps, but no other characer can change into Yoshi. Even as Mario, Yoshi still sounds like Yoshi, and his icon on the Touch Screen is Yoshi wearing a Mario cap. Taking damage will cause the cap to fall off and move away. It can be retrieved if you chase after it and catch it before it disappears. If it disappears, it will reappear shortly somewhere else, which you can locate on the Touch Screen. We return to Koopa the Quick, who thinks we're Mario. He says "Well, if it isn't Mario! Long time no see. You've put on a few pounds since I last saw you. Too much pasta and lounging, huh? You should really get some exercise. Hey, how about a race to the mountaintop where the Big Bob-omb was? Done! When I says "Go", let the race begin! Ready... Go!/Don't go
We choose "Go!" and the race is on! I find the DS much easier to control and quickly sprint up the mountain. Past the Warp is the 2nd cap, laying on the ground. I finish with 1'01"98, much better than on the N64. Koopa the Quick shows up later, saying "Huff...fff...puff...Whoa! You...really...are...fast! A human rocket! Here you go. You won it, fair and square!" The Star appears. He says "It's been a while since I had a race like this. I got a great workout. If you want to race me again, come back later. All you have to do is press START to pause and then select Exit Course." We get the Star.
Star Get #2, 8 Coins, 4 Lives
If you lose the cap and finish as Yoshi, Koopa the Quick says "Huh? Where is Mario? ... Aha. He must have wimped out knowing my spped. Looks like Super Mario isn't so super after all!"
If you use the warp as Mario, it will still count as a win.
The next Star is 5 Silver Stars!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Bob-omb Battlefield - Big Bob-omb on the Summit
It's time to get the first Star! The first Star we can get is in Bob-omb Battlefield, accessed via the painting of the Bob-ombs.
N64
The original music that was remixed in Throwback Galaxy starts playing. Mario gets a message as soon as he lands in Bob-omb Battlefield: Wow! You're smack in the middle of the battlefield. You'll find the Power Stars that Bowser stole inside the painting worlds. First talk to the Bob-omb Buddy. (Press B to talk.) He'll certainly help you out, and so will his comrades in other areas. To read signs, stop, face them, and press B. Press A or B to scroll ahead. You can talk to some other characters by facing them and pressing B.
Our first mission is to reach the top of mountain. I hit a Goomba, walked up the slope, went past the Chain Chomp, and dodged some water balls. There is an endless supply of large metal balls rolling down the mountain that we have to dodge. We reached the summit, where a large Bob-omb with a crown and large moustache overlooks the battlefield. We approach him and he says "I'm the Bib Bob-omb, lord of all blasting matter, king of ka-booms the world over! How dare you scale my mountain? By what right do you set foot on my imperial mountaintop? You may have eluded my guards, but you'll never escape my grasp... ...and you'll never take away my Power Star. I hereby challenge you, Mario! If you want the Star I hold, you must prove yourself in battle. Can you pick me up from the back and hurl me to this royal turf? I think that you cannot!
The bosses in the game will tell you how to beat them, which makes life easier. The battle music starts. I accidently walked off the moutain and took two bars of damage, but I got back to the summit. I unfortunately walked in front of him and he picked me up and threw me, but I don't take damage from it. It takes some time to walk behind him because he keeps turning around. I picked him up and threw him with B. This counts as a hit. I got in a second and a third hit, which means I beat him. He says "Whaaa...Whaaat? Can it be that a pipsqueak like you has defused the Bob-omb king???? You might be fast enough to ground me, but you'll have to pick up the pace if you want to take King Bowser by the tail. Methinks my troops could learn a lesson from you! Here is your Star, as I promised, Mario. If you want to see me again, select this Star from the menu. For now, farewell."
And with that, he grunts and explodes into a Star. The battlefield music starts up again. He gives us a little hint on how to beat Bowser and how to replay this mission, as this is the first game of its type. We jump to get the Star.
Star Get #1, 11 Coins, 4 Lives
We get a message as we jump out of the painting: "You've recovere one of the stolen Power Stars! Now you can open some of the sealed doors in teh castle. Try the Princess's room on the second floor and the room with the painting of Whomp's Fortress on Floor 1. Bowser's troops are still gaining power, so you can't give up. Save us, Mario! Keep searching for the Stars!
Well, we've unlocked some new areas in the castle, but I'll get to them later. I will get as many Stars from one course as possible (each painting you enter is a "Course" and I will do the Courses and Stars in order as much as possible. I will try to follow with the DS version in parallel as much as possible. Let's start the DS version!
Nintendo DS
Inside the room withe painting, we find another Toad, who says " Yoshi! Mario and the others just jumped into that picture! But... tehy haven't come back out, despite the castle's plight. Despite all that, it's really rude to act like a maniac. Use the Touch Screen to run and walkd, even across narrow ledges."
The music hasn't changed from the N64 as Yoshi lands in the battlefield. We get a message: "Chasing Mario led you smack in the middle of the battlefield. Where's Mario? First, talk to the Bob-omb Buddy. In Standard Mode, you can do this by pressing (A). He'll certainly help you out."
The modes in the game allow for different sets of controls and use of the Touch Screen.
I made my way up the moountain only taking damage from a large metal ball. The sprites have been updated, but not much else has changed. We reach the Big Bob-omb, who says "I'm the Big Bob-omb, baron of all blasting matter, king of ka-booms the world over! Incredible! You've made it this far even without a mustache. I commend your courage. Be that as it may, I can't just give you my precious Power Star. You must defeat me in battle if you want it! You'll be quite helpless facing my Bob-omb minions. Now, put your tongue back in your mouth. It's quite undignified. Let's battle!"
Once again, he gives us a hint on how to defeat him. The battle music starts and he starts throwing Bob-ombs at us. Yoshi picks one up with his tongue and spits it out at the Big Bob-omb and he bounces seven times while saying "Ow!" This is how you get in hits because Yoshi can't pick anything up with his hands. At the same time, I ran into him, but did not take damage, but I think he tried to lift Yoshi when he was trying to spit out the Bob-omb. I didn't do this, but you can run under him while he's bouncing and take damage if he falls on you. I soon got in the second hit after he stopped bouncing. I got in the third hit and he only bounced once. He says " Ow! That hurts! How did I lose to a bald-faced fellow like you? Let's just keep this between you can me. I'll give you my precious Power Star in exchange. If you want to see me again, just select this Star from the menu."
He explodes into the Star. You can jump into the Star, but Yoshi can also get Stars with his tongue, so that's what I did. Somehow, it comes out of his head.
Star Get #1, 6 Coins, 4 Lives
We get a message after we exit the painting: "You've recovered 1 of the stolen Power Stars! Now you can open some of the sealed doors in the castle. Try the princess's room on the second floor and the room with Whomp's Fortress on the first floor. But there are still no signs of Mario! Hurry and find him, Yoshi!
The next Star is Footrace with Koopa the Quick.
N64
The original music that was remixed in Throwback Galaxy starts playing. Mario gets a message as soon as he lands in Bob-omb Battlefield: Wow! You're smack in the middle of the battlefield. You'll find the Power Stars that Bowser stole inside the painting worlds. First talk to the Bob-omb Buddy. (Press B to talk.) He'll certainly help you out, and so will his comrades in other areas. To read signs, stop, face them, and press B. Press A or B to scroll ahead. You can talk to some other characters by facing them and pressing B.
Our first mission is to reach the top of mountain. I hit a Goomba, walked up the slope, went past the Chain Chomp, and dodged some water balls. There is an endless supply of large metal balls rolling down the mountain that we have to dodge. We reached the summit, where a large Bob-omb with a crown and large moustache overlooks the battlefield. We approach him and he says "I'm the Bib Bob-omb, lord of all blasting matter, king of ka-booms the world over! How dare you scale my mountain? By what right do you set foot on my imperial mountaintop? You may have eluded my guards, but you'll never escape my grasp... ...and you'll never take away my Power Star. I hereby challenge you, Mario! If you want the Star I hold, you must prove yourself in battle. Can you pick me up from the back and hurl me to this royal turf? I think that you cannot!
The bosses in the game will tell you how to beat them, which makes life easier. The battle music starts. I accidently walked off the moutain and took two bars of damage, but I got back to the summit. I unfortunately walked in front of him and he picked me up and threw me, but I don't take damage from it. It takes some time to walk behind him because he keeps turning around. I picked him up and threw him with B. This counts as a hit. I got in a second and a third hit, which means I beat him. He says "Whaaa...Whaaat? Can it be that a pipsqueak like you has defused the Bob-omb king???? You might be fast enough to ground me, but you'll have to pick up the pace if you want to take King Bowser by the tail. Methinks my troops could learn a lesson from you! Here is your Star, as I promised, Mario. If you want to see me again, select this Star from the menu. For now, farewell."
And with that, he grunts and explodes into a Star. The battlefield music starts up again. He gives us a little hint on how to beat Bowser and how to replay this mission, as this is the first game of its type. We jump to get the Star.
Star Get #1, 11 Coins, 4 Lives
We get a message as we jump out of the painting: "You've recovere one of the stolen Power Stars! Now you can open some of the sealed doors in teh castle. Try the Princess's room on the second floor and the room with the painting of Whomp's Fortress on Floor 1. Bowser's troops are still gaining power, so you can't give up. Save us, Mario! Keep searching for the Stars!
Well, we've unlocked some new areas in the castle, but I'll get to them later. I will get as many Stars from one course as possible (each painting you enter is a "Course" and I will do the Courses and Stars in order as much as possible. I will try to follow with the DS version in parallel as much as possible. Let's start the DS version!
Nintendo DS
Inside the room withe painting, we find another Toad, who says " Yoshi! Mario and the others just jumped into that picture! But... tehy haven't come back out, despite the castle's plight. Despite all that, it's really rude to act like a maniac. Use the Touch Screen to run and walkd, even across narrow ledges."
The music hasn't changed from the N64 as Yoshi lands in the battlefield. We get a message: "Chasing Mario led you smack in the middle of the battlefield. Where's Mario? First, talk to the Bob-omb Buddy. In Standard Mode, you can do this by pressing (A). He'll certainly help you out."
The modes in the game allow for different sets of controls and use of the Touch Screen.
I made my way up the moountain only taking damage from a large metal ball. The sprites have been updated, but not much else has changed. We reach the Big Bob-omb, who says "I'm the Big Bob-omb, baron of all blasting matter, king of ka-booms the world over! Incredible! You've made it this far even without a mustache. I commend your courage. Be that as it may, I can't just give you my precious Power Star. You must defeat me in battle if you want it! You'll be quite helpless facing my Bob-omb minions. Now, put your tongue back in your mouth. It's quite undignified. Let's battle!"
Once again, he gives us a hint on how to defeat him. The battle music starts and he starts throwing Bob-ombs at us. Yoshi picks one up with his tongue and spits it out at the Big Bob-omb and he bounces seven times while saying "Ow!" This is how you get in hits because Yoshi can't pick anything up with his hands. At the same time, I ran into him, but did not take damage, but I think he tried to lift Yoshi when he was trying to spit out the Bob-omb. I didn't do this, but you can run under him while he's bouncing and take damage if he falls on you. I soon got in the second hit after he stopped bouncing. I got in the third hit and he only bounced once. He says " Ow! That hurts! How did I lose to a bald-faced fellow like you? Let's just keep this between you can me. I'll give you my precious Power Star in exchange. If you want to see me again, just select this Star from the menu."
He explodes into the Star. You can jump into the Star, but Yoshi can also get Stars with his tongue, so that's what I did. Somehow, it comes out of his head.
Star Get #1, 6 Coins, 4 Lives
We get a message after we exit the painting: "You've recovered 1 of the stolen Power Stars! Now you can open some of the sealed doors in the castle. Try the princess's room on the second floor and the room with Whomp's Fortress on the first floor. But there are still no signs of Mario! Hurry and find him, Yoshi!
The next Star is Footrace with Koopa the Quick.
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