New Super Mario Bros.: 3-B

This level is a pipe world. Several pipes contain Piranhas or Fire Piranhas. The first Star Coin can be reached by going past it, down a red pipe, going left, then up. Go back right. To reach the second Star Coin, wall jump up the green pipe with the Fire Piranha and the short red pipe. The third Star Coin is under a pipe, but the gap may be too narrow to get while approaching from the left. Go over the pipe, then under it to reach it. Continue to the right to reach the goal, which leads to 3-C.

New Super Mario Bros.: 3-2

Oddly enough, there's a mushroom platforming level on the beach. This level features red mushrooms that tilt, making it easier or harder to reach some areas. Aside from some balancing platforms, it's just mushroom platforming up to the midpoint. Past the midpoint is a yellow pipe that takes us down to the first Star Coin. After returning to the main level, there will be two sets of balancing platforms. Hop over each of them quickly to reach the second Star Coin. There are three pipes overhead: red, yellow, and green. The green one leads to a Coin Heaven with a P-Switch creating Silver Coins. There is a red tilting platform that will take you to the red goal, leading to 3-B. If you do not go through the green pipe, you'll find another set of balancing platforms and Red Coins. Next is a mushroom and a large gap. Step on the mushroom to make it move. It will take you to the third Star Coin, which you'll have to jump for. The mushroom will take you to the regular goal to the Fort.

New Super Mario Bros.: 3-A

The path forks after 3-1, so we'll be going here first. There are water striders throughout the level that periodically drop bombs and barrels bobbing in the water. The Red Coin Ring will make Red Coins appear over the land and under water, so you'll have to be quick to get them. There are carousels in the water. Stand on the side of the direction you want to go. We have to go under a ledge and let a strider bomb the rocks surrounding the first Star Coin. The midpoint is soon after that. There are more barrels, so we double or triple jump off some barrels to reach the second Star Coin. The end of the first part of the level is marked with a pipe. There's another carousel in this part, as well as a mini pipe, which is not necessary to reach the last Star Coin. We go up a pipe to the area with the third Star Coin. We need to be Mini Mario to reach it by running across the top of the water, then wall jumping to reach it. We return to the main level and soon take the pipe to the flagpole.

Nintendo Direct 6/21/12

Nintendo recently released another Nintendo Direct, letting us know of some very interesting new features. To start, the Nintendo 3DS XL is in development. It has a 90% larger screen than the 3DS, a larger Touch Screen, and will be released in two colors: red and blue. It will launch alongside New Super Mario Bros. 2 on August 19. Also newly announced for the 3DS is a new Professor Layton game, titled Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask. It will have daily downloadable content in the form of a free puzzle. Also receiving downloadable content is New Super Mario Bros. 2, which will have new levels for the Coin Rush Mode available for purchase. Three Pokemon games are slated for 2012: Pokemon Conquest, which launched this past Monday, June 18, and Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, which will arrive later this year. All are playable on the Nintendo DS, but Black 2 and White 2 will have applications exclusively for the 3DS: Pokedex 3D Pro, which contains all known Pokemon, and Pokemon Dream Radar, which will allow players to find Pokemon using the 3DS's AR capabilities, catch them, and bring them into their Black 2 and White 2 games. They will be available for purchase in the eShop. To tide you over for the games coming at or after the end of summer, 3DS owners can enjoy 8- Bit Summer, where Nintendo will release a couple of Virtual Console titles in the eShop each week. At E3 2011, Nintendo briefly mentioned a new Super Smash Bros. game for both the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Today, Nintendo announced that Namco Bandai will be producing the game, under the direction of Masahiro Sakurai. Finally, Nintendo is celebrating Kirby's 20th anniversary with a Wii game called Kirby's Dream Collection, containing 6 Kirby games: Kirby's Dreamland 1-3, Kirby's Adventure, Kirby Super Star, and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. For the entire video, check the link: http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/archive/06-21-2012 . That's a lot of news and I can't wait for more. Happy Summer!

New Super Mario Bros.: 3-1

World 3 is a beach level, so we'll have to deal with a lot of water. This is an underwater level. There are a lot of Cheep-Cheep in this level, including large ones and blue ones that home in on you. There is also a Red Coin Ring. Past the midpoint is a set of three pipes: red, green, and green. The outer two have currents and the middle one leads to the outside with the first Star Coin. Back in the main level, coins will start appearing in bubbles. The second Star Coin is between the yellow and green pipes with currents. Towards the end, there will be a P-Switch that will turn bricks into coins. Go left and through the new coins to get the third Star Coin. There's another set of Red Coins before the pipe to the flagpole.

The Nintendo 3DS Software Showcase

As the 3DS got limited time allotted to it during Nintendo's E3 press conference, it will get its own special showcase to show more of what is coming. Let's see what the 3DS has in store!

Castlevania: Lord of Shadows: Mirror of Fate: Control Trevor Belmont as he searches for the evil that killed his mother. It's part of the Lord of Shadows franchise. It has a new combat system, including dark magic and the ability to grab enemies. Secondary weapons, such as the boomerang will aid in combat. Notes can be made on the Touch Screen Map. Fall 2012

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon: Toad can follow Luigi in some areas. The strobe function on the flashlight helps for catching ghosts. Beams of multiple colors of light will reveal hidden areas. It will be available as a physical game or a download. Holiday 2012

Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion: It's an entirely new game, not a port. It involves the Castle of Illusion appearing in Wasteland. Maleficent has trapped toons in the castle in Wasteland before their time so she can return to the Toon World. Mickey will use paint and thinner to make his way to save his friends, using the Touch Screen. November 18. 2012

Paper Mario: Sticker Star: The first Paper Mario on a handheld system. It will feature hilarious characters and new features. Stickers will be used for everything, especially in battle. The Touch Screen contains the sticker album, with stickers for attacks and dodging. Items that seem to be from the real world are very important. A new view, called Paperizing Mode, allows you to place stickers on the world. Mario will also have partners. The level-up system will be different, so Mario won't get experience from battling, but rather by helping people, similar to Okami. Sticker inventory must be carefully managed as some stickers are quite large. Spending coins will start a Bingo-style event that may give bonuses and allow for the use of up to three stickers at once. Holiday 2012

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance: New Disney characters will appear. Sora and Riku will be playable characters. Dreameaters will be unlockable using AR Cards. Street Pass will function and the game will be compatible with the Circle Pad Pro. July 31, 2012

Scribblenauts: Unlimited: It will have a new world and have Street Pass functionality. Finally, we'll learn Maxwell's story. It's an open world exploration.

Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes: Batman and Robin join forces with the Justice League to defeat the Joker and Lex Luther.

Transformers Prime: The Game
Rabbids Rumble
Heroes of Ruin
The Amazin Spiderman

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2: Playable on the Nintendo DS, but will have extra features on the 3DS. Pokemon Dream Radar allows 3DS users to capture Pokemon and transfer them to the Black 2 and White 2. Pokedex 3D Pro contains data on all Pokemon.

The Nintendo eShop opened up for business one year ago and has been going well. New 3DS games will be available as downloads as well as physical formats. Download codes can be purchased at retail establishments.

New Super Mario Bros. 2: This game will feature tonds of coins. World 2 will be a desert. The golden Fire Flower will destroy everything, turning it into coins. Coin Rush is a new mode where you must get every coin you can. The mode will be available after defeating a level. It will involve speed-running and Street Pass. It will have a Co-op Mode with the camera focusing on the bro in the lead. Raccoon Mario and Luigi can fly with the P-Meter. Players will also be able to bubble. August 19, 2012

That's a lot of new games that will be coming out this year. I'll certainly be busy playing the Mario titles for the blog (including Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon), as well as Pokemon Black and White 2. I can't wait to play these new games.

Thoughts on Nintendo's E3 2012 Press Conference

It's that time of year again. Among other things, Nintendo needs to reveal the Wii U's launch date, price, and first party launch lineup. It also should reveal the release dates for previously announced 3DS games such as the new Paper Mario and Luigi's Mansion 2. Let's see how it goes.

For starters, Miyamoto and his translator improved by lowering the volume on Miyamoto's microphone, but they still are difficult to hear while talking at the same time. The Wii U will not need the TV to power on for it to be playable due to its dedicated independent screen. You can start playing a game with the Wii U Gamepad. Asymmetric gameplay is a new concept meaning placeing a single player against many in order to win in a different way. The Wii U will support 2 separate Gamepads. It will feature Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Amazon Video. The Miiverse is a new creation that sorts Miis by game tiles. The Miis can communicate via speech bubble text messages or writing and drawing using the stylus. The Miis will also have facial expressions. It will also be later available on the 3DS, PCs, and other mobile devices. The list of 23 games in development for Wii U are as follows:

Pikmin 3: A real time action management game 10 years after the release of the original. The Wii U's enhanced graphics allow for each Pikmin to move individually. Their movements are now more realistic. There are also new Pikmin types: Rock Pikmin, which break hard objects. The game uses Motion Plus and the Nunchuk. The overworld map will always be available. Captain Olimar is not present, for reasons which will be kept secret. There are four leaders to control at once. This is supposed to be a deeper gaming experience, when gamers seem to be drawn to lighter games.

New Super Mario Bros. U: This new 2D sidescoller will have Miiverse connectivity, so other players' Miis will appear on the world map with comments in real time. There will be a new acorn-shaped mushroom that will turn Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad into a flying squirrel, allowing for flight and controlled descent. It will feature giant enemies and Baby Yoshis as in Super Mario World. Each color of Yoshi will have different abilities. A new mode called Boost Mode will also appear, allowing the player with the Gamepad to add helpful blocks to the game as stepping stones, using the Touch Screen. It will be a launch title and will also feature Miis as playable characters.

Batman: Arkham City: Armored Edition: The highly popular title comes to the Wii U in a new special way. There are new features specifically designed for the Wii U to create a new experience. The armored versions of Batman and Catwoman will be available only on the Wii U. New features include BAT Mode, which allows Batman to gain energy from successive hits and unleash more powerful attacks when the meter is full. There will be remote-controlled Batarangs, which can be steered by tilting the Gamepad. Batman also has explosive gel to even the odds against multiple enemies.

Scribblenauts: Unlimited: The popular franchise is on the Wii U with a greater ability to explore and create. Creations can be shared with friends. There's a new multiplayer mode as well as the story of Maxwell's book.

Darksiders II
Mass Effect 3
Tank! Tank! Tank!
Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Has Mega Mushrooms.
Trine 2: Director's Cut
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
Aliens Colonial Marines
Assassin's Creed III
Rabbids Land
Yourshape: Fitness Evolved 2013
Rayman Legends
Sports Connection
Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth

Wii Fit U: This fitness game will feature new activities, which involve the Balance Board, Fit Meter, and Gamepad.

Sing: A singing game where lyrics are displayed on the Gamepad. The player with the Gamepad faces the audience and the audience can dance along. The lyrics will periodically appear on the TV for the audience to sing.

Lego City: An open world game that uses the Gamepad as a crime-fighting tool for exploration and competiton. It can be used to commandeer vehicles, call dispatch, and display potential suspects on the map. Your character can also uses disguises and build warp pipes.

Just Dance 4: Uses the Wiimotes as well as the Gamepad, making the player with the Gamepad a kind of "puppet master", allowing them to select the dance moves for the player. The sprite on-screen changes with each move. The "puppet master" can also select poses for the other players to strike for a duration of the "puppet master's" choosing.

ZombiU: One bite is lethal, but the Gamepad is your survival kit, with inventory, guns, scanner, sniper scope, the ability to break free, and hack doors. You can also use the Gamepad's camera to "zombiefy" your face.

Nintendo Land: Play it and you'll understand Wii U. It will give the second screen fuller meaning. It will be a virtual theme park with attractions based on many Nintendo franchises. It takes elements of those franchises and turns them into attractions for your Mii, each with a change in costume. It contains twelve attractions. It is for visitors worldwide, united by Miiverse. The player with the Gamepad takes on a special role in relation to players with Wiimotes, with different perspectives and information. It launches at the same time as the Wii U hardware.

For the 3DS, there will be a full hour devoted to it on e3.nintendo.com starting at 9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific. It will feature new first and third party titles for the 3DS.

New Super Mario Bros. 2: It will be different from New Super Mario Bros. U. It's about gold: Gold Coins, Gold Enemies, and Gold Fire Mario. Mario's actions will allow him to release more coins, creating serious 1up potential. The Raccoon Leaf and Raccoon Mario make a reappearance, as well as the P-Meter. August 19, 2012

Paper Mario: Sticker Star: The announced Paper Mario title has a full name now. The world will feature lots of stickers. Pull them off the scenery to make them your battle commands. The stickers can also reveal hidden areas and features. The game will be available in physical format as well as a digital download Holiday 2012.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon: Each of the multiple mansions will have its own mission-based challenges. There will be heavier emphasis on ghost-catching. New ghosts will require new capture strategies. Holiday 2012.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate
Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion
Scribblenauts: Unlimited
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Lego City: Different game than on the Wii U

That was a great conference and gave me some of the answers I was looking for. I'm still looking forward to the Mario games for the Nintendo 3DS, but we'll see what else is in store. I am also looking forward to New Super Mario Bros. U, and hope it has the ability to play as your Mii as seen in the experience at E3 2011. I was also very impressed by the Wii U's lineup. It's pretty solid. No release date or price yet, nor news on the Super Smash Bros. titles, but we might hear more a little later. I will have a more detailed post for the 3DS tomorrow. See you then!

New Super Mario Bros.: 2-Castle

This is one of two special castles. First, we have to deal with spike balls, which can destroy all types of blocks. We can dodge them in alcoves above and below their path. There is a path that goes up to the first Star Coin. Wait until the spike ball passes, then wall jump up, then duck into the alcove to get it. There's a door to the outside at the end, but there's a spike ball before you reach it. Outside, you'll find lots of Bullet Bills. Bounce off of one to reach the second Star Coin past the blocks. We hit a switch to progress and dodge a spike ball. We go over the large spike ball with a rope and land on a ledge with a Mini Shroom which allows us to progress. We need to be Mini Mario to reach the third Star Coin. We can get a Super Shroom or stay small. A switch reveals the boss door. Go through it quickly to avoid the spike ball. We fall into a pit with the mummy Pokey. To defeat it, we can stomp on it as regular Mario or ground pound as Mini Mario. Three hits will kill it. After we get the key, the wall lifts up to reveal Bowser Jr. and Peach, who run off. This is where the path splits. If we're not small, we'll go to World 3. If we're Mini Mario, we'll fall through a tiny gap and the sign will flip and say World 4. We'll go to World 3 first.