Welcome to the Galaxy!
Mario
We land on a hollow sphere where the pre-battle music plays. There is a Launch Star in a cage that must be opened by a Bullet Bill. There is a Bill Blaster on the planet, but there is a narrow path over a black hole to reach it. I don't recommend attempting to long-jump over gaps. We land on bobbing hexagonal platforms in lava. We get a Life Shroom and return the coconut fire of two Octopi for a Launch Star. We land on a ring of these hexagonal platforms. Bowser Jr. appears, saying, "If i give up any more Grand Stars, my dad's gonna get MAAAAAAD! So this calls for my ultimate weapon! Give 'em some heat, King Kaliente!" He flies off and King Kaliente's battle music starts playing. King Kaliente appears, a dark gray instead of pink like last time. We have to volley coconuts like last time, except we have to do more volleys, and keep moving, so the lava won't burn us as the platform sinks. After the second hit, his crown falls off and after the third hit, he falls into the lava and the Grand Star appears over one of the platforms. All of the platforms stop sinking in the lava, so you can take your time reaching the Grand Star.
GRAND STAR GET #6!
Star Get #82, Galaxy Complete!, 6 Coins, 75 Star Bits, 7 Lives
Interlude
The beacon is now bigger and a neon blue. The Garden Dome and the Gate are now open.
Luigi
We land in the galaxy and free the Launch Star. We get the Life Shroom and take out the Octopi for the Launch Star. Bowser Jr. appears and summons King Kaliente. We volley coconuts and hit him three times for the Grand Star.
GRAND STAR GET #6!
Star Get #82, Galaxy Complete!, 3 Coins, 2659 Star Bits, 24 Lives
Interlude
The beacon becomes larger and a neon blue and the Garden Dome and Gate are now open.
Showing posts with label Grand Star. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grand Star. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada - Sinking the Airships
Welcome to the Galaxy!
Mario
We land on the bridge to an Airship, while a remix of the Airship music plays. We are knocked off by a rock from a pink Octoomba.
Take 2- We reach the Airship and hop into the cannon. While in the cannon, we see a planet with Goombas on it, so we blast off there. It's a small planet, so the Goombas look large here. We combo stomp all of the Goombas for a 1-up and sling to the next Airship. We take a hit from lasers and kill the Magikoopa. After hopping in the nearby cannon, we aim for the flagpole on the next Airship. We find Red Toad on board, who says, "Mario! You finally made it! I was starting to worry. You're final.y here... O-oh, man..." We buy a Life Shroom and take the bridge with the Mandibug to a wooden platform with a switch. Spinning the switch makes the platform move, following the dots in front of it. We get a 1-up on the way and we have to dodge bombs and dangling spiders. At the end of the path is a bridge to another Airship.
We sling to the deck and Bowser Jr. appears on an Airship with Bowser's head as the masthead. Bowser Jr. says, "Hee hee hee hee! You just don't give up! Fine, then, I guess I'll just whup you myself! You want this Grand Star so bad? You're gonna have to take it from me!" The battle starts up with Jr.'s music playing. Green Koopas will appear from the sides. We spin and pick up their shells and throw them at Jr.'s Airship for hits. The cannons on his ship will fire at us. After a couple of hits, Magikoopas will appear on our ship. After three hits, Jr. turns the ship so the masthead is facing us, giving us less surface area to hit. The masthead fires large fireballs that will take out the Koopas. We get in two more hits and his Airship explodes as Jr. wails. The Grand Star appears.
GRAND STAR GET #4!
Star Get #43, Galaxy Complete!, 12 Coins, 2048 Star Bits, 11 Lives
Interlude
The Grand Star flies into the beacon, turning it a light blue and the Bedroom Dome opens. We've discovered 5 new galaxies here. Rosalina says, "Thanks to you and
your friends, all of the
domes on the
lower level are working again. Once the
Engine Room on the
upper level has power, the whole
Observatory will be working. Then the
Comet Observatory will fly as a
starship once again. And you will be able to fly to your
special one in the
center of the universe...
Luigi
After taking damage from a pink Octoomba, we launch from the cannon and get the 1-up from the Goomba planet. We launch from the next cannon and buy a Life Shroom. We activate the platform to the battle Airship, battle Bowser Jr. and get the Grand Star.
GRAND STAR GET #4!
Star Get #43, Galaxy Complete!, 10 Coins, 2356 Star Bits, 18 Lives
Mario
We land on the bridge to an Airship, while a remix of the Airship music plays. We are knocked off by a rock from a pink Octoomba.
Take 2- We reach the Airship and hop into the cannon. While in the cannon, we see a planet with Goombas on it, so we blast off there. It's a small planet, so the Goombas look large here. We combo stomp all of the Goombas for a 1-up and sling to the next Airship. We take a hit from lasers and kill the Magikoopa. After hopping in the nearby cannon, we aim for the flagpole on the next Airship. We find Red Toad on board, who says, "Mario! You finally made it! I was starting to worry. You're final.y here... O-oh, man..." We buy a Life Shroom and take the bridge with the Mandibug to a wooden platform with a switch. Spinning the switch makes the platform move, following the dots in front of it. We get a 1-up on the way and we have to dodge bombs and dangling spiders. At the end of the path is a bridge to another Airship.
We sling to the deck and Bowser Jr. appears on an Airship with Bowser's head as the masthead. Bowser Jr. says, "Hee hee hee hee! You just don't give up! Fine, then, I guess I'll just whup you myself! You want this Grand Star so bad? You're gonna have to take it from me!" The battle starts up with Jr.'s music playing. Green Koopas will appear from the sides. We spin and pick up their shells and throw them at Jr.'s Airship for hits. The cannons on his ship will fire at us. After a couple of hits, Magikoopas will appear on our ship. After three hits, Jr. turns the ship so the masthead is facing us, giving us less surface area to hit. The masthead fires large fireballs that will take out the Koopas. We get in two more hits and his Airship explodes as Jr. wails. The Grand Star appears.
GRAND STAR GET #4!
Star Get #43, Galaxy Complete!, 12 Coins, 2048 Star Bits, 11 Lives
Interlude
The Grand Star flies into the beacon, turning it a light blue and the Bedroom Dome opens. We've discovered 5 new galaxies here. Rosalina says, "Thanks to you and
your friends, all of the
domes on the
lower level are working again. Once the
Engine Room on the
upper level has power, the whole
Observatory will be working. Then the
Comet Observatory will fly as a
starship once again. And you will be able to fly to your
special one in the
center of the universe...
Luigi
After taking damage from a pink Octoomba, we launch from the cannon and get the 1-up from the Goomba planet. We launch from the next cannon and buy a Life Shroom. We activate the platform to the battle Airship, battle Bowser Jr. and get the Grand Star.
GRAND STAR GET #4!
Star Get #43, Galaxy Complete!, 10 Coins, 2356 Star Bits, 18 Lives
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Bowser's Star Reactor - The Fiery Stronghold
Welcome to the Galaxy!
We land on a twisting path, while a remix from Super Mario 64's Road to Bowser plays. A Luma tells us that he can sense a Grand Star nearby, but this place is filled with traps and tricks. There is a 1-up in crystal on the path. Don't worry about the gravity on the twisting path: as long as you stay on the path, you'll be fine. We pass some fire blasters and Thwomp and hop on a green platform that rotates 180 degrees. We then enter a 2D area, where, if you try to steer Mario into the wall and into the screen in quick succession, you might be able to get him to spin quickly. A nearby Luma informs us, "The gravity here is all out of whack! Check the arrows!"
The arrows will tell us which way is "down": which wall Mario will stand on. It is very important to pay attention to the arrows, because they will tell you where to stand on platforms to avoid being sucked into black holes or falling into dark matter. Unfortunately, I fell in a black hole.
Take 2- We land in front of the Thwomp and make it into the gravity maze. We jump down when we're over the platform to land on it. I reached the yellow platform, which rotates to an area with a cross fire bar. We get another 1-up and pass more fire blasters and a Thwomp, taking a hit from the fire blasters. There are more fire bars after that. We finally reach some green and white checkered floors that surround a tower. Bowser appears and shoots meteors into the floor. We have to climb quickly before the floor is destroyed and falls away, possibly taking us with it. We get a Life Shroom and make it to the top of the tower.
Bowser says, "BWAHAHAHA! You finally made it! Just in time for me to stomp you into space bits!" Mario looks angry and Bowser roars, making them both float to another planet. This planet is clear with blue circular panels. Bowser breathes fire and jumps to send shockwaves over the planet. He will briefly run, then jump up high and land with a shock wave. At this point, you want to guide him into landing on a blue panel. When he does, the panel will break, revealing lava, which burns him. (It will burn you, too, if you fall in it.) This will send him running around the planet with his tail on fire. Chase him in the opposite direction. When you find him, he will stop and turn around. Spin his tail to send him spinning around the planet on his shell. Go in the opposite direction and spin when he approaches you, which counts as a hit. It's okay to miss him, but don't do it for too long, or he'll recover and you'll have to make him land on another blue panel (the panels reform, so you can use the same ones.) Do this three times to win, but the number of times you have to spin him increases when you try to get in the third hit. With the last hit, Mario and Bowser are both knocked off the planet back to the tower.
Bowser says, "WHAT?! How... Foolish Mario... My plan is too far along now! You really think you can stop me?! Bwahahaha!" Bowser spins and disappears, like in Galaxy 2. The Grand Star appears from the floor.
GRAND STAR GET #3!
Star Get #27, Galaxy Complete!, 13 Coins, 1331 Star Bits, 10 Lives
Interlude
The Grand Star and Mario fly back to the Observatory. The Grand Star flies into the beacon, making it larger and a blue-green color. The Kitchen dome opens, with 4 new galaxies available to us.
Rosalina says, "Ah! You rescued another Grand Star, and power has returned to another dome in the back of the Observatory! Hmmm, but I still don't think we have the Star Power we need to fly to the Observatory through the universe. Ohh... The villain who kidnapped your special one took her far from here, to the center of the universe. Once our Star Power is restored, the observatory will be able to go there. Then you can reunite with your special one...
Luigi
I reached Bowser in two attempts. The dialogue is the same, but he calls Luigi "Luigi" for once. Even with the Life Shroom, I defeated Bowser with 1 bar of health left.
GRAND STAR GET #3!
Star Get #27, Galaxy Complete!, 4 Coins, 1204 Star Bits, 28 Lives
We land on a twisting path, while a remix from Super Mario 64's Road to Bowser plays. A Luma tells us that he can sense a Grand Star nearby, but this place is filled with traps and tricks. There is a 1-up in crystal on the path. Don't worry about the gravity on the twisting path: as long as you stay on the path, you'll be fine. We pass some fire blasters and Thwomp and hop on a green platform that rotates 180 degrees. We then enter a 2D area, where, if you try to steer Mario into the wall and into the screen in quick succession, you might be able to get him to spin quickly. A nearby Luma informs us, "The gravity here is all out of whack! Check the arrows!"
The arrows will tell us which way is "down": which wall Mario will stand on. It is very important to pay attention to the arrows, because they will tell you where to stand on platforms to avoid being sucked into black holes or falling into dark matter. Unfortunately, I fell in a black hole.
Take 2- We land in front of the Thwomp and make it into the gravity maze. We jump down when we're over the platform to land on it. I reached the yellow platform, which rotates to an area with a cross fire bar. We get another 1-up and pass more fire blasters and a Thwomp, taking a hit from the fire blasters. There are more fire bars after that. We finally reach some green and white checkered floors that surround a tower. Bowser appears and shoots meteors into the floor. We have to climb quickly before the floor is destroyed and falls away, possibly taking us with it. We get a Life Shroom and make it to the top of the tower.
Bowser says, "BWAHAHAHA! You finally made it! Just in time for me to stomp you into space bits!" Mario looks angry and Bowser roars, making them both float to another planet. This planet is clear with blue circular panels. Bowser breathes fire and jumps to send shockwaves over the planet. He will briefly run, then jump up high and land with a shock wave. At this point, you want to guide him into landing on a blue panel. When he does, the panel will break, revealing lava, which burns him. (It will burn you, too, if you fall in it.) This will send him running around the planet with his tail on fire. Chase him in the opposite direction. When you find him, he will stop and turn around. Spin his tail to send him spinning around the planet on his shell. Go in the opposite direction and spin when he approaches you, which counts as a hit. It's okay to miss him, but don't do it for too long, or he'll recover and you'll have to make him land on another blue panel (the panels reform, so you can use the same ones.) Do this three times to win, but the number of times you have to spin him increases when you try to get in the third hit. With the last hit, Mario and Bowser are both knocked off the planet back to the tower.
Bowser says, "WHAT?! How... Foolish Mario... My plan is too far along now! You really think you can stop me?! Bwahahaha!" Bowser spins and disappears, like in Galaxy 2. The Grand Star appears from the floor.
GRAND STAR GET #3!
Star Get #27, Galaxy Complete!, 13 Coins, 1331 Star Bits, 10 Lives
Interlude
The Grand Star and Mario fly back to the Observatory. The Grand Star flies into the beacon, making it larger and a blue-green color. The Kitchen dome opens, with 4 new galaxies available to us.
Rosalina says, "Ah! You rescued another Grand Star, and power has returned to another dome in the back of the Observatory! Hmmm, but I still don't think we have the Star Power we need to fly to the Observatory through the universe. Ohh... The villain who kidnapped your special one took her far from here, to the center of the universe. Once our Star Power is restored, the observatory will be able to go there. Then you can reunite with your special one...
Luigi
I reached Bowser in two attempts. The dialogue is the same, but he calls Luigi "Luigi" for once. Even with the Life Shroom, I defeated Bowser with 1 bar of health left.
GRAND STAR GET #3!
Star Get #27, Galaxy Complete!, 4 Coins, 1204 Star Bits, 28 Lives
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Bowser Jr.'s Robot Reactor - Megaleg's Moon
Welcome to the Galaxy!
Mario
It's time for our first major battle! When we open boss bases, we will see Bowser's head as a galaxy icon and hear dark music. When we enter the galaxy, we fly past Megaleg to a hollow sphere. There is a Launch Star in a cage we can't open ourselves and there is no key. There is a Bill Blaster launching Bullet Bills that will home in on us. We want them to. We have to lead one successfully to the cage with the Launch Star. You can also lead them to other cages that may have 1-ups, coins, or Star Bits. When the Bullet Bill is about to break the cage, either stand on the cage or behind it to avoid damage. We free the Launch Star and launch to Megaleg's planet.
An alarm sounds when we land. Bowser Jr. appears on an Airship. The opening music to his theme plays. He says, "'Hee hee hee hee!' Wahahaha! You made it! But I won't even need my dad's help to take care of you! Go at 'em, Megaleg! Stomp 'em with the power of your Grand Star! 'Hahahahuhuhuh'" He then flies away. Well, now we know that these missions have Grand Stars in them.
Megaleg then activates. The Megaleg music plays. The top of the robot fires Bullet Bills. Megaleg will periodically raise and lower its legs. We can climb up the legs and the arrows on them will turn red and an alarm will sound. We have to negotiate the turning gears on his legs and dodge the Bullet Bills. We reach the top of the robot. There is a cage on the top with the Grand Star. We lead a Bullet Bill to the cage and it is damaged. An alarm sounds, a search light appears on the cage, and fences rotating around the cage. The music speeds up and a second set of Bullet Bills appear. We use three Bullet Bills to break three sections of the fence. We lead one Bullet Bill over the fence into the cage, breaking it. The Grand Star is released and Megaleg rumbles and breaks apart and explodes. We land back on the planet it was standing on and get the Grand Star.
GRAND STAR GET #2!
Star Get #10, Galaxy Complete!, 1053 Star Bits, 17 Lives
Interlude
The Grand Star flies into the Beacon, making it bigger and yellow. Another star tile lights up and rotates. The Fountain Dome opens. Rosalina says, "'Look!' That ball of flame represents the power of the observatory. We call it the beacon. When you recover a Grand Star, a little Star Power will be restored, and the beacon will grow. The Comet Observatory can use that power to fly through the universe. 'Hm!' Once all of the power is restored, we will even be able to fly to the center of the universe..." Polari says, "'Oh!' Oh! The power is on in a new dome! The newly opened dome is called the Fountain. It's really quite relaxing. By the way, have you looked at the map? It contains information about galaxies as well as domes. If you forget the location of a dome, don't hesitate to speak with me.
In the Garage, the Luma's creation is finished. It looks like a red mushroom. Green Toad fills us in, "'Hey!' The Lumas built a mushroom starship that looks just like us! 'Hey!' The Starshroom is fully operational!"
This means that the Toad Brigade will accompany us on missions. They will help us find some Power Stars. From what Rosalina told us, Peach is being held in the center of the universe. We'll need a few more Grand Stars before the hulking behemoth that is the Observatory lurches to life and starts moving again.
Luigi
We take a hit from a Bullet Bill and take the direct route from the Bill Blaster to the cage. We launch to Megaleg's planet. After talking to Bowser Jr., Megaleg comes to life. We climb up Megaleg and lure a Bullet Bill to the cage with the Grand Star. We break the cage with the next one we lure and destroy Megaleg with one bar of health left.
GRAND STAR GET #2!
Star Get #10, Galaxy Complete!, 684 Star Bits, 41 Lives
We find out that the Starshroom has been completed and that we can now access a new dome.
Mario
It's time for our first major battle! When we open boss bases, we will see Bowser's head as a galaxy icon and hear dark music. When we enter the galaxy, we fly past Megaleg to a hollow sphere. There is a Launch Star in a cage we can't open ourselves and there is no key. There is a Bill Blaster launching Bullet Bills that will home in on us. We want them to. We have to lead one successfully to the cage with the Launch Star. You can also lead them to other cages that may have 1-ups, coins, or Star Bits. When the Bullet Bill is about to break the cage, either stand on the cage or behind it to avoid damage. We free the Launch Star and launch to Megaleg's planet.
An alarm sounds when we land. Bowser Jr. appears on an Airship. The opening music to his theme plays. He says, "'Hee hee hee hee!' Wahahaha! You made it! But I won't even need my dad's help to take care of you! Go at 'em, Megaleg! Stomp 'em with the power of your Grand Star! 'Hahahahuhuhuh'" He then flies away. Well, now we know that these missions have Grand Stars in them.
Megaleg then activates. The Megaleg music plays. The top of the robot fires Bullet Bills. Megaleg will periodically raise and lower its legs. We can climb up the legs and the arrows on them will turn red and an alarm will sound. We have to negotiate the turning gears on his legs and dodge the Bullet Bills. We reach the top of the robot. There is a cage on the top with the Grand Star. We lead a Bullet Bill to the cage and it is damaged. An alarm sounds, a search light appears on the cage, and fences rotating around the cage. The music speeds up and a second set of Bullet Bills appear. We use three Bullet Bills to break three sections of the fence. We lead one Bullet Bill over the fence into the cage, breaking it. The Grand Star is released and Megaleg rumbles and breaks apart and explodes. We land back on the planet it was standing on and get the Grand Star.
GRAND STAR GET #2!
Star Get #10, Galaxy Complete!, 1053 Star Bits, 17 Lives
Interlude
The Grand Star flies into the Beacon, making it bigger and yellow. Another star tile lights up and rotates. The Fountain Dome opens. Rosalina says, "'Look!' That ball of flame represents the power of the observatory. We call it the beacon. When you recover a Grand Star, a little Star Power will be restored, and the beacon will grow. The Comet Observatory can use that power to fly through the universe. 'Hm!' Once all of the power is restored, we will even be able to fly to the center of the universe..." Polari says, "'Oh!' Oh! The power is on in a new dome! The newly opened dome is called the Fountain. It's really quite relaxing. By the way, have you looked at the map? It contains information about galaxies as well as domes. If you forget the location of a dome, don't hesitate to speak with me.
In the Garage, the Luma's creation is finished. It looks like a red mushroom. Green Toad fills us in, "'Hey!' The Lumas built a mushroom starship that looks just like us! 'Hey!' The Starshroom is fully operational!"
This means that the Toad Brigade will accompany us on missions. They will help us find some Power Stars. From what Rosalina told us, Peach is being held in the center of the universe. We'll need a few more Grand Stars before the hulking behemoth that is the Observatory lurches to life and starts moving again.
Luigi
We take a hit from a Bullet Bill and take the direct route from the Bill Blaster to the cage. We launch to Megaleg's planet. After talking to Bowser Jr., Megaleg comes to life. We climb up Megaleg and lure a Bullet Bill to the cage with the Grand Star. We break the cage with the next one we lure and destroy Megaleg with one bar of health left.
GRAND STAR GET #2!
Star Get #10, Galaxy Complete!, 684 Star Bits, 41 Lives
We find out that the Starshroom has been completed and that we can now access a new dome.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Gateway Galaxy - Grand Star Rescue
Welcome to the Galaxy!
Mario
We land on a hollow planet with many holes. If we fall through a hole, we'll be sucked into a black hole and lose a life. We wander around and find a yellow Luma, who says "Hi there! Good to see you! I have some bad news, though. See, I HAD a Launch Star all ready for you, but a Meteor smashed it up! You can't leave without it, so find all the Star Chips to fix it. Oh, and be sure not to fall in the black hole! Where are all those Star Chips?
We find a 1-up mushroom on a rock and get a message: "You earned one additional Mario!" Meteors rain down on the planet, which we have to dodge. We find the five Star Chips on rocks and in crystal. Once we get them all, a Launch Star over a rock appears and we launch to the next planet. We land on a round planet with an antenna and Goombas. We find a Luma in a cage, who says, "Get me out of here! One of those enemies should have the key! You can shake to spin them aroundand make them dizzy. Once they're stunned, just run into them!" We stomp a normal-looking Goomba for the key and the cage automatically opens. We approach the Luma, who says, "Thanks! Would you mind rescuing my buddy in that base up there, too? I'll transform into a Sling Star. Just jump into me afeter I... TRANSFORM!
We sling to the next planet, which is a larger version of the last planet with electric fences. There is another Luma trapped in cage, who gives us the same information on how to defeat enemies. Another Luma tells us to collect coins to restore health. On this planet is a giant Goomba. We can't stomp it, but we can spin and kick it. It's kind of springy and gives us the key. The freed Luma tells us to go down the pipe it's hovering over.
We are now inside the planet. The Luma there says, "We've been waiting for you!" He draws our attention to a Grand Star trapped in a machine (which makes it look bronze). "That's a Grand Star! We have to save it! They're using the Grand Star to power that awful machine. It looks like it's making... something. We have to do something before the Grand Star's power is drained. Quick! Find a way to stop that terrible machine! Please! Save the Grand Star before it's too late!"
We don't have a time limit, so don't worry. We have to clear all of the flipswitches, some of which are under the electric fences. I died once from the electric fences because I wasn't paying attention. Many flipswitches surround the Grand Star. We clear them all and the dome over the Grand Star disappears. The peaceful stars music plays. The Lumas thank us and tell us to get the Grand Star and bring it to Mama. We grab the Grand Star and the Grand Star music plays.
We got the big Star! The game is over, right? In Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, when you get a big Star or Shine Sprite, it means the game is over.
We fly around a dark Observatory and land on the deck. The Grand Star spins into the red beacon, making it bigger and orange. The Terrace, Garage, Fountain, deck, and Map light up. A star on the deck starts rotating.
GRAND STAR GET #1!
Star Get #1, 9 Coins, 64 Star Bits, 6 Lives
We've discovered a new galaxy in the Terrace!
Interlude
The black Luma, Polari, says, "The beacon is lit again!"
Rosalina says, "It shines weakly, maybe only as bright as a Class 6 star, but at leas the poor Lumas will survive. now. Oh, thank you for saving the Grand Star. These star people are my family... They mean so much to me. Welcome to the Comet Observatory. It's my home, and also home to the Lumas. You see, we travel the starry skies. We pass by this area once every one hundred years, but we suddenly stopped in front of this planet. A strange force had latched on to our ship, pulling away Star Bits and our power source, Power Stars. Our ship had lost power, so it entered a deep hibernation state in which it could not move. Those who took your special one picked up the Power Stars... And discovered the power to cross the universe. Please, I have a request... Thsi observatory uses Star Power to project images of the galaxies that are scattered across space. And... there is a chance we can use our few remaining stars to look for other Power Stars. These round rooms are called domes. We observe galazies from domes such as these. But the only one that is working now, powered by the Star Power you restored, is this one... the Terrace. Please go to the Terrace and try to recover the Power Stars from the galaxies you can see from there."
Polari continues, "If we do that, we'll be able to restore the Comet Observatory's ability to fly like a starship. Then perhaps we can pursue the thieves who ran off with the Power Stars.
We are then given the option to save. That was a little long, but in summation, the Observatory could fly around, but Bowser drew off the Power Stars, which the Observatory uses for fuel, so it's stuck for a while. The Power Stars is what allows Bowser to move through the universe. The Observatory needs more Power Stars so it can move again and we can get those Power Stars from galaxies. We can access different galaxies from the various domes on the Observatory, but we've only opened the Terrace so far. Unfortunately, the Observatory is much larger than Starship Mario and not as energy efficient, so it won't be zipping across the cosmos any time soon. Well, let's get started!
We can go in the dark areas of the Observatory, but can't access anything there. We wander around, getting a 1-up from the crate in the Garage. We can get a lot of them this way, as they regenerate if you go into a dome. We then go into the Terrace, as there really isn't much else to do now.
Polari appears in the dome. (He'll appear in all of the domes, and in front of the map.) He says, "Welcome! This dome acts as an eye of the observatory. From here, we can gae upon distant galaxies. Once this Luma transforms into a Pull Star, he will guide you to those far away galaxies. Simply point your cursor at the Pull Star and press (A)."
We use the Pull Stars to reach the top of the dome, where the view changes. We can see some galaxies and their orbits. Polari continues, "These are the galaxies that can be observed from this dome. The numbers represent their distance from the observatory. The bigger the number, the greater the distance. The more Power Stars you find, the farther you will be able to travel." Meaning the number on the galaxy is the number of Stars you need to collect to unlock it. Polari says, "Yes, it's undeniable! We're detecting Power Star energy patterns in the nearest galaxy. But I must warn you that the evil energy readings are off the charts! Please be careful..."
Now that we have all that information, let's get the next Power Stars!
Luigi
We land on the same hollow planet with the Launch Star Chips. We get the 1-up, getting the message: "You earned one additional Luigi!" We get all of the Lauch Star Chips and launch to the next planet. We get the key to free the Luma and sling to the next planet. We take out the giant Goomba and free the Luma. We clear the flipswitches and free the Grand Star. Luigi says "Star!" when he gets a Grand Star.
GRAND STAR GET #1!
Star Get #1, 43 Coins, 23 Star Bits, 5 Lives
The beacon lights up and the Terrace and Fountain Domes light up. We get the same dialogue from Polari and Rosalina. We get a 1-up from the crate and head into the Terrace Dome. Let's go!
Mario
We land on a hollow planet with many holes. If we fall through a hole, we'll be sucked into a black hole and lose a life. We wander around and find a yellow Luma, who says "Hi there! Good to see you! I have some bad news, though. See, I HAD a Launch Star all ready for you, but a Meteor smashed it up! You can't leave without it, so find all the Star Chips to fix it. Oh, and be sure not to fall in the black hole! Where are all those Star Chips?
We find a 1-up mushroom on a rock and get a message: "You earned one additional Mario!" Meteors rain down on the planet, which we have to dodge. We find the five Star Chips on rocks and in crystal. Once we get them all, a Launch Star over a rock appears and we launch to the next planet. We land on a round planet with an antenna and Goombas. We find a Luma in a cage, who says, "Get me out of here! One of those enemies should have the key! You can shake to spin them aroundand make them dizzy. Once they're stunned, just run into them!" We stomp a normal-looking Goomba for the key and the cage automatically opens. We approach the Luma, who says, "Thanks! Would you mind rescuing my buddy in that base up there, too? I'll transform into a Sling Star. Just jump into me afeter I... TRANSFORM!
We sling to the next planet, which is a larger version of the last planet with electric fences. There is another Luma trapped in cage, who gives us the same information on how to defeat enemies. Another Luma tells us to collect coins to restore health. On this planet is a giant Goomba. We can't stomp it, but we can spin and kick it. It's kind of springy and gives us the key. The freed Luma tells us to go down the pipe it's hovering over.
We are now inside the planet. The Luma there says, "We've been waiting for you!" He draws our attention to a Grand Star trapped in a machine (which makes it look bronze). "That's a Grand Star! We have to save it! They're using the Grand Star to power that awful machine. It looks like it's making... something. We have to do something before the Grand Star's power is drained. Quick! Find a way to stop that terrible machine! Please! Save the Grand Star before it's too late!"
We don't have a time limit, so don't worry. We have to clear all of the flipswitches, some of which are under the electric fences. I died once from the electric fences because I wasn't paying attention. Many flipswitches surround the Grand Star. We clear them all and the dome over the Grand Star disappears. The peaceful stars music plays. The Lumas thank us and tell us to get the Grand Star and bring it to Mama. We grab the Grand Star and the Grand Star music plays.
We got the big Star! The game is over, right? In Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, when you get a big Star or Shine Sprite, it means the game is over.
We fly around a dark Observatory and land on the deck. The Grand Star spins into the red beacon, making it bigger and orange. The Terrace, Garage, Fountain, deck, and Map light up. A star on the deck starts rotating.
GRAND STAR GET #1!
Star Get #1, 9 Coins, 64 Star Bits, 6 Lives
We've discovered a new galaxy in the Terrace!
Interlude
The black Luma, Polari, says, "The beacon is lit again!"
Rosalina says, "It shines weakly, maybe only as bright as a Class 6 star, but at leas the poor Lumas will survive. now. Oh, thank you for saving the Grand Star. These star people are my family... They mean so much to me. Welcome to the Comet Observatory. It's my home, and also home to the Lumas. You see, we travel the starry skies. We pass by this area once every one hundred years, but we suddenly stopped in front of this planet. A strange force had latched on to our ship, pulling away Star Bits and our power source, Power Stars. Our ship had lost power, so it entered a deep hibernation state in which it could not move. Those who took your special one picked up the Power Stars... And discovered the power to cross the universe. Please, I have a request... Thsi observatory uses Star Power to project images of the galaxies that are scattered across space. And... there is a chance we can use our few remaining stars to look for other Power Stars. These round rooms are called domes. We observe galazies from domes such as these. But the only one that is working now, powered by the Star Power you restored, is this one... the Terrace. Please go to the Terrace and try to recover the Power Stars from the galaxies you can see from there."
Polari continues, "If we do that, we'll be able to restore the Comet Observatory's ability to fly like a starship. Then perhaps we can pursue the thieves who ran off with the Power Stars.
We are then given the option to save. That was a little long, but in summation, the Observatory could fly around, but Bowser drew off the Power Stars, which the Observatory uses for fuel, so it's stuck for a while. The Power Stars is what allows Bowser to move through the universe. The Observatory needs more Power Stars so it can move again and we can get those Power Stars from galaxies. We can access different galaxies from the various domes on the Observatory, but we've only opened the Terrace so far. Unfortunately, the Observatory is much larger than Starship Mario and not as energy efficient, so it won't be zipping across the cosmos any time soon. Well, let's get started!
We can go in the dark areas of the Observatory, but can't access anything there. We wander around, getting a 1-up from the crate in the Garage. We can get a lot of them this way, as they regenerate if you go into a dome. We then go into the Terrace, as there really isn't much else to do now.
Polari appears in the dome. (He'll appear in all of the domes, and in front of the map.) He says, "Welcome! This dome acts as an eye of the observatory. From here, we can gae upon distant galaxies. Once this Luma transforms into a Pull Star, he will guide you to those far away galaxies. Simply point your cursor at the Pull Star and press (A)."
We use the Pull Stars to reach the top of the dome, where the view changes. We can see some galaxies and their orbits. Polari continues, "These are the galaxies that can be observed from this dome. The numbers represent their distance from the observatory. The bigger the number, the greater the distance. The more Power Stars you find, the farther you will be able to travel." Meaning the number on the galaxy is the number of Stars you need to collect to unlock it. Polari says, "Yes, it's undeniable! We're detecting Power Star energy patterns in the nearest galaxy. But I must warn you that the evil energy readings are off the charts! Please be careful..."
Now that we have all that information, let's get the next Power Stars!
Luigi
We land on the same hollow planet with the Launch Star Chips. We get the 1-up, getting the message: "You earned one additional Luigi!" We get all of the Lauch Star Chips and launch to the next planet. We get the key to free the Luma and sling to the next planet. We take out the giant Goomba and free the Luma. We clear the flipswitches and free the Grand Star. Luigi says "Star!" when he gets a Grand Star.
GRAND STAR GET #1!
Star Get #1, 43 Coins, 23 Star Bits, 5 Lives
The beacon lights up and the Terrace and Fountain Domes light up. We get the same dialogue from Polari and Rosalina. We get a 1-up from the crate and head into the Terrace Dome. Let's go!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Bowser's Galaxy Generator - Bowser's Fortified Fortress
Welcome Back to the Galaxy!
It's time for the final battle! I have more than enough Stars, so let's see the ending! But first, let's check out the preceding cutscene:
Mario and Lubba are on the deck of S.S. Mario. Both of them are wearing their angry faces. Wind is blowing against them.
Lubba: All right! Time for the grand finale, captain! Somewhere in there... "Chay-chay" Your princess is waiting!
(The cutscene proceeds like the beginning-in a storybook fashion. The Galaxy Generator is shaped like Bowser's head.)
Lubba: What a surprise... It's a comet! It looks like Power Stars weren't the only things getting eaten up around here! It looks like Bowser wants to get even bigger!
(Baby Luma gets excited.)
Lubba: "Chu!" You need to stop that monster before he devours everything in his path! Get in there and show him what ya got!
We will, Lubba! (Anything in quotations in the above cutscene was vocalized and did not appear in a text bubble.)
There is new music when we land in the galaxy. We land on turrets floating in space. There is a Luma to guide us, but we ignore him to go to the left and get a Life Shroom on a flagpole. We launch to the next area, where we take hits from and defeat 3 Hammer Bros who throw multiple hammers. At the edge of the platform is a plant. When we defeat all 3 Hammer Bros, it blooms into Floaty Fluff. We ride it down, over a lava sea, where lava balls are launched out of torches. We did not steer well, and a lava ball hit the Floaty Fluff and destroyed it, leaving us to fall into the lava, where we died.
Take 2- We get another Life Shroom, defeat the Hammer Bros, and successfully take the Floaty Fluff to the next platform, which rotates between 2 walls of lava. There is a drill and a dirt patch, so we drill and fall to the midgate. This planet is a hexagonal cylinder with Banzai Bills moving over most of the path. We walk around the planet, dodging the Banzai Bills and the lava. I fell in the lava with a drill, then hit the electric fence lining most of the path. I drilled in one particular dirt patch for a 1-up. When I drilled in front of the last Banzai Blaster, I reached the Launch Star.
We launched to another midgate, which was another 2D cylinder. We went through the platforms and get the Cloud Suit. We continue, dodging Bullet Bills, until we reach a Luma. He says, "Save your special one and return to us safely." We plan to do so. He henshin in to a Launch Star and we launch to another midgate. This time, we land on a wooden bridge like in Hightail Falls. We kill a Magikoopa, but take a hit first. To the left, is Yoshi, who adds tympani drums to the music, which is more appropriate than the usual bongos. We jumped off the level because I didn't see the Swing Flowers until it was too late.
Take 3- I used the Swing Flowers, but went into a lava pillar and died in the lava. Note to self: wait for lava pillars to go down.
Take 4- I went the alternate path, got a 1-up, but fell in the lava because the path dead-ended there.
Take 5- I make it past the lava pillars, take out the 2 Boomerang Bros. after taking 2 hits. Then, the rock wall parts, revealing a Dash Pepper. I made it to the Sling Star and landed on a snaking platform. I lost Yoshi when we took a hit from a Magikoopa. I followed the platform, but found out I needed Yoshi to dodge the Blaargs, so I fell in the lava.
Take 6- I fell in the lava and gave up at this point.
Take 7- I continued the next day. This time, as previously mentioned, I caught someone playing my file. They had already beaten Bowser and revealed the surprise at the end. I replaced the file with the one from the day before. I got a Life Shroom, took a hit from a fireball, nearly fell off the planet, but saved myself by launching. I took out the Hammer Bros. and reached the midgate. I got a 1-up and launched to another midgate. I took a hit from a Bullet Bill and launched to the next midgate. I got Yoshi, but lost him to the fire. I lost the Life Shroom from hits from the Boomerang Bros. I was then stuck between the rock walls due to bad steering.
Take 8- I was killed by a Boomerang Bro.
Take 9- I reached the Sling Star this time and got the Comet Medal on the left using the Swing Flowers. Unfortunately, I fell in the lava and died.
Take 10- I fell in the lava and died.
Take 11- I slung, got the Comet Medal and got the Blimp Fruit needed to get past the Blaargs. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the platform was moving forward instead of up, so I missed it and the Blimp Fruit ran out over the void when I started chasing the platform.
Take 12- I fell in the lava.
Take 13- I got the Comet Medal and fell in the lava.
Take 14- I made it back on the snake platform with the Blimp Fruit, but misjudged the distance and jumped off too soon and fell into the void just before the midgate. Nooooo!
Take 15- I got a 100 Star Bit, the Comet Medal, and reached the midgate. Yes! There are Lumas waiting for us. There is a Bowser Statue in the background, and the Lumas won't go past it. They say we'll beat him -(of course!)- and to have faith. We can't bring Yoshi with us into the final battle-Awww, man!- because we have to climb a flagpole, which Yoshi can't. We climb up the flagpole to another sealed door. I found a Life Shroom to the left and break the 3 seals with meteorites and reveal the purple beam into the battle arena.
Baby Luma comes out from under our hat. A huge Bowser is sitting in his throne. (My thoughts are in parentheses.)
Bowser: Give it up already! Why won't you stop trying to mess up my awesome master plan?! (Because it's evil!) I'm building my new galactic empire right here! And you can't stop me! (I bet we can!) Why don't you just run off and go find some green pipe to hide in?! (Enough chit-chat. Where's the princess?)
Bowser opens his hand to reveal Peach in a pink bubble. (There she is! Hi, Peach!) She calls out Mario, with better adjusted volume than in Galaxy.
Bowser: Can't you see that I'm busy here?! I don't have time to chat, so let's cut this short...Shorty! (Hey! Who are you calling short? Oh, yeah, Mario's about half Peach's height. Never mind.) Bowser sends Peach away in her bubble. (Bye, Peach!) Bowser jumps off the throne to where we are, and roars, lifting us up to the planet where we shall do battle.
The music is different from the other battles, with chorus singing in the background. Bowser punches the planet with purple fire, creating six flaming energy beams that come together. We jump away to dodge. He sends 3 meteors down to the planet, which land with shock waves. I use one to get in my first hit. I take a hit from a shock wave and get in my 2nd hit. Bowser is stunned and roars. He then breathes fire over the planet. I get in my 3rd hit and get burned by purple fire. I get in my 4th hit and the Grand Star is knocked out of his mouth. Hooray! I did it! I beat Bowser! He falls into dark purple smoke after clawing for the Grand Star and shrinks. We land back on the planet where the throne is and the Grand Star descends. We go to get it and jump for it.
GRAND STAR GE-
-Just before we can reach it, Bowser, still large reappears from the beneath the planet and gobbles up the Grand Star! What, you thought we were finished with this guy? That would be too easy! I have to give Bowser credit for not giving up so easily, although I don't like it. I also didn't see it coming.
Bowser: Hey... guess what, Mario! Breathe a sigh of relief, (why?) because it'll be your last! (Uh-oh.) Know why?! (Nope.) Because this is finally the end! (Yup.) The end of YOU! (This can't be good.)
Bowser blows us away and rolls up and starts rolling through space. Meteors appear under our feet. We have to aim carefully because Bowser changes positions. We get in one hit. We miss two or three times because he changes his location as well as his distance. He can get very close, making him easier to aim for. We get in 2 more hits, then later, the fourth hit. Mario gets in extra hits to show Bowser who's boss.
Bowser: Raawwwrrgh! My powers...gone...My empire...shrinking... My huge cake...Never got a slice...(Aww, too bad. Not that you needed it. Wait, why is it that I can beat Bowser in one take, but I get killed so often getting to him? Bowser is much easier in this game, even easier than Bowser Jr.)
Bowser reaches out, then hangs his head in defeat. He goes back into the smoke and disappears. The music changes to a remix of Peach's Castle and we see her holding onto the Grand Star. As it descends, she is sitting on it. (Things in quotations are vocalized.)
Peach: "Oh!"
Mario: "Oh!"
We land on a flower covered planet. We walk to the other side, where there are Star Bits.
Peach: "Thank you!" (She waves her hand.)
Peach: (after being spun) "Whee!" (she likes being spun around. She'll deflect you with her umbrella if Mario tries to land on her head. Why do I know this? I tried doing it, because there is very little interaction with Peach, but I do not in any way condone violence.)
We get the Grand Star. In the Grand Star Get! sequence, Peach and Baby Luma also appear. (Mario: Hey, you two! Get out of my cutscene! Oh, Baby Luma can stay. He helped.)
This doesn't actually count towards our total, but...
GRAND STAR GET #6!
It's time for the final battle! I have more than enough Stars, so let's see the ending! But first, let's check out the preceding cutscene:
Mario and Lubba are on the deck of S.S. Mario. Both of them are wearing their angry faces. Wind is blowing against them.
Lubba: All right! Time for the grand finale, captain! Somewhere in there... "Chay-chay" Your princess is waiting!
(The cutscene proceeds like the beginning-in a storybook fashion. The Galaxy Generator is shaped like Bowser's head.)
Lubba: What a surprise... It's a comet! It looks like Power Stars weren't the only things getting eaten up around here! It looks like Bowser wants to get even bigger!
(Baby Luma gets excited.)
Lubba: "Chu!" You need to stop that monster before he devours everything in his path! Get in there and show him what ya got!
We will, Lubba! (Anything in quotations in the above cutscene was vocalized and did not appear in a text bubble.)
There is new music when we land in the galaxy. We land on turrets floating in space. There is a Luma to guide us, but we ignore him to go to the left and get a Life Shroom on a flagpole. We launch to the next area, where we take hits from and defeat 3 Hammer Bros who throw multiple hammers. At the edge of the platform is a plant. When we defeat all 3 Hammer Bros, it blooms into Floaty Fluff. We ride it down, over a lava sea, where lava balls are launched out of torches. We did not steer well, and a lava ball hit the Floaty Fluff and destroyed it, leaving us to fall into the lava, where we died.
Take 2- We get another Life Shroom, defeat the Hammer Bros, and successfully take the Floaty Fluff to the next platform, which rotates between 2 walls of lava. There is a drill and a dirt patch, so we drill and fall to the midgate. This planet is a hexagonal cylinder with Banzai Bills moving over most of the path. We walk around the planet, dodging the Banzai Bills and the lava. I fell in the lava with a drill, then hit the electric fence lining most of the path. I drilled in one particular dirt patch for a 1-up. When I drilled in front of the last Banzai Blaster, I reached the Launch Star.
We launched to another midgate, which was another 2D cylinder. We went through the platforms and get the Cloud Suit. We continue, dodging Bullet Bills, until we reach a Luma. He says, "Save your special one and return to us safely." We plan to do so. He henshin in to a Launch Star and we launch to another midgate. This time, we land on a wooden bridge like in Hightail Falls. We kill a Magikoopa, but take a hit first. To the left, is Yoshi, who adds tympani drums to the music, which is more appropriate than the usual bongos. We jumped off the level because I didn't see the Swing Flowers until it was too late.
Take 3- I used the Swing Flowers, but went into a lava pillar and died in the lava. Note to self: wait for lava pillars to go down.
Take 4- I went the alternate path, got a 1-up, but fell in the lava because the path dead-ended there.
Take 5- I make it past the lava pillars, take out the 2 Boomerang Bros. after taking 2 hits. Then, the rock wall parts, revealing a Dash Pepper. I made it to the Sling Star and landed on a snaking platform. I lost Yoshi when we took a hit from a Magikoopa. I followed the platform, but found out I needed Yoshi to dodge the Blaargs, so I fell in the lava.
Take 6- I fell in the lava and gave up at this point.
Take 7- I continued the next day. This time, as previously mentioned, I caught someone playing my file. They had already beaten Bowser and revealed the surprise at the end. I replaced the file with the one from the day before. I got a Life Shroom, took a hit from a fireball, nearly fell off the planet, but saved myself by launching. I took out the Hammer Bros. and reached the midgate. I got a 1-up and launched to another midgate. I took a hit from a Bullet Bill and launched to the next midgate. I got Yoshi, but lost him to the fire. I lost the Life Shroom from hits from the Boomerang Bros. I was then stuck between the rock walls due to bad steering.
Take 8- I was killed by a Boomerang Bro.
Take 9- I reached the Sling Star this time and got the Comet Medal on the left using the Swing Flowers. Unfortunately, I fell in the lava and died.
Take 10- I fell in the lava and died.
Take 11- I slung, got the Comet Medal and got the Blimp Fruit needed to get past the Blaargs. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the platform was moving forward instead of up, so I missed it and the Blimp Fruit ran out over the void when I started chasing the platform.
Take 12- I fell in the lava.
Take 13- I got the Comet Medal and fell in the lava.
Take 14- I made it back on the snake platform with the Blimp Fruit, but misjudged the distance and jumped off too soon and fell into the void just before the midgate. Nooooo!
Take 15- I got a 100 Star Bit, the Comet Medal, and reached the midgate. Yes! There are Lumas waiting for us. There is a Bowser Statue in the background, and the Lumas won't go past it. They say we'll beat him -(of course!)- and to have faith. We can't bring Yoshi with us into the final battle-Awww, man!- because we have to climb a flagpole, which Yoshi can't. We climb up the flagpole to another sealed door. I found a Life Shroom to the left and break the 3 seals with meteorites and reveal the purple beam into the battle arena.
Baby Luma comes out from under our hat. A huge Bowser is sitting in his throne. (My thoughts are in parentheses.)
Bowser: Give it up already! Why won't you stop trying to mess up my awesome master plan?! (Because it's evil!) I'm building my new galactic empire right here! And you can't stop me! (I bet we can!) Why don't you just run off and go find some green pipe to hide in?! (Enough chit-chat. Where's the princess?)
Bowser opens his hand to reveal Peach in a pink bubble. (There she is! Hi, Peach!) She calls out Mario, with better adjusted volume than in Galaxy.
Bowser: Can't you see that I'm busy here?! I don't have time to chat, so let's cut this short...Shorty! (Hey! Who are you calling short? Oh, yeah, Mario's about half Peach's height. Never mind.) Bowser sends Peach away in her bubble. (Bye, Peach!) Bowser jumps off the throne to where we are, and roars, lifting us up to the planet where we shall do battle.
The music is different from the other battles, with chorus singing in the background. Bowser punches the planet with purple fire, creating six flaming energy beams that come together. We jump away to dodge. He sends 3 meteors down to the planet, which land with shock waves. I use one to get in my first hit. I take a hit from a shock wave and get in my 2nd hit. Bowser is stunned and roars. He then breathes fire over the planet. I get in my 3rd hit and get burned by purple fire. I get in my 4th hit and the Grand Star is knocked out of his mouth. Hooray! I did it! I beat Bowser! He falls into dark purple smoke after clawing for the Grand Star and shrinks. We land back on the planet where the throne is and the Grand Star descends. We go to get it and jump for it.
GRAND STAR GE-
-Just before we can reach it, Bowser, still large reappears from the beneath the planet and gobbles up the Grand Star! What, you thought we were finished with this guy? That would be too easy! I have to give Bowser credit for not giving up so easily, although I don't like it. I also didn't see it coming.
Bowser: Hey... guess what, Mario! Breathe a sigh of relief, (why?) because it'll be your last! (Uh-oh.) Know why?! (Nope.) Because this is finally the end! (Yup.) The end of YOU! (This can't be good.)
Bowser blows us away and rolls up and starts rolling through space. Meteors appear under our feet. We have to aim carefully because Bowser changes positions. We get in one hit. We miss two or three times because he changes his location as well as his distance. He can get very close, making him easier to aim for. We get in 2 more hits, then later, the fourth hit. Mario gets in extra hits to show Bowser who's boss.
Bowser: Raawwwrrgh! My powers...gone...My empire...shrinking... My huge cake...Never got a slice...(Aww, too bad. Not that you needed it. Wait, why is it that I can beat Bowser in one take, but I get killed so often getting to him? Bowser is much easier in this game, even easier than Bowser Jr.)
Bowser reaches out, then hangs his head in defeat. He goes back into the smoke and disappears. The music changes to a remix of Peach's Castle and we see her holding onto the Grand Star. As it descends, she is sitting on it. (Things in quotations are vocalized.)
Peach: "Oh!"
Mario: "Oh!"
We land on a flower covered planet. We walk to the other side, where there are Star Bits.
Peach: "Thank you!" (She waves her hand.)
Peach: (after being spun) "Whee!" (she likes being spun around. She'll deflect you with her umbrella if Mario tries to land on her head. Why do I know this? I tried doing it, because there is very little interaction with Peach, but I do not in any way condone violence.)
We get the Grand Star. In the Grand Star Get! sequence, Peach and Baby Luma also appear. (Mario: Hey, you two! Get out of my cutscene! Oh, Baby Luma can stay. He helped.)
This doesn't actually count towards our total, but...
GRAND STAR GET #6!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker - Bowser Jr.'s Boomsday Machine
Welcome Back to the Galaxy!
We land on a planet with the Toad Brigade. The wreck of the Megahammer is strewn over the planet. It's broken, according to Red Toad, but the eyes of the cockpit still light up. The other four Toads are cowering nearby. Red Toad is confident, but when we approach him, the Megahammer lauches Bullet Bills. I am hit by one. I get a 1-up from a die. Three purple smooshing enemies are present and I take a hit from one of them, as well. I find I have to lure a Bullet Bill to a cage to open up the cannon. I take a hit from them twice, and am rotated off the platform.
Take 2- We use the Bullet Bill to open the cannon and get a 1-up from the die. I take a hit from the Bullet Bill and launch to a flagpole. I have to deal with 2 Boomerang Bros., who make a weird noise when they throw their Boomerangs. I took two more hits from the Boomerang Bros. and died.
Take 3- I take hits from the purple electric enemy and a Bullet Bill. I free the cannon, but my aim was just far enough off to send Mario flying into oblivion.
Take 4- We launch in the cannon, take a hit from a Boomerang Bro, and kill both of them. A Launch Star appears and we get a Life Shroom above the back left flagpole. We launch to the midgate, which is on a spherical planet with a cannon. We aim for the bull's eye, and hit it for applause and a 1-up. The bull's eye turns orange. We continue to rotating platforms, miss one and fall in.
Take 5- I got a 1-up from the bull's eye, but made a bad jump.
Take 6- Same as Take 5, but I tried a bad long jump.
Take 7- I got a 1-up from the bull's eye, get the Cloud Suit, but am knocked off by a space bomb.
Take 8- I got a 1-up and got knocked off. At this point, I reset the game so I wouln't trigger the appearance of Super Guide.
Take 9- I had to start over, opened the cannon, launched, but it was a bad shot.
Take 10- I take a hit from a Boomerang Bro, launch to the midgate, got a 1-up from the bull's eye, get the Comet Medal over a blue platform, and finally make it to the other side. I ground pound some stones and launch. Bowser Jr. appears in a tower. Bowser'll get angry if we get another Grand Star. (So let's take one!) It's time to break out the Boomsday Machine! (Uh-oh. That can't be good!) He'll continue to relax in his comfy cockpit. He'll watch us go boom! The Bowser Jr. music from Galaxy is heard here, which I really like. The tower is surrouded by fire bars. I take a hit from one. There are many clouds in the level, as well as Cloud Flowers. I get the Cloud Suit and create a cloud over a fan to reach a permanent cloud. The tower shoots out balls of lightning which will vaporize any cloud it comes in contact with. I create a path of clouds to the tower, land on the cockpit glass, which makes Bowser Jr. very upset. I pound the glass and crack it. Mario is magically pushed off the glass and lands just out of range of the fire bars. The tower then electrifies (Great! It's a remake of the tower Monty Mole controlled in Galaxy!). The tower also activates its fans, which will draw all clouds to the tower while it is electrified. We proceed cautiously, nearly taking a hit, but jumping off at the last second. We finally time it right and get in the 2nd hit. This time, the tower rises out of the ground to reveal that it is really a tank! (Oh dang! I do not need this!) Now we must hit a moving, sometimes electrified, target that can run us over. We also need to reach the higher sets of clouds so we can actually reach the target. We finally get in the third hit after some trial. The tower lights up and explodes, launching Bowser Jr. far away, crying in disappointment and despair. The Grand Star appears.
GRAND STAR GET #5!
Star Get #58, 32 Comet Medals, 357 Star Bits, 1301 Coins, 12 Lives
Interlude
Mario holds onto the tip of the Grand Star as they fly back to S.S. Mario. Chush! Lubba says he had a feeling we could get the fifth Grand Star. Next is the 6th "world". Bowser is going to put up an even stronger fight. Let's get Power Stars and save our Special One. The big fight awaits, the battle draws near. We must do our best and get him this time!
We land on a planet with the Toad Brigade. The wreck of the Megahammer is strewn over the planet. It's broken, according to Red Toad, but the eyes of the cockpit still light up. The other four Toads are cowering nearby. Red Toad is confident, but when we approach him, the Megahammer lauches Bullet Bills. I am hit by one. I get a 1-up from a die. Three purple smooshing enemies are present and I take a hit from one of them, as well. I find I have to lure a Bullet Bill to a cage to open up the cannon. I take a hit from them twice, and am rotated off the platform.
Take 2- We use the Bullet Bill to open the cannon and get a 1-up from the die. I take a hit from the Bullet Bill and launch to a flagpole. I have to deal with 2 Boomerang Bros., who make a weird noise when they throw their Boomerangs. I took two more hits from the Boomerang Bros. and died.
Take 3- I take hits from the purple electric enemy and a Bullet Bill. I free the cannon, but my aim was just far enough off to send Mario flying into oblivion.
Take 4- We launch in the cannon, take a hit from a Boomerang Bro, and kill both of them. A Launch Star appears and we get a Life Shroom above the back left flagpole. We launch to the midgate, which is on a spherical planet with a cannon. We aim for the bull's eye, and hit it for applause and a 1-up. The bull's eye turns orange. We continue to rotating platforms, miss one and fall in.
Take 5- I got a 1-up from the bull's eye, but made a bad jump.
Take 6- Same as Take 5, but I tried a bad long jump.
Take 7- I got a 1-up from the bull's eye, get the Cloud Suit, but am knocked off by a space bomb.
Take 8- I got a 1-up and got knocked off. At this point, I reset the game so I wouln't trigger the appearance of Super Guide.
Take 9- I had to start over, opened the cannon, launched, but it was a bad shot.
Take 10- I take a hit from a Boomerang Bro, launch to the midgate, got a 1-up from the bull's eye, get the Comet Medal over a blue platform, and finally make it to the other side. I ground pound some stones and launch. Bowser Jr. appears in a tower. Bowser'll get angry if we get another Grand Star. (So let's take one!) It's time to break out the Boomsday Machine! (Uh-oh. That can't be good!) He'll continue to relax in his comfy cockpit. He'll watch us go boom! The Bowser Jr. music from Galaxy is heard here, which I really like. The tower is surrouded by fire bars. I take a hit from one. There are many clouds in the level, as well as Cloud Flowers. I get the Cloud Suit and create a cloud over a fan to reach a permanent cloud. The tower shoots out balls of lightning which will vaporize any cloud it comes in contact with. I create a path of clouds to the tower, land on the cockpit glass, which makes Bowser Jr. very upset. I pound the glass and crack it. Mario is magically pushed off the glass and lands just out of range of the fire bars. The tower then electrifies (Great! It's a remake of the tower Monty Mole controlled in Galaxy!). The tower also activates its fans, which will draw all clouds to the tower while it is electrified. We proceed cautiously, nearly taking a hit, but jumping off at the last second. We finally time it right and get in the 2nd hit. This time, the tower rises out of the ground to reveal that it is really a tank! (Oh dang! I do not need this!) Now we must hit a moving, sometimes electrified, target that can run us over. We also need to reach the higher sets of clouds so we can actually reach the target. We finally get in the third hit after some trial. The tower lights up and explodes, launching Bowser Jr. far away, crying in disappointment and despair. The Grand Star appears.
GRAND STAR GET #5!
Star Get #58, 32 Comet Medals, 357 Star Bits, 1301 Coins, 12 Lives
Interlude
Mario holds onto the tip of the Grand Star as they fly back to S.S. Mario. Chush! Lubba says he had a feeling we could get the fifth Grand Star. Next is the 6th "world". Bowser is going to put up an even stronger fight. Let's get Power Stars and save our Special One. The big fight awaits, the battle draws near. We must do our best and get him this time!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Bowser's Gravity Gauntlet - Breaking into Bowser's Castle
Welcome Back to the Galaxy!
This "galaxy" has the same music as the last time we tried to beat Bowser, but with more lava and fire! We get a Life Shroom and the move along as the area switches into 2D ant farm. We trip the midgate and backflip to get the Comet Medal. There are Podoboos jumping out of the lava, some of which dive into another pool of lava at a 90 degree angle. The walking surface rotates 90 degrees, but the camera doesn't change, so we have to adjust the way we control the joystick. I take 2 hits from Podoboos and we walk onto the ceiling, where I take another hit and lose the Life Shroom. We have to swim through a water area, where the water is magically suspended above the ground. There are Cheep-cheeps to avoid. We exit the area, trigger the midgate, and the game goes back to 3-D. Mario died from being crushed by a Whomp.
Take 2- I kill the Whomp that took Mario out in Take 1. There is another Whomp, and near it, a 1-up. We go around a corridor, and it goes back to 2D. I take a hit from a Goomba and jump to a rotating platform with fire bars, which hit me. I launch to the midgate on the other side reached by walking around the platform.
We find another meteor-we know what to do with these! But first, we must seek out a Life Shroom, found in the right crystal. We break the seals on the door with the meteors and ride the purple warp beam to the battle area.
Baby Luma comes out from under our hat. The throne is empty and Bowser isn't here. He waves the all-clear. Suddenly, Bowser appears out of nowhere. He expects as much that we're here because we're his archnemesis. But our time is up. It's smooshing time! His huge fist is going to meet our puny face. Baby Luma cowers behind Mario. We fly up to the battle planet.
Bowser's fist now glows purple, and makes shockwaves when it hits the ground. I take a hit from a meteor, which also creates shockwaves when it lands. Bowser will punch the planet twice before the meteors rain down. I get in 2 hits and the music speeds up and Bowser starts breathing fire. I take a hit from the fire. I get in my 3rd and 4th hits and he spits up the Grand Star. He flails and reaches in vain for it and shrinks. He wonders how we did it, but his master plan is too far along and we can't stop him. GWAHAHAAH! He spins and disappears like last time. I noticed the floor on the planet from which we see his throne. It looks like onyx and lapis lazuli stone is the flooring, which is very nice. The Grand Star appears.
GRAND STAR GET #4!
Star Get #46, 27 Comet Medals, 1258 Star Bits, 1120 Coins, 23 Lives
Interlude
Chush! Lubba says we did great work finding the 4th Grand Star and fighting the monster. But, we look more banged up this time (I agree), which means Bowser's getting stronger. We must stop him before he gets more powerful. Let's hit it, on the double!
That was another great game session. I got 14 Stars this time. I am currently at 110 Stars and opened one of the last galaxies in the game. But the Stars are getting harder to get, so my rate will decrease.
This "galaxy" has the same music as the last time we tried to beat Bowser, but with more lava and fire! We get a Life Shroom and the move along as the area switches into 2D ant farm. We trip the midgate and backflip to get the Comet Medal. There are Podoboos jumping out of the lava, some of which dive into another pool of lava at a 90 degree angle. The walking surface rotates 90 degrees, but the camera doesn't change, so we have to adjust the way we control the joystick. I take 2 hits from Podoboos and we walk onto the ceiling, where I take another hit and lose the Life Shroom. We have to swim through a water area, where the water is magically suspended above the ground. There are Cheep-cheeps to avoid. We exit the area, trigger the midgate, and the game goes back to 3-D. Mario died from being crushed by a Whomp.
Take 2- I kill the Whomp that took Mario out in Take 1. There is another Whomp, and near it, a 1-up. We go around a corridor, and it goes back to 2D. I take a hit from a Goomba and jump to a rotating platform with fire bars, which hit me. I launch to the midgate on the other side reached by walking around the platform.
We find another meteor-we know what to do with these! But first, we must seek out a Life Shroom, found in the right crystal. We break the seals on the door with the meteors and ride the purple warp beam to the battle area.
Baby Luma comes out from under our hat. The throne is empty and Bowser isn't here. He waves the all-clear. Suddenly, Bowser appears out of nowhere. He expects as much that we're here because we're his archnemesis. But our time is up. It's smooshing time! His huge fist is going to meet our puny face. Baby Luma cowers behind Mario. We fly up to the battle planet.
Bowser's fist now glows purple, and makes shockwaves when it hits the ground. I take a hit from a meteor, which also creates shockwaves when it lands. Bowser will punch the planet twice before the meteors rain down. I get in 2 hits and the music speeds up and Bowser starts breathing fire. I take a hit from the fire. I get in my 3rd and 4th hits and he spits up the Grand Star. He flails and reaches in vain for it and shrinks. He wonders how we did it, but his master plan is too far along and we can't stop him. GWAHAHAAH! He spins and disappears like last time. I noticed the floor on the planet from which we see his throne. It looks like onyx and lapis lazuli stone is the flooring, which is very nice. The Grand Star appears.
GRAND STAR GET #4!
Star Get #46, 27 Comet Medals, 1258 Star Bits, 1120 Coins, 23 Lives
Interlude
Chush! Lubba says we did great work finding the 4th Grand Star and fighting the monster. But, we look more banged up this time (I agree), which means Bowser's getting stronger. We must stop him before he gets more powerful. Let's hit it, on the double!
That was another great game session. I got 14 Stars this time. I am currently at 110 Stars and opened one of the last galaxies in the game. But the Stars are getting harder to get, so my rate will decrease.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Bowser Jr.'s Fearsome Fleet - Bowser Jr.'s Mighty Megahammer
Welcome Back to the Galaxy!
We hear the same music and see more of those purple sparking enemies. They hit me twice and a Bullet Bill gets in a shot. We get Yoshi, who can eat these pesky Bullet Bills and shoot them out like Spinies to break stuff. We make Yoshi shake his head to activate a switch so the platform moves. We encounter honing Bullet Bills. We take too many hits from the Bullet Bills and the Bob-ombs and died.
Take 2- I take 4 hits from the purple enemies. While on the platforms, we take out the Monty Moles with the Bill Blasters with the Bullet Bills that they fire. We miss the next platform and die from a purple enemy.
Take 3- We made it to the 2nd platform. We break the glass with a Bullet Bill to reveal a Sling Star and a black hole. We sling to the midgate. We snipe a Hammer Bro with a Bullet Bill and destroy a Bowser Jr. statue for a 1-up. I touch an electric fence. We lure a Bullet Bill to break the glass around the switch. Dark matter appears to the left and Airships come out of it. On the 2nd Airship, we quickly grab the Comet Medal and get back on the platform. We get a Life Shroom from the Luma Shop and trip the midgate. We launch to the next planet. Bowser Jr. appears in his cockpit. We don't know when to quit-(nope!). He will enjoy tkaing us out from the cozy confines of his robot cockpit (Hint-hint-target it!).He wants to know if we're any match for Megahammer. If we are, we'll get a Grand Star. The cockpit merges with a giant robot with 2 very big hammers-Megahammer indeed! It's got the Clown Copter's eyes. It shoots out Bullet Bills and Banzai Bills. It has two blue glass panels in the front, and we know what to do with glass-break it! Yoshi eats a Bullet Bill and we aim for a glass panel and it partially shatters. We take a hit from a Bullet Bill and break both sets of glass. We take another hit from a Bullet Bill, and then the Megahammer uses its hammers to knock out chunks in the floor. We walk off into a black hole.
Take 4- We buy another Life Shroom and launch. The battle music is weird with the sound effects of the robot. We take out the front pieces of glass. We wander around the ring to a Sling Star and sling over and behind the robot. We take out the glass in the back and take 2 hits. The cockpit flips around to reveal Bowser Jr. We fell in the hole because the hammers blocked our escape.
Take 5- We get another Life Shroom and have 2 lives left at this point. I took out the glass but took 2 many hits and died. At this point, I gave up because I needed more lives.
Take 6- I came back to this on the same day. I reached the midgate, got the statue 1-up, the Comet Medal, and barely made it to the pre-battle midgate- I broke the glass at the very last second. I bought a Life Shroom and launched. I got in all of the glass hits and died from Bullet Bills and the hammer shockwaves.
Take 7- I bought a Life Shroom and launched. I got in the glass hits. I finally had my epiphany- when the hammers pound twice, the robot leans forward enough, so that if Yoshi jumps while holding a Bullet Bill in his mouth, he can aim it at the cockpit. I finally got in my first hit. After taking a few more hits, I got in my 2nd hit. The cockpit glass is destroyed. I had taken a hit and I believe I was down to my last health bar. Yoshi was appearing to go in his shell when the cutscene takes over and the robot explodes. Bowser Jr. flies away and the Grand Star appears. I use the Sling Star to reach the Grand Star. Even though he went into his shell, Yoshi appears behind us for the Grand Star Get sequence.
GRAND STAR GET #3!
Star Get #36, 20 Comet Medals, 829 Star Bits, 909 Coins, 8 Lives
Interlude
Chush! Lubba says we did great work for getting the 3rd Grand Star. We're ready to fly through space and time. The monster's still out there so let's ship out to the next "world". We've come a long way thanks to our efforts, let's keep this good thing going. (Yes, our symbiotic relationship is going swimmingly. Still, why couldn't he build us a bigger, more opulent faceship? This one's starting to get crowded!)
We hear the same music and see more of those purple sparking enemies. They hit me twice and a Bullet Bill gets in a shot. We get Yoshi, who can eat these pesky Bullet Bills and shoot them out like Spinies to break stuff. We make Yoshi shake his head to activate a switch so the platform moves. We encounter honing Bullet Bills. We take too many hits from the Bullet Bills and the Bob-ombs and died.
Take 2- I take 4 hits from the purple enemies. While on the platforms, we take out the Monty Moles with the Bill Blasters with the Bullet Bills that they fire. We miss the next platform and die from a purple enemy.
Take 3- We made it to the 2nd platform. We break the glass with a Bullet Bill to reveal a Sling Star and a black hole. We sling to the midgate. We snipe a Hammer Bro with a Bullet Bill and destroy a Bowser Jr. statue for a 1-up. I touch an electric fence. We lure a Bullet Bill to break the glass around the switch. Dark matter appears to the left and Airships come out of it. On the 2nd Airship, we quickly grab the Comet Medal and get back on the platform. We get a Life Shroom from the Luma Shop and trip the midgate. We launch to the next planet. Bowser Jr. appears in his cockpit. We don't know when to quit-(nope!). He will enjoy tkaing us out from the cozy confines of his robot cockpit (Hint-hint-target it!).He wants to know if we're any match for Megahammer. If we are, we'll get a Grand Star. The cockpit merges with a giant robot with 2 very big hammers-Megahammer indeed! It's got the Clown Copter's eyes. It shoots out Bullet Bills and Banzai Bills. It has two blue glass panels in the front, and we know what to do with glass-break it! Yoshi eats a Bullet Bill and we aim for a glass panel and it partially shatters. We take a hit from a Bullet Bill and break both sets of glass. We take another hit from a Bullet Bill, and then the Megahammer uses its hammers to knock out chunks in the floor. We walk off into a black hole.
Take 4- We buy another Life Shroom and launch. The battle music is weird with the sound effects of the robot. We take out the front pieces of glass. We wander around the ring to a Sling Star and sling over and behind the robot. We take out the glass in the back and take 2 hits. The cockpit flips around to reveal Bowser Jr. We fell in the hole because the hammers blocked our escape.
Take 5- We get another Life Shroom and have 2 lives left at this point. I took out the glass but took 2 many hits and died. At this point, I gave up because I needed more lives.
Take 6- I came back to this on the same day. I reached the midgate, got the statue 1-up, the Comet Medal, and barely made it to the pre-battle midgate- I broke the glass at the very last second. I bought a Life Shroom and launched. I got in all of the glass hits and died from Bullet Bills and the hammer shockwaves.
Take 7- I bought a Life Shroom and launched. I got in the glass hits. I finally had my epiphany- when the hammers pound twice, the robot leans forward enough, so that if Yoshi jumps while holding a Bullet Bill in his mouth, he can aim it at the cockpit. I finally got in my first hit. After taking a few more hits, I got in my 2nd hit. The cockpit glass is destroyed. I had taken a hit and I believe I was down to my last health bar. Yoshi was appearing to go in his shell when the cutscene takes over and the robot explodes. Bowser Jr. flies away and the Grand Star appears. I use the Sling Star to reach the Grand Star. Even though he went into his shell, Yoshi appears behind us for the Grand Star Get sequence.
GRAND STAR GET #3!
Star Get #36, 20 Comet Medals, 829 Star Bits, 909 Coins, 8 Lives
Interlude
Chush! Lubba says we did great work for getting the 3rd Grand Star. We're ready to fly through space and time. The monster's still out there so let's ship out to the next "world". We've come a long way thanks to our efforts, let's keep this good thing going. (Yes, our symbiotic relationship is going swimmingly. Still, why couldn't he build us a bigger, more opulent faceship? This one's starting to get crowded!)
Friday, July 9, 2010
Bowser's Lava Lair- Bowser's Big Lava Power Party
Welcome Back to the Galaxy!
A lava party, huh? This can't be good. I don't like dealing with lava. This also isn't called a galaxy for some reason. The music is a remix of the Bowser music from Super Mario 64, but it's different than that found in Galaxy. Let's get our next Grand Star!
Take 1- Some days you just walk right off the level. I'm having one of those days.
Take 2- We walk forward and a Magikoopa appears at the edge of the platform. We spin to defeat it and a Pull Star appears. We land on a cylindrical planet with moving gears at its ends. In its center is a pool of lava with platforms moving through it. We reach the edge and pound the spring to go to the next planet. Here we have to negotiate circling balls of fire. I fell into the lava twice, but as with many lava levels, there is a Life Shroom. There is also a 1-up over the pool of lava. After breaking the crystal to free the Launch Star, we launch to a midgate.
The next area has more lava, with flipping platforms with Thwomp faces. They shake before they flip, so we can time our jumps over them. I fell in the lava here. Just to the left of them, we find the Toad Brigade. They are all scared, and surprisingly (or not surprisingly), Yellow Toad is wide awake. They found a Star Bit to help us. (Not a 1-up? A Star Bit isn't going to do me much good, guys!) I fell in the lava 2 more times and reached the next platform. Because the game didn't make the joke, I'm going to: Hammer Time! There's a Hammer Bro that we have to defeat here. We can spin to defeat him, which releases a Sling Star. There's a ? Coin. We get a 1-up for getting all of the coins within the time limit. We pound the red switch, which sends us plummeting to a new level. We find a few Whomps here. They also now sport the Ground-Pound symbol on their backs, but we already know what to do. I found the Comet Medal above a Whomp, but I was killed by it trying to reach the Medal.
Take 3- I defeated the Hammer Bro, got the 1-up from the ? Coin, a 100 Star Bit 1-up, took a hit from a Dry Bones and fell in the lava. I got the Comet Medal by standing near the top of the Whomp and stood on the flat surface when it stood up. We pass the Whomps to find the midgate, a large golden sphere with a Ground Pound symbol, and a nearby Luma. He says we can ground-pound this meteorite to break down the door. The meteorite has its own gravitational field, so we jump on it, stand on the symbol, and pound it. It goes flying into the door in front of it, sporting a seal with Bowser's logo on it. The seal breaks and releases the chain, opening the door. A purple beam, similar to the blue ones found in the final Bowser battle in Galaxy, appears and we are warped through the door to a new area.
There are Dry Bones skulls chewing holes into the floor. They move in circles, the floor regenerates, and jumping on their heads makes them change directions. Falling through the floor means death. I take a hit from a skull and move on. I find a 3x3 purple block platform, marked like the snaking platforms in some of the Mario sidescrolling games. This one operates the same way, but it can move in 3 dimensions. I get a Life Shroom and get good advice from a Luma to beware the statues. They are nearby Bowser statues, which turn toward you. They are paired on opposite sides of the platform and fire their lasers to create an electric fence. I take a hit from the electric fence and fell in the lava many times, but I made it to the other side with 1 Health Bar left. I defeated more Hammer Bros and got coins from the torches- this is a good sign: it's not searing hot here!.
I reach another midgate with a meteorite and 3 Bowser seals. I go to the left to find a flagpole with a Life Shroom over it -thank goodness! I jump on a meteorite and send it into the center seal. Another meteorite appears out of the ground. The 2nd one hits its mark. I tried hitting the next one, but it misses-you have to aim! I aim the 4th one and it breaks the seal. The door opens and the purple beam takes us through the door.
We land on a flat planet, and Mario puts on his angry face. We see why: Bowser is sitting on his throne, looking at us, mildly amused. To showcase his size, his throne is made up of a castle and its turrets. He says we finally showed up and calls us a little flea on a puny planetoid. He has the power to flatten us like a space pancake-I don't doubt that! Young Master Luma comes out from under Mario's hat to cheer us on.
Bowser sends us to a new planet. Bowser is so huge that he just floats over the planet. He summons meteors, creating golden shadows, to smash us and I take a hit from one. He then casts a golden shadow over the planet. (If he created a dark shadow, we wouldn't be able to see it against the brown planet.) He then punches the planet, where you happen to be standing, if you don't move. Not knowing the battle strategy yet, I tried to climb up his arm and attack his face. I took damage this way. It took a couple of cycles, but I finally noticed that when he punches the planet, the meteors rise up out of the ground. They shed their brown coating and reveal that they are meteorites, and we know what to do with these! I took a hit from one and rode it up. I send it flying into Bowser and he is stunned and Star Bits appear. Bingo! I know how to beat him now! He breathes fire over the planet, and I get burned by it. I send a 2nd meteorite into his head and later a 3rd into his body. This last hit knocks the Grand Star out of him -it comes out of his belly- and he shrinks back to his normal size, futilely clawing for it, but it's just out of his reach.
We land back where we first saw him. He remembers why we're his archnemesis-we're annoyingly hard to squish. (I'll take that as a compliment.) But he wins anyway: his master plan moved onto the next phase during the battle. Tough luck! The fiend! He was just stalling us! He spins with the dark power from the 2nd Battle in Galaxy and disappears. The Grand Star appears after he leaves-otherwise he could just take it again.
GRAND STAR GET #2!
Star Get #24, 13 Medals, 593 Star Bits, 645 Coins, 11 Lives
Interlude
The Grand Star becomes a portal to a new "world". Chush! Lubba says we fought a giant monseter, but he turned tail and ran off. Let's get on after him because we can keep going with the new Grand Star's power. Our special one's still with the monster, so let's not sit around getting older. Let's get going!
A lava party, huh? This can't be good. I don't like dealing with lava. This also isn't called a galaxy for some reason. The music is a remix of the Bowser music from Super Mario 64, but it's different than that found in Galaxy. Let's get our next Grand Star!
Take 1- Some days you just walk right off the level. I'm having one of those days.
Take 2- We walk forward and a Magikoopa appears at the edge of the platform. We spin to defeat it and a Pull Star appears. We land on a cylindrical planet with moving gears at its ends. In its center is a pool of lava with platforms moving through it. We reach the edge and pound the spring to go to the next planet. Here we have to negotiate circling balls of fire. I fell into the lava twice, but as with many lava levels, there is a Life Shroom. There is also a 1-up over the pool of lava. After breaking the crystal to free the Launch Star, we launch to a midgate.
The next area has more lava, with flipping platforms with Thwomp faces. They shake before they flip, so we can time our jumps over them. I fell in the lava here. Just to the left of them, we find the Toad Brigade. They are all scared, and surprisingly (or not surprisingly), Yellow Toad is wide awake. They found a Star Bit to help us. (Not a 1-up? A Star Bit isn't going to do me much good, guys!) I fell in the lava 2 more times and reached the next platform. Because the game didn't make the joke, I'm going to: Hammer Time! There's a Hammer Bro that we have to defeat here. We can spin to defeat him, which releases a Sling Star. There's a ? Coin. We get a 1-up for getting all of the coins within the time limit. We pound the red switch, which sends us plummeting to a new level. We find a few Whomps here. They also now sport the Ground-Pound symbol on their backs, but we already know what to do. I found the Comet Medal above a Whomp, but I was killed by it trying to reach the Medal.
Take 3- I defeated the Hammer Bro, got the 1-up from the ? Coin, a 100 Star Bit 1-up, took a hit from a Dry Bones and fell in the lava. I got the Comet Medal by standing near the top of the Whomp and stood on the flat surface when it stood up. We pass the Whomps to find the midgate, a large golden sphere with a Ground Pound symbol, and a nearby Luma. He says we can ground-pound this meteorite to break down the door. The meteorite has its own gravitational field, so we jump on it, stand on the symbol, and pound it. It goes flying into the door in front of it, sporting a seal with Bowser's logo on it. The seal breaks and releases the chain, opening the door. A purple beam, similar to the blue ones found in the final Bowser battle in Galaxy, appears and we are warped through the door to a new area.
There are Dry Bones skulls chewing holes into the floor. They move in circles, the floor regenerates, and jumping on their heads makes them change directions. Falling through the floor means death. I take a hit from a skull and move on. I find a 3x3 purple block platform, marked like the snaking platforms in some of the Mario sidescrolling games. This one operates the same way, but it can move in 3 dimensions. I get a Life Shroom and get good advice from a Luma to beware the statues. They are nearby Bowser statues, which turn toward you. They are paired on opposite sides of the platform and fire their lasers to create an electric fence. I take a hit from the electric fence and fell in the lava many times, but I made it to the other side with 1 Health Bar left. I defeated more Hammer Bros and got coins from the torches- this is a good sign: it's not searing hot here!.
I reach another midgate with a meteorite and 3 Bowser seals. I go to the left to find a flagpole with a Life Shroom over it -thank goodness! I jump on a meteorite and send it into the center seal. Another meteorite appears out of the ground. The 2nd one hits its mark. I tried hitting the next one, but it misses-you have to aim! I aim the 4th one and it breaks the seal. The door opens and the purple beam takes us through the door.
We land on a flat planet, and Mario puts on his angry face. We see why: Bowser is sitting on his throne, looking at us, mildly amused. To showcase his size, his throne is made up of a castle and its turrets. He says we finally showed up and calls us a little flea on a puny planetoid. He has the power to flatten us like a space pancake-I don't doubt that! Young Master Luma comes out from under Mario's hat to cheer us on.
Bowser sends us to a new planet. Bowser is so huge that he just floats over the planet. He summons meteors, creating golden shadows, to smash us and I take a hit from one. He then casts a golden shadow over the planet. (If he created a dark shadow, we wouldn't be able to see it against the brown planet.) He then punches the planet, where you happen to be standing, if you don't move. Not knowing the battle strategy yet, I tried to climb up his arm and attack his face. I took damage this way. It took a couple of cycles, but I finally noticed that when he punches the planet, the meteors rise up out of the ground. They shed their brown coating and reveal that they are meteorites, and we know what to do with these! I took a hit from one and rode it up. I send it flying into Bowser and he is stunned and Star Bits appear. Bingo! I know how to beat him now! He breathes fire over the planet, and I get burned by it. I send a 2nd meteorite into his head and later a 3rd into his body. This last hit knocks the Grand Star out of him -it comes out of his belly- and he shrinks back to his normal size, futilely clawing for it, but it's just out of his reach.
We land back where we first saw him. He remembers why we're his archnemesis-we're annoyingly hard to squish. (I'll take that as a compliment.) But he wins anyway: his master plan moved onto the next phase during the battle. Tough luck! The fiend! He was just stalling us! He spins with the dark power from the 2nd Battle in Galaxy and disappears. The Grand Star appears after he leaves-otherwise he could just take it again.
GRAND STAR GET #2!
Star Get #24, 13 Medals, 593 Star Bits, 645 Coins, 11 Lives
Interlude
The Grand Star becomes a portal to a new "world". Chush! Lubba says we fought a giant monseter, but he turned tail and ran off. Let's get on after him because we can keep going with the new Grand Star's power. Our special one's still with the monster, so let's not sit around getting older. Let's get going!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla - Gobblegut's Aching Belly
Welcome Back to the Galaxy!
Surprisingly, they don't call this a galaxy. It occupies the "castle" spot on the "World" Map, so this is the last place to go for Stars in "World" 1. There are lots of Bowser Jr. statues. The music is new. It is initially mischievious and playful, then turns darker with a sense of adventure, kind of like Robin Hood. We take a hit from a Helmet Goomba. Early on, we come across a Thwomp. Being curious, we wall jump to the top of the Thwomp and find the Comet Medal. There is a door with Jr.'s face on it. We flip a switch to open it. We see a sea of lava and lava pillars, but there isn't anything to worry about if you stay on the platform in the middle. We dodge the Dry Bones on the platform. We reach the Launch Star and launch to the next planet.
We reach the midgate, and after taking a hit from a Dry Bones, we get a Life Shroom. We launch again and reach the battle arena.
Bowser Jr. appears in a space capsule, with the same music heard in Galaxy. He says we've made it this far, but he won't need his dad's help to beat us. He has a big surprise for us. Dinner's on for Gobblegut, but he should watch out for his Bellyache Bulges. (If the game wants to let you know what to do, the text will change colors for the item of interest- it's sort of a "Hint-hint, wink-wink, nudge-nudge".) The text appears red in the game. Bowser Jr. leaves and a large dragon with color-changing scales appears, and the music changes to new music. He has no arms or legs, but glides with grace and ease, like Fracktail and Wracktail. It's almost enchanting to watch. His snorts sound like a train whistle. The enchantment ends when he dives into the tiny planet your standing on, nearly hitting you in the process. He gets momentarily stuck at the red bulges in his body. You have a small window of time to spin the bulges. They burst into red dots-gross! Gobblegut will come back while the rest of him tries to go through the planet, and dive in near you. After bursting about 3 bulges, Gobblegut will snort again, turn red, and release more Star Bits. After taking out the bulges, (there are about 6) beams of light will come out of Gobblegut (like the way the bosses go in Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story), and he'll explode. This releases a Grand Star. We grab the Grand Star, with remixed Grand Star music. Hey! We got a big Star! The game is over! Time to rescue the Princess!
GRAND STAR GET! #1
There is similar animation back to Starship Mario as in Galaxy, but instead of going into the beacon, it disappears above S.S. Mario (Starship Mario) and forms a portak to the next "World".
Star Get #12, 7 Comet Medals, 281 Star Bits, 490 Coins, 9 Lives
Interlude
Lubba says Choosh! He notices we brought back a Grand Star. We can use its power to travel to another "world" and we're onestep closer to retrieving our special one. We'll travel through time and space to unknown "world". Mario takes the helm, and with a train whistle, the S.S. Mario takes off through the portal into the new "world" where we should find more Stars.
Surprisingly, they don't call this a galaxy. It occupies the "castle" spot on the "World" Map, so this is the last place to go for Stars in "World" 1. There are lots of Bowser Jr. statues. The music is new. It is initially mischievious and playful, then turns darker with a sense of adventure, kind of like Robin Hood. We take a hit from a Helmet Goomba. Early on, we come across a Thwomp. Being curious, we wall jump to the top of the Thwomp and find the Comet Medal. There is a door with Jr.'s face on it. We flip a switch to open it. We see a sea of lava and lava pillars, but there isn't anything to worry about if you stay on the platform in the middle. We dodge the Dry Bones on the platform. We reach the Launch Star and launch to the next planet.
We reach the midgate, and after taking a hit from a Dry Bones, we get a Life Shroom. We launch again and reach the battle arena.
Bowser Jr. appears in a space capsule, with the same music heard in Galaxy. He says we've made it this far, but he won't need his dad's help to beat us. He has a big surprise for us. Dinner's on for Gobblegut, but he should watch out for his Bellyache Bulges. (If the game wants to let you know what to do, the text will change colors for the item of interest- it's sort of a "Hint-hint, wink-wink, nudge-nudge".) The text appears red in the game. Bowser Jr. leaves and a large dragon with color-changing scales appears, and the music changes to new music. He has no arms or legs, but glides with grace and ease, like Fracktail and Wracktail. It's almost enchanting to watch. His snorts sound like a train whistle. The enchantment ends when he dives into the tiny planet your standing on, nearly hitting you in the process. He gets momentarily stuck at the red bulges in his body. You have a small window of time to spin the bulges. They burst into red dots-gross! Gobblegut will come back while the rest of him tries to go through the planet, and dive in near you. After bursting about 3 bulges, Gobblegut will snort again, turn red, and release more Star Bits. After taking out the bulges, (there are about 6) beams of light will come out of Gobblegut (like the way the bosses go in Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story), and he'll explode. This releases a Grand Star. We grab the Grand Star, with remixed Grand Star music. Hey! We got a big Star! The game is over! Time to rescue the Princess!
GRAND STAR GET! #1
There is similar animation back to Starship Mario as in Galaxy, but instead of going into the beacon, it disappears above S.S. Mario (Starship Mario) and forms a portak to the next "World".
Star Get #12, 7 Comet Medals, 281 Star Bits, 490 Coins, 9 Lives
Interlude
Lubba says Choosh! He notices we brought back a Grand Star. We can use its power to travel to another "world" and we're onestep closer to retrieving our special one. We'll travel through time and space to unknown "world". Mario takes the helm, and with a train whistle, the S.S. Mario takes off through the portal into the new "world" where we should find more Stars.
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