The 'Shroom:Issue LXXIV/Pipe Plaza

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Director's Notes (Paper Yoshi (talk))

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the May Issue of Pipe Plaza! I have important news regarding my position as Upcoming Games writer, but that will be covered in UG itself, so be sure to check it out!

Aside from that, there's nothing else I'd like to talk about, so let's move on to...

Section of the Month

Last month's SotM poll got only 15 votes, with a 40% decrease from the March poll's 25.

The April Section of the Month, with 6 votes (37.5% of the total) is...

...Anniversary Announcements, for the first time!!!

Anniversary Announcements, which was written by Turboo (talk) in the last issue, presents readers with an overview of everything related to the Super Mario Wiki's Anniversary festivities, including news on the Awards and other anniversary-related events. Last month, Turboo focused on the award changes that were discussed by the Awards Committee in March. The second-placed section was Projects Seeking Contributors, written by YoshiKong (talk), with 4 votes (25%), while MrConcreteDonkey (talk) got third place with his Forum Update, earning a total of 3 votes (18.75%).


So, that's all for now, folks! I hope you enjoy this issue!!

Monthly Report (Paper Yoshi (talk))

Hello, readers, and welcome to another issue of Monthly Report!! I'm Paper Yoshi, the Pipe Plaza Director, and this month I'll be showing you the wiki statistics from May, April and March, along with comparisons between those sets of stats.

(Credit goes to Stooben Rooben (talk) and Super Mario Bros. (talk) for the table coding. Stooben originally created it when writing this section back in Issues XXIII, XXV and XXVI, and SMB based his coding for Issues XXXIX, XL and XLI – which I am using in this issue – off of Stooben's coding.)

May Statistics
Statistic As of 12 May 2013 (19:30)*
Content Pages 13,377
All Pages 100,560
Files 44,157
Edits 1,329,691
Edits per Page 13.22
Registered Users 14,570
Active Users 463
Bots 2
Autopatrolled 42
Patrollers 5
Administrators 10
Bureaucrats 4
Proprietor 1


April Statistics
Statistic As of 13 April 2013 (10:05)*
Content Pages 13,137
All Pages 99,103
Files 43,293
Edits 1,310,760
Edits per Page 13.23
Registered Users 14,342
Active Users 481
Bots 2
Autopatrolled 41
Patrollers 6
Administrators 10
Bureaucrats 4
Proprietor 1


March Statistics
Statistic As of 8 March 2013 (09:30)*
Content Pages 12,946
All Pages 97,394
Files 42,208
Edits 1,283,866
Edits per Page 13.18
Registered Users 14,025
Active Users 428
Bots 2
Autopatrolled 40
Patrollers 6
Administrators 11
Bureaucrats 4
Proprietor 1


April — May Statistics
Statistic As of 13 April 2013 (10:05)* As of 12 May 2013 (19:30)* Percentage Change
Content Pages 13,137 13,377 +1.827%
All Pages 99,103 100,560 +1.47%
Files 43,293 44,157 +1.996%
Edits 1,310,760 1,329,691 +1.444%
Edits per Page 13.23 13.22 -0.075%
Registered Users 14,342 14,570 +1.59%
Active Users 481 463 -3.742%
Bots 2 2 0%
Autopatrolled 41 42 +2.439%
Patrollers 6 5 -16.667%
Administrators 10 10 0%
Bureaucrats 4 4 0%
Proprietor 1 1 0%


March — May Statistics
Statistic As of 8 March 2013 (09:30)* As of 12 May 2013 (19:30)* Percentage Change
Content Pages 12,946 13,377 +3.329%
All Pages 97,394 100,560 +3.251%
Files 42,208 44,157 +4.618%
Edits 1,283,866 1,329,691 +3.569%
Edits per Page 13.18 13.22 +0.303%
Registered Users 14,025 14,570 +3.886%
Active Users 428 463 +8.177%
Bots 2 2 0%
Autopatrolled 40 42 +5%
Patrollers 6 5 -16.667%
Administrators 11 10 -9.091%
Bureaucrats 4 4 0%
Proprietor 1 1 0%
*All times EST.

Community Report (YoshiKong (talk))

Hey and welcome to the Community Report, here to keep you updated on the latest wiki happenings. So during this month on the wiki, we've had quite a big change in staff. There have been two demotions since the last issue: former Pipe Plaza writer Bop1996 (talk) has demoted from sysop to autopatrolled due to inactivity. And Fun Stuff director Marshal Dan Troop (talk) has resigned from his patroller position. On top of these, we have also had two promotions. Turboo (talk) was promoted to a patroller: congratulations! And yours truly YoshiKong was made a sysop.

These are the most recent proposals which have reached a consensus.

  • Yoshi876 (talk)'s proposal to tell non-trolling IPs when their edits are undone on a routine basis failed 1-15.
  • Goomba (talk)'s proposal to have a notice, much like the "new messages" template, to appear when an item on a user's watchlist is changed failed 5-15.
  • Goomba (talk)'s proposal to allow featuring/unfeaturing article nominations to pass by majority failed 3-14.
  • Mariotime11 (talk)'s proposal to use promotion/demotion templates failed 3-15.
  • LeftyGreenMario (talk)'s proposal to delete links to passed talk page proposals only until action has been taken passed 10-0.
  • Turboo (talk)'s proposal to change inappropriate and undescriptive file names passed 22-0.
  • Mariotime11 (talk)'s proposal to add {{plain link}} to Help:Link was withdrawn at a score of 2-0, so it may be discussed on the forums instead.

And the following are talk page proposals which have recently reached a consensus.

We now bring you the talk page proposals currently in progress.


And that's it for this month's Community Report! We hope that you enjoy the rest of the issue.

Projects Seeking Contributors (YoshiKong (talk))

Hey and what's up? Welcome to Projects Seeking Contributors. This section will bring attention to any new and active projects on the wiki where input and general discussion are needed. Let's start with the most active and recent projects seen on the Wiki Collaborations forum board.

Topic Started by... Description
Post Sticky Icon.png Holy Grails Glowsquid
Glowsquid (talk)
A request for valuable information to help expand articles article subjects which are hard to come by. If you are knowledgeable about any content outlined in the thread, then please let us know.
Post Sticky Icon.png 'Shroom Spotlight Hobbes
Henry Tucayo Clay (talk)
Read about the latest updates and progress on the 'Shroom Spotlight project. Users are welcome to post feedback and suggestions for future editions.
Post Normal Icon.png COLLABORATION: Image replace-a-thon 2010 of 2013 RAP
RAP (talk)
Coinciding with the User:RAP/test3 project on the wiki, this is a collaboration to help reupload higher quality versions of a list of images. Sign-ups are available on the project talk page.
Post Normal Icon.png Collab: Removing uppercases Banon
Banon (talk)
As per a new guideline, only the first word and proper nouns should be capitalized in article section titles. This is a big change, and we need users to collaborate and get all the articles on the wiki to follow this standard.
Post Normal Icon.png Collab: Get rid of the years redirects Banon
Banon (talk)
There are many redirects which link to the years subsection in the List of Mario games by date article. But as our our policy states, they should be made into proper links.
Post Normal Icon.png Collaboration: Diddy Kong Racing Course Articles La Marionette
LeftyGreenMario (talk)
A collaboration to expand and improve the Diddy Kong Racing course articles. Help is required in general rewriting and uploading additional images.
Post Normal Icon.png "Bodies of water" Ambassador
Mariotime11 (talk)
Category:Bodies of Water should only include locations which are actual bodies of water, such as rivers and oceans, rather than every place which contains water. Help us out by removing the redundant from necessary pages.
Post Normal Icon.png Request: SM3DL Japanese trading cards YoshiKong
YoshiKong (talk)
A request for information and scans of a Japanese Super Mario 3D Land trading card set. There are currently four of these cards uploaded on the wiki.
Post Normal Icon.png Translation request: WarioWare Smooth Moves "blog" Glowsquid
Glowsquid (talk)
A Japanese blog regarding the characters seen in the game WarioWare: Smooth Moves has been requested to be translated.
Post Normal Icon.png Mini collab: removing genre and platform of the game in beginnings of articles Banon
Banon (talk)
Some of the opening sentences of articles specify the genre, platform and release date of the game which the subject appeared in. This is unnecessary, and articles with this same approach should be fixed.
Post Normal Icon.png Bad "references" Pyro
Pyro (talk)
A lot of references may be too generic or vague to be called a reference. Discuss those that should be removed.
Post Normal Icon.png Request: Figuring out potential Mario reference in Yu-Gi-Oh manga Charmander
Kibago (talk)
A scan of an English Yu-Gi-Oh manga shows a reference which is made to the Mario Bros. The original Japanese page scan is requested, to confirm that that the reference wasn't added only in the unofficial translation.
Post Normal Icon.png Collab: Empty Section Policy Baby Luigi
BabyLuigiOnFire (talk)
A collaboration to help articles comply with the Empty Section Policy.
Post Normal Icon.png Request: Official enemy name YoshiKong
YoshiKong (talk)
An official name is requested for a purple enemy which is seen in the game Yoshi Topsy-Turvy.
Post Normal Icon.png Collaboration: Unstubify Knife
Knife (talk)
A collaboration to help clear the stub list, which is currently at around 150 articles.

And that's it for Wiki Collaborations. Once again, see the forum board for the complete list. Next up, we have the discussions which are currently taking place on article talk pages. These can be seen at Category:Talk pages with unresolved issues. The list is as follows.

Talk page discussion Started by... Description
Template talk:DidYouKnow RAP (talk) It has been suggested that a page is created where past "Did You Know?" entries are kept archived. Opinions on the idea are required.
Talk:Green Boo Banon (talk) Discuss whether "Green Boo" is an official name.
Talk:List of Paper Mario beta elements Yoshi876 (talk) The article list of Paper Mario beta elements, being a Featured Article, has a fairly short introduction. Discuss how it can be expanded.
Talk:List of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door beta elements Glowsquid (talk) A source is requested for a piece of info regarding a "sick status effect" seen on the beta elements page of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
Talk:List of quotes in the Mario Kart series Yoshi876 (talk) The page list of quotes in the Mario Kart series mainly contains expressions, rather than any proper quotes. Discuss whether the page should be deleted or not.
Talk:Mario & Wario Time Q (talk) An older question from 2008, though it still needs to be resolved. The source of the world names on the Mario & Wario is unknown, and they might not be official names. If you are able to help confirm whether these names are official or not, please post a comment.
Talk:Mario's Early Years! Fun with Letters Baconator (talk) Help us find the correct release date for the game Mario's Early Years! Fun with Letters. It is believed to be around 1993-1994.
Talk:Number Cruncher LeftyGreenMario (talk) A possible reference to the Mars People from Metal Slug 2 is being questioned.
Talk:Planet Bomber 1337star (talk) Discuss whether the article Planet Bomber should be moved to Bomberland, as that is the title seen in Mario media such as the game Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!.
MarioWiki talk:Proposals LeftyGreenMario (talk) Discuss whether the proposal archives should be reorganized, so they may be easier to find.
File talk:SM64DS-First Floor Map.GIF Megadardery (talk) There are two versions of a picture which maps out the first floor of Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64 DS. Help us decide which one to keep and which one to delete.
Talk:Softnica Glowsquid (talk) Discuss the relationship between the companies Softnica and Pax Softnica, including trying to find the correct release date of the company as multiple sources give different dates. A user fluent in Japanese is requested to translate several pages which may give clarification between the two companies.
Category talk:Staff RAP (talk) Category:Staff contains many staff pages, which lists people who worked on a particular game. However, most of the pages only has Nintendo America credited for localizing games. The credits for other regions should be listed as well.
Talk:The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters Grandy02 (talk) The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a documentary not endorsed by Nintendo. It has been suggested that the article is merged with List of references in film.
Talk:Yoshi Banon (talk) Discuss whether the Yoshi from Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is the character Yoshi, or the non-individual Yoshi.

And that's all for this month's Projects Seeking Contributors. If you think you could help out with any of the issues above, please take part in the said discussion taking place. We'll be updating this section next issue with any new discussions that need attention.

Tip of the Month (FunkyK38 (talk))

Always make sure your spacing is correct before saving edits to a page. Improper spacing in a table could mess up the entire format. Leaving a space before text or an image on a page with the space bar will result in that text being surrounded by a dashed blue box, which is quite unsightly in an article.

Mario Calendar (Paper Yoshi (talk))

Hello, and welcome to another issue of Mario Calendar! There isn't anything new regarding this section, so let's check all the Mario, Yoshi, DK and Wario games released during the fifth month of the calendar year. Here they are:

Abb. Console/Store
NES Nintendo Entertainment System
SNES Super Nintendo Entertainment System
N64 Nintendo 64
GCN Nintendo GameCube
Wii Nintendo Wii
GB Game Boy
GBC Game Boy Color
GBA Game Boy Advance
NDS Nintendo DS
3DS Nintendo 3DS
VC Wii Shop - Virtual Console
3DSVC Nintendo eShop - Virtual Console
Abb. Region
NA North America
JP Japan
EU Europe
AU Australia/New Zealand
KO Republic of Korea
CN People's Rep. of China

And that's all for Mario Calendar this month! See you in Upcoming Games!!

Upcoming Games (Paper Yoshi (talk))

Hello, readers, and welcome to Upcoming Games!! As I said earlier in my notes, I have a very important announcement regarding this section, so let's get to it right away.

Starting this month, I'll switch to a bi-monthly writing plan for Upcoming Games. I have been struggling to finish my sections before the deadline in one way or another for a whopping six months, and, even though I was able to cope with that in the last six issues, it has become impossible for me to continue doing all this work. Upcoming Games takes up a considerable time for me to write, since it usually involves a lot of research. That, plus all the stuff I have to do for college, has been driving me crazy during the two weeks preceding each issue's release, so I ultimately decided to change it. I will write for this month's issue, and then the bi-monthly writing cycle begins. However, I might write for the June Issue in case the E3 coverage needs to be split up between the June and July Issues.

Well, I guess that's all I wanted to say! Now it's time to discuss...

Another Nintendo Direct Conference!

Nintendo held yet another Nintendo Direct conference last month, on April 17th. That was before Issue LXXIII was released, but, since the Pipe Plaza was done by then, I decided to write about it in the following issue, which happens to be this one.

As with the other Nintendo Direct videos, Satoru Iwata, the President of Nintendo, unveiled many new details on previously announced games, aside from two new 3DS Mario titles. The first game to be featured in the broadcast was Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, as Mr. Iwata walked viewers through a bit of the game's story and some gameplay aspects. Princess Peach is, once again, for the thousandth time, kidnapped, and then dragged to Luigi's Dream World. Mario must explore said world, which may be accessed when Luigi sleeps on a magical pillow, in order to save Peach.

A screenshot from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Now that is a bunch of Luigis!

The gameplay is basically the same from previous games in the series, with some unique mechanics. Although he's sleeping while Mario explores the Dream World, Luigi is able to help his big bro in various situations, including platforming segments and enemy battles. The battle system remains virtually unchanged, with five categories of attack, as in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. However, a new special attack category, called Luiginary Attacks, replaces Bros. Attacks in the Dream World. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team will be released in North America on August 11th, and in Europe, Australia and Japan on July 12th, 13th and 18th, respectively.

Iwata-san then proceeded to talk a bit about Mario Golf: World Tour. As the game's subtitle suggests, World Tour will feature online worldwide multiplayer, as well as local multiplayer. It will also use the Community system introduced in Mario Kart 7 to let players join themed matches. The game will be released in all regions this summer.

The first new Mario game to appear in the conference was Mario Party (tentative title), for the Nintendo 3DS. The gameplay remains the same from other Mario Party titles, with a twist this time around. The 3DS Mario Party installment will feature seven different boards to choose from, and each will have their own set of rules. Boards will also differ in game length; some will be shorter, while players will compete for a longer period of time in others. MP3DS will also support AR cards, as some minigames will require them. Mario Party is scheduled to be released this winter.

A screenshot from Mario Party
INCOMING!!!

Afterwards, Satoru Iwata presented additional information regarding Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. A new mode, fittingly called the New Mode, will be added to the game in order to make it easier and more friendly for new players, or players that found the original game too challenging. In the New Mode, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong have three hearts each, instead of the two from the Wii version. Additionally, it will feature items designed to help the player in various ways, such as the Green Balloon, which will float players back to safety once after a fall. A brand new world has also been added to the game: it will be unlocked after the player beats the main game, in either mode. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D will be released in North America and Europe on May 24th, in Australia on May 25th and in Japan on June 16th.

Another game discussed by the President of Nintendo was Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move, which, as of the time of writing this, has already been released in North America, Europe and Australia. It introduces a new perspective to the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series with brand new 3D-styled levels. Minis on the Move features over 180 levels across four different game modes. Those include a broad variety of levels, from small and simple ones to gigantic levels that don't fit in a single 3DS screen. Minigames are also included in Minis on the Move. The game will be released in Japan this summer.

Mr. Iwata also unveiled a second new Mario game: Yoshi's Island (tentative title), for the Nintendo 3DS. More details about the game will be announced in a future date. Lastly, Bill Trinen, from the Nintendo Treehouse, announced that Game & Wario will be released in North America on June 23rd. It will also be released in Europe and Australia on June 28th and 29th, respectively.

Digital Releases

Nintendo launched the Wii U Virtual Console in all regions last month (check below for specific release dates), and three Mario games were released alongside the Virtual Console launch: Super Mario World (SNES), in all regions; Donkey Kong Jr. (NES), in North America, Europe and Australia; and Mario's Super Picross (SNES), in Japan, Europe and Australia.

The Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console also got new titles in the last few days. Yoshi (NES) was released on May 2nd in Europe and Australia, while Mario Bros. (NES) was released in Japan on May 8th.

Release Dates

Released Games
  • Super Mario World (SNES) – Wii U Virtual Console
    • North America: April 26th
    • Japan and Europe: April 27th
    • Australia: April 28th
  • Donkey Kong Jr. (NES) – Wii U Virtual Console
    • North America: April 26th
    • Europe: April 27th
    • Australia: April 28th
  • Mario's Super Picross (SNES) – Wii U Virtual Console
    • Japan and Europe: April 27th
    • Australia: April 28th
  • Yoshi (NES) – Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console
    • Europe and Australia: May 2nd
  • Mario Bros. (NES) – Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console
    • Japan: May 8th
  • Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move
    • North America and Europe: May 9th
    • Australia: May 10th
Upcoming Games
  • Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move
    • Japan: Summer 2013 (as Mario and Donkey Kong: Mini Mini Carnival)
  • Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
    • North America and Europe: May 24th
    • Australia: May 25th
    • Japan: June 16th
  • Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
    • Europe: July 12th (as Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros.)
    • Australia: July 13th (as Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros.)
    • Japan: July 18th (as Mario & Luigi RPG 4: Dream Adventure)
    • North America: August 11th
  • Mario Golf: World Tour
    • North America, Europe and Japan: Summer 2013
    • Australia: Winter 2013
  • Mario Party (tentative title)
    • North America: Winter 2013
  • Yoshi's Island (tentative title)
    • All regions: to be announced

Update: Last Minute News!

Hello, everyone, this is Paper Yoshi (talk) with news on the latest Nintendo Direct video, which was broadcast earlier today (May 17th). I could cover this in a future issue, since we're just one day away from release, but, as I will switch to a bi-monthly writing plan – meaning I won't write Upcoming Games in the next issue – I decided to write it today. As always, Satoru Iwata unveiled new games and more details on previously covered games.

The video kicked off with the announcement of a new installment in the Mario & Sonic series. Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games will be the fourth game in the series, and will retain the same gameplay as its predecessors. More details will be unveiled in the future.

Afterwards, JC Rodrigo, from the Nintendo Treehouse, proceeded to show a few more gameplay details and additional footage for both Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. Minis on the Move was released in North America earlier this month, on May 9th, while DKCR3D will hit physical and digital shelves a few days from now, on May 24th (check above for release dates in other regions).

JC then showed three minigames from Game & Wario: Islands, Patchwork and Kung Fu. Islands is a multiplayer minigame in which players must catapult their Fronks to an island divided in sections that give different amounts of points. The objective is to score the most points, done by correctly landing Fronks on the island and knocking other players' Fronks off. Patchwork is a single-player game that consists on placing patches onto a cloth to decipher the hidden shape of an object. In Kung Fu, players must guide the jumping Young Cricket through different platforming levels by tilting the Wii U GamePad.

Mr. Iwata made a second appearance to deliver more information regarding New Super Luigi U, a special DLC pack for New Super Mario Bros. U. Since the game will not feature Mario as a playable character, he will be replaced by Nabbit, an enemy from NSMBU who stole items from Toad Houses. Nabbit won't be able to use collected power-ups, but, in turn, he won't take damage by touching enemies. New Super Luigi U will be released as DLC for NSMBU in Japan on June 19th, in North America and Europe on June 20th and in Australia on July 21st. Additionally, a standalone retail version of the game, which will not require the player to own NSMBU, will be released in Japan, Europe and Australia on July 13th, 26th and 27th, respectively, and in North America on August 25th.

Lastly, as a separate piece of news, Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES) was released for the North American Wii U Virtual Console yesterday, May 16th.

Release Dates

  • Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES) – Wii U Virtual Console
    • North America: released on May 16th
  • New Super Luigi U – Nintendo eShop
    • Japan: June 19th
    • North America and Europe: June 20th
    • Australia: July 21st
  • New Super Luigi U – retail version
    • Japan: July 13th
    • Europe: July 26th
    • Australia: July 27th
    • North America: August 25th

And that's all for this last minute section of Upcoming Games! I'll be back with more news in July, so please stay tuned!!




Issue LXXIV
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