Mailbag
16 Nov 2001

Mailbag by J.J.

J.J.
Resident evil

Got something you want us to answer next week? Send it to tmk_mailbag@kontek.net.

Well, this was TMK's first ever "themed" mailbag. Last week David asked a question and in turn, one person responded. Hooray! Our best turn out ever!

    While waiting for the Game Cube, I have been eating candy nonstop. I went trick-or-treating (which is unusual for a 16-year-old) this Halloween. Speaking of which, it was the best Halloween ever. I got some Mario candy. One is a tiny Gameboy Advance with gummy Mario, DK, Link, and some others inside. The other is a bob-omb filled with delicious green powder. To work off the excess calories, I have been exercising my hands with long sessions of Advance Wars.

    Sincerely,
    -Grady

J.J.: Haha! I saw those in the store, they're cool. But expensive. You must live in a rich neighborhood if people are giving out those things.

    While waiting for the release of the Nintendo Game cube, I have been attempting to figure out how I'm ever going to afford the Nintendo Game cube.

    -The Dover Tornado

J.J.: Maybe you should get someone from Grady's neighborhood to adopt you.

    Why was some of the Mario merchandise in the 80's so corny? Did people have bad taste back then? For example, the Mario and Link Nintendo cereal, on the box Link said, "We saved breakfast!" Did the people of Nintendo make up what they say, or did the companies just want to make a laugh at Nintendo?

    -Marlinei

J.J.: The 80's were a time when companies first realized that consumers are willing to buy just about any kind of crazy crap. It didn't matter what the quality was or how much it cost, just make it, and some goober will eventually buy it. That was generally the philosophy associated with most Mario merchandise.

    I just read the question on who Wart is. Well I actually asked Nintendo this question at one point. The real answer is since SMB2 was a dream, any relation Wart has with Bowser is only in Mario's dreams(which of course we don't know).

    -Sean Kelly

J.J.: Sean Kelly, you send us way too many e-mails. Please get a life.

    I sent this over to deezer@usa.net but it didn't work... this is my review on Super Mario Bros. the movie... please post it in that section... here it is:

    okay... I watched Super Mario Bros. in the THEATRES when it came out (GASP!) that is right, my fellow Mario-maniax, I actually went to see it, and surprisingly, I wasn't stopped by speed bumps (Nintendo Power inference)... it was when I was in the first grade and it was my first field trip... not much of a field trip: we walked over to Ocean Bank to see it... I vaguely remember parts of it when I actually saw it for the first time... years later, I am proud to say that I love that movie... yes, I do... every time I get a chance to see it on TV, I watch it with my brother, like on Disney Channel and such... why do so many people have "beef" with it? I think it's a good movie!... "DIE PLUMBER!"... was I the only one to anxiously wait for the sequel when I saw Daisy come back to Brooklyn in the end?... I WANT A SEQUEL... like that's gonna happen... granted, it wasn't closely based on the video games but we can past that, right guys?... whatever, I thought the Bob-omb with the trademark shoe logo on it was genius (not to mention blatant advertisement)... but seriously, don't take my word on it: I'm the guy that ACTUALLY went out to see it... sheesh.....

    -biZkitLIMP316

J.J.: Personally.... I didn't mind the SMB film all that much.... It had a lot of interesting subtle Mario references.... like the ones you mentioned. It was really more of a kids' movie.... however. Most kids that I know..... liked it at the time.

    Okay. Here's my next question. In the kid Icarus game, the one that got cancelled with the enemy that looked like a breast squirting milk, why couldn't they just give it an M rating?

    -Vidgmchtr

J.J.: Har har! As hard as it may be to believe there actually was a time when Nintendo games were not rated. The ESRB rating system first came out around 1996.

    To whoever is doing the mailbag,

    Bamboo! Er, hello. Awesome site ya gots here! I need some advice. Please, please, please, give me the best answer you can think of with your present knowledge of the Game cube. It's not that I don't really enjoy the sarcastic witticism, but really you guys are the only peeps I can think of that'd be able to answer, and I really do need help. ^_^;;

    1) Since I'm getting a Game cube around the end of November, what do you think the likelihood of the first stock being sold out by then is? Would it be wise to preorder, or do you think it might not matter at that point? I swear, if I miss my chance I'm gonna kill something.

    2) Second, if I do manage to get my hands on a Game cube, there are two games I have my eye on, but I can only get one. Somehow, Super Smash Bros. Melee sounds more appealing to me than Luigi's mansion at the moment, but do you think it's worth the extra wait? I know neither of these games have been released yet, but based on what you know now, which of the two will be most worthwhile?

    Thankyew for your time,

    -Rachelle

J.J.:
1) Buying Game cube around November should not be much of a problem. It's usually around Christmas that new systems usually get sold out.

2) It really depends on you social situation. If you have friends coming over to your house every day, then you'll want Smash Bros, a multi-player game. However, if you don't see your friends much, or if you don't have any siblings, it might be better to stick with Luigi's Mansion.

    I'm wondering. If Shigeru Miyamoto created Donkey Kong in the 1981 as an in-house game, how come in today's games they say "Donkey Kong character used with permission of Rare?" I'm just wondering because if Rare decides to secede from Nintendo, doesn't that mean the company's most famous monkey will never be seen getting caught by Mario again?

    -Concerned

J.J.: Dear Concerned,
While Nintendo originally created the concept of Donkey Kong, it was Rare who created the modern day version that we see in all the games. If Rare was to succeed, Nintendo would have to go back to using the "old skool" DK.

    'What up Mailbag Froods!'

    Anyway. Any of you got any idea where I can get the Paper Mario Soundtrack?

    I've looked all over, but to no avail. Also, when will you be putting pictures of the Yoshi's Island enemies in the Mariopedia? I'm having trouble trying to think of which is which.

    -Replay

J.J.: You can order the Paper Mario soundtrack from Nintendo's online store.

    I'm confused about gameplay in Super Mario 64. In the booklet, it reads "When all the power is gone, Mario will pass out." But in the game, when Mario loses all his power, he gets "X"s for eyes indicating that he's dead. Also, a sign in Course 8 says Mario will be smothered in quicksand if he falls in. But, passing out means going unconscious. Is there a solution to this twist?

    -Tommy

J.J.: Since Nintendo has always wanted to be a "family friendly" company, they have never allowed the use of words such as "die," "death," or "killed" in any of their manuals or in-game text.

The only exceptions are for games that have already been rated "M" or "T", or if the word in used in a non-violent sense, as in "If the President dies, the Vice President will become President".

    Hiya TMK,

    On the November 9th mailbag, there was someone asking for info on the Mario Ice Capades show from 1990. I've seen it before, even taped it from 11 years ago. I have a brief synopsis of it in the Commentary section of my Mario site, the SMB Info Station (second one from the bottom). More or less, it featured the Super Mario Bros. (actors in giant, misshapen heads) saving Princess Toadstool (also another actor in a giant, mascot-like head) from King Koopa (played by Christopher Hewett, a.k.a Mr. Belvedere, in a dumpy costume). Even had some kids from the audience participate in defeating Koopa. Though it was...um....unique, it was a novelty to see, nonetheless. And to my knowledge, I've never seen any info about this online, or anyone who remembers it.

    -Koopaprince

    P.S.: I know that the Ice Capades was shown when SMB3 for the NES was released, because I was able to catch the last few seconds of the famous SMB3 commercial on tape after the Mario portion of the Ice Capades.

J.J.: Cool! You should mail us this alleged tape! Then we can make it into MPGs and post it on the site for all to see and shudder in disgust at.

    Hi this is my first time writing. Sorry if there are words that are not correct but that's because I don't speak English very well. Anyway here is my question

    How do you know if a Mario game is a starring role or a spin off? In the NES section it says that Wario's Woods its a "starring role", even though it's a Tetris-like and then you say that Dr. Mario its a "spin-off". Why? they are the same games! in the N64 section it says that Super Smash Bros. its a staring roll but Dr. Mario 64 its a spin off! I think that all games where you can choose from multiple characters and its not a action/adventure game should be called a spin off. please explain this.

    -Kinopio

J.J.: Basically the way it works is like this: A "spin-off" is a game that features Mario Characters, but only as a "backdrop". Games like Dr. Mario and Mario's Picross are considered "spin-offs" because in essence the game would be exactly the same even if there was no Mario on the title screen. A game like Wario's Woods, however, gives you direct control of Toad, and lets you directly battle Wario and his minions. This makes the game a "starring role", as Toad is clearly the star. Who is the star of Dr. Mario? The pills?

    Dear TMK,
    I heard so many cool codes, but there for game shark. What the heck does it look like? Where you hook it? Some people say it's stupid (my personal opinion it is stupid. Come on $49.99,just to enhance a game, shees!) Anyway were do you type those cool codes in? I'm kind of curious.

    -GAMEBOY2

J.J.: A game shark is an odd contraption that you cram into the gaping hole in the back of your N64 controller, just like a control pack. When you load up a game, it first brings up a special game shark screen where you can select the code letters with your controller, the same way you would enter a password in "Mario is Missing". There have been cases where some of the more "creative" game shark codes have screwed up a game permanently, or simply just erased vital saved data. But it's a small price to pay for unlimited ammo! (Note: when I say "small price to pay" I am not referring to $49.99, which is in fact, not a small price to pay at all. In fact, in Canadian dollars, that's like 6,000 bucks, which is completely unreasonable.)

    Hey tmk!

    Do you ever wonder why in Mario party 2 yoshi as such GAY ANNOYING voice and then on Mario kart for GBA he can only say 'yoshi'? Why can't Nintendo make their minds? I like the yoshi voice on GBA Mario kart better. Oh and One more thing YOU GUYS ARE SO LUCKY!!! YOU GET THE GAMECUBE WAY BEFORE I CAN!!! (coz I live in the UK)

    that is all

    -yoshikid111

    p.s J.J you are evil

J.J.: Yah, British food will do that to you.


Next week's question: Which Mario enemy is your favorite, and why?

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