If You Think Whining About Mario Kart 8 is the Way to Mature the Industry, You're Doing It Wrong.

Nowadays we're in an industry where apparently the idea is if we tackle issues that are deemed "mature", we can further advance our hobby and outsiders will take us seriously. In between the "lol Xbox 180 sux" and "lol Wii U is deader than disco" circle jerk threads and articles on many sites, there is content sandwiched in between which ironically wishes to start an "intelligent" discussion with the same subset of gamers and journalists making topics and articles to bait people to read them.

In general, it gets to the point where one finally grows tired of the excessive garbage that is the gaming industry. It doesn't matter whether you're looking at the press who are about as professional as peewee hockey players, journalists who are more than happy to be in bed with publishers for fear of losing ad revenue and review copies, publishers who release sequel after iterative sequel every year, developers who use social media in irresponsible ways, people who want gaming to become more like Hollywood with many cinematic gaming experiences rather than let gaming shine as its own entity, and gamers who carry on on message boards and comment sections like absolute toddlers.

I've been sick of the console war bullshit for a while now. In order for the industry to be taken more seriously, some want to tackle the tough issues that relate to gaming, whether they be worthwhile or not. For instance, let's just moan about the lack of diversity in Mario Kart, because why the heck not? It's nice to want to push the medium forward, but when one begins to stand up against everything, no matter how big, small, important, or trivial, their voice eventually gets drowned out. They become broken records, one trick ponies, and people you simply stop listening to because they're always crying foul and finding social injustice everywhere. This sucks because there are worthy social-related subjects to take to task and make a controversy out of, and these just become noise thanks to the constant clamoring of the champions of social justice in gaming.

Of all the games to pick on, why is Mario Kart 8 what we're focusing on? We're talking about a world where two Italian plumbers venture around for a humanoid princess, face off against an army of turtles and other creatures. Now, if you want to pick on Nintendo for not having diversity in other games where it would make sense to have various races represented, do it. I'm all for that. Animal Crossing is a great example. Why can't we have the ability to showcase a dark-skinned character to play as? That would make sense!

The first thing I thought of when I saw this
screen: "Where's the token black guy?"

Many other studios are so transparent when they throw in some kind of character other than a white male or female. For instance, adding a gay character into your game for no other reason than to make some frivolous statement with no depth to it at all does not help. Considering that video game stories have a hard time creating realistic characters in general, why the hell should we trust them to write a convincing gay character? I don't trust this industry to accurately portray a gay person without falling into offensive stereotypes.

Regardless, there needs to be a reason for such an inclusion, and does it really have to be in the game as if such a character were some item on a checklist? "Gay character? Check. Black guy? Check. Okay. We're good. Start writing a script!"

I think if we want the industry to be taken more seriously, how about we actually start behaving seriously and professionally? You know, let's start with the press. How about we stop the "Wii U isn't selling. We're going to write 101 articles about this over the course of the next month, varying our wording, but essentially saying the same thing." How about we not accept a smartphone, tablet, or whatever the hell Ubisoft gave journalists at a special Watch Dogs media event?

Let's look at developers. How about we show a little bit of professionalism? How? Well, I'm sure as hell not the best source to determine how, as I like to cuss people out on Twitter, but maybe you could rise above acting like typical fanboys airing out dirty laundry for the public to see?

Then there's gamers. That most likely encompasses everyone reading this site. How about we leave the "which console is going to sell the most" pissing contests to the console manufacturers and just enjoy the games being released? How about we not laugh when a company is doing poorly, as that will most likely affect the industry in a negative way? Why don't we not spend our days playing "console wars" more than we actually play games? It's my understanding that being someone who likes the hobby would want the industry to succeed. However, I see more folks happy with other companies' failures rather than everyone's successes. Personally, I find these people to be a disease to the industry, and even then, that's an insult to diseases. If you want this industry to grow up, then you shouldn't look at potential racism, sexism, altruism, organism, masochism, etc. to start a controversy over. You should look at yourself first. Are you contributing positively to the hobby? If not, fix your priorities.

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) North American TV Spot

Ever since it was unveiled at Nintendo's special showing at E3 last year, gamers around the globe have been anxiously awaiting the chance to step into a kart or onto a bike and speed through courses full of anti-gravity glory. In seventeen days, their wait will be over with the release of Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U. In the meantime, check out this commercial which will be airing on televisions across North America leading up to and after the launch of the game.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - In the Wee Morning Hours Edition

Sneaking into SuperPhillip Central like a snake through the tall grass, our weekly segment of video game music favorites arrives in the early morning hours to start your week. This week we have music from Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, Valkyrie Profile, and Dragon Quest V! If for some reason you feel the symptoms of VGM withdrawal while you wait for next week (symptoms include missing the VGM segment and missing the VGM segment again), check out our complete selection of VGM faves with our updated database.

v621. Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War (PS2) - First Flight

In North America alone, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War met fantastic financial success, selling over 1 million units. That makes the fifth installment of the Ace Combat series one of the highest-selling entries in the franchise to this day. While most of the music within missions was orchestral, such as this piece, arcade mode featured a rock-centric set of songs.

v622. Valkyrie Profile (PS1) - Fighting the Shadowy Gods

The battle theme of Valkyrie Profile, Fighting the Shadowy Gods gets the player pumped and primed for battle. While we did very much enjoy what Motoi Sakuraba offered with his soundtrack for Valkyrie Profile, we're still rather fond of his Star Ocean: The Second Story tracks a bit more.

v623. Dragon Quest V (SNES) - Violent Enemies ~ Almighty Boss Devil is Challenged

Dragon Quest has never been as prominent of a franchise in the West compared to Final Fantasy. However, it's a different story in Japan. A fair amount of entries in the Dragon Quest series never made it over the Pacific. It wasn't until the remakes for the DS that IV, V, and VI were legally playable for RPG fans. This selected composition from Dragon Quest V contains both the regular battle and boss themes.

v624. Power Stone (DC) - Manches Stage (Jack)

One of us on the staff recently got back into the SEGA Dreamcast cult-classic Power Stone, albeit on the PSP with the Power Stone Collection. Seeing as Capcom is now heavily focused on franchises like Resident Evil, Street Fighter, and Lost Planet, to name a few, we don't hold much hope to ever seeing Power Stone get placed in the public eye for a loooooong time, if ever.

v625. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) - Volcano

The New Super Mario Bros. series gets a lot of flak from gamers, particularly longtime Nintendo fans. Then again, a large portion of those people whine about everything anyhow. Nonetheless, one of the greatest disappointments with the NSMB line of games is the music. It's by no means awful, but the constant "bah, bah" sound effects and otherwise poor instrumentation make for a combination that is less than amazing. Perhaps if New Super Mario Bros. 2 and New Super Mario Bros. U also didn't share the same exact music, we, along with our fellow gamers, wouldn't be so up in arms over the music. Regardless, the volcano theme that originated in NSMB Wii gives a foreboding feeling with its powerful chord progression.

Mario Golf: World Tour (3DS) Review

We start our month of Nintendo 3DS-related reviews with Mario Golf: World Tour. It's a game that released exactly one week ago. Does Mario's latest golf outing score above or below par?

Camelot and Nintendo Get the Swing of Things Splendidly

Camelot Software Planning has made numerous tennis and golf games featuring Mario and the gang for Nintendo's platforms. It's been ever since the Nintendo 64 era. That's a long partnership! After a less than remarkable first go on the Nintendo 3DS with Mario Tennis Open, the developer Camelot didn't make it very easy to be optimistic about their second offering and the subject of this review, Mario Golf: World Tour. However, Camelot sinks their shot for an eagle, as Mario Golf: World Tour is not just the best in the Mario Golf series, but it's one of the best arcade golf games around.

Mario Tennis Open disappointed with its content, or lack thereof. The fine folks at Camelot must have heard the feedback surrounding their freshman 3DS offering, because Mario Golf: World Tour is rich with features. The Mario Golf mode is where you can participate in stroke play, match play, and attempt challenges in order to earn star coins. Each of the game's courses is represented by ten challenges apiece. These challenges range from passing the ball through all of the rings and scoring par or better, racing to complete three holes while a clock counts down, match play events against AI opponents (these unlock more powerful versions of the different roster members), collecting a certain number of coins within three holes, and trying to reach the target score within a nine-hole round.

For a princess, there's no such
thing as having too many rings.

As stated, for each challenge that is completed, a star coin is earned. As more and more star coins are gathered, new courses open up with ten more challenges and the ability to play the courses at your leisure.

In addition to the single player challenges, there's an entire mode dedicated to your Mii, Castle Club. In Castle Club, you start as a rookie golfer and progress through three 18-hole courses in order tpicking o earn the triple crown. The beginner-friendly Forest course presents players with small slopes and weak winds. Meanwhile, the intermediate course located in a tropical seaside setting introduces sand traps into the mix as well as more prevalent wind gusts. Finally, the last 18-hole course set in the mountains, where the risk of falling off is something to take note of, as are the gusty winds.

Castle Club may not be the RPG mode
fans were wanting, but it's still a fine addition.

World Tour successfully eases you into swing of things. As you play through the progressively more difficult courses, you're picking up on the little nuances the game contains and learning the basics of golf. The ability to leap into practice rounds in Castle Club allows your Mii to be designated with a handicap. At the start, you have a high handicap, removing plenty of strokes to your overall score. As you perform better, your handicap shrinks until you're actually getting strokes added to your score since you're such a pro!

For every round you complete (it's my estimation that all you need to do is complete three holes in succession), new gear is available for purchase in the Castle Club shop. There's various Mario series themed clubs, golf balls, visors, caps, shirts, pants, shorts, gloves, shoes, and more. Depending on what combination of gear you equip to your Mii, his or her stats will change. Of course, many pieces of gear share the same stats, so a lot of the time you choose gear based on looks in addition to function.

Clubs can affect if your shot draws, fades,
or is straight, how far you can drive, and more.

Additionally, Mario Golf: World Tour contains a rich array of multiplayer options. You can play locally with up to three other players, pending you all have a 3DS and a copy of the game. You can also hop online and play a round simultaneously with one another or through taking turns.

Though you may dress in Yoshi-themed attire,
there's no substitute for the real thing.

Tournaments are by far the coolest aspect of World Tour's online options. You can create and enter custom-made tournaments by players just like you. Set the rules (Mario only, stroke play, items on, etc.), set the course, and set how long the tournament goes on for. Nintendo also has tournaments going, and you can even earn otherwise inaccessible gear just for participating.

After you have unlocked some of the Mario-centric courses via the aforementioned challenges, you receive regular costume challenges. These give you nine holes to either beat a set time, collect a certain number of coins, or get a point total while using a slot machine to determine which clubs you are provided with. If a costume challenge is successfully completed, you earn a costume as a reward. Additionally, through accomplishing specific in-game goals, you earn costumes as well. All of these are designed after a Mario character or enemy.

The Mario-themed courses in general are the stars of Mario Golf: World Tour. They exude creativity, plus they're a blast to play. These courses are nine holes each, and possess some kind of course gimmick or gimmicks to them. For instance, DK Jungle has barrel cannons that will blast your ball across wide distances, making those par 5 holes easy to reach the green in two shots. Wiggler Park pits your pint-sized golfer against humongous Mario series enemies like Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Buzzy Beetles, and Piranha Plants. Meanwhile, in what must be a first for the sport, Cheep Cheep Lagoon is a course totally set underwater, containing its own special ball physics in the process.

Wiggler Park is without a doubt
one of my favorite courses.

To throw even more craziness into World Tour, items make their debut to the Mario Golf series with this installment. While the rules of a given round must allow items in order to have and use them, the rounds that do include items make World Tour a deliciously zany experience. The Fire Flower allows your ball to burn through heavy rough and vegetation as if they weren't even there. The Bullet Bill shoots the ball in a straight trajectory, whereas the Bob-Omb blasts the ball high into the air, perfect for collecting sky-high goodies.

Item boxes and coins litter the otherwise
spotless Peach Garden fairways.

It's true that there's plenty of wackiness to be found in Mario Golf: World Tour, but it's important to note that there's a really fine golf game lying underneath it all. Mario Golf: World Tour allows you to choose between two shot types. If you simply wish to set the power of your shots, you can choose Easy mode. Otherwise, you can set both the power and the spin of your shots with Manual mode. Both of these can be switched between on the fly mid-round. Regardless of which is selected, you're using the standard two or three click gauge system to determine power and precision.

Don't worry. This isn't like Super Mario 64
where Mario needs to come up for air!

When wanting to show some skill, added topspin or backspin allows your ball to either gain more yardage or stop much more quickly when it makes contact with the ground. Having a ball hit the green behind the pin, engage in backspin, making it roll backwards and arrive close to the hole is such an awesome feeling.

Ordinary characters with modest strength may not be able to land on a par 5 green in two most of the time, but their shots are much steadier. On the other hand, with more powerful characters and clubs, there's a higher level of risk and reward. It's much easier to miss the sweet spot and send your ball careening into a bunker or other undesirable location, so it's of the utmost importance to time your shot perfectly.

In this jungle, DK is truly
the king of swing.

There's also various factors to ponder about before simply gripping it and ripping it. Wind speed, wind direction, slope of the fairway, slope of the green, and so on are kind of necessary to consider (read: they are!).

When it comes to putting, you can be the greatest driver of the ball in the world, making Happy Gilmore look like one of the Gilmore Girls, but if you can't strut your stuff and putt well, then you're not going to get far in World Tour. Thankfully, putting is nowhere near as challenging as say, another arcade golf series that is a PlayStation exclusive. That's not to say you won't have your problem spots, but reading the green and successfully sinking putts (without needing to two or even three putt the darned ball) is a more reachable goal.

Uh. You guys are going to catch me, right?

There really is little to dislike about Mario Golf: World Tour. However, I feel the need to bring up some gripes I do have with the game. For one, some of the menus are rather confusing in how they are designed. There's no explanation as to how to unlock the Mario-themed courses, and if you're spending all your time in Castle Club mode, you're never going to find them. Furthermore, what I find a glaring omission in World Tour is the complete lack of being able to record and watch whenever you want your best shots. Got that impossible hole-in-one you really enjoyed getting? Well tough. You can't see it ever again.

A castle course fit for a king.

Besides those, in the grand scheme of things, minor beefs with the game, Mario Golf: World Tour nails the fundamentals of the sport, throws in enough Mario charm and eccentricities to distinguish it from the pack, and provides a copious amount of content for solo players. WARNING! Golf speak ahead! While Mario Golf: World Tour is not a hole-in-one, Camelot has designed a remarkable arcade golf game that should please fans of the Mario series and those who want a different kind of golfing experience. If you like golf and you like Mario, what are you waiting fore? Get Mario Golf: World Tour.

[SPC Says: 9.25/10]

Miiquality and Tomodachi Life: Admirable Cause or Awful Controversy?

Nintendo seems to attract negativity to itself a lot these days. Whether it's the Wii U's abysmal sales, orders for the company's president to step down, have their games put on mobile devices, or go third-party, Nintendo really has the ire of a lot of people. That's not to say some of it is unwarranted.

The latest negativity comes from a Nintendo 3DS game that is releasing next month called Tomodachi Life. This is the first time the series is leaving Japan, so it should be a cause for celebration. However, there's a bit of controversy surrounding the game due to a Nintendo representative's comments on a certain modern-day issue-- same-sex marriage. This is not allowed in Tomodachi Life, and this has angered many.

Unfortunately, the gaming community in general seems to get outraged by pretty much everything these days. It gets to the point where it simply becomes noise in the background. It makes otherwise admirable causes become much weaker due to the constant amount of folks crying foul for anything and everything. This somewhat diminishes the impact when we have various members of the gaming community and press playing the role of "the gamers who cried wolf... over and over again."

This Miiquality controversy regarding Tomodachi Life seems like yet another manufactured issue by those who must always be politically correct. While it's incredibly awesome to see this group champion sexual equality and want Nintendo to not be so firmly set in its ways, the leaps of logic and jumps to various conclusions don't do this group's arguments any favors.

In a perfect world, same-sex marriage would not be controversial issue at all. We wouldn't even need to be up in arms over Tomodachi Life because Nintendo would have same-sex marriage in it without any problems at all. There would be no outrage from either side of the aisle.

However, I don't think Nintendo deliberately gave a judgment either way whether same-sex marriage was a good thing or not. No, instead the company dodged the question with some mental acrobatics as a means to not create any kind of perception at all. When you're dealing with a hot button issue such as gay marriage, particularly here in the United States where we still get all-too-common backwards thinking that homosexuality is a sin, it's best to tread carefully. How does not wanting "to provide social commentary" mean that Nintendo doesn't care for same-sex marriage?

If Nintendo doesn't allow same-sex marriage, it is viewed as anti-gay. If it does allow same-sex marriage, then reports of Nintendo defiling the minds of our youth will be plastered all over the news. It's a no-win situation for Nintendo.

There was an incident on the Disney Channel here in the States with a show called "Good Luck Charlie." There was an episode that portrayed two women in a union with their own child. This caused an immense amount of controversy from various parents, religious groups, etc.

It's my belief that if that all happened with a Disney Channel show, which pretty much has the same demographic Tomodachi Life is going for, then if same-sex marriage was implemented into the game by a company known for being family-friendly like Nintendo is, all heck would ensue. It would be damaging for Nintendo, much like it's damaging for it by not including same-sex marriage at all. It's being misconstrued that the absence of two male Miis or two female Miis getting married must mean that Nintendo looks down on the act.

Does that mean homosexuality or same-sex marriage are bad things? Hell no. It just annoys the crap out of me to see so many people intentionally twisting the words of Nintendo to fit their own agendas, to get traffic, and to generate even more unneeded controversy. Thus, those who find that Nintendo is somehow delivering a message and presenting its moral values on the culture through a carefully worded statement just come across as the same type of people who throw up their arms whenever there's any kind of chance to be pissed off about something in the gaming industry. We as an industry need to fight for good causes, and this one really is, but when we do so, we can't create leaps in logic and expect to be taken seriously.