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My Thoughts On The Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch

I got a lot of Mario gifts for Christmas and one of those gifts was the Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch. To me, having this is a kind of tech is a guilty pleasure because it's a handheld that's primarily a watch that can play only three games. In a world where I have a bunch of clocks at my fingertips and every version of Super Mario Bros. the Game & Watch feels a bit redundant but in the same way many of us enjoy eating cookies. We don't need to eat cookies to survive and many times we should stop at having a couple but we don't because we love cookies even though they are bad for us. Mario isn't bad for us like cookies but somewhere in what I wrote is a... Read All I got a lot of Mario gifts for Christmas and one of those gifts was the Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch. To me, having this is a kind of tech is a guilty pleasure because it's a handheld that's primarily a watch that can play only three games. In a world where I have a bunch of clocks at my fingertips and every version of Super Mario Bros. the Game & Watch feels a bit redundant but in the same way many of us enjoy eating cookies. We don't need to eat cookies to survive and many times we should stop at having a couple but we don't because we love cookies even though they are bad for us. Mario isn't bad for us like cookies but somewhere in what I wrote is a point.

The Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch feels a bit small in the hand but I don't find it hard to hold or unreasonably uncomfortable. The screen is plenty bright and the one speaker seems loud enough for me so much so that I've turned the screen bright and speakers down a bit from the factory default settings. The whole user experience of the Game & Watch is well considered and the Game / Time / Pause Set buttons work quite well in navigating it.

The Game & Watch includes Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels and a digital recreation of the original Mario Game & Watch game. As an acolyte of the first Super Mario Bros. this was the biggest draw of buying the Game & Watch beyond having a fun collectors piece. In a world where one owns a Nintendo Classic, Switch -w Nintendo Online and the original Super Mario Bros. NES cart is there a reason why one would play the game on the Game & Watch? The answer is yes as just yesterday I completed a full play though of each level of Super Mario Bros. on the Game & Watch and I plan on playing it a lot more as a result. My only minor complaint about the Game & Watch controls are that the A & B buttons are smaller than the original NES controller versions. I'm not sure this amounts to really anything significant but those original controls are forever burned in my brain so I notice it whenever I play. Super Mario Bros. itself is emulated on the Game & Watch and it's done so well that I can't really tell a difference in that I don't notice any emulation lag.

The Game & Watch has a lot of fun secrets to it and I've included a link below for you to check them all out. Now that I've beaten Super Mario Bros. I've unlocked the ability to switch into hardmode when I want and start at any level I choose. This is a fun unlockable feature that was available in the original after completing the game but due to no save states would be lost when you reset your Nintendo.

https://screenrant.com/every-secret-super-mario-bros-game-watch/

If you are looking for a fun Mario collectable you'd do well to check out the Game & Watch. It's not particularly hard to find right now and Nintendo will stop manufacturing it on March 31st of 2021 so if you are interested I'd get one while you can. While the Mario Game & Watch came to usher in Mario's 35th anniversary this year will mark the 35th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda. Given how fun this handheld is, I hope Nintendo does something similar for Link!

If you want the IMMERSIVE Game & Watch experience you should consider getting the stand for it. I did and it's a great thing to have hold the watch up on your desk.

https://rosecoloredgaming.com/products/new-game-watch-super-mario-brothers-display-stand-holder-famicom-edition

Completed It: New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe

One of the best parts of playing New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe on Switch is playing it alongside my 4 year old son. He gets so excited watching me play the levels and loves talking about Mario even when we aren't playing. Recently I beat the game and decided to take a bit of a break from it because he was talking about Mario a bit too much. As a kid who grew up obsessed with Nintendo, I understand how awesome video games can be to certain kids so taking a break was helpful to get him to focus back on other things for a while. Recently I decided to start playing it again as we took a path through the Cloud level and completed the game that way so now we are coming... Read All One of the best parts of playing New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe on Switch is playing it alongside my 4 year old son. He gets so excited watching me play the levels and loves talking about Mario even when we aren't playing. Recently I beat the game and decided to take a bit of a break from it because he was talking about Mario a bit too much. As a kid who grew up obsessed with Nintendo, I understand how awesome video games can be to certain kids so taking a break was helpful to get him to focus back on other things for a while. Recently I decided to start playing it again as we took a path through the Cloud level and completed the game that way so now we are coming back to complete Rock Candy Mines.

How Does New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Stack Up?

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is the best New Super Mario Bros. game I've played to date. Each game in the series keeps the same core mechanics, Mario 3 styled overworld and item system but U Deluxe kicks things up a notch to a place I appreciate. One difference I didn't like at first was that U Deluxe only allows you one board of items to store. In other games, Mario 3 included, you could bank up to three or more boards of items but U Deluxe only allows one. At first this was annoying because I love banking items that I, generally speaking, never use. One benefit of not allowing you to store unlimited items is you either use them or you lose them which forced me to use items. This has changed up how I play the game in that I actually use items now which makes the whole game feel a whole lot more fun.

Lots of Secrets To Unlock

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe contains a lot of hidden secrets and unlocking them allows you to skip over levels. Just like in Super World there is a Star Road series of levels however to play them you have to find all the big coins in each level. This gives the game a lot of replay ability but is a bit annoying if you just want to jam on to the Star Road levels, like I do.

What's Next?

After completing the main game I'm focusing on completing Rock Candy Mines and then will head back and complete the levels I didn't finish on my first play through. Occasionally there are two paths you can take and I just took the one so I want to head back and complete the other path levels. After that I'm not sure but I think I'll chip away at finding the hidden coins in each level. Some of these coins are hard to get and require some epic platforming but nothing seems impossible.

New Super Luigi U?

One awesome addition to New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe on Switch is the inclusion of New Super Luigi U and I plan on starting it up sometime this year. The only thing I really know about the game is that it features Luigi as the main character as Mario seems... missing. It's also way harder, which sounds frustrating but hopefully on the fun side.

There Was A Lock for the NES?

How do you keep kids focused on homework and away from video games? Well if it was the late eighties you used a... checks notes... an actual lock. The Gaming Historian is back with a new video covering a very interesting piece of Nintendo Entertainment System esoterica called Homework First that locked kids out of the NES unless they had the code.

What Kind of Game is Bowser’s Fury?

Nintendo released a new trailer for the upcoming Super Mario 3D World Switch re-release and showcased more of the Bowser’s Fury addition. I don’t want to spoil it for you so watch it before you read on.

Looks like in Bowser’s Fury you interact in some way with Bowser Junior then Godzilla Bowser and then you become Super Lion Mario? As awesome as this looks I’m not sure what kind of game this will turn out to be so I’m interested in hearing what you think.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/13/2021 at 05:08pm

Damn, that looks cool. Why do they have to add content? I already own this on the Wii U. Damn you Nintendo!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/14/2021 at 02:46am

So you'll buy it again? I have it on Wii U and I'm getting it again. I didn't play it a lot on Wii U but it's the game I played the most on that system.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/14/2021 at 03:08pm

Probably. Not right away though.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/14/2021 at 04:30pm

Same. Playing through two Mario games now. Going to complete those first.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/30/2021 at 06:08am

https://venturebeat.com/2021/01/27/bowsers-fury-is-a-meaty-3d-mario-adventure/

Travis Admin wrote on 02/01/2021 at 04:43am

This is actually really nice to hear. I want it more now.

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This Video Showcases The Best Selling Consoles Since The Dawn of Video Games

Did you know what the biggest selling video game systems of all time are? Press play on the video and now you do.

Tim Schafer Breaks Down 20 Years of Double Fine Games

Wanted to share this Noclip interview / doc where Tim Schafer outlines the history of Double Fine and it's roots at Lucas Arts. It's fun that it came full circle where Tim could return to the ol' Lucas Arts adventure games and properly remaster them. He also provides an interesting explanation for selling to Microsoft. I don't love seeing huge tech giants own more and more of the gaming pie but on the other hand, Double Fine no longer has to worry about how to fund their next slate of games.

"Tim Schafer explores 20 years of Double Fine Productions by telling us about the design and development of games like Psychonauts, Brütal Legend, Grim Fandango Remastered, Happy... Read All

jaelte wrote on 01/20/2021 at 08:24am

I finally got around to watching this. I enjoyed learning about what into the various games he's worked (of which I've played several).

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/21/2021 at 05:42pm

Which one is your favorite? Of mine it’s either Day of the Tentacle or Full Throttle. I really liked Broken Age quite a bit too.

jaelte wrote on 01/23/2021 at 07:35am

I contributed to the Kickstarter for Broken Age and enjoyed the game quite a bit. It's hard to beat the OG Monkey Island, though, if that counts. If we're not counting Monkey Island games (as the first two are typically attributed Ron Gilbert), then I'd probably go with Grim Fandango or Full Throttle. I also quite enjoyed Brütal Legend and Costume Quest, though I definitely prefer the adventure game genre in general, so those won't beat out the others.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/23/2021 at 05:54pm

Grim is a game I sadly missed playing. I have it a lot of platforms but it’s part of an unending backlog. If I were to come back to a classic adventure game I think I’d replay Throttle or Tentacle first.

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My Borderlands 3 Thoughts So Very Early

One criticism I hear from a lot of folks that played Borderlands 3 is that the games twin antagonists are very annoying and drag the game down. This is an unfortunate thing to hear as, to date, the Borderlands franchise has created very compelling villains. All that to say, over the holidays I found the base Borderlands 3 on a good PC sale for $15 and I picked it up and I've played it a bit so far and haven't experienced the twin villains yet so I can't weigh in on that part but wanted to get a few thoughts out anyway.

Again, I'm quite early in playing Borderlands 3 on PC but I have a few bits to share and also wanted to get your thoughts on Borderlands 3 and what... Read All

All The Christmas Mario: My Early Thoughts on New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe

I'm a big fan of the New Super Mario Bros. games and plan to collect, play and beat em' all. This Holiday I was fortunate enough to have been gifted New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe on Switch and have been playing it a lot since that joyful day. Is it a good entry in the series or does it fizzle out and is made ENTIRELY OBSOLETE by Super Mario Maker 2? Read on for the answer...

Is New Super Mario Bros. Obsolete Now?

We live in a hyped social media and hot take first world where the opinions that make it to the top aren't always the best but the most controversial. I suppose it's hard to say what opinions are "best" but we are all driven to serve up our takes as fast as... Read All

George Lucas Expertly Explaining How The Force Works

As much as we give George a hard time about writing the prequel trilogy, he has some really good thoughts on The Force, and life in general.

I don't have much to add to what he says in this video; I just recommend watching!

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/05/2021 at 11:26pm

I respect George a lot and hope he's more involved with Star Wars moving forward. With that, I find his ideas of the force and the jedi are hard to relate to. To focus on the dark side and light side as selfless VS selfish to be good but somewhat hard to approximate because I really don't think wanting things is ultimately bad. I find the black and white thinking of the Jedi in the prequels to be very off putting, dangerous and one of the hardest parts of organized religion. You take good things, like being selfless and putting others ahead of yourself and translate that to certain actions and dogma which are entirely wrong.

It's not bad to be afraid your Mom is a slave on Tatooine. It's not inherently evil to be scared. It doesn't make you space Hitler to have a dream where your wife dies and that shakes you. It just makes you human. Fear doesn't mean you have an evil heart. The Mandalorian as seen with a certain character seems to espouse this too, in that baby Yoda is afraid therefore scary because he might be evil. I don't really think fear means much more than we contain human emotions and those emotions come up. I don't think the most evolved form of humanity is the abandonment of emotion I think it's accepting what we are and making good choices anyway. When the Jedi distance themselves from hard emotions they give more power to them because accepting our humanity is the best path to disarming out unfortunate tendencies. The worst strategy is to hype up "bad thought" and try to pray it away or whatever the heck the Jedi do.

I appreciate Star Wars a lot but when you boil down religion and attempt to organize it and make a creed of it I think things tend to get hard which is why I frankly have a hard time with the Jedi. If they existed in our world, I'd try and get as close to their power and abandon the core mindset and if that made me a Sith then so be it.... Jedi.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 01/05/2021 at 11:31pm

I think Lucas is saying it's more than black and white. There needs to be balance to the light and dark side. It's not a good thing to be fully selfless, as then you will never look out for yourself, and at the most extreme would end up quickly dead, as you'd be giving up everything of yourself for others. Also, being selfish is important, for the same exact reasons. There needs to be balance, not a domination of Jedi or Sith.

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Donate To And Watch Awesome Games Done Quick 2020!

Games Done Quick is the premier game charity speedrun that raises money each year for The Prevent Cancer Foundation. It started on Sunday with a collection of incredible runs and is going strong today with a really unique Sonic block. If you are working from home and have the ability to put some cool speedrun videos on the in the background, you really should! While you are at it donate some money to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, it's a great charity and the donation is tax deductible!

https://gamesdonequick.com/schedule
https://gamesdonequick.com/

Let me know what runs you plan on watching and if you've seen anything awesome so far!