SPARKS OF REDESIGN
And Voila! A new website redesign is here, this time in the guise of Mario+Rabbids Sparks of Hope. It’s the long-awaited sequel to Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle, a funny/farcical take on Mario, Princess Peach, Bowser, and the rest. The Mushroom Kingdom is overrun by Rabbids—derpy, bipedal bunny-like creatures with serious sass and pratfall tendencies. In the original strategy game, Mario must team up with a team of Rabbid lookalikes to battle against an interdimensional onslaught of opposing Rabbids that have teamed up with Bowser. Position your team behind walls and barricades, pick the right combination of weapons and abilities, and outmaneuver the opposing team of villains in this turn-by-turn strategy game full of charm.
Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle brought a humorous take to the world of Super Mario Bros. It was a joy to explore all the environments, solve puzzles, find new weapons and abilities to use in battle. I have little doubt that the sequel will push the boundaries of the strategy RPG (including a recent reveal trailer that Rayman, the hero from the world that the Rabbids originate from, will be added later after release) and will be a must-play title by the end of the year.
Included below is the new logo of the site and artwork behind the Header: a constellation of Rabbid-Mario characters spread across the night sky, including a classic Rabbid wielding a plunger from the Rayman: Raving Rabbids box art on the left-most side of the canvas. Enjoy the gallery below!
Mario+Rabbids Sparks of Hope launches October 20, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
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LIKE, IT’S JUST, LIKE, TOO MANY LIKES?
Like, I’m sure someone else has tackled the subject of hearing someone speak with a “like” problem before. Like, you know what I mean. Everything is, like, preceded by the word “like” and, like, it becomes so distracting that, like, I don’t even know what’s being said anymore.
There is a girl in one of my classes who loves the word “like”. Like, she uses it every third or fourth word, rendering her sentences, like, indecipherable. Like, she means well, but, like, I just lose interest and can’t, like, follow what she’s, like, saying.
And, like, all the more credit to the professor who, like, is patient with her and nods his head until she’s, like, done speaking. It takes a toll to, like, listen to her, though. Like, the professor, like, coaxes her along with grunts and, like, other hurrying phrases like, “Yeah,” and, “Right,” that, like, is a kind of verbal countdown to, like, hurry the f*** up.
Like, I’ve been trying to figure out how someone, like, can use the word “like”, like, so much. I assume, like, it’s a nervous tick, a placeholder to give more, like, time to find the right words to, like, say.
“Right. Yeah.”
And, like, that isn’t the end of it. Then, like, she ends every sentence as a, like, question? So that, like, no one is, like, sure if she’s asking something instead? So, it, like, becomes a series of higher intonations that, like, becomes more annoying?
Like, you know?
“Yeah. Right.”
So, like, I shut down and can’t, like, keep listening to her. I only hear, like, all the “likes”. And soon I get to wondering if, like, there has ever been any other word used in place of, like, “like”? For myself, I, like, sometimes use “umm” instead of “like”. Like, umm, it gives me time to, like, think of what to say next, so, umm, like, it isn’t as, umm, distracting?
You know?
And, like, I’m trying to write about this stuff and, umm, like, does any of this work in, like, umm, writing?
“Right. Yeah.”
Because, like, umm, I’m trying to put together this Weekly Post-Ed and, like, umm, I’m trying to come up with something decent to say? But, like, I’m writing, umm, like, nothing.
“Right. Yeah.”
Umm.
Like, I don’t want to waste anyone’s, umm, time reading this. You know? Umm. This is, like, supposed to be a place to read something slightly, umm, like, humorous? You know? Like, what if someone, like, reads this and, umm, finds it tedious or ANNOYING, like, and not entertaining?
Like, is that possible?
You know?
I don’t know.
“Yeah. Right.”
Maybe I should, like, hurry up. Like, why keep going? Umm, what do you think?
“Yeah. Right. Ok, let’s move on to another opinion,” says my professor cutting the “like” girl off in the middle of her, like, tangent.
And it’s, like, the rightest thing he’s done yet for the class?
You know?
“Right. Yeah.”
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In all seriousness, no writer has done justice to the word “like” since the poet Taylor Mali. Linked below is his poem “Like Lilly Like Wilson” that he performed on HBO’s Def Poetry. It’s still one of my favorite spoken-word poems and definitely worth the listen:
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SOME GOOD NEWS
In a double dose of video game news, Nintendo held a fall Direct, and PlayStation held a State of Play in the same day. Both consoles are deep into their lifespans (with the regrettable price increase for the PS5 that took place recently) and so there’s a large delineation with what products are on offer. With Nintendo, game announcements are mostly tailored towards remakes and ports coming to the console, while the PlayStation game catalogue grows more robust with a console still reaching its performance potential.
Both companies appeal to different fanbases, and the direction of each news conference is proof of that. Nintendo is maintaining its audience towards the end of the Switch’s lifecycle, while PlayStation is further separating itself with graphically impressive, denser story-driven content.
Here’s a few highlights I’m looking forward to:
MARIO+RABBIDS SPARKS OF HOPE
A new trailer debuted yesterday, and showing a charming battle aboard a Wiggler Train, something that I didn’t know I wanted! As I stated above, the game looks fantastic and I can’t wait to play it in the next month.
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TEKKEN 8
In a shocking reveal, TEKKEN 8 was revealed with a teaser trailer showing off the much-improved graphics from its predecessor, TEKKEN 7 (that launched over 10 years ago, my god!). The trailer features an action-packed bout between Kazuya and Jin, the two centerpieces of the current franchise. The trailer is beautiful and linked below:
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THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM
Finally! The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild received an official title card and logo! Despite a series of delays that made many question if this game was really coming out, it appears the fate of Hyrule will finally be known by the summer of 2023. The trailer was vague on specifics other than a vertical island system that will prove integral to the puzzle mechanics of the world, but a sigh of relief was heard around the internet to finally see some news on the storied franchise.
Freakin’ finally.
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GOD OF WAR: RAGNARÖK
This was my favorite reveal of the day. PlayStation’s most famous god butcher, Kratos, is about to unleash hell on the Nordic gods of Asgard in the sequel to the previous GOD OF WAR. The trailer is fantastic, showing exotic locales interwoven within mythological elements that truly evokes a sense of wonder. I can’t wait to see what’s in store (particularly with that climactic battle teased in the final seconds of the trailer).
God of War: Ragnarök launches November 11. It cannot come soon enough.
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There were many more announcements, but these were the ones I was most excited for. It was a pretty snazzy day for video games, one that hasn’t come for a long time.
What games are you look forward to? Shout them out in the comments below!
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Wishing everyone as well as you can be. You’re not alone out there,
