(Part 1) Smash 4 Character Roster Analysis!

By ROCKSOAP - An Intro + Peach, Diddy, Yoshi, Wario, Zelda, and Ganondorf's chances of return?

With each passing day, the next installment in Nintendo’s flagship, colorful, fan-service plagued fighting game franchise approaches. Of course, I’m talking about none other than Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U. Nintendo likes to save this hard ball until it’s really needed, only releasing one game in the series per home console, starting with the Nintendo 64. Smash 4 marks the first time the franchise will have a game on a portable system.

In Defence of the 2DS!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Cheapening.

For your information, I like to write about things that apply to me personally first. I already have a Wii U Deluxe, so a price cut for it isn't helping me. I already have a 3DS, so a 2DS doesn't do anything for me. That said, there is still some industry analysis I can pull from Nintendo's massive — almost-E3-like — day of news yesterday.

Dual Destinies For Only $30!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Stop complaining about digital download only.

For all the big news of today, the one I'd like to dedicate my article to today is... that Capcom has announced that Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies will only be $29.99 in America, and €24.99 in Europe. There's a screenshot below if you don't believe me!

Ubisoft Motion Pictures! Screw EA Entertainment!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Not that I'd actually see any of these movies.

KoopaTV's relentless coverage of Electronic Arts and its disgusting history relating to the proposed Madden Curse movie is so impeccable, it's recognized on Wikipedia as a citation. However, as you should have already read on KoopaTV, EA Entertainment also snubbed the idea of a Dead Space movie and ruined the town of Columbus, Georgia for a Need to Speed movie.

Aisha Tyler's Dear Gamers Note

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Inclusive.

Notable actress and Ubisoft E3 representative Aisha Tyler last year posted a widespread Facebook note proclaiming to the world how much of a hardcore gamer she is and how lame certain parts of the gaming community are. She references this note even now! Go read the note before reading the rest of the article. You don't have to Like it or anything.

Come PLAY Trayvon Tyson's Punch-Out!! *Updated With Strategy Guides*

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Click "read more" if you're not directly in this article.

I'd like to start off by saying that Punch-Out!! week has been a fun experience. Some of you may be wondering why this week happened. Well, it was for this: KoopaTV has just finished developing a Punch-Out!!-styled videogame that's absolutely free. (If it wasn't we'd be sued.) I wrote about the gameplay of Punch-Out!!, the characters of Punch-Out!!, the cultural aspect of Punch-Out!!, and the business side of Punch-Out!!. But to truly appreciate the game, you really need to play Punch-Out!!. So we made a game that you wouldn't have to pay for, if you missed Nintendo's generous 30 cent offer. And even if you didn't and just want some more action... it's here!

A dEAl With The DEVIL?

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - "EA" is supposed to stand out in that title.

Based on my analysis yesterday of Punch-Out!! and its Western performance, one should wonder why Nintendo doesn't exploit this nostalgic series more. It turns out they did during the Nintendo GameCube era — along with a lot more dark and disturbing exploitations. And now my usage of the word "exploit" is going from "utilizing a business opportunity" to something much more... sinister.

Alien Fanbase of Punch-Out!!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - A divergent path from the rest of Nintendo.

The past two days in Punch-Out!! week I've mentioned that Little Mac and Punch-Out!! stand alone compared to the rest of the Nintendo cast and games. This article will try to find the root cause and impact of this phenomenon.

Ludwig's Smash 4 Wishlist

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Positive attitude.

Here at KoopaTV you should've read how Rawk wrote negative articles trashing who he didn't want in Super Smash Bros. 4, even though one of those unwanted characters got in anyway. He has his own list of who he actually wants which he can write up if he chooses. It's my time to reveal who I want. ...But only my Top 5 or else this could get lengthy. Oh, and if Capcom didn't already pick Mega Man as the Capcom slot, Phoenix Wright from the Ace Attorney series still wouldn't be on the list. Because he can't fight, and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 proved it.

Punch-Out!! for Wii! LET'S TAKE A SHOT AT IT.

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - "A comeback is like a yo-yo. You gonna go down, but you comin' right back up. And then you may end up walkin' the dawg."

This is KoopaTV's first review of an actual game, if we don't count reviews written by our lovely guest posters. Hey, if you want to be a guest poster and submit something, check out the guest posting guidelines. Now with that out of the way, it's time to review the 2009 instant-classic, Punch-Out!! for Wii, developed by Canadian developer Next Level Games and published by Nintendo. It's a sequel to Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (or Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream if you've only played the NES version from Animal Crossing or the Virtual Console) and Super Punch-Out!! on the SNES (available via Wii's Virtual Console. Not really worth it).

Announcing Punch-Out!! Week!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Every article next week is Punch-Out!! related!

Take a gander at the Terms Index, assuming you're reading this when it was published. Scroll down to the Punch-Out!! section. The entire series is only on there once under Punch-Out!! Wii where Rawk wrote “I didn't want DKC to 'return' for one game and fade back into irrelevance (kind of like Punch-Out!! did), but sadly I thought that's what it would do.”
That's not right for this fantastic series. It hasn't had the opportunity to achieve the exposure that we at KoopaTV regularly give to Super Smash Bros. 4, or the Donkey Kong Country series, or the Ace Attorney series. As it stands, it's like every week is Super Smash Bros. 4 week!

We're going to right this wrong, so every article from Monday to Friday of the week August 19-August 23 will have strong Punch-Out!! references. And the site logo will temporarily change, too.

The logo is here in case you want to look at it after next week is over.

“Hey Ludwig, I don't care about Punch-Out!!, can I just not show up to KoopaTV for a week?”

Uh, no. For one, you should care about Punch-Out!!, and for two, these aren't exclusively Punch-Out!!-related articles. It's just every day the Terms Index will get some much-needed love in that section. There will be plenty of references to other games, too.

And there's a special surprise at the end of the week, too. Enjoy.

Ludwig has played Punch-Out!! on the NES via Animal Crossing on the GameCube, Super Punch-Out!! via the Wii's Virtual Console, and Punch-Out!! Wii by actually buying it.


To see the first article for this week, click here!

(Round 2) Ludwig's Character Battle IX Votes

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Still every 12 hours.

Well we all know by now who I voted for in the GameFAQs Character Battle IX Contest... for Round 1. But it's Round 2 now. And just like before, I'll tell you in advance who I'm voting for. The first match is August 18 at 9 PM PST, or August 19 at 12 AM EST depending on your timezone. 12 hours later, the next match happens. Same as before.

Nintendo's Foray Into Free-To-Play

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Hooray? ...Not really.

So some parts of our videogame industry are becoming obsessed with the F2P concept. Meanwhile, Nintendo has been above it all, only recently experimenting with the concept of paid DLC with Fire Emblem: Awakening and New Super Mario Bros. 2. Even the most allegedly disturbing of industry trends can't just go unnoticed by Nintendo.

Ubisoft's Franchise-Only Philosophy — Unity Falls, Division Wins

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - It's not only right, but it bodes well for the future.

Recently Ubisoft executive Yannis Mallat said that,

We won't even start if we don't think we can build a franchise out of it, there's no more fire and forget - it's too expensive.

That means that everything Ubisoft is working on now is going to become a franchise. Everything except ZombiU, apparently.

Story Without Cutscenes

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - I don't want to talk about this anymore.

You people don't get it, do you? I just published an article dismissing that alleged Masahiro Sakurai column where he supposedly said that Super Smash Bros. 4 won't have a story mode. Now that information has spread across Miiverse and people seem to understand that Sakurai never said there wouldn't be any story mode at all. Good! The bad? The fact that there won't be cutscenes is leading some to believe that there can't be a story mode by default!

How Many Times Can You Call it New?

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Four times now. And counting.

The New Super Mario Bros. series has been beaten up a few times here on KoopaTV. This is going to be one more time (and it won't be the last). We all know that, in America anyway (and that's all that matters sales-wise), there was Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3. Meanwhile, we've had New Super Mario Bros., New Super Mario Bros. Wii, New Super Mario Bros. 2, and New Super Mario Bros. U. So do some counting. Three Super Mario Bros. games on one Nintendo console, and FOUR New Super Mario Bros. games on four different consoles.

KoopaTV's Live The Wonderful 101 Direct Reactions!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 15.

Time for Hideki Kamiya and PlatinumGames to host their own Nintendo Direct for The Wonderful 101. I'm Nintendork 13 13, Rawk is RawkHawk2010, and YR is masteryoshirider, and THIS... is the [Koopa Keep] AIM Blast.

Screencap courtesy of Rawk.

Good Things Came From Yesterday

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Satisfaction.

First, I'd like to say overall I came out from yesterday's Nintendo Direct pretty happy. Sure, the lack of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was weird, but for what I actually expected (which was no new games and just marketing efforts to the hardcore), those expectations were exceeded.

KoopaTV's Live Reactions to Nintendo Direct 8/7/13

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Rawk has a meltdown big enough to defrost the Tropical Freeze.

Contrary to the log you're about to read, I'm publishing this article, not YoshiRider123. Who knows why he isn't. Anyway, this is our [Koopa Keep] AIM Blast as we watched the Nintendo Direct that happened today. If you'd like to watch the Direct yourself, check out the official archive here. I'm Nintendork 13 13 and the others should be obvious.

Helper-To-Hero Gets It Right

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - How to properly make clearing the same sequence with several characters less repetitive and exhausting.

Earlier here on KoopaTV I said I'd write an article about how much Helper-To-Hero added value to Kirby Super Star Ultra compared to Kirby Super Star. Well, this is that article. I kept my word! To those who don't know, this remake-exclusive mode lets you play as a Helper character (one for each Copy Ability) as you go through a boss rush.

Presenting your cast of characters. That Bonkers time is crap, by the way.

Look at that screenshot above. Twenty different Helpers. And only one difficulty mode.

Creator Activision Condemns Cultivated Crappy Community

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Looks like they got Call of Duty's number.

We probably haven't done enough Call of Duty bashing on KoopaTV, and for that I apologize. With that said, it's the quintessential dudebro game. It's ruining the industry, and Activision is boycotted as a result of their destructive behaviour of annualized sequels. But not only are they doing that, they're also making one of the worst gaming communities around, rivaled by only Riot Games's League of Legends.

Toxic Movie-First Philosophies

By RAWKHAWK2010 - Or how BioShock Infinite infinitely wasted my time.

So as y'all may know, I'm not a gameplay-first person and I don't adhere to toxic gameplay-first philosophies. I like art style, music, characters, world-building, and narrative — and believe they should be valued just as much as "gameplay" so that the player can feel like they're truly a part of a game's world. 

KoopaTV: July Nostalgia

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Variety in commentary.

The summer is ending soon. We're in the last month now... August! But before we take off our sunglasses and hang up our beach towels, we should look over what happened in July first. KoopaTV-wise, anyway.

I think the biggest thing you'll notice is that July was almost exclusively filled with articles classified as "Game Commentary", which is the bread-and-butter of the site. Does that mean nothing special happened? Of course not! For proof, look at the five KoopaTV articles from July that I especially recommend you read if you haven't already.

But before that, we're still looking for fresh blood. Both in comments and...article-writers! Check out the Guest Posts tab for information.

And this time it's in chronological order.

1. The Zimmerman Trial's Ace Attorneys
2. Slavery Is Not A Game: The Game!
3. Evil Assholes at EA
4. Not Your Father's Donkey Kong
5. Steer Clear of Egalitarian Approaches

Obviously, every article is worth reading. We make sure of it!

Ludwig is promoting KoopaTV in a variety of places. You should help out. As for summer, it ending probably won't stop the flow of content!


To see June's wrap-up, click here.
For August's wrap-up, here is where you should look.
For next year's version of this, look this way.