Herschel Walker vs. Raphael Warnock the Warlock: October 14, 2022 Debate Write-up

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - One hour. No commercial breaks. One on one.

Once upon a time, in the 1990s into the 2000s until the early 2010s, Georgia used to be known as an intellectual bastion of talented conservative thinkers. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, a Georgia man, revolutionised the Republican Party across the country by making it a party of actual ideas. Like, he constantly came up with a new innovative way of approaching something and tried to sell Americans on policy. And other freedom-inclined reformers in and out of government made Georgia proud, like John Linder, Rob Woodall, Neal Boortz, and Herman Cain.

And then Donald John Trump became President and Georgia lost all of its intellectual underpinning, with the state being taken over by sycophants of the former president without an articulated policy. (Excluding governor Brian Kemp and secretary of state Brad Raffensperger.) The Georgia Republican Party is now filled with corrupt grifters and personal buddies of the former president, which is how we now have Herschel Walker, who is only notable for playing football at the University of Georgia many years ago, as the Republican nominee for senate. He is quite clearly damaged in the brain, has no understanding of policy or even basic English sentence structure, and he also is a failure in terms of morality. His Democrat Party opponent is Raphael Warnock the Warlock, who is the incumbent as of 2021 after defeating one of those corrupt Republicans, Kelly Loeffler. And thanks to that article and how awful a candidate Herschel Walker is, I'm inclined to support Raphael Warnock the Warlock, despite his party affiliation.

Still, before publicly declaring that, I might as well watch the debate between the two that happened tonight. This was the only debate between Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock the Warlock, because Herschel Walker wanted to avoid more debates (because the more people hear him talk, the less votes he gets). Raphael Warnock the Warlock wanted three of these, since he's quite confident in his oratory prowess. These are high stakes, because whomever wins this could decide which party is in power in the Senate. And even if I want that party to be the Republican Party, I still believe that Georgia voters should make the decision that's best for them, not best for the country. So the rest of this article are my impressions of the one-hour debate. (And the debate-on-demand is also available.)

TAG Heuer Mario Kart Chronographs VERSUS Nintendo eShop Try Before You Buy Sale

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Make the right choice with your money that you'd be proud of.

Today, two unexpected things happened in the Nintendo world. Number one, they are once again teaming with luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer for two Mario Kart themed “chronographs”...which are... very pricey-looking.

Two watches, I mean chronographs, the normal chronograph for $4,300 USD, and the tourbillon chronograph for $25,600.
Screenshot from their website, which is practically unnavigable with how much JavaScript-reliant it is.

I don't actually know what tourbillon means, or what most of the terms of their website mean. But according to TAG Heuer's online magazine,

“the TAG Heuer Formula 1 x Mario Kart Limited Edition Chronograph Tourbillon, is equipped with one of the most technically challenging mechanisms: the tourbillon. This high complication is usually the preserve of Haute Horlogerie, sometimes accompanied with six-figure pricing. However, TAG Heuer has brought tourbillon ownership within the financial grasp of many more people.”

It'd normally be six-figure pricing, but TAG Heuer will bring it to you for five figures! Now, let's talk about something way more affordable and won't make you feel like a dummy for after spending your money. (Oh, this reminds me that The Mighty Bowser LEGO set has been out since the start of the month for $270. I might feel dumb if I buy that, but I'd simultaneously feel like a badass. There's no badassery with this chronograph.)

Iono is a Twit and Twerp Paldean Gym Leader (plus Bellibolt)

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - What a repulsive individual, pursuing her hobby that doesn't hurt other people!

Yesterday, The Pokémon Company International promised “🚨 New Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet information is coming this week! 🚨 ” That was surprising, given last week's 14-minute Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet video (that had far from 14 minutes of new information, but still)

This is the... new information. Feel free to NOT watch this, especially not the whole way through, because it's quite difficult:

Iono is a streamer (what content she streams isn't immediately clear) and “influencer” (what kind of idiots would want to be influenced by her is unclear) and also the gym leader of Levincia, which is some kind of municipality within the Paldea region. Her type of choice is the Electric type. Not seen if you don't watch the video are her Magnemite-style hairpins that can... move, but are not sentient. She has a partner Pokémon but we don't know what it is. We're told it's squishy, not Magnemite, sluggish but easygoing, has two big bumps on its head that people think are eyes (but aren't), an Electric type, and its body expands and contracts to generate electricity in its stomach. Iono also believes her partner is cute. That's all the information.

Monster Hunter Coming to Sonic Frontiers

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Returning the collaboration favour. But where does the flavour come from?

I have been writing about Monster Hunter a lot on KoopaTV lately, mostly in the context of bullying Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet for being inspired by Monster Hunter mechanics. Like, really inspired. (And there may be more of that coming tomorrow.) However, it's now time to talk about Monster Hunter within the context of... Sonic the Hedgehog?

Perhaps you remember the Sonic the Hedgehog free DLC that came to Monster Hunter Rise around November 2021. That gave you and your Palico companion layered armor of Sonic the Hedgehog, and your Palamute got layered armor of Miles "Tails" Prower. It was a surprising collaboration after CAPCOM did five collaborations with its own properties. Now they got SEGA in there.

Well, the week after Sonic Frontiers releases on November 8, 2022, the collaboration will be paid back:

I Wish Nintendo Switch Could Restart or Turn Off from a Controller

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - It's inconvenient and favouritism of Sleep Mode.

I have owned the Nintendo Switch for over five years now (that's...a long time!), so something must be really bothering me to suddenly begin complaining about a feature/command that hasn't been in there that entire time. And at the risk of being deemed a shill or FAKE NEWS, it's the lack of being able to access this power options menu using a controller/button inputs:

You need to physically hold down the Nintendo Switch's POWER Button for three seconds to access this menu.
It's only through this menu that you can Restart or Turn Off your Switch.
Hey, is that the HARVESTELLA demo?
I suppose you'll see some content on that soon.

All you can do from a controller is hold down your controller's HOME button during gameplay and you'll be able to activate Sleep Mode... which you could also do right from the HOME Menu itself with the stick and selecting it:

I Winced, but Didn't Cringe, at the Super Mario Bros. Movie Direct

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Mario being awful is spot-on!

You've probably watched this Direct/trailer already, since it has over five million views from the Nintendo of America upload (embedded below), plus four milion more from Illumination's upload. I'm pretty sure that means I don't need a real introduction to this article, and you just want me to get right into my thoughts:

Just to clarify, every part of what Illumination has done is something Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto signed off and approved on. This is despite viral FAKE NEWS that Nintendo acquired Dynamo Pictures in order to redo everything Illumination did. To clarify, Nintendo did acquire Dynamo Pictures to create visual content, but there's no evidence or indication they have anything to do with the Super Mario Bros. Movie. (Or should I italicise that whole thing because the title is literally “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”?)

The Paldean Journey... it's like Girafarig gets an Evolution in... Monster Hunter!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - They're making it pretty easy for me to grasp straws.

In a totally unexpected surprise, The Pokémon Company International not only published a video for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet this morning... but it's over fourteen minutes long! Just be warned that this isn't equivalent to fourteen minutes of new information. The footage itself is new, but much of the information is not. Still, there are a lot of new details in this, and the thumbnail is an outright spoiler (so I don't feel bad about my headline namedropping Girafarig... which, in the context of KoopaTV, could refer to multiple things that aren't necessarily what the actual thing is):

The trailer decides to follow “four particular trainers’ journeys in Paldea” as its format, so I might as well structure my article about the trailer (maybe “trailer” isn't the right word for this...?) in the same way.

The Terastallizing Team Star Battler

This trainer does battle with a Lechonk and then a wild Water Tera Type Jigglypuff. A little bit of new information is if you do enough damage to a wild Tera Pokémon, it'll lose its Tera-stuff, and then you can catch it with a Poké Ball. Presumably this is only a mechanic for wild Pokémon and your actual competitive Terastallizing won't just lose its type.

We also have it clearly confirmed that auto-battling (or LET'S GO) is a required mechanic in the ★ Starfall Street ★ mode when fighting legions of Team Star Grunts. I'd like to know what's the point of mandating that the game plays itself as a core part of the game design.

Splatoon 3 Version 1.1.2 Fixed Many Disconnect Issues

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Battle time!

It has been less than a month since Splatoon 3 launched on the Nintendo Switch, and I already have over 100 hours or more play time. That's quite a lot. I've been playing Splatoon 3 obsessively. That said, on the first day it launched, there was a big problem I pointed out (and had funny video evidence of):

“And so I decided NOT to import my data. This was my first Turf War experience:

[video of a disconnect happening shortly after the battle began and then being told that's what battles are like]

My next match? Also a disconnect almost right away. This kept happening. In Splatoon 3, unlike Splatoon 2, when someone disconnects the match, it'll end in a draw and you return to the lobby. (The disconnector gets a loss.) In Splatoon 2, the team with the lost player would have to fight a 3 vs. 4 match, and that whole team would certainly go and lose. This new way of approaching it is more fair, but it also means that I can't level up from Level 1 if I can't ever play a match to completion.”

The errors were so consistent that every time I turned the game on and went to do a lobby match or a Salmon Run job for the first time in that rotation (every two hours), there would be a communication error. I just considered it part of the game's load time. But on September 29, Splatoon 3 got updated to version 1.1.2, which has many fixes for these errors:

Reviewing Xenoblade Chronicles 3

By HEAVY LOBSTER - A game that lives in perpetual memory.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is truly an unforgettable experience. I have never encountered any piece of fictional media that felt so real, so emotionally resonant. It's a gripping tale of humans struggling to rediscover their humanity in the face of an inhuman world, at once timeless and intimately relevant. The story and characters are the core of the experience, but it's not simply a movie game, as the gameplay is also excellent, with combat and exploration that complement the story and characters. The art style is stunning even considering the hardware limitations of the Switch, hearkening back to a 90s anime style that itself tells so much without saying a word. While similar stylistically to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, the subtle changes in presentation reflect a more mature, intense, and grounded tone even with many of the sci-fi fantasy trappings of previous games. The soundtrack continues the brilliance the series is known for in that respect as well and ties the whole thing together.

KoopaTV's September 2022 Review Newsletter

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Pretty good roughing and tumbling.

We are looking ahead to the final quarter of 2022, and we passed the actual end date of summer. What does that mean for KoopaTV? ...Nothing special in particular.

In light of that, let's just go right into this the staple newsletter content:

Top Five Recommended Experiences of September 2022

Here are my five picks (and the great thing is that you might disagree with me!) for the top five articles you must check out from September 2022, provided in chronological order:

1. Ranking the No More Heroes 3 Volunteer Mission Minigames — Have you ever wondered about the minigame selection in No More Heroes 3 and how those hold up? I ranked them all here.
2. Truth vs. Illiberal Murderers; Salman Rushdie and Jeff German — It's not a good world when you might get murdered for trying to tell the truth. (And you may also get murdered for trying to make jokes.)
3. Why a Chaotic Genius Brings Gear to a Deserted Island…and for Splatfest, You Should Too! — Fun fact: Team Gear won the Splatfest, which makes my reasoning in this article on why you should pick Team Gear tried and true. (No one could intelligently argue against it either.)
4. 15+ Years after Nintendo NSider Forums Closed, Reunite HERE! — Nintendo of America's Nintendo NSider Forums have closed 15 years ago now, and for those that remember and cared about their time there (such as myself), there's a Discord server ran by former Knights of Hyrule for reuniting people who've been part of Nintendo's old official online communities.
5. Amazing Penguin — The best game you’ve never heard of — KoopaTV reader Captain Stitch wrote a review of an old Game Boy puzzle game called Amazing Penguin. He thinks fondly of it.

You really should read all of the articles that were published in September 2022, not just these five. They're all worth reading. But I'm particularly proud of these five being on this website.