Ring Fit Adventure Quick Play mode to get your Core Into Shape... Sorta says my Chiropractor?!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - ...Well, the Ring Fit Adventure part is all me.

Along with emotional pain (not to mention events in the Super Smash Bros. community), the month of July has also been one of a lot of physical pain. Specifically in my lower back (back bone), neck, and shoulders. Having a shell complicates a lot of things. Therefore, I started seeing a chiropractor for the first time in my life.

Basically, since I've been so sedentary, my brain kind of stopped sending any activity to my spinal cord, and my body has just been deteriorating, and that causes pain. I'm also a natural stiff, and my muscles aren't relaxed.

Along with doing “adjustments” or “spinal manipulations” (making really loud cracking sounds as my joints are moved in dramatic ways, though it's not painful) via regular visits, the chiropractic doctor says I should regularly be doing exercises in my “core” so my brain remembers it exists again, and then I'll be able to help myself. He suggested consulting YouTube for examples. But I noted I have something better: Ring Fit Adventure!

Going up and down a flagpole is what passes as viral core exercise content right now in the Mushroom Kingdom.
I don't think that's the best approach! (Especially since that evil Mario apparently suggested it.)

By the way, the only reason that I've been so sedentary is because I STOPPED playing Ring Fit Adventure by the end of April 2020 to save the Extra Fitness post-game content for 2021 (the year when the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will actually be held—I'm participating as a member of Team Koopa), and you people should've told me in the comments section that was a bad idea. Instead, that article got zero comments and no feedback, so I've basically undone all of the benefits of months of playing Ring Fit Adventure to get in shape, and ended up worse than when I started.

Rest in Peace, Herman Cain

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Aw, shucky ducky...

I don't know how to really start this off, so let's who-what-where-when-why it.

Former Republican presidential candidate (2011–2012), businessman, and media personality Herman Cain, 74 (born December 13, 1945), died today (July 30, 2020) from the Chinese Communist Party Virus (COVID-19) in an Atlanta hospital, after being hospitalised and diagnosed at the beginning of July 2020. This was less than two weeks after attending President Donald John Trump's rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It's not officially confirmed that rally is where he got the coronavirus, but it did represent a big opportunity to get it.

KoopaTV cares because this website would not exist if it were not for Herman Cain. On a personal level, Herman Cain has been the single most influential figure in my life over the past nine (nine nine) years, serving as a pro-social, pro-human father figure that lifted my life from a direction that would probably end up being in a much darker (or... non-existent by now) place. I don't say that lightly. I'm not one to attach much, if any value, to celebrities or to others in general. Herman Cain was different.

To anyone who knew and witnessed Herman Cain, they'd find him to be an extremely smart but jovial man. Some people underestimated him because of his warm demeanor and propensity for jokes, but he was sharp and in command of the facts. That influenced KoopaTV's truth & levity approach to our content, alongside the fact that KoopaTV is a direct parody of CainTV, Herman Cain's whacky political commentary site established after he dropped out of the race. I still follow and read it to this day, though I don't know what'll happen after its namesake has passed. (Hence archived web links in the second paragraph.)

Herman Cain back in 2011–2012 enamoured me with his personality and genuinely good policy instincts (the 9-9-9 plan and FAIRTax advocacy that I continue to this day)—I actually printed out his 9-9-9 tax plan details and had a kitchen table discussion with my family about it. First time I ever did that for something on politics... or any subject, actually. Herman Cain actually got me pro-actively following American politics.

But it's not just his politics and personality that was appealing. It was also Herman Cain's backstory.

Pokkén Tournament DX Full Version/Sale Available for Limited Time

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Alright...

You always could, and still can, download a limited demo of Pokkén Tournament DX for the Nintendo Switch. It features a tutorial and the ability to play 15 battles—with a computer player and/or a local friend. Once you pass that, your demo is useless. The demo only has the ability to play as (normal) Pikachu, Empoleon, and Charizard, with the only support sets being Snivy+Lapras, and Reshiram+Cresselia. (Lady Cresselia is fantastic, of course.) You could see me having this tutorial early on in my Switch-owning career.

But now Nintendo is making available, for less than seven days, the full version of Pokkén Tournament DX, where everything is selectable for as many battles as you want. This even includes things like a full title screen animation, minor character customisation, and story mode. You just need to be a Nintendo Switch Online member.

It also features an advertisement for buying the DLC before you can actually start playing anything.

Nia, for your information, is the in-game tutorial lady. She has really nice hair.
But her constant repetitive commentary is irritating.
I wouldn't give her any Levity points in the KoopaTV Loyalty Rewards Program.
Why does Blastoise have such long limbs?

Super Smash Bros. 4's Free Four All in Ultimate

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Or, an excuse to look back at Super Smash Bros. 4.

Last weekend, when I wasn't competing in a massive tournament for a game more adrenaline-pumping than the subject of tonight's article, there was the lackadaisical Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Event Tournament called Free Four All, where the stages and fighters were based on those originating in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. For Wii U, collectively known as Super Smash Bros. 4. (By the way, this confirms what I've figured all along, that the seemingly uncreative title Super Smash Bros. for “console name” is supposed to read as Super Smash Bros. 4 “console name”.)

It was so lackadaisical that I actually won it. Here's proof:

Just a reminder: I was added to the Super Smash Bros. series with Super Smash Bros. 4, though Sakurai was very rude about it.
...Well, I was a sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

One other bit about the tournament name: Super Smash Bros. For Wii U and Super Smash Bros. For 3DS definitely weren't “free” for anyone. Buying two games is more expensive than buying one, which is especially a problem because Super Smash Bros. For 3DS preceded the better version by a couple of months, and should've never been made since it hampered how good Super Smash Bros. For Wii U could have been, as evidenced by resource constraints and design decisions that had to occur across both versions, like the removal of the Ice Climbers.

Back in 2015, I actually considered Super Smash Bros. For Wii U to be my favourite game ever made. This is going to seem really inconsistent, but the existence of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has not only topped my best game rankings, but Super Smash Bros. For Wii U isn't sitting at #2 instead. It's somewhere... else, further down on the list. It's like Ultimate's existence retroactively makes a bunch of flaws in Super Smash Bros. 4 readily apparent, and I can't just keep it at the top anymore.

I Played in the Mario Tennis Aces North American Open July 2020. Here's What Happened

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Plus, if you want to continue being in the Mario Tennis Aces scene...

A large portion of my Saturday afternoon was spent playing Mario Tennis Aces, as were some of the days preceding. Why? As I wrote about last week, there was the BIGGEST EVER Mario Tennis Aces tournament to play, the Mario Tennis Aces North American Open July 2020! It was administered by eSports tournament platform Battlefy and officially sponsored (and funded) by Nintendo of America.

How big is big? 1,328 players registered for it (and 774 of them actually checked in, for a 58% participation rate). That dwarves the 100-on-the-best-day-sized tournaments that the Mario Tennis Aces community has managed to put on by themselves. More on that community later on in this article. 

Just to be a bully (and KoopaTV staffer and ARMS fan Heavy Lobster specifically told me, “Stop trying to shit on ARMS.”), compare that to the largest ARMS tournament ever held, also from a Battlefy-Nintendo collaboration: 880 players registered and 620 showed up. It's an impressive 70% participation rate, but a much smaller tournament. Also consider that ARMS was being distributed for FREE during the tournament, while Mario Tennis Aces was full price with no special promotions going on.

The ultimate winner of the tournament was Angie, also known as the best Mario Tennis Aces player in North America, who had a winning streak that went on for over a year. I should note that is a big difference between the Mario Tennis Aces community and, say, the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate community: The Mario Tennis Aces community, as niche and small as it is, was very open and welcoming of this tournament. It actually had a lot in common with their actual rulesets, so the top players did almost all go and participate. But when Nintendo sponsors Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments, the vast majority of the competitive community doesn't bother to show up. 

Anyway, the whole top 8 got 2500 My Nintendo Gold Points. Was I in the top 8? ...Well, of course not. But I had a pretty interesting journey through the tournament that wildly exceeded my expectations, and it probably will exceed your expectations as well:

CAPCOM and Square Enix Summer Sales of 2020

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Get Ace Attorney.

Summer sales, (wo)man. If you want more games to add to your library, now is a good time to do it. Especially with two great Japanese companies, CAPCOM and Square Enix, offering many of their products at discounts.

Here's a table of the sales right now on the different platforms:

	Nintendo eShop	PlayStation Store	Xbox Live	Steam
CAPCOM Summer Sale	Yes (ending July 31, 2:59 AM ET)	No	No	No
Square Enix Sale	Yes (ending August 2, 11:59 PM ET)	Yes (ending August 6, 2:59 AM ET OR ending August 20, 2:59 AM ET)	No	No

There are some peculiarities here. Dragon Quest XI is 50% off on the PlayStation Store, but Dragon Quest XI S is not on sale on the Nintendo eShop. (Dragon Quest XI is the August 20 item.) Meanwhile, Dragon Quest XI S just got announced for release on December 4, 2020, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam. If they had announced it yesterday during it, it would've been the highlight of the Xbox Games Showcase. It's really good. You can try the demo for yourself if you have a Switch.

But, yeah, if you want Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy for $15, right now, the only platform that's an option on is the Nintendo Switch. (You can also get it for $12 on the Nintendo 3DS.) And if you don't want that, what's wrong with you? In addition to that, you can get Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney for $10 on the Nintendo 3DS, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney–Dual Destinies for $9 on the Nintendo 3DS, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney–Spirit of Justice for $12 on the Nintendo 3DS. Those are the fourth, fifth, and sixth games respectively, with the Ace Attorney Trilogy being the first three. That's incredible levels of high-quality content at bargain bin prices.

Plus, your purchases will help go to making sure CAPCOM doesn't kill off the Ace Attorney series because the director left, if you're concerned about that.

Square Enix games include the Final Fantasy ports, Trials of Mana, and others. Not all of their games, though. CAPCOM pretty much has their whole portfolio at a discount, however. There is so much goodness there, so take a look.


Ludwig just finished playing Mega Man Zero 3 from the also on-sale Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection (25% off) as he was waiting for his copy of Paper Mario: The Origami King last weekend. He'll be spending at least some of his weekend not starting that, but instead playing in the Mario Tennis Aces tournament. Let him know if you're curious why he is so insistent on being a fan of the Ace Attorney games. The comments section is open!


CAPCOM last had a sale at the end of June.
The next CAPCOM sale is at the end of August, but it only applies to Mega Man. Things aren't as they seem, however.
Ace Attorney becomes on sale on the Switch again at the start of September, but only for a weekend.
CAPCOM and Square Enix would have another sale together early 2021.

Xbox Games Showcase—KoopaTV's Live Reactions!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Stick to your Xbox One?

It has been over a month AND a half since the start of FakE3 2020. We have seen Sony present their PlayStation 5. We...uh...haven't seen one, formal coherent thing from Nintendo.

And today, it's Microsoft's turn as they present the Xbox Games Showcase. Note that the showcase is named after the Xbox brand, as opposed to their next-generation, confusing Xbox Series X. 

I could've watched this myself, and perhaps I could've even watched it as it was happening LIVE. However, I know my own limits and knowledge gaps, so I specifically waited for Kamek to be available so he can use his better Xbox awareness for a more...wholesome reaction log.

Unfortunately, I opened the log by providing a Twitch video-on-demand, so there is a side plot in our reactions of random advertisements. Why has Microsoft enabled advertisements...? Here is the YouTube embed instead, which Ludwig should've provided to Kamek during the log.

There's a LEGO NES Now? ...Am I Interested?

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - I'm theoretically the target audience...

Last week, Nintendo and the LEGO Group had yet ANOTHER joint press release announcement of a new LEGO set: The LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System, otherwise known as the NES Building Kit. Here's a quote from the press release that should catch you up to speed on what they've been working on up 'til now, but with added KoopaTV article hyperlinks:

“The LEGO Group and Nintendo announced their partnership earlier this year, bringing a fun-packed LEGO Super Mario universe to life through a Super Mario Starter Course set that exclusively features a LEGO Mario figure who displays a wide variety of instant reactions to movement, color and various action bricks. This entry point set was followed up on in May with a series of Power-Up Packs and in June with the announcement of a range of Expansion Sets and collectible Character Packs. All have been designed to build out the world of LEGO Super Mario, letting players unleash their creativity by building exactly the levels and challenges they want to see LEGO Mario and friends compete in.” 

You count those? There have been three announcements. You know what is obfuscated in the press release? ALL of those Super Mario LEGO products and packs are coming out August 1, which is the same day this LEGO NES is coming out. In other words, literally no product has been released yet, but both companies are acting like they're building off great successes and continuing a venerable product line.

Remember: No one has actually spent money on these yet. All of these LEGO sets could be a disastrous flop, but they keep announcing new stuff since they seem REALLY sure it's massively appealing. And they're all coming out on the same day.

Well, is the newest NES Building Kit appealing to me? What's it look like? Let's take a look:

Check Out the Mario Tennis Aces North American Open July 2020

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - This game always deserved more!

Between December 2018 when Mario callously murdered the innocent Petey Piranha, and July 2020 with my article about how great Bowser Statues are and how they should be all over the United States of America, I haven't touched Mario Tennis Aces. There have been several balance patches and character additions since (including fellow KoopaTV staffer Kamek, a tricky Koopa with very curvy top-spins), but I haven't gone and experienced them for myself. Getting good at Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, to this day, continues to take up a lot of my online multiplayer attention.

However, Nintendo wants to adjust that. Adding Mario Tennis Aces to their list of “Nintendo Versus” games to keep players occupied over the summer months (along with Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2, and...so far, suspiciously absent of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate), they are teaming up with eSports tournament platform Battlefy for the Mario Tennis Aces North American Open July 2020! It's happening this Saturday (July 25, 2020) at 1:00 PM Eastern. 

Register HERE!

I got the image of the tournament logo WITHOUT Mario's hideous figure in it.

And since I'm writing an article about it, you can bet I'm going to personally participate. The top eight players, though I don't expect myself to be among them, get 2500 My Nintendo Gold Points! (Or the equivalent of $25 in eShop credit that expires.) Here are the rules:

What Happened in the Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase | July 2020

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Not sure why this got ratio'd.

I obviously missed the opportunity to do a “live reaction log” to this, since I'm now watching it approximately 12 hours after it aired. I blame Nintendo for announcing at July 20 at 00:00 that “On 7/20 we'll debut the first #NintendoDirect Mini: Partner Showcase, a series focused on titles from our development & publishing partners. We'll share a few updates on a small group of previously-announced #NintendoSwitch games. Check out the full video release at 7am PT.”

Turns out I already had plans for 10:00 Eastern today. Made last week. You can't just expect everyone to have a clear calendar when you announce things 10 hours in advance. Sheesh. Anyway, it's clear from the tweet to expect announcements that are NOT from Nintendo's own studios, but from random third-parties. Personally, I expected more information on No More Heroes 3. Instead, we got this (with promises of more presentations like this throughout 2020):

I guess I'll go headline-by-headline here. Note: Unlike a reaction log, I've seen plenty of people's opinions on this before actually getting to watch it, including that I shouldn't bother watching it. Based on the Like:Dislike ratio (81k to 65k) I'm expecting that Nintendo announced another partnership with another communist Chinese company or something... (And we're against that.)