Leveling Up
Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network
Show Name: From Pong To Pixels
Episode Title: Leveling Up
Episode #5
You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host Andrew.
In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: a lot of Mario games, consoles released during the 2000s, and some of my favorite and not-so-favorite releases.
Segment 1: Mostly Mario
Hello everyone, my name is Andrew, and welcome to another episode of From Pong To Pixels. I hope you guys are having a wonderful day, and I’m glad you decided to check out another episode. Today we’ll be looking at games and consoles that came out during the 2000s. Just by looking at the topics I can tell you this will be a long episode, so make sure to get comfy and enjoy. I think I’ll start things off with a fairly popular game, The Sims. The Sims is a social simulation game published by Electronic Arts in 2000. In this game, the player controls people called “Sims” and is able to control their everyday lives. You have a ton of free choice, meaning you can choose whichever path you’d like to take. You can customize your Sims looks, personality, relationships, and much more. There is so much to this game that I’d love to talk about, but I recommend just go download it if you’re looking for a fun way to waste your time. Now moving into a more familiar franchise, Nintendo. 2000 marked the year of their first Paper Mario game. Paper Mario is an RPG for the Nintendo 64. It follows a similar formula to other Mario games, being that Bowser kidnaps the Princess, and Maio has to save her, but with a twist. Bowser has also imprisoned the seven-star spirits, making himself invincible after defeating Mario and stealing the Star Rod. To save Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario must locate the star spirits, who can get rid of the effects of the stolen Star Rod. The player controls Mario and others to solve multiple puzzles and defeat enemies in a turn-based battle system. Each of Mario’s partners has a special ability to assist him with puzzles. Encounter different NPCs and they’ll give you clues for the storyline. Even though I’ve never played this game before, a ton of my friends have said nothing but good about the Paper Mario series. It’s a unique visual style and story, so if you’re looking for something a little different than normal Mario games, I’d highly suggest Paper Mario. I just quickly want to mention that the Playstation 2 was released around this time, a home video game console developed by Sony. Nothing too specific I wanted to say, just its release. Now another console I’d like to go into more detail on, the GameCube. The GameCube was another home video game console marketed by Nintendo. The GameCube was a huge success, with people still using its controller for other games to this day. One title for the GameCube I’d like to talk about is Luigi’s Mansion. Luigi’s Mansion is an action-adventure game released in 2001 by Nintendo. This was one of the first games in the Mario series to have Luigi as the main character. Good for him, I think he’s the better brother anyway. But this game follows Luigi, with him being informed that he won a mansion in a contest he didn’t enter. Luigi tells Mario to meet him there, but when he arrives Mario is nowhere to be found. He is attacked by a ghost, but thankfully saved by a scientist who goes by the name Professor E. Gadd. After he tells Luigi that the mansion is haunted, he gives him a vacuum and communication device and he goes to look for Mario. After a bit of exploring, he discovers that the mansion is an illusion set up by the game’s antagonist, King Boo, in order to free ghosts that E. Gadd has previously trapped. King Boo lured the brothers to the mansion in retaliation for all the boos they killed in the past. After Luigi finally confronts him, he sees that he trapped Mario in a painting. Defeat King Boo to save Mario and finish the game. Luigi’s Mansion was a launch title for the GameCube, meaning it was released with the console. It became the most successful launch game, selling 257,000 units during its first week in the US. I actually remember owning this game but I don’t have any memory of playing it.
Segment 2: Sonic, Smash Bros, and Sunshine
Moving away from Nintendo and going into their rival franchise, Sega. The second installment of the Sonic Adventure series was released in 2001, Sonic Adventure 2. This was the first game to introduce Shadow, with him becoming a staple character in the franchise by boosting Sonic’s popularity with his personality and story arc. To sum up the plot, Dr Eggman’s grandfather was a mad scientist and created something known as the ultimate life form, being Shadow, in order to try to take over the world. I’ve also heard that the game has an amazing soundtrack, so if you don’t mind listening to video game music, which you shouldn’t mind by the way, I’d suggest giving it a listen. Continuing the talk about sequels, the second Super Smash Bros. game was released in the same year. Super Smash Bros. Melee is a sequel to Nintendo’s first fighting game, Super Smash Bros. This game is very similar to the first, being a crossover fighting game between multiple Nintendo franchises, but added a ton of new stuff. Such as new characters, features, and spawning a competitive scene that is still active to this day. I just wanted to mention that briefly, because next is one of the biggest consoles to get released. The first installment of the Xbox was released in 2001, manufactured by Microsoft. It was classified as a sixth-generation console, competing with Sony’s PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s GameCube. Amazon and Toys ‘R’ US reported that online pre-orders sold out within 30 minutes. It was received really well, planning to ship around 1 million units by the end of the year. It was one of the most successful launches in video game history, the sales surpassing 1 million after just three weeks. I’ll talk more about the Xbox later in this episode, but going back into the Sonic series, Sonic Advance was the last significant release of 2001. Sonic Advance was a game created to celebrate Sonic’s 10-year anniversary. It follows the events of Sonic, his sidekick Tails, Knuckles, and Amy trying to stop Eggman from taking over the world, again. It was released on the Gameboy Advance and later got two sequels. Although it was criticized for how short it was, it was known as a major success, selling around 1.2 million copies, and is one of the Gameboy Advances bestselling titles. The next game I’d like to talk about is a new Mario title released in 2002, Super Mario Sunshine. I’m sure you’ve heard of this game before, considering its popularity and it later being ported to the Nintendo Switch. Super Mario Sunshine follows the events of Mario, Peach, and her “butler” Toadsworth. They set out to Isle Delfino for a vacation. After they land, Mario spots piles of gloop around the island, after receiving a water jetpack named FLUDD from Professor E. Gadd, he defeats a slime piranha plant. However, Mario is convicted of vandalizing the town and assigned community service to clean up. He finds out the person who actually graffitied the town is Mario’s doppelganger that goes by the name of Shadow Mario. He then kidnaps Princess Peach. After Mario defeats various enemies, it is later revealed that Shadow Mario’s true identity is Bowser Jr, Bowser’s son. He framed Mario because Bowser told him that Peach was his mother, and that Mario was trying to kidnap her. After defeating Bowser Jr, you are tasked with one last battle against Bowser. This game is a very unique Mario game because you are able to see the characters act more natural and in a different setting. I’d definitely recommend playing this one if you have a copy of it on the Switch or if you still have a working GameCube.
Segment 3: The Wii (and other stuff)
Now moving on to a new console, the Nintendo DS. The DS is a handheld console released in 2004. DS stands for either Developers System or Dual Screen. This was a new type of console, nothing like it had really been seen before. I used to own a DS and actually think it still works. It’s one of my favorite consoles, behind one I’ll mention later. Now I’d like to talk about a franchise I very briefly mentioned last episode, Grand Theft Auto. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is an action-adventure game released in 2004. It’s the fifth game in the GTA series, released on the PlayStation 2. It features many real-life events that I probably shouldn’t say on here and that you already know if you’ve played it. There’s a whole story mode too that I don’t really want to get into, not because it’s bad, but because I need to make room for other things I have to talk about. If you’re old enough, which you better be, I’d say go try it out if you haven’t already. A new console I’d like to talk about is the Xbox 360, the second console in the Xbox series. I’m sure if you’re listening to this, at least one of your friends has an Xbox 360. It was an extremely popular console and its games were even more popular. It also introduced Xbox Live, a subscription that allows you to play games online, download game demos, purchase music, and much more. I don’t personally own an Xbox 360, but I do have one Xbox console that I’ll mention in another episode. Moving consoles to Xbox’s rival, the PlayStation. One game I’d like to mention for the PlayStation 2 is Guitar Hero. Guitar Hero is a music rhythm game published by RedOctane. The game features a guitar-shaped controller that the player uses to simulate rock music. The game covers multiple generations of rock music, having notes that scroll down onto the screen. Press them in time with the music to complete a song. If you’re into rock music and rhythm games, which are a lot of people based on its sales, this seems like the perfect game for you. Now going back to the DS, I’d like to quickly cover a Mario game released for it. New Super Mario Bros. is a 2D platform game released in 2006. It follows the typical Mario formula, Bowser kidnaps Peach, and Mario has to rescue her. This game started the trend of New Super Mario games, releasing a “New” Mario game, when it’s basically just the same game with a couple new features. Now I’m not hating on it, I don’t mind the series of New games, I’m just saying it can get a bit boring or repetitive after a while. Now on the complete opposite end, something that’s not boring or repetitive, a brand new Nintendo console. The Nintendo Wii is a home video game console released in 2006. Now I might be a bit blinded by pure nostalgia, but this is my favorite Nintendo console. One of the reasons for that is a title I’m sure a lot of you know. Wii Sports is a sports simulation game released along with the console. You are able to play five different sports, tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing. You play as a Mii, a character debuting from the Wii. A Mii is a customizable character that you can play as and customize to look however you want. The simplicity of these games along with the Mii in general really make for a fun time. I used to own a Wii, and I’m pretty sure it still works, but I don’t have the right wire to connect it or something. So since it’s my birthday the day I’m recording this, my dad decided to get me a brand new Wii. I’ve been looking forward to it ever since we ordered it. I can’t wait to replay some of my favorite games and relive some of the memories I had. Speaking of memories I have with the Wii, there’s one game in particular I want to talk about. Super Mario Galaxy is a 3D platform game released in 2007 for the Wii. It follows the events of Mario and his dinosaur friend Yoshi going through literal galaxies now to save the princess. I remember completing every level of this game, even getting all of the green stars, which yes did originate from this game and not Super Mario 3D World. Green stars are stars that unlock after you complete the main story, being an extra challenge. That reminds me of one level, Melty Molten Galaxy. They contained these dragon-like creatures made out of lava. I specifically remember being scared of them, and even having a nightmare about them when I was little. They still kind of freak me out now. It’s something that I’ll never forget and probably never will. Now the last game I want to talk about is a crossover between two rival franchises. Nintendo and Sega decided to do a crossover in the form of a sports and party game, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. This game consisted of a ton of sports and games that are played during the Olympics. It contains characters from both the Mario series and the Sonic series. You are able to play almost any Olympic game as a decent amount of characters. If you have one friend that likes Mario, and another one that likes Sonic, I’d suggest showing them this game. It can be fun for everyone, although it may get a bit competitive at times. Well, that’s everything for this episode. I really appreciate it if you made it all the way through, it means a lot to me. Anyway, thanks for listening to another episode of From Pong To Pixels, I’m your host Andrew, signing off.
Music Credits:
- Magenta Moon (Part II) – Line Noise
- Mr. Pink – Wolf Asylum
- X-2 – nymzaro
Connect with us on Social Media
About the author, Hopewell Valley Student Publications Network
The Hopewell Valley Student Publications Network was created to empower students to become content creators in a digital-rich world. The views and opinions expressed within the digital content are the views of the content creators.