Hi everyone and Happy May Day! Welcome to another edition of Weekly Panda Roundup! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I had a fun one filled with games and random game-related excursions. I have some fun videos and news to share this week, so read and enjoy!
And without further ado, it’s time to round ‘em up!
Video Roundup
We can’t stress enough how grateful we are for your support for our YouTube channel!
I value every comment you all leave. And this week, I wanted to shout out two special people who have made me smile this week! A huge thank you to kmerrill8276 for leaving such encouraging comments on every one of our videos! Your comment of how enjoyable our playthroughs on our last Snipperclips video meant so much to me and really made my day in ways you probably can’t even imagine!
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I Am Setsuna Video Review
I have not one, not two, but three videos to share this week! First, I uploaded my second ever video review, following my first one of Breath of the Wild. This time, I looked at the Switch version of Square Enix’s I Am Setsuna, an RPG throwback to ‘90s classics like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy. Square Enix established the company Tokyo RPG Factory to make nostalgic adventures like this one, but how is it? Find out in my video review, and please let me know what you think!
Snake Pass Co-Op – Playing with Separate Joy-Cons
We’re very excited to share the second part of our special playthrough of Snake Pass for Switch. We’re playing through the entire game, each holding a separate Joy-Con for a unique co-op experience. Crystal Dragon is in charge of steering and coiling the snake, and I help it move forward and upward. Attempting to coordinate our controls made us laugh so hard, despite all the frustrating deaths. In fact, this episode features a death montage as we attempt to get a particularly tough collectible. This is worth watching just to see our ridiculously silly faces, because yes, we now have a facecam! This was a very fun experiment that we want to continue, so please enjoy! And let us know if you’d like to see a 100% playthrough (at the cost of our sanity)!
You can find the full playlist starting with the first episode here – http://bit.ly/2pezKUq
Snipperclips Co-Op Part 5 – Bad Hair Day
Part 5 our co-op playthrough of Snipperclips is up! We hope you’ll enjoy as we continue snipping and clipping through the 8-bit world, Retro Reboot. In this episode, we do normal people things like freeing caged birds, replacing racecar tires, and controlling a princess with a joystick, assuming her troublesome hair allows it! As always, you can start with this video or from the first episode here.
You can find the full playlist starting at Part 1 – Stabby Sticks here: http://bit.ly/2nFmc5v
What I’ve Been Playing
As a lead-in to talking about recent Mario promotions around town, I wanted to share that I am indeed playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe! You’ll see more about that soon, but I wanted to extend an invitation to play together! My Nintendo Switch friend code is SW-3611-4684-6706. Please feel free to add me and we can race or try out the improved Battle Mode together online! We can also play other games online if you wish! 🙂
Mario Kart at Target
Something special happened to me on my grocery shopping trip to Target last week. What began as an errand to get food became a real Mario adventure. I had known that this promotion was happening, but entering Target surprised me nonetheless.
That entrance was epic. I also took pictures of my special Peach-themed Kart and the Mario and Luigi heads right outside the store.
Mario at McDonald’s
My journey didn’t stop at Target, as even McDonald’s had a piece of Mario to share. Their new Happy Meal toys are Mario-themed, and I just had to check them out. My first Happy Meal, which I unashamedly bought, had the toy I most desired: Luigi stuck in a pipe!
We eventually made a return trip to McDonald’s after a tip from the wonderful ladies at DoubleJump that we can just buy the toys without the meal. We, again without shame, asked specifically to purchase Mario and Yoshi and were surprised to find some extras!
Mario Marketing
Needless to say, I’m always happy to see Nintendo make a big presence through cross-promotional materials and advertisement. I’m somewhat used to Happy Meal and Kid’s Meal toys after collecting Mario/Pokemon toys as a child (and later an adult), so McDonald’s promotion was bound to happen. But what Nintendo did at Target stores is beyond cool. It made me extremely happy just to go grocery shopping, and I can only imagine how kids must have felt going into the store and being greeted by Mario
I hope Nintendo continues to promote its characters in unlikely venues like Target. Their properties are some of the companies’ greatest strengths, and reaching out more to kids who go to these establishments with their parents is a smart move. Everything about the Target promotion leads people towards MK8 Deluxe in the electronics section, which is effective marketing.
In fact, I find Nintendo’s marketing in general to have improved with the Switch launch. They’ve produced relevant and exciting trailers for their newest system. The Switch itself is easy to understand, unlike the Wii U, but I have to admit that I’ve seen more Switch advertisements on TV and movie theaters than I ever did for the Wii U. Perhaps that can be attributed to the company’s recent success with both the system and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe selling extremely well. For a simple but great upgrade to a 2014 kart-racer to be the fastest-selling Mario Kart in history says something about how Nintendo is doing lately.
On a final note, I’m glad Nintendo went with Target to promote Mario as opposed to another certain store which shall not be named…
Next Time…!
Thank you so much for reading this issue of Weekly Panda Roundup! On Thursday, I’ll be posting something special for one of my newest acquisitions! Although this particular round-up was going to be about the anime and comic conventions I went to, I ended up changing the subject for some special Mario-related news. But don’t worry, I will be posting more about conventions soon after I attend a particularly big one in a few weeks. So until then, see you next time!
Mr. Panda's Video Game Reviews 
Thank you so much to those who watched and commented on our videos. We (especially Mr. Panda) work very hard on them each week. We appreciate each and every view and comment we receive.
I’m quite proud of our next episode of Snake Pass. If you thought the first level was challenging, well, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! I can’t help but laugh when watching our hilariously unfortunate death montage. Something tells me there may be more such montages to come… Snipperclips may not be quite as death defying, but I hope you enjoy part 5 too!
I just want to say that you’re never too old for certain things, like Disney movies, fairy tales…and Happy Meal toys. Though I didn’t think I’d still be getting them as an adult, I am not ashamed to show off the collection.
I wish I could’ve been there at Target! I love the sound effects as you enter the store. And the shopping cart decals were very cute. I’m having a good time playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Thank goodness for the new smart steering feature! It gives hope to the directionally challenged (like me). 😉
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Glad you’re enjoying Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with Smart Steering! I think it definitely makes playing it together more fun (and fair)! 😉 Also, of course I proudly display Happy Meal toys, much like how I proudly display amiibo! We must take another trip to Target soon! I mean, we need groceries, right? Right? Thanks again for your kind words and for all your help on the videos! It helps so much! 😀
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I’ve definitely considered picking up I Am Setsuna, but I just don’t have time for another JRPG right now. I’m currently juggling Yooka-Laylee, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Persona 5, as well as Dragon Age Origins for the series on my blog. There’s just too much great stuff to be playing right now!
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I Am Setsuna is definitely a time commitment, though less so compared to other RPGs. That sounds like a great list of games to be playing now! Let me know if you ever want to play some Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or Puyo Puyo Tetris together!
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Absolutely! My work schedule can be pretty crazy, so finding time to play can be tricky. But, if we can make it work, I would love to.
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Awesome! Just let me know whenever you can. I think we’re friends on Switch already, so we should be good to go! 😉
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Awww. Thanks for the shout out dude. As my Grandmother says “Everybody needs a toy.”
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Thank YOU for being an awesome supporter! You seriously rock! 🙂 And your Grandmother says some wise things. 😉 Everybody needs a toy indeed!
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:O I just found out from your blog post that I am Setsuna is on the Switch! I’ll have to pick that one up because I was definitely hoping it would go portable someday xD. Seems like my wish came true.
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Awesome! Glad your wish came true for a portable I Am Setsuna! 🙂 I’m happy that my post helped inform you that it was out! Have you played it before or will this be your first time?
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It’ll be my first time. I was pretty excited when I saw the trailers and how it resembled Chrono Trigger, but I didn’t go through with picking it up on my PS4. I was secretly hoping it’d come out on Vita but the Switch is a great alternative 😄
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I’m surprised it never came out on Vita, but yes it’s on the Switch! It definitely does resemble Chrono Trigger, but well… I’ll just stop myself there. Either way, hope you have a great time with it! 🙂
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I finally was able to pickup an Nintendo Switch last week at Bestbuy thanks to the release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. So far, I only picked up Breath Of The Wild (which I can’t stop playing) and Disegea 5, but like both so far. I’m thinking of getting I Am Setsuna, but from what I played of the PC version trial it seemed to simple.
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Congratulations on finding and getting a Switch! How exciting! Glad to hear you’re enjoying both BotW and Disgaea 5. I love the former and would be interested in trying the latter. Yea, you can check out my review of I Am Setsuna to see if it’s something that you’d be interested in playing long-term. And please free to add me as a friend on the Switch! 🙂
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Great round-up! Also, I’m glad you were able to buy the extra toys. Kris and I have to go back and see if we can get the others since they were out of everything last time, lol.
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Thanks! I hope to get the other toys soon! Thanks for the reminding me that you can buy the toys separately. Helps a lot, haha, especially when McDonald’s ends up giving me extras. 😉
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I got the Luigi McDonalds toy! My dad actually got it from England on a trip he went on and thought I’d like this. It now sits atop my desk at work, and people who come by are always like, woah what’s this? Touch the button and Luigi goes flying out to their surprise. Love it
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Nice! When I first saw the toys, I knew I wanted Luigi stuck in a pipe. I’m so happy that it was the first one I got. I love making him fly too, haha. Just as much fun as having him stuck in a pipe!
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That’s cool that they’re selling Mario toys in happy meals! I remember when I was a kid I got a Super Mario Maze from Taco Bell, and it being a big deal.
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Confession: I’ve never been to Taco Bell, but I’d do it for Mario. I also loved getting Pokemon at Burger King and KFC back in the day. And I recall having Mario toys from McDonald’s forever ago. Good times!
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Will definitely be checking out your YouTube channel. Also, id forgotten about snake pass – definitely need that for coop. Nice to see you had a very Mario themed time!
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Awesome! Thank you! I sincerely hope you enjoy our videos! 🙂 And yes, our unique co-op Snake Pass run is really something else, so I hope you find our playthrough hilarious! 🙂
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Bowser looks so small! You’d think he’d be bigger than Mario, since, well, he’s supposed to be bigger than Mario :p I wonder if my local Target did those decorations?? They did for Pokemon and it was amazing!
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Yea, Bowser’s smaller than Yoshi too! This is probably the peak time to beat Bowser. 😛 And I think pretty much all Targets participated so hopefully they did yours too. I never saw the Pokemon decorations, but I bet they were amazing! What did they do?
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I’ll have to make a visit to Target soon! They painted those red balls out in front into Pokeballs! It was so cute. I took a picture of it when it happened, but it’s probably buried in my phone somewhere.
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Wait, I think I do remember that! Was that around the time Pokemon GO came out? Man, Target is so much better than Walmart. 😛
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Yup! It was so awesome.
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I’m so glad to see your Youtube channel is taking off! Thanks so much for the shout out too, my panda friend 🙂 Youtube can be such a toxic place. I admire your courage to post there so the least I can do is get brave enough to comment there, haha.
I think I might just go to McDonald’s to pick those toys up. They look surprisingly good for Happy Meal toys. Marketing is very important for company success so it’s nice to see Nintendo using it well.
I’ll let you know when I pick up Mario Kart for the Switch. I’m forcing myself to get somewhere in BoTW first, haha. I will also be checking out more of your videos when I get some time. 🙂
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Thank you!! And you more than deserve the shoutout! I was incredibly touched that you made your first comments there! It’s definitely tough putting myself out on YouTube. I’m not very outgoing, and I’m pretty soft spoken, so it can get nerve wracking, especially considering how toxic YouTube gets. That’s why I’m so thankful when awesome commenters like you can bring the wonderful presence there. 🙂
Happy Meal toys are hit or miss, but I actually like the quality of these toys. They’re no amiibo, but they still look pretty good on the shelf!
I look forward to playing with you one day in the future! Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the videos when you see them!! 😀
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The Target promotion looks so cool!
I’ve bought several kid’s meals over the years for my “cousins” or “nieces/nephews”. I might have to get some more for “them”. 😉
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It was so much fun just going grocery shopping, haha. I’ve bought several happy meals over the years for… myself during game-related promotions. Haha. So I say you enjoy getting toys for your relatives. 😉
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Shopping at Target must be scary. What happens if someone tosses a shell at your trolley?
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I would freak out if I was just shopping and a blue shell suddenly appeared in the air. This is going to give me nightmares now, haha!
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That is awesome that Target was promoting Mario! I went a couple weeks ago and didn’t notice it at mine… maybe the promotion was already over by then 😦 I’ve got my eye on those McDonald’s toys… I may have to buy a Happy Meal haha!! Or at least ask to buy one!
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I think the promotion was only there for a week or two, so it’s a shame you didn’t see it! And the McDonald’s promotion ends today or tomorrow, so unfortunately, unless you go soon, they’re probably out. 😦
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