Weekly Panda Roundup – ARMS, SNES Classic, & amiibo Podcast

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend! If you’re celebrating any summer holidays like the 4th of July or Canada Day, hope you’re having a wonderful time! We had a vacation last week during a big time of transition, so this weekly roundup will cover the last couple of weeks, which brought us a brand new Nintendo IP, the revelation of the awaited SNES Classic, and a surprise podcast appearance where I talk about the joys of those lovely figurines, amiibo!

So without further ado, let’s round ‘em up!

Pandas at Play Video Announcements

Our YouTube channel is continuing to grow, and we owe it all to our wonderful subscribers and viewers. We will be making some changes and updates to our schedule following our new transitions. But we think they’ll be for the better!

For starters, we will be doing more on-camera discussions with each other and you all. We had already been starting that trend with last month’s E3 predictions and impressions. We’re happy to show off more of our personalities and enthusiasm through this new style, and we hope you enjoy it too! As always, please let us know what you think, starting with our SNES discussion below!

We are the Pandas at Play!

Thank you as always for your support! It helps drive us forward and continue to bring you fun Nintendo video content!

• If you haven’t yet seen our videos and want to see what we’re all about, you can check out the links below! We sincerely hope you enjoy!
• Our YouTube channel link is here! https://www.youtube.com/mrpanda2002
• And if you’d like to subscribe after watching our videos, please click here! http://bit.ly/2oaYX1r

ARMS (Switch) Review

Who needs Summer when you have Spring Man? Here’s my review of Nintendo’s latest Switch game, ARMS! It’s a unique, colorful fighter, you use motion controls to punch others with stretchy limbs! In my review, I discuss how the game plays, if the motion controls work, and if it’s any fun. Does ARMS score a KO or does it need more training? Is this Nintendo’s next HIT? Let me know what you think of ARMS, whether you’ve played it or not! And if you have played it, who are your favorite characters to play as?

https://youtu.be/nYeQmd12_mQ

Snipperclips Co-Op Part 11 – Not Mario Galaxy

In Part 11 of our ongoing 100% co-op Snipperclips playthrough, we blast off with Silly Science while making Super Mario Bros. voice impersonations on the way! If only we could fly off to a Mario Galaxy! Watch us get Super Mushrooms, fight off UFOs, and meet the Action Cactus! Looks like Team Panda’s blasting off again! *ding*

https://youtu.be/Ch7_3-CnMFU

The next episode will be a special one, so please look forward to it!

As always, you can start with the above episode or find the full playlist starting at Part 1 – Stabby Sticks here: http://bit.ly/2nFmc5v

Talk Nintendo Podcast – All Aboard the Panda Express

I’m so excited to share that I was recently on the Talk Nintendo Podcast a few weeks ago! The Talk Nintendo Podcast is a weekly podcast run by two great guys, Casey and Perry. I had a lot of fun coming onto their show to talk about amiibo! I love the little Nintendo figurines, and I enjoyed sharing about my ridiculously extensive collection! We also discuss Disgaea 5 Complete, ARMS, the eShop, and play a guessing game. You’ll also hear us sing a wonderful rendition of the catchy ARMS theme song! OH OHH OHHH OHHHH! I had a blast recording with these guys, and I hope you get the chance to check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Z8H5ZmbOU

You can find Talk Nintendo Podcast on iTunes and on the above video. You can also download the mp3 for this episode (Episode 39 – All Aboard the Panda Express) and read the write-up here at Nintendo World Report. Finally, you can follow the podcast on Twitter @TalkNintendoPod. Thanks again to the guys for having me as a guest!

SNES Classic Reactions & Breakdown

It’s actually happened! Nintendo official unveiled the SNES Classic, seemingly out of nowhere and surprisingly after E3 was well over. The miniature Super Nintendo will come packed with 21 games, including the previously unreleased Star Fox 2! Crazy!

Crystal Dragon and I shared our direct reactions following the big news and discussed our thoughts on each of the 21 games. As I discussed earlier, this is the start of more ad-libbed on-camera discussions, and we sincerely hope you enjoy our new format! Please let us know what you think and what you’d like to see us talk about!

https://youtu.be/S2DarTRmZ4o

We’re overall excited for the SNES Classic, though we’re hoping that we can actually get one when it comes out on September 29. We came very close to missing out on the poorly stocked NES Classic, only managing to get one during the last run. Hopefully, Nintendo ups the stock for this limited edition item, so anyone who wants one can find it.

Here are my brief thoughts on each SNES Classic game! For a more in-depth look with our commentary, be sure to check out the above video!

• Contra III: The Alien Wars – Konami’s on board! Contra III is a fun game but also very hard. Thankfully, we’ll always have the Konami code…
• Donkey Kong Country – Rare’s participating, sort of! We’re getting the original DKC, which is a stellar game in its own right, but we’re going to miss out on the superior DKC2 and DKC3. It’s a shame, but at least we got something from one of my favorite platformer series.
• EarthBound – This game stinks! Joking, but Nintendo’s original marketing for this game would have had me fooled. I was so excited when this game was first announced on the Wii U’s Virtual Console, since it marked the first time I could play this quirky RPG with a modern setting. Now it’s claimed a spot on the SNES Classic. We need a GBA Classic and get Mother III next!

If only we could also have included game cases!

• Final Fantasy III (Final Fantasy VI) – Yes! One of my favorite Final Fantasy games is on the Classic! It’s a shame Final Fantasy II (FFIV) isn’t included, but at least we got something.
• F-ZERO – Expected, but you know what’s not expected? A Switch F-Zero game. Will it happen one day?
• Kirby Super Star – This was my most expected Kirby game, and it’s no surprise that it’s present. It was marketed as having eight games in one, and while that’s sort of true, I like to think of it more as one huge Kirby package.
• Kirby’s Dream Course – Kirby golf! I thought we’d be getting Kirby’s other SNES platformer Kirby’s Dream Land 3, but this is also a fun alternate.
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past – This had to be on here. Time to get the Triforce all over again!
• Mega Man X – Glad a Mega Man made it! I expected this over Mega Man 7, but I’m surprised we actually got it. Thanks Capcom!
• Secret of Mana – Very excited to play co-op thanks to the included controller. Great Square action RPG!

Star Fox 2 is actually happening!

• Star Fox – I actually haven’t played much of it, so I’m excited the SNES’ Super FX Chip issue was resolved so Star Fox could finally see the light of day once more.
• Star Fox 2 – No one’s played any of this game! This is a crazy announcement, and I love that this previously unreleased title is included! A brand new SNES game in this day and age?!
• Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting – Glad Street Fighter II made it, and we even got one with the ridiculous subtitles included.
• Super Castlevania IV – Castlevania representation! This game’s graphics were revolutionary back in the day, and I’m glad it made the cut for the Classic.
• Super Ghouls ’n Ghosts – I haven’t played this other scary platformer, but I’m interested in taking it for a spin.
• Super Mario Kart – The original Mario Kart was a given. I had a lot of fun with this inaugural mascot racer a long time ago. It hasn’t aged perfectly, and I prefer the modern 3D ones like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but people ought to see the series’ humble roots.

The original mini NES was cute, but I so want an SNES in my palm.

• Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars – This Square/Nintendo hybrid is coming, and I’m excited to play it again! I miss good old Geno.
• Super Mario World – I actually reviewed SMW on here. I’ll just say this: I play this game at least once a year!
• Super Metroid – It’s mindblowing that we’re in a year where both a new 3D Metroid Prime and 2D Metroid: Samus Returns are announced. It makes the legendary Super Metroid’s inclusion so much sweeter. Welcome back Samus!
• Super Punch-Out!! – I love the Punch-Out!! series, so SPO!!’s inclusion is appreciated. It’s not my favorite iteration of the series, but it’s a fine one.
• Yoshi’s Island – Finally, for the first time since the original release, the SNES version of Yoshi’s Island is going to be available. Like Star Fox, this game never made it to Virtual Console, likely because of issues with the SNES’ Super FX Chip. Although we got a GBA port, it’s not the same as playing the original.

SNES Classic – Find it at your store, or probably not. Good luck!

Let us know what you think of the games included! Which games are you excited made it onto the system? Which games should have been included? Do you wish you had a time machine to go back with a frog and a robot to change the list of games? And did any of your predictions come true for the SNES Classic? Here was our original wish list, which we made back in April, if you want to compare any of our predictions.

https://youtu.be/exMhoYzVg-k

Next Time…!

Thank you so much for reading this week’s roundup! A new video review is coming this Thursday! And look forward to some special Snipperclips news next time! Hope you all enjoy any summer holidays you’re celebrating! Happy Independence Day!

Have a great week everyone! Until then, see you next time!

How was your weekend? What games are you playing?

What are your thoughts on ARMS, whether you’ve played it or not? If you’ve played it, who are your favorite characters?

What do you think of the SNES Classic and its lineup? What games are you glad were included? Which games did you wish made the cut?

Let me know any thoughts you have in the comments section below! Thanks for reading and watching!