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!
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?
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*
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!
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!
- 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 – 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.
- 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.
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.
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!
Hooray! Great roundup Mr. Panda! I hope everyone enjoys our reactions of the SNES Classic! We got a new webcam, and we wanted to test it out with this inaugural video! Hope you enjoy our enthusiasm as we talk about the new system, that we hope we will get! Also, I enjoyed hearing your podcast, since I wasn’t there for the recording. You guys are so funny, and you sounded so natural! Great job on it! 😀 Same goes for the ARMS Review, Snipperclips, and all the fun things we did on our staycation!!!
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And thank YOU for helping to edit Snipperclips! It’s so funny, and I’m glad you enjoy playing it with me! We have so much wacky fun doing it together. The podcast was so much fun. It’s really long, but it’s such a nice listen, especially when we sing the ARMS theme. OHH OHHH OHHHH OHHHHH!
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Wow! You’re even doing guest appearances now!? That’s awesome! I’m happy to see your success and I know your great YouTube channel will continue to grow 🙂
I got my camping gear ready for the SNES Classic. I really hope Nintendo makes more than 7, haha.
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Thank you so much as always! Every one of your comments always brightens up my day, and it’s always meant so much to me that you’d comment on YouTube for me! THANK YOU! 😀
Haha, we had been planning on a collaboration for a while now. I met one of the podcast cohosts when I started reviewing, and have been a fan of his stuff since! It was an honor for me to talk to them about amiibo and Nintendo stuff! I had a blast with them! I bet you’d love to hear us talk about it as a fellow amiibo fan!
I’m ready too, but I’m just worried that preorders will suddenly open up out of nowhere. I lost out on the recently released Zelda amiibo as a result, which makes me super sad. I really want the SNES Classic for all those games and the new Star Fox 2, so please Nintendo, make more than 7!! XD
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No trolls have attacked me on YouTube yet! I’m glad I took the chance to comment on your amazing videos 🙂
Aw! I’m sorry to hear you missed out on the new Zelda Amiibo. When I heard North American retailers were doing exclusives again, I decided to just import them from Amazon UK. It was worth the slightly extra cost/shipping time for my peace of mind, lol. Here’s to hoping we both get a SNES Classic! 😀
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Of course! I would never let trolls attack my awesome friends! Plus I have some settings so that any bad apples get picked up by filters automatically. You are safe. 🙂
I’m very sad about the Zelda amiibo. I was around when the Skyward Sword amiibo went up, but it was Amazon Prime exclusive, so I gave up. I ended up getting none of them, and as much as I’d love to import them, I had to resist this time. I have hope that I can at least get the Twilight Princess and Majora’s Mask (the one I want most) amiibo soon, but we’ll see. Worst comes to worst, I’ll import them in the future, along with that Qbby amiibo I’ve missed out on. I’m glad I at least have the 12 E3 amiibo set. I must have that squishy Metroid, the Mario wedding outfit set, and the Champions from Zelda. Congratulations on nabbing the imports and having peace of mind! I’ll definitely help you out for the SNES Classic so that we don’t have to import or miss out!! 😉
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I heard a lot of the ideas that were going to be used in Star Fox 2 ended up being used in Star Fox 64 instead. It’ll be interesting to finally play that hitherto unreleased game; it’ll probably be like playing Metal Gear 2 after Metal Gear Solid where many of the ideas in the latter actually originated in the former.
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That’s what I had heard too. In fact, the chicken walker Arwing is also something that was later reused, only in Star Fox Zero instead. I really wonder what Star Fox 2 will be like. I had no idea it was actually done. I just assumed they didn’t finish it after the N64 came around. I didn’t know Metal Gear 2 and Metal Gear Solid had a similar situation. I learned something new! Thanks!
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Yeah, if you get a chance, that’s a game worth checking out. It’s on the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and Legacy Collection paired with Metal Gear Solid 3.
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I might have to check them all out! I’ve never really properly played a Metal Gear Solid game except for parts of The Twin Snakes, so I’d like to finally get into the series!
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I have been having a blast with ARMS. I love playing as Ribbon Girl, Twintelle and Mechanica, though I sort of suck with the latter, but I plan on getting good eventually! I am pretty much done with the single-player mode, as I have beaten it with all characters, so now I am focusing solely on online play.
I ended up missing your ARMS review! Nice work with that one, as usual! I still need to try those motion controls!
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Awesome! I’d love to play with you in ARMS sometime! 😀 I’m not that great, but I enjoy the gameplay a lot. I used to main Ribbon Girl and occasionally Min Min, but I’ve been trying out Ninjara recently. His style fits me well. I appreciate the radically different playstyles of each character! Twintelle is awesome too. She’s my wife’s preferred character. I haven’t used Mechanica much though. What do you think of her?
And thank you regarding the ARMS review! I use traditional controls far more than motion, but I hear the latter’s the way to play. I need practice!!
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Mechanica is pretty cool, even if I lose with her more often than I win. Her ability to hang in the air for a while thanks to the boosters on her suit is pretty neat! I also like Ninjara quite a bit, but I have trouble with some of his main arms, such as the boomerang (I don’t know the exact name of that thing).
And you are welcome! We do need to meet online sometime!
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I like that Mechanica and Twintelle can float. I prefer airgame in ARMS, so those and Ribbon Girl are great for me. I don’t remember which weapon arm that is for Ninjara, but I like using his charkram arms (I think that’s what it’s called).
I’d love to play anything with you, whether ARMS or any other multiplayer game! I have Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Bomberman R, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Ultra Street Fighter II, and ARMS as far as vs. multiplayer Switch games go. We’re friends on the system already, so let me know when you want to play! 🙂
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Yes, I love airgame as well. That’s why I went for Ribbon Girl!
Out of those games I only have ARMS. I will be online in about two hours when I get home from work!
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I might be able to play! Let me know when you’re ready. 🙂
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I am online!
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All right!
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Do you have a friend lobby set up?
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Great game Matt! You’re really good! I had so much fun playing you in ARMS! Sorry, I had to leave so abruptly. Dinner, haha. Let’s play again sometime? 🙂
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Yeah, it was great! I had a blast! No problem. Sure. I will probably be able to play it again on Thursday.
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Awesome! Let me know, and we can play again! 😀
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Just to let you know I will probably not be able to make it online today! I have got a pile of things to correct! =P
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No problem! Thanks for letting me know. We can always play sometime next week! Or really anytime as long as Nintendo’s online service is still around and we have it. 😉
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I am online playing ARMS! I finally found some free time to do it.
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Oh no! I’m out of town this weekend! I’m so sorry! Maybe another day this week? 🙂
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That’s terrible luck!
I think that will be possible. I will let you know!
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Great! Sorry about that. We’ll figure it out!
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No worries!
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Great round-up! I really enjoyed this past week’s content! I probably won’t get an SNES Classic myself, but there’s certain games I’d like to seek out like Earthbound and Castlevania. I don’t think I’ve ever actually played a Castlevania.
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Thank you very much my friend! That means a lot to me! You’ve never played a Castlevania? I know what to get you next then. If I can get an SNES Classic, I’d love for you to try some of these games out, including the ones you mentioned!
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Keeping an eye out for that SNES Classic is another full time job!
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Right? It’s probably going to end up with us camping out for one. But I’ll be sure to let you know if any preorders pop up! Keep me in the loop for that too! 😉
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It would be nice to score an SNES classic, but I don’t have very good luck, lol! Seriously, though, they have some great games listed! Since Super Mario RPG is my all-time favorite game, I’m excited for that one! I love the fact that they included DKC but like you, wish they would’ve also included DKC2 and 3. Also, my OCD is bothered by the fact that there is an odd-numbered amount of games for it! Why couldn’t they have made it 30 like the NES classic? 😉
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I’m glad your all-time favorite game is included! Super Mario RPG is an amazing game, as are the DKC games. DKC2 is my favorite of the three, which is why I desired that most. I’m happy just to get DKC though. I’ll also be happy just to get the SNES Classic! I hope that I can get one. Here’s hoping! By the way, I think there is an odd number because it’s technically 20+1 games according to Nintendo, with Star Fox 2 being the bonus +1. As for why there aren’t 30, it’s probably because SNES games are bigger and more expensive. Besides, they’re 21 great quality and good length games, as opposed to what the NES Classic got, which included short arcade games like Pac-Man and Galaga. Good games, but small experiences.
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I really hope the SNES Classics are more widely available! Yeah, you are right… it does make sense that they would have less games for the SNES Classic considering the games are much larger. It was just my wishful thinking that made me hope for more, haha! It’ll be awesome to play Star Fox 2 for the first time though!
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I’d love more too! I’d probably pay a little extra (even though we already are for the SNES Classic) to squeeze out 9 more games on the system. More games are always a good thing, and I’d pay premium to have Chrono Trigger and the rest of the DKC trilogy on the collection!
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Oh, I think I would too! 🙂
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Nintendo better manufacture many of those SNES minis or else the only people who will get them are the scalpers. Demand is sure to be high due to the exclusive release of Star Fox 2.
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We’ll see. It’s looking to be another limited edition holiday item, though at least Nintendo said they hope to make more than with the NES Classic.
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