IS IT JUNE ALREADY? (June 8, 2020)

Twenty-third post from the original blog.

"Our family went up to Utah again, and this time I actually stayed home. Mom said I didn't have to come if I didn't want to, and frankly, I didn't really want to go. I stayed home and just played video games and watched several episodes of Big City Greens, which I had bought the first season on my phone with my money after I got home from the last Utah trip.

My grandparents on my mom's side wanted to hang out with me on Saturday and Sunday (June 6 and 7), so I hung out with them. On Saturday we went to McDonald's and I got a quarter pounder cheeseburger and some french fries. Then we went to my Aunt Kristie's house to see her and her family, and I also got to see their new house that they're renovating so they can move in.

On Sunday, Grandpa picked me up and took me to his house for the afternoon, where I just played the Wii at their house and watched more Big City Greens on my phone. We also played this game called OK Play, which is sort of like Connect Four, but you have to connect five, and you place square tiles on the table so they all touch each other like a mosaic or something. It was pretty fun. Grandma also made chocolate chip cookies for me, which was awesome.

As for video games, there was plenty I did while at home and at my grandparents' house.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - I was able to complete all of the trouble center sidequests for after Chapter 7, and I also tackled the Pit of 100 Trials. I got down to Floor 60 before I got bored and started questioning my badge setup, as I had used several Power Plus and Damage Dodge badges (for both Mario and his partner) while leaving little room for attack badges like Multibounce and healing badges like HP Finder.

Paper Mario: Color Splash - I finally managed to get the yellow Big Paint Star from Iggy in the Golden Coliseum, and after getting a few more Mini Paint Stars, I managed to get the blue Big Paint Star from Ludwig as well. I was able to beat Snifit or Whiffit: Seabed Edition, but I got a Game Over on the bonus round trying to get the "legendary prize" (which I found out on the Internet was the Instant Camera, required to defeat Wendy and get the purple Big Paint Star). I just played the regular rounds again so I could get the Mini Paint Star leading to Fort Cobalt.

Mario Kart Wii - I played this at my grandparents' house on Sunday (June 7), and I think I did pretty good. I got gold trophies on the 50cc Mushroom and Flower Cups, and I got a star rank on the Mushroom Cup and a double-star rank on the Flower Cup. I also played Battle Mode (specifically Coin Runners), and I won the first round, but lost the second. I didn't play a third round because I lost interest.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii - I also played this at my grandparents' house. I beat World 2 in the game, and I also got the secret exit in World 2-6 which led to the cannon. Taking that shot me to World 5, but I decided I wanted to beat World 2 the normal way first.

Kirby's Dream Land 2 - I tried defeating the final boss, Dark Matter, but I had to go to bed before I could actually defeat him. So... that was a bust.

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling - I got this game on May 29, the day after it was released. I really like it, too. I managed to beat the first five chapters (while getting a few Game Overs to the bosses of Chapters 3, 4, and 5), and I'm on Chapter 6. My only complaint is that you can't upgrade your attack power directly like you can in Paper Mario, which I'm pretty sure this game was based off of. The good news is that the enemies' stats don't increase too much as the game progresses, so it's not like you feel like your level is too low just because enemies in Chapter 5 have more health than in Chapter 1. Granted, they do, but a Seedling has 4 health points (in normal mode), which is a Chapter 1 enemy. A Flowerling has 7 health points, which is a Chapter 5 enemy. I figure if the enemies' stats in Bug Fables scaled the same way they do in Paper Mario, Flowerlings would probably have about 16 health points, which sounds pretty ridiculous considering that the only way to increase your attack power is to use medals. Regardless, I really like the game, and if you like Paper Mario, you'll probably like this game (unless you're afraid of bugs or something).

I also played some Wii Play, Wii Sports, and Wii Sports Resort at my grandparents' house. I totally schooled Grandpa when we were playing baseball on Wii Sports. The first inning was 7-0, and the game called a mercy rule because I was so far ahead.

I'm still excited for Paper Mario: The Origami King to come out. There's only one month, one week, and two days until it comes out as I write this post, and I'm excited."