A Couple Of Cartoon Crazes In Gaming In August And September 2023

Disclaimer:
This is a listicle that features one upcoming game that contains strong cartoon violence, including blood and gore, according to its announcement trailer. Reader discretion is advised.
 
Exceptionally done cartoon styles can balance out many deceptions of realism in the gaming industry as we continue to delve into forms of imaginativeness to help us forget the troubles real life can hurl at us. Earlier this month, we were starstruck at the studio-themed stage in the third DLC pack for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope co-starring Rayman, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kicking butt in Minecraft and the third season of Disney Speedstorm featuring Lilo & Stitch characters [76] [77]. I may miss 2013, the year of Luigi from the Super Mario franchise who is usually Player 2 [49], considering how I am still in a constant state of fear due to ongoing hatefulness and discouragements [14] [66] [75], but I am more than delighted to express my thoughts on some recent or upcoming events as there will always be some form of a coping mechanism when we cannot help but miss the simpler times yet understand the importance of productivity. Besides, customising an Xbox Wireless and Elite Series 2 controller sounds like a dream come true for an artistic Xbox player [84]. Speaking of artistic value, let us list a few more cartoon crazes that were all revealed almost a week ago before the beginning of the second Summer tour in Mario Kart Tour [52].

Aside from newly released wireless Xbox controllers encased in Mineral and Arctic-coloured camo patterns [19], we all know that a Barbie would go for a lovely pink palette for her own Xbox controller in Barbie Land as there were some giveaways proudly presenting a Barbie-themed Xbox Series S console and a pack of faceplates for the controller they came with during the marketing for Barbie: The Movie [4] [79] [80]. Without further ado, let us tune into a recent gaming event and what two others await us this September aside from how we need to stay cautious in the new crossover between Cult of the Lamb and Don’t Starve this week [29]. [84]

Let us start with a collaboration between Fall Guys and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that came out of its shell [18]. The designs of new costumes are based on the designs of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem [56] [69], quite like how a crossover event in Candy Crush Saga helped promote Barbie: The Movie a month ago [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]. Unfortunately, like Fortnite, Fall Guys could be receiving some flak for relying on permissions to use popular intellectual properties for collaborative events too often to stay hip and relevant as Fall Guys also collaborated with:

•       Tomb Raider a while ago [70]
•       Bomberman two years ago [20]
•       Ratchet & Clank two years ago [60]
•       Sonic the Hedgehog last year [21]

On a lighter note, the collaboration with four heroic turtles is a quirky association with marketing a film my fiancé and I went to see and enjoyed for various reasons [56] [69]. The event will be concluded at the end of this month, which will be the same time the Dimension Shellshock DLC pack for TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge will be released [51], along withAdventure Time: Fionna and Cake on Max [43]. I guess I could become April O’Neil’s co-host if I keep up the great work [69]. 

Teenaged Costumed Ninja Fall Guys! Teenaged Costumed Ninja Fall Guys! Teenaged Costumed Ninja Fall Guys! Run and dodge in cosplay! Fall Guy Power! [18]

Plenty of 2000s teens may recall a series of adorable animals who, unfortunately, get killed or gruesomely mutilated in shocking ways so often to the point of getting banned from airing in Russia in 2009 [46] [67] [68]. During the beginning of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles event in Fall Guys [18], The Crackpet Show: Happy Tree Friends Edition was revealed [83].Up to four players can shoot projectiles at enemies, which appear to be grotesque-looking alien-like creatures and deformed animal-like mutants. Well, it is a crossover edition of The Crackpet Show, a zany shoot-em-up game from Vixa Games that was released on Steam in late 2021 [64] [65], then on consoles in late 2022 and is pretty gory as well with examples of crude humour as shown in its console release trailer [22] [23]. It will be a war between cutely designed animals and crudely designed enemies that will show that not all anthropomorphic animals are aimed at kids [46] [83], pretty much like how Strays has recently shown that a film starring talking dogs can be R-rated in a zany manner [71] [72]. There will be havoc to wreck in the Happy Tree Friends edition of The Crackpet Show this September [83]. Better not let PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals) find out [17]!

What could be next? A Helluva Boss edition of The Crackpet Show with Blitzo, Moxxie, Mille, Loona and Stolas in a chibi style inspired by certain merchandise [3] [44] [45]? The crossover between Happy Tree Friends and The Crackpet Show is sure to be another hectic thrill ride after fans of cartoony horror aim to survive the crossover between Cult of the Lamb and Don’t Starve [29] [83]. [83]

By the power of censorship, let us turn all this blood into ink, quite like a certain change that happened in the Japanese version of Shadow of the Tomb Raider [13]! Also announced during the reveal of yet another third-party collaboration in Fall Guys [18], some new content for Splatoon 3 will be featured during the second Drizzle Season [50], much like how our inklings beheld the first Drizzle Season almost a year ago [24]. Crableg Captial and Shipshape Cargo Co. seem like the perfect new places for a colourful civil war, especially with one inkling or octoling with a new work suit firing huge spurts of ink with Dread Wingers and another launching a long stream of ink with a Heavy Edit Splatling [50]. There will also be a new wave of gear, along with the return of the Salmon Run gear from Splatoon 2 to stylise your warrior [24]. Just like last year, the Drizzle Season will collide with the conclusion of Summer [24] [25]. Aside from another season in Splatoon 3, our Nintendo nerds can also jump, swim, glide and roller-skate through a new age in Super Mario Bros. Wonder this October and merge themselves in creative motion controls throughout each microgame they will feel like a part of in WarioWare: Move It! this November [53] [54].

After the Drizzle Season’s launch on the 1st of September, a new Splatfest with Shiver, Frye and Big Man as nominees for the “best leader” will commence on the 9^th [25]. [50]

All three events were revealed during the launches of Dust & Neon, Die After Sunset, Quantum Recharged and the demo version of Born of Bread [57] [58] [59] [81], along with the release of the official trailer for Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake [43], which shows that proactivity is flourishing in the gaming industry and so on, despite some hardships and protests [30] [74]. For every delayed event [2], there is always some current excitement to seek elsewhere as a certain red-masked merc’s latest comic book series has progressed with the tenth issue of Deadpool (Vol, 9) out tomorrow aside from Deadpool 3 being put on hold during the SAGAFTRA strikes in Hollywood [27] [32] [38] [39] [40] [74]. There will also be some new interactive adventures that await us in 2024, including Promenade, South Park: Snow Day! and Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop [61] [63] [82]. In the meantime, we can continue to put our skills to the test and look forward to even more cartoon crazes in gaming and outside of it later this year [5], such as Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, The Smurfs 2: The Prisoner of the Green Stone, the fifth chapter of My Little Pony: Make Your Mark [47] [48] [62]. After some craziness within four noble ninja turtles’ honour in Fall Guys [18], prepare for the second Drizzle Season in Splatoon 3 and even more craziness in The Crackpet Show: Happy Tree Friends [50] [83]. 

“Hi there, all you amazing, beautiful readers! Some of you may recall Laura suggesting that I can take a vacation to Kenada during the halt of Deadpool 3’s production in her second article on how a follow-up to the Barbie movie could go [80]. And guess what? I gave it a shot! From one good-looking actor named “Ryan” to another [4] [15] [16]! I do not regret hijacking Barbie Quinn’s car from Forza Horizon 5 and Warner Bros. near the end of it [73] [79]! Coincidentally enough, there were two series of official Barbie comics from Marvel around the time I made my debut [33] [34] [35] [36] [78]! Thank you for this seemingly unneeded, but deeply appreciated cameo, my little Laurapop! This is a highly ambitious crossover like Avengers: Infinity War if you ask me [1]! Speaking of crossovers, Daddy’s thinking of joining the Guardians of the Galaxy...and he’ll see if Astronaut Barbie would like to become a member too [4] [28], but she’ll probably make all of us wear pink suits, especially on Wednesdays...which is fine by Lovepool [55] [40] [41]. Ummmm...this is a listicle on a video game journalism blog, right? Well, looks like I'd better get back to playing Call Of Beauty with Lara Croft! Love you all to death, nerds! Don’t forget to check out my Badder Blood series too if you’re interested [37]! Or...mark me as spam or whatever. Cheerio!” [41]

You are very welcome, Deadpool! Off you go before you get marked as spam. The 17^th of August was quite a memorable day of game launches and announcements. Despite how I had no choice but to stop posting on X a month ago [80], I deeply appreciate all who take time to read an article of mine and I wish them all the best [11] [31]. Speaking of appreciation, let us wish the best for Charles Martinet after his retirement from voicing Nintendo’s iconic red-hatted plumber, his brother and their antiheroic counterparts [12] [26]. Thank you very much for your dedication, Mr. Martinet. [52]

 
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Concerning Anger In Gamers

(Originally published on the 4th of May 2023)

The Angry Video Game Nerd may be a raging legend [21] [22] [23], but being an angry gamer in real life would be no laughing matter. Gaming-related anger can be caused by: 

•       Insane gameplay difficulty 
•       A losing streak 
•       Harassment and bullying during online gaming or a gameplay livestream [30]
•       A community feeling like a prison on social media due to its toxicity [20] [40]

According to a recent study, 40% of over 5,000 gamers in the United States have admitted to sending hurtful messages online due to anger and under 20% have admitted to breaking an object during an outburst [26]. Moreover, the results of the survey also point out that the angriest are Xbox players in Oklahoma, especially those who happen to be either Call of Duty comrades, FIFA footballers or both. On a lighter note, the most chilled of the large number of gamers are from Idaho, especially the ones who consider themselves mobile gamers. Although anger is a natural response to an aggravating moment, it is still not an excuse to send abusive messages to a fellow gamer, along with property damage. After all, I recall the shaming and verbal abuse I received for my ambition in gaming journalism and how badly it affected me nearly two years ago [39].  

The risk of having an outburst while gaming does not just affect gamers in the United States [27]. Do any of my fellow British players recall a rage quit near them? [37]

Video games can be a coping mechanism if you are dealing with real life problems, but the feeling of failure can cause that aid to be corrupted [17]. A culprit can be a hacker making the gameplay unfair for everyone else. This was noted back in the days of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection racing, battling and tournaments on Mario Kart Wii [6]. As previously mentioned, a prime source of gaming rage is high difficulty. Rayman, Jak II and Catherine were notorious for their intense difficulties, despite their mostly positive receptions [5] [11] [12] [16] [19]. However, a different kind of aggravating difficulty can be present in a lot more negatively received games that have poor controls, such as Dark Castle [22]. And do not get me started with a game suddenly crashing as I remember my copy of The Sims 2 and most of the expansion packs glitching up and freezing frequently or suddenly crashing on the old family computer when I was a high school student [3], along with how Sonic Dash would often crash and have an annoyingly low frame rate on my fourth-generation iPod Touch when I was in college [24] [28]! As important it is to acknowledge these thoughts and feelings [31] [34], it is important to not stereotype and generalise based on the results of the survey [26].

So, how can us gamers manage our anger and frustration? [32]

It would be advised to take a break if a certain level or task in a game turns out to be too difficult [17] [18]. A prime example would of this would be stepping away to take some deep breaths [17] [31]. Why not save the challenge for another time and tune into a game consisting of serenity that can provide some relief, such as Flower and Animal Crossing: New Horizons [1] [7] [17] [29]? Another option with be tuning into an app that is designed for benefiting one’s mental well-being, such as Calm and Kinder World [4] [15]. Mellowing out from an intense challenge or lowering the difficulty does not make a gamer a “loser” or a “coward” [18], despite how a few titles have mocked players who chose the Easy mode, including Twisted Metal 2 and Wolfenstein: The New Order [36]. Asking for a little help from another player sometimes is nothing to be embarrassed about, especially if we aim to make a particular fandom a far less toxic place by being well-mannered and thoughtful as a community [18] [20]. I would much rather send kindness to a talented and charming person and be appreciated for it during a livestream than scream at the top of my lungs over a difficult level in a game or some nasty comments on Twitch or YouTube [25].

I remember being mesmerised by the concept and gameplay of Flower on my fiancé’s PlayStation 3 [1] [29]. As soothing as its visuals, music and relaxed gameplay are, taking a few deep breaths can help maintain mindfulness, just like in “Blue Is Frustrated”, the eighteenth episode of the second season of Blue’s Clues, no matter how old we are [2] [31]. [1]

Why not read a comic book during a break? Besides, a prequel comic set before the events of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was announced yesterday and it will be released this Saturday, which is World Free Comic Book Day. [13]

A gamer being angry does not make them a bad person, but efforts must be made to further prove that. Furthermore, being a video game journalist does not mean that I would write a hit piece on some people who I dislike [14] [39]. Lastly, getting frustrated at a very difficult level in a game or being enraged at the toxicity of a gaming franchise’s fanbase does not mean the passion for virtual creativity and adventurousness is gone [18]. Personally, despite the times when I ranted on social media and wanted to scream and yank my hair out [38] [40], I would never want to take my full-on rage out on those I deeply care about and end up hurting them. Remember that it is okay to be angry or frustrated, but there are lines you ought to not cross. Also, remember to count the blessings both in gaming AND real life as you practise self-care and self-kindness [15]. Most importantly, remember that you are valued, and you are not alone in this complicated world as we strive to make it a better place while looking to new forms of entertainment, such as a second theatrical part based on a classic novel [9] [10] [35]. 

You said it, Samy from Kinder World [15]! And as competitive gaming can be [26], leading to aggravating moments sometimes, the enjoyable moments of escaping reality’s troubles are ultimately worth cherishing [8] [18] [33], even if you are a Call of Duty comrade or a FIFA footballer [26]. Let us gamers keep showing one another kindness and support! [15]

References

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