The Newbie FAQ

Okay, I have simply made this page because there are the same old questions asked every time by new players who don't understand anything about certain videogames, mainly concerning glitches, rumours, Action replay usage and techniques.

Mario Kart DS

How do you get 3 stars?

Honestly, I wrote this answer enough times, but:

Come in first place in every race. And to do better than that, be in first on every lap.

Don't go off-road (unless you are using shortcuts)

Try to dodge any item thrown at you, and learn the Blue Shell Dodge tactic.

Don't ever fall off, at all. And use a heavy character in a light kart for Rainbow Road.

Keep trying until you manage all this.

Note: Using shortcuts or items does not effect your rank. I know this as I have 3 stars in everything, used every shortcut possible, used all the items I needed to and so on. And I recommend ROB in the Dry Bomber or Egg1, as that's what I used.

How do unlock the Rainbow Cup or Baby Mario?

You cannot as the rumour is faked junk. If you send me a picture 'proving' they exist, I will literally prove it is fake by annotating it and then send it back.

Who is the robot guy I see on wifi?

That is ROB, and to use him, you must be either Nitro GP or Retro GP on Mirror Mode setting. Either one works.

How do people teleport?

It's just lag where the DS guesses where they will drive because of the slow connection speed which is causing the game to register their position incorrectly.

How do people go much faster than I can?

Simply, it is probably a technique called Straight Stretch Mini-Turbo. Some call a form of this snaking, but the first term is the correct one. It is the act of performing multiple mini-turbos on a straightway. It could also be Prolonged Rocket Boosting, where they keep the boost from the start constant through the race with endless mini-turbos to cut over off-road surfaces.

How did someone pick a battle course?

That was hacking, same if they picked a course not normally playable on wifi. Note that in a battle course, using a blue shell, lightning or bullet bill with freeze the game.

Super Mario 64

How do I unlock a character?

For Mario, go into his painting behind the eight star door in the REc Room, go through the level and beat Goomboss. For Luigi, go into his painting on the top floor of Big Boos Haunt and beat King Boo. For Wario, go behind the mirror with a power flower as Luigi, then enter his painting, progress through the mini-world and beat Chief Chilly.

Then, go into the room behind the 1 star door with the entrance to the secret slide and enter their door.

How come the red blocks aren't solid?

You need to hit the switch. After a certain number of stars, go into the foyer, and stand on the mat where light should be coming in. Look into the light to get to Tower of the Wing Cap and hit the switch.

Where's Waluigi?

He's not in the game. And disregard all rumours about flooding the castle or fighting a giant rabbit.

I forgot to get the red coins in the courtyard! Now my game is ruined!

You have already got the star, so look at all of the other 29 stars until you eventually find the one you have missed, as it has been proven the glitch where the star supposedly disappears does not exist. If you feel confident it does, e-mail me a full video of you finding all 149 other stars and them being blue, then I MAY think about it.

Where's the star I misses? It's a secret one...

Check all the secret courses. You should have two from each Bowser level, 1 for the red coins in the Wing Cap tower, 2 from behind the waterfall, 2 from the secret slide, 2 from the course under the moat, 3 from Toad, 1 from the red coins in the courtyard, 2 from Goomboss Battle, 2 from Big Boo Battle, 2 from Chief Chilly Challenge, 1 from the shining rabbits, 1 from Battle Fort, 1 from Sunshine Isles, 2 from Over the Rainbows, 1 from the white room behind the mirror and 1 from the Secret Aquarium.

Or:

Princess Secret Slide
Princess Secret Slide under 21 seconds
? Switch Red Coins
The Secret Under the Moat Red Coins
The Secret Under the Moat switch star
Behind the Waterfall Red Coins
Behind the Waterfall Secret Star
Goomboss Battle Red Coins
Goomboss Battle Switch Star
Big Boo Battle Red Coins
Big Boo Battle Secret Star*
Chief Chilly Challenge Red Coins
Chief Chilly Challenge Secret Star
Courtyard Red Coins
Secret Aquarium Red Coins
Secret of Battlefort Silver Stars
Bowser in the Dark World Red Coins
Bowser in the Dark World Switch Star
Bowser in the Fire Sea Red Coins
Bowser in the Fire Sea Switch Star
Bowser in the Sky red Coins
Bowser in the Sky Switch Star
Toad near Hazy Maze Cave
Toad under stars in the room with Wet-Dry World, Tall Tall Mountain etc.
Toad near Tick Tock Clock
Wing Mario Over The Rainbow Red Coins
Wing Mario Over The Rainbow Secret Star
8 Glowing Rabbits/The White Door
Sunshine Isles silver stars
The Mirror Room

The controller sucks! The game is too difficult!

The controls in this game are perfectly fine as they are, and only n00b reviewers and 'experts' from magazines and IGN/Gamespot say otherwise.

Where are the shiny rabbits?>

In random areas, in place of any rabbits you have already caught. The best way to get them is to keep checking the rabbits outside the castle as Yoshi, going in and out as necessary.

Warioware Touched

How do you get the crowns?

Beat the score needed on each mini-game for a character. And you also get a toy from each character if you beat their set of mini-games and beat a certain score.

What's with the title screen?

Just enjoy messing around with it.

Is their a satanic hidden message?

No and those people have too much free time to try and figure out things like that.

New Super Mario Bros

How do I save my Game?
You have to beat a Castle or Tower to save. You can also save after spending star coins, either by buying wall paper or opening a gate.

How do I reach Worlds 4 and 7?

To reach world 4, beat the world 2 boss (Mummy pokey) as mini Mario. To access world 7, beat the world 5 boss (Petey Piranha) as mini Mario.

How do I get the secret wall paper?

To get the secret wall paper, beat the game, unlock all levels and beat them and collect all the star coins

How do I get the normal wallpapers?

Beat Bowser in the final battle, and enter the blue mushroom house in world 1. You can buy them for 20 star coins each.

This game is too easy!

Not a question, but I guarantee you will find the supposedly harder Super Mario Bros, Mario Bros 2 (both versions), Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World much easier as well, because you are getting better at games in general.

Yoshi's Island DS

How do I unlock the secret levels?

Beat the final level to unlock them in each world.

How do I unlock extra levels?

Get 800 points in the world you want the extra level for to unlock it. Repeat for the other 4 worlds to get all of them.

Can you swap Babies between levels?

No you cannot.

How do I escape the giant Tap Taps/Chomp Sharks?

Their speed is relative to yours, so if you go slower, so will they.

How do I get stars on the title screen?

Get 1000 (maximum) points in every world in the game.

How do I beat [insert boss here]?

Refer to my guide which I have linked to below:
My Boss guide for Yoshi's Island DS

Can I play as Baby Bowser or Wario in other levels than those which are normally possible?

Sadly, no.

Mario and Luigi Partners in Time

The bosses are too difficult!

Train on weaker enemies to raise your level, then fight them again. Also, rely on my boss guide for this game.

How can I beat the final bosses?

From my guide:

Princess Shroob Battle Form 1

If you are slow starting, jump the rings fired by the machine used used the Shroob Princess, then hit the machine with the hammer to avoid getting crushed. Then, weaken the Force field using the infinite hit power items such as Copy Flowers, Trampolines, etc.

Eventually, the force field will break, so unleash every possible power Bros attack you need, and you will eventually defeat the boss. Jump the stars she fires if you are about to get attack, and keep repeating the process with the force field until you get a quite easy win.

WARNING: Mass Spoilers below

Watch the cut scene where Princess Peach says something about the Cobalt Star, Baby Bowser screws up after trying to steal the treasure and the Elder Princess Shroob appears after turning him into a mushroom.

Elder Princess Shroob Form 1

This first part is extremely easy, so I will just say to use as few items as possible here, as the attacks are less devastating than the final form. First, you will get given a star to shoot down some UFOs, so do so and hope you get a free item (a shell or fire flower is common). Now, she will do one of three possible attacks:

1- She'll fly into the background and shoot fire. Jump the attacks, and when she shoots them directly out the screen, jump if they are fired when she is hovering low and stand still if she is floating a long way up the screen. When she lands, a shockwave will get fired, so jump it.

2- She'll get a large meteorite, so repeatedly hammer her to send her away. This is a good option, as you can cause anywhere up to 200 damage just by counter attacking.

3- She'll get healed. Then, she will likely bring a Chain Chomp into the arena, so jump it's charges around and hopefully land on the beast to destroy it and end the attack quicker.

When you get a turn, use a powerful item to deal hundreds of damage. But be warned, she will then charge at one of the Brothers, so hit her with a hammer until she backs away.

Note: When she is weak, she will heal more often. And try to have high health, otherwise Princess Peach may throw a mushroom rather than a star, which lets the boss use more powerful attacks as you cannot take out the UFOs.

Elder Princess Shroob Transformed

First, you will likely NOT be faster than the boss, unless you've raised your speed stats by quite a lot beforehand. So you will likely have to dodge some attacks. For one, some tentacles may glitter, so jump or stand still with the correct brothers to avoid their stabbing attacks.

Then, one or two may go slowly towards the brothers, so hammer them away or take a lot of damage.

Finally, the legs will spin around, so jump with each individual brother first. Then, jump with both Mario and Luigi when they spin really quickly.

Now, on your turn, use a Mix Flower. Make the fireball as powerful as possible to destroy all the tentacles, the feet and about 1 hp of the actual boss. This will make the crown possible attack, so send every tough item you have at the crown. Eventually, when it smashes, you can harm the boss properly.

Here, fire EVERYTHING possible. Cannonballers, Trampolines, Mix Flowers, Copy Flowers, Shells, Pocket Chomps. Unleash it like it's your last turn (it isn't, but that may encourage you a bit). All though if you had the Ulti Free badge, every attack SHOULD have been a Bros Item anyway.

Eventually, the crown will reactivate, so keep attacking it, and destroying tentacles and feet when they reappear. You should eventually destroy the boss and end the final battle quickly. It's all over... you think...

Shrowser

Uh, Bowser got possessed AGAIN? After getting possessed in Superstar Saga he gets his body hi-jacked by the Elder Princess Shroob? Well, ignoring the idiocy of the not so as evil as he thinks common Mario arch enemy, this 'boss' is more like a mini game than a battle...

First, you are NOT attacking Shrowser! You don't get to, and he deflects every counter attacked shot upwards. However, you are causing the life bar of the spirit of the Elder Princess Shroob to go down by dodging and counter attacking the boss attacks.

First, he will probably shoot fire. Just jump for it to go off screen, loop around and hit the Princess Shroob soul in the face.

His next attack is breathing tons of fire. The spirit of Elder Princess Shroob will point with a different tentacle to show which brother the attack is aiming for. Left means Mario, right means Luigi.

The final attack is breathing a huge fireball which goes directly at one of the characters. The same aiming as the second attack applies, so watch carefully and smash it back with the hammer. Note that the fire gets larger as the battle progresses.

Finally, you should deplete all the health bar and defeat Shrowser! You've finally won the entire game!

Best items?

Mix Flowers and infinite hit items like Trampolines and Copy Flowers.

What is this X symbol on the floor?

Use the move where the babies dig into the ground at this spot to get a bean. You can exchange these for rare badges in Fawful's shop.

What is the strongest equipment?

Supreme Slacks for adults, 100 Point Pants for babies. Ulti Free badge is the best badge in the game.

What is the highest level in this game?

That is level 100 for all characters, as confirmed by myself. Oh, and max money is all 9s, and 99 is the max for each item.

Level 100 in Partners in Time

General Nintendo DS console

How come the touch screen is broken?

Try to realign the touch screen via the option on the DS main menu. If not, then trade in the DS and don't use unofficial stylus types (happened to me)

Why do game keep deleting themselves?

I would like to know that as well. Multiple people have had games of Mario Kart DS, Super Mario 64 DS or Warioware Touched deleted for no reason. Sometimes, it's temporarily, often it's permanent.

Gamecube

The game isn't recognised!

Try cleaning the disc and reinsert the game disc.

The Action Replay disc is broken! It comes up with a red screen!

Keep reinserting the disc and perhaps clean the disc. It's an occasional error I'm afraid, and is random.

Super Mario Sunshine

How many shines are there?

120 in total.

How do I get green Yoshi normally without him disappearing?

Use an Action Replay code from a site like http://arcentral.net.

What's the secret book for?

It currently has no purpose and is a general mystery.

Mario Kart Double Dash

Why does the game crash when you use an unintended item in Battle Mode?

Blue shell- There is no leader to hit.

Chain Chomp- No track to follow

Lightning- No idea, probably would be extremely unfair if it worked.

Luigi's Mansion

How do I beat this part in Level 2 where there's no key and I just go the fire medallion?

In the Fortune Tellers room, light the torches to make the key appear. Now light the floating torches in the hallway to reveal the butler ghost and follow him to his quarters to catch him in the vacuum.

Why are there pieces of cheese?

Photograph it to make a golden mouse appear which you can catch for huge amounts of cash!

What is blue chaser ghosts?

They come out of furniture in some rooms. Catch them for much money.

How did I go from the Boneyard to the Armoury?

If you use the walk on ceiling code, you can go to the attic through the roof for no reason whatsoever.

How do I find the last boo?

In the butlers room, photograph the mouse hole. Go in, kill the ghosts and get the money. There is also a boo there.

Why is there a plant in the garden?

Water it after each boss and it will grow, leaving a big golden gem at the end of the game!

Legend of Zelda the Wind Waker

Can I enter the Earth Temple before the Wind Temple?

No.

How do I re-enter the Earth temple if I left halfway through?

Glide over the first gap with the Deku Leaf!

How do I enter the Ghost Ship?

Get the Ghost Ship chart and sail into the ship.

What's the pale object this guy wants a photo of?

The full moon.

Can I get past the large, green, spiky vines?

No, you must go round them.

How come I cannot get the fire and ice arrows?

Complete the Forsaken Fortress for the second time, and then go to the grotto in Mother and Child Isle.

Where can I find Cyclos?

In either Northern Triangle Island, Shark Island, and in Mother & Child Isles.

Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time?

Can you beat the running man?

How about getting the triforce?

No to that as well. Next you'll be saying you can visit the Sky Temple on a pink cow (some people are that stupid)

How do I go back in time?

Beat the first dungeon as an adult, and return to the Temple of Time. You can place the Master Sword back in the pedestal to go back seven years.

Why was Ganondorfs blood in one version red and the others green?

Supposedly, it was censored in case it upset some really picky, politically correct people.

Paper Mario 2

What is Hooktail scared of?

Crickets. Use the badge which makes all attacks sound like a cricket.

Why beat the pit of 100 trials?

To get cool badges like Zap-tap and Return Postage. Plus, you get a new bag allowing you to carry more items.

Brain Training

How do I get to play the Sudoku puzzles for each level of difficulty?

Beat the training excercises first, then you can try and complete the full puzzles.

Metroid Prime Hunters

How do I unlock each level?

You must complete certain objectives. For example, the gateway levels require you to visit the planet, others require you to reach certain amounts of matches played or wins in multiplayer and Oubliette requires you to beat Gorea 2.

I missed a boss! Have I missed a logbook entry?

Yes, because each version of Cretaphid or Slench counts as a different creature and adds to your total amount of scans in the logbook. Sadly, this is a scenario requiring you start over for 100% completion.

I cannot hit the button in the second part of Acterra with the Imperialist!

Took me a while to figure this out, but you must jump and shoot OVER the barrier.

Random Online questions

What is Gannon-Banned?

It's something said to you when you say something extremely stupid, like saying you can get the triforce in The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time.

Why do people say check the FAQs?

On sites with guides, most people are so tired of helping new players they just say to check the guides on that site.

I need to know how to fix this problem with my vBulletin powered forum?

Ask for official help at either vBulletin.com(for non modded boards) or vBulletin.org (for boards with modifications).

Should I use Tables or CSS for web design layouts?

CSS and positioning is far preferable to tables as it allows the separation of style and design from content.

What is the best way to allow easy navigation and layout updates of a website?

Use either SSI (Server Side Includes) or PHP Includes to include a set navigation page into every file. You can then update just that page to alter all files respectively on the website.

Why don't board veterans like newbies?

Many of them become very hostile to new users because they have already formed a community among themselves which kind of gets disrupted when many new users start posting.

Should I start a fan fiction or comic?

If you cannot write for your life, or suck at drawing comics, please don't and think of the poor people who have to read them.

Are ROMs legal?

ROMs of games not in the public domain are not legal. The 24 hour rule is also a myth. Which is NOT true. We never share ROMs here, and even the word is censored.

Are emulators legal?

Emulators which do not contain copyrighted BIOS material are perfectly legal. Nintendo will likely say otherwise as they are fully against emulation and try to 'prove' it with corporate propoganda.

Why do you even think about most of these things?

I am a videogame expert, and a very philosophical person. Being someone who is not a utilitarian sheep.

You do what exactly?

I have been known for a heck of a lot of things, practically every fan thing in existance. Fan fiction, fan art, fan sprites, fan smilies and forum image creation, forum management, website management, modification author at vBulletin.org...

Where can I get your vBulletin add on content?

Either from vBulletin.org, the Official vBulletin Resource site or from the forums here.