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Insert Quarter: 1-Up Mushrooms (Might) Be Producing Mario Clones

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Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.

In this installment, Game Rant’s Brad Jones examines the possible cloning properties of the 1-Up Mushroom on Mario, as outlined in the item’s Trophy description in Super Smash Bros. For 3DS.

1-Up Mushrooms have been a staple of the Mario series since Super Mario Bros. back in 1985. Since then, the power-up has become ingrained into pop culture — you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t know that the green fungi grants an extra life. But just how does this process occur? According to Smash Bros., it’s a matter of cloning.

Nintendo has always slipped bizarre explanations in their games to explain the goings-on in the Mushroom Kingdom. Who could forget the Birdo flap? But it is an interesting theory nonetheless. You can read the rest of the article at Game Rant.

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Insert Quarter: “Playing A Game” Versus “Grinding Through Content”

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Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.

In this installment, Kotaku’s Yannick LeJacq examines the difference between “playing a game” and “grinding through content” added by the developer to increase the hours required to reach the end in games like Dying Light and The Sims 4.

Earlier this week, Techland announced that its new zombie-killing adventure Dying Light will have “50+ hours of gameplay.” Some might considering this good news. I don’t—at least at face value.

Why? Because 50 hours is a long [*******] time to spend in any video game, and I don’t trust Techland enough as a developer to believe they know how to guide me through such a slog gracefully. I took me roughly half that time to play their last zombie game, Dead Island Riptide. I loved the first few hours, and couldn’t stand the rest.

You can read the rest at Kotaku.

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