# A Shorts Fuse – Memory Card #14 I just had a heck of a play session this morning—the kind where you keep dying over and over and over. So much so that the [Cosmic Spirit](https://www.mariowiki.com/Cosmic_Spirit) showed up to taunt me. So much that my dear sweet [Lubba](https://www.mariowiki.com/Lubba) said, "Hey man, maybe take a break cause you sucked at that last level." Okay, maybe that's not exactly what they said and did, but it felt like it. *Super Mario Galaxy 2* is unabashedly a true 3D-ification of 2D Mario. I am loving it. Nearly 90 Stars in, so *Splatoon 3* is on the horizon. I am ready for squid kids and bloopy gloopy techno music. It's been a great Nintendo gaming splurge here at the end of the year and I am savoring it. Yesterday, I finished a YouTube *Short* essay. I'm not sure when it will go live because despite announcing that YT Shorts could be 3-minutes long starting October 15, YouTube doesn't recognize them until after a long period of mysterious processing. I don't understand why I can't just flag it as a Short myself. The essay is about how *The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword*, in a way, led to *Outer Wilds*. The idea hit my while playing *Galaxy* a few weeks ago. It was a quick little thought; a tangential connection made when my subconscious remembered one sentence in the [Noclip documentary](https://youtube.com/watch?v=LbY0mBXKKT0) about *Outer Wilds*. It was the kind of idea that I would have just tweeted out into the ether a few years ago. It felt good to get this tiny video out of my system; to flex those creative muscles while I wade in the research and play phase of this galaxy-sized project. I'll write up some behind-the-scenes, per usual, while the process is fresh, but I guess they won't see the public light of day until YouTube gets its backend together. If you want to check the video out now though, use [this unlisted link](https://youtu.be/dS11vLTHxKk). Hope you enjoy! The end is in sight for *Galaxy 2*. YouTube is recommending me all sorts of retrospectives and essays. Some *Splatoon* stuff is entering the feed and I have to avert my eyes. I want to make my own opinions first, before absorbing those of others. Maybe that's the journalistic critic in me. *Splatoon* single player is basically all new to me (I dabbled in *Splatoon 2*). I'm chomping at the bit. Let's do this. Until next time... > [!email]+ Memory Card Newsletter > This letter is one block from the newsletter **[Memory Card](https://buttondown.com/MaxFrequency)** by [Max Roberts](https://www.maxfrequency.net/about). Thoughts? Send *me* an email at [email protected]. > > Max is the writer and producer behind [Max Frequency](https://www.maxfrequency.net), a place where he cultivates and curates curiosity—both for himself and for others—by delighting in the details and growing greatness from small beginnings. > > He's written a [[Chasing the Stick - The History of Naughty Dog during the PS4 Era|rich history and dive on the making of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II]], celebrated the [[MFP23 - “A Passion for Smash” – Celebrating 15 Years of Super Smash Bros. Brawl with Peter Spezia|15th anniversary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl with the voice behind its hype]], and examined how [Zelda "stole" Fortnite's best mechanic](https://youtu.be/kc2l_9Fdpek). > > **Memory Card** is a real-ish time, raw, drip feed newsletter of his creative process for telling these stories. It’s *how* The Thing™ gets made. You can sign up below. (Look down) > > It's all powered by [Max Frequency](https://www.maxfrequency.net) and [patrons](https://www.patreon.com/maxfrequency). > > Wanna see The Thing™? [Check it out on YouTube](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxCxW3Sbhy5ZzVOkvmfo4Rme41g6KzJOk). Read it on [The Blog](https://www.maxfrequency.net). > <iframe scrolling="no" style="width:100%!important;height:220px;border:1px #ccc solid !important" src="https://buttondown.com/MaxFrequency?as_embed=true"></iframe>