mario-bros
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Mario runs in the family
It is no surprise when gamer kids get their gaming love from their parents. We are happy to see this happen and in fact encourage it. Especially when it stems from Mario Bros. What started as a love for games back in the late 70's spanned to a family love for a certain plumber and his brother. This pair dress up as Mario and Luigi for Halloween each year and the kids room is nothing short of impressive. His mother and grandmother even helped out by supplying him Mario curtains and a comforter set. His walls show images of each game and painted as a border is Mario and a few items from his games. There are a ton of pics to view of "Mario" in his room and a few of the family when they aren't displaying their fandom. [Via QJ Net]
Mario nutcracker brings holiday cheer
A hand painted Mario nutcracker is what every fanboy and holiday guru needs. When we last checked the listing on eBay, this little plumber had reached $35. The creator, hazelsmrf, claims that all parts are working, with the exception of the actual nutcracker. hazelsmrf states that this is the first in a long line of custom made nutcrackers. Next on his list, and rightfully so, could be Chuck Norris. Get you wallets ready! Your mantel, desk or dashboard is getting lonely. [Via QJ Net]
Choir rejoices with the sound of Nintendo
If you haven't noticed, we have been big supporters of musical interpretations done by fans. It's kind of a kick we are on. Something about all these different types of musicians coming together to represent the powerhouse Nintendo through a variety of instruments captures our attention like a moth to flame. The newest type of musical Nintendo fandom we discovered is done by a lively choir. Not only do they sing the songs, some of the members will add a few performances for comedic purposes. Everyone seemed to do a great job, except for "Mario." Maybe it's the way he is jumping but it is way, way off. Enjoy the video after the break! [Thanks Amir Shah!]
Fuzzy new Mario Party 8 screens
Mario Party started a multiplayer frenzy back on the Nintendo 64 that has yet to die down. Now, seven years later, gamers are getting ready for Mario Party 8. We haven't heard or seen a lot about the game aside from a few seconds in a Wii trailer but judging from the blurry screens, we expect it to hold true to traditional Mario Party. From what we can tell, players will compete in activities like tightrope walking and painting. Check out a few more screens after the break! [Thanks Mickey!]
Musicians and Nintendo mix well
Alright ladies and gentlemen, it's time to play name that game! The following three guitarists do a fantastic job of representing our favorite company. The question is, what games do you hear? We'd like to know. Feel free to post what you recognize! As usual, see the video after the jump. [Thanks emceenugget!]
Myspace invades Mario
Poor Toad. He's always getting kidnapped, plays the role as the third wheel for Mario and Peach and now no one will come to his band's shows. Luigi, after deciding to kick the crack-like habit known as MySpace, has left an empty slot in his brother Mario's Top 8. For those of you smart enough to not give in to the succubus that is MySpace, a Top 8 is a list of your dearest friends who also belong to the cult. Toad longs for that slot in an overly creepy way. Witness Toad's sad social skills after the break! [Via Go Nintendo]
Gory Goomba guts gush, we giggle gleefully
Handre de Jager strikes again! The artist whose previous game interpretations include disturbing humanized versions of Kirby and Burger Time enemies has moved on to Mario 3. Although not visible in the adjacent image, a bloated Mario is seen smashing a helpless Goomba to a bloody pulp while onlookers (Lakitu, Luigi, and a couple of koopas) leer at one another. Skilled visionary or disturbed individual? We're on the fence about what to call him. Check out the full picture below, or click here for the super-sized (1024x1448) variant. You can view (and purchase) de Jager's other works here.
Norwegian DS Bundle
The classic Nintendo days are remembered in this special edition DS. Not only are lucky owners getting a copy of Super Mario Bros. from the NES Classic Series for GBA, they are also getting a copy of New Super Mario Bros., a black DS Lite and spiffy packaging. It doesn't sound like a whole lot when you already have a black DS and both the games but to a harcore collector this is a gold mine.
Fuzzy logic: Lara Croft > Mario?
According to Eidos' SCI's Ian Livingstone, Tomb Raider vixen Lara Croft is "the most famous character in gaming." Interviewer Paul Loughrey of GamesIndustry.biz then questions whether or not he means most famous ... other than Mario. Livingstone adamantly asserts that Mrs. Croft is indeed more popular than Nintendo's gaming icon."Well, Mario is still very much within the games niche, whereas Lara has gone beyond that thanks to two blockbuster films, for example. She's graced the covers of thousands of not just games journals, but lifestyle journals as well."We'll admit, much to our chagrin, that Super Mario Bros. film was not the glorious re-imagining of Nintendo's flagship series, nor was it a box office smash (the total domestic gross was $20.9 million, which would be approximately $32.3 million today when adjusted for ticket price inflation). But Mario, we'd argue, is still more of a household name. While there is no quantitative backing to either assertions, we'd like to point out that Livingstone's support is rather inefficient. In 1966, John Lennon exclaimed that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus." And while we suspect those zany Brits did grace more magazine covers than the founder of Christianity, it's still a stretch to elevate a band over a world religion.And though the Mario film sunk, his power was seen elsewhere in pop culture. Not to mention his games tend to do better, both financially and critically.
New Super Mario now stomping across Europe
Not content with conquering Japan and America, the newly revamped, newly released, New Super Mario Bros. now set its non-insidious sights on Europe, land of collosseums, queens and curiously leaning constructions. Nintendo of Europe has announced that the game has shipped to stores, just in time to be snatched up over the weekend. Expect Mario to hit his presumed homeland of Italy in full force, devouring mushrooms and smashing bricks, though sadly not fixing leaky plumping. If you haven't purchased the game already, check out its updated official site and catch yourself whistling along to the music.
My talent? Dressing up as Mario!
We're not entirely sure that dressing up as Mario and reenacting the entire first level (World 1-1) of NES classic (and frat boy retro-favorite) Super Mario Bros. constitutes a "talent" in the traditional sense. Perhaps the singular artistic vision of one of these Gordon College students makes up the talent portion. Either that or the part where Mario pulls off his red overalls--male-stripper style--to reveal his white flower-power overalls underneath is the real talent. Check out the embedded video after the break.[Thanks, Gareth]
Sights and sounds of retro Famicom keychains
For the price of $13.50 you can get a keychain featuring cool, retro blocky graphic coupled with a miniature Famicom controller that makes character-relevant sound effects, like this especially obnoxious one from Ice Climber (wav).I couldn't imagine having one of these in my pocket, repeating that sound effect ad nauseum every time something hit the "A" button; the pixelated portion is aces though.[Via GameBrink]
