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Real life snowboarding meets old-school gaming in 'Gnarcade'
Our knowledge of the fast-paced, edgy world of extreme sports is limited to "standing on moving, thin slivers of wood is really difficult," though we don't need to know much more than that to appreciate the gaming-influenced video posted below.
Mario graffiti speedrun video made possible by 'black magic'
Don't worry about how Vimeo user Surfap filmed a Super Mario Bros. speedrun done entirely in graffiti. The description says it was "black magic" and that's good enough for us. As Tiny Cartridge points out, a computer was probably involved, but where's the fun in that? Just enjoy the show.
Super Mario Bros. X trailer takes us to a special place
Hey Nintendo, pay attention: If you really want to find a direct line into the nostalgia centers of our brain, you could learn a few lessons from Super Mario Bros. X. The recently updated game borrows elements from the entire Super Mario franchise (not to mention a few other Nintendo properties), allows for co-op play, has some kind of time distortion gameplay mechanic, includes a level editor and occasionally lets the player navigate the Mushroom Kingdom using the eraser from Mario Paint. It is all kinds of crazy. You can download the game here, or check out a 10-minute gameplay trailer posted after the jump. [Thanks, EvoHelix]
'Koopa Hell' may change our Super Mario Bros. strategy forever
We were pretty sure that, after 25 years of practice, our tried-and-true strategy for the original Super Mario Bros. would be fairly set in stone. Little did we know that CollegeHumor (of all websites!) would be the one to show us the cruelty of one of our most basic in-game maneuvers: the Koopa Bounce Pipe Trap. What happens to that poor creature after you've left him bouncing between two pipes? Thanks to the Mushroom Kingdom's lack of inertial dissipation, he stays that way for all eternity. Watch the video after the break to see how your thoughtless actions might have sent countless Koopas spiraling into a nightmarish realm of Lovecraftian horrors. You monster.
Dexterous feat: Super Mario Bros. beaten using DDR pad
Nick Hagman knows how to use his feet for a most unconventional purpose: completing games using a Dance Dance Revolution pad. He's done it before with Castlevania, and now he's used his talent to finish another classic, the original Super Mario Bros. It took Hagman 14 attempts and plenty of practice to complete the classic. The 11-minute video documenting the feat can be found after the break, with certain sections sped up for sanity's sake. Now Hagman wants to know which game he should finish with his feet next: DuckTales or Mega Man 2? [Via GiantBomb]
Super Mario Crossover would have killed us in 1989
Sometimes, we wonder what it would be like if versions of ourselves from the past could be magically transported to today and have their minds blown by all the technological advances in video gaming technology. We have a feeling that they'd be disinterested in our "movement controllers" and "big definition graphicals," and would instead become entranced by a new Flash game by Exploding Rabbit that's sweeping the nation at terrifying velocities: Super Mario Crossover. The premise of the game is simple: It is the original Super Mario Bros., only your choice of playable characters isn't just limited to squat, Italian plumbers. You can also wreck Goombas while playing as Link, Mega Man, Samus, Simon Belmont or Bill (you know, from Contra). You could also just be Mario, but why would you do that, when you could be Bill from Contra? Stop being so silly. [Thanks, Eric]
This piranha plant keepsake box is ironic
Honestly, we're not sure how anyone could come up with the idea of a piranha plant keepsake box. A keepsake box, ideally, is designed to keep your precious items in a safe place so you'll always know where they are. Piranha plants, on the other hand, are about as far away from safe as you can get. They're man-eating plants, some varieties of which can breathe fire. Still, despite all that, this keepsake box -- designed by Etsy user lostmitten -- still manages to be kind of cute. As of this writing, there is a single one available for purchase at $60. We suppose you could pick it up and store your old high school love notes in there. Just watch your fingers when you open it up.
See Mario transformed into bacteria
We're always happy to see gaming encroaching on the rest of the world, a sign that it's becoming more culturally accepted and mainstream, but this example is so nerdy, it might actually be a step in the other direction. What you see on the right there is the classic NES Mario sprite, recreated in specifically-engineered bacteria by the nanobiology laboratories at the University of Osaka, Japan. We love the idea of gaming's leading man being transformed this way, we can't help but think how great it would have been if Team Osaka could have achieved the same effect with fungus. ... You know, because the Mushroom Kin --- oh, never mind. [Thanks, Modern Epicurian]
Robotic man plays Mario theme with one hand
We're willing to abide a lot around Joystiq HQ, but from the start we've had one basic, simple rule. We don't cotton to robots. We know that society has come to depend on them for odd jobs like fruit juicing and child care, but that doesn't mean we have to accept them. It should be a great testament then to the skill of YouTube user RigorMortis999 that we're willing to break our own prime directive to bring you his one-handed version of the Super Mario Bros. theme, which you'll find right after the break. Sure, he's quite obviously a robot, but we think it's safe to assume he's a friendly one. [Via Kotaku]
Laser etcher plays the Mario theme for you
How To Ruin Your Moment of Internet Glory: Work for an unconscionable number of hours making a laser etcher improbably play a fine rendition of the World 1-1 music from Super Mario Bros. Let Cory Doctorow film it. Listen as he rewards your hard work with terrible internet cliches, and, in doing so, almost completely obscures the audio you crafted. Cry yourself to sleep. Video tutorial right after the break.
You are not likely as hardcore as these Mario fans
You might have noticed a less than offensive Nintendo tattoo donning the image space above this sentence you're reading, and could very well be wondering why this is the case. As it turns out, the Super Mario Bros.-themed images of Princess Peach and a Star are a bit too graphic for use on Joystiq. They are, however, quite unique – rather than the ol' ink-permanently-embedded-in-skin treatment of traditional tattoos, the aforementioned two employ a method of tattooing that involves skin removal. Check out the original shots over at BodyMod.org if you want to see 'em, but click through at your own discretion. [Thanks Adam!] [Image credit: Drew Olanoff]
Conan O'Brien enters World 1-1
We were obviously far too busy at E3 last week to watch Conan O'Brien take over Jay Leno's post on The Tonight Show, and look what we missed: O'Brien's backdrop bears an uncanny resemblance to Super Mario Bros. Coincidence? Probably not, when one of your band members looks a lot like Mario in a Panama hat. Serious Lunch noticed this and did some nice work in Photoshop, and seeing it come to life in video only makes us wish it was his actual backdrop. Head beyond the break to see the video, which sadly does not feature Andy Richter as Bowser. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Even Mexico loves Mario parody skits
Anywhere you go in the world, you'll find people who love Mario. On the national Mexican television show, Hazme reír! y serás millonario, a group of three friends performed a Mario skit parodying / reenacting the original Super Mario Bros. It's a cute little routine with some hilarious moments, though it's not entirely accurate (fanboys will likely point out that the actual Mario does not kick enemies, he stomps on them ... and since when did Mario start dressing in Peach's colors, hmm?). Still, it's an impressive thing to do, especially since it was broadcast across an entire country. Interestingly, the crowd was pretty into it, rooting on the overalls-clad hero as he took down Bowser and saved the princess. Oh, wait, or was she in another castle? You'll have to watch the video clip after the break to find out! [Via Go Nintendo]
Kanye West once tried to sex up Mario
The very best (read: easiest) posts are the ones that no amount of clever presentation could make any funnier -- in fact, any effort to do so could only fail miserably. Observe: "My game was very sexual," Kanye West told Details magazine, describing a hack he attempted to make on a home computer as a child. "The main character was, like, a giant penis. It was like Mario Brothers, but the ghosts were, like, vaginas. You'd have to draw in and program every little step. It literally took me all night to do a step, 'cause the penis, y'know, had little feet and eyes." ... What's that, it's quittin' time at the blogging factory already? Well, thank you, Mr. West.
Working NES squeezed into ... an NES cartridge
All right, we'll admit that headline is a little inaccurate. The heavily modified Super Mario Bros. cart shown above actually plays Japanese Famicom carts (like the not-at-all-bootleg Super Bros. 5), not the slightly larger American NES carts. Semantics aside, we're sure you'll share our sense of awe at the accomplishment of fitting an entire video game system into what, at one point, was used to hold the data for a single game. All the pieces are there, believe it or not, including A/V outputs, a svelte power switch, and two controller ports sticking out at the bottom of the cartridge. The machine seems like a one-of-a-kind hack, and doesn't look like it's going to be sold any time soon. It's a shame, too ... we' d love to get our hands on one of these, if only so we could plug in our Flash Memory PowerPak via an adapter to create the ultimate NES-cartridge-shaped hacking monstrosity. [Via Engadget]
