Many of us can remember the joy of playing Super Mario Bros. for the first time. Imagine how different that memory would be (something along the lines of pulling out our hair and screaming a lot, we're sure) if the game had been more like the ripoff in the video above. While this hack (which features the cheapest enemies and traps of all time) might be frustrating to play, its epic fail results in nothing but hilarity when watching. We would gush about our favorite parts here, but we don't want to spoil anything (the surprise is half the fun!). Feel free to share your favorite bits in the comments, though.
To experience this torture for yourself, you can download the game here (click the first link). Also, if you enjoyed the video, check out levels two, three, and four after the break.
The internet has made it easy to find cheats for games, but we miss the tips pages from game magazines, when the discovery of a new code could inspire you to go back to an old game. These codes aren't exactly new, but oldness is the essence of the Virtual Console! We're bringing back the classic codes every week on The VC Advantage.
It's anotherspecial celebration this week at Wii Fanboy, and we thought that we would do something special in this week's VC Advantage, involving one of the most iconic Virtual Console games -- in fact, one of the most iconic video games of all time. Even though Super Mario Bros.didn't come out in the U.S. until Christmas, it's the canonical Nintendo game and thus seems like a perfect candidate for the Wii anniversary week VCA.
Two (more) caveats before we delve into our subject matter: first, we'd like to bring up the point that not all secrets are cheats, and not all are intentional. Some of the most interesting discoveries in video games were put in there totally by accident, or are the result of someone's imagination. Second, the images and subject matter of today's VCA are as not safe for work as unaltered Super Mario Bros. footage can be.
Today is a very special day for the Virtual Console. Not only does it mark the occasion where those of us in the states received our first import titles, but also it marks a new age for VC Monday Madness coverage from here on out. Hopefully, the new set we're recording gameplay from will enhance the overall quality of our coverage. Better coverage equals more happy readers (er, viewers, we suppose), correct? And, a happy reader makes for a happy blogger.
West Virginia college Marshall University had a small section of its outdoor area converted into an homage to Super Mario Bros. recently, receiving a multitude of upward-pointing thumbs from the Joystiq staff. Of course, we think it's the tops, as well. Aside from the pipes you see above, there was also blocks hanging all about and a "chain chomp was tethered securely to a tree,"
Sounds like the kind of outside world we wouldn't mind traversing.
One of the most interesting new features of the newly-updated Wii firmware is the ability to see a list of popular Virtual Console games for your region. Now that there's a decent number of Virtual Console games, we can imagine having a hard time making a selection. Siliconera's Spencer Yip has provided both the Japanese top 20 (left) and the US top 20 (right) for comparison.
We don't know exactly how the popularity of these games is determined. As Spencer mused, "It's not clear if these games are popular because they are the top selling Virtual Console games, most browsed games this month or most loved by the Nintendo staff (unlikely!)"
What is clear is that the list is frequently updated. We found that some of the games had shifted around from their positions on Siliconera's list. Star Fox 64 and Shining Force, for example, swapped places, and Wave Race 64 and Zelda II have replaced Kirby's Dream Course and Excitebike. We couldn't be more excited about daily Virtual Console charts! Even if they show a disappointing lack of Devil's Crushon both sides.
This fanart is so powerful that it seems to have crushed the Warp Pipe forums under the weight of its own pile of Diggs. We can understand why-- we've certainly been enjoying staring at it for a few hours.
The full image is after the break, but even in the detail shown above, you can see the insane shading and dynamic movement that make Neo-Geo Forums user hermegildo's drawing so compelling. Faced with a dead Peach and a slavering, hulking Bowser, the usually-jovial Mario abandons his "Okey-dokey"s and flies into battle, fireballs blazing. It completely, awesomely rejects the mood of the Mario series.
Australia getting a Virtual Console game before anyone else? Maybe! We can't be sure when Sonic 3 and Super Mario Bros. 3 will find their way onto the VC, but at least we know they're on their way, thanks to the Office of Film and Classification.
The Aussie equivalent of the ESRB keeps a database of ratings just like the ESRB does. A bunch of games have been added, including a lot that are already out in other regions, and a few, like Mario 3, that are news. Of course, the best part of this for people who don't happen to have Australian consoles is that if a game is planned for one region, it's terribly likely it'll be out soon in others!
Other things on the list that make us happy: Strider (although we don't know if it's the Genesis version or the NES version), Galaga '90, and Probotector II-- which is Super C. The full list of new updates is after the break!
Considering the amount of remixes Mims' hit rap single "This is Why I'm Hot" set off -- R. Kelly's "This is Why I'm Cold," the NBA's "The Phoenix Suns Are Hot," and Chubbs' "This is Why I'm Fat" for example -- we're surprised that it took this long for its catchy hook to reach video gaming's catch-phrase-hungry communities.
Mirroring Mims' insipid lyrics, the simplicity of SnorgTees' shirt design leaves no room for confusion on its message or the company's plans to rake in crazy money by exploiting our nostalgia-addled minds. We can imagine the office congratulations and "props" received by the young designer who paired the 8-bit fire flower with the narcissistic mantra. They all agree, this is why he's hot.
The $16.95 shirt comes in royal blue and black, its lowercase Myriad Pro text staying chalky white on both colors. If you haven't heard the song several hundred times already, you have the option of checking past the post break for an embedded music video of the club track.
We've played through enough Super Mario Bros. games to have learned that no pipe should be approached without caution. After a lifetime of suffering piranha plant attacks, always at the least opportune moments, we've trained ourselves to scrutinize every green tube before hopping over it. We'll sit there for up to two minutes, staking out the pipe to make sure there isn't a hidden fly trap hoping to dupe us with its delayed pattern. Sometimes, we'll even see their eyes poking out, anxious to see why we haven't jumped yet.
These guys seem to pop up everywhere! In addition to their appearances in almost every Mario-related title over the past two decades, the piranha plants extended their roots to Tetris Attack and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening! They've also been spotted in last Wednesday's Extra Life comic, illustrated by the always-awesome Scott Johnson. It's a predictable punchline, but no less hilarious because of it. We implore you to check it out!
We're more than just a tad bit envious over LittleBigPlanet, Media Molecule's ultra-cute, ultra-customizable platformer for the PS3; ever since the title was announced at GDC, we've been downright jealous. Videos of the game's cooperative possibilities have turned us into internet stalkers, following every online preview and press release in secret, constantly reloading LBP's MySpace page every five minutes to make sure that other guys aren't moving into our territory with flirtatious comments.
So seeing that players will not only be able to create landscapes that mimic scenes from classic games (e.g. Super Mario Bros., World 1-2), but likely also dress up their characters to look like Nintendo's mustachioed mascot has inflamed within us the sort of covetous lust that Moses warned against after coming down from the mount. The Virtual Console has been a great way for us to play old classics, but seeing Sony's plans for its PlayStation Network and comparing it to what we've heard so far about original, downloadable games coming to the Wii has us feeling like chumps.
For how many hours we've spent playing the game (heck, we still play it on the Virtual Console almost daily), we can't say that we could clear world 1-1 with our eyes closed. Oh no, that honor is held down by the Japanese gamer above, who busts out the DS and shows us all how to do it. And, you know what? He doesn't make it look easy ...
Feeling that Super Mario Bros. lacked in user-generated content, the folks over at SelectButton decided to start randomly inserting text into the Mario ROM (yarrr) and see what happens. Apparently the game is stable enough to run decently with junk added to it, and the results are ... playable and strangely beautiful. Random invisible blocks, palette changes, bizarre sprites, Mario's freaking head is on upside-down, etc.
It's pretty significant that some minor shot-in-the-dark hacking can end up generating new Mario levels that instantly make a near-perfect game infinitely more fun. They should be doing this at I am 8-Bit. If only we could do this kind of user-generated level design on the Virtual Console,we'd have a compelling answer to Sony's LittleBigPlanet. Go ahead and argue with us on that point. We <3 Hacked Mario.
Wii Fanboy does not endorse the use of copyrighted ROM images. Just go gawk at the screenshots for a while; that should be enough entertainment.
Looking for a way to waste time with the Virtual Console? Well, if you do this right, you won't be wasting much time at all. This Super Mario Bros. speedrun performed by Andrew Gardikis takes only five minutes. In comparison, the Super Mario Brothers movie is 20.8 times longer.
The coolest thing about this speedrun is that it makes use of Mario glitches inherent in the game, but seems to be done without save state assistance. That means that it's theoretically possible to replicate it on your Wii or your NES. Oh, but only if you're awesome. And just to rub it in a little, only Andrew Gardikis has proven to be this awesome. Sorry, everyone else, including ourselves!
We've been privy to undocumented Wii features like the 192-Piece Picture Puzzle and the elusive Help Cat for a while now, but did you know that there's a secret Shopping Channel animation of Mario and Luigi swimming together while you're at the download screen?
During a recent roundtable, the developers behind the Wii Shopping Channel talked about how they overcame obstacles with the project, which elements they're proud of, and what they hope to see implemented in the future. One little touch that the developers were pleased to include was this Minus World-esque scene of the Super Mario Bros. paddling through and collecting coins while you download games. It doesn't show up very often, so don't be too upset if you've never come across anything besides the Fire Mario animation before.
We didn't even believe it at first, but Nintendo included a video with the interview transcript to prove its existence. It's a good thing they did too, or we would've gone through our life savings downloading Virtual Console titles, trying to get this alternate animation!
Here's a bit of game history: when Super Mario Bros. was rereleased for the Japan-only Famicom Disk System, the "minus world" generated via a well-documented glitch changed along with the format. Instead of an infinite water level, players were treated to a whole suite of glitch-tastic levels, loaded with air-swimming and Princess Toadstool sprites floating in mid-air. This kind of classic minutiae is exactly what we want out of the Virtual Console. We'd seriously buy Super Mario Bros. again for a crack at this new minus world. Check out the video after the break!
The internet has made it easy to find cheats for games, but we miss the tips pages from game magazines, when the discovery of a new code could inspire you to go back to an old game. These codes aren't exactly new, but oldness is the essence of the Virtual Console! We're bringing back the classic codes every week on 
Australia getting a Virtual Console game
Looking for a way to waste time with the 
Here's a bit of game history: when Super 
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