Were you interested in Paper Mario: Sticker Star but finding the price a bit hard to swallow?  Wal-Mart is selling it for just $9.96 on Wal-Mart.com.

Link: Wal-Mart.com - Paper Mario: Sticker Star

For the next few hours, Amazon is selling Game & Wario for just $27.99.  At 5PM Pacific time, the game goes back to its regular price.  If you're interested, you might want to head on over and take a look.

Link: Amazon - Game & Wario

Hey everyone -- to celebrate the launch of Super Mario 3D World and the 25th anniversary year of Super Mario Bros. 2, WTMK is broadcasting as special selection of SM3DW and SMB2 inspired musical selections.  Tune in all weekend long!

Link: WTMK: All Mario Radio, All the Time

Hey there, Mario fans -- does anyone out there know of any deals/sales/promos for Super Mario 3D World?  If so, share them with us!  The pickings seem kind of slim this time.  Are any retailers offering a discounted price, or special items for preorders or first day purchases?

This year is the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. 2, but very little mention has been made of that fact.  This seems particularly odd given that EAD Tokyo has given us a new Mario platformer starring Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Peach.

True, "Super Mario USA" isn't 25 this year, which is probably why this particular anniversary fell off Nintendo's radar(scope); however, given the connections between Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario 3D World, one might expect some mention of the fact by NOA.

Has anyone out there noticed anyone referencing the anniversary of SMB2?

What is your favorite tune from the Mario series?  Let us know, and you might just hear your favorite tunes all next week on WTMK!  Tell us your favorite tune, or perhaps the series you enjoy the most, and we'll try to give it a bit more airtime --  even if it's a DK or Wario piece!

IGN put up a miniature "Museum of Mario" website recently. While there isn't much content at the moment (and some of it is wrong - Mario Bros. was not released in 1986!), it's a cute little bit of interactivity.  Feel free to take a look.

Link: IGN presents Museum of Mario

Today's Nintendo Direct webcast provided updates on upcoming Wii U games, including Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Below, we've compiled some of the announcements from the North American, European, and Japanese Nintendo Directs. Additional information is from a press release e-mail from Nintendo Australia.

Super Mario 3D World
* A new cherry power-up creates a clone of your character who automatically mimics your movements.
* Launch dates were announced for Japan (November 21), Europe (November 29), and Australia (November 30). A November 22 release date for North America was announced back in August.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
* Originally set for release in December, Tropical Freeze is now scheduled for February 2014 in North America, and early 2014 in Europe and Australia. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata explained that more development time is needed "in order to deliver the optimum gaming experience."

Mario & Sonic at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games
* The game will have an online mode with worldwide rankings by country.
* In North America, there will also be a Wii Remote Plus bundle version available at launch.
* Mario & Sonic will release in North America on November 15, in Europe on November 8, in Australia on November 9, and in Japan on December 5.

Links:
Nintendo Direct 10.01.2013 (NOA)
Nintendo Direct 01.10.2013 (NOE)
Nintendo Direct 2013.10.1 (NCL)

While everyone looks down on Super Mario Bros.: The Movie, it was the highlight of 7 year old me's life and still holds a special place in my heart. I still remember that ending that left "fans" wondering, would there be a sequel?

It was no surprise that it never happened, but after a 2010 interview with Parker Bennett, the film's screenwriter, where he explained his intentions if there had been another film, writers Steven Applebaum and Ryan Hoss decided to continue the story of the Super Mario Bros. cinematic adventure and reached out to Bennett. Together, the three of them spent time picking apart the original film's world, which for better or worse was much different than that of the game. Now, those discussions have birthed a sequel for the movie in the form of an online comic, written by Applebaum and Hoss and drawn by Eryk Donovan and Jaymes Reed.

Applebaum explained what exactly inspired him to press on with a movie that, for all accounts, was a dud.

"Super Mario Bros. provided a look into a world too rich and too original to not explore again. We knew that the original had its fans and felt that if we brought the Mario Bros. back to Dinohattan there would be an audience for that story."

The gang's objective is to post one page per week to create the first story arc, with ten chapters consisting of ten pages each planned to lead to a climax that will end a "trilogy" for the characters. Not only that, Applebaum would like to have several side-stories that expand the universe and allow other writers and artists to take over.

A few pages for the comic have already been posted, which you can check out right here!

There was no one like him. In the early days, Parkour was just a pastime. But Luigi...The L Man...he made it into a discipline. He could jump higher. He could jump farther. He was everywhere. And then he was gone. He just slid off the map. And went underground.

Finding Luigi documents Luigi's legendary rise to fame in Parkour and his sudden disappearance from the sport. Highlighting the L-Man's signature moves and incredible mechanics, and featuring testimonials from some of Luigi's closest friends and Parkour colleagues, this is one story you won't want to miss!

Nintendo posted this unlisted video onto YouTube, one of their most unique and well done advertising shorts ever. The "documentary" maps New Super Luigi U into the real world where Luigi, the Toad twins, and Nabbit roam the streets and building tops. Watch it through the link below.

Link: YouTube

What if Mario had a robotic band to accompany his travels? Musician David Thompson hooked up an NES to a Raspberry Pi computer, Yamaha Disklavier player piano, and a set of drums driven by solenoids. The Raspberry Pi reads in the sounds generated by the NES, converts them into MIDI piano notes and percussion signals, and triggers the robotic instruments to play along with the game - sound effects and all. Watch the impressive result at the link below!

Link: roboband Youtube

Recently, my son has been on a Super Mario Bros. cartoon kick, so I was pretty happy to hear today that nCircle Entertaiment and DiC, which produced the show originally, have decided to release Super Mario World: The Complete Series: Collector's Edition on DVD! That's right, on October 8th, every single episode of Mario's animated adventures in the Dinosaur World can be yours for $12.99. While you can still snag online the Captain N/Super Mario World DVD that was released in 2007, this will be the first time the complete series is being released as a stand-alone 2-Disc Set. No details on what makes it a "Collector's Edition", but as I have already placed my pre-order (and you can too by clicking here), I will be sure and let you know!

Source

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is all about the coins, and every time you play your personal coin total is added to the worldwide counter. While this came off as something of a novelty initially, Nintendo rewarded players with free downloadable content back in November 2012 after the worldwide total hit 300 billion. Now, a year after the game's release, that coin total has passed the one trillion mark (as of this post, it sits at 1,029,025,755,653). Will we possibly see another reward for players still actively collecting coins and logging their totals online?

Nintendo hasn't commented yet on this, but certainly this is a huge milestone for the game! Any of you out there still playing?

Gather 'round kids, let me tell you a story: Eight years ago, a man warped himself to the Mushroom Kingdom to save the Princess Toadstool, and, in the midst of Shy Guys, Koopa Troopas, and even King Koopa, he managed to save the day. Now, the kingdom is once again under attack and that hero must return; that hero known as... Johnathan Mann. And he's not a plumber, he's a songwriter.

Wait, what?

That's right, folks. It turns out all it took to save the Mushroom Kingdom was an awesome fan-produced rock opera. The show is brought to us by Johnathan Mann, who immersed himself when he was 23 years old in Mario's world, not only playing the videogames, but also listening to the music non-stop. This led him to make the first act of his Mario Rock Opera, and he donned Mario's signature red hat and blue overalls to show us how he thinks Mario would react to discovering he's nothing more than a character in a videogame. Now, he's ready to put on an encore at Joe’s Pub performance space in New York City, with music provided by The Everymen and visuals courtesy of filmmaker Colin Snyder.

See his promotional video here and buy tickets at Joespub.com!

This past Sunday, Nintendo World in New York City held a launch event for Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Kotaku-reader Zarnyx showed up for a chance to snag a copy of the game. When he got there, he was blown away with what he saw. Dressed in their finest Mario pajamas, fans flocked to the store and not only picked up the game, but snapped photos with the pasta-loving brothers, chowed down on some popcorn, and even listened to some sweet tunes thanks to a DJ that was hired to play the event.

See what other surprises Nintendo had in store for fans by heading over to Kotaku's reader-written blog!

From the "Front Page of the Internet" social news and entertainment website known as reddit comes a true love story that wouldn't have been possible without Super Mario Bros. 3--well, an NES ROM hack of the game, at least.

Read the full story, complete with screenshots of the hack, right here!

Chicago Mario fans may want to take the L train on Monday: Nintendo and the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) are teaming up to turn the Brown Line train into the "Luigi Line" train, decked out in Luigi's signature green color, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. as part of Nintendo’s ongoing celebration of the "Year of Luigi". Additionally, Nintendo will have kiosks setup that will allow travelers a chance to play New Super Luigi U, which New Super Mario Bros. U owners can download now and will be released in stores on August 25th as a stand-alone game. Make sure to keep an eye for Luigi, who is scheduled to take the train sometime during the day.

If you end up taking a journey on this train, please make sure to post some photos and your impressions of New Super Luigi U in the Fungi Forums!

Source: RedEye Chicago

Rayman: Legends started out as a Wii U exclusive and even though it's now slated for multiple platforms, it seems Wii U owners will still be getting some exclusive content. During today's Nintendo Direct, news came that Rayman and Globox will be able to don special Mario & Luigi costumes during the game! While it seems this may only affect the game's cosmetics, it's still a cool little reward for those Wii U owners who have been anticipating this game since it was announced over a year ago.

See video of Rayman as Mario and Globox as Luigi on Ubisoft's YouTube channel.

While there were some rumblings at E3 about an Analyst Briefing that confirmed this news, Satoru Iwata on today's Nintendo Direct officially stated that Mario Golf: World Tour for the Nintendo 3DS would not be released until 2014. No new game footage or screenshots were released.

See the Japanese Nintendo Direct here!

Immediately following Nintendo of Europe's stream of Nintendo Direct, Super Mario Bros. 2 was made available for download on Nintendo of Europe's eShop. The game was previously released in Japan on November 28, 2012 and in North America on July 11, 2013.

Check out video of Super Mario Bros. 2 running on the Nintendo 3DS as well as Nintendo of Europe's Nintendo Direct right here!

During today's Nintendo Direct, Satoru Iwata, Global President of Nintendo, announced that Nintendo plans to release both Wario Land 3 and Super Mario Bros. 3 onto Nintendo of America's eShop. Wario Land 3 will appear for the Nintendo 3DS eShop on August 29th. Super Mario Bros. 3 wasn't given an exact date, but Iwata did confirm that the title would be available for both Wii U and 3DS later this year.

Check out the Nintendo Direct in full, which also includes helpful hints and information on the newly released Mario & Luigi: Dream Team!

During today's Nintendo Direct, Satoru Iwata, Global President of Nintendo, released screenshots that confirmed Luigi's place as a fighter in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS. The screenshots have been posted on the official Super Smash Bros. website.

Check them out here!

YouTube user Deloix created a pretty awesome video that shows what he thinks a 2013 version of Super Mario Bros.'s World 1-2 would look like.

Check out the video here and also see his recreation from last year that took us through World 1-1!

Back in the mid-90's, Nintendo and Squaresoft formed a dream team that created Super Mario RPG, arguably one of the best Super Mario games ever. The director for that game, Yoshihiko Maekawa, is now on a new team called AlphaDream and works on the Mario & Luigi line of RPG games, most recently releasing Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. Jason Schreier from Kotaku chatted with Mr. Maekawa and amongst questions about the new game, had a chance to sneak in one question about the potential of a sequel or remake of Super Mario RPG:

"Actually, I don't feel like I want to return to that world and use those characters in another game," Maekawa said through a translator. "I feel like I was able to accomplish what I wanted to with that world and those characters and the gameplay ideas that came out of those, and now I mostly feel like I want to make something different."

While it's a shame we'll never get to return to the world introduced by Super Mario RPG, I am still holding out hope for Geno to make an appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4!

Source

Wouldn't it be awesome if Nintendo game made a Super Mario Bros. style game, but let you be Princess Peach instead? Okay, sure, they got close with Super Princess Peach (which was fantastic in its own right), but if you ever wanted to see how Peach would escape King Koopa once she was in his clutches, then you'll want to check out Sorry Mario Bros!, a freeware game created by brothers Casey and Scott Goodrow, who founded their own indie game studio called "The Wild Eternal". In two weeks, the duo was able to completely recreate three of Super Mario Bros.'s original levels (I don't want to spoil which levels, but you'll be pleasantly surprised) with the ability to play as Princess Peach as she escapes Bowser's castle and heads back to her home in The Mushroom Kingdom. The reason she can suddenly free herself? Why, the ability to jump of course!

Princess takes action, utilizing her classic "float" ability from Super Mario Bros. 2 to soar past enemies, which in this version of the game you must avoid, lest you have points taken away from you. In addition to special "pink" coins, this game has plenty of little things going for it that make it a must play for any Mario fan, especially when you see what happens when you meet up with our favorite mustachioed turtle-stomper.

Download the game and read what inspired the developers to create it by clicking here!

K'NEX and Nintendo have already teamed up to bring us awesome Mario Kart Wii building sets, and today K'NEX announced that they are expanding their Super Mario product line to include figures and building sets inspired by New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario 3D Land, and New Super Mario Bros. 2. Along with entire sets such as "Bowser’s Castle" and "Ghost House", they are also releasing individual "Mystery Bags" which hold either Mario, Fire Mario, Luigi, Ice Luigi, Blue Yoshi, Yellow Yoshi, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad or Princess Peach.

Check out the press release, which includes pictures of the toys and a short video!

PopUpTee.com feature T-shirts that all take the iconic Walt Disney Pictures logo and transforms it to fit a different pop-culture themes. Today, they released a version that takes the logo to the Mushroom Kingdom.

Click here to see it and purchase your own!

Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka spoke with Nintendo Magazine UK and shared that he hoped their upcoming title Sonic: Lost World would appeal to platform gaming fans, especially those fans of Super Mario:

"Sonic started out as a platform title but, as we got to the more recent ones, it changed to be a more speed-based game. Recent fans will be familiar with that speed-based gaming, but with Lost World, we wanted to win back the platform fans. We don't just want old Sonic fans to come back, though: we want Mario players and other platform gamers to enjoy the new game, too."

Source

Reddit.com user joshing_uno spent the last few months recreating the San Francisco Bay Area's Rail Transportation (known as "BART" to locals) map in the style of Super Mario Bros. 3.

Check it out here!

Vooks.net gathered some awesome cosplay photos from PAX Australia this past weekend.

Check out Vooks.net's report and feel free to share pictures of any Super Mario cosplaying you do!

Videogame megasite Kotaku.com put together a fun little video that brings to light a serious issue: Are Mario games going stale by sticking to closely to their original formula? Are the adventures that we once took for granted such as exploring  the galaxy being replaced by same old backgrounds that only allow Mario go "left to right"? Personally, while I think the New Super Mario Bros. series has been a great way for younger generations to get started on Super Mario (and are also quite a bit of fun), I sincerely hope the Wii U gets a full-fledged and rightful successor to Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2.

Check out the video and let us know what you think!

YouTube Channel AWE me has a thing for making cool 3D chalk art, and their latest theme is Donkey Kong with an M.C. Escher twist. While the video of them putting it together is cool, the best thing is seeing it put into motion at the end.

Check out the video: http://youtu.be/71A6Rk1XWE0

If you have any cool Mario videos or artwork you want to share, send it over to us or share it in the Fungi Forums!

All week, GameForAReason will be playing through Super Mario games in order to raise money for the Rousseau family, whose father was in a serious car accident:

Geoff was involved in a serious car accident on July 18 on his way to work in which he sustained extensive injuries. He had a concussion, bleeding in the brain, 2 back fractures, a broken sternum and rib, and a heart contusion. Thankfully he will be alright, though it is anticipated that it will take a least 6 months for him to heal and return to work.

As not only a huge Mario fan, but a single father whose son would be devastated if something like this ever happened, I cannot stress how much I support this cause. As of this post, they are playing through one of my all-time favorite Mario games, Super Mario Sunshine.

If you can't donate, then I hope you'll take a few moments to check out their live webstream.

The Famicom turned 30 in Japan last week, and how else should a website celebrate such an occasion than by having a Top 10 list? Well, IGN headed the call, and while I don't usually intend on sharing every website's top 10 list, this one struck me because it included a game that perhaps only a few know about; a game called All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros.

First of all, no, it's not some kinky Japanese version of Hotel Mario. Rather, it was an important occasion in Nintendo's history because it was one of the first and perhaps, only times, that they allowed a company to place their marketing and promotional materials right into the game itself. All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros played just like Super Mario Bros. (with some basic graphical updates from Japan's Super Mario Bros. 2) but was remade have the All Night Nippon theme. The Goombas and Piranha Plants have been replaced by bespectacled, big-headed creatures. Microphones replaced the mushrooms in the background, and the Fujisankei logo adorns the flag raised from the castle when Mario reaches a flagpole. (Fujisankei owns Nippon Broadcasting, which runs All Night Nippon.) A slightly bigger version of said logo also is in place of the axe that sits behind each Bowser. By far, the most interesting change is that the seven Mushroom Retainers and Princess Toadstool were replaced by people who are supposedly Japanese celebrities. There is nothing quite like it in America, and in Japan the contest was a success for both Nippon and Nintendo.

Yes, it's one of the more obscure titles in the Super Mario library, but we here at TMK always are proud when someone brings up those quirky little moments in Mario's long and storied history. Even if they are just product placements.

Check out IGN's Top 10 list that prompted this nostalgia wave.

Nintendo's facebook page sent out a reminder for everyone today that Dodge & Nintendo are teaming up until August 19th to give away some awesome prizes. Daily, you can score yourself a chance to win two Nintendo 3DS games. Weekly, you could win a Nintendo 3DS and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. Ultimately, you could take home the grand prize of a Dodge vehicle plus a Wii U Deluxe Set system and games. How cool is that?!

Enter the contest now and good luck to everyone!

The hot topic this past weekend was all the new comic book movie information and spoilers coming from San Diego Comic-Con 2013. But did you know Nintendo was also there in full force?

That's right, during the festivities Nintendo decided to take over the Marriott Hotel in San Diego and allow fans to experience their upcoming games, among them being Super Mario 3D Worldand Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. While none of us on the staff had the honor to go (next year Deezer, right?), I was able to snag some links that give a good idea of what the games were like.

For a general walk-through of what the lounge had to offer, as well as details on Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, check out Tomodom.com.
For a play-through of Super Mario 3D World, check out GameShampoo's video.
Also, Nintendo shared some photos and video on their Facebook page.

Were you there? Did you get a chance to experience anything from Nintendo? Please share it with us!

Spencer from Siliconera got a chance to check out the first world of Yoshi's New Island and says that fans of Yoshi's Island DS (like me) and Super Mario World 2 (definitely me) will be happy to know that this game follows in their footsteps. However, the game does feature new additions such as "Mega Eggs" and a binoculars mode that lets players see a level's entire layout.

Check out the entire preview here.

Nintendo released a new video for Mario & Luigi: Dream Team that proves the series' sense of odd humor is still intact. What will be your new catchphrase after watching it? Personally, I'm going with CANNONBEEF!

Besides that, the video also shows off some more of the game's mechanics, such as Luigi reacting to his "jokes" in the bottom screen, the game's unique take on the Action-RPG concept, and turning the 3DS vertically to defeat certain enemies.

The game was released a few days ago in Europe/Australia and just came out today in Japan. North America can expect to see the game in a few weeks, on August 11th.

Anyone get their hands on it yet?

Direct YouTube Link

During the shuffle of E3, a lot of little tidbits can get lost, and it seems this interview might have been one of them (at least on here).

Hideki Konno (head of Nintendo EAD Software Development Group No. 1 and Mario Kart 8 Producer) and Kosuke Yabuki (Director of Mario Kart 8) were interviewed by French website Gamekult and shared some details on what players can expect from the game when it releases early next year. NeoGaf member DrWong was kind enough to break down the highlights from the interview:

* MK8 development began just more than a year ago.
* No other studio involved, 100% EAD Kyoto.
* About the GamePad use: "Our priority is to provide the remote display on the GamePad only. We have other ideas, but that's all we can tell you for now."
* Why no F-Zero instead? "H. Konno: It has always been a Mario Kart per console, so we wanted to get a new one to have more people interested by our new system. But I also hope that there will be an F-Zero."
* About track size: "In Mario Kart 8 tracks have also been narrowed compared to Mario Kart Wii and reflects more the size of the road."
* About kart customization: "Like Mario Kart 7 (but) with a little more choice"
* No track editor, even if they talk about it.
* About a Double Dash mode using the GamePad: "H. Konno: For Mario Kart Wii, 7 and 8, we decided not to use it. But this is a request that is often heard, so maybe we can meet this desire."

What do you think of the choices they've made for MK8? Would you have liked to see the gameplay style introduced in "Double-Dash" return?

Direct interview link (French)
Google Translate link

Also, fellow Fungi Forum member Glowsquid was awesome enough to give a comprehensible translation!

Mariothon: Colorado time is here again.  This year their theme is "Yoshi vs. Kirby" and they'll be playing for 72 hours to raise money for The Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation.  To watch and/or help out, visit www.bottle-crew.org.

Link: Mariothon: Colorado 4 - Yoshi vs. Kirby

Mario Marathon 6 starts at 9am PST today.  Those crazed gamers from Indiana will be jumping through as much of the Mario series as they can, raising money for Child's Play.  Go visit 'em and help out -- let's see how far they make it this year!

Link: MarioMarathon.com

In case you weren't reading the News posts here at TMK, Yoshi is now available for 30 cents.

Is there anyone out there who actually likes this game?  I mean, it's better than Mario Pinball Land, I suppose, and I did play more of it than I ever played of Wario: Master of Disguise, but... it's Yoshi.

So, yes, hurry, as you really wouldn't want to miss out on Yoshi... right?

(For you fine folks at home, feel free to suggest Mario titles worse than Yoshi here...)

Once again, those crazy folks behind the Super Mario Bros. The Movie Archive are holding a theatrical screening of the (in)famous Super Mario Bros. The Movie.  This time it all happens at the Sunshine Cinema in New York City, June 21st and 22nd.  What's more, Samantha Davis, who played Daisy, is scheduled to attend the 21st showing and say a few words.

If you're in the area and would enjoy seeing slime-encrusted faux Manhattan, visit the Facebook event page to find out more!

Link: Facebook Event Page - SMB Screening June 21/22

WTMK is back on the air again, now that a minor technical issue has been resolved.  Enjoy!

Those crazy guys behind the Super Mario Bros. The Movie Archive have arranged for a special 20th anniversary screening of the film at the NuArt Theater in Los Angeles, CA.  The show starts this Friday night, May 24th, at midnight (just as Saturday starts, in case you were confused about that).  For more details and information on tickets, visit the Facebook Event page.

If you go, do remember to trust the fungus.

Link: Super Mario Bros. the Movie - 20th Anniversary Screening (Facebook Event Page)
Link:  Super Mario Bros. The Movie Archive

Ever wanted to watch Luigi beat every level 9 opponent in Super Smash Bros. Melee, but found that you didn't have the technical know-how?  Well, in the spirit of the Year of Luigi, watch as Luigi does just that without moving.

He's Luigi, number one, after all.

YouTube: OmegaTyrant4792 - Luigi wins against every level nine CPU by doing absolutely nothing

Nintendo released worldwide software sales numbers yesterday, highlighting the top-selling games from the Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo DS. Unsurprisingly, nearly half of the games listed contain at least one Mario brother. Boosted by Wii console bundles, Mario Kart Wii takes first place with 34.26 million units sold and holds a comfortable lead over New Super Mario Bros. for DS (30.38 million sold). From March 20 through March 31, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon sold a respectable 1.22 million units and jumped ahead of Mario Tennis Open, which has sold 1.11 million copies since May of 2012. New Super Mario Bros. U and Paper Mario: Sticker Star both launched in November and have sold about 2 million copies each.

Here's a list of the Mario and Luigi games and their total worldwide sales (in millions), including games bundled with hardware, as of March 31, 2013:

* Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 34.26
* New Super Mario Bros. (DS) - 30.38
* New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) - 27.88
* Mario Kart DS (DS) - 23.34
* Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - 11.72
* Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - 11.49
* Super Mario 64 DS (DS) - 10.83
* Super Mario 3D Land (3DS) - 8.29
* Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - 8.08
* New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) - 6.42
* New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U) - 2.15
* Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS) - 1.97
* Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS) - 1.22
* Mario Tennis Open (3DS) - 1.11

Link: Top Selling Software Sales Units (NCL)

The WTMK radio stream is back up, after a few mild errors drove it offline.  Go listen to more Mario music now!

Link: WTMK: All Mario Radio

It appears that Rolling Stone has "Photoshopped" an image of Mario into that of Luigi.  Scandal!  As Frank Cifaldi notes in his Gamasutra blog, someone at Rolling Stone took an NOA press release screen shot of Classic NES Series: Super Mario Bros. for the GBA, changed the color scheme on Mario, and put it up in their "Year of Luigi" photo gallery.  Feel free to take a look at the images and compare them to the original screen shot, viewable on the TMK Classic NES Series: Super Mario Bros. page!

For shame, Rolling Stone.  For shame.

(You might remember Mr. Cifaldi as the writer who the mystery of the release date of Super Mario Bros.  Thanks again for your true journalistic work, Mr. Cifaldi!)

Source: Gamasutra: That's Not What Luigi Looks Like
Link: Rolling Stone

NOA is giving away 15 copies of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, all signed by Shigeru Miyamoto.  Just send a "Tweet" to NOA about your favorite Luigi memory, using the tag #LuigisMansion, but make sure to do so between 10am PST on 04/02/2013 until 5pm on 04/03/2013.  More information available below!

NOA Twitter Messages: 1, 2, 3, 4

While the Year of Luigi continues, WTMK has returned to its normal broadcast rotation.  Tune in now to listen to Mario music 24/7!

Link: WTMK - All Mario, All the Time

The "Year of Luigi" is set to start Sunday in the U.S. with the release of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. Just in case you need to increase your frothing demand for this long-awaited sequel, check out these must-read articles that have popped up recently.

Creating a Video Game With Nintendo Sounds Stressful, Amazing and Unreal (kotaku.com)
This one's a "Kotaku Longread" about Next Level Game's experience developing Dark Moon.

Q&A: The Development Journey of Luigi's Mansion, From Kyoto to Canada (wired.com)

How a Vancouver studio wound up at the centre of Nintendo's 'Year of Luigi' (financialpost.com)

Iwata Asks: Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (nintendo.com)

Also, be sure to visit the official game sites for more good stuff.
NOA
NCL (Japanese)

Last night, on national television, Sam Hart's "Mario Kart Love Song" was performed by Selena Gomez and Jimmy Fallon --  complete with minor costuming props!

Take a gander over on YouTube.

Link: Jimmy Fallon & Selena Gomez Cover "Mario Kart Love Song"

Are you awaiting the launch of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon as eagerly as we are?  If so, perhaps you'd enjoy this short Mario Bros. ghost "busting" adventure.  The creator, James Farr, sent us a link and mentioned that a sequel would be coming soon.

Something seems eerily familiar about crossing Mario & Luigi with Ghostbusters, though... almost as though some odd fellow did something similar twelve years ago...

Link: Super Mario Busters (Youtube)

WTMK is spinning a few more Mario remixes, courtesy of GameChops!  Tune in and listen to several new Mario tracks, or visit GameChops.com and get a copy for yourself!

Visit the TMK Album page to read up on these GameChops albums:

Goombette by Doni (Purchase): A selection of Mario's RPG tunes, with electro, techno, and "dubstep" influences. Somewhat reminiscent of David Wise -- if he were composing on a souped-up NES.

NESteryears by bLiNd (Purchase): Several NES classics, twisted and sifted into a fresh bit of electronic madness. Mushroom Bounce is the classic Super Mario Bros. theme, while Dirty Coins focuses on the underground tune.

Game Music Record Label (Purchase): A compilation album of GameChops music, featuring tracks from a variety of releases. "Hi There" and "Interstellar Dream Disco" hail from Benjamin Briggs' Bootleg Circuit, a Diddy Kong Racing remix album. "Forest Maze" is an alternate version of a track from Doni's Goombette, while "X-Naut Base" is taken directly from the aforementioned album.

Special thanks to GameChops for providing TMK with copies of these albums.

Links: GameChops.com

A pack of mad scientists at Waterloo Labs have managed to do the seemingly impossible: they've created real life Mario Kart.  Marvel at the way their cars spin out and crash when hit with foam Koopa shells.  Gasp as lightning bolts send all the other karts into a crawl.  Stare in awed amazement as mushrooms send karts zipping down the track.

If you watch one YouTube video today, make it this one.

YouTube Link: Real Life Mario Kart - Waterloo Labs