“Luigi: A life in the shadows” covers the other brother’s origins from palette swap to star of his own (two) video games. Anybody else remember playing Mario is Missing? Yeah, that game starred Luigi.

Best bit? Right here…

But Luigi’s heart has strayed at least once during the previously mentioned Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. The Beanbean Kingdom the two stars explore has a prince to match the Mushroom Kingdom’s Princess Peach. Prince Peasley is a dashing (if self-absorbed) pretty boy, who throughout the game slowly gains Luigi’s attention. As time goes on, Luigi seems almost enamored with Peasley, blushing at his compliments and eventually trying to hug him, which Peasley deftly dodges, as Peasley seems to only love himself. But this bi-curious side of Luigi has yet to return, as he’s since stayed pretty true to Daisy. However, that hasn’t stopped the devs of the M&L series from continuing to ramp up Luigi’s effeminacy to Tingle levels of fab.

I totally did not know that. I thought when Luigi wasn’t with Daisy, he was letting Peach cheat on Mario with him. Also, I thought John Leguizamo and Samantha Mathis as the “ideal” Luigi/Daisy couple.

Check it out, if you’re a little Luigi-curious:

Luigi: A life in the shadows [GamesRadar]

New Super Mario Bros. Wii has barely been out 48 hours, already there’s a level editor for it, and already someone’s rebuilt World 1-1 from the original Super Mario Bros.

This might be played through a Wii/GameCube emulator, not on the console itself. There are a few flaws in the re-creation — how many can you spot? Mario doesn’t go into the subterranean coin chamber, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, so let’s say that one doesn’t count.

Fan Recreates SMB World 1-1 in NSMBW [The Tanooki]

From all-new video games to fabulous cakes, the Super Mario Bros. and Castlevania games get lots of makeovers from fans and developers alike. Here are two more machinima renditions to add to the list.

First up is the disorienting and somewhat upsetting Half-Life Super Mario Bros. I guess in a 2D world, a grey haze is all Mario would see for miles around on either side of his orange brick path. But I can’t remember the last plumber I met that uses a crowbar. And guns? Really?

Next up is a Castlevania Half-Life 2 mod that makes a lot more sense in context. But it still has the inexplicable crowbar.

Both videos are brought to us by Machinima.com.

So, tell us about it, and brag to your fellow commenters. Or feel free to ask open questions of those who do have the game. Again, as a courtesy, flag any spoilers and maybe hit a couple returns to give folks a chance to look away.

Kotaku AU Note: Sunday? We were playing it days ago! Doesn’t it feel good to get a game ahead of the US for a change?

And if you’re still not sure what all the fuss is about, check out some of our coverage of the game from the preceding week:

New Super Mario Bros. Wii Review: Go Buy A Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii In-Game Tips
New Super Mario Bros. Wii Super Guide In Action
You’d Better Watch This New Super Mario Bros. Wii Strategy Video
Nintendo’s Temporary Mario Museum, The Video Tour
Thank You Mario, But Our Princess Is In Another Game, Getting Kidnapped Again

BoingBoing’s Cory Doctorow writes that he stopped by Hacklab yesterday unannounced and asked to see the Super Mario laser cutter. Sure enough, they fired it up and it played. Warning, if you boost your speakers to hear it, the guy says “f—-ing awesomesauce,” at the beginning so it might not be a great idea if you’re somewhere where saying that word would be inappropriate. Like church.

Hacklab.to’s Laser-Cutter Really *Does* Play the Mario Bros Theme! [BoingBoing via 8-Bit Fix]

Granted these may be Mario and Luigi lookalikes, given that the robbery and beatdown took place on Halloween night at a Great Kills, NY gas station, not in some Mushroom Kingdom borough. According to police reports, the dressed up duo assaulted and robbed the 48-year-old taxi driver after an altercation inside the cab.

A third man dressed in a tuxedo, who we’ll presume was Toad in formal attire, is also being sought.

Wanted in Halloween assault: Not so Super Mario and his brother Luigi in cabbie beatdown [NY Daily News - thanks, Will & Chrismoke!]

This Saturday, November 14, Nintendo will be be bringing interactive gaming stations, costumed characters, trivia, prize giveaways and live tournaments to their New York store to celebrate the release of Wii must-have New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The event will also include a Super Mario Bros. museum filled with “memorabilia pulled from Nintendo’s archives that chronicles Mario’s history and cultural impact over nearly 25 years”.

We’ll be there. Totilo will be wearing bells.

What about New Super Mario Bros. Wii? Planning on picking it up? Is it time for Wii owners to start lining streets and counting days?

Let us know.

This Mario Bros. mushroom was created by artist Radiance Art with over 80 individual pieces of glass. It’s mounted in a 15-inch square zinc frame and you can pick it up on Radiance Art’s Etsy page for $US175 (USD).

Building a Church of Mario to put it in, however, will be the real drain on your wallet. Especially if you expand the concept to a Church of Nintendo and commission Radiance Art for Pac-Man and Zelda stained glass windows.

Stained Glass Mario Mushroom Powers Up Ordinary Windows [Technabob]

Hopper, now 73, is being treated at the University of Southern California. His manager says the actor is cancelling all travel plans to focus on getting better.

Hopper also voiced a couple of other video game characters in games I’ve never heard of, like Walter Pensky in something called Black Dahlia. Bad video games or not, though, the cancer diagnosis is a real bummer. Especially since I happen to like the Super Mario Bros. movie — and Waterworld, but I’ll deny that if you confront me about it in public.

And as a side note, remember that October is National Breast Cancer month. For those of you tempted not to care, 2000 MEN are expected to be diagnosed with it this year. Scary, huh?

Dennis Hopper has prostate cancer [The Hollywood Reporter]
Image Cred

Craftser user EnemyAirShip taught herself to knit a little while ago by watching YouTube videos. She started with granny squares and then orchestrated a the pixelated pattern that become the Mario rug, which now lives in her living room.

EnemyAirShip says:

I finished him in 15 days (approx. 120hrs put in)! It took 13 days to complete all the individual granny squares, then 2 days to sew them all together. I made an Excel spreadsheet with columns and formulas detailing the number of granny squares needed for each colour, then used this to track my daily progress (like a true geek, haha) and motivate me to keep out-doing myself.

And that right there is why I won’t learn to crochet. Or even knit slightly better. I just don’t have follow-through like that!

7×7ft Raccoon Mario Rug! [Craftster via BoingBoing]