Currently a work in progress, the tapestry will come in at an incredible 620x40cm (or 250x15 inches) when completed, which is amazing not only for its scale as a work of art, but also as a means of visualising game worlds in literal terms.

Super mario projektet [Elsa's Broderier, thanks Vebjørn!]

The book, which in recent years has trended strongly toward video game records (and, according to us apparently, is a "must-have") found that more American consumers recognized Pac-Man, beating Mario by 1 percent, 94 to 93.

I'd say Mario hasn't done so bad considering not only he has a humanoid form, but he also has changed repeatedly over the past 27 years, whereby Pac-Man has largely been the same yellow pie-shape (except for animated cartoons and other non- or semi-canonical appearances.)

Then again, I don't see Pac-Man putting out a hugely selling title this year, or being the public face of a major console-maker and games publisher. So, take Guinness's appraisal for what it is: The long memory of an entire nation, many of whom might not be gamers.

[via Go Nintendo]

By genetically engineering bacteria to express fluorescent proteins and carotenoid pigments. The result?

Mario from Super Mario Bros.

*applause*

Masterworks in Petri dishes [NewScientist Thanks, Tommy!]

Opening up the envelope, I was presented with a copy of Daredevil, circa December 1989. An original, pre-owned copy. It was a promo for Sony's upcoming PSP comic store, and as far as press mail-outs go, original 1980's comics are pretty rad.

Truth be told, though, I don't really like Daredevil, so wasn't expecting much, but a ho-hum comic got interesting when I got to the back cover. And found this.

Hey, Mario. Eyes up, buddy. Eyes up.

The BBC put the question of why Nintendo's games have a stylized look and not photo realistic graphics to Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. His response:

Our company makes games of several different styles but we always try to be different, whether it's video game or animations there are always trends. For example, in the video games industry, it seems that the majority of companies are heading in the same direction, taking advantage of identical technologies. They are simply trying to be better than their rivals. But my idea is pretty different. We try to be unique and different and try not to depend on the techniques of others. We try to be as uniquely creative as possible, and that's got to have played a part in making our games look different.

That's fine and dandy. But HD Wii? Please?

Miyamoto [BBC via Industry Gamers]

A commenter asks "Was that one hand for left AND right hand, or was it just a really intense right hand part?" and the artist, RigorMortis999 replies, "the former becoming the latter."

Good thing Mario didn't run down to his final 100 seconds at the end.

Mario Theme with One Hand Only [YouTube User RigorMortis999, thanks Isiah O.!]

Reader Kyle, an entrant in the exhibit, sent us in these two videos of his creations. One, above, is a game of Mario, hacked so that your actions on-screen determine the kind of drink the robot will pour you. The other, below, is the same deal, only this time, it's Tetris.

So, yes, to recap: robot bartenders that play video games. We've never wanted to live somewhere closer to Vienna in our lives.

[Nonpolynomial Labs Roboexotica Projects]

It's called iRwego (un hunh hunh), and is $1 (the $1.19 listed above is for the Australian store). My extensive hands-on impressions follow.

[thanks denki!]

"Well, I called him 'Mr. Video'," Miyamoto said in the recent Iwata Asks feature on Nintendo's official site. "My plan was to use the same character in every video game I made."

Miyamoto was confident that he had come up with a solid character. "That's why I decided a solid, imposing name like 'Mr. Video' would work best," he added. "But thinking back, I don't think I should have gone with that name." Good thing someone at Nintendo of America came up with the name Mario. "If he had been called "Mr. Video," he might have disappeared off the face of the earth."

The idea to put Mario in multiple games wasn't simply clever branding on Miyamoto's part: he was influenced by Hollywood film director Alfred Hitchcock. "I thought the way Hitchcock cropped up in all the films he directed was really cool!" Miyamoto was also influenced by manga artists like Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy) and Fujio Akatsuka (Tensai Bakabon), who put their characters in multiple works. And now you know!

Iwata Asks: New Super Mario Bros. Wii [Wii.com]

In a Q&A session posted on Nintendo's site, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed that Mario 64 had, at one stage during development, a significant multiplayer component.

Iwata: Ever since Mario Bros., you've had your heart set on making a multiplayer Mario game. You've tried each time, but it's never quite come together… Even with Mario 64, it started with Mario and Luigi running around together, didn't it?

Miyamoto: That's right. The screen was split and they went into the castle separately. When they meet in the corridor, I was incredibly happy! (laughs) Then there was also the mode where the camera is fixed and we see Mario running away, steadily getting smaller and smaller.

Iwata: Yes, that's right.

Miyamoto: That was a remnant of an experiment we did where Mario and Luigi would run away from each other but you could still see them both. But we were unable to pull it off…

Course, he now says with Super Mario Bros. Wii he has pulled it off, but...it's not the same. Wonder if it's something they could include with Super Mario Galaxy 2...

A Medal for Skilled Players [Nintendo]

In this instance, the fact that in the 80's, Miyamoto thought seriously about patenting the idea of a jumping platformer.

Iwata: Donkey Kong involved jumping, as did Mario Bros., so you felt that Nintendo were the real originators of this kind of game.

Miyamoto: I did. I went as far as thinking that jumping is an original idea and that it should be patented! Anyway, I thought: "Right, I'm not going to let those other games top us!" (laughs)

Imagine if he'd tried it. And gotten away with it. And then been able to charge a fee every time somebody wanted to make a character jump in a platformer. You think they're rich now!

Letting Everyone Know It Was A Good Mushroom [Nintendo] [image: fanboys]

Well, never mind. I don't think it rates a spoiler alert, as no major plot devices or gameplay features are revealed. Here 'tis, courtesy of MTV Multiplayer.

Super Mario Cameo In 'Assassin's Creed 2' [MTV Multiplayer]

The shindig is more than just a line-up for an early purchase. Nintendo says it'll deck out the store with gaming stations, costumed characters, and a Super Mario Bros. museum showcasing Mario's history over more than a quarter century. Live gaming tournaments, trivia and prize giveaways also are promised.

And there's the matter of being able to buy and play the game well in advance of its launch tomorrow. The event will run from 3 to 7 p.m. and the store is located at 10 Rockefeller Plaza (48th St between 6th and 5th Aves.) in Manhattan.

So all youse in the Tri-State Area, think about subway-ing, PATHing, or Metro Northing over there to get your red box. And if anyone else knows of launch events elsewhere in the country, feel free to share their places and times in the comments.

Princess Peach gets kidnapped a lot. There are few women with more kidnappings under their belt than her royal mushroom highness, with only Daphne from Scooby Doo immediately springing to mind. In the 24 years of her existence, the good Princess has been stolen away at least a dozen times by Bowser and his pals, and we've got the documentation to prove it.

Super Mario Bros.

Princess Peach's first appearance in a video game also marks her first appearance as a victim of kidnapping. No one is quite sure where and how Bowser took her, but took her he did. A mutant turtle thing of vast resources, he even set up several decoy castles to keep Mario and Luigi occupied while he had his way with her. Thankfully his way equated to leaving her in a room, waiting for rescue.

Super Mario Bros. 3

After a brief stint as a playable character in Super Mario Bros. 2, Peach was back to her being kidnapped ways. She initially sends out Mario and Luigi to halt her rumored kidnapping, but they ultimately fail, and Bowser gets his paws on her once again. At least she kept in touch.

Super Mario World

In Super Mario World, Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach again, only this time he does it using the power of the Super Nintendo. He parallax scrolls her away to Bowser's Castle for a lovely ride in the Koopa Clown Car.

Super Mario RPG

Special thanks goes out to our readers for reminding me about Super Mario RPG, where Princess Peach is indeed kidnapped by Bowser. Then she is kidnapped by Booster. She actually managed to get kidnapped twice in one game. Simply amazing.

Mario 64

While being entombed in a fresco in front of your own castle isn't exactly being taken away from everyone you know and love, we're going to go ahead and call this one a kidnapping as well, just for the sake of being able to include it in our list. You got a problem with that? Don't make us entomb you in a fresco kidnap you.

Paper Mario

Not content to merely capture the Princess this time around, Bowser actually kidnaps her whole damn castle. Paper Mario featured scenes where you could control Princess Peach, gathering intel necessary to facilitate her escape. If only Bowser had stuck to his original 'leaving her in a room to be rescued' plan she'd probably still be kidnapped today, giving birth to little half-mushroom, half-lizard babies.

Super Mario Sunshine

Speaking of half-mushroom lizard babies, in Super Mario Sunshine it's actually Bowser Jr. that kidnaps Princess Peach, having been convinced by his father that she is his real mother. How did this game get released without Fox News and friends pondering the suggestion of Princess/lizard coupling? Why can't I stop pondering it right now?

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Who the hell are the X-Nauts? They're a species of alien led by one Sir Grodus who, despite our cultural differences, manage to work out that kidnapping Princess Peach is simply the right thing to do. Go X-Nauts!

New Super Mario Bros. (DS)

Unable to overcome his mommy issues, Bowser Jr. once again snatches Peach out from under Mario's nose in the New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS. He also raises his father from the dead during the story, which brings up the following question: If Bowser Jr. can reanimate the dead...wait, how the hell can he reanimate the dead?! I didn't say it was a good question.

Super Princess Peach

In this game, Princess Peach has to rescue a kidnapped Mario and Luigi. Obviously the whole thing was a dream.

Super Paper Mario

Back to the kidnapping! Princess Peach is forced to marry Bowser against her will (riiiiight) by the vile Count Bleck, which will somehow release the power of the Chaos Heart. Mario rescues her, she lures Bowser to the good side, and they all live happily ever after, never to be involved in a kidnapping plot again.

Super Mario Galaxy

Of course, if Princess Peach just happens to be in her castle when Bowser steals it and launches it into outer space, then that's something different entirely. You have to admire Bowser's logic though. If launching the castle into the sky doesn't work, just launch it higher. Epic fail, but brilliant.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Here we go again.

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!]