So what better way to celebrate the season of weddings than with a quick look at some of the best wedding dresses shown off in video games? A lot of video game characters we know and love have walked down the aisle over the years. Ken got married at the end of Street Fighter II, the entire plot of Dragon Quest V centers around a bride and it looks like Aya's getting down to marital business in the upcoming Parasite Eve: The 3rd Birthday.

But when it comes to that most important of wedding props — the dress — only a few video game characters and even fewer gamers really get it right. Here are a few fashionable examples:

Princess Peach, Super Paper Mario
Peach almost exchanged vows with Bowser at the beginning of the game, but even though the arranged marriage goes bust before the "I dos," Peach is rocking that puff sleeved gown with the opera gloves. Observe how the pink ribbon on the bouquet accents the gem in her crown, too. Classy.

Meryl Silverburgh, Metal Gear Solid 4
The cool thing about Meryl's dress is the story behind it. I fangirl'd out over spoke with Hideo Kojima at the Game Developers Conferences this year to tell him how much I liked her dress. He replied through his translator that the animators didn't really know what a Western-style wedding dress looked like, so they had an assistant go out and rent a dress to model for the animators. Good thing the assistant picked a sleeveless number — Meryl is way too ripped to pull off bell sleeves. And kudos on the tiara, but could we loose the gun?

Meryl Silverburgh, Metal Gear Solid 4
The cool thing about Meryl's dress is the story behind it. I fangirl'd out over spoke with Hideo Kojima at the Game Developers Conferences this year to tell him how much I liked her dress. He replied through his translator that the animators didn't really know what a Western-style wedding dress looked like, so they had an assistant go out and rent a dress to model for the animators. Good thing the assistant picked a sleeveless number — Meryl is way too ripped to pull off bell sleeves. And kudos on the tiara, but could we loose the gun?

Meryl Silverburgh, Metal Gear Solid 4
The cool thing about Meryl's dress is the story behind it. I fangirl'd out over spoke with Hideo Kojima at the Game Developers Conferences this year to tell him how much I liked her dress. He replied through his translator that the animators didn't really know what a Western-style wedding dress looked like, so they had an assistant go out and rent a dress to model for the animators. Good thing the assistant picked a sleeveless number — Meryl is way too ripped to pull off bell sleeves. And kudos on the tiara, but could we loose the gun?

Princess Ashe, Final Fantasy XII
With it's ruffled train and extreme gold accessory count, this is a gown fit for a princess. Sadly, though, the veil doesn't quite fit the dress. The length and tiered lace fringe work well, but the giant blue feathers on top and golden cheerios that seemed to be hot glued to the cap scream "I let my little sister decorate this."

Princess Ashe, Final Fantasy XII
Here's a veil-less breakdown.

Aidra the Katamari Bride, Real Life
Never mind the nerd factor, look at the detail on that dress in the vines and flower pattern. It's delicate, pretty and perfectly coordinated to her headgear. Plus the dress can double as a prom gown thanks to the modest cut and straight fall, if the bride should choose to let her potential future daughter wear it.

There are probably more weddings and even more gowns in more games than I've played. Leave a comment if you spot any. And before you start in on me about the default gown in The Sims 2, I'm not a fan; the Sims don't know how to accessorize.

There's a lot to choose from when it comes to gamer-created gamer apparel, of course. Also people are coming up with new stuff all the time. But I've picked out five pairs of shoes that I've found in the last year which I'd seriously considering buying if I weren't a starving journalist. Check 'em out and by all means point me to your favorites, if you've got a link.

Princess Peach Trainers
Created By: Daniel Reese (a.k.a. BRASS MONKI)
Shoe Type: Nike Trainers
Theme: Super Paper Mario
Spotted On: BRASS MONKI's blog
Total Cost: £135/$230

These fancy kicks were mocked up by Daniel Reese by my request after I got in touch with him over pricing on the Moogle shoes. Even if it's just a Photoshop job of what the shoes would look like, I think the design is spiffy, I love the color pink and I find that there's not nearly enough in the way of Princess Peach-related shoes to buy these days.

NES Controller Keds (Classic)*
Created By: Danielle (a.k.a. Cole530)
Shoe Type: Keds slip-ons
Theme: Nintendo hardware
Spotted On: Zazzle
Total Cost: $74.50
*Not pictured per Zazzle's site policy.

I remember decorating Keds in summer camp when I was a kid with fabric glue and glitter, but my childish creations are nothing compared to these kicks. I like the design because it's subtle and the colors will go with most of my wardrobe. Unfortunately, I find Keds slip-ons to be beastly uncomfortable until you beat them into submission — and that would probably damage the paint.

NES Controller Keds (Hipster)
Created By: Rachelle Williams (a.k.a. ParadoxArtistry)
Shoe Type: LA Gear Slip-ons
Theme: Nintendo hardware
Spotted On: Etsy
Total Cost: $85

I've never worn LA Gear brand slip-ons, so I'll just have to trust the artist's claim that these shoes are comfortable. Other than that, I like how vibrant that red acrylic looks — even if it is too loud to get away with wearing to an office job. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about the cord spelling out N-E-S on the back of the right shoe. My preference with gamer clothing of any kind is subtlety that separates gamers from posers. In other words, if you have to ask me what's on my shoes, you clearly aren't cool enough to hang out with me.

Ms. Pac-Man Mary Janes
Created By: Lindsay (a.k.a. emandsprout)
Shoe Type: Rubber-soled Mary Janes
Theme: Ms. Pac-Man
Spotted On: Etsy
Total Cost: $28

It's not hard to find ladies sizes of shoes, but I rarely run across actual ladies shoes (heels, slingbacks, etc.) in my quest for gamer clothing. These classic Mary Jane slip-ons are decorated with what looks like felt pieces and tiny accessories, so I'd be a little worried about ruining them after only three wearings. But still, it's Ms. Pac-Man and it's comparatively cheap.

Unofficial Kotaku Shoes
Created By: Adidas
Shoe Type: Trainers
Theme: Kotaku
Spotted In: Nordstrom's in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Total Cost: Can't quite remember what it cost in the store, but similar shoes on Adidas' site go for $90

I spotted these while Hanukkah shopping with my dad earlier this year and almost bought them just because they had the Kotaku color scheme. Sadly, though, they only had mens sizes too big for my little feet. Also, while I could claim I had Kotaku shoes, they're not really Kotaku-themed enough to speak for themselves. Still cool, though.

These five pairs are but a few examples of awesome gamer shoes to be found on the Internet. For further reading, go check out some of the other shoes we've spotted over the years.

The Wii is one of those markets where Nintendo owns both the hardware and the software, but part of that is because they make such damn good products. So it’s the toughest platform for third party developers. We don’t have a software or content base ideally suited for it. So it doesn’t really play to our strengths and we’re pretty busy with other stuff right now. I’m thrilled that Nintendo has had this kind of success because they took some risky bets, and it’s always nice some bold thinking pay off for them. But I don’t think we’ll be on the platform.

At least he's honest!

Carmack on Doom, Rage, EA and More [Tom's Games via Go Nintendo]

I'd love, really love, to adapt Super Paper Mario into a movie, a movie that would constantly switch from 2D to 3D. In five years, 3D cinema is going to be really big...(KoK) was screened for Nintendo, but I haven't had the chance to speak to anyone over there about it. But I definitely want to have that conversation.

Nintendo Wii Super Paper Mario: The Movie? [via gonintendo]

Super Paper Mario announcement [Nintendo Europe - Thanks Martin]

Only slightly less thrilling are the new The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass sound drops, featuring familiar sound bites from the Nintendo DS game.

All are available for pre-order at National Console Support. Yay for plastic!

It's because of gamers that games have come as far as they have... it's not Nintendo's intent to alienate those people... We think we can involve everyone — people who played games in the past because the approach is so new, and people who were never gamers.

Alienate Gamers [Infendo]

The Japanese Super Paper Mario website has been slowly releasing some SPM wallpapers for your computer and yesterday, the final one was released. This one features Mr. L and his giant robot, but who could this mysterious Mr. L be? It's a mystery only solved by finishing the game! I won't spoil it by posting that one here, so instead I'll just post my favorite of the bunch. Check out the SPM website for all four wallpapers including the mysterious Mr. L and show your desktop some Super Paper Mario love. Flynn De Marco

Japanese Super Paper Mario Wallpapers [Nintendo]
[via GoNintendo]

While we're now more cautious than ever about CVG's unconfirmed reporting (just kidding, guys!), a release of the N64 title doesn't seem like such a stretch, but the outlet does write "we can pretty much take that as confirmation". Still, I'll wait for an ESRB rating or confirmation from Nintendo themselves before investing in more Wii points.

Personally, I'd be much more interested in a release of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, as I've been up to my eyeballs in paper-thin versions of these characters lately and totally missed out on the SNES classic. Michael McWhertor

Paper Mario heading to Virtual Console [CVG]

1. Finish Super Paper Mario. Seriously need to get this done. Ouendan 2 ships next week—went for the expensive shipping—with Odin Sphere arriving the following Wednesday. Gotta get the rest of those Pure Hearts and quick-like.

2. Find out where the hell my Katamari Damacy t-shirts are. I ordered three of those dudes from the folks at Panic weeks ago.

3. Sell some stuff on eBay. I've got that Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess preview cart for the Nintendo DS that was given away at E3 '06 and some sweet LocoRoco merch just rotting on my shelf.

4. Put together a contest for some swag giveaways. Some L-sized Kotaku reader surely wants this stuff.

5. Call mom. Oh yeah! Just remembered she's in Italy. Easiest Mother's Day ever!

Looks like finishing Super Paper Mario is going to take up most of my free time. You? What are you playing this weekend? Hit the comments! Michael McWhertor

I love Old Grandma Hardcore. I get no end of amusement watching her foul mouthed antics that could give the Angry Nintendo Nerd a run for his money. This time around, OGHc gives us her opinion on Nintendo's Super Paper Mario and the inadequacies of the Wii remotes ability to hold a charge. As you can probably imagine, the language is NSFW so if you are unfortunate enough to have to be sitting behind an office desk on a Sunday, you might want to pull out your headphones. Wait, I'm sitting behind a desk on a Sunday... now that's just sad. Flynn De Marco

Because you asked for it :SPOILER ALERT!

Too bad I forgot to pack my DS!

So, in addition to revisiting Bully and Super Paper Mario this weekend, I'll be dusting off Brain Age. Something's definitely out of whack with my memory and only Dr. Ryuta Kawashima can help.

But enough about me, what are you playing this weekend? To the comments with you! Michael McWhertor

I've also got Bully and Super Paper Mario firmly stored in the disc trays of my on-standby consoles, both of which I'll slog through this weekend.

Tell us your gaming plans for your relaxing Saturday and Sunday, then prepare for a week of slower than normal news, as Japan celebrates Golden Week. Michael McWhertor

Toned down erotic adventure Fate/Stay Night for the PlayStation 2 took up the second spot, with Atlus RPG Persona 3 Fes, classical rhythm game Nodame Cantabile and Final Fantasy PSP remake rounding out the top five.

01. Super Paper Mario (Wii) - 144,192 / NEW
02. Fate/Stay Night [R alta Nua] (PS2) - 134,887 / NEW
03. Persona 3 Fes (PS2) - 90,369 / NEW
04. Nodame Cantabile (DS) - 50,785 / NEW
05. Final Fantasy (PSP) - 48,559 / NEW
06. Gyakuten Saiben 4 (DS) - 48,296 / 298,482
07. Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis (DS) - 46,605 / 138,621
08. Wii Sports (Wii) - 43,822 / 1,400,788
09. Wii Play (Wii) - 30,818 / 1,178,629
10. Yoshi's Island DS (DS) - 30,815 / 701,247

Hit the jump for the rest of the top thirty for the week of April 16th to the 22nd.

11. More English Training (DS)
12. Lise no Atelier: Ordre no Renkinjutsushi (DS)
13. Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village (DS)
14. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
15. More Brain Age (DS)
16. Musou Orochi (PS2)
17. Pro Baseball Spirits 4 (PS2)
18. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (PSP)
19. Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan DS (DS)
20. Mario Kart DS (DS)
21. Animal Crossing Wild World (DS)
22. Brain Age (DS)
23. Gakuen Alice: WakuWaku * Happy Friends (DS)
24. English Training (DS)
25. Common Knowledge Training (DS)
26. Dragon Quest Monsters Joker (DS)
27. Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T. Portable (PSP)
28. Naruto Shippuuden Narutimett Accel (PS2)
29. Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ (PS2)
30. Clubhouse Games (DS)

Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings for the DS should be showing up on the charts next week, which I expect to take over the number one spot. Michael McWhertor

I'll write more about all that Capcom business later (think 5 PM Pacific Standard Time), but right now I'm gonna talk about games. This weekend's games, to be precise. In addition to schooling anonymous chumps with my Liu Kang skills, I'm going to take advantage of my free mornings to play some Super Paper Mario. That is, if I can steal away the Wii-mote from my Godfather obsessed roommate.

Other than that, it's party time. I hope everyone has a good weekend and that when they're not seeing Grindhouse at the theatre (ahem!), they're getting their game on. Now let's make with the game lists people! Michael McWhertor

Super Paper Mario is the new 2D/3D sidescroller/RPG by Intelligent Systems. And while we've already heard that it's pretty awesome, inquiring minds need to know the exact level of awesomeness that we are talking about here.

So hit the jump for our Frankenreview: every word that matters in the world, all in one place (minus my daily unrequited love musings to Ash).

GameBoyz
Although [graphics are] generally good I have to mention that the 3D worlds could have used more work. They were just as bright and vibrant in terms of colors, but they seemed to lack the overall punch that the rest of the game had. I think they just weren't as interesting as the 2D levels....[but] this whole lack of oomph is not a deal breaker...


RPG Gamer
While the dialogue in Super Paper Mario is abundant and the game could be considered pretty text-heavy, nearly every line is well-written and punchy. Because the game doesn't take itself seriously, it makes fun of just about everything in some very clever ways. With a charming cast of heroes and villains, every single character is appealing...if you don't take the time to constantly talk to people, you're missing out on a good portion of the game's hilarity.

Nintendo World Report
Let's get one thing straight: Super Paper Mario is not a Super Mario Bros. game with Paper Mario visuals. In fact, this game is more accurately described as Paper Mario without turn-based battles...Super Paper Mario focuses on more leisurely exploration...The dungeons and Bowser mini-stages from The Thousand-Year Door are analogous to Super Paper Mario's gameplay and pacing.

UnderGroundOnline
At any time Mario has the ability to "flip" the world, turning the 2D environment on its ear, allowing you to explore the "depth" of the level. It's a little hard to explain, but imagine mixing Super Mario with the original Crash Bandicoot and you can sorta begin to understand. Most of the game's puzzles involve this "flipping" as secret pipes and items are often obscured by rocks and pipes. Getting past a previously inaccessible mountain is as simple as flipping and walking right past it. After an hour or two you'll be looking at the world in both dimensions at once.

IGN
Super Paper Mario proves the point that even as Nintendo makes titles like Wii Sports and Wario Ware, it hasn't forgotten about the hardcore gamer. The title not only harkens back to the days of the 2D platformer, but retains enough of the RPG mechanics to satisfy players who liked the previous outings in the franchise. And unlike some Wii titles, which can be completed in an afternoon, this undertaking will keep you busy for a good 20 hours, give or take...

So who out there has tried the game? I'm looking forward to a vicarious play session tonight as my wife probably won't pass off the controller anytime soon. Mark Wilson

After a few weeks of lengthy lists of new games, this week is rather slim pickings. Thankfully, we have a jewel in the crown in the form of Super Paper Mario. The couple of minutes I spent playing it at GDC was enough to convince me of it's awesomeness and I'll be picking it up this week for sure. Flynn De Marco

• Super Paper Mario (WII) It's-a him, Super Paper Mario!
• The Ship (PC)
  The former Half-Life mod is now available in disc form.
• Whirlwind Over Vietnam (PC)
  Fly high over the fracas in Vietnam.
• Hot Dog King: A Fast Food Empire (PC)
  Be a wiener wrangler!

Those two guys and their goofy little car are starting to grow on me. Brian Crecente

I just finished playing through the first chapter of Super Paper Mario, small bits of which I sampled at GDC this year. I'm not at all surprised that I'm thoroughly enjoying the game, I expected that. What does surprise me though is how effortlessly (at least it feels that way) Nintendo manages to continue to make such a dated franchise feel fresh.

You'd think with this many Super Marios under its belt it would be hard for Nintendo to turn what is essentially a side-scrolling platformer into something so fun and unique every time.

I think that's the key to the franchise's success. Each one manages to mix the familiar and the unique in a way that doesn't feel forced.

It feels like sitting down to a good book. I know that I am going to thoroughly enjoy this game and I plan on relishing every little bit of it.

This time around the game leans heavily on the Wii's many innovative control types from pointing to shaking the controls to the built-in speaker, but it doesn't feel gimmicky at all.

The storyline has even fallen by the wayside. I know I'm going to catch shit for saying that, but while the game has a unique and developed plot so much of it is rote for the typical Nintendo gamer that even the characters in the game seem to be phoning it in, from making fun of Mario's get-up to talking about the people on the other side of the television.

I won't, I can't give you any final judgment on the game, I just received it a half-day ago, but I can tell you that it certainly lives up to the franchise's name and on first blush I'd say it's probably the best game to hit the platform to date, or will be when it ships next week.

I did find the first chapter a tad easy, even the boss battles were very easy, but I suspect, I hope that's because they're trying to give gamers a bit of an adjustment period to the extensive new controls. And it doesn't feel so easy as to be off-putting, it's just this side of challenging so far.

One last word before I return to the game. The graphics really sparkle on my big screen. The colors are vibrant the design unique, the aesthetic pleasing. The sound too has a nice new feel to it, I noticed several occasions where the sound of wind or an approaching something bad seemed to flow past me from one overhead surround speaker to the next.

Nice job Nintendo. Brian Crecente

Nintendo's latest Mario adventure ships next week, but Brian "No, You Can't Borrow My Review Copy" Crecente's already got his disc. He's supposed to be posting impressions any minute now.

This clip features some of the gameplay highlights for the Super Paper Mario noobs ou there. And in the Nintendo marketing tradition, you'll be treated to some fun "lifestyle" shots to help illustrate how the game is played. I really need to figure out how to squeeze more hours out of my day so that I can actually play games like this. Michael McWhertor