The adowable girl is reader Landon's niece. Landon and his brother are life long gamers, and his brother made some flash cards of famous game characters. He showed them to his daughter over the course of about three days, and the darling child was able to memorize them all and dazzle us all. Bravo!

*applause*

Yoshi edition CUSTOMIZED NINTENDO Wii CONSOLE [ebay]

AUTOGRAPHED Club Nintendo Mario Family Set eBay
[Thanks, Steven]

Coming in at 500 points, Yoshi for the NES is a play on the falling stuff puzzle genre that sees Mario and Luigi trying to keep monsters from stacking up with the aid of the loveable titular prehistoric carnivore. Less than a year later Yoshi's Cookie would be released for the NES, kicking this game completely to the curb.

On the TurboGrafx front we have Air Zonk, Hudson's attempt at giving themselves an edgier feel by introducing a character almost exactly like the caveman Bonk, only from the future! He even has the same enemy, King Drool, heretofore known as the Ever-Living. Despite the corny concept the game really is an excellent example of the whacky side of shmuppage, well worth the 600 point price tag.

Finally we head back to the NES 500 point price range with Mach Rider, the spiritual predecessor to the F-Zero franchise. You might have heard the theme to this driving and shooting game remixed for use in the F-Zero themed stage of Super Smash Bros. Melee. The game has actually been enhanced for the Wii, as in the original title you couldn't save custom created tracks. Worth the points for that feature alone I'd say.

So there you go. While I could do without the unnecessary and self-trumped Yoshi title, the slightly improved Mach Rider and Air Zonk are definitely being downloaded and then summarily ignored as I desperately prepare myself for E3.

WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

July 9, 2007

Think you've got what it takes to be a hero? Prove it with these three heroic games, available this week on the Wii Shop Channel. Whether you're rescuing Mario's dinosaur pal from an eggshell or battling to protect the planet from evil invaders, the future is in your hands.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Mach Rider (NES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): It's the year 2112. Earth has been invaded by the forces of evil. Battle the invaders as you race from sector to sector on your motorcycle, searching for survivors. Feel the incredible sense of speed as you zip past evil Quadrunners and zigzag between treacherous rocks, oil spills and other obstacles on the course. For a different challenge, create your own course in Design Mode, using the various twists, turns and straightaways the game has to offer. Remember, you are Earth's only hope you are Mach Rider.

Yoshi (NES, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Yoshi is an action/puzzle game starring Mario's dinosaur buddy, Yoshi, who has been imprisoned in an egg. Now it's raining Goombas, Bloopers and Boo Buddies, and you have to help Mario stop the airborne invasion. As the critters fall, catch them on trays. Stack two of a kind and they both disappear, or capture the whole bunch in between eggshells. When the eggshells match, out hatches Yoshi and up goes your score. The action heats up as the characters fall faster and faster. To save the day, switch and shuffle, and don't let your piles get too high.

Air "Zonk" (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Cartoon Violence, 600 Wii Points): Air "Zonk" is a spin-off of the popular Bonk's Adventure series. This side-scrolling shooter retains the same cartoonish style of Bonk but is set in a cyberpunk future. The powered-up "Zonk" gathers his friends to form Team Cool, and they set out to stop King Drool's plan to conquer the world. Choose from three levels of difficulty and three Friend Modes. Shoot King Drool's cyber-robots and avoid their attacks while collecting the Air Bones to unleash a variety of unique attacks. Combine with a friend to create an invincible hybrid form or blast enemies with a charged attack. Air "Zonk" is filled with humor, made evident by the wacky theme song that plays when you post a huge score or when your game is over.

Too cute! Back in 2002, these Nintendo character bobbleheads were released. Yup, Mario, Yoshi, Luigi and Bowser were all immortalized as 17cm tall statues with giant heads that bobble. They even have the official Nintendo stamp of approval. Ah, 2002 was a very good year.

Kotaku fun fact: Crecente has a bobblehead in his own likeness. No, really. Brian Ashcraft

Nintendo Bobbleheads [GameSniped, Thanks Chilly!]

Familiar Nintendo faces become greedy, real-estate moguls along side some of the character of Square-Enix's Dragon Quest in Itadaki Street, a monopoly-like game from the DS coming out for the Japanese market in June.

Outside of regular Monopoly rules, players can also buy and sell stocks of an entire block of property (affecting their values), and there is also the option to level-up by collecting icons all over the board. Plus there are different boards like Castle of Torodaine, Death Volcano, Giant Demon's Statue and Yoshi's Island, so it's not like being in that Atlantic City Alcatraz for three hours waiting for some one to "JUST BUY BOARDWALK ALREADY SO WE CAN ALL GO HOME." Kim Phu

Meet the Characters of Itadaki Street DS [Siliconera]

Here are spots one through ten, with the next twenty after the jump.

01. Yoshi's Island DS (DS) - 131,843 / 434,958
02. Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan DS (DS) - 71,701 / NEW
03. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (PSP) - 64,368 / 1,000,599
04. Wii Sports (Wii) - 38,560 / 1,204,234
05. Konjiki no Corda 2 (PS2) - 34,585 / NEW
06. Prof. Layton and the Mysterious Village (DS) - 31,371 / 297,388
07. Wii Play (Wii) - 30,416 / 1,033,044
08. Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 1st Love (DS) - 29,033 / NEW
09. Super Robot Wars W (DS) - 25,139 / 200,759
10. Dragon Quest Monsters Joker (DS)- 22,462 / 1,250,726

11. More Brain Age (DS)
12. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
13. SimCity DS (DS)
14. Gundam Musou (PS3)
15. Animal Crossing Wild World (DS)
16. Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters: World Championship 2007 (DS)
17. Kenka Bancho 2: Full Throttle (PS2)
18. Mario Kart DS (DS)
19. Common Knowledge Training (DS)
20. English Training (DS)

21. Brain Age (DS)
22. Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii)
23. Survival Kids: Lost in Blue 2 (DS)
24. Unou no Tatsuhin! Soukai! Machigai Museum 2 (DS)
25. Picross DS (DS)
26. Pok mon Diamond (DS)
27. Theme Park DS (DS)
28. Harvest Moon: The Island I Grew Up On (DS)
29. Wario Ware Smooth Moves (Wii)
30. Doraemon's New Magic World Adventure (DS)

You know, Ashcraft's kid LOVES that Doraemon. I wonder if he has a copy? As always, sales are ripped straight from the headlines via Media Create. Michael McWhertor

A patent has popped up that Nintendo filed back in November 2001. It is for a "mobile phone type electronic apparatus" that contains a CPU for a phone and a CPU for game related process. In a sentence: It's a cell phone that pauses gameplay when there's an incoming call. That button placement, though, looks extremely uncomfortable! But Yoshi to that patent drawing? Cute. Brian Ashcraft

Patent For Nintendo Phone [Google, Thanks Derek!]

I'll refrain from calling this a "snowman" because obviously more work went into this than your run of the mill, coal for eyes, carrot for a nose snowmen. Then there's the question of Yoshi's "manhood", which I have serious doubts about to begin with.

Regardless, someone obviously has some awesome sculpting ability and this is definitely the best snow Yoshi I've ever seen. The fact that's it's the only snow Yoshi I've ever seen is beside the point, it still rocks. Thanks, Ryan! Flynn De Marco

We've seen tons of these Mario mash-ups before, but this Robot Chicken send-up has to be one of the best. Brian Ashcraft

Thanks Nick

Here, in its entirety, is a letter from a desperate man. Yoshi wrote it to inform us that he planned to absolutely wallow in his Wii as soon as he got it out of the bag, and had taken steps to assure that he would not be disturbed.

Hi! Just wanted to let you guys know that once I get the Nintendo Wii, I will be spending a straight week on the Wii (minus 4-5hrs/day for sleep). i have been approved for the time off from work, and will be setting up a live web feed of my week with Wii. I don't plan on leaving my room for anything but toiletry needs and the blog update every 4 hours. I'll give you guys more info as the luanch approaches. I know I can't do this alone, that is why my younger brother will be joining me to ensure that I don't sleep longer than I need to. i'll be picking up Twilight Princess, Red Steel, Madden 07, Rayman, Excite Truck, Call of Duty 3, and a few others that I'm hoping will make luanch. I will be living off of pizza, and anything microwavable. Just thought you guys might be interested! Oh and yes I deed manage to get a Wii pre-order, 2 actually, Thanks for your time Yosh!

Oh my god, Yoshi, you poor baby. Listen. It's not worth it, okay? They're launch games. Forcing yourself to spend a week in a room with them, gorging yourself on lukewarm Domino's and Bawls, will do nothing but fatten you like a veal calf and make me sad.

After a few days you will begin to despise these games, like you begin to despise your best friend after he becomes your roommate and starts leaving pubic hair on the sink and peach pits in the garbage disposal.

Slow news day? Try no news day. Eliza Gauger

Usually, we just snicker when you gaming doofs get yourself inked with whatever fruity pixelated elf you're enamored with. "Whatever!" we larf. "You let us know how that pouty, effete Link looks on your treasure trail when you're sixty."

But this? Well, we have to admit. It's pretty cool. The guy who did it looks like an actual artist, not some jactitating boozer channeling the artist of the Zelda CDi games. We approve. Thumbs up! That's some great ink. Florian Eckhardt

Nintendo Fanboy Sleeve [Modblog]

Back in 1992, pinball king Gottlieb produced a Super Mario Brother cabinet, complete with the Nintendo Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Under the tag line "Mario Mania Comes to Pinball", the machine boasted a Princess rescuing sequence on a dot matrix display. Though, the in-cabinet line "Skill Shot—Shoot Yoshi For MILLIONS" is what sold me on this machine. Hit the jump for a gallery. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [eBay] Thanks, Dan!

Hot tipper Kirby wrote in to show us the pics he's been taking of Yoshi egg graffiti that has been materializing all over his territory:

It seems that the Mushroom Kingdom, er Yoshi's Island is invading Pittsburgh. In the northern region near Route 28 and the North Hills Yoshi Eggs have been popping up in all colors and sizes. Either King Koopa is planning on taking over the MLB All-Star game or the city has a graffiti artist w/ a sense of humor on its hands

According to commentators on his LJ entry about the eggs, there are over 100 of them scattered about and it sounds like the artist's intent was that they be hunted for. Someone even says they "spotted some tiny, inch high, ones in Oakland last week and jumped up & down." eliza Gauger

Read the post on LJ and see more pics of the eggs [LiveJournal]

Holy Mario! A Ninty fangirl painted the front room of her house to look like Super Mario World, complete with piping and 3D boxes. In doing so, she's won the hearts of every Nintendo fanboy. Me, I don't think the murals will jive with anything but mushroom-themed furniture, but that's not really the point. Pics of Mario, Yoshi and painted walls after the jump. Brian Ashcraft

Previous: Mario Bathroom [Kotaku]
More Here [Hipinion] Thanks, Sean!

This one's for Joel, who reacted to Yoshi Island 2's announcement at Nintendo's press conference with the sort of hysterical squealing usually employed only by prepubescent girls around Justin Timberlake or swishing effeminates backstage at a muscle man show.

It's rather hard to tell from the video (the one on the Nintendo press site is similarly low quality), but it looks like Yoshi won't simply be dragging Baby Mario around. The trailer seems to show a baby Toadstool whose polka-dot cap can double as a parachute umbrella, as well as what appears to be the physical incarnation of a crack habit riding monkey-like on on Yoshi's back. Possibly Donkey Kong. How old is Yoshi exactly, anyway? Apparently the octagenarian of the Mushroom World.

Mario and Yoshi. Cloud Strife and his big sword. All get a customized send-up with these hand-painted Lego toys. Mario's a perennial favorite, but Cloud is a fine addition. The Final Fantasy character's hair has been made from Sculpey clay. Fitting, because if Cloud were real (and why isn't he?), his hair would be styled with Sculpey clay.

Bid On Cloud
Bid On Mario [eBay]

Gadzooks! That evil Mario head looks straight out of Terminator 2. The piece was created by a LEGO brick builder named "ONF," using Bionicle pieces. For those not into bricks, Bionicle are the action figurine LEGOS. Impressive yes, impressively creepy.

Hit "more" to see other frightening cyborg plumber and green mecha Yoshi pics.

More Images Here [Brickshelf]