Pikachu ski mask perfect for armed robbery

If you want to get ahead, get a hat. Preferably one that makes you look like you’ve ripped the face off a Nintendo character and you’re wearing it like a macabre trophy.

Elsewhere, this has been the month of virtual reality, birthday party envy and the realisation that Nintendo have already patented every idea anyone ever thought they had…

1)  Don’t stop me now
This has to be the best ever use of a Super Mario World level editor. The maestro behind this effort produced four separate levels that, when properly synchronised, play their sound effects to the tune of Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now. It’s amazing!

2)  Castlevania reborn
This comes to you via the magic of the Half-Life engine, which seems to be able to replicate practically any other game thanks to skilled modders. There’s a similar thing with the first level of Contra, but this NES ’Vania remake is the best one.

3) Nintendo store
One eagle-eyed gamer took this picture of a Nintendo shop (presumably the one in New York), which has a neat “3D” effect to the block stickers.

4)  Master Higgins sings
Not only can he press a button 16 times in a second – or he could in his prime, anyway – Hudson’s human autofire machine Master Higgins can also carry a tune. Listen to this vintage ode to his videogaming skills. Comes with footage of the aforementioned vibrating hand technique.

5)  Chomp earrings
Small, cute and only ever so slightly wrong – what is it about simple old Chomp that makes him so hard to draw properly? We’re particularly impressed that these fancy ear accoutrements are made out of wood, a substance we never realised came in spherical shapes. Other Nintendo designs available.

6)  Invaded space
A witty comment on the war in Afghanistan or just some pictures of soldiers with Space Invaders superimposed on them? Either way, these are pretty clever.

7)  Mega Man meets Doom
Burly space marines firing shotguns at each other is so 1993. These days all the cool kids are doing it the Mega Man way. What we have here is a free mod for Doom 2 on the PC, turning the game’s Deathmatch mode into a tribute to Capcom’s prolific blue superstar. It’s still a work in progress but you can download the latest version to try it out for yourself.

8)  Consoles re-imagined
What would 8-bit consoles have looked like if they’d had a bit of today’s design philosophy applied to them? Like this, reckons artist Javier Segovia. Square buttons on the NES pad, though? Nintendo tried that in the first place and rejected them because the corners kept sticking.
 

9)  NES work of art
What a great painting! This work, ‘Accidental Score’, is a testament to one of the many reasons online gaming can never fully replace the simple pleasure of having your opponent in the same room.

Above: It puts the lotion on the Goomba

10) Pikachu turns to crime
How to turn the cutest Pokemon into something that looks like it should be waving a sawn-off shotgun at a Post Office cashier. We’d love one, but sadly the creator currently has no plans to sell copies. Go on, you’d make a killing…