Super Mario Bros. - Virtual Console

Once a videogame hero has more than one or two adventures under his or her belt, it simply isn’t enough to just have an archenemy anymore. To keep things interesting, they need a foil, a rival, or some other angry opposite number obsessed with matching wits with them. Sometimes, those characters stick around long enough to make themselves an indelible part of the series, even going so far as to make friends with the protagonist – although more often than not, their friendships tend to be shaky at best, and even those involved might never fully admit to them. Relationships like that tend to make for gaming’s most enduring and interesting rivalries, and what follows are some of the most notable...

Got that Friday feeling? We have. In fact, I ate a Crunchie this morning to celebrate (who says marketing doesn't work?). Anyway, if it's Friday, that can only mean one thing - it's time for GamesRadar's Highlight of the Week. So let's do this. Just push play on the videomatic insta-window below and let your eyes enjoy our favourite moment from the past 7 days.

Shigeru Miyamoto originally imagined Mario as a gun-toting, jetpack-wearing macho man. No, really. It's shown in the original concept outlines included in the Super Mario Collection art book. But what would the game have looked like with these ideas in place? Well, thanks to a little sprite modification and keyframe manipulation, I've created a custom video to give you an idea. Warning! Contains gun violence.

Because it's a really slow news day, why not a little something to permanently scar your vision...

A video has just emerged of a gamer named Nick Hagman completing Super Mario Bros using the Dance Dance Revolution floor mat. That's quite an impressive feet. Sorry, 'feat'. Check it out below:

But Nick's not alone in using the wrong peripheral to finish a game. Problem is, not everybody is quite as skilled...

Is Mario doomed to a life lived exclusively in pixeldom? In 1993, the answer should have been “yes.” Why 1993? That was the year the Super Mario Bros. movie was unleashed upon the world.

We're used to being the good guys. But did you ever stop to think about it from the enemy's point of view? Wouldn't our heroes look completely different? 

Of course, just as in the real world, wartime imagery and alternative views of the enemy could undoubtedly be perpetuated with some propaganda posters… like these.

Videogame adaptations are like a walk through minefield; sure there might be a couple of safe zones, but more often than not you're going to stand on a bomb.

Game developers are wrong about 90% of everything 83% of the time. I know, because I’m a super-expert on facts. My dad invented facts. So hold on to your sugary carbonated bevorage, uncross your legs and take your left hand off your face, because I'm about to drop a straight-up 10-megaton truth bomb on this bitch. All the subjective bullshit and “artistic license” that game designers cower behind is polluting the hard facts...