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This realistic Pikachu is pretty weird, but not nearly as bizarre as this realistic Mario. We apologize in advance for future nightmares.

Cultural Blips:

• Don't feed realistic Pikachu. Ever wonder what the famous Pokemon Pikachu would look like if he were real? Yeah, probably not. But if you have (keep that a secret, btw), here is how the annoying third-person referencer would look. [TinyCartridge]

• Deface Mario's mug with Super Mario 3 rug. If you want Mario to kiss your ass (sicko!), then plop your bum on this Raccoon Mario rug. [technabob]

• Confidence gone crazy: Invader goes Rambo. Space Invaders are pretty stupid (moving left and right is not exactly the most intelligent combat strategy), but this particular Invader is raising the moron bar completely off screen. Well, if you're gonna get a Game Over, you might as well do it pixels a'blazing. [Offworld]

• Spare some bottle caps for Nuka-Cola vending machine. Fallout 3's delicious carbonated beverage Nuka-Cola isn't real, but if it was, it'd probably be sold in a vending machine like this. Or found randomly scattered across the country. [technabob]

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Remember how humans got fat and lazy in Pixar's vision of the future in Wall-E? We're off to a decent start with our living room couches, but the next phase is ready to be rolled out with these sci-fi beds that come with built-in monitors, Internet, music, gaming, and more (via Kotaku):

Got about $60,000, not counting taxes, shipping, or installation? Then check out the manufacturer's site to order your bed of the future.

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Welcome to the inaugural installment of a new Bitmob weekend roundup column, Hit or Miss, where I'll take an opinionated look at stories from the past week that either pissed me off or made my day.

Hit or Miss is simple: Stories that I like get the honor of a fancy little Space Invaders "hit" icon, and stories that I hate get the eternal shame of getting smacked with a "miss" icon, which is just as fancy as the "hit" icon. So I'm not exactly sure why a "miss" is a shame. I am, by the way, uniquely qualified to make such opinionated decisions, in that I am alive, and I also have an Internet connection.

(So in other words, I'm basically trying to rip off Stephen Colbert's "Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger" bit, without it looking like I completely ripped off Stephen Colbert's "Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger" bit. In my defense, we're all basically ripping off TV Guide's "Cheers and Jeers" section, anyway.)

Let's begin!

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Editor's note: This is a pretty difficult list to tackle, but Matthew has done a nice job mixing in games from several different genres. The only problem with it is that now I have the Duck Tales' theme song stuck in my head. Life is life a hurricane, here in, Duckburg... - Aaron

It can be argued that the Nintendo Entertainment System was the greatest console ever made. It revived the failing game industry after Atari almost destroyed it and introduced us to characters that have become video game icons. As such, it's no surprise that the system housed some of the best games ever. Some of our favorite games started their lives on the NES and even more games have been remade for new audiences over the world.

In honor of the NES and its massive library, I've highlighted ten of the system's best games. A quick primer: The games picked could not be made by Nintendo. No Marios, Zeldas, or Metroids. Nintendo's games could fill their own list and I've decided to put them in the hall of fame. I want to show games that were amazing on their own and not part of the House of Miyamoto.

The games also have to still be fun today. A lot of games are remembered with rose-tinted glasses and are not as fun as we like to think they are. Every game picked is just as fun today as it was when it was released.

With that out of the way, I present the Top 10 Greatest NES Games of All Time... That Weren't Made By Nintendo.

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We've got lots of good stuff from the Bitmob community this week, as usual! Read on after the break for a reimagining of Braid in text and music, more than one post about franchises Bitmobbers would like to see revived (including multiple Sega classics, and the unexpected Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels), humor articles by Luke McKinney, Chukwuma Morah, and Max Besong, and much more.

Video Game Celebrity Autographed Cards are the Next Big Thing
By Juan Martinez
Juan's got kind of a crazy idea for the baseball card-ification of video game industry heaveyweights. I dunno. A signed Miyamoto rookie card, maybe, but I think he should axe the video game journalists from his hit-list. Now if he can get the whole Twin Galaxies Superstar Players line-up on board, I'm there. I will not sell you my gem mint former Gorf champ Todd Rogers at any price.

20th Century Spud: The Case Against Digital Distribution
By Daniel Feit
This is actually less of an anti-digital distribution rant and more a love letter to Japanese game store Super Potato. Needs pics though! Hot pics of game racks, all on wanton display.

Gaming Made Me
By Reed Brown
Inspired by the Gaming Made Me series over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Reed makes his own list of games that inspired his love of the medium, and politely requests that you list yours.

Don't Oversimplify Game Stories
By Jeffrey Sandlin
Jeff if is a strong believer in directed narrative in games, and not a fan of silent protagonists. It's an interesting contrast to Omar Yusuf's post, Between Scripting and Silence, which basically argues the complete opposite point. Stick around for the comments!

Xbox Live Cheating and Controller Mods
By Jasmine Maleficent Rea
Jasmine considers Microsoft's laissez-faire attitude towards Xbox Live cheaters, and a popular auto-fire controller mod all the young jerks are using these days.

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Rebel FM comes back in force! We've got a three-pack of the podcast for you today: the most recent episode of the show proper, and the first two episodes of the Star Wars: Republic Commando Game Club after the jump.

Rebel FM -- Episode 27

It's a slightly nutty show this week as Tyler, Anthony, and I start out talking about 'Splosion Man and the Predator. Then the ball really gets rolling as I detail my game overload via Comic Con. We talk about Dante's Inferno, Bayonetta, God of War 3, Lost Planet 2, Spyborgs, Dark Void, Saboteur, Brütal Legend, and Singularity, and then we close out with letters.

Death to leps.

-Arthur

Zune link

Direct Download (right click save as)

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Editor's note: If you're planning a trip to San Francisco, make time to visit the Musee Mecanique. You not only get a glimpse of gaming's past, but you also get a chance to learn a little about San Francisco in the old days. -Jason

Not to brag, but gamers in the Bay Area have it pretty good.

We have community meet-ups; massive, Brigadoon-like arcades; a PlayStation store (at least for the moment); pinball museums; beach boardwalks; a world-class convention; the largest concentration of game developers and press in the country; and, located just west of the schlocky shenanigans of Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf, the fantastic Musee Mecanique.

The Musee Mecanique packs 100 years of arcade history into an old shipping warehouse on Pier 45. The machines inside run the gamut from old mechanical nickelodeons offering to show you what goes on in the "Opium Den" and stereoscopes promising a peek at what a belly dancer does on her day off to modern electronic games like Centipede and Sunset Riders. Most of the machines cost only a quarter or two; you could easily spend hours there on a scant 10 bucks.

Whenever guests visit me, I try to work in an excursion to the museum. This July I played tour guide twice -- and yup, I took both groups to the Musee Mecanique. While I was there, I shot these photos for your viewing pleasure.

(And hey, if you like what you see, come visit! California could use your tourist dollars.)

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This is part two of the late Andy Baran's series of retrospectives on EGM and the gaming industry. This is the juicier of the two parts that we're able to put out, with behind-the-scenes tidbits that may surprise quite a few people.

I wish I would've asked Andy if we could've published these sooner, while he was still around to see the feedback from the readers. But I guess I was hoping he'd get better and finish the stories himself. I'm sure he's still checking everything out from somewhere, though...ever the vigilant journalist, that guy. Andy, wherever you are, you'll be missed.

(Part One here)

Evolution of an Industry, part 2
By Andrew Baran

Reviews were done at the end of the month, and since everyone shared the same document, often times the reviews would take on a similar tone. Ed Semrad did not write his own reviews while I was there (I wrote them, and before me, it was Danyon Carpenter). As a sign of rebellion, I'd sneak in clues to the reviews that would hint that Ed didn't write them. Speaking of subtle, subliminal messages were common -- and potentially legally disastrous. A keen eye can find some mighty interesting stuff hidden.

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For all you complainers that think the PS3 is still expensive, well, you're wrong. It's actually cheaper to make now. So stop your complaining, cheapos!

News Blips:

• PS3 costs 70% less to make, still 100% expensive for you. Sony confirmed today that the manufacturing costs of the PS3 are down 70% since it launched three years ago. That means we can expect a price drop, right? Hahaha! Sigh... [Edge]

• Gasp: Tony Hawk: Ride will feature real life skateboarders? Wow! This must be a first for the series. No? Oh. Hmm. We, uh, knew that. [Eurogamer]

• Square Enix tests our patience with new countdown site. And we're failing miserably. But if you wanna take the annoyance test, go right on ahead! Oh, and let us know what the hell it is next Friday. Thanks! [GameSpot]

• If Braid could fast forward time, it'd possibly be on the PS3 right now. Looks like it's finally time for Xbox Live Arcade Game Braid to come to the PS3 as a German ratings board recently slapped a number on the game. You just know Cher is excited to hear this. [Kotaku]

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In preparation for the upcoming release of Tropico 3, publisher Kalypso Media is giving away five copies of Tropico Reloaded to Bitmob readers. Since Tropico Reloaded is actually three games in one, that's like...a lot of prizes.

To enter, just comment on this story (with the usual Bitmob Giveaway rules in effect -- see below).

Tropico Reloaded (PC) includes the original Tropico, Tropico: Paradise Island, and Tropico 2: Pirate Cove. Tropical 3, pictured above, is the latest in the city-management series due out in September for the 360 and PC, and is probably the sunniest game we've ever seen.

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It's pretty cool to see 360 Avatars muck it up in Guitar Hero 5. But if our Miis and Home characters can't also become rock stars, we're totally boycotting this game.

Video Blips:

• Oh, look: 360 Avatars awkwardly rock out in Guitar Hero 5. Here's the staff of 1UP playing a song as themselves as cartoon characters. If this was any more exciting, we'd contemplate throwing our panties on stage. [GameVideos]

Continue after the break for a Persona PSP remake video, Darkest of Days guns, and a NHL 2K10 trailer.

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