Mario Marathon is an event that takes place once a year to help raise money for Child’s Play Charity. Child’s Play is an organization that sends books, toys and supplies to young patients of hospitals worldwide. Beginning June 25th 2010 at 11:00 Eastern, you can tune in to watch the guys scramble to save countless princesses.

The goal is to raise as much money as possible throughout the event for the charity. None of the donations go through the players – it all goes directly to Child’s Play. The more money raised, the longer these guys have to play Mario. There are over 800 levels across the nine Mario games chosen for the Mario Marathon 3. Your donations determine how many of those levels the team will complete.

In Lafayette, Indiana, Brian, John and Chris take turns sleeping and playing the games throughout the weekend. They use a video capture card to show what’s on the TV game-wise, as well as a camera to view them in the living room. The live streaming event is hosted by Ustream.TV. While the event is going on, they will have several contests for the viewers to participate in for a chance at prizes. These events will be spread out during the event where you could win by tweeting, skyping in, or just being a viewer.

If you want to help out with the event, promote it as much as possible. Tweet out the information, blog about it, and get your friends interested on Facebook. The more people who know, the more viewers and possible donations Child’s Play can receive. Remember, the more you donate, the more time they spend cracking down on the controller to entertain you and give back to the community.

When gamers give back it makes a difference!

When Gamers Give Back, it Makes a Difference

Everyone seems to have a favorite game, as well as a favorite game character. You already know that I am obsessed with Tetris. It’s my favorite game by far. It gets trickier to choose a favorite game character. Think back to the games you played as a kid. Mario was pretty awesome, eh? Some of the others I used to love were Donkey Kong, Sonic and Pac-Man. I know I’m leaving out a whole host of characters, though.

Empire magazine has compiled a list of the fifty best video game characters of all time. I’m glad I’m not the person who had to pick and choose, let me tell you. It would have been nearly impossible to do. Surprisingly enough, Mario is not number one. Valve’s Gordon Freeman, the entirely silent hero of the sublime Half-Life series, is Empire’s ultimate video game character.

My favorite? Tetris.

Which character is your all-time favorite? Are you shocked by Empire’s list? Do you feel they forgot anyone?

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What is Your Favorite Video Game?

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If you want to hear the entire Mario theme song, you’ll have to head over to the Super Mario Brothers’ website. They have pretty much anything and everything related to Super Mario!! So, if you’re an addict – you know where to go!

I’ve loved the song – and the games – since way back in junior high school when the NES first was released. Yes, I’m dating myself there. Heck, my age is no secret. But I can’t help it – I LOVE THE MARIO SONG!!!

On Super Mario Brothers, you’ll find a website dedicated to Mario and Luigi. Here you will find Mario games, Mario music, Mario themes, Mario downloads, and more! Stay as long as you want, and enjoy everything the Mushroom Kingdom has to offer.

There are several awesome games (Mario ripoff types) that you can play on the site. They’re pretty good, and they’re fun. You can grab MP3s of pretty much every song that you’ll find on any of the Mario World games, too! Now you can bop along anytime you want – or even make yourself a ring tone if you have the right software!

Go on, you know you want to. Spend a few hours on Super Mario Brothers today!

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Are You in Love with Super Mario Brothers?

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One of our regular community members, SWAT, has just beaten Super Mario Galaxy. He’s going to give us his review, as well as some tips for playing the game.

So overall, what is your impression of the game? Overall the graphics are very good, even though the ending could have been more difficult.

What was the hardest part? The realm where you turn Mario into a Spring. It’s really difficult.

How does this one compare to other versions of Mario you’ve played? This one ranks up there as probably the best, overall.

How long did it take you to beat the game? It took me about 2 1/2 weeks, playing an hour or two a day.

Does it make it hard during times when the camera cannot keep up with your movements? It’s not bad most of the time, just when jumping from block to block.

What are some other tips you have for us?

• Get your timing down right away. It’s critical when jumping.
• Get the concept of gravity down. You’ll have to walk on walls and ceilings in this one!
• Get as many star bits as you can. These are what unlock the secret worlds.
• The ending is much easier than I hoped. I beat Bowser on the first try.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

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Nintendo Wii Super Mario Galaxy Review and Tips