Whether you work in the gaming industry, are an avid gamer, or are involved in an anti-gaming crusade, there is one thing we can all agree upon – Halo 3 will be the best-selling game of 2007. After announcing an unprecedented $170 million in loot on opening day alone, Bungie and Microsoft made the launch of Halo 3 the highest-grossing single day launch in entertainment history. Even though this major event is nothing for the gaming industry to sneeze at, the Halo trilogy barely makes a dent in the Top 40 of video game franchises list even if it has currently sold 15 million units – this is even if you add 10 million more units thanks to Halo 3. It still cannot compete with the laudable franchises listed below, which by the way,  I have included my own research and opinions on – just in case anyone asks.

10. Gran Turismo – 47 million Units Sold – Defining game: Gran Turismo (PSOne)

Everyone who has ever played a racing game, knows that this franchise is the creme de la creme of everything that is racing simulation. Pole Position may have been the arcade champion when it was introduced, but Gran Turismo proved that the racing genre would be a hit a home with better graphics and just flat out crazy gameplay.

9. Donkey Kong – 48 million Units Sold – Defining game: Donkey Kong (Arcade)

How many quarters did you feed into this machine as a kid? Just think how many cool things you could buy today or think of the hellacious retirement plan you could help fund if you only had that money back. While the Donkey Kong franchise has spawned many installments (Diddy Kong Racing !!!!) and different platforms for the game, the granddaddy of them all is the original arcade version which not only introduced us to the “Damsel in Distress” plot-line, it also introduced us to the world famous plumber that we now know as Mario.

8. The Legend of Zelda – 52 million Units Sold -Defining game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)

Most Legend of Zelda nerds like me cannot mention The Ocarina of Time without getting a little misty-eyed. Granted, A Link to the Past was the game that got most of us hooked, but with the introduction of the N64 – the bar was set higher. Windwaker, and Twilight Princess be damned in the graphics and gameplay mechanics department, The Ocarina of Time will be the one we all remember with the most fondness.

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Those lucky Europeans/Aussies. Apparently their newest addition to the Wii’s Virtual Console is the NES game, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, which had previously only been released in Japan. As Mario fans may know, this is the real Super Mario Bros. 2, as opposed to the Doki Doki Panic conversion. The Euro/Aussie VC is also getting another game that was unreleased outside of Japan with the SNES title, Mario Picross. There’s a catch to these two titles though. For one, each of them costs 100 Wii points more than any other game on those systems usually would. For another, they’re only available through the end of September, after which they’re gone for good. If you want to see some new Mario levels, you better get to downloading while you can. Hopefully, those of us on the other side of the world start to see some Mario love pretty soon.

Via Siliconera

The guy over at GamingWithBaby apparently got busy with some card stock and and old mobile. The result: one of the coolest gadgets ever for your own little gamer. This is guaranteed to lull the little one to sleep while visions of power-ups dance in their heads. Now we just need it to play the underwater theme from Super Mario Bros. (the most soothing of Mario themes in my opinion), and we’d be set.

Via GamingWithBaby

This isn’t the funniest Super Mario Bros. video I’ve seen (that honor rests firmly with the version starring Sir Bob Hoskins), but it’s still pretty humorous and creative. It’s basically a fake behind-the-scenes look at the auditions for villains in the Super Mario Bros. game. They’re all here too: Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Lakitu, not to mention some characters from later games, like Birdo. Now if they could just give this the American Idol treatment for the next Mario game, we’d have a hit reality show on our hands.

It looks like Super Smash Bros. Brawl is getting a brand new storyline to go with all the other cool new features. “The Subspace Emissary” story will introduce gamers to the Subspace Army, a group of enemies who are trying to cut the world into pieces to carry into Subspace. To do this, they set off timed bombs that are operated by R.O.B.s (Robotic Operating Buddies), who some children of the 80’s may remember. So of course it’s up to Mario and pals to stop them. Luckily, there’s also a trailer for this storyline out that features all that I’ve mentioned, plus a giant plant. I havne’t been this terrified of a plant with teeth since Little Shop of Horrors.

Via Smash Bros. Dojo

Super Smash Bros. DOJO welcomes Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario’s main squeeze is all dressed up and ready to rumble. Peace silences those who criticize her fashion sense with floating jumps and her Toad defense. She won’t be such an easy target for kidnapping in this game. I didn’t know Peach got into slam dancing.

via Super Smash Bros. DOJO!

Even though it was made way back in 1993, Bob Hoskins is apparently still mad about his experience filming the Super Mario Bros. movie. In a recent interview with Guardian Unlimited, he discussed his lengthy film career, including one flop involving a moustachioed plumber:

“The worst thing I ever did? Super Mario Brothers. It was a f—in’ nightmare. The whole experience was a nightmare. It had a husband-and-wife team directing, whose arrogance had been mistaken for talent. After so many weeks their own agent told them to get off the set! F—in’ nightmare. F—in’ idiots.”

Well then I think Mr. Hoskins would be pleased to hear that the two directors he speaks of — Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton — seem to be the only two people whose careers effectively halted after this movie’s release (well, them and the writers, but that’s to be expected). Over a decade later, we’re still seeing films with him, Dennis Hopper, John Leguizamo, and, to a lesser extent, Samantha Mathis. I guess you really can wash the smell of a turd like that off you, but it takes a lot of scrubbing.

Via Guardian Unlimited and IMDB

Rumors have been flying since the announcement of Smash Bros. Brawl that Sonic the Hedgehog would finally be joining the ranks of the popular fighting game. Unfortunately, it’s been hard to take them seriously since the same rumors cropped up for Smash Bros. Melee. However now it seems an EB Games in Woodbridge, NJ is displaying a pre-order ad for the game that shows Sonic standing shoulder to shoulder with Nintendo’s finest. The image also show Birdo from Super Mario Bros. 2 and K.K. Slider from Animal Crossing. A store employee was quick to point out that it’s just a mock-up for the game’s box art, but that looks pretty professional for something someone would’ve just slapped together. Usually these sorts of things look like cheap color print outs. And with Sonic and Mario already confirmed to be sharing the spotlight in a game based on the 2008 Olympics, this seems more plausible this time around.

Via GameDaily

Someone calling himself “kaizokurisu” is apparently the proud new owner of the Super Mario-themed subwoofer seen above:

“My friend offered to build me a subwoofer from scratch, so I came up with this design. This is of course the question mark block and brick block seen in the original Super Mario Bros.! He built it to the correct dimensions and then I painted it. I am satisfied with how it turned out!”

He also says that it works great in his car, but I don’t know why you’d want to design an awesome subwoofer and then hide it in your trunk. That sort of thing deserves to be put on display for all to see.

This may be one of my favorite online videos so far this year.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iYBmAVuBns[/youtube]

For the majority of gamers, it seems this “new” E3 is somewhat less exciting than the previous years. It might just be me, but I was looking for Nintendo to prove that the Wii has earned its user base. Mario Galaxy made a brief appearance, but the lack of any real Super Smash Bros. news is just sad. Has Nintendo surrendered to the unknown wills of the “general public”? If their ridiculous game play on the Wii Fit is any indication, it seems Nintendo may have just lost focus on the people who carried them through the Gamecube years. We still believe in you Nintendo, don’t forget where you came from.