The Plumber-Filled Pegs Of Nintendo Amiibo

A mob of Marios.

While the limited availability of various amiibo figures helped draw me towards the craze, staring at pegs filled with nothing but Mario is really starting to wear me out. Online retailers like Entertainment Earth and Amazon have helped pick up the slack, but I can't shake the preference of tracking down collectibles in person. It's a shame that there's no variety in my local stores right now.

I know amiibo figures are only two waves in, but there are plenty of characters that feel completely mythical at this point. I'm not only talking about the elusive Marth, Wii Fit Trainer, and Villager either. I've seen Peach and Pikachu around...and that's pretty much it. Otherwise, I'm drowning in a sea of Marios.

Castle Geek-Skull's Video Game Highlights of 2014

I almost beat Mega Turtle at the end of Level 3!

I couldn't find the time to play everything I wanted, but I definitely had some good times with video games this year. As 2015 looms on the horizon, there's no better occasion to look back on some of the titles I enjoyed the most. Due to what I'm sure must be extremely popular demand, I've compiled 14 of my personal gaming highlights of 2014 below! Let's get to it.

Disclaimer: Forgive me if I leave off something you found amazing; I promise I'm going to get around to catching up!

Mega Man's Final Smash from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U is pure bliss. I'm a huge fan of the Blue Bomber, so you can imagine how bummed I've been that he hasn't gotten the best treatment in recent years. His inclusion in the latest SSB did a lot to heal those wounds.

14 Toys That Made Me Want To Break The Bank In 2014

Nyaaaah? Nyaaaaah!

Despite taking a step back from amassing action figures and other collectibles over the last few years, my interest in the hobby has remained fully intact. While staying away has obvious financial benefits, I just can't help myself from checking out all of the latest releases. There were all sorts of tempting plastic-crack goodies in 2014, so much so that I actually ended up spending some cash. Oops. Let's look at 14 toys that inspired me to do so!

I loved seeing Original Comic Book Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures on store shelves this year. They aren't as swanky as the NECA versions from a few years back, but they're more than acceptable for their considerably lower price point. When I spotted this version of Raphael on the pegs of Target last month, I threw my money at it and never looked back.

FanArt Frenzy - 14 of My Favorite Pieces of Fan Art From 2014!

2014 Retrospective Edition!

As we prepare to say our goodbyes to 2014, I feel it's the perfect time to dip into the FanArt Frenzy well once more. Below you will find 14 of my absolute favorite illustrations from the year. You're here for pretty pictures, so let's skip the blabber and get right to it!

Three of my favorite Transformers designs: Galvatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge by Golby2

Ugly Christmas Sweaters Gone Geeky

Holiday cheer is the right of all sentient beings.

Well, here we go. The holiday season is upon us yet again. I'm more of a Halloween kind of guy, but there are at least a few elements of Christmas I can still appreciate. At the very top of the list are the festive yet disturbingly ugly sweaters adorned with tacky graphics, glitter, and bells. I'm not especially keen on wearing any, but I admire their alluring mixture of goofiness and gaudiness. It's all about the alliteration, baby.

Despite admiring these eyesores from afar, I find myself feeling more swayed than ever to actually join in on the fun. This year, the wonderful world of pop culture t-shirt stores have tapped into the realm of ugly Christmas sweaters in glorious fashion. Here are a few that have caught my eye thus far:

Guardians of the Galaxy "Holiday Mix Vol. 1"

Weekly Want June 25 - July 2, feat. Doctor Doom, Aliens, & More!

Doom will take as much of your money as he pleases!

Oh hey, it's Wednesday. That means it's time for another edition of the Weekly Want! Last week's installment focused entirely upon Transformer toys, so I'll be covering a bit more ground this time around. (Ooh, peep that sexy rhyme~) Batten down the hatches; here are the action figure and collectible promo shots that struck my fancy between June 25th and July 2nd, 2014:

Oh, my! This lovely lady is NECA's Aliens Xenomorph Queen "Ultra Deluxe" figure. True to its fancy pants designation, this is a 15 inch tall, 30 inch long monstrosity that will absolutely tower over the rest of your NECA Aliens collection. The hefty $90 price tag might seem like a lot to take in, but with an impressive scale, plentiful articulation, and killer sculpt work, it looks to be more than worth it! You can have the figure in-hand this November.

Luigi Nendoroid Might Not Have a Death Stare, but it's Cute!

There is only one thing we say to Bullet Bills: not today.

I've only just now learned about the Luigi Nendoroid figure. Of course, after the well deserved hype surrounding the Luigi Death Stare bestowed upon us by Mario Kart 8, the first thing that ran through my mind is that I really wish it was present here. Its absence is easily explained by the year or so of production time needed for toys like this, but it's a bit of a letdown all the same.

...but it's so flippin' adorable!

I'm Looking Forward to Potential Yoshi's Woolly World Toys!

Do want.

While Yoshi's Woolly World doesn't look to be the most original concept, its basic aesthetic is crazy cute. In the onslaught of further E3 2014 news, the game may have been quickly pushed aside, but I've actually found myself thinking about it again as of late. More specifically, I've been greatly looking forward to the possibility of owning some yarn Yoshi toys!

I'm clueless as to how easy it would be to mass produce a stuffed yarn Yoshi like the one seen in the Nintendo E3 Digital Event, but I certainly hope it's possible somehow. Even if it takes creating faux versions that merely match the look without the worry of an expensive and time consuming handmade manufacturing process, I just know that I want one. Stuffed yarn Yoshis are where smiles are born.

Mario Maker's Ties to Mario Paint Got My Attention (E3 2014)

Mario Maker in action

Nintendo's E3 2014 Digital Event also brought us the announcement of Mario Maker, a game which allows players to create and play their own custom Mario courses with either 8-bit or New Super Mario Bros. graphics. While the first comment I noticed about it on Twitter was negative (something like "yeah, that'd be fun...for five minutes), I think the game is a solid idea. When I was first saw the trailer unfold, my first thought was how much fun Youtube gamers might be able to have with it. On a more personal level, I was more drawn to the game given it's ties to Mario Paint.

Yoshi's Woolly World: At Least It's Cute (E3 2014)

Oh so kawaii.

After covering Super Smash Bros., Nintendo's E3 2014 Digital Event moved on to showcase several new games. First up was Yoshi's Woolly World, a platformer for the Wii U. The world is yarn based, immediately bringing Kirby's Epic Yarn to mind. The rest of the gameplay elements also bring back memories of Yoshi's Story for N64. The trailer below gives a good taste of what the game has to offer:

Luigi Death Stare FanArt Frenzy!

Be afraid.

On the last edition of "FanArt Frenzy," I celebrated the release of the X-Men: Days of Future Past movie with a nice assortment of mutant centric doodles and sketches. This week, the "Luigi Death Stare" from the ever-alluring Mario Kart 8 has been all the rage. It's been such a widespread meme that even major news media outlets were compelled to cover it, and sure enough, plenty of fans are putting pen to paper to immortalize Luigi's ice-cold gaze in illustrated form. Let's check out a few examples!

The Internet is Making it Pretty Hard Not to Want Mario Kart 8

Mario gears up for a race through the Thwomp Ruins in Mario Kart 8.

I spend more than my fair share of time online, so of course, I usually see a barrage of content and marketing surrounding each new major video game release. It's common enough that it all tends to become easily ignored white noise, but there are definitely times when I can't help getting caught up in the buzz. I'm happy to add Mario Kart 8 to that lovely list of exceptions.

Does it help that I already knew I wanted to play the game as soon as I saw all of its characters together on Nintendo's website? Well yeah, but everything else I've seen since then has only served to bolster my interest. Now that Mario Kart 8 is out in the wild, I'm getting reminded left and right how badly I need to be playing it.

Mario Kart 8 Won Me Over by Character Roster Alone

Mario Kart 8 Anti-Gravity racing in action

Everything I've seen regarding the upcoming Mario Kart 8 looks perfectly promising. Anti-gravity racing? Sounds fun! Customizable tournaments? Good idea! However, I wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to play it until I saw the new character roster all together on the game's official site:

Super Mario Bros 3 Luigi Happy Meal Toy Review

Here's a quirky little chunk of my childhood; the McDonald's "Happy Meal" Luigi toy, sold in 1989 to promote Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES: