Cat Mario

Fanfiction and doujinshi exist, so is it such a stretch to believe in fan-made video games?

Meet Cat Mario:

Cute, isn't he? You keep on thinking that. He is the star of "Cat Mario" the fan-made flash game. It is free to download, and meant to emulate Mario, right down to the catchy, simulated tunes. It is INSANELY fun! This is the download link:

Download me! I'm FREE!

And this is a video of someone playing it on Youtube. You can find lots other hilarious videos of people playing "Cat Mario", both in English and in Japanese, on Youtube. But I warn you, don't watch any videos before playing the game. It'll be a lot more fun. Trust me.

Games like this are circulating around the internet, many of them made in Japan. These games take popular pop culture icons, like Mario, and then emulate them along their own twisted image. Just like fanfiction and doujinshi. "Cat Mario" in particular takes your ingrained-from-birth knowledge about "Mario" and... well, I don't want to spoil anything. Go play the game. You'll see.

And since we're looking at fan-made things from Mario, take a look at this catchy little tune. It's not really affiliated with Japan in any way, but... it's pretty awesome. In fact, I do believe it reeks of too much awesome not to share.