There’s nothing better than putting two favorites together. Since the Reese’s cup, it seems par for the course to combine two great things into something new. One trip to Youtube can become a treasure hunt for some of the best mash-ups of your favorite music you’ve never heard. Sure, there are a few less than pleasant combos, but there’s a lot of joy in finding something like a really great Adele and Daft Punk mix. Video gaming has even gotten in on the combo action. Recently, crossovers have been huge. It’s not just Marvel vs. Capcom anymore. Streetfighter and Tekken are crossing worlds in two games. News that Dead or Alive and Virtua Fighter would be crossing over too just dropped this week. While it’s exciting that the big names are getting in on the action, so are the fans.

Here’s a few quick facts about games put together by video game fans: They’re fun, often free, and impossibly hard. No one is more cruel to the video game player than another video game player, so fan-created worlds tend to be notoriously challenging, and that’s part of the allure. Up this week is a game mash-up and challenge impossible to resist: Mari0. It’s a combination of the classic world of Super Mario Bros. with the physics of Valve’s Portal. That’s right, Mario gets sent off to save Peach with Chell’s Portal gun. For those unfamiliar, the Aperture Science-made gun allows a character to open up portals in the world, send things through, and hop between them. The game takes place in Mario’s world, but there’s an added puzzle element, so the gun doesn’t quite make things a walk in the park.

 

 

 

 

The creators at Stabyourself have not only made the game free and downloadable for Linux/Mac/Windows users, but there are some really great extras. Included in the game is a level editor, so that players can mess around with the Super Mario Bros. world and create their own challenges. For Team Fortress 2 fans it looks like Mario is customizable. The game offers plenty of hats to choose from. There’s even multiplayer so friends can join in and free downloadable content will be available from day one, so the game won’t get old for a very very long time. New items, levels, skins, and more will likely be available regularly in the weeks and months to come.

If that’s not enticing enough, there’s a video of the action below. Download the game or check out its features here.

 

 

[Via Geekologie]