Nintendo has had a plumber in their corner since their first console, the NES, was devised. Video games have come a long way, and many years have gone by since then. We have seen new companies, Sony and Microsoft, emerge into the console wars, another, Sega, drop out. We have seen shifts in the balance of power, and we have seen new innovations over the years. No matter what, though, every Nintendo console has seen Mario coming down the pipes.

The current generation of video game systems has seen the re-emergence of the perennial power, Nintendo, with their innovative Wii. We are now two years post-launch and you still struggle to find one on a store shelf for more than a day. The one knock on the system, though, is that it doesn’t appeal to "core fans" as much as the opposition does. Though we have seen that plumber again in a highly praised game, Super Mario Galaxy, one has to wonder if the Wii ever struggled, could Mario save the day? What could Nintendo throw Mario into for a successful game that would appeal to core fans in a crumbling Wii fan base?

Well we have a few ideas--10 to be exact--for great games that Mario would fit into like a glove. These mash-up games would hopefully appeal to those core fans who Nintendo so desperately needs to renew the hope of.

10. M.A.R.I.O. – Project Origin

F.E.A.R. has been a very popular game this generation, so why not plug Mario into it? Mario has seen some weird stuff but nothing could prepare him for the paranormal that he experiences in M.A.R.I.O – Project Origin. The Koopas have been running the underground and it’s up to Mario to stop them, but weird things are going on--something more than the Mushroom Kingdom has seen before. How about some blood, guts, and gore, Mario style? Every time the spooky music starts, this girl named Peach shows up and everything starts going haywire. Weird stuff starts happening, from spectres to explosions. Mushroom Kingdom is going down the drain.

9. Cooking Mario

No, we are not suggesting that you cook your plumber. The game that has become a hit for the Wii and the DS is Cooking Mama, but this is Mario style. Instead of making those great Truffles, how about Flying Turtle a la mode? You could cut up those pesky little Koopas for Koopa soup, or get back at those darn man-eating pirhana plants by slow-cooking them for a nice fireball flower stew. Yummy. To top it off, watching dinner guests Luigi and Peach savor the sweet taste of that Bowser parmesan with spaghetti, the Mushroom Kingdom couldn’t be any safer or tastier.

8. Uncharted: Mario’s Fortune

Mario, Luigi, and Peach are in search of the buried treasure that once was owned by Captain Bowser. The problem is that those darn Koopas are racing the trio to get it. As Mario is cruising through the jungle, blasting some Koopas away en route to the treasure, he’d better not open that coffin--King Boos are in there!

7. 00Mario: Quantum of MK

There is nothing like Mario in a nice tux playing everyone’s favorite super agent. 00Mario could take the place of James Bond and avenge the loss of his beloved Peach. The best part would be seeing the Wild Wing from Mario Kart Wii flip out some guns to mow down those who took the love of his life. Revenge is Mario’s middle name.

6. Mario 4 Dead

Everyone loves zombies in video games and we know the upcoming Left 4 Dead is highly regarded, but what about Mario as a zombie? That’d be epic! Instead of controlling Mario, Luigi would be the main character, stranded on a Mario-zombie-infested island known as Mushroom Kingdom. Brains, brains, Mario wants to eat brains!