Cleverly designed logo and packaging can go a long way, especially if you’re trying to mimic one of the most successful game consoles ever made. The Wee, Wu, and Vii are sold anywhere from New York’s Chinatown to Akihabara in Japan. Some even find their way to Amazon.

These fakes, or clones as they’re usually called, have surely fooled many untrained eyes. They do, however, have their own following among gamers as they are relatively cheaper, although often of questionably quality. You’re not always sure they’ll work as advertised, either, so unless you know what you’re getting into, better stick to the original.

Have you ever bought any of these? How was your experience with the product?

Looking for the latest Wii release dates for games? Here’s a list of what you can look forward to this month from various publishers.

Leading the charge is a Harry Potter title from Warner Bros. Interactive, Walk It Out from Konami, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attormey from Capcom, and a whole lot more.

Life is just full of nice little surprises. On my inbox the other day, I found an email from one of our readers, Amy Hays. She wrote about her very own Mario-themed wedding cake, and I can tell you I flipped when I saw the pictures and immediately showed it to my friends. Here’s what Amy had to say:

“I found your blog and some pics of really fun cakes, and thought I’d share my own epic Mario wedding cake. I had found pics of a very similar cake online, and it inspired me to create my own Mario cake and surprise my groom on our wedding day (November 5th). My groom is a professional video gamer, and his favorite game is Mario cart. We were married in Vegas, so I had the bottom tier a desert theme, and I went with the old school Peach Castle rather than a modern one. I’m brunette, and my groom a blonde, so I had them customize Peach and Mario accordingly. The only hint I gave my groom about the cake was I had a pair of Mario boxers delivered to him to wear during the ceremony the morning of the big day, and then I had our rings brought forth by the ring bearer on a 1-Up key-chain which later snuck itself into my bouquet for the rest of the day. The entire cake was edible, the desert tier was berries and creme, the galaxy was bouncy chocolate with chantilly cream, and the castle (which has been preserved in my freezer for the 1 year anniversay) is peanut butter chocolate. I hope you post the pics on your site, so your readers can find more inspiration for their own wedding creations!

~Bride of a true Geek~ “

What a lucky groom, indeed. I love the details like little Mario standing on a block, the princess leaning in for the kiss, the mushroom heads, the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, and all the other references to the game. Must have been a bit hard to have to slice it up. I would’ve been content to stare at it all day.

Click the image below for a much larger version of the montage: