So in case you missed it, all of the relevant information about the new Nintendo 3DS as it pertains to the North American launch of the system was revealed last week.

I’m not going to have the money to buy a 3DS at launch. Aside from the fact that I need to save cash for more important things, I also feel that $250 is a bit steep for a handheld system; I already went down that road once with the PSP. Not only that, 3DS games are rumored to cost $50-60 each, and that’s just ridiculous. That’s as much as home console games, damn it! Even PSP titles only topped out at $40, and most of them retailed for around $30. Finally, the 3DS’ launch lineup is quite weak, but that’s par for the course for most console launches.

However, it’s a foregone conclusion that I’ll get a 3DS eventually, and definitely in time for the release of a very important game in a year or so: Mega Man Legends 3. (I guess dreams do come true, huh?)

Aside from being a huge Mega Man fan, I’ve also got a personal stake in this game. You see, Capcom is accepting an unprecedented level of fan input on this game; when it was announced, it was even referred to as “The Mega Man Legends 3 Project.” At the Capcom Unity Devroom, various events are held in which fans can submit their ideas, with the winning entries included in the final game.

One of the events was designed to flesh out people in the city of Teomo. Three different templates were given — a male Digger (treasure hunter), a female Digger, and a mysterious old man — and fans were asked to come up with names, backgrounds, and quotes for any of them. In addition, we could come up with a quote for random townsfolk.

Over three thousand people took part in this event, and when the winners were finally chosen…I was shocked to discover that two of my submissions were selected to appear in Mega Man Legends 3. Needless to say, I was absolutely floored when I heard the news! I’ve loved the Mega Man series since its inception, and now I finally get to make a small contribution to it.

I’m not trying to brag here, but I figured I should at least post my work so that’ll it’ll be archived somewhere other than Capcom’s site. First, my character design, complete with commentary from one of the developers:

(The illustration is not mine; that came from Capcom, and the final in-game version may look different.)

Name: Novena Castillo

Background: Novena has been digging since she was ten years old. Her family does not approve of her vocation, but she has an unquenchable thirst for adventure. Novena personally designs most of her excavating equipment, but refuses to use any mechanical body parts. She’s worked hard for years, and has built up a reputation as a competitive Digger. Novena also loves cats, and often brings her pet Sadie along on digs.

Quote: ”No metal arms for me! I’m all natural, and I’ll beat you to the ruins!”

Staff Comment: A female digger who insists on using her bare hands?! I’d like to see her in action. (Mega Man Legends 3 Planning Director Kohei Ozaki)

And now, my random quote:

Female Digger at the Wharf: “There’s more ruins way out there, I’m sure of it! C’mon, I need a new challenge!”

Once Mega Man Legends 3 comes out, hopefully I’ll be able to take some crappy screenshots of Novena and the random chick at the wharf with a digital camera. That’s assuming I’ll have the $300 necessary to buy a 3DS and the game itself by then. Ugh.

I recently got the Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition game anthology in the mail, and I thought I’d sound off on it. The following sentiments have been echoed by many across the blogosphere and game journalism sites, but still I’d be remiss in not adding my opinions to the mix.

In case you’re not familiar with it, Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition was released to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros., at an MSRP of only $29.99. At its core, it’s a Wii version of the 1993 Super NES anthology Super Mario All-Stars, which included four games overhauled with updated graphics and sound: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels. That last game was why the anthology was so popular back in the 1990s; Lost Levels is actually Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan.

Long story short: the original Super Mario Bros. 2 was considered far too difficult for American audiences, so a different game called Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic was converted into a Mario title, and that’s what we got stateside as Super Mario Bros. 2. It may seem arrogant to assume that American gamers couldn’t handle the original sequel, but holy fucking shit, Nintendo was absolutely correct. Lost Levels is mind-bogglingly hard. Even in an era when most games were difficult to begin with (in sharp contrast to modern times), Lost Levels would surely have pushed American gamers away from the franchise. Even the Super NES port drove many a Mario fan over the edge, but the series was already firmly established by then with plenty of other sequels.

But I digress. Those four games on a single Super NES cartridge was one hell of a great deal, especially with the audio and video facelift and the ability to finally save your game in between levels. A year later in 1994, another version of Super Mario All-Stars was released that also included Super Mario World, making it an even sweeter deal.

Which brings us to the series’ twenty-fifth anniversary in 2010. You’d think that perhaps these games would get another visual and aural upgrade, or other Mario games would be included, or perhaps we’d get some cool videos and extras on the Wii disc. Well, you’d be wrong on all counts. Super Mario All-Stars: Limited is nothing but the original four-pack of games, ripped straight from the Super NES. It even retains the Super NES game controller layout when choosing a control scheme! Fortunately, all four games still play perfectly.

Aside from the game itself, the package includes a soundtrack CD with selections from many different Mario games; however, the songs are the most popular ones that everyone already knows, and the remaining half of the disc is just sound effects! There’s also a small book with some cursory information on the series. It’s nice, but nothing special. Nintendo had no reason not to go all-out for the silver anniversary of the series, but this feels like a joke. They could’ve loaded the package with extras, and even gotten away with the standard Wii game MSRP of $49.99! Imagine if they’d added the Game Boy Super Mario Land games, or rarities like Mario Clash, or even included Super Mario World as the later version of Super Mario All-Stars did! (I’m guessing the latter was skipped because you can buy it through the Wii’s Virtual Console service. You can buy the other three Super Mario Bros. games there, but not the upgraded versions or Lost Levels.)

Now, it must be noted that even with this lackluster presentation, those four classic games on a single disc for thirty bucks is still a good deal. There’s plenty of gamers out there who never played the Super Mario All-Stars anthology from seventeen years ago, and still many more who’ve never played the original Super Mario Bros. games in the first place! (Yes, those people exist.)

In fact, the only reason I purchased Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition is because I do not own any version of Super Mario All-Stars. I don’t even own the original Mario games remade on the compilation! I’ve got other remakes of said games, such as Super Mario Bros. Deluxe and the Super Mario Advance series, but not the originals nor the Super Mario All-Stars versions. I have plenty of grumblings and complaints about the presentation of these games, but since I still didn’t own these versions, the purchase was worth it for my collection.

If you’re like me and do not own the original Super Mario All-Stars, then the Limited Edition is probably worth your hard-earned cash. Otherwise, skip it and save your money. While a good deal based on the classic games contained within, Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition still falls far short of what an anniversary celebration should be. Nintendo should be ashamed of themselves for dropping the ball like this.

I mentioned a while back that I was going to purchase StarCraft II immediately upon its release, as I loved the original quite a bit.

Well, here we are over two months later after StarCraft II hit shelves, and I still do not have the game. Aside from proving once more that I am full of shit, I think it also reflects the changing realities of time management.

Why don’t I own StarCraft II yet? The primary reason is that I had too many games in my backlog when it was released, and I still do. I was also pretty broke when it came out, and I’ve got plenty of other real world expenses right now. Not to mention that the fall gaming deluge has already begun, and I’m passing on quite a few titles that I’d otherwise be buying on day one. I can wait.

Speaking of waiting, StarCraft II is clearly going to be around for a long time; the original StarCraft is still hugely popular, and it came out over a decade ago. By waiting, I’ll not only be able to knock out other games on my list first, but I can also take advantage of a price drop or two. I just hope I’ll have a friend or two who are still interested in the game by then; I have no desire to play against strangers online, as too many people cheat or are just douchebags. I don’t trust ‘em.

As of November 1, 2010, Xbox Live Gold memberships will go up in price by 20%. Reaction to this has been universally negative, as one might expect. (Complaints from gamers on the Internet?! I’m shocked!)

I agree with CheapyD and Wombat of the CAGcast that Microsoft practically threw spokesman Major Nelson under the bus with this. He was tasked with announcing the price hike on his blog, so of course the legions of negative comments and other backlash fell squarely on his shoulders. Killing the messenger, and all that. Not cool.

To the surprise (and horror) of many, I recently reacquired an Xbox 360. However, I still stick to my guns on one thing: I will never pay for Xbox Live Gold. If I received a membership as a gift, then great; I certainly wouldn’t turn it down! I draw the line at spending my own money for simple services that are free of charge everywhere else. Regardless, I sympathize with loyal Xbox Live subscribers who are angered by this news. Even with discounted membership cards available at online retailers, it’s still a rabbit punch to the fans’ collective ball bag. If nothing else, I think that longtime Xbox Live Gold members should be exempt from this price increase as a reward for their years of loyalty towards Microsoft, not to mention the millions of dollars that flowed into the company’s coffers as a result.

Of course, the only real way to put a stop to exploitation like this is for the angry Xbox faithful to speak with their wallets…and that’s unlikely to happen. A majority will bitch about the price increase, sure, but pony up the cash anyway. In that case, your complaints are rendered moot. Put your money where your mouth is!

I’ve been a lifelong Nintendo fan, as multiple past posts on this blog can attest. While many Nintendophiles have been understandably grumbling about the Wii, and how Nintendo seems fit to only let their top-tier franchises trickle out here and there while third-party shovelware rules the roost, I’m here to complain about something that should’ve been fixed a long time ago: Nintendo’s atrociously bad online service.

No one was expecting Nintendo to have an Xbox Live-like infrastructure when the Wii launched in 2006, but here we are three and a half years later…and it’s still a worthless piece of shit. While the whole Friend Code system is a mess (you need to trade unique ID numbers with friends just to play online for 99% of games), the biggest problem is that downloadable content and games cannot be recovered or transferred. This affects not only the Wii, but also the DSi (and, I’m assuming, the upcoming 3DS).

Put simply, if your Wii or DSi craps out, and you had a bunch of downloads on either system…you’re up shit’s creek without a paddle. You can’t redownload your games and other stuff for free, since there’s no centralized “account” on Nintendo’s consoles, unlike Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. I’ve heard tales that if you hassle Nintendo enough, they can recover your files for you, but you shouldn’t have to do that in the first place! Wii and DSi downloads are tied to your hardware’s unique ID number, but there’s also a record of the purchases you’ve made on Nintendo’s servers. Furthermore, if you have a Club Nintendo account, downloads are linked to it and recorded there, as well. With all of these records in place, there’s no reason why Nintendo can’t make it a much easier process for users to recover their downloads.

Once the 3DS comes along, DSi users are really screwed. To date, there’s been no indication whatsoever that downloadable content is transferable to the new console…which means you’ll have to buy all of that shit all over again just to use it on your 3DS!

C’mon, Nintendo. A few tweaks to the system firmware would solve this problem, as the servers are clearly set up for it on your end. Give the gamers what they want!