Well, the Nintendo 3DS is now on sale. In fact, I can tell you exactly where I was the moment the first Nintendo 3DS went on sale in the country. I was in the Union Square Best Buy, a few minutes after a goddamn confetti cannon hit me in the face. It was like getting hit with a sock with a softball in it. But anyway, the event. It was an all-day shindig that ran from noon to past midnight. Best Buy and Nintendo set up a big screen to look like a 3DS in Union Square, and gave people a chance to try out the system. At 9, the big party began, as the people who were waiting in line for hours (and in some cases, days) for the sale got free swag, free food, and appearances from Reggie Fils-Aime, who wandered the crowd like the Pope of Nintendo. At midnight, Reggie and the president of Best Buy had the crowd throw 3D glasses into the air, ceremonially “graduating” from 3D with glasses to the 3DS. Then, the very first 3DS was sold to Triforce, who stood in line since last Monday to get the handheld. Check out our full gallery of the event below.

I’ll give Nintendo credit for this: when they say “limited edition,” they mean “limited edition.” Despite releasing a shoddy, lazy port that not only added nothing to a 17-year-old release but added a lag that made it nearly unplayable, Nintendo has indeed kept true to its word and only produced a single run of Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition for the Wii.

eBay is flooded with Super Mario All-Stars for the Wii, but the games are being bought, and for over twice their retail price. On the first search page of completed listings, only 4 of the 50 copies that came up went unsold. The others sold for between $60 and $100, averaging in the $70′s. For reference, the game sold for just $30 in stores a few months ago. The game went out fast, and is completely gone from the shelves of Best Buy and Gamestop. You can still order it from Amazon… from Marketplace vendors selling it starting at $68.

As a side note, just for a splash of contrast, the Halo: Reach Legendary Edition is still readily available. Amazon has it for $99, and Gamestop has it for $79. It was $149 when it first came out in September, 2 months before Super Mario All-Stars. Say what you will about fanboys, they certainly make game collecting interesting.

Warren Spector, the mind behind some of the best games in PC history, got his hands on Mickey Mouse, the most famous fictional character in the world. It’s a strange combination, but between Spector’s impressive history of games (Thief, Deus Ex, Ultima Underworld, Wing Commander) and Mickey’s history of actually having games based on him that weren’t total shit (Castle of Illusion, Magical Quest, Kingdom Hearts), gamers have been hesitantly hopeful about what the pact between Disney and Spector that is Junction Point Studios could come up with.

The end result is a good game with moments of greatness. Or a great game held back by major flaws. Or a mediocre game that shows solid gameplay but ends up squandering its potential. Disney’s Epic Mickey is a hard game to judge, but we’re going to try. Read on.

Yep, it’s still the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. The limited edition Wii version of Super Mario All-Stars came out last week, and it offers a ton of nostalgic value for $30. The box set includes the SNES classic Super Mario All-Stars ported on disc to the Wii, a soundtrack of Mario music, and a booklet about gaming’s favorite plumber. As a Nintendo fanboy’s walk down memory lane, this is a great deal. As a gaming experience, not so much. It’s more than the issue of copying a 17-year-old game to the Wii, but to get the full story you’ll have to read after the jump.

If you wanted to scoop up a Wii Speak peripheral, you should pick one up nowish. According to GoNintendo, the Amazon page is currently listing the device as “discontinued by manufacturer”. Incidentally, the developers of upcoming Wii FPS The Conduit 2 have said intention to support the Headbanger Headset instead of Wii Speak. (via Eurogamer)

Nintendo just trademarked the phrase “It’s on like Donkey Kong.” Usually I’d consider this a cynical and skeevy example of being overprotective of intellectual property, but… I really can’t complain about this. Nintendo owns Donkey Kong. If things are on in a manner similar to Donkey Kong, to the point that direct parallels can be drawn, it’s understandable that Big N might want a piece of that action.

Just remember, if you preorder Donkey Kong Country returns at Gamestop, you get a free banana pouch. I’m pointing this out because the phrase “banana pouch” always makes me giggle. Nintendo and Gamestop are giving you a banana pouch. You stick your Wii in it. You stick your Wii in the banana pouch. Just saying. And if Nintendo doesn’t like me using their promotions for dick jokes, well… I guess it’s on like Donkey Kong(tm).

Club Nintendo is Nintendo’s big fan club/rewards program, giving dedicated gamers copious swag in return for video game registrations and surveys. The majority of said swag is in my apartment, and as part of the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., we’re going to take a look at it. Many of these items can be obtained through Club Nintendo if you rack up enough coins, but two of them are special “Elite Status” awards given out every year when you reach a high enough coin level. Take a tour through the Mario museum after the break.

Nintendo held a birthday party-slash-grand-reopening of its Nintendo World Store on Sunday, as part of its ongoing celebration of the 25th anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros. Yes, it’s Mario’s big 2-5, and the shindig was epic. Cake, games, Mario, and hundreds of excited Nintendo fans were packed into the recently remodeled Nintendo World Store at Rockefeller Center.

Check out Shiggy and Reggie’s surprise visit, the giant Mario cake, and a full photo gallery after the break.

Dammit, Nintendo. Only you could get the gaming world excited about the re-release of a 17-year-old remake of some 20-plus-year-old games. You know that Wii version of Super Mario All-Stars Japan is getting, with a soundtrack CD, booklet, and 25th anniversary Super Mario Bros. packaging? We’re getting it, too.

Nintendo announced Thursday that it would be releasing a “limited time” edition of Super Mario All-Stars, the Super Nintendo compilation remake of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2 (both American and Japanese versions), and Super Mario Bros. 3, and gave them all 16-bit graphical overhauls and save features. This version of the game will work on the Wii, and be able to use the Wiimote, Classic Controller, and even the Gamecube controller. The game will also include a Mario soundtrack CD and a booklet of Mario history.

The best part? It’ll be just $30. Well, the “best part” is a bit relative. If you consider it a full game in its own right, worthy of a current-generation release at $30, it’s a great deal. If you think it’s a 17-year-old relic that played the remake card when it first game out, it’s a cheap cash-in. If you think the $30 is a steal compared to the $50 of most new Wii games, it’s a great deal. If you think you’re getting ripped off an extra $10 compared to the price of the original games over the Virtual Console, it’s a cheap cash-in. Either way, the game comes out December 12, and will be available at all major retailers (making the “limited edition” part of the release just slightly in question).

Ace. I was among those saddened and a little worried about MJF’s likeness-only involvement in Telltale’s Back to the Future project, but man, that kid’s AMAZING. I am now looking forward to this game.

via Joystiq.