I never understood why Nintendo decided to stick with New Super Mario Bros. as the title for this amazing game until I actually got my hands on it. The physics make the game feel exactly like the NES original, while the gameplay is closer to that of Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World. The level design is classic Nintendo, and it's a blast to play. Nods to previous Mario sidescrollers are apparent, but they don't detract from the originality in this version. There are a couple frustrating moments, but not for lack of good level design. The challenge feels genuine rather than artificial and tacked on. The graphics are amazing, and the music has both new tracks and remixed versions of classic Mario themes.

The game isn't without its drawbacks, though. On your first run-through, you can only save after finishing a castle or unlocking new routes. This fits well in the NES Mario universe, but is unforgiveable in a portable game. If I'm playing on the go, I need to be able to save whenever I want. Once you've beaten the game your first time through, however, you now have the option to save whenever you want. Why couldn't that have been incorporated from the start?

The new power-ups, while incredibly fun and challenging, do not appear often enough. You're pretty much stuck with the fire flower on every level (which can definitely be a good thing if, like myself, you're a big fan of the original).

Mario fans will have a ton of fun while the game lasts, which, unfortunately, won't be for long. I'm nearly done with the title (which means beating every level, including the hidden ones, and finding all 3 star coins in each level). On the positive side, the level design is so great that you'll still have fun playing them once you've completed the game. This is the Mario title the DS should have launched with.

I'm hoping to get a full-fledged review out soon. It's been ages since I've had the time to write one. But it's games like New Super Mario Bros. that make me want to drop what I'm doing and tell people about how much fun I'm having.

Where do I start? I was entirely underwhelmed by Sony's press conference tonight. Sure, the graphics were impressive and the videos they showed were nice to look at. But I have to question some of the games they chose to demonstrate the new system. They showed us Gran Turismo HD while heavily emphasizing the fact that it was still a work in progress. Then they used Ridge Racer to show the PSP's PS1 emulator? Just an odd choice. The card recognition technology that they showed seemed promising, but I have to question its actual ease of use or implementation. And card-based systems just reek of Pokemon collect-a-thon marketing to me. Other than that, the game selection did not impress me at all. I'm not a Metal Gear fan, nor do I like first person shooters. No other big name franchises to be found.

Then, Sony had the audacity to introduce the PS3 controller as innovative when it was clearly a direct response to the Wii-mote (yes, I called it the Wii-mote). While the technology behind the functionality may differ, it's still a slap in the face of Nintendo and shows truly bad form on Sony's part. Although, on the bright side, they did end up sticking with the PS2 dual shock design.

I was surprised that they announced the pricing scheme, and even more surprised by the dual SKU system, but the price range was expected. At least their dumbed-down model isn't as useless as the Xbox 360 with no HDD. Still, there's absolutely no way I'll be shelling out $600+ for the PS3. Looks like it'll be a long wait for me while I sit with my 360 and Wii to keep me company.

Important Note: The following entry is a knee-jerk reaction to Nintendo's controversial name change. It was written in shock, disappointment, and (mostly) confusion. If anything said below offends the reader, please let me know and I will gladly remove it. Otherwise, enjoy the histeria.

---

That's right. I said it. And don't tell me you haven't thought of it. Or any of the other myriad of puns and plays on words that this awful decision forces on a company already suffering from childish image issues. What happens if the console ends up changing color over time like the SNES did? Now my Wii is funny colors. Hey buddy! Wanna come over and play with my Wii?

But in all seriousness, Nintendo: Why, of all the names in the world, did you choose Wii? I remember when the Xbox 360 name was announced, and I thought it was the stupidest thing in the world. I knew it would sell, but it was just stupid. And now I'm kicking myself, because it seems like Sony is the only company who knows what it's doing when it comes to brand recognition. Stick with what works, Nintendo. The Revolution was just that. It revolutionized the way we play games. That's all the slogan you need.

The marketing gimick here is just plain creepy. The whole "We're all in this together" attitude and "Wii will do x, y, and z..." is just too weird to grasp at this point. Not only does the name change throw all brand recognition out the window, but it just confuses more uninformed consumers who've been hearing about the Revolution for quite some time now.

But who knows? Maybe Wii will work just fine, and a couple of years down the line I'll want to delete this blog post in embarrassment. But until then, Nintendo, I want my Revolution. You can stick to playing with your own Wii-Wii's.

None whatsoever. I'm weak. Fragile. I cave under pressure. My name is Brian, and I have a problem. I was lured by the evil temptress that is the 360.

I finally bought the system yesterday after playing OutRun2 on the original Xbox and craving some Ridge Racer action. Plus, I really wanted to see what all the fuss over Geometry Wars was about. So I bought the system, Ridge Racer, Burnout Revenge, and a couple of Xbox Live Arcade games (Marble Blast Ultra and Geometry Wars). I also had to throw away $100 on the wireless adapter because I don't have an ethernet port in the room that I play in. I mistakenly thought the 360 was wireless out of the box.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with the system. Aside from the extremely loud hum when running games and the huge-normous power supply, it fits nicely next to my other consoles. I don't have an HD television yet (and won't for some time), which makes me a bit disappointed because I've seen what the system can really do if given the opportunity. I'm also glad that there aren't really any titles coming out soon that I'm dying to get, because I've pretty much exhausted my cash supply until the Revolution launches (which will, again, exhaust my cash supply).

I'm just getting the hang of the whole Xbox Live thing, so if anyone over here on GameSpot wants to meet up over there, my GamerTag is (not so surprisingly) DrFish62. The only thing I ask is that you include your GameSpot username in the friend request so that I know who you are. I chose the Atari symbol as my avatar because I wasn't given many great options to choose from, and I thought it was ubiquitous enough so as not to attach me to one game.

I think Ridge Racer and Burnout will keep me busy for a while. I'd like to get PGR3 at some point, and then possibly Kameo, Oblivion, and Tomb Raider when they all drop (significantly) in price. I'm just not willing to pay $60 for most of these games yet.

I've always said that I'd get an Xbox 360 when the price went down. It's an impressive system, but I don't want to lay down $400 when I know I'll be buying the Revolution on launch day and the PS3 shortly thereafter.

Then March rolled in, and I wound up spending nearly just as much on new games. In the past couple of weeks, I've bought Me and My Katamari ($40), Untold Legends: Warrior's Code ($40), Tetris DS ($30), Metroid Prime Hunters + Startegy Guide ($50), Capcom Classics Collection Remixed ($40), Go! Sudoku ($30), Mega Man Powered Up ($30), Gran Turismo 4 ($20), Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind ($20), and Daxter ($40). So there's at least $350 right there. And that's not even why I'm so stupid.

I'm stupid because, even though I have all these great new games to play, I'm hooked on the original Katamari Damacy. Not only that, but I've got that damn theme song stuck on repeat in my mind. I play Daxter and Mega Man fairly often, but last night it took me two hours to finally beat my high score in Lumines and I'm still nowhere near 999,999. I'm hovering in the 1-200,000 range.

Luckily, there aren't too many games left that I'm dying to get my hands on. I'd love to get Kingdom Hearts II, but I'm forcing myself not to buy it until I've finished the original.

But I finally figured out a way to earn more money to buy more video games! I'm going to start a twelve step program for people like myself to get over their video game addictions. I'll make millions of dollars, and I can use it all on more games! If that's not a vicious cycle, I don't know what is.

I recently purchased Ubisoft's Go! Sudoku for the PSP at my local EB for $29.99. My expectations weren't very high. I just wanted to play some quick Sudoku on the go. And to be fair, Go! Sudoku delivers in that respect. You can play Sudoku on your PSP, and you can download new puzzles if you ever finish the 1000 that come on the UMD.

The problem comes with a simple feature advertised on the back of the box. Theoretically, you should be able to take a 480x272 jpg file and use it as a customized background for your game board during puzzles. According to the instruction manual, all you have to do is place your images on a memory card in this folder: /PSP/PHOTO/SudokuPhoto. Then you can go to an in-game menu and select the photos you'd like to use. Only you can't. The feature doesn't work. You can get to the in-game menu, but it doesn't recognize the images. I've tried every configuration of capital and lower case letters for the folder path I can think of, and nothing works.

So I went to Ubi's customer support and explained the issue. My initial response was a form letter (as expected) saying they couldn't help me because my question was gameplay related and not a technical difficulty. I wrote back, explaining that my query was in fact a technical glitch, and I was directed to Ubisoft's forums for further assistance. So no help from Ubi.

In my 17+ years of gaming, I have never once returned an open game. I feel like a tool doing it. It's not even that much money, and the glitch doesn't even break the game. You can still play Sudoku, and the game is fun. But I feel so ripped off. I feel like I'm at least owed an explanation from Ubisoft. Somehow I don't think that'll happen. I'd hate to return the game to EB, because, in the end, it's still fun to play. Any advice? Similar experiences?

Spring Break is treating me well so far. I finally had time to punch out a review of Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, I got a bit of housekeeping done for Community Contributions, and I beat the Omega Pirate. Then I got stuck on Metroid Prime, so I paused that for a while to start Echoes. I also bought my 99th and 100th GBA games, Sudoku Fever and Tales of Symphonia. But, most importantly, I had a few minutes to snap some more collection photos! Enjoy.

---

The first two pictures show some of my classic systems as I have them sitting next to all the current generation consoles. I keep all the messy cables tucked away until I play the system.

I actually have three copies of this T-shirt. I bought one for myself, and then received two more as gifts. Haven't worn any of them. Go figure.

I love me some Mortal Kombat. Almost wish I had kept these in the boxes. But that wouldn't have been as much fun.

This poster is one of the better reasons to buy strategy guides, even if you don't use them to play the game.

Some of my favorite figures from the collection. Each one has its own mask that fits on a different Link figure. It even has Pikachu's illegitimate cousin that no one talks about.

My Microbiology exam is finally over! That just means two more lectures before Spring Break. Intense studying, coupled with the redonkulously buggy performance of the forums lately, has kept me away from the site. So expect to see me around here more often (at least in the coming week or so) now that the forums have had their shake down time.

First on my To-Do List is beating that damn Omega Pirate in Metroid Prime. I don't know what it is about this guy, but I just can't beat him. I have every missile expansion and energy tank, but everytime I enter the area I'm destroyed by Power and Wave Troopers. (Plasma Troopers are easy to take out because I don't have to switch weapons and can go right back to using my X-Ray visor once I figure out where everyone is.) That, and the constant drain of getting stuck on Phazon patches, takes me out just before I blast the Omega Pirate for the fourth time. Then I shut off my GameCube in frustration for a nice, relaxing round of Animal Crossing.

Next on my list are some long-overdue reviews of Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, The Rub Rabbits, and possibly Super Princess Peach. I've been kinda slacking on my duties over at Gamer Within and I feel badly, so I'd like to get those up as soon as possible. Plus, it'd be nice to be able to put a review or two into the ReviewSpotting staff section.

That's about it for now. If I have time later, I'll try to post more collection pictures. But I'd really like to put some effort into an actual editorial for my blog instead of the 'this is what's up in my life' entries. So we'll see where the week takes me.

Over the course of my gaming career, I've racked up quite a collection of software. But my packrat hobby isn't confined to just the games themselves. I collect any and all game-related material; from Pez containers of Nintendo mascots to Mario and Yoshi bobbleheads, I snag anything I can get my hands on. Here are a few pictures of some of my favorite collectibles for your viewing pleasure. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

---

I have no idea where I bought this phone, and I've never actually used it, but isn't it just plain nifty?

Button-down shirts are basically all I wear. But I can't bring myself to wear this one and muck it up. It says Nintendo Tech Support. How geeky is that? (Note: By geeky, I mean super duper extra specially cool.)

Again, the guys at my local EB come through for me. A few weeks after a game is released, EB throws out all of the advertisements companies give them. If you let them know ahead of time, they usually won't mind giving them to you instead of throwing it in the garbage. That is, unless the guys who work there haven't taken them home themselves. Go ahead. Try it!

First thing's first. Note the tag still attached. I have never worn these boxers, and I am not showing you my underwear. [Pause for wave of disappointment.] Check out the racks at Target every so often for some interesting Nintendo-themed apparel.

This is just one of my many game walls. Look closely and you should be able to see 100 GBA titles, a few Sega Master System games, Nintendo bobbleheads, my video game soundtrack collection, my DS and PSP libraries, and my NES games that are complete in-boxes.

---

And there's plenty more where that came from! If people like my pictures, I'll take more and post them up here with (hopefully) more amusing captions and tips on where to find fun collectibles. So let me know!

Every once in a while, a great game comes around that I'm dying to play. I take my pre-order home and sit in front of the television for hours on end and get completely lost in the story, gameplay, and atmosphere. Most of the time, these must-play titles never leave their respective systems until I've completed them at least once. Sometimes, though, these games that I was so excited to play only days before get tossed aside for one reason or another and earn a spot on my increasingly lengthy to-do list. And that's where you guys come in. Below are a few games that I started long ago and, for some reason, couldn't bring myself to finish. Your job, my fellow GameSpotters, is to convince me to pick up the controller again and finish what I started. Un-make my laziness!

Metroid Prime (GCN)

Metroid Prime is a great game. It has everything I could want in an adventure title - the atmosphere, the music, the classic Metroid style. But how do I know this if I never finished the game? Because I was 75% finished when my memory card was stolen from my carry-on bag on an airplane. I just haven't been able to bring myself to replay it. All that work I put in was for nothing. But with Metroid Prime Hunters fast approaching and the promise of using the Revolution controller for Metroid Prime 3, my romance with Samus has been rekindled. Should I go back and finish what I started?

Kingdom Hearts (PS2)

I've gotta be honest about this one. I bought it because I've been trying to get my girlfriend interested in gaming, and I thought this would be the perfect mesh of amazing graphics, quality gameplay, and Winnie the Pooh. Seriously, who wouldn't want Donald and Goofy in their Final Fantasy party? The game had great potential, and my girlfriend loved it at first, but I probably should've picked a game more along the lines of Snood or Scooby Doo. (Note that the previous statement was not meant to insult female gamers. Emily actually loves Snood and Scooby Doo games.)

Tales of Symphonia (GCN)

When it comes to full-fledged RPGs, I'm more likely to play a portable version of Final Fantasy than the 80+ hours of Tales on a console. I made it up to the 17-hour mark on this one before the time constraints of college graduation killed it for me. It's got a great game engine with endearing graphics and a beautiful soundtrack, and the story seemed interesting, but I couldn't make the time commitment. That and the fact that I was bitter over a $30 price drop only weeks after I purchased the game made me stick Tales of Symphonia back on my shelf.

Beyond Good and Evil (GCN)

I picked up Good & Evil for the same reason I bought Killer 7 and Ico. It's a great game that received critical acclaim while mind-numbingly stupid titles like 50 Cent's apparently kid-friendly murderfest flew off shelves. [/bitterness] I got about 25% of the way through when, for the first and only time in my GameCube's existence, the system froze on me and lost my save file. I have no idea how it happened, because I take exquisite care of my gaming equipment, but it did. And I have no idea how my Good & Evil save was the only one affected. So should I pick up my PS2 version of the game (yes, I bought two copies)? I mean, come on. Who can resist a hot reporter chick with a talking pig for an uncle?

Star Fox Assault (GCN)

Namco really let me down on this one. Star Fox 64 was one of my favorite games, and if it's ever available on the Revolution, it's a gauranteed download. Star Fox Adventures was a decent Zelda rip-off, but Assault's ground missions were just awful. They were executed decently enough, but they just weren't fun to play. And there were way too many of them. How hard could it be to make a fun Star Fox shooter? It's a simple formula: Arwing + Andross - freakishly androgynous Slippy = fun. Should I give this one a second chance? You decide. I leave my gaming in my fellow GameSpotters' capable hands.