Topic: Unboxing the Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition Set

[NWR_pap64]

Pedro looks through the special edition version of the classic SNES game.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blog/24551

I really enjoy limited edition versions of video games and movies. Yes, they are quite expensive, and at times you get the shaft on what you are really getting, but the more elaborate the set, the more I feel like I am owning something special, a piece of the story so to speak. Granted, the Super Mario All-Stars limited edition isn't that elaborate, but there are a couple of things to like about it.

The beauty begins with the box itself. The red and gold colors throughout the box are very striking, especially the Wii logo that adorns the top of all Wii boxes. The Super Mario 25th anniversary logo in front of the box is embossed, giving a very special "feel" to the package.

The front cover opens to show a preview of the package's content, such as the four games included on the disc and the soundtrack CD and booklet.

The box houses both the game and the soundtrack CD cases. The Super Mario All-Stars box is typical, nothing worth mentioning. But the CD box is very nostalgic, to say the least. The cover features a classic NES system in front of a retro TV with Super Mario Bros. playing. It is a very nice touch that adds a lot of nostalgia to the package.

The cover of the booklet is a mosaic composed of screenshots of Mario's games, forming the classic Mario sprite. I was surprised at the quality of the booklet. It is very thick and filled with a lot of great pictures and information regarding Mario's games. I won't spoil everything, so you gotta get the game in order to see the rest of the information.

While not part of the special edition, the package also arrived with a letter from Princess Peach! The letter is designed to look like the letters Peach would send you in Super Mario Bros. 3 every time you beat a world. It exhorts you to save your power ups in order to beat tougher levels.

The Super Mario All-Stars limited edition package may not be the most luxurious box set ever made for a video game, but it is a very handsome package, one that I am very happy to display along with my other Mario items.

BONUS LEVEL!

As a special, Mario-related bonus, here are a couple of videos of my kitten Nani playing around with Mario on the Wii Shop Channel.

[jimwood27]

very cool stuff.  I was looking at the package today in Best Buy (getting it for Xmas from my lady, hopefully) and was pretty impressed with the box and the fold open cover.  the two full DVD cases are very welcome, what with Nintendo putting Wii Sports/Resort in just cardboard cases in the new bundles.  some of the things included might be a bit thin for some but its a nice little package.

[Penguin_Of_Thyme]

I really enjoyed watching your cat's head bounce in rhythm to Mario getting coins. Is it strange that the inclusion of the Princess Peach letter really increases my interest in buying the collection?

[NWR_pap64]

The letter isn't part of the package, unfortunately. It is PR material that came with the copy. I do wish it was part of the package, though, as it is very cool and very nostalgic.

[TJ Spyke]

The damn seal on the box ripped some of the artwork of the top, they should have just used plastic wrap like normal. The artbook is OK (I guess I won't spoil what is in it either), but I don't see myself looking through it again. I also wish the soundtrack had a track listing so I would know what I should write when importing it to my Xbox 360 (and importing it on PlayStation 3 didn't help as the track names were all wrong). I will not mention issues with the actual game here though (other than the disc will be in 4:3 with black bars on the side).

[NWR_pap64]

The damn seal on the box ripped some of the artwork of the top, they should have just used plastic wrap like normal. The artbook is OK (I guess I won't spoil what is in it either), but I don't see myself looking through it again. I also wish the soundtrack had a track listing so I would know what I should write when importing it to my Xbox 360 (and importing it on PlayStation 3 didn't help as the track names were all wrong). I will not mention issues with the actual game here though (other than the disc will be in 4:3 with black bars on the side).

What I did for that was take a really thin pair of scissors and carefully cut it while not damaging the artwork.

[broodwars]

I will not mention issues with the actual game here though (other than the disc will be in 4:3 with black bars on the side).

 
 
 
 
 
 
C'mon, in this day and age we should be able to play these games stretched out if we want, as I believe Virtual Console games let you do.  I just ran into a similar issue of laziness with the Wii port of the Resident Evil Remake and its forced 4:3, so I'm not looking forward to having to put up with forced 4:3 on these games as well.

[TJ Spyke]

Agreed, this was the first time I ever had to play games in 4:3 on my Wii (or any system really) since I have my Wii set to stretch games out if they don't already play in 16:9. You get used to it, but I still find it odd that Nintendo didn't bother with this since I doubt it would have taken much effort.

[Penguin_Of_Thyme]

Agreed, this was the first time I ever had to play games in 4:3 on my Wii (or any system really) since I have my Wii set to stretch games out if they don't already play in 16:9. You get used to it, but I still find it odd that Nintendo didn't bother with this since I doubt it would have taken much effort.

I personally like the fact that the game is forced into 4:3 because I like playing games and watching movies in their original aspect ratio. I don't think it was a lack of effort on Nintendo's part that there is no stretch option (not that a rom is much effort). I think Nintendo wanted to make it hassle free to play the games in 4:3 as most people remember them (for VC games I have to change my TV settings to 4:3 to get them to display with their original aspect ratio).

[UncleBob]

I also wish the soundtrack had a track listing so I would know what I should write when importing it to my Xbox 360 (and importing it on PlayStation 3 didn't help as the track names were all wrong).

Look on the back of the case (not the box) that the disc came in.

I personally like the fact that the game is forced into 4:3 because I like playing games and watching movies in their original aspect ratio

Agreed.  I hate the way VC games are stretched unless you go in and adjust the settings... every time...

[broodwars]

Agreed.  I hate the way VC games are stretched unless you go in and adjust the settings... every time...

Naturally, instead the solution is to penalize all the people who own widescreen TVs by not even giving them the option of stretching the image to fit their TV.  Honestly, this is Amateur Hour stuff here: Nintendo could have easily given people the option to play the game in whatever aspect ratio they want, but that would require work and that means less easy profits.

[UncleBob]

The original ROM does not stretch to widescreen.  This is a re-release of the original ROM.  Nothing is stopping you from using your TV to force the display into widescreen.

[broodwars]

The original ROM does not stretch to widescreen.  This is a re-release of the original ROM.  Nothing is stopping you from using your TV to force the display into widescreen.

If Resident Evil Archives is any indication, my TV will not switch to a mode that stretches the image on disc games.  I can on WiiWare games like Blaster Masters Overdrive, but not Wii Disc games.

[Mop it up]

I thought every television has a mode that will stretch out any 4:3 signal, but I guess not. I know my parents' television has a "full" option that will stretch out any signal to fit the whole screen, including all video games and VHS tapes.

It's too bad that letter isn't a part of the package, it is pretty neat.

[broodwars]

I thought every television has a mode that will stretch out any 4:3 signal, but I guess not. I know my parents' television has a "full" option that will stretch out any signal to fit the whole screen, including all video games and VHS tapes.

Yeah, my TV will stretch pretty much any image I give it...except for some odd reason Wii disc games if the resolution is hard coded to 4:3 (and presumably GameCube games as well, though I haven't tried it).  It's odd and annoying, though I guess after a few hours of play you just reluctantly get used to it.

[NWR_pap64]

I personally don't mind it when a classic game or movie is in 4:3 ratio. Since that's how the game was designed/movie was shot then I can't expect them to make a miracle and make it fit into a widescreen setup.

[broodwars]

I personally don't mind it when a classic game or movie is in 4:3 ratio. Since that's how the game was designed/movie was shot then I can't expect them to make a miracle and make it fit into a widescreen setup.

I didn't used to mind it, either, when I was still playing my Wii games on my 23 in. LCD TV (which is now being used for my PS3 games), but ever since my Wii got hooked up to the old 40 in. TV I got last Christmas, it bugs me when there's just that much TV real estate covered by black bars when ordinarily there is content (especially since the Wii menu itself fills the screen).

[NWR_pap64]

You mean something that fills the black bars? That's what some developers do for the classic games on the xbox 360

[broodwars]

You mean something that fills the black bars? That's what some developers do for the classic games on the xbox 360

Yeah.  I mean, I'd be fine with the forced 4:3 on the Mario collection if they put some artwork or something in the space the black bars cover.  It just looks very odd to go from the fully-filled Wii Menu to suddenly having what feels like half your screen covered by black bars.  It feels very claustrophic in a way.

[TJ Spyke]

And it's not like Nintendo hasn't done stuff like that before. The Super Game Boy, Game Boy Player, and the Pokemon Stadium games (which let you play the Pokemon GB games using a Transfer Pak) would all have borders around the games rather than stretch them out. I am not saying the games should be forced to stretch, just make it a option.

[broodwars]

And it's not like Nintendo hasn't done stuff like that before. The Super Game Boy, Game Boy Player, and the Pokemon Stadium games (which let you play the Pokemon GB games using a Transfer Pak) would all have borders around the games rather than stretch them out. I am not saying the games should be forced to stretch, just make it a option.

Don't forget Warioland Shake It!  this generation as well, which also displayed in forced 4:3 with colored borders and whatnot to fill in the extra space on widescreen TVs.

[Ian Sane]

I actually prefer having black bars.  I find borders visually distracting.  Black bars blend in and are easy to ignore.

But why not have the options for native aspect ratio with black bars, native aspect ratio with border, and stretching to fit the entire screen?  Why is "options" such a dirty word to Nintendo?  Are they secretly fascists?

[Mop it up]

It goes both ways too, I'm getting annoyed at the increasing number of games that have forced widescreen.

[broodwars]

It goes both ways too, I'm getting annoyed at the increasing number of games that have forced widescreen.

Well, in all fairness Widescreen TVs are rapidly becoming the standard now (can you even buy 4:3 TVs anymore in standard retail?), so games are moving to support that as the primary display method.  I can't think of a time where I saw a High-Def 4:3 TV.  Give it a couple of years, and there won't be a point to having 4:3 supported anymore outside of arthouse stylistic reasons because only an extreme minority will be using those old things.

[Mop it up]

I don't know. I can't imagine there are more widescreen televisions than HD televisions, and everything still supports standard definition because it's still the majority of what's out there. So it doesn't make sense to not still give the option for 4:3, especially considering how easy it is to do so.

It's a shame too, because CRT televisions have better picture quality. I guess I'll have to track down one of those widescreen HD CRTs that they made during the transition period.