But in exchange, I don't think the Online functionality will be included... (Why take it out? Just to avoid testing costs? I mean, don't PS2 and GCN online function virtually the same way? There's no Xbox Live specifics or standards, the game just talks to the modem any way it wants...)
I thought the initial estimates for how many characters added were much higher than that (didn't some publication or quote say as high as seven?), but that sounds like a more realistic number, really.