Recently Nintendo announced the release of Super Mario 3D Allstars which is a collection of 3D Mario games including Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. Galaxy 2 was not included. Since the release the internet has been very mixed about the price of the game at $60 and the fact that it’s only available for five months. Are these concerns unreasonable or do they have some merit to them?

First let’s talk about the price because that’s been the most debatable topic. You have a large audience thinking it’s fine while others think it’s too much because other remakes/remasters are cheaper. While I understand the argument when you really break it down and start to discuss the specifics of it the argument crumbles very easily. You do have games like Halo The Master Chief Collection which is six games for $40 and the remakes of the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro which are three games for $40. If you argue this then it seems as though the Mario collection is overpriced when you consider price per game. Then let’s look at the newest version of Final Fantasy Seven which is one game remade into multiple $60 titles and if you look at price from that perspective the Mario trilogy sounds like an amazing deal.

Even if you compare it to Nintendo’s own remakes/remasters this price doesn’t quite fit with their other remakes. Nintendo remade the Gamecube classic Legend of Zelda: Windwaker into a $60 Wii U game and remade Xenoblade Chronicles for the Wii into a $60 Switch game, higher if you got the special addition. Super Mario 3D All-stars contains two games one exclusive to the Gamecube and one exclusive to the Wii and the whole package is $60. So all this argument says is that it’s absolutely pointless to argue any price of a remake by comparing it to the price of another because all across the spectrum of all remakes/remasters these prices have been very inconsistent. You are highly likely to find a scenario where one price is much better or one is much worse just from the perspective of price per game. Once you take away that argument all that’s really left is to make a personal opinion on why you think the price is worth it.

Here is why I think the $60 price tag is a fair price. For Super Mario 64 we already got a remake of the game for the Nintendo DS for $40 so it was a smart move bundling it with the set because people who bought that remake would be less likely to do so if it was remade again if remade into a $60 Switch game. Then you have Super Mario Galaxy and Sunshine which have been requested by Nintendo fans for years. These are timeless games that have not been accessible on the Switch and in the case with Sunshine even the Wii U. These games have provided hours of entertainment for long time Mario fans and in the case of Sunshine the most up to date Nintendo console has not been able to play this game since the release of the Wii U in 2012. That’s long enough for nostalgia to really kick in for a game you haven’t played since probably long before the Wii U came out.

Each game provides at least 10 to 15 hours of entertainment if you just play the story and do some collecting on the side and far more if you try to complete as much of the game as you can. If you plan to get these games and pursue 100% completion or even close to it then the sheer amount of content makes the price worth it and this will be the first time all of these titles are playable on the same console which can be used on the T.V and handled mode. If you are a huge fan of Mario content then this seems like a great opportunity to get these games in a way that has never made them more accessible.

As for the limited time release, there’s no argument here that is just a rough call. It means that the number of physical copies are extremely limited and it forces people to buy quickly or not buy at all unless they decide to get a digital copy. For a game like this it’s clear it’s a collectors item so the best way to go would be the physical version and the way it’s released makes it perfect for eBay scalpers to make an easy profit and harder on fans who would rather wait for a sale to get a game, which Nintendo honestly rarely does.

So overall the price I’m fine with because the argument of comparing it to the price of other remakes is pointless and it’s got enough content and enough of a demand to make the price worth it in spite of any arguments; however, I agree the limited release is pretty bad. I’ll end my thoughts with this. When I first got Sunshine I was a kid saving money for years just to be able to afford my own console, now I”m an adult with a home, college education and a job with a steady income. A lot has changed in the years since I played Sunshine and I can’t wait to play it again. A lot, but not as much, has also changed since I played Galaxy but it has less of an impact since it was playable on the Wii U anytime I wanted before the release of the Switch.