eStarland keeps the discount train chugging along today with another doozy of a game sale. Atlus USA’s retro-sexy PS3 adventure 3D Dot Game Heroes — now with Sackboy — can be had for the low, low price of $19.95!

Atlus was already doing gamers a solid by launching the game at a discounted rate of $40, and at that price it’s too good to pass up. Now at only $20, you’d be a complete moron not to nab a copy. Read my review if you still need convincing.

As usual, the sale rate is only available for a limited time while supplies last, so get your ass in gear and buy the game before the price returns to normal. Use the promo code RETRO at checkout to activate the discount.

Brand New 3D Dot Game Heroes: $19.95 [eStarland.com]

Bummed out by LittleBigPlanet 2‘s delay? Well, buck up. Atlus USA has released a game update for PS3 Zelda spoof / homage 3D Dot Game Heroes, and, amongst other content, Sackboy has been added to the game’s selection of playable heroes, courtesy of Sony Europe.

“We can think of no more fitting a character to feature than one that has become synonymous with creativity and imagination in gaming: Sackboy,” said Aram Jabbari, Manager of Public Relations and Sales at Atlus. “Now, people who start up their copy of 3D Dot Game Heroes can begin their adventures through the grand Kingdom of Dotnia with one of gaming’s most recognizable icons!”

In addition to Sackboy, another 50 heroes created by fans and the dev team using the included character editor are included in the patch, alongside the ability to carry over swords in New Game+ mode, completion time adjustments for the Dash Circuit mini-game, and a bug fix related to loading screen artwork.

Check out screenshots of Sackboy doing his Dotnia hero thing in the gallery down below, and if you still haven’t played 3D Dot Game Heroes, you can read my review to find out what you’re missing.

[nggallery id=1431]

In preparation for tomorrow’s retail release of 3D Dot Game Heroes, Atlus USA today opened the doors to the Hall of Heroes, the online character-sharing hub that was promised to be ready for the game’s launch.

One of the coolest side features in 3D Dot Game Heroes, reviewed here in full last month, is its hero creator, and with the Hall of Heroes players now have a place to share their creations with others and add kooky new heroes to their adventure. All’s you need is a PS3-compatible USB flash drive/hard drive to transfer the files and you’re good to go.

With the Hall of Heroes now live and 3D Dot Game Heroes coming out tomorrow, Atlus is also looking to get users interested with a character creation contest. Create and submit a winning hero and you could take home up to $100 in Amazon video games credit!

One of the neatest things about 3D Dot Game Heroes — reviewed here last week — is its 3D hero creator, and right now, you can get a taste of what the editor can do ahead of the game’s release next month.

SouthPeak Games has updated the European 3D Dot Game Heroes website with a web-based hero creator, and while it isn’t nearly as robust or intuitive as the in-game editor, it serves nicely as a template you can play around with to brainstorm hero ideas for when the full game ships. Once you’re done, you can also save out your hero to a ZIP file containing two 480×480 PNG images, an animated GIF and a wallpaper of specified dimensions. Retro-tastic!

Source: SouthPeak Games Twitter

Although Atlus won’t come out and specifically say it, 3D Dot Game Heroes is unashamed in its mimicry of The Legend of Zelda. But make no mistake about it – 3D Dot Game Heroes is not some cheap Zelda knock-off like some of you may be thinking. Yes, it borrows liberally from the old NES classic; however, it does so in a way that is only meant to honor the legendary action/adventure classic, with a delightful sense of humor and an excellent use of parody that would surely make Shigeru Miyamoto blush and giggle. It also just so happens to be better than any Zelda game since A Link to the Past if you ask me.

As soon as you slide the 3D Dot Game Heroes Blu-ray disc into your PS3, the blatant Zelda influences come heavy and hard, and immediately an overwhelming state of nostalgic euphoria sets in. 3D Dot Game Heroes is, in a word, retro-gasmic!

You are the fabled hero chosen to save the kingdom of Dotnia – once a world of 2D sprites, now one of eye-popping 3D blockiness – from the clutches of the Dark Bishop, and to do so you must seek out the six magical orbs of the six legendary sages. And to find the orbs and save the kingdom from darkness, you must venture to the six ancient temples and brave the dangers lurking within, fairy companion Lee flying by your side.

This epic quest has you exploring a huge overworld map from a top-down isometric perspective, slashing familiar-looking baddies with a HUGE sword, hunting hidden treasures, cutting grass and cracking pots for coins, delving into treacherous, labyrinthine temple dungeons and dispatching nasty boss creatures just like action-adventures of the good ol’ old days. If you’ve played a Zelda game before, you know the routine: enter dungeon, find the map, find the latest gadget to help you overcome new puzzles and obstacles, find the key to unlock the boss door, slay the boss, collect the health bubble increase as a reward (apples represent health instead of hearts), grab the magical orb, move on to the next temple and repeat the process again, only with tougher enemies and trickier dungeon layouts to deal with.

Indeed, the Zelda formula is copied to a tee, but you shouldn’t think of that as a bad thing. Even though the game’s design isn’t original in the slightest, 3D Dot Game Heroes uses some sort of mystical power to make something so ancient feel fresh and exciting again. Parody is used throughout to both mock and honor old game design clichés, and a constant barrage of videogame and pop culture references – from NPC dialogue to the loading screens which recreate the box art of countless games of yore – turns the experience into an all-out celebration of gaming geekdom. The LEGO-esque 3D graphics and toy-like animations also bring the kingdom of Dotnia to life with a whimsical charm and distinct visual personality that too pokes fun at titles of the 8-bit age. And I certainly can’t forget to mention the music — the MIDI-style soundtrack is pure retro fire!

Amazingly, the vintage gameplay is every bit as fun today as it was back in the late 80’s. Certain design flaws do poke through – most notably a confusing lack of direction that often leaves you backtracking across the world map trying to figure out what to do and where to go next, usually without even a hint – but by and large the game does hold up to modern standards and plays beautifully, bolstered by effective controls, intelligent level design and a challenging-but-fair level of difficulty.

Silicon Studio also put its own spin on things to further pep up the gameplay with greater complexity and humor, including things like blacksmiths you can pay to “naturally enhance” (or upgrade) sword abilities, swords that stretch across the entire screen at max power, racing, tower defense and Arkanoid-style mini-games, and an intuitive character creation toolkit you can use to build your own hero…one pixel at a time. Dozens of pre-created characters are already on the disc for those who just want to pop the game in and go (everything from the standard hero to a GT car to a shark to Santa Claus to Rikimaru and Ayame from Tenchu), but with the editor you can create pretty much anything your imagination desires — even a single pixel can be Dotnia’s savior, the King does not discriminate. Supposedly once the game officially launches next month there will be a way for users to share created characters as well, but that’s not something I was able to test with my early review build.

Trophies weren’t available in the review copy either, but even without them, 3D Dot Game Heroes is loaded with replay value. On top of the aforementioned character editor and mini-games, which can easily eat up hours of your life on their own, tons of side quests (some of which are time sensitive) and hidden areas add substantial longevity. Rushing through, you can probably complete the quest in around 10 hours, but this is the type of game that can (and should) be savored for 20-30 hours, not counting the unlockable New Game+ mode and harder difficulty. Best part of all – the game’s price tag is set at an amazing $40. A budget price for what is far above a budget-quality game… now that’s a deal!

Proving that great game design philosophies never go out of style no matter their age, 3D Dot Game Heroes pays homage to the golden age of gaming in the most flattering way possible while at the same time delivering a gameplay experience that can stand toe to toe with the Hollywood production values, cutting-edge technology and intricate complexities found in games of the current generation. And, forgetting about all the Zelda comparisons for just a moment, it’s a damn great game in its own right. That’s no easy task to pull off, but Atlus, From Software and Silicon Studio have done it, and we as gamers should be very, very thankful.

Pros:
+ Effectively pays homage to Zelda and other classic games
+ Celebrates gaming culture through parody and references
+ Blocky 3D graphics ooze charm
+ Awesome retro fantasy music
+ Fun character creator
+ Budget priced with immense replay value
+ Forget the Zelda comparison — it’s a great game on its own!

Cons:
– Lack of direction often leaves you confused on what to do next
– Heavy Zelda influence may rub some players the wrong way

Game Info:
Platform: PS3
Publisher: Atlus USA
Developer: Silicon Studio
Release Date: 5/11/2010
Genre: Action/Adventure
ESRB Rating: E10+
Players: 1
Source: Review copy provided by publisher

3D Dot Game Heroes was the next stop on my Atlus web demo tour this morning, and here are some new screenshots I was provided with after the presentation. Trust me, this game is pure, nostalgic brilliance!

More to come, stay tuned…

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings I’m going to be sitting in on live web demos for upcoming Atlus titles Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition (XBLA), 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3) and Trauma Team (Wii) respectively, and I thought I’d open things up here to see if anyone had any burning questions they’d like answered about any of said games. If so, drop them in the comments and I’ll try to get them answered for you. Will report back later in the week!

Disclaimer: If your sword remains erect for longer than four hours after watching this trailer, please consult with Dotnia’s blacksmith for assistance.

One look at From Software’s PS3 action-adventure game 3D Dot Game Heroes, shipping in North America on May 11 courtesy of Atlus USA, and you may write it off as a cheap Legend of Zelda clone. But look closer and you’ll see a game honoring Nintendo’s 8-bit classic and referencing many others in such a charming way you’re sure to be overcome with nostalgia as you flip through this new gallery of screenshots. While you’re at it, see if you can spot any references to past games, as, you see, these are the first 3D Dot screens to be released in English!