"We are aware of reports that the recent PlayStation 3 system software update (version 4.45) has caused the XMB to not display on a small number of PS3 systems. We have temporarily taken 4.45 offline and are investigating the cause of the problem. We will announce when the system update is available for download as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Impacted users report that their PS3s boot to the background of the XMB interface, but do not offer any actual menus or input methods.  No restore, no redemption.  This update was supposed to enhance system stability.  Oops!  Talk around the Internet is that this issue primarily impacts consoles with upgraded hard drives, although there doesn't seem to be a definite pattern regarding brand, size, or other factors.  Something must be an underlying issue here.  If you use PlayStation Plus's auto-update option, do not accept this update if prompted.  Wait for Sony to fix the problem and reissue the update.  Not everybody who has installed the update has been impacted, but do you really want to take that chance?

"We approached Capcom with the idea and they were very favorable and open to it," he said. Sakurai and the teams at Sora Ltd. and Namco Bandai focused on the classic NES-style of Mega Man, a chunkier, less angular, less sleek version of the character. The Smash Bros. version of Mega Man focuses more on his ability to absorb others' powers, de-emphasizing punching and kicking. Mega Man's mega uppercut, which Sakurai says was inspired by the character's appearance in Marvel vs. Capcom, is one of his few melee attacks. "The approval process, in terms of how we're representing Mega Man, was actually really smooth and went really quickly."

Mega Man became a multi-platform series years ago and it's not as integral to the Nintendo lineup as it used to be, but the original Mega Man character has always felt more at home on Nintendo hardware and that chunky incarnation appearing in the next Smash is how many long-time fans remember him.  Being invited to join Smash Bros. should be an honor reserved for beloved and iconic third-party characters, and Mega Man more than meets the qualification.  Sakurai has stated that the new sequel will feature fewer guests, so I'm just glad that Mega Man made the cut.  After all, he's really the only third-party guest character on my roster wish list.

Moving on, E3 2013 is behind us now and we've had a chance to digest and process much of the major news and announcements of the week.  Who would you say came out on top at E3?  Who "won" if it's possible to measure these things?  Did Sony steal the show?  Did Microsoft impress?  Has Nintendo signaled a return to form?  Let's hear your thoughts.

Nintendo plans to implement a new framework via a system update for the 3DS, which will allow StreetPass communication to take place indirectly, via so-called StreetPass relay stations—basically, online servers accessed through public Wi-Fi access points. This way, 3DS consoles communicate with and leave their game data on a server instead of interacting directly with another console, not only increasing the chances of the data being received by another 3DS, but also allowing the same data to be received by multiple consoles instead of just one.

This is great news.  I love StreetPass and have collected nearly six hundred tags since I bought my 3DS in 2011, but the massive majority of those come from my time spent at E3.  A decent chunk are from when I attended the Symphony of the Goddesses Legend of Zelda concert last year.  Beyond that?  Chance encounters at a rate of maybe one or two every few months.  I scored nine StreetPasses at the Nintendo Experience demo event at Best Buy yesterday.  That's an impressive number for just being out and around.  Collecting time-delayed StreetPasses feels like connecting with the ghost of a 3DS owner, but I'll take whatever tags I can get if this is how it has to be done to make it happen, and if you tag a Mii who looks like me, is wearing a Mario hat, and exclaims "PressTheButtons!", then I hope you'll put my character to good use in Find Mii and take a puzzle piece for your trouble.

There’s yet another layer of connectivity that will be available to you in Watch_Dogs: Co-op on mobile devices. When you’re calling for help, you are sending a request to friends who are connected to the Watch_Dogs universe through their mobile devices. When that request is accepted, a co-op experience starts and the goal for the two players is to survive from the police by escaping their pursuit.

I hope that the mobile aspect isn't too required because I'd hate to irritate friends with ongoing calls for help when they're in the middle of other activities or just not near their mobile devices.  On the flip side, it's not like I can dive into an assistance session and help someone else when I'm at the office.  There needs to be a way to make oneself available for assistance calls and then log off of the system when it's not convenient to help.  That said, Watch Dogs looks like a lot of fun and I look forward to playing it when it releases later this year. 

By the way, the above video is from the PS4 version of the game, but we haven't seen much of the version for current generation systems.  Nintendo has released a trailer highlighting third-party releases for its systems which contains a few seconds of footage from the Wii U version of Watch Dogs.  It looks like the same gameplay, but not nearly as detailed or visually gorgeous.  Honestly, that's to be expected.  Play this game on a next generation system if at all possible.  Your eyes will thank you.

Outside of being populated properly, we get a good look at Link's character and is full standing shadow (which is about as realistic in its shading as you'll find in a game). The buildings are now taller instead of flattening out in widescreen, and the most obvious difference is, again, the vibrancy of the world around you. It does seem we may have lost those "gusts of wind" you can see on the right in the sky, but they may have found other ways to show which way the wind is blowing - such as having the clouds move dynamically depending on wind direction. I can't stress this enough, but everything really does feel more alive. While you can see some bloom/blur effects in the background, it all feels natural. I know that to me, things in the distance always appear blurry until you get closer. I also feel Link's slightly-altered character model fits much better in this world. His older model just doesn't do the new vibrant world justice.

Then there's Ninten2TV's video comparison that matches some of Nintendo's preview video with the same portions of the GameCube version.  It's easier to see the altered character models here, as the Wii U edition's characters are less squat and more refined in addition to color and texture changes.  The Zelda team clearly spent some time and energy making this new version of Wind Waker look as good as it can.  I don't want to see the Wii U library flooded with high definition GameCube conversions, but if this is the kind of effort that Nintendo is willing to exert on reworking its titles, I can think of a few other games I wouldn't mind returning in HD.

Nicole has watched all of this year's E3 press conferences and livetweeted commentary with me as news and information was announced.  From Microsoft's Xbox One pricing to Electronic Arts boasting about advances in virtual ball bouncing to Ubisoft threatening the world with tainted cash, she saw it all.  However, something specific about the tone of the conferences and the stars of the announced games aggravates her, so I turn the metaphorical microphone over to her now to explain.

This was my first E3 experience. Two years ago, I watched a bit of the press conferences, but it was nothing like I did this year. It was an interesting experience to watch unfold over the past few days. However, I did notice something amiss, and I wonder if you did, too.

Out of the countless video games unveiled this year, I saw only three games with female protagonists - Beyond: Two Souls, Bayonetta 2, and the new Mirror's Edge. Three games total. That's a pretty poor showing.

I'm not completely surprised, of course, as this has been happening for a very long time. However, we supposedly live in an enlightened age, and more women have become a part of the process, as far as design of games goes. So, how come all we have to show this year are: a militaristic game with a supernatural element (Beyond: Two Souls), a witch who has some impressive combat skills but wears extraordinarily revealing clothing - that appears to literally peel away bit by bit (Bayonetta 2), and a rebooted franchise that leaves our heroine a blank slate (Mirror's Edge)?

We've really never had many strong female characters in video games. Considering the pantheon of headliners over the decades we've been manipulating pixels on screens, it's rather shameful that I can only come up with three women:

Samus Aran from the Metroid franchise, at least in the Power Suit, is arguably first on the list. She wears heavy armor, is a bounty hunter, and takes care of herself. That's our kind of character! Then, of course, they put her in the skintight Zero Suit for Metroid: Other M and kind of ruined the idea, but still, a powerful character.

Lara Croft, from the Tomb Raider franchise, is another strong character, before they made her weak and sniveling. I never liked the fact that they put Lara in skimpy, unrealistic, and ill-fitting costumes, but she was an adventurer. She kicked ass, to put it bluntly, by herself, and didn't need anyone to bail her out. She got dirty, and wasn't afraid, and that can be a very empowering message. And it can be done without ginormous cleavage!!

Faith from Mirror's Edge is a third example. She's a runner helping to fight against the totalitarian regime that society has become. You don't really see her character as much, due to the first-person perspective of the gameplay. Much less to sexualize. Not only is she a female, she's also a minority - a nice one-two punch there.

And now, what do we have? Princess Peach, who still totters around in high heels, a dress, and tea-length gloves. I'm glad to see they gave her a different outfit in Mario Kart 8, because how the hell can you drive a motorbike in a gown? There was potential for her to not be a drippy bubblehead, but that's what she will always be - always waiting for a man to rescue her. Because that's what all women still secretly want, of course. The knight in shining armor - or the little Italian plumber with a red hat and overalls.

The thing that really disconcerts me, however, is the backlash anytime it is mentioned that there is a dearth of strong female leads. The "experts," I suppose, would have you believe that female characters are not profitable. I'd really like to see the numbers on that. The prevailing assumption is that women don't play video games, (despite the fact that 47% of females play video games - to 53% of males; not much disparity there) or they only play casualware on their smartphones. I've even seen comments such as "What do you want, a cooking and cleaning game?" Did we suddenly step onto the set of Mad Men? Such sexist remarks are, quite frankly, disgusting; I'm inclined to believe that the gender disparity is due to such attitudes, where "gamer girls" are considered unequal to their male counterparts.

This was shown to us most recently at the Microsoft press conference, with the supposedly unscripted commentary during Killer Instinct. The internet has blown up about this, some agreeing with me that it could be construed as a sexual assault "joke," and others claiming that women are too sensitive and need "thicker skin." NO. This is NOT okay. Indulging in a culture of blatant misogyny, even by just laughing or even ignoring a comment such as, "Just relax . . . it'll be over soon," helps to feed it.

So, we need strong female characters, not just for the young girls out there to have role models, but for everyone. Women are not weak, delicate flowers and should not be portrayed as such. We don't have a rescue complex. We can kick ass and fight and sweat just like men do. Just give us a chance to help fight the stereotypes.