Where can I buy Super Mario All-Stars? [UPDATED]

That was the question I asked myself this weekend after Annie told me she really, really wanted to play the new Nintendo Wii game.

And the answer? Well, the answer is nowhere. Except online. At incredibly inflated prices. That's because "Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition" had such a small print run that seven weeks after the $30 game hit stores, there's not a copy to be found anywhere.

Believe me. I looked.

Best Buy and Target were the first stops in my search, but clerks at both stores informed me that the game was no longer listed in their system. "Super Mario All-Stars" had already been marked "discontinued," so any further efforts at those chains would be fruitless. Consequently, I turned my attention to specialty stores FYE and GameStop. The clerks at FYE knew exactly what I sought — because I was one of many people seeking the game. Although my local store didn't have the game, a clerk called four nearby locations to see if they might still have a copy. Alas, none had the game. GameStop was a bit more helpful, printing out lists of regional stores that supposedly stocked new and used copies of "Super Mario All-Stars." The clerk cautioned me, though, to call ahead because the lists could be out of date.

After an hour on the phone, I'd learned five things. First, I'd learned that the GameStop nearest me with a used copy of the game was 112 miles away in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Second, I'd learned that due to the game's popularity, the store manager rightly had no interest in shipping the game to my local store. Third, I'd learned that no GameStop locations within 200 miles of me had a new copy of the game. Fourth, I'd learned that copies of the game were indeed so limited that a GameStop in Norfolk, Va., was desperately trying to find some copies and make good on several customer pre-orders for "Super Mario All-Stars" that were yet unfulfilled. Fifth, I'd learned that asking whether a store had a copy of the game was a good way to make clerks laugh.

In desperation, I turned to Toys R Us and Walmart. A very helpful clerk at Toys R Us knew the futility of my request but checked anyway, noting that when he last looked, the closest store with a copy of the game was in South Carolina. His search yielded no results. Next, I had to use some trickery to find the now-hidden "Super Mario All-Stars" product page at Walmart.com, but was heartened to see three local stores claiming to have the game in stock. Alas, two trips and one phone call later, I learned those listings were wrong.

As a last resort, I called the Nintendo World Store in New York City. No dice. The clerk told me that they'd long since sold out. Sorry, Mario, but your princess isn't in any castle.

Given the high demand for and scarce supply of "Super Mario All-Stars," you'd think Nintendo would rush the game back into production. But no. The company told Wired that it was merely "exploring the option of bringing this item back at a later date." That's it. No move to help GameStop remedy those unfulfilled pre-orders. No desire to curb the online price gouging. And no inclination to strike while the iron is hot.

This seems like quite the missed opportunity for Nintendo. I and many other people across the nation clearly remain interested in buying this game. Why can't we, Nintendo?

UPDATE: Nintendo is reprinting the "Super Mario All-Stars" game! I pre-ordered my copy at GameStop on Feb. 10 and was told the $30 game will be available March 13. It's not clear whether the new printing will have the same "limited edition" goodies that accompanied the first printing, such as the music CD, but I'm happy regardless. Thank you, Nintendo!