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Joystiq hands-on: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
Hello, I'm Zack, and I had never played Smash Bros. until today. I don't know if that should be a confession or proclamation. Let it be both. Let the flaming begin.Super Smash Bros. Brawl felt frenetic. To me, it seemed like too much was happening on-screen to play with precision. But apparently people wring ever moment of control out of this fast-paced game. Just not the first time they play.In my games, Brawl always had a lot going on. A power-up poured out 2D sprites lifted directly from Advance Wars. Another caused a Nintendog to briefly paw playfully at the screen, for no reason other than to annoy us. I just laughed at the puppy as I was knocked off the platform to my loss.I like my fighting games with more of an immediate sense of cause-and-effect and without this power-up focus. But I could see the appeal of Brawl. It had so much happening that I was always entertained. And the sense of humor and strangeness -- Mario versus Sonic in a fighting game -- also hooked me.%Gallery-8530%
American Nintendo Media Summit reveals Crossbow Training details
IGN editors and other not-us members of the press are at the American equivalent to yesterday's crazy megaton-tastic Nintendo conference, and they thoughtfully liveblogged the presentation for the rest of us. It sounds like they're embargoed against revealing too much or publishing detailed videos, which means that, for now, we've got textual reports of the news. Luckily, most of the event consists of a Smash Bros. gameplay demo, which we don't really need to talk about in detail. Guys are playing Brawl! UPDATE: They are enjoying themselves! There's also a short demo of Super Mario Galaxy in much the same vein. The newest news is about the Zapper pack-in Link's Crossbow Training, about which we formerly knew almost nothing, and now know some things. Matt Casamassina mentions in passing that the game will feature "Score attack. Multiplayer, etc." though it isn't known if this is true for all of the game's modes or only for certain exercises. One gametype is based on the Ordon Target Training sequence in Twilight Princess, and rewards you for shooting targets while penalizing you for shooting chickens. The "Defender" mode is actually called Stalfos defenders, and has Link defending against skeletal Stalfoses by, well, shooting them with a crossbow.
The Smash Bros. MEGATON that is a surprise to nobody: Sonic confirmed
A lot of really cool stuff is coming out of the Nintendo conference that's going on in Japan right now, but this is the most immediately satisfying: Sonic the Hedgehog will be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and he'll have his Super Sonic transformation. We've all been expecting this announcement, so it's not a huge surprise, but it's still a big deal.This brings up so many questions! Like, will Sonic be able to pick up rings to regain health? Will both attack buttons just make Sonic jump? Most importantly, will he be bringing Tails, Knuckles, Rouge the Bat, Amy Rose, Mecha Sonic, Metal Sonic, Cream the Rabbit, Big the Cat, Bean the Dynamite, and all of his other friends along?In less happy Brawl news, the game has been delayed until January 24th for Japan. No word on whether the release date has changed for other regions, but we doubt it.
Wii Warm Up: The eyes of a rookie
Okay, this is going to be a little weird. But as we were watching all of the awesome new Smash Bros. footage featuring our BFF Solid Snake (with some allusions to the survival techniques of his "dad", Big Boss), we realized that not only is Snake one of our favorite characters ever, his inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Brawl makes us enjoy both Smash Bros. and Snake a little bit more.It's not just that the incongruity of a gravelly-voiced mercenary in the kid-friendly fighting game is hilarious. It has more to do with the juxtaposition of what is more or less a human guy from a world that is kind of like the real world with, say, Mario, who is supposed to be human but clearly isn't. It's intriguing. It generates some really interesting cognitive dissonance. And then Snake fires a Nikita missile or snaps Mario's neck (M rating, here we come!) and we get a different kind of cognitive dissonance.Putting Snake in the middle of a confluence of Nintendo universes makes them all look intensely bizarre, and makes Snake, a man who fights one-on-one with helicopters, seem like an everyman. When he expresses surprise at Wario's farting skill, he speaks for us. Of course, his everyman-ness still runs through a filter of Snake's life experience; he's still making long phone calls in the middle of a fight. He still sees strange animals as survival rations. There's really no other situation in which we'd be able to identify with this guy.We don't really know how to form this discussion into a question, so we just thought we'd open it up to a discussion of Snake in Smash Bros. and how wonderfully weird the whole thing is. And then, for no reason, we're embedding the ridiculous "Eat Like Snake" Burger King commercial after the break, which has nothing at all to do with Smash Bros., Metal Gear, the Wii, or Snake, except that it has the word "Snake" in it.
Dojo update: Gliding
Many of the characters in Super Smash Bros. Brawl have wings. Most things with wings (aside from, say, penguins, or emus, or certain kinds of fasteners) use their wings to fly. Apparently, someone at Sora figured out what wings do, and that none of the winged characters in Brawl are penguins or emus or wingnuts, and thus we have flight.The winged characters can glide, pulling up to lift up and down to dive, much like Mario with his cape. No, we don't know if Mario will have his cape in Brawl. We also don't know if any of the characters will be given anti-aircraft missiles to compensate for this new ability in others.
Diddy Kong joins Smash Bros. Brawl roster
If you've ever wanted to physically assault Donkey Kong's diminutive and overly cheery pal, Diddy Kong, you'd best make plans to purchase Super Smash Bros. Brawl on December 3rd. Smash Bros. DOJO!! (it's them shouting, not us) has revealed that the pesky primate will be part of the growing list of combatants and plans to get by with his "whimsical fighting moves" and "Peanut Pop Gun." We look forward to knocking off that cap and wiping the smile off his face -- it'll certainly put one on ours. Alright Nintendo, let's get Tingle in here next.[Thanks, Drew]
Dojo update: Smashville stage
Today's Dojo update only brings us news of a new stage. Oh, but how awesome that stage looks, as Smashville makes its debut in the Super Smash Bros. franchise. With an Animal Crossing feel, the stage will seem familiar to all who've spent many an hour fishing in streams, digging for fossils and attending live performances of one K. K. Slider. Well, now you can catch him performing live in Super Smash Bros. Brawl on Saturday nights, as well!Check out some images of the new stage in our gallery below.%Gallery-3347%[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl gets release date
December 3rd.The day that the world will stop as Nintendo releases the megaton of all megatons: Super Smash Bros. Brawl. No new information was revealed, but we're pretty sure that's all you need ... for now.Get ready.
Dojo update: Stages, attacks and Dr. Wright oh my
It's been a couple of days since we checked in with the Dojo and boy are we mad at ourselves. Not only did we miss the unveiling of a new stage in the Bridge of Eldin from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, but also a new Assist Trophy in the eccentric mayor of SimCity. That's right, none other than Dr. Wright has made his way into the game and, as one might expect, his penchant for helping build incredible cities has made its way in with him.Check out the gallery below to see what we mean.%Gallery-3347%Read - Bridge of EldinRead - Standard combo breakdownRead - Dr. Wright
New E3 to not have playable Smash Bros. on display
According to the fine folks over at Game | Life, next week's E3 is going to be disappointing to fans of those brothers who make with the super smashing. Why? No playable version of the game will be available at the show. And, as much as we'd like to, we'll refrain from quoting that line about voices crying out and being suddenly silenced.The Nintendo representative that confirmed all of this to Game | Life said that due to the nature of the new E3, Nintendo decided to go with a smaller roster of games. With several new titles that we've never seen before likely to pop up at the show, Nintendo undoubtedly wants to keep the focus on them. Can't blame them, but with Smash Bros. being the high-profile title it is, we can't say we would've made the same decision.
Dojo update: Bowser
Today's Dojo update brings us images and the character profile for the game's resident tank character Bowser. If there's one thing we can say after seeing today's update, it's that Bowser looks amazing. Seriously, look at that character model above. Do you not cower in fear? We do, oh how we do.Check out the new images of Bowser in the gallery below.%Gallery-3347%
Conjecture Countdown: 8 days to go
Even with a diminished E3, there's no controlling the wave of rumors that hit the Internet every year before the show. Why fight it? From now until E3 hits, we'll be posting one piece of wild speculation every day. Some may be patently ridiculous, and others just might turn out to be true. Even some of the ridiculous ones might turn out to be true! Rest assured, everything will be totally made-up and unfounded. Except, of course, when we speak about all the ass Reggie is going to kick. That part? Totally true.Rumor: Having peeked into the distant and dystopian future of December 2007 through the mystic arts of augury and tea leaf reading, we've discerned several Assist Trophy characters that are guaranteed to appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Take care, young readers, as you pull back the curtain that separates your eager eyes from what lies beyond the post break. Once you've known the truths that destiny has planned, you can never unknow them!
Dojo update: Wario's special moves
We are so happy when the new Brawl info is new for real! Today's update is about Wario's special attacks, which are unexpectedly awesome.We've all seen the amusing flatulence attack from the original trailer. That's the Down special attack, and it gets more powerful the longer the interval between uses. It turns out we saw another Wario special move too.Wario's other special attack, the Side attack, is the business, and is probably going to make Wario quite a popular character. He summons a motorcycle! You can do 180's with the Control Stick (or D-pad?) and jump off with an attack button. You can apparently also be knocked off. The bike seems to be persistent, so can other players hop on and steal it?
Dojo update: a comedy classic
Today's Super Smash Bros. Brawl Dojo update actually revealed something new! Like, actually new, and not something that was also in Melee. We wonder if it was a mistake-- maybe this update was meant for September and they accidentally posted it instead of more about Fox.Banana peels are the newest addition to the arsenal of items that serious players will ban. We look forward to the hilarity! Poor Kirby looks really annoyed, either because he slipped or because he didn't get to eat the banana and gain its Potassium Power.
Dojo update: Lylat Cruise stage revealed
While battling atop space ships in the Lylat system is nothing new to the Smash Bros. franchise, the revised stage looks a lot better. Now, the ship warps to different sectors, making its way through epic space battles and even the atmosphere of Corneria. Heck, maybe we won't be battling exclusively in Hyrule anymore, with such a promising looking stage as this.Check out all of the new Lylat Cruise stage images in the gallery below.%Gallery-3347%
Dojo update: Wario and Fox
Another Dojo update hits, bringing us a better look at newcomer Wario and resident cheap jerk Fox. We got an intimate look at Pikachu's Final Smash the other day, but with Fox and his reflection, and Wario with his gigantic bite, we think Pokemon's resident rat thing is going to have a tough time in this installment in the franchise. As usual, you can check out some images of Wario and Fox in action through our gallery below.%Gallery-3347%Read - Fox move listRead - Wario bio
Wii Warm Up: Composure
Videogame music has come a far cry from the beeps of yesteryear, with amazing works coming from both studios and independent remixers alike. A musical score is now a critical component of game design, and the big names in gaming are some of the most forward-thinking pioneers in the musical world today.Most classic Nintendo themes have been crafted by the well-known Koji Kondo, but Nintendo's consoles have been host to dozens upon dozens of brilliant composers. So, who's your favorite? There's a ridiculous list composing for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, found here (which interestingly omits the famed Nobuo Uematsu, who already composed the game's title theme). Which names stand your hair on end?
Dojo update: Link's Final Smash
Back when the Final Smash item was revealed to us, we thought such a change would be good for the game. When we delved deeper into the news, we found out Mario turned into a total badass when he got the Final Smash item. Well, now the same can be said for Link as today's Dojo update showcases the Final Smash for Hyrule's hero. Utilizing the power of the Triforce, Link traps his enemy and lets loose slash after slash from the Master Sword.You can see images of Link's Final Smash in action in the gallery below.%Gallery-3347%
Dojo update: Fox and Yoshi's Island
The Dojo has updated again, bringing us a character profile for that cheap jerk Fox and an in-depth look into Yoshi's Island. The character bio on Fox is old hat, but Yoshi's Island is receiving some changes this time around. As the battle progresses, the seasons will change, tossing dead leaves and snow about the ply area. Aside from that, the central platform will tilt and move around.You can see some images of Fox, as well as Yoshi's Island, in the gallery below.%Gallery-3347%Read - Yoshi's IslandRead - Fox
Four different controller options for Super Smash Bros.
Today's Smash Bros. blog update provided two things we've all been waiting for since the countdown went up: New information of any kind The controller the game will use. Those of you who said they'd adapt the game to Wiimote/Nunchuk play were right. Those of you who said they'd keep the Gamecube controller compatibility: you were right. Those of you who said it would use the Classic Controller: you were also right. Those of you who said you could play the game with a Wiimote turned on its side: if you existed, you would have been right as well.We had cooled on the subject of Smash Bros., but now we're as excited as we were when we saw Snake pop out of that box. Not only is this going to extend the life of the game (by allowing players to master four different methods of control) but it is also going to allow for different styles of play, and therefore more variety in strategy and technique.
