smash-bros-melee
Latest
Sakurai describes 'grueling development' of Smash Bros. Melee
If you own a GameCube, odds are you probably have a copy of Smash Bros. Melee, arguably the platform's greatest game. It sold like it was, anyway -- over seven million copies were moved worldwide. Those sales were the fruit of what Sakurai says was a "grueling development cycle," very different from how he crafted the follow-up, Smash Bros. Brawl. Honestly, he's kinda underselling it. "I worked on that game for 13 months straight, after all, without a single Sunday or holiday off that whole time," Sakurai recalls in a Famitsu interview translated by 1UP. "During parts of it, I was living a really destructive lifestyle -- I'd work for over 40 hours in a row, then go back home to sleep for four," he added. Putting himself through the grinder like this stemmed from concerns about spearheading the massive undertaking, which Sakurai called the biggest project he'd ever worked on. Today, he looks back on it as "the sharpest game in the series," adding that it's "speedy all around and asks a lot of your coordination skills." To him, "it just felt really good to play" and was the most hardcore entry to date. As for his latest, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it was more an attempt to find some middle-ground and present a more accessible game -- and to finally help us solve one of gaming's greatest debates, of course.
Top 5: Multiplayer Experiences
As someone who writes on the Internets, I do a lot of reading as well. As just about any successful author will advise, if I want to be a better writer then I should be reading as much as possible. Thus, I tend to spend a good amount of time scouring the gaming websites and reading commentary from just about anyone. I wouldn't insult anyone by pointing out flaws in their work (as I'm host to many of my own), but it is sufficient to say that there is great diversity in the quality and other general attributes of gaming commentary. One source that I do consistently enjoy comes from GoNintendo's head honcho, known as RawmeatCowboy. Equal parts Nintendo fan and beard enthusiast, RMC has a passion for gaming unmatched by nearly anyone else in the entire industry. Whereas some journalists and commentators may give off an impression of jaded cynicism, this particular blogger is a bundle of video game-loving joy. Though he's not quite the wordsmith of a Jerry Holkins, his joy and optimism transcend any potential criticism. And after all, that should be the reason we play video games: for happiness. Stepping away from worshipping his shrine, I'll get back on target. In a recent post, RMC discusses offline multiplayer via a get-together involving several friends of his trying out Guitar Hero: World Tour. He states that multiplayer is more enjoyable in person than online, and I find it difficult to disagree. That is not to say that online multiplayer is garbage; quite the opposite is true. Aside from the obvious pragmatics of not always being able to round up a few friends to play a game you enjoy, there's the global aspect behind online gaming. Though I've been battling people online via chess years before any major console had such capabilities, the enormous power of the technology didn't register with me until very recently. As I was connecting to an online race in Mario Kart Wii, the identification of racers on the globe really hit home. Realizing that I was simultaneously connecting with individuals from Japan, China, Germany, and England was strangely beautiful. Despite the fascinating global implications of such connections, I remain a bit of a luddite in that I don't think there's anything better than having your friends in the same room with you while fighting with or against each other. Here's the Top 5 ways we recommend that you enjoy such opportunities. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
Smash Bros. champion cracks the world of reality TV
Fans of reality TV show Survivor who also read Nintendo blogs will be pleased to hear that gamers are getting some representation for the show's seventeenth season, Survivor: Gabon - Earth's Last Eden.22-year-old Ken Hoang will be one of the eighteen contestants when the series begins on September 25th, and he's there for one very good reason: he can totally kick the world's ass at Super Smash Bros. Melee. Yeah, even yours. A professional gamer by trade, Ken has earned over $50,000 from playing Melee, which (according to his Survivor profile at CBS) he's used to help pay his family's mortgage. Whaddaguy!The message to take from this: don't let anybody tell you gaming can't take you anywhere in life. Unless you play, say, Mario Kart Wii as well as we do. Then, seriously, it's time to look for a real job.%Gallery-20414%[Via Joystiq]
Classic Melee stages returning in Smash Bros. Brawl
Players intimidated by the chaotic, hazard-heavy stages of Super Smash Bros. Brawl will be delighted to hear that several classic stages will be returning from Smash Bros. Melee. Pictured above, the Temple stage is the only one officially announced, though director Masahiro Sakurai promises "a number" of stages from the Gamecube title (a few of the original N64 states couldn't hurt either, but there's no word on whether or not that's even a possibility).In other news, next Monday is December 3, otherwise known as the former release date of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. As this date has been slowly approaching, we here at Joystiq have noticed that the daily Brawl updates have lacked any startling new information. The last character announced was back in October, meaning that Brawl's blog is definitely overdue for some earth-shattering information. Perhaps Nintendo is holding off to make an announcement on the day we all expected to get our Brawl on? Maybe, maybe not. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.
EVO2K7 Championship Series line-up revealed
As the definitive fighting game tournament (for the Western world that is), the EVO2K series is always one of the years hottest events. This year will be no exception as the final line-up of games has been decided.Returning for yet another headlining act will be Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. It will be joined by Marvel VS Capcom 2, Guilty Gear XX Slash, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Capcom vs SNK 2 and the immortal Super Street Fighter II Turbo. New to this years competition are Virtua Fighter 5 and Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Melee. The latter of the two isn't all that surprising as Mario Kart DS was thrown into the fray last year for both fun and profit. Virtua Fighter 5 on the other hand will be interesting. The last time Sega's flagship fighter graced the stage of EVO was in 2004 and the turnout weren't favorable to say the least. While a new game could help strengthen the community, we'll have to wait and see if it can generate better results.If you're interested in throwing down with some of the best in the world, check EVO's website for information regarding qualifiers in your area. If not, you can always qualify at the main event itself in Las Vegas.
