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Nintendo announces North American Smash Bros. Brawl tournaments
Impatient to get your Brawl on? Some of you North American gamers could get a chance to play Nintendo's all-star fighter as early as this Saturday, when Nintendo kicks off the first of four regional Smash Bros. Brawl tournaments across the United States.The regional tournaments will take place in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and New York City, with a maximum of 256 participants at each location. The winners from each tournament will meet in New York for the finals, with the grand prize winner walking away with a crystal-coated Wii, home theatre system, and (of course) a copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.The three finalists will win non-crystal-coated Wii consoles, extra Wii remotes, copies of Brawl, and Best Buy gift certificates ranging from $250 to $1,000. Regional tournaments register players on a first-come, first-serve basis, so we'd recommend getting there nice and early to compete. The first tourney is this Saturday, February 16 in Los Angeles. Full regional tournament details after the break.
A rather 'large' Smash Bros Brawl glitch
Given everything else in Smash Bros Brawl has been revealed on the internet, it's only fitting that a few unintentional quirks are spoiled, too. While you might argue/joke "that's not a bug, it's a feature," we're pretty sure this one is a bug. Here's your spoiler warning -- video (and explanation of the glitch) embedded after the break. %Gallery-8530%[Via NWF]
Smash Bros. Brawl sales exceed 1 million in Japan
And so the total number of Japanese people that we utterly despise rises to 1 million. Actually, it's 1.08 million, which is the number of Super Smash Bros. Brawl discs that have been sold since the game's launch on January 31st. Reuters reminds us that it took Wii Fit seven weeks to accomplish a similar feet feat, with even Wii Sports (sold separately in Japan) dallying for 11 weeks before crossing the 1 million mark. There aren't many weeks left between us and the game's American debut, but by then it'll be our turn to become targets for an entire continent's hatred and jealousy.
Readers pick best webcomic: "Falcon ..."
Falcon Winner! (Sorry, we couldn't resist.) The winner of this week's webcomic wrapup knows the meaning of a good Captain Falcon gag -- thank you, GamerPALs for also promoting educational values and loud screams in public places.Second and third place goes to VG Cats (note: published before spoilers) and Penny Arcade, respectively. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
Just blow: Smash Bros Brawl disc problems blamed on dust
Though many of Japan's Wii owners may now be in possession of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, not all of them can necessarily play it. IGN reports that a number of users are reporting that the Brawl discs will not run properly on their consoles, a problem which actually stems from dirt build-up in the Wii itself.Brawl is uniquely affected by this problem due to the game's size, which makes it the first title on the Wii to be pressed on a dual-layer DVD. The special disc requires a more fine-tuned read from the optical sensor, which is causing problems in systems clogged with dirt and tobacco smoke. Rather than suggesting they "blow," Nintendo has set up a cleaning service for players affected. Japanese owners who send their Wii consoles, copies of Brawl and warranty cards to a service center in Kyoto will have their systems repaired within one week, and Nintendo will cover all cleaning and shipping costs.While we're happy Nintendo is taking responsibility for the problem, we're also personally hoping that those affected kept their consoles in squalid conditions. If even small amounts of dust can affect the playability of the Brawl discs, then we're looking at a lot of impatient, unhappy customers in the States come March 9th.[Via Eurogamer]
Rumor: Resident Evil 4 to blame for no Capcom in Brawl
Before the deluge of Super Smash Bros. Brawl information following the Japanese release, we were still all hoping to see Mega Man, Leon Kennedy, or maybe even Ryu appear in the game's sizable roster. Now that the dust has cleared, with no Capcom characters in sight, the only question left to ask is: why?Kotaku has reportedly spoken with insider sources at Nintendo, who claim that the lost exclusivity of Resident Evil 4 caused Nintendo to reconsider the inclusion of Capcom characters in Brawl. RE4 was originally meant to be exclusive to the Gamecube, but concerns over sales led Capcom to release the title on PS2, and later on PC, with additional content.While Nintendo has the right to be peeved about the broken exclusivity agreement, the addition of Capcom's franchises to the Brawl lineup could have only benefited Nintendo, and created more hype for the title (if that's even possible). While we're a bit unsure whether to buy into this rumor, if true then we can only hope that Capcom and Nintendo kiss and make up in time to offer some new characters as downloadable content (hey, we can dream, can't we?).Update: Slight factual error corrected; Capcom announced the PS2 version prior to the release of the Gamecube version. [Thanks, 2bit]
Nintendo teases PAL regions with Brawl release date
While Wii owners in Japan are feverishly playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and everyone in the States is biting their fingernails in anticipation of the March release, we forget our friends in the PAL region, who thus far haven't even been given a firm release date for Nintendo's franchise fighter. Wii Fanboy helps us catch up with all the drama.A few days ago, Nintendo updated the Brawl page of their UK site, posting a release date of June 1st for the game. Once word had gotten out of the posted date, Nintendo quietly removed it, replacing it with the super-helpful time frame of "2008."What's even weirder is Nintendo's denial of the slipped release, claiming the update is likely a mistake as June 1st is a Sunday. Keep in mind that the official Brawl release date in the US is March 9th: a Sunday. So either it's a flimsy excuse for an unannounced release date, or the date really doesn't mean anything. Either way, we'll keep you updated on whether Nintendo ever decides to "set a date" with our PAL pals.
Smash Bros. Brawl shortages imminent
Japan is poised to suffer significant Super Smash Bros. Brawl shortages when the game is officially released on Thursday, reports Game|Life. Nintendo has failed to supply as much as 75% of pre-order units to retailers; likely due to production delays and oversights. Though the shortage would seem to pale in comparison to Wii hardware scarcity, a meager Brawl launch would underscore Nintendo's continued struggle to operate a functional supply chain.Game|Life theorizes that Japan's expected shortages explain Brawl's delay in North America, as it will take until March for Nintendo to manufacture an ample shipment of units for the territory – not to mention, fulfill the rest of Japan's demand. Others speculate that Nintendo is intentionally withholding supply to give its WiFi Connection service a chance to adapt to the inescapable surge of online Brawl players. This isn't the first time Nintendo has been accused of such tactics, and – if someone don't fix that damn supply chain – it won't be the last.
Japanese Brawl intro hints at unannounced characters, looks sweet
With the Japanese release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl only two days away, the deluge of video content has really only just begun. Today, it's the full introductory cinematic to the Japanese version, showing off a mixture of pre-rendered cut-scenes and gameplay footage designed to make us bite our fingernails with anticipation.Surprisingly, the game's intro sequence even reveals a couple of unannounced old favorites returning to the fray. We won't give away any names here, but suffice it to say that a lot of you will be happy. Check out the full intro after the break.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Iwata Asks Sakurai: Volume 4
Another day, another portion of the discussion between Satoru Iwata and Masahiro Sakurai. And today's focus is on the single-player experience in Brawl, which has gotten a lot more love from Sakurai than from those who've worked on previous installments in the franchise.Essentially, he describes the single-player campaign as a completely different experience than that of the tried-and-true multiplayer game, citing differences in both character movement and the "basic game system." On top of that, it will offer players a more fleshed-out and digestible storyline, instead of just tossing the player into a scenario and asking them to complete it.
Rumorang: The 'final' Smash Bros. Brawl roster
Rumors of the final Smash Bros. roster (past the 25 officially announced characters) are nothing new, but with the game's Japanese release nearing, such rumors seem to be reaching a fever pitch. The latest fuel for the fire is the above picture, which purports to show a final roster of 44 characters from the Japanese version of the game. The screen has been floated on a number of sites with varying degrees of credulity -- it was even included at the beginning of a very official-looking GameTrailers video introducing moves for three of the confirmed new characters in the game.So is this the holy grail of Brawl information? As much as we'd like to believe it so, we just can't. For one thing, the background seems to be taken directly from this official image of a much smaller select screen. Everything matches a little too perfectly, from the transparent background image to the floating cursor in the bottom left corner. For another thing, the images many of the "newly revealed" characters are 2D drawings that don't match up well with the 3D renderings for the officially revealed characters. Even for those that are renders, a closely matching source image can usually be found with a quick Google image search, suggesting an overzealous photoshopper.Still, we'd be more than happy to be wrong on this one and to be able to play with this impressive list of Nintendo favorites come March 9. For those who want to cover their ears and hold out a shred of hope, check out a full list of the supposedly "revealed" characters below the jump.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in, whether they believed it or not]
Smash Bros. Brawl to include classic game demos
We'd think that at this point, even the haters have to admit that Super Smash Bros. Brawl sounds like an incredible value. But if you've got friends that are still holding out, we have the news that may put them over the top. It was announced today on the game's official blog that Brawl will ship with demos of classic games from some of the fighters' histories right on the disc.So far, we know you can keep an eye out for samples (or "Masterpieces" as the blog calls them) of Ice Climber, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Kid Icarus, Kirby's Adventure, Super Metroid and Star Fox 64, and there are apparently others hidden on the disc. ... So, is it March 9 yet?How about now?[Thanks, Brock_UK]
Wii, Smash Bros. demo kiosks to hit Japan
Remember way back when Wal-mart was concerned about playable Wii kiosks causing kids to break their arms or knock over expensive electronics (or both)? Apparently Japanese retailers never got over these fears, because up to this point there hasn't been an official, playable Nintendo kiosk to be found in the country. This is about to change, though, as IGN reports that 30 shops nationwide will roll out Smash Bros. Brawl-infused kiosks on Jan. 26, three days before the game's Japanese release.Despite having about a bazillion control schemes, Smash Bros. is notable for not requiring the Wii's trademark waggle in any way shape or form, presumably making it safe for Japanese in-store play. Whether the kiosks will last past the relatively sedentary game (and whether the Smash Bros. demo will come to U.S. Wii kiosks) is still unknown.
Rumor: Super Smash Bros. arriving on VC with Brawl
We, much like our friends at Nintendo Wii Fanboy, don't have a lot of substantiation for this rumor, but we thought we'd pass it along anyway: Nintendo Power has been speculating that Super Smash Bros. will arrive on the Wii's Virtual Console alongside Super Smash Bros. Brawl's March 9 release date. Similar timing was used for Metroid and Super Mario Bros. 3 with Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy respectively.We understand those tie-ins, each of the new games are markedly different from their predecessors, but we have a hard time believing we'll be enjoying Brawl in March and wish that we could play a shittier version. But hey, maybe that's just us.
Three Smash Bros. Brawl characters confirmed?
Courtesy of a new Japanese video for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, we get confirmation that Ness of Earthbound fame will be making his way back into Brawl. Not only that, but popular character Jigglypuff from Pokemon will be making a return to the field of combat as well. Oh, and the fun doesn't stop there as Lucario, from Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, also gets confirmed as a playable character. We just hope that the inclusion of Lucario doesn't mean that Mewtwo is getting the axe.Head past the break for another screen cap from the video confirming Ness is in the game.%Gallery-10206%
It's worth the wait: Smash Bros. Brawl scores 40/40 from Famitsu
The good citizens over at NeoGAF have picked up the latest issue of Famitsu, and revealed that Super Smash Bros. Brawl has garnered a perfect score from the Japanese magazine. Well, at least we now know it'll be worth all the delays.Brawl is only the seventh game in Famitsu history to receive a 40/40. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the first back in 1998, followed by Soul Calibur, Vagrant Story, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Nintendogs, and Final Fantasy XII. Of course, Famitsu's score just represents the opinions of four reviewers, so we'll have to wait for more reviews to come out before we decide whether or not this is worth the purchase (yeah right).[Via Game|Life]
Smash Bros. Brawl delayed: March 9 in US, January 31 in Japan
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Smash_Bros_Brawl_delayed_March_9_in_US_January_31_in_Japan/'; Nintendo of America just sent word that the US version of Smash Bros. Brawl is getting another delay, albeit much shorter than the last one. Instead of February 10, Brawl is now expected to come out one month later on March 9. The reason, according to Nintendo, is that "development is taking slightly longer than expected." The official US Smash Bros site has already been updated to reflect the change, as well as include a brief note of apology.The Japanese SSBB site also notes that Brawl is delayed one week in the region, from January 24 to 31. Europe's release date is still TBA 2008.
Wal-Mart 'ends' $20 Smash Bros. Brawl pre-orders [update]
[Original headline: "Wal-Mart offers $20 Smash Bros. Brawl pre-orders"]We know, we know. This Wal-Mart listing for Super Smash Bros. Brawl pre-orders at the bargain price of $19.82 is almost certainly a technical error. But, if you're going to buy the game anyway, we figure there can't be any harm in putting your name and two sawbucks down. Worse case scenario, your order gets canceled. Best case: You save $30.That said, there is yet a third possibility that's downright mind-blowing. What if this is the actual price? Can you imagine how that would (continue) to move systems? Can you imagine what a sales juggernaut that would be? Sure, the Wii may not need the extra help, but come on, let us have our fantasy until reality brings it crashing down around us, OK?Update 1: Looks like Wal-Mart is running a major pre-order sale, which also includes reduced prices for upcoming Xbox 360 and PS3 titles.Update 2: Super Smash Bros. pre-order price has been changed to $49.82.[Thanks, Dalibor]
Smash Bros. Brawl's Multi-Man gets online co-op
Smash Bros. Melee's Multi-Man mode, which pitted you against tons of wire frame models was a great way to take out your aggressions, especially if a wire frame model had just beaten you out for the big promotion or the WF Gang was picking on you in school. Smash Bros. Brawl's take on the lengthy battle mode looks to be even more satisfying though, with wire frames replaced by the the much more substantial-sounding Fighting Alloy Team.More exciting is the revelation that a buddy will be able to join you in your campaign against the colorful robots from all the way across the country with online co-op. There's also just regular old two-player, for all the Smash Bros. fanatics' real life friends ... Hey, if you don't use a mode long enough, do you think it will actually get dusty?
Pikmin and Captain Olimar join the Smash Bros. Brawl cast
FINALLY, some new and interesting information arrives on the official Smash Bros. Brawl blog, this time announcing Pikmin's Captain Olimar as a playable character. According to the blog, Olimar fights by plucking Pikmin from the ground, and most of his attacks are done indirectly through the adorable little creatures.Olimar brings the number of new characters announced in Brawl up to an even twelve, equal to the number of veteran fighters announced. With everything all neat and tidy, could this be the last announced character for the game before its release? Do we have more secret characters to look forward to once the game is out, or has Nintendo gone and spoiled all the fun? We'll find out soon enough.
