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Brawl Stage of the Week: Galaxy Arena
We wanted something pure today, something easy -- a stage that's just meant for brawling. We didn't need any gimmicks, or any crazy architecture and stage design. Our one prerequisite for this week was to find a stage that was fun to fight on, period.When we came across Galaxy Arena by TwilightRaver, we knew we had found exactly what we were looking for.
Brawl Stage of the Week: Freezer Room
It may not be the prettiest stage we've ever seen, but we found ourselves having a great time while playing in Matt M.'s Freezer Room. We didn't really understand the title at first, as we originally only noticed the little ice platform up top in this very tall stage -- one ice platform does not a "freezer room" make! Once we started brawling, though, we saw the little enclosed area at the bottom with an ice floor, and everything made much more sense. Yet that's only one element of the stage that we enjoyed -- click past the break to see more!
Brawl Stage of the Week: Airborne Arena
Airborne Arena? More like "Sadistic Arena."This stage was submitted by Wii Fanboy reader K2J, who's been busy making lots and lots of Brawl stages. He let us know his favorites, which were the ones we tested out for ourselves. So, why did we end up choosing to feature Airborne Arena? Well, to put it in gamer terms, the stage completely owned us.
Brawl Stage of the Week: Hueco Mundo
This week's stage is by IGN user Tabris_Arkangel, who had a lot of custom levels to choose from. We ended up picking "Heco Mundo" [sic] because 1) it rocks, and 2) when do you ever see a Bleach stage, really? We've featured a lot of stages here, many of them themed. But Bleach? That's not a concept we often come across.
Brawl Stage of the Week: Shy Guy
Any Nintendo fan worth his or her salt should recognize this character. Love him or hate him, we've been seeing Shy Guy make many Mario-related appearances ever since Super Mario Bros. 2. Ironically, he started out as a non-Mario character in Doki Doki Panic, but the conversion of the game in the West was enough to solidify his place as a popular enemy (or sports player) in many a Mario title.But, that's enough Shy Guy history for now. Check past the break to download this stage by TheDarkPlumber2.0.
Brawl Stage of the Week: The Colosseum
During the days of the Roman Empire, the Colosseum was a place where many would spectate gladiatorial contests. These contests were usually gory and brutal, and the gladiators had to face daunting challenges. It's for the best that such barbarisms were put to an end in real life, but we're glad we can try entering the ring ourselves in this new Smash Bros. Brawl stage by Ryan E.In Rome, the Colosseum is also known as an architectural masterpiece. Building a stage upon such ideals has a lot to live up to, but luckily, this one delivers. So, click on past the break if you want to download or find out more about this level.
Cinemassively: Stage
Before Robbie Dingo was ever an artist in residence or brought paintings to life in Second Life, he was known as the machinimator that made us cry. With works like Better Life and Stage, he set the tone for deeply emotional machinima. With Stage in particular, he showed the relationship between a father and a son as time passed on. He illustrated this with a train set and a piano. Robbie proves that you don't need a complicated storyline to evoke a response.If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.
Brawl Stage of the Week: Spear TWMX
If you've been completing your events like a good little boy or girl, you've probably unlocked the Spear Pillar stage. The layout in this stage is simple, but effective, and it stands out as one of our favorites. Yet, there are just a few, teeny obstacles that may get in your way -- like, say, some badass, legendary pokémon.Do you love Spear Pillar, but are tired of getting your butt kicked by Dialga, Palkia, or Cresselia? Would you rather the stage be about straight-up brawling? Then you should check out McBey's Spear TWMX after the break.
Brawl Stage of the Week: Classic DK
This week we're featuring another classically themed stage, as the thought of creating retro levels on Brawl seems to fuel stage submissions. This one in particular is an interpretation of the original Donkey Kong arcade game, in which Mario made his first appearance as Jumpman.Unfortunately, Donkey Kong won't be throwing barrels at you and there are no princesses that need saving. However, if you want a fun brawl on a nostalgia-inducing stage, check out "Classic DK" by blu_j.
Brawl Stage of the Week: Metroid revisited
This week we were feeling nostalgic, and nobody's stages sate such cravings as well as Anthony's do. Therefore, we decided to go with another one of his creations. Simply titled "Metroid," this level recreates the look and feel of one our favorite NES classics. In this side-by-side comparison, you can see how well Anthony captured the essence of the original Metroid.
Brawl Stage of the Week: Another Castle
The stage we picked this week is called "Another Castle," made by Wii Fanboy reader Logan C. Oldschool Mario fans, take note of the stage's name -- it's a reference. But even if you don't find any princesses here, you can at least find a fun Brawl experience. Just read on past the break to download the castle and learn more about it.
Brawl Stage of the Week: It's Tetris time
Last week we mentioned that we wanted to feature a DS-related stage. Reader Chris stepped up and sent us two Tetris levels, one of which we chose to feature.Called "Sziltoj 2," this stage is meant to represent "a Tetris game in progress," according to Chris. Considering the limited amount of tools that you're given in the stage builder, we think he pulled this off pretty well. Come check out how after the break!
Brawl Stage of the Week: The Web
Welcome to Nintendo Wii Fanboy's Brawl Stage of the Week feature, in which we showcase some of our favorite Smash Bros. Brawl stages. We'll have some themed weeks, some contest weeks, and some "whatever we damn well please" weeks to help you keep your Brawl experience fresh. This week we're featuring a completely original stage, made by SoshiKitai. Called "The Web," Soshi considers this one his masterpiece -- and we can see why. The picture doesn't really translate how fun and crazy this stage actually is. In fact, "The Web" is so massive that not even the warp star trick can fully capture it. Luckily, you can experience it for yourself by downloading it here, but check on after the break for some more details on the stage and instructions on how to play it.
Brawl Stage of the Week: Super Mario World
Welcome to Nintendo Wii Fanboy's "Stage of the Week" feature, in which we showcase some of our favorite Smash Bros. Brawl stages. We'll have some themed weeks, some contest weeks, and some "whatever we damn well please" weeks to help you freshen up your Brawl experience.This week's featured Brawl stage offers a generous serving of nostalgia. Although we're sure it won't be the last classic game scene that we'll showcase here, we chose this as the first because of the creativity and execution that went into it. We're not sure where the very talented Anthony got the idea to recreate Yoshi's House from Super Mario World, but it looks absolutely smashing.Not only that, but the stage is also fun to play on. It seems simple enough, but the multiple platforms and tiers add some variety and depth. You don't have to take our word for it, though, since you can download it for yourselves here. (Instructions for playing on the stage are located after the break!)If you want to see one of your favorite fan-made stages (or one of your own creations!) featured here, be sure to email it as an attachment to smashsubs@nintendowiifanboy.com. From the hard, to the ridiculous, to the incredibly awesome, to the even more ridiculous, we want to see them all!Note: Sorry for the noticeable photoshopping -- unfortunately, the Brawl camera doesn't allow you to take big enough pictures. Image credit: Anthony's site.%Gallery-20570%
Bangai-O stage contest and some backhanded encouragement
If you happen to have a Japanese copy of Bangai-O Spirits, or if, like us, you just like the idea of more free stages being available, then you'll be interested in the Bangai-O Spirits original stage contest being held at the website right now. Well, mostly if you want new stages. With real prizes on the line, like a Wii, a 50,000 yen prepaid debit card, and an iPod nano (not to mention the original t-shirt given away with each prize, which we're dying to see), we're sure it's open to residents of Japan only. Entrants are instructed to submit a replay along with their stages, to show how to get through them. Treasure must expect extreme creativity!As if to boost the confidence of amateur stage designers, the latest set of free stages, from Continue magazine, are way lame -- like "Counter" here. That shouldn't be so hard to beat![From the intro page, click on the white, moving box to access the contest page.]
Brawl Stage of the Week: Joystiq edition
Welcome to Nintendo Wii Fanboy's "Stage of the Week" feature, in which we showcase some of our favorite Smash Bros. Brawl stages. We'll have some themed weeks, some contest weeks, and some "whatever we damn well please" weeks to help you freshen up your Brawl experience.Before you ask, the answer is no -- we're not going to propose to you. We're in love with ourselves too much to do anything like that, which is why the stage we're showcasing this week is all about narcissism. If you look closely at the stage pictured above, you can see that it spells out the name of our mother site, Joystiq. Now, that's not to say we picked this stage because we'd be totally fired if we didn't (just play along, folks). Yet, despite our evil Joystiq overlords, we just love the idea of our favorite gaming blog (besides this one and this one) invading our brawls.Awesome name-in-the-stage stuff aside, though, the level is pretty basic. There are a few falling boxes and moving platforms, but nothing that you Smash Bros. pros couldn't handle. Still, we have to give credit to James Ransom-Wiley for creating this amazing display of self love. To try out the stage for yourself, just download it here. Once you've done that, you can check out our instructions (posted after the break) if you need help playing it on your Wii.Of course, this is just week one, and there will be many more stage features to come. We'd very much like to see some of your contributions and suggestions, so send them in to smashsubs@nintendowiifanboy.com. From the hard, to the ridiculous, to the incredibly awesome, to the even more ridiculous, make sure to show us your favorites (and your own creations)!%Gallery-20570%
More Japanese publications get Bangai-O Spirits stages
Two more Bangai-O Spirits custom stages are available on the official Japanese homepage, representing two more Japanese game media outlets. The Gemaga stage (pictured) is in the form of the site's mascot, Liruru (or Rilulu, or -- you get the idea). The ITMedia stage is made in the image of the site's logo. Who do we have to talk to to get our own Bangai-O Spirits stage?Even more awesome than logos and mascots (it's possible!) is this stage made by NeoGAFfer Lee_N, which replicates Area 1 of the NES Bionic Commando. If you don't think that's completely, insanely amazing, get the heck out of here, you nerd!
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Dojo update: Flipping out
Today's dojo update introduces yet another Metroid stage. This time, though, instead of having Ridley terrify you in the background, that pleasure is given to (dun dun dunnnnnn) the Parasite Queen. You may find the Frigate Orpheon stage to be vaguely familiar, as it's one of the spaceships that Samus infiltrates in Metroid Prime. Of course, something is bound to go wrong, like, say, the stage flipping over on you. After a siren sounds (well, at least there's a warning), you'd best prepare to have everything invert on you, since the stage will flip a full 180 degrees. With some caution and good strategy, the flip can be a nice way to pick off a scrambling enemy.Also added today was Porky's theme from Mother 3. We think that this militaristic tune is a nice fit when it comes to beating up some folk, but maybe that's just us.%Gallery-10206%%Gallery-6869%Read: Frigate OrpheonRead: Porky's theme
Cinemassively: Mask
Robbie Dingo has done it again! Last month, he put out a call for picture submissions for an unnamed Machinima. He finally released the finished project today, a piece titled Mask. Using Second Life avatars, he effectively blended one person into the next, for over 100 people.One of the things I've always loved about Robbie's work is that he thinks outside of the box. Instead of producing standard corporate fluff, he engages residents with tales of the handicapped using SL to fly, fathers spending time with their children, and paintings coming to life. Mask is no exception.[Thanks, Johnnie!]
Open source protestor crashes Bill Gates' speech in China
We've certainly seen a variety of crashings go down on stage, but a determined protester and undeterred advocate for open source software rudely (albeit humorously) interrupted Bill Gates' speech at Peking University in Beijing, China. Gates, who was speaking on the topic of Innovation in China's future and receiving (yet another) honorary manager title, had his after-party all shook up by an off-kilter open source proponent who reportedly darted across the stage, "loudly shouted against Microsoft's monopoly," proudly displayed a sign of "Free software, open source," and was promptly "tackled by security and removed for questioning." It was suggested that the culprit may have been a member of the Linux Professional Institute, and while we're not exactly sure if Michael Dell would've shown any forgiveness, feel free click on through for a closeup of the sign and the unfortunate aftermath.[Via SeattlePI, thanks Ralf]Update: Reader Shawn W sent in a video of the proceedings! Check it out after the break.
