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'Y can't Metroid crawl?' Smash Bros. has the answer
If you ever found yourself wondering why Metroid's Samus can't crawl, Nintendo has issued an explanation: because she doesn't need to. The above screenshot from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (via @Electivirus) references an infamous Miiverse post from a player confused by the first hour of Super Metroid. Skipping out on the Morph Ball power-up led some to question how to navigate an early passageway, and many (presumably younger) players took to Miiverse to vent their frustrations following Super Metroid's Wii U Virtual Console release. The phrasing of this particular question was pretty much perfect, though, instantly solidifying its meme status. Nice work, Nintendo. We see what you did there. [Image: Nintendo / @Electivirus]
FIFA 15 holds off Mordor, Forza, Smash in this week's UK charts
FIFA 15 survived a three-way attack to score a second week as the UK No. 1, despite a 70 percent drop in sales. EA's soccer sim shimmied its way past multiplatform action-RPG Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Xbox-only racer Forza Horizon 2 and porta-brawler Super Smash Bros 3DS, placing second, third and fourth respectively. While the trio of new releases couldn't topple the UK's love of FIFA (and let's face it, few can), they did do enough to outplace Bungie shooter Destiny, which dropped from second to fifth in its fourth week on sale. Minus the PS4 retail edition of Minecraft (which UK databod Chart Track denotes as another platform for Minecraft: PlayStation Edition), the other new release in the top 40 was Crimes & Punishments: Sherlock Holmes in 27th. Finally, while Chart Track tends to hold back specific sales figures, it did release some interesting platform differentials for a few of this week's big hitters. For example, the Shadow of Mordor split is 56 percent PS4, 41 percent Xbox One and 3 percent PC (that doesn't include download sales), while Forza Horizon 2 geared in with a 73:27 ratio between Xbox One and Xbox 360. As ever, the full top ten and increasingly traditional music video are below the break.
Tell us your secret characters, new Super Smash Bros. screens
Anyone hoping to avoid spoilers regarding the character roster for Super Smash Bros. should calmly exit the internet now. Nintendo has updated the official Super Smash Bros. website with a section dedicated to secret characters, and posted a slew of screenshots showing them in action on both the Wii U and 3DS versions. Abandon all hope, ye who proceed to the next paragraph: here there be spoilers. According to the updated page, it looks like we can expect to see some old favorites returning to smash it up and duke it out. Ness from EarthBound, Falco from the Star Fox series and Wario from ... uh, our nightmares(?) will appear in Super Smash Bros. when it comes to Wii U. You check out a gallery of the trio trading blows below. Of course, if you've picked up a copy of the excellent Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, these probably don't come as much of a surprise. Even if you haven't already unlocked them yourself, Japanese players began showing off the recently-announced fighters (and plenty others) last month. [Image: Nintendo]
New Nintendo eShop releases: Super Smash Bros, Dracula X
It's time, once again, for Nintendo's pantheon to beat the ever-loving snot out of itself. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS headlines this week's Nintendo eShop update, arriving tomorrow with a cast of familiar favorites and eager newcomers. Smashers can currently download the game's free version 1.02 update from the Nintendo eShop in advance of tomorrow's release. Also hitting the eShop this week is a Wii U Virtual Console port of Konami's Super NES platformer Castlevania: Dracula X. Note that this isn't the version of Dracula X that many hold in high regard; the SNES version is a compromised reworking of the PC Engine classic Dracula X: Rondo of Blood. Konami has more Castlevania in store for the month of October, announcing that the Game Boy Advance series entries Castlevania: Circle of the Moon and Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance will hit the Wii U on October 9 and October 16, respectively. Other games premiering this week include the anime-based 3DS fighting game Tenkai Knights: Brave Battle, edutainment release Red Riding Hood, and EnjoyUp's Wii U dodge-'em-up 99Seconds. A full list of this week's eShop releases is after the break. [Image: Nintendo]
Sakurai: Zelda, Sheik couldn't be one Smash Bros. fighter on 3DS
Character transformations in this year's Super Smash Bros. were nixed due to Nintendo 3DS hardware limitations, director Masahiro Sakurai told Famitsu this week (via Siliconera). Previous series entries featured characters that could switch outfits mid-battle; Zelda could turn into Sheik, for instance, and Samus could shed her armor and fight as Zero Suit Samus. In the latest sequel, however, Zelda and Sheik are only available as separate characters. "It's basically due to the 3DS' limitations," Sakurai said. "It was impossible to have both characters exist together [as one] on 3DS." "However," Sakurai continued, "reaching that limit can sometimes lead in good directions. Transforming characters had the drawback of ambiguous tactics and such, and I believe that they have become more fresh now." Former Smash Bros. brawlers Popo and Nana were also cut from this year's game due to hardware restrictions, as Sakurai found that the Nintendo 3DS was incapable of rendering both Ice Climbers at once in multiplayer battles. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS premieres this Thursday in North America, and a Wii U version is due out this winter. [Image: Nintendo]
3DS mod adds smashing GameCube controller support
With the launch of the exceptional Super Smash Bros. for 3DS looming, some might still be miffed that the game won't support the Circle Pad Pro add-on. Though the game will make use of the new 3DS and 3DS XL's C-stick, some may want a separate controller entirely for optimized Smash Bros. usage. A new 3DS mod introduced late last week does just that, giving players the ability to play any 3DS game with a GameCube controller. The hardware hack is courtesy of dekuNukem, the same modder that delivered an automatic shiny Pokemon finder mod last year. According to the demonstration video seen after the break, those looking to dust off their GameCube controllers for the mod will spend roughly $12 for the parts needed, which include a handful of resistors, a circuit board and an LCD screen from a Nokia phone. The screen offers a visual aid so players can change button configurations from the controller itself. DekuNukem doesn't have a full detailed list of instructions for the mod yet, which results in an empty circuit board on the bottom side of your still-functional 3DS, but they are accepting a few send-in modification requests. [Image: dekuNukem, YouTube]
Joystiq Weekly: Destiny's loot cave, Shadow of Mordor review, building narratives and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. Season passes that add content to separately-sold video games that also offer bundled in video games? Ubisoft's dollop of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China on top of this year's double-portion of Assassin's Creed is interesting, both due to being bundled in a season pass and its sidescrolling platformer nature. We're already looking forward to when season passes include trilogy HD remasters, which will in turn include their own season passes, complete with spinoff-pack ins. Everything is connected, you see. There was a lot more to this week than alternative business strategies though. Have you heard of a little series called Super Smash Bros.? What about Lord of the Rings? We've got reviews of the latest (interactive) installments in both, as well as news of Destiny's loot cave, features on developing narratives and what developers and YouTubers think of Steam Curators. They're all joined by many other stories, waiting for you after the break!
Super Smash Bros. 3DS review: Only the strong
It may not be the undisputed industry leader these days, and Nintendo currently faces stronger competition than it ever has, but one thing you can't take away from the Japanese gaming giant is its wealth of iconic, beloved characters. From Mario to Link to Donkey Kong (and on through another few dozen familiar names), Nintendo is responsible for the majority of gaming's most famous faces. In hindsight, the idea to combine them all into one massive fighting game nostalgia bomb was sublime genius, and the Super Smash Bros. games have been among Nintendo's most popular releases on each console they've reached. It doesn't hurt that the games have all been solidly constructed from a combination of unique fighting game mechanics and spot-on controls, but let's be frank, people are buying these games because they're the best way to punch Pikachu in his cute, smug little face. That all might change with the latest entry in the series, however. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (that's the full title) is as much a trip down Nintendo's memory lane as any of its predecessors, but there's more meat here than in prior games. More to see, more to do, and all of it is built on the most solid fundamentals the series has yet seen. But is all of that enough to survive the franchise's first jump to a portable system? And what of the new online components, which have been a key failing of prior Super Smash Bros. games? Nintendo, along with development partners Namco and Sora, seems pretty confident, and the more time I spend with Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, the more I see why.
Super Smash Bros 3DS tourney in US GameStop stores
Nintendo is hosting a Super Smash Bros 3DS tournament at GameStop stores across the United States on October 4, the day after the game launches. Tournaments will be held at 16 stores across the country, including 15 GameStop locations in California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, Washington, Florida, Georgia and Texas, plus the Nintendo World store in New York. "Participants for the 64-player local tournaments on October 4 are selected on a first-come, first-served basis with no pre-registration required," Nintendo says in a press release. "Participants may bring their own Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo 2DS systems and/or Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS games to the tournaments, but are not required to do so." Tournament winners will be flown out to the New York Nintendo World store on October 11 to compete in the Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS National Open Tournament. See the full list of GameStop stores hosting tournaments on October 4 in the press release below. [Image: Nintendo]
New 3DS reaches Australia, New Zealand in November
When Nintendo first revealed new versions of the 3DS and 3DS XL handhelds last month it was unclear if the device would be released globally or if it would be exclusive to Japan. Thanks to a new Nintendo Direct, we now have an answer. Below the break you'll find what Tom Enoki, managing director of Nintendo Australia, describes as the "first Australian Nintendo Direct" video. The nearly 15-minute clip focuses on a number of upcoming 3DS games - Super Smash Bros. in particular - and also reveals word that the new model will launch in Australia and New Zealand on November 21. The 3DS will bear a price of $220AUD while the 3DS XL is priced at $250AUD. That's great news for people living in those regions, but it also suggests that the new 3DS models may be coming to Europe and North America as well. If nothing else, those regions offer Nintendo far more potential sales than the gaming giant would see by launching exclusively in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. [Image: Nintendo]
A trio of Super Smash Bros. TV ads settle everyday disputes
Someone on Twitter once told the internet a story that is slightly related to these three Super Smash Bros. 3DS television ads, so we'll paraphrase it here: This person was playing Pokemon X PVP on the bus, against someone else also on the bus. The storyteller defeated the opponent just as the bus stopped and its doors opened so people could disembark. As passengers began to shuffle out, someone shouted "GG" and disappeared into the crowd. Life sure is strange when online-only terminology makes its way out of the screen. Nintendo thinks it's pretty cool when this happens, if its new round of "Settle it in Smash" Super Smash Bros. ads are anything to go by. See all three below. [Image: Nintendo]
New Smash Bros. feature boosts damaged players' knockback power
Super Smash Bros. has a concept quite different from most fighting games; rather than trying to deplete an enemy's life bar, you're out to increase their damage percentage and send them flying off the screen. The higher an enemy's damage percentage, the further they fly. And so it has been for generations. In Smash Bros. on 3DS however, the attacker's damage percentage factors in too - the more damage you have when you hit your foe, the further they'll get knocked back (or up, or down, or sideways). It's unknown if the feature is something unique to the 3DS version of the game. Just to be super clear here, this does not mean that the higher an attacker's damage, the more damage they'll do. The effect seems limited to knockback only. CLASH Tournaments, a Smash Bros. fan group, refers to it as "The Rage Effect." You can check out a video showing the new mechanic in action after the break.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Curtain Call, Smash 3DS Demo
Sure, there are a few new releases on Wii U, but this week the eShop's really all about the 3DS. For starters, if you've yet to grab a code for the Super Smash Bros. demo, the good news is it'll be available for all starting 9AM PT/midday ET tomorrow, September 19. The demo includes Mario, Link, Pikachu, the Villager and Mega Man (where's my Wii Fit Trainer dangit!) and a single stage, namely Battlefield. Other things to note: The demo supports local multiplayer but not online, its save data isn't compatible with the full game, and like other eShop demos you can only open it 30 times. If you'd rather wait it out, the game proper hits stores on October 3. If you're more a lover than a fighter, there are plenty of other activities to explore on the go. Musical types can take on Theatrhyhtm Final Fantasy Curtain Call, which Danny Cowan said "easily surpasses its predecessor" in our review, and there are fishing RPG (yup) and culinary larks in Legend of the River King 2 and Cooking Mama 5. River King dev Natsume has another Virtual Console game this week in arcade-style western shooter Wild Guns, available on Wii U. As ever and ever, the full list of new releases is below the break. Also, the pre-Smash sale is still ongoing - check out this weeks offering - and you can find all the other offers here.
Ice Climbers won't be in the new Smash Bros, and here's why
Fans of the Nintendo Entertainment System launch title Ice Climber (yes, they exist) may be disappointed to learn that stars Popo and Nana will not return for the latest entry in the Super Smash Bros. series, due out this year for the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS. In a recent issue of Famitsu, Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai revealed that the pair's absence was due to technical limitations, rather than any ill will aimed at Ice Climber. Sakurai notes, via a Nintendo Everything translation, that the Ice Climbers were up and running in the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros, but the 3DS lacked the hardware horsepower to render the team, making a roster cut necessary. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Melee, players controlled both Popo and Nana simultaneously, requiring hardware capable of rendering eight playable characters at once in the event that all four players chose the Ice Climbers. As consolation, players can look forward to a similar retro-inspired team making its debut in Super Smash Bros. No, it's not Balloon Fight's heroes, sadly, nor is it a pair of whatever-they-ares from Clu Clu Land. You get one more guess. [Image: Nintendo]
Super Smash Bros. 3DS tops a million during first week in Japan
Everyone's doing the Smash in Japan, where Nintendo's brand-spanning brawler is past one million sales just on 3DS. After launching Super Smash Bros for the handheld on September 13, Nintendo announced sales (including download ones) surpassed the seven-figure mark during the game's first week on retail shelves. According to Nintendo, the other 3DS games to achieve the same feat are Pokemon X and Y, Monster Hunter 4 and Yokai Watch 2. Not that it's been the smoothest launch ever, though. First there were the leaks of the roster ahead of time, then Nintendo had to apologize after mistakenly banning players who'd fallen foul of a bug. Still, it looks like a strong start for Smash 3DS ahead of its Western launch on October 3, which'll followed by the Wii U version sometime this holiday. [Image: Nintendo]
Japanese Super Smash Bros. players mistakenly banned for using Peach online
Princess Peach fans in Japan got a rude surprise this week, as Nintendo mistakenly banned a swath of Super Smash Bros. 3DS players due to purported cheating, Kotaku reports. The ban affects players who used Princess Peach in Super Smash Bros' "For Glory" online multiplayer mode, which forbids item use during matches. Due to a bug, however, Princess Peach is able to pluck turnips and throw them at opponents, circumventing the restriction. Nintendo subsequently banned a large number of Princess Peach players from using the game's online features after the bug was discovered, regardless of whether they used the cheat or not. The bans are temporary, but many were handed out mistakenly, leading Nintendo to issue an apology afterward. Nintendo is currently working on a fix for the issue, and a patch should be ready by next week. [Image: Nintendo]
Report: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U to be released November 21
A photo of a pre-order card for the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros., supposedly from retail store Fred Meyer, has allegedly pegged the date that Nintendo's brawler will arrive in North America as November 21. Twitter user BluesDriveBuster shared the photo last evening, accompanied by text reading, "Official Smash WiiU release." It should be noted however, that this is not an official release date, at least not one formally announced by Nintendo; we've yet to hear such a date from the big N itself. Even the pre-order card states that the release date supposedly printed on the label is subject to change. Still, considering that Nintendo hasn't yet backed off of its previously-announced "winter 2014" release window and that November 21 is a Friday - a day of the week which Nintendo is fond of releasing major games on - there's enough substance here to make this supposed leak at least somewhat believable. Not enough that you should take it at face value of course, but enough that it's worth acknowledging. [Image: BluesDriveBuster]
Report: Super Smash Bros Wii U playable via 3DS connection
The Wii U doesn't typically support remote play with the 3DS like the PlayStation 4 does with its handheld cousin the PlayStation Vita, but Smash-ing times call for Smash-ing measures. After spending some time with a preview build, GameSpot reports that the Nintendo 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. features a menu that claims the device will work as a controller when playing the Wii U version of the game. If the menu is accurate and remains in the final version of Smash, it also looks like you'll be able to transfer your characters' progress from the 3DS to Wii U. Lest you think people are reading too much into things, the menu reportedly reads: "Connect to a Wii U - You can exchange custom fighters or use your Nintendo 3DS as a Wii U controller." Not a whole lot of room for misinterpretation there, but we'll find out for sure when Super Smash Bros. comes to 3DS on October 3 and Wii U on ... uh ... hey Nintendo, just when is the Wii U version coming out, anyway? [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo streaming Super Smash Bros. for 3DS today, US demo imminent
Nintendo is hosting an official stream showcasing gameplay from its 3DS mascot brawler Super Smash Bros. starting at 1 p.m. PST today, giving an early look at the finished product prior to its North American launch on October 3. Super Smash Bros. hits store shelves in Japan this week, and a number of fan streams have already revealed its full roster. Nintendo is also offering weekly eShop sales highlighting games that feature its Smash Bros. stars. Nintendo is also launching a demo version of Super Smash Bros. in North America today for Club Nintendo Platinum members. Eligible players will receive an e-mail with download instructions once the trial is available. All 3DS owners will get access to the demo on September 19. [Image: Nintendo]
Fantasy Life, Captain Toad to feature in Nintendo's livestream
While more than half of Nintendo upcoming "gameplay" live-stream is just for the 3DS Super Smash Bros, the company's also giving some lower-profile games their time in the limelight. The eight-hour broadcast starts at 10AM PT (1PM ET) tomorrow, with Smash 3DS going on the air at 1PM PT (4PM ET). The games starring in the first three hours include Bayonetta 2 and Hyrule Warriors, a duo Nintendo's already provided individual Directs for, but also three less high-profile games in Fantasy Life, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and Ultimate NES Remix.
