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Japanese streamers revealing Super Smash Bros. roster early
Japanese players who've got hold of Super Smash Bros. early are determined to reveal the last bunch of characters Nintendo's been holding back. Several yet-to-be confirmed characters have emerged on streams from Japan today, including a few we suspected from earlier leaks. So far, Twitch users have revealed Duck Hunt Dog, Ganondorf, Wario, Dr Mario, Dark Pit, Ness, Falco and Mr Game & Watch in the 3DS fighter. Nintendo's yet to officially confirm those characters, but they now seem likely to show up in tomorrow's NicoNico broadcast ahead of the handheld game's launch in Japan on Saturday, September 13.
Nintendo lines up 8-hour gameplay stream, including Smash 3DS
Nintendo continues its holiday push with an 8-hour "gameplay" stream this week that's set to feature among others the handheld Super Smash Bros. The House of Mario is broadcasting from its American headquarters this Friday, September 12, though it didn't give specific times to tune in. Nintendo said it'll first "be covering some upcoming games" for Wii U and 3DS before getting into gameplay, but it coyly kept what those other games are beneath its cap. It's hard to know if we can expect a Direct-like slew of announcements or not, but it's safer to say there'll be more Smash info, simply because the game's almost out. The 3DS Smash launches in Japan on Saturday, September 13, and over there NicoNico is preparing its own Smash broadcast, also scheduled for this Friday (3AM PT/6AM ET/11AM UK). So, if there is any news left - and supposedly leaked character videos suggest there is - now's the time, though that info may arrive earlier in the day during NicoNico's broadcast
Super Smash Bros. supports new 3DS C-stick, not Circle Pad Pro
The portable version of Super Smash Bros. will not support the Circle Pad Pro accessory for 3DS, according to a support page on Nintendo of Japan's website, as translated by NeoGAF. With the recent announcement of a new 3DS and 3DS XL, the upcoming entry in the Super Smash Bros. series will reportedly favor the new devices' use of extra shoulder buttons and C-stick as opposed to the accessory that added a second circle pad and shoulder buttons to existing 3DS systems. This implies that players using a traditional 3DS or 3DS XL will be locked to using controls specific to those consoles without the extra buttons and joystick. The game will launch prior to the new hardware; Super Smash Bros. for 3DS is due out September 13 in Japan and October 3 in North America. The revised systems, which will be region-locked, will launch October 11 in Japan and won't make the calendar year in the west. The other version of the game for Wii U will arrive this holiday season. We've reached out to Nintendo to confirm the 3DS version's lack of support for the Circle Pad Pro and will update as we learn more. [Image: Nintendo]
Rumor: Wal-mart flier features Smash Bros. 3DS XL
Americans might not have to glare jealously across the Atlantic when Nintendo of Europe releases a special 3DS XL bundle alongside Super Smash Bros.: A supposed scan of a Wal-Mart flier has been posted to NeoGAF (not shown above, click through to see), which features Europe's red Smash 3DS XL beside a blue counterpart. With no mention of an included Smash download like the European bundle, the flier prices both red and blue versions at $199.96 and features a "Get it First!" logo that dates the hardware for September 19. If you're particular about your special edition handhelds, the Japanese Smash 3DS XL swaps the series' name for a larger, lighter Smash Ball logo. Regardless of your 3DS XL preference, even if the special edition reaches the States, you'd still need to decide whether you're holding off for the new, Xenoblade-compatible 3DS and 3DS XL models. [Image: NeoGAF/Wal-Mart]
Nintendo discounts eShop games starring Smash Bros fighters
With a new Super Smash Bros. entry on the horizon, Nintendo has announced a number of discounts on eShop digital games starring the various iconic characters of the publisher's flagship mascot fighter. According to a new eShop page, the "Super Smashing Sale" offers discounts of up to 33 percent on "some of the games that helped make your favorite fighters famous," as Nintendo puts it. Though the sale itself will run through October 2, the deals on offer rotate every week. This week the featured Smash Bros. characters include Mario, Bowser, Peach, Yoshi, Rosalina, Luigi and Little Mac, and the games on discount include the Wii U's Virtual Console release of Super Mario Bros. 3 (reduced from $5 to $3.49) and the 3DS' Super Mario 3D Land, which was originally $30 and is now only $20. For a full listing of current discounts, visit the Nintendo eShop. If you can't find anything you like at the moment, the page also lists the upcoming discounts to follow throughout the remainder of September. [Image: Nintendo]
Buy Smash Bros. 3DS, Wii U, earn epic public entrances
After Super Smash Bros. launches on 3DS, you can walk along to your personal anthem from its soundtrack. If you're lucky enough, your song might land on the dual-disc sampling offered to Club Nintendo members, which would ensure you'd have a copy to lend audio personnel whenever a triumphant public entrance is needed. In order to get the soundtrack selection seen above, fans in North America and Europe will need to register codes from both the 3DS and Wii U versions of Smash on their Club Nintendo account. A track list and estimated release date are currently unknown, but the NA Club Nintendo page fittingly teases that further details are still coming. [Image: Nintendo]
Soak up five minutes of Japanese Smash Bros 3DS footage
Though the commentary accompanying the above gameplay footage from the handheld Super Smash Bros. will only be understood by those who speak Japanese, the international language of an Italian plumber uppercutting a giant turtle monster speaks to all of humanity. [Image: Nintendo]
Nintendo reveals first Amiibo figures and prices, but no release date
Nintendo revealed an initial line up of Amiibo toys on Thursday. The near-field communication-equipped action figures compatible with Nintendo Wii U and 3DS games like Super Smash Bros. will cost $12.99 each when they launch, but Nintendo has yet to announce an official release date for the line beyond 2014. The first wave includes 12 figures, among them many that were initially unveiled at E3 2014. Metroid's Samus, The Legend of Zelda's Link, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, Pikachu, the Animal Crossing boy villager, and Super Mario Bros.' Mario, Princess Peach, and Yoshi populate the line. There are also figures of Marth from the Fire Emblem series and the Wii Fit trainer. Some figures shown in prototype form at E3 2014, including Princess Zelda and Kid Icarus, are not included in the first wave. While Nintendo still hasn't confirmed a release date for its Amiibo, it did announce additional games that will support the figures, including Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Yoshi's Wooly World, Mario Party 10, and Mario Kart 8. Show full PR text SUPER SMASH BROS., AMIIBO, POKÉMON AND NEW HARDWARE BUNDLES STAR IN NINTENDO'S HOLIDAY LINEUP Pre-Orders for First 12 amiibo Figures Kick off Nintendo's Holiday Season REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 29, 2014 – Nintendo has prepared a massive lineup of new games and products for the 2014 holiday season. The lineup includes new entries from some of the biggest franchises in gaming, new hardware bundles for Wii U and Nintendo 2DS, and new amiibo interactive figures featuring some of the most iconic characters in the world of video games. The holiday shopping season begins today for Nintendo fans, as the first 12 amiibo interactive figures become available for pre-order at a suggested retail price of just $12.99 each. The first dozen characters available for pre-order at select retailers are Mario, Peach, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, Kirby, Fox, Marth, Villager and Wii Fit Trainer, with more on the way in the future. "Nintendo's holiday offerings demonstrate a combination of fun franchises and great value," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "With Wii U and Nintendo 2DS hardware bundles, classic names like Super Smash Bros., Bayonetta and Pokémon, new IP like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and amiibo, everyone will find something to love about Nintendo this holiday season. Whether people are shopping for themselves or they're prepping their gift lists, Nintendo has them covered." Interactive amiibo Figures: Nintendo's foray into the toys-to-life category starts today, with the first 12 amiibo figures available to pre-order from select retailers. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, which launches this holiday season, will be the first game with full integration of amiibo functionality. Other games that will support amiibo include Mario Kart 8, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Mario Party 10 and Yoshi's Woolly World, with more to come. More details on amiibo functionality with the various games and a launch date will be revealed shortly.
Xenoblade's Shulk confirmed for Super Smash Bros.
Xenoblade Chronicles hero Shulk was confirmed for Super Smash Bros. this morning in Japan's Nintendo Direct, giving more credence to the alleged leaked images and videos showing Bowser Jr and the Duck Hunt dog as part of the fighter's roster. Check out Shulk's reveal trailer below the break
Rumor: Super Smash Bros videos show Bowser Jr, Shulk, Duck Hunt Dog [Update: Videos pulled]
Update: The videos have been removed from YouTube, though you can still see snippets of them in GIF format on the NeoGAF post linked below. If rumors are to be believed, we're not even close to seeing the final roster of Super Smash Bros. Several images and videos of Nintendo's upcoming mascot brawler have surfaced (handily collected on NeoGAF), showcasing lots of new characters. Among these are King Koopa's bandana'd progeny, Bowser Jr, Xenoblade protagonist Shulk and ... the dog from Duck Hunt. In the videos, Bowser Jr is seen piloting a tiny version of his father's iconic flying machine, while Shulk seems to have a few things in common with fellow sword-swingers Roy and Marth. There's no video of the Duck Hunt dog, sadly, but if his appearance turns out to be true: best ... taunt ... ever. Of course, we have to point out that talented modders have been squeezing new characters into Smash Bros Brawl for years – everything from Master Chief to Cloud Strife – so we suggest a smashing serving of salt to go along with all of this. See the videos after the break.
Jam to Smash Bros. 3DS tracks on the go in Sleep Mode
After Super Smash Bros. Brawl's extensive, impressive recollection of Nintendo's musical heights, Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and 3DS has a lot to live up to. If the incoming soundtrack resembles the quality of its predecessor, the 3DS version could be a prime opportunity to revisit incessantly-catchy stage themes on the go. The Smash Bros. team is apparently thinking the same thing, as Director Masahiro Sakurai's explains that Smash Bros. 3DS will have a "Play in Sleep Mode" option in its playback mode. Once activated, players can listen to tracks and character voices with their 3DS closed, using the L and R buttons to navigate a playlist. Sakurai also noted that tracks displayed with a pink remix label (seen above) were freshly composed for this version of Smash Bros., whereas songs with white remix labels are encores from previous soundtracks. We can't start unlocking Smash's full playlist until October 3, but at least the official site offers a few samples and a list of contributing musicians. [Image: Nintendo]
Gamescom Awards evolve, favor 2K's monstrous game
The votes are in, and the winner of the Gamescom 2014 Awards is ... *drumroll* Oh, you saw the headline and figured out the pun already? Well, you're right; it's Evolve, the 4v1 monster-on-human huntfest from Left 4 Dead developer Turtle Rock Studios. The game took home not only the award for "Best of Gamescom," but also the awards for "Best Console Game Microsoft Xbox," "Best PC Game," "Best Action Game" and "Best Online Multiplayer Game." Other highlights include Super Smash Bros. taking home the "Best Mobile Game" award for its 3DS iteration, while its console counterpart took home the "Most Wanted Consumer Award," a title that premiered at this year's ceremony. LittleBigPlanet 3 also won multiple awards, specifically the "Best Social / Casual / Online Game" award and the "Best Family Game" award. We're relatively sure that Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call won the award for "Best Simulation Game" due to its simulation of music, but we can pretend it won because it simulates being an adorable JRPG character singing along to catchy tunes, too. Check out the full list of winners after the break.
Super Smash Bros raises its 'Special Flag,' waves in Meta Knight
Among the growing list of playable characters in Super Smash Bros. is Meta Knight, the Kirby character that first enrolled in the series' battles in 2008's Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Director Masahiro Sakurai revealed the character's inclusion in a recent Miiverse post, adding that the developer "didn't forget the Battleship Halberd either," Meta Knight's ship. Sakurai also noted that Meta Knight's "up special" move, Shuttle Loop, has been changed for the upcoming Smash Bros. "The glide is gone, and the attack slashes opponents twice while spinning in a large loop," he wrote. Sakurai also discussed the new Special Flag item in the game in a separate update. Should players raise the flag above their heads without interruption long enough, they'll receive an addition KO count in time matches or an extra stock in stock matches, which can make all the difference in those game modes. As a result, Sakurai expects that players will fight for the flag once it appears, similar to series' Smash Ball. He also detailed the 3DS version's single player offerings today, which will receive a special 3DS XL bundle once Super Smash Bros. launches on October 3 before the Wii U version hits this winter. [Image: Nintendo]
Smash Bros. 3DS gets a few more single-player hooks
Nintendo has previously discussed single-player content for Super Smash Bros. on the 3DS, including the replacement for Adventure Mode, Smash Run, a battle for powerups that concludes with stat-boosted brawls. Savvy fans might have caught every detail between Smash director Masahiro Sakurai's updates and the news avalanche that is E3, but today's batch of details offer a tidied, accumulative look of what fans can take a swing at while alone and on the go.
Super Smash Bros. 3DS XL pack is black, white and red all over
A limited edition Super Smash Bros. 3DS XL pack is due out on October 3 in Europe, Nintendo of Europe announced this morning. The pack includes the special 3DS XL with the Super Smash Bros. crew on the front, and the game pre-installed. There's no word on a price or stateside launch for this ruby red baby. Super Smash Bros. is due out on October 3. What a happy coincidence for this bundle. [Image: Nintendo of Europe]
Dress your Mii as Nintendo characters in Super Smash Bros.
Nintendo's Masahiro Sakurai revealed that players will be able to dress their Mii characters up in Nintendo-themed costumes in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. The screenshot above shows off custom outfits inspired by Metroid's Samus and Meta Knight from the Kirby series. Nintendo announced at this year's E3 that Mii characters will join the melee with three selectable classes: gunner, brawler, and sword-fighter. The publisher has issued no word as to whether specific costumes will be tied to Mii character classes. Super Smash Bros. will launch first for the Nintendo 3DS in October, and a Wii U release will follow in the winter. [Image: Nintendo]
Ba-Ding! Game Boy stage joins the Super Smash Bros. 3DS fight
Super Smash Bros. on the 3DS will feature a stage inspired by Nintendo's famous handheld, the Game Boy - AKA that "old DS" where you have to actually press buttons. Game director Masahiro Sakurai posted a picture of the stage to Miiverse earlier this week, noting that, "If you turn on the 3D effect, it really looks like there's a Game Boy inside the screen." It's hard to tell exactly how the stage will function, but if we were to make a guess, we'd say it might behave similar to Flat Zone from Super Smash Bros. Melee. In that level - which is inspired by Game & Watch devices - players would have to battle one another as backgrounds changed to various Game & Watch games. Similar to the newly-unveiled Game Boy stage, Flat Zone featured walls around the stage designed to look like the edges of a handheld device. Hopefully the experience doesn't get too authentic, or we'll find ourselves unable to play unless we have a bright light shining on our 3DS systems. Guess we'll find out on October 3. [Image: Nintendo]
Buy Super Smash Bros trophies with 3DS play coins
The previous two games in the Super Smash Bros. series featured collectible trophies. Back in our day, these were sometimes difficult to obtain thanks to steep challenges, but we persevered and our digital trophy cases were a little shinier for it. Nintendo is alleviating some of the stress induced by these tougher challenges by allowing players to purchase trophies for the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. with in-game and in-system currency. According to Miiverse posts by Super Smash Bros. Director Masahiro Sakurai, the game's trophy shop offers players the chance to buy the collectible items using in-game gold or 3DS Play Coins. "If you're having a hard time getting certain trophies, why not just buy them," Sakurai wrote, noting that trophies "sometimes go on sale, too." 3DS Play Coins are earned while players travel with their systems in sleep mode, with the 3DS acting as a pedometer of sorts. While Super Smash Bros. Brawl had a whopping 544 trophies, Sakurai also teased that the upcoming "3DS version alone may have more than Brawl." Super Smash Bros. will reach the 3DS on October 3, followed by the Wii U version (which we rather enjoyed at E3) this winter. [Image: Nintendo]
Target Blast minigame racks up points in Smash Bros. 3DS
In April, Nintendo told us all about Smash Run, a new game mode for the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. that lets players stock up on stat boosts and fight with their powered-up characters. Since then, the focus has been new stages and character reveals, but Smash Director Masahiro Sakurai's recent Miiverse activity offers a glimpse at another new game mode called Target Blast. Target Blast begins with players facing a bomb on a platform. A countdown begins as soon as the bomb is touched, with the goal being to dole out as much damage as possible before launching the bomb toward a target-populated infrastructure to the right. Points are earned both for destroying the structure and for cracking the clusters of targets inside, but your freshly-crafted rubble can also destroy its neighbors, making point-rocketing combos possible. A player's final score is calculated after two rounds, though it's unclear whether each round's structure will vary, if your destruction is undone, or if the second turn is just spent dealing with what your first shot missed. Sakurai added that Target Blast scores will contribute to a player's Global Smash Power, which plays into Nintendo's skill-based matchmaking for Smash's online multiplayer. [Image: Nintendo]
Galaga star makes Super Smash Bros. cameo
For his latest Miiverse Super Smash Bros. tease, director Masahiro Sakurai has put his roster of Nintendo characters on the shelf in favor of a Bandai Namco arcade icon, the Boss Galaga. "If you get caught in the Boss Galaga item's tractor beam, it will carry you away to the top of the screen," Sakurai wrote. "You can shoot it down, but it won't join you in battle for double the firepower." For those too young to recall the early arcades, the Boss Galaga made its debut in the 1981 hit Galaga. Unlike other Galaga critters which sought only to destroy the player's ship, the Boss Galaga attempted to draw the ship in via tractor beam. If the Boss Galaga stole a player's ship and was then killed, the ship it swiped would be combined with the player's existing ship, doubling its effective firepower. As Sakurai mentioned, none of this takes place in Super Smash Bros., but at least now you know why the pixelated bug is attempting to abduct Donkey Kong. [Image: Nintendo]
