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Nintendo re-launching GameCube controller... in Japan
Wouldn't you know it? No, really -- didn't you completely understand that Nintendo wouldn't be releasing something as magnificent as a stark white GameCube controller in the States? Okay, so maybe NoA hasn't made that official, but we're betting the unit you see there on the right will be a (highly coveted) Japanese exclusive. Apparently the Big N is re-issuing a Wii-white GameCube controller in its homeland this month with an extended (3-meter) cord, and while we can't glean any pricing information from the crumb of information out there right now, go ahead and start stacking those pennies for use on your favorite importer.[Via Joystiq]Update: Apparently it'll cost around $20. Thanks, Chebwa!
Ask Joystiq: hunting, singing, hating, saving
This week on Ask Joystiq, we tackle Smash Bros Brawl's quirky saving preferences, universal disdain for Metroid II, the Smash Bros Brawl theme song, and the hunt for a classic Apple II platformer.If you have any burning questions, unsolved gaming mysteries, or just a desire for musings from our knowledgeable cadre of writers, drop us a line at ask AAT joystiq DAWT com (and yes, we write it that way for a reason).Q: If you haven't noticed by now, you cannot save your [Super Smash Bros. Brawl] game save to an SD card. However, you can save Vault data (Replays, Snapshots, and Custom Maps) to an external SD card. What gives?-AndyWe asked Nintendo the same thing and got a predictable no comment, but we expect the answer has something to do with forcing players to unlock the game's myriad characters, stages, trophies and stickers on their own. This seems a little overbearing to us, though ... what does Nintendo care if we want to just unlock everything outright? This isn't like Xbox Live, where cheaters get an unfair advantage on the Gamerscore boards -- with SSBB, the only person a cheater is cheating is themselves.
Reminder: Win a copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Just a friendly reminder, you have until this Wednesday, March 26 at 12:00pm ET to enter for a chance to win a copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Here is the link you're looking for, so go enter okay? Gallery: Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Joyswag: Win a copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl
[Update: Contest is over! We'll be notifying the winner shortly so be sure to check your inbox!]If you're not one of the 1.4 million people to pick up Super Smash Bros. Brawl in the first week (or the countless others who bought it the week after that), here's your chance to win our copy of the game free of charge. This time around, Nintendo gave us Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog, but we can't help wonder who else could have fit in the Brawl universe. Mega Man? Sub-Zero? Q-Bert? An ASCII monster known only as "Zork?" (Hey, we can dream.) To enter this giveaway, tell us a character you wanted to be playable in Brawl You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec; désolé, mais il n'ya rien que nous puissions faire pour le moment). Limit 1 entry per person per day. If you enter this giveaway more than once each calendar day you'll be automatically disqualified and forced to play internet solitaire! This entry period ends in five days at 12:00pm ET Wednesday, March 26, 2008. We'll randomly select one winner at that time (please check your email!) For complete rules you don't need an Assist Trophy for, click here %Gallery-8530%
Super Smash Bros. Brawl's secret Snake codec taunt
An interesting Super Smash Bros. Brawl secret involving Solid Snake's famous codec can be found after the break.
Error Code 85010: Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection 'Smashed'
Nintendo's chief explanation for Error Code 85010 goes something like: "Ours [sic] servers may be trying to handle an unusually high amount of traffic (especially if you are trying to play online with a recently-released or popular game, or if there is a new Wii system update). Please wait a few hours and try the connection again later." That's an oblique way of stating, simply: You're trying to play Smash Bros., aren't you?Brawl's online component isn't entirely dysfunctional. If you've traded digits, playing 'with friends' is stable, and also permits more than one player from the same Wii to participate. Likewise, Spectator Mode is almost always working if you're the faceless voyeur-type who also likes to spend a little coin (in this case, on arbitrary betting). But when it comes to random brawls 'with anyone,' Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection tends to get, um, stressed. Good luck getting anything more than a few rounds with the sandbag before the service drops you during peak hours -- also known as, 'nights and weekends.'When contacted, Nintendo assured us that its technicians are looking into the problem. See what happens when you hire a pair of plumbers to build your server farm out of warp pipes?[Note: If you've received Error Code 85010 and are unable to establish any kind of online connection, then the problem could be associated with your internet service (dude, dial-up is so not gonna work -- ever) or your router (Wii can be picky). Refer to Nintendo Customer Service for more information.]
Boston wins Nintendo's Smash Bros. Brawl launch tournament
Representatives from Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York met in NYC for Nintendo's official Smash Bros. Melee Brawl launch tournament. Each of these finalists were going to walk home with a Wii and an insane amount of Best Buy gift monies. The victor, however, would get a brand new TV, sound system, and a customized crystal Wii. Boston's representative took home the gold with a stunning performance with Sheik (see video, above).The Smash competitions went throughout the night, ensuring that patient Best Buy shoppers were treated to some entertainment while they waited for the game's obligatory midnight release. Many New Yorkers, after picking up their copies, rushed to the subway, undoubtedly rushing home to enjoy their spoils.Update: Really -- seriously? Melee? Fixed. Gallery: Smash Bros. Brawl NYC launch tournament
Give Smash Bros. Brawl a voice ... with Xbox Live
Alright, a quick disclaimer: this post is not about an Xbox 360 game. it is about a Wii game. Thank you. Now, if you own a Wii (and some of us do here at X3F), chances are you have picked up (or plan on picking up) Super Smash Bros. Brawl. If you have done this, you'll know that it is one of the few games that supports online play. If you know that, you probably know that it does not support any kind of voice chat. So, how do we fix that? With Xbox Live of course! After the break we have come up with a quick guide for getting your Brawl on complete with voice chat.
Joystiq's official Super Smash Bros. Brawl friend codes ber-list
Stop walking the streets and asking total strangers if they want to trade Super Smash Bros. Brawl friend codes. Come inside, pull up a chair, and let us serve you with fresh, safe (and hopefully clean) codes all in one spot. Please consider this the place for the Joystiq community to drop their Brawl digits. A couple quick ground rules: All that's required is the Brawl code and not your Wii digits. Please don't post your Wii code. This post is only for Brawl codes. This post is only for Brawl codes, seriously! --Love, Joystiq[Thanks to everyone that requested this post]
New games this week: Super Smash Bros. Brawl edition
What, are you surprised? The featured game this week is none other than Super Smash Bros. Brawl. We'd almost like to give it to George of the Jungle for going toe-to-toe on the Wii with Smash. Keep on chasing that rainbow, George. If you're in the mood for something a bit less brawly, this week also marks the release of Condemned 2: Revenge of the Zombos Bloodshot. We've got a full list for you right after the break. %Gallery-8530%
WRUP: Uh duh edition
You all have a good idea as to what we'll be playing this weekend, and we pretty much know what you'll be playing. We imagine many of you will be acquiring your copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl come Saturday night, as GameStop will have a midnight launch for the game and, we imagine, Wal-Mart and some other retails will follow their lead. We'd call if you're counting on getting the game somewhere other than GameStop before showing up Saturday night. We'd hate you to get burned.As such, we will hold a special edition of Game Night on Saturday night. All of the staff won't be there, but I will. So after you go get your game, come home and hit up Wii Fanboy for the details on getting in on the brawl! Just give me a little time to participate in the tournament here in my local town, okay?%Gallery-3347%
GameStop holding Smash Bros. Brawl tournament, midnight launch events
GameStop announced today that it will hold Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournaments and midnight launches this Saturday at 2,500 of its stores. The single-elimination tournaments will begin at 10PM (local time), but contestants are asked to check with their store for exact time and must be there 30 minutes before the event.Winners of the local GameStop store SSBB tournaments will continue up a chain, with a few more qualifying rounds, leading to the finals on April 12 in San Jose, CA. The last brawler standing will receive an LCD-TV (that's what the release says, but the flyer after the break says plasma), a Wii console plus accessories, "an entire Nintendo Wii Software Library" and $5,000 in cash. The second and third place finishers will receive a gift card, and will likely be asked if they'd like to pre-order any games.
Joystiq attends Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament in pseudo-Boston
Nintendo of America's official Super Smash Bros. Brawl Tournament finals occur this Saturday in New York City after qualifying events last month in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. This past Saturday an official qualifying event was held in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, a well-sized burg about an hour outside of Boston. And although Worcester does have its own distinct identity, don't tell that to the emcee of the Nintendo Brawl event who kept telling "Boston" to "make some noise." For those who need further explanation, that would be like attending an event in Newark, New Jersey and having someone awkwardly scream, "Manhattan, make some noise!"So, how did such a must-attend event for gamers to get their hands on Brawl a week before launch end up being hosted by Worcester Polytechnic Institute? Turns out, it's a classic tale of who you know. Jaime Barriga, a senior at WPI who heads the Game Development Club, won a photo contest Nintendo held last year. Since that time he stayed in contact with the Nintendo PR team and kept trying to get some kind of event hosted at the school. As luck would have it, this Smash Bros. Tournament landed at their feet.%Gallery-17328%
Brawl effect: Wii outsells PS3 4-to-1 in Japan
Wii outsold PlayStation 3 nearly 4-to-1 in Japan during the four weeks ending on February 24, reports Japanese magazine publisher Enterbrain. What else is new? Actually, it's a 'real' game, for once, that appears to be driving the ongoing sales surge. Super Smash Bros. Brawl has managed to move 1.33 million units since its January 31 release, no doubt contributing to sales of 331,627 Wii consoles during the period tracked. In comparison, PS3 conjured up a mere 89,131 units sold.Additionally, Nintendo managed to unload nearly as many Balance Boards as it did Wiis, with Wii Fit selling 309,311 units to become the (distant) second best-selling 'game' during the four-week period. As for Xbox 360...? Put it this way: Wii outsold the poor thing more than 23-to-1. Damn, yo.
GDC08: Super Smash Bros. Brawl: played it.
So there's this fighting game coming out, and it's got, like, a bunch of Nintendo characters in it? They all fight each other in these wacky game-inspired stages, and there are items and things like that. It's called -- let me check my notes -- Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I played it. I was lucky enough to have a friend who was holding a tournament for all the volunteers, which meant that my non-volunteer self was able to sign up and play a round (or more if I hadn't choked). If you're interested in hearing about this obscure indie title from an up-and-coming company called Nintendo, check out my post at Wii Fanboy.
Europe: Wii Fit hits April 25; Mario Kart, April 11; Brawl rumored for June 6
With Nintendo confirming upcoming American release dates left and right, Europeans would be justified in feeling a little left out of the fun. Luckily, Nintendo was magnanimous enough to let out an official announcement on two major upcoming release dates, and perhaps sloppy enough to leak out rumor of another.First on the official side, Nintendo of Europe has announced that Wii Fit will hit the continent on April 25, a full month before Americans get the game and balance board on May 12. Mario Kart Wii, meanwhile, will hit Europe on April 11, a much more specific date than the nebulous "Spring" that American gamers currently have to vaguely look forward to.On the rumor side, Dutch site GamerCC (sketchy Google translation) reports from France's Micromania Game Show that Nintendo let slip a planned June 6 European release date for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Sounds juicy, until you hear that a Nintendo spokesperson told Videogamer.com that the date was "a rumour and purely speculative." That doesn't mean it's false, necessarily, just that Nintendo isn't willing to confirm that it's true just yet.Read - Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii announcementRead - Smash Bros. Brawl rumor, Nintendo denial
Rumor: Europeans to get in on the Brawl June 6th?
We feel for you, European brothers and sisters. Ever since we got our panties all in a bunch because Super Smash Bros. Brawl got pushed back to March 9th, we never stopped to consider how you all felt. As of right now, you don't even know when to expect your game.If rumor is to be believed, then your summer just got a bit better. German gaming site Gamer CC is reporting that the sixth of June is going to be the date Europeans will want to mark on their calendar, just a few days later than that pulled date Nintendo put up. Regardless of when the game releases (and if this date turns out to be true), make sure you stock up on ramen noodles and concentrated caffeine in liquid form ahead of time. You're going to want to make sure you have as much time for Brawl as humanly possible.%Gallery-3347%[Via GameFront]
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.
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.
Dojo update: A new stage is revealed
As mentioned yesterday, we're going to be doing the dojo updates a bit differently now. Instead of doing our usual thing of posting all of the info above the break, we're going to tuck it all away for those of you who wish to keep yourself pure and untainted by the game's secrets. So, head past the break if you dare.
