Super Smash Bros. Brawl
| Super Smash Bros. Brawl | |
|---|---|
| Super Smash Bros. Brawl logo. | |
| Developer(s) | Unknown |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Designer(s) | Masahiro Sakurai (director) |
| Platform(s) | Wii |
| Release |  TBA 2007[1] TBA 2007[2] TBA 2007[3] TBA 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Fighting game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Template:Nihongo title is a fighting game for Nintendo's newest console, the Wii. The third iteration of the Super Smash Bros. series, it has been confirmed that it will support some network features and Internet play (Wi-Fi).[4][5] Brawl is the first Super Smash Bros. game that features at least one character from a franchise not owned by Nintendo with the inclusion of Solid Snake from Konami's Metal Gear series. Its official trailer was first unveiled at E³ 2006. It is currently slated for release sometime in 2007.
Confirmed characters
Fox McCloud
Fox McCloud (フォックス・マクラウド, Fokkusu Makuraudo) is the main protagonist of the Star Fox series. He appears in both Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, and returns in Brawl as confirmed on November 3, 2006, the first day of the Nintendo World Tour.[6] Little information has been released about Fox as of yet, but it is known that he will use his blaster as in the previous Smash Bros. games, which he now keeps out at all times, rather than drawing it to shoot and putting it away afterward. Whether this will affect his moveset is unknown. Fox's appearance in Brawl is similar to his Star Fox 64 and Command designs. [7]
Kirby
Kirby (カービィ, Kābī) is the star of the Kirby series, first appearing in Kirby's Dream Land for the Game Boy. Kirby appears in both the original Smash Bros. and Melee. Just like in his games, Kirby has the ability to inhale his opponents and copy an ability from them, as well as resemble them in appearance. This ability gives Kirby a wide range of possible moves. As seen in the E³ trailer, Kirby's "Super Smash" move is his "Cook" power from Kirby Super Star, which involves boiling enemies in a pot.
Link
Link (リンク, Rinku), the protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series, is a legendary Hylian hero who appears in both previous Smash Bros. games. Link's swordplay is featured in the E³ trailer, as well as his Super Smash attack, in which he slashes at his opponent while he or she is trapped between two Triforces (see below). Link appears in a more detailed and realistic fashion in Brawl, as he does in Twilight Princess. The Master Sword serves as Link's primary weapon in Brawl.
Mario
Mario (マリオ) is Nintendo's official mascot as well as the star of his own series of games. He is one of the most well known video game characters, and is present in the first and second Smash Bros. games. Mario's signature fireball is shown in the E³ trailer, as well as his new Super Smash move, where he projects a massive blast of fire that moves across the entire stage.
Meta Knight
Meta Knight (メタナイト, Meta Naito) is a recurring enemy of the Kirby series, and is the second of the series after Kirby to become a Super Smash Bros. fighter. In the trailer shown at E³ 2006, he can be seen performing quick sword slashes and blocking an attack with his cloak, which blends into the background. He is also shown jumping multiple times in midair, an ability held previously only by Kirby and Jigglypuff in the first two Smash Bros. games. During the E³ trailer, Meta Knight's wings only appear while he is jumping in midair. Meta Knight is also able to glide in air as shown in the Nintendo World trailer. His symbol is the same as Kirby's, a warpstar.[8] As stated in his Toukouken, Brawl's director, Masahiro Sakurai, plans to make Meta Knight's fanfare more of a "rock version" of Kirby's.[9]
Pikachu
Pikachu (ピカチュウ, Pikachū) is the famous and popular mascot in the Pokémon series. It became iconic in the Pokémon anime. Pikachu's first video game appearances were in Pokémon Red and Blue for the original Game Boy and then as the player's starting Pokémon in Pokémon Yellow for the Game Boy Color. Since then, it has been in every Pokémon video game made to date. Pikachu’s Super Smash Bros. attacks are based on its own Electric attacks and other physical attacks in the Pokémon series.
Pit
Pit (ピット, Pitto), the savior of the Kid Icarus series, head of the royal bodyguards for the goddess Palutena, makes his first playable appearance since the 1987 classic Kid Icarus & 1991's Game Boy game Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters. He is shown in the E³ trailer fighting again with the Sacred Bow of Palutena, which has the ability to separate into two short blades for close-range combat (a feature nonexistent in the Kid Icarus games). On Pit’s left arm rests a pair of glowing rings, which expand onto the Sacred Bow when he prepares to fire Light Arrows; the rings retract onto his arm after use. Pit is also shown in the trailer jumping multiple times midair as Meta Knight does. Pit’s symbol is a bow and arrow tilted at an angle.[10]
Samus Aran
Samus Aran (サムス・アラン, Samusu Aran) is the heroine of the Metroid series. She returns in Brawl, this time in her Power Suit and as Zero Suit Samus, based on her unsuited form from Metroid: Zero Mission. The official Brawl website states that Samus will remove her Power Suit "under certain conditions", but the means of which have not been released. Samus's "Super Smash" move could be the massive laser blast she projects at Meta Knight and Pit in the E³ trailer - however, the aura surrounding Mario, Link and Kirby while they perform their super attacks is not present around Samus while she performs this attack. In the E³ and Nintendo World trailers, Zero Suit Samus is shown wielding a gun that can transform into a laser whip.[11] In addition, Zero Suit Samus is shown performing acrobatic moves in the Nintendo World Trailer.
Solid Snake
Snake (スネーク, Sunēku) is the first third-party character to appear in a Super Smash Bros. game. He is the main protagonist of Konami’s Metal Gear franchise. Snake appears in Brawl as he does in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Sakurai states on the official website that Snake will use a variety of explosives, including rocket launchers, and fight hand-to-hand. Snake will also use his trademark cardboard box, which he is seen hiding in near the end of the E³ trailer. In the Nintendo World trailer, Snake is shown performing his classic punch-punch-spin kick combo, and using an RPG from his series. Snake's symbol is that of the FOX organization in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, which is also the logo of Kojima Productions.[12]
Wario
Wario (ワリオ) is the antithesis of Mario and is the star of the WarioWare, Inc. and Wario Land games. Brawl marks his first appearance in the series; he wears his WarioWare costume, possibly to avoid confusion with Mario's yellow alternate color scheme. In the E³ trailer, Wario projects an atomic flatulence, tentatively called the "Wario Waft" by the official website. In The Nintendo World trailer, Wario is shown performing various dance moves inspired by WarioWare before attacking his opponents. Wario’s moves are shown to have very quick and exaggerated motions. His symbol is the letter "W"[13].
Stages
The E³ trailer suggests that new stages will include the interior and exterior of a gloomy castle (suspected to be from the Fire Emblem series)[14]; the Halberd, Meta Knight's airship from Kirby Super Star; and an island floating high above a rocky canyon, very similar in shape to Melee's Battlefield stage.
New stages shown in the Nintendo World trailer include an Angel Land stage from Kid Icarus that features destructible platforms, a stage in the style of the Yoshi's Island games that appears to change seasons, a Mario Kart stage styled after the "Mario Circuit" track theme (similar in platform arrangement to parts of Melee's Mute City, with kart-driving Shy Guys that seem to be similar to the F-Zero racers), a Pokemon Stadium stage similar to the one from Melee, and a Star Fox stage in outer space on on top of a nondescript spaceship that appears to come out of hyperspace and starts to freefall towards Fox's home planet, Corneria. The Star Fox 64 version of the Great Fox, along with Arwings and Wolfens were shown flying around in the background. A stage based on Metal Gear Solid that features indoor and outdoor areas was also shown.
It should be noted that in the first trailers for Super Smash Bros. Melee (originally shown at E³ 2001), a number of stages that turned out either to be heavily modified in the final game, or to not be in the final game at all, could be seen.[15]
Items and abilities
The video from E³ suggests the new ability to perform special moves, tentatively referred to as "Super Smash" moves in this article (there is yet to be an official name announced). These abilities are acquired through orb or emblem-shaped power-ups which bear the Smash Bros. symbol.[5]
The trailer shows Mario's, Link's, and Kirby's Smash moves. Mario, who is the only one seen in the trailer actually grabbing an orb, invokes a large blast of fire, Link performs a barrage of sword slashes while Mario is trapped between two Triforce symbols, and Kirby uses his Cook ability from Kirby Super Star and Kirby and the Amazing Mirror to boil Mario in a pot.
The E³ trailer also shows footage of a puppy from Nintendogs attempting to climb the screen,[5] blocking the view of the battle. Although Nintendo has confirmed that this is caused by an item, the actual item was not shown in the trailer.[16]
In the Nintendo World trailer, Pikachu, Wario and Snake were shown with the ability to crawl. It is unknown if every character will have this ability as only a few characters had the "wall-jump" technique in Melee.
Music
The main theme for Brawl was revealed in the E³ trailer as the background song, and it was created by the famed Final Fantasy composer, Nobuo Uematsu. It is unknown whether he will be composing additional tracks. Additionally, opera singers Ken Nishikiori and Oriko Takahashi have also contributed to the vocal arrangement in this project. Sakurai stated that the game's music will be performed by a full orchestra with vocals in Latin.[17] An arranged version of the main theme with no choir is present in the Nintendo World trailer, and it is possible that it will merely be used for the game menus.
In the E³ trailer, an orchestrated version of the game over jingle from Metal Gear Solid plays when Snake appears at the end of the trailer. It is unknown whether this will be used in the game or not.
The music from Super Smash Bros. Melee's Corneria stage was heard at the end of the second trailer. Although it is the only other music shown to go with this game, it is unknown whether it will be changed or not.
Development
Masahiro Sakurai, former HAL Laboratories employee and creator of Kirby and the Super Smash Bros. series, is the director for the game. Sakurai revealed that at E³, he was called to Iwata's room on the top floor of a Los Angeles hotel, and told by Iwata, "We'd like you to be involved in the production of the new Smash Bros., if possible near the level of director".[18]Although originally suggested to be a launch title, an IGN article states that "as of May 2005, the game's development staff consisted of exactly one person," Sakurai himself. Sakurai states that many people who have spent a lot of time playing Super Smash Bros. Melee are being brought in as the development team,[19] and the team will have access to all the original material and tools from the development of Melee. However, actual development of the game never started until late 2005.[20] Sakurai cannot announce the name of the team at this time but refers to them as "The Studio".[19]
The game was conspicuously absent from Nintendo's Wii showing at its 2006 Pre-E³ press conference. The next day, on Wednesday, May 10, 2006, at the After-Hours Press Conference, Nintendo officially revealed the game under the name of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Miyamoto and Sakurai, who were there to make the announcement, hinted that the game could have full compatibility with the GameCube controller. Sakurai said that the reason was because he did not want to "alienate those familiar with the pad." In an interview with IGN, Sakurai said the Wii's motion sensing features might not be included because, "we found that trying to implement too much motion-sensory functionality can get in the way of the game."[5]
As far as Wi-Fi play is concerned, Sakurai has confirmed some functionality.[4][5] However, as stated in the Toukouken on the Japanese version of the Smash Bros. website, "there would be many hurdles to cross," and an online ranking system is unlikely to be implemented.[21]
Recently, the new trailer shown on November 3 at Nintendo World has been added to the official site.[22] The trailer is slightly modified from the original version: the Japanese text is changed to English, and the suspected Winter Yoshi's Island is no longer seen. The version of the trailer added to the Japanese site keeps the Japanese text, but the suspected Winter Yoshi's Island is once again removed. Also, Sakurai has updated the site to say that it will be a little longer before the game will be playable.
Inclusion of characters
The inclusion of Konami-created character Solid Snake may seem to conflict with the Super Smash Bros. paradigm — to only include characters from games made by Nintendo and its second parties (e.g. HAL Laboratory) — but Sakurai said that Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima "practically begged" for Snake to be included in the next Super Smash Bros. game (which, at the time of said "begging," was during the production of Super Smash Bros. Melee, but production of the game was already too far in to make the addition viable). Incidentally, this is not the first time Snake would appear in a crossover fighting game, as he was previously featured as a secret character in DreamMix TV World Fighters.
When questioned about the inclusion of other characters, Shigeru Miyamoto alleged that discussions for possible other third-party characters are underway, but nothing has been confirmed. If a third party character does appear in Brawl, the character must have been on a Nintendo console. Additionally, the character must originate from a video game (as written in a response to one fan requesting several anime and manga characters). Japanese fans were asked to submit their desired characters and musical themes via a forum on the game's official Japanese site, with some possibly appearing in the game. Likewise, fans from other countries were asked to submit ideas on Nintendo's official forums. It is currently unknown if Nintendo will ask fans outside of Japan to request characters or musical themes.[23]
As of 9 June 2006, suggestions were no longer being taken. In Toukoken, the portion on the Japanese site chronicling character and music suggestion updates, Sakurai has stated that some of the characters in Super Smash Bros. Melee may not return. He also states that he may not want to put much emphasis on Japan-only characters, but is not opposed to them entirely, noting the success that the Fire Emblem characters enjoyed internationally thanks to their inclusion in Melee. He also said that third party characters will amount to one or two, excluding Snake.[24] Also, each of the guest characters (including Snake) will be unlockable. [25]
In August 2006, Sakurai and Miyamoto stated that Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog was the most requested third-party character to be included.[26] Around the same period of time, Tips & Tricks reported that Miyamoto has stated Nintendo has actually contacted Sega regarding this, and that they're awaiting a final decision.[27] Then, in the October 2006 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, he mentioned that "Sega's hedgehog would be the perfect addition to Brawl's cast." An article in the first issue of a Swedish Nintendo Magazine named "+N" makes a report that the known confirmed characters will be in Brawl, along with Sonic the Hedgehog as a playable character[28], though the magazine's credibility is questioned. Yojiro Ogawa, the director and producer of Sonic and the Secret Rings was asked by the UK's Official Nintendo Magazine about to see Sonic appear in Nintendo's upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl and he said: "In my personal opinion, it would be great to have Sonic in it. But that would really involve Sonic and Nintendo's management, it's nothing to do with me!" [29]. Yuji Naka, former head of Sonic Team and the chief of PROPE has said that he wants to see Sonic in the next game. At this point, it is unknown who can give the rights of Sonic.
A recent rumour about Brigadier Betty from the Battalion Wars series will be a playable character. This must be due to the complaints of no Nintendo Wars (Advance Wars, Battalion Wars and Famicon Wars) character featured in a Super Smash Bros game. It is let down if not because Nintendo Wars is a very famous series.
References
- ^ Sakurai on Smash Bros. BrawlIGN Accessed 11-16-2006.
- ^ Super Smash Bros. Brawl Nintendo World 2006 (Japan)Smash Bros. Dojo accessed 12-1-06.
- ^ Nintendo Europe Website showing release date Nintendo Europe Accessed 12-02-2007.
- ^ a b Casamassina, Matt (2005-05-17). "E³ 2005: Smash Bros. For Revolution". IGN. Retrieved 2006-05-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameters:|accessyear=and|coauthors=(help) Cite error: The named reference "E³ 2005" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e Casamassina, Matt (2006-05-10). "E³ 2006: Super Smash Bros. Brawl". IGN. Retrieved 2006-08-01.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|accessyear=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "E³ 2006" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ Smash Bros. Invades Japan IGN.com. URL accessed November 2, 2006.
- ^ Fox's New Look Smashbros.com. URL accessed December 21, 2006.
- ^ Meta Knight bio Smashbros.com. URL Accessed May 27, 2006.
- ^ "Toukouken #250, Sakurai on Meta Knight's Fanfare Smashbros.com" (in Japanese).
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|acessdate=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Pit bio Smashbros.com. URL Accessed May 27, 2006.
- ^ Zero Suit Samus bio Smashbros.com. URL Accessed May 27, 2006.
- ^ Snake bio "Smashbros.com". URL Accessed May 30, 2006
- ^ Wario bio Smashbros.com. URL Accessed May 27, 2006.
- ^ Super Smash Bros. Brawl screenshot gallery Smashbros.com. URL Accessed July 10, 2006.
- ^ "Super Smash Bros. Melee original trailer". 2005-11-16.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Nintendog picture".
- ^ "A Main Theme With Emotion". SmashBros.com. Retrieved 2006-05-25.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ IGN Staff (2005-11-16). "Smash Bros. Revolution Director Revealed". Retrieved 2005-11-16.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b "How This Game Came to be Made (3)".
- ^ Gantayat, Anoop (2005-12-05). "Sakurai Elaborates on Smash Bros. Revolution". IGN. Retrieved 2005-12-12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Toukouken #141-150, Sakurai Talks About Wi-Fi" (in Japanese). Retrieved December 21.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ http://www.smashbros.com/en/movie/movie02.html
- ^ IGN Staff (2006-05-11). "E³ 2006: Fans Asked to Fill Smash Bros. Roster". IGN. Retrieved 2006-05-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Sakurai reveals new Smash Bros Brawl details
- ^ http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=72642
- ^ Wowzer (2006-08-21). "Smash Bros. Brawl Creators Hint at Sonic". Slashdot. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
- ^ sickr. "Sonic set to appear in Smash Brothers Brawl?". Wiispot. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
- ^ "Swedish magazine states Sonic in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as fact, are they right?". Go Nintendo. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
- ^ "Secret Rings director talks Sonic in Brawl". aussie-nintendo.com. Retrieved 2007-02-21.
External links
- The Official Super Smash Bros. Website
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl at IGN
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl at GameSpot
