Super Smash Bros. Brawl
| Super Smash Bros. Brawl | |
|---|---|
| Super Smash Bros. Brawl logo. | |
| Developer(s) | Sora Ltd. [dubious – discuss] |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Designer(s) | Masahiro Sakurai (director) |
| Platform(s) | Wii |
| Release | TBA 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Fighting game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズX, Dairantō Sumasshu Burazāzu Ekkusu, Great Battle Smash Brothers X) is a first party fighting game title for Nintendo's forthcoming console Wii. As the third iteration in the massively successful series, it has been confirmed that it will support some network features, Internet play, (Wi-Fi)[1] and will be released sometime in 2007. It also marks the first Super Smash Bros. game that features a character from a franchise not owned by Nintendo in a playable format with the inclusion of Solid Snake from Konami's Metal Gear franchise.
Confirmed characters
Kirby
Kirby (カービィ, Kābi) is the main character of the Kirby series, first appearing in Kirby's Dream Land for the Nintendo Game Boy. Kirby has appeared in both Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, having the ability to suck opponents into his mouth and duplicate one of their signature attacks, giving Kirby a wide range of possible moves. Kirby also has the ability to jump multiple times, up to five times, allowing him to float across the screen and recover from being thrown far off the stage.[2] Kirby's "Super Smash" move at present is its "Cook" power, first usable in Kirby Super Star, which involves boiling enemies in a pot.
Kirby was voiced by Makiko Ohmoto (also known as Maiko Okamoto) in Super Smash Bros.[3] and in Super Smash Bros. Melee.[4] At present, Nintendo has not released any information about who will provide the voice of Kirby in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In the trailer, Kirby has the same voice as in Melee, though the voice could be changed before the game's release in 2007.
Link
Link, the hero of the Legend of Zelda series, is a Hylian swordsman, who has appeared as a Super Smash Bros. fighter in both Super Smash Bros. and Melee. Link's swordplay and bow and arrow attack were briefly featured in the E3 trailer, his possible "Super Smash" attack also demonstrated in the trailer (see below). Although Link appeared in his Ocarina of Time incarnation in Super Smash Bros. and again in Melee, he appears as the Twilight Princess version of Link in Brawl, still wielding the Master Sword.
Mario
The main character of the myriads of various games in the Super Mario game series, and has been in both previous versions of the Super Smash Bros. series. Mario's trademark jumping and fireball attacks, which were present in both previous games, were seen in the E3 trailer, as well as his new "Super Smash" move, where he projects an enormous amount of giant fireballs. It can also be expected that he will be the median character (the character with average levels of speed, power, and other various attributes that all other characters' levels are based off of), so to speak, as he was in the first two games.
Meta Knight
An antagonist in the Kirby series, he is the second of the series (other than Kirby himself) to become a Super Smash Bros. fighter. In the trailer shown at E3, he jumps multiple times in midair, an ability formerly held only by Kirby and Jigglypuff; it is not yet been officially confirmed that he will have this ability in-game. Also in the trailer, he can be seen performing quick sword strikes and blocking an attack using his cloak, which blended into the background. He also uses high-speed sword slashes while in the air. In the trailer, Meta Knight's wings only come out during certain instances. (Generally during mid-air jumps.) [5]The Website confirms that his symbol is a star.
Pikachu
Pikachu (ピカチュウ, Pikachuu) is the unofficial mascot of the Pokémon series, it has appeared in both previous Super Smash Bros. games. Its trademark electric attacks were seen in the trailer, as well as its Thunder and Quick Attack special attacks. Pikachu's "Super Smash" attack is still unknown. Pikachu's first appearance was in Pokémon Red and Blue for the original Game Boy. It became iconic and most famous in the Pokémon anime, and was featured as the lead Pokémon in Pokémon Yellow. Since then, it has been included in every Pokémon video game made to date.
Pit
Pit (ピット, Pitto), the hero from Kid Icarus, Pit makes his first playable appearance since the 1992 Game Boy game Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters. He is shown in the trailer fighting again with the Sacred Bow of Palutena, which now apparently has the previously unseen ability to separate into two short blades for close-range combat. In addition, he is now shown to wear a pair of glowing rings on his left arm, which seem to be used for his attack, the Light Arrow. When Pit prepares to fire his Light Arrow (which may or may not be an actual attack in Brawl) the rings slide into the bow, and retract onto his arm again after use.[6] In the trailer video, he was shown jumping multiple times midair as Meta Knight did; again, it is not yet confirmed that this will be in the final version of the game. As shown under Pit's description on the official website, Pit's symbol is an bow tilted at an angle.
Samus Aran
The heroine of the Metroid series, she has appeared in both previous Super Smash Bros. games. She returns in Brawl in her Power Suit, but also as Zero-Suit Samus, which is based on her unsuited form from Metroid: Zero Mission. The official Super Smash Bros. Brawl website states that Zero Suit Samus is not a purely stand-alone character addition, but rather a special character mode for Samus which manifests under "certain conditions". [7] The specifics of this are currently unknown. Samus's Arm Cannon is confirmed to return as her primary attack, while Zero Suit Samus is shown to be wielding a weapon that can change from a handgun to an energy whip. [7]The webiste also confirms that a Metroid S is her symbol.
Solid Snake
The main character from Konami's Metal Gear series, he is the first third-party character to become a Super Smash Bros. fighter. His appearance in the trailer was a surprise to fans primarily because third-party characters (those not belonging to Nintendo or any of its second parties) had never been present in the series thus far and because most of the Metal Gear Solid games are rated "M". He appears in Brawl as he did in MGS2. Snake's moves were not showcased in the trailer, but Brawl's game developer Masahiro Sakurai has stated on his site that Snake will fight using a variety of explosives. [8] His symbol is that of Hideo Kojima's new development team, Kojima Productions, which was taken from the fictional organization FOX in the Metal Gear Solid series.
Wario
Wario (ワリオ), Mario's rival and star of the WarioWare, Inc. and Wario Land series, Wario makes his first appearance in the series as a Super Smash Bros. fighter. His appearance is based on his WarioWare costume. In the E3 trailer, one of his attacks appears to be a sort of atomic flatulence, which is tentatively called "Wario Waft" in his profile. According to the official website, Wario's gas builds up over time. His symbol is confirmed to be the letter "W" rather than a mushroom.[9]
Stages
 | This article possibly contains original research. |
On May 18, 2006 Nintendo revealed in Meta Knight's character profile on the official Smash Bros. site that the Halberd, Meta Knight's airship from Kirby Super Star, will be a course in the game.".[5]
Although unconfirmed, the trailer suggests that new stages will also include the interior and exterior of what appears to be the same gloomy castle, which has been speculated to be based on Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (as it shows flags in the background of the same red color as the Daein flag, with symbols resembling, but not identical to, the Daein crest), and an island floating high above a rocky canyon. It should be noted however, that in the first trailers for Super Smash Bros. Melee, originally shown at E³ 2001, a number of levels that turned out to either not be in the final game at all, or were heavily modified, could be seen.[10]
A location depicted in a screenshot of Snake sneaking up on Link (See the screenshots of this article) heavily resembles an area from the Shadow Moses Island facility in Metal Gear Solid.
Items and abilities
| This article possibly contains original research. |
The video from E3 also suggests new battle mechanics, such as ability to perform new special moves, referred to as "Super Smash" moves by fans. These abilities seem to be acquired through power-ups, nicknamed "Smash Emblems" by fans. According to people with NSider accounts, Nintendo has given the name "Smash Orbs". In one alleged "Super Smash", Mario seems to invoke a large blast of fire. In another, Link performs a barrage of sword slashes while the victim is suspended between two Triforce symbols. One scene of the trailer shows Kirby using his Cook/Chef ability from Kirby Super Star to cook his enemies in a pot.
Other moves have been previewed in the trailer, such as a mushroom-cloud-inducing fart "attack" by Wario, (which has been confirmed as a gameplay maneuver, tentatively called the "Wario Waft"[9], but affectionately dubbed by fans as the "Atomic Fart") and a hyper cannon blast for Samus reminiscent of the Phazon Beam from Metroid Prime. It is currently unclear how any of these moves fit into actual gameplay.
The E3 trailer shows footage of a large puppy from Nintendogs blocking the screen. Although Nintendo has confirmed that this is caused by an item, the actual item was not seen in the trailer. [citation needed]
Of the returning characters shown in the preview, their A, B, and Smash attacks appear for the most part intact, being modified only graphically. According to Sakurai, Solid Snake will not have guns in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as the developers did not wish to incorporate common real-world weaponry. However, Sakurai postulated that Snake will primarily use explosives, such as rocket launchers, as they might be "humorous" if used in-game, as well as the cardboard box he hides in during the ending of the trailer.
Music
The main theme for this upcoming game 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 participated in this project on vocals. Sakurai stated that the game's music will be performed by a full orchestra with vocals in Latin.[11]
Development
Masahiro Sakurai, former HAL Laboratories employee and creator of Kirby and the Super Smash Bros. series, has been announced as the director for the game.[12]
An IGN article states that "as of May 2005, the game's development staff consisted of exactly one person, Sakurai himself" and that there is an office in Tokyo just for the development of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The article also states that an unknown company whose employees spent a lot of time playing Super Smash Bros. Melee is being brought into the development team, and the team will have access to all the original material and tools from the development of Melee.[13] The company is referred to as "The Studio" by Sakurai.
The game was conspicuously absent from Nintendo's Wii showing at their 2006 Pre-E3 press conference. The next day, on Wednesday, May 10, 2006, at the After-Hours Press Conference at E³ 2006, Nintendo officially revealed the game under the name of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Miyamoto and Sakurai, who were there to make the announcement, also hinted that the game would have full compatibility with the GameCube controller. Sakurai stated 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."
The inclusion of Konami-created character Solid Snake may seem conflicted to the Super Smash Bros. paradigm — only to include characters from games made by Nintendo and their second parties (e.g. HAL Laboratory) — but Sakurai stated 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 Super Smash Bros. Melee, but production of the game was already too far in to make the addition viable). Incidentally, this isn't the first time Snake appears in a crossover fighting game; he was previously featured as a secret character in Dream Mix TV World Fighters, which also had Bomberman, the first third-party character to appear in a Nintendo game (Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!). When questioned about the inclusion of other characters, Shigeru Miyamoto alleged that discussions for possible other third-party character additions are underway, but nothing has been confirmed. If a third party character does appear on Brawl, the character must have been on a Nintendo console. [14] He also said only 1-2 more 3rd party characters will be added.[15]
Japanese fans were asked to submit their desired characters and musical themes via a form on the game's Japanese site, with some possibly appearing in the game. Sakurai routinely posted the submissions he finds the most interesting on the site. Not all submissions on the site will be fulfilled in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It is currently unknown if Nintendo will ask fans outside of Japan to request characters or musical themes. [16] On June 9, 2006, the poll was officially closed.
In his Japanese Q&A feature, Sakurai has stated that some of the twenty-five characters in the Super Smash Bros. Melee might not return. He also states that he may not want to include many characters who are popular solely in Japan.
Recently, Sakurai has updated the website stating that he has to "temporarily stop updating this website as of June, 2006." Sakurai plans on focusing on the actual development of the game, and doesn't plan on updating the website until Brawl is close to release, or "if anything newsworthy comes up". [17]
Screenshots
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Pit vs. Meta Knight.
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Solid Snake sneaking up on Link
References
- ^ 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) - ^ IGN staff (2001-06-22). "Smash Profile: Kirby". IGN. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameters:|curly=,|accessyear=, and|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Super Smash Bros. credits". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|curly=,|accessyear=, and|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Super Smash Bros. Melee credits". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|curly=,|accessyear=, and|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b Meta Knight bio Smashbros.com. URL Accessed May 27, 2006.
- ^ Pit bio Smashbros.com. URL Accessed May 27, 2006.
- ^ a b Zero Suit Samus bio Smashbros.com. URL Accessed May 27, 2006.
- ^ Snake bio "Smashbros.com". URL Accessed May 30, 2006
- ^ a b Wario bio Smashbros.com. URL Accessed May 27, 2006.
- ^ "Super Smash Bros. Melee original trailer". 2005-11-16.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameters:|accessyear=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ "A Main Theme With Emotion". SmashBros.com. Retrieved 2006-05-25.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|curly=,|accessyear=, and|coauthors=(help) - ^ IGN Staff (2005-11-16). "Smash Bros. Revolution Director Revealed". Retrieved 2005-11-16.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameters:|accessyear=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ Gantayat, Anoop (2005-12-05). "Sakurai Elaborates on Smash Bros. Revolution". IGN. Retrieved 2005-12-12.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameters:|accessyear=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ Schneider, Peer (May 10, 2006). "E3 2006: Super Smash Bros. Brawl". IGN. Retrieved 2006-05-16.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|accessyear=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Sakurai reveals new Smash Bros Brawl details
- ^ 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); Cite has empty unknown parameters:|accessyear=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Sakurai states he will concentrate on development".
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|accessyear=and|coauthors=(help)
External links
- The Official Super Smash Bros. Website
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl at IGN
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl at Gamespot
