The game has already been released to many in Japan and last night came with a tidal wave of new information. Ness, Marth, Game & Watch, Luigi, and Ganondorf are back and Lucario, ROB, and Toon Link are new secret unlockables!

Labels: games, smash bros, wii

Last night on 2ch, a person submitted a post stating he had the game and was playing it. To back up his statement, he posted two pictures - the disc, and a screenshot of the starting roster.

No one really knew what to make of this except take it as being fake until proven true. The picture could have been created, some said, and the disc could have been created with a label maker, others said. No one knew what to make of it.

The poster also said he had uploaded three video clips somewhere. I take it he meant mbga.jp, a website where you can upload your cellphone videos and share them with friends. But, no links were found despite this either. He wrote:

Clip 1
After, I chose Pit with the cursor as my character
("Battle On!" was heard)
My first oponent was Link
Clip 2
Menu
->I chose Subspace Emissary
->The "Input your name" screen
->Choose your Difficulty - Easy, Normal, Hard, Really Hard, Insane
->Movie (The first movie of Mario vs. Kirby)
Clip 3
Pit in a dark cave? Lasts for a few secs
Pit's name title appears etc.



Then suddenly this afternoon, a video on youtube was found of the poster playing his game. The first clip was what he described his first clip to be...



Is this definitive proof?

Labels: games, smash bros, translation, wii

I apologize for my absence this past month or so, but I was really busy with other things. It's ironic how I make my return on the day Super Smash Bros. Brawl is announced as delayed - again.

Originally the game was supposed to come out to the masses almost a month before Christmas. Holiday sales would have been sky-high and people still would have had plenty of time to get the game before Christmas Day. Nintendo announced that the game needed more time to be fully finished and more content was being added. This is always their reasoning for delaying a game. It's better to release a perfect game late than to release a flawed game quickly. It's not only Nintendo's unofficial motto, but it's a very Japanese way of thinking.

One of real reasons for the delay could also be attributed to its potential conflict with other games coming out around that time, specifically, Mario Galaxy and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Based on reviews, both games did really well, and Mario Galaxy became one of the best reviewed games for Wii.

The delay pushed Brawl way into the new year, February 12, and would mean and early battle in the sales department for Nintendo. Nintendo games that have come out during the first quarter have usually done well by taking advantage of the season's typically bland releases. Resident Evil 4 was one of those games that was delayed, but its January release date made it a successful top seller. If you consider the hype behind Brawl, the amount of pre-orders in both Japan and the US, and its daily updates, this date would have been astronomical.

Instead, or perhaps, because of all this built-up excitement for the game, Nintendo decided to push the game back again until March 9. Was this a good idea? For Nintendo games sales, yes. For fans waiting for the game for more than a year, no. No one is really going to not play Brawl or protest the game simply because of another delay. Fans may get upset and complain, but it won't stop them from ultimately buying the game. On the other hand, Nintendo can only benefit from this because it will give itself time to produce more games and ship them to stores. Plus, this delay will only give Nintendo a bigger sales revenue when it's released due to the sheer amount of pressure that's been building for the game.

"Nintendough" knows what it's doing.

Labels: games, nintendo, smash bros, wii

A few months ago I made this wallpaper when Lucas was introduced in the game. Soon after that, I began updating the image upon each character's revelation. Unfortunately for some, there haven't been many new character updates recently, have there?

It's nice to look at all the characters in Super Smash Bros. Brawl all together in one image, but doesn't seeing all of them before the game is released seem a bit wasteful and naughty? The surprise factor is sort of taken away and immediately, theories and suppositions arise about a character's moves, ability in battle, and overall potential. Is this a good thing for us to snack on now, or does it just make us jump ahead and spoil the main course?

Compare my "unofficial" roster composition to this official Nintendo image.



In this one, all the secret characters have been revealed. In fact, this is an updated image released after smashbros.com finished introducing each character on its website back when Melee was still fresh.

The real question here is, what characters will remain secret? Keeping them secret includes never revealing them on smashbros.com or even possibly on CoroCoro Magazine until after the game is released. Do fans really want to know every character that will appear in Brawl? Or could it be more fun to innocently play an Event mode match and randomly encounter a hidden foe?

Labels: games, nintendo, smash bros, wii

Despite me confronting the final boss and seeing the credits scroll by in Super Mario Galaxy, I still have quite a few more stars to collect - a lot more. Each time I begin a star mission, I get more good surprises so it's clear I'll be playing this game for a while.

A new game for me this weekend is Mario Party DS. I personally wasn't as thrilled about getting the game as some people simply because Mario Party games usually involve a lot of waiting and dialogue skipping, but I decided to give it a shot. It's actually pretty fun and the mini-games have a common theme since all the characters have been shrunk by Bowser. Each game uses different Nintendo DS control schemes such as dragging the stylus and blowing into the mic. Unlike Mario Party 8, the game seems to be less luck-oriented. We'll see how fun it gets.

Labels: DS, games, nintendo, wii

For those of you who have played Super Mario 64 and were amazed at how revolutionary and immense the game was, you'll be equally as impressed, if not more, by Super Mario Galaxy's robust appeal.

Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach yet again, and this time, he has taken her deep into outer space. With the help of old and new friends such as the star beings known as Lumas, Mario travels from galaxy to galaxy collecting enough stars that will help him rescue Peach and turn Bowser's plans of galactic domination into space dust.

Galaxy is similar to SM64 in its game play aspect - collecting stars that open up new worlds for you to discover - but the comparisons can end there. Being on Nintendo's Wii, Galaxy gives you an entirely different gaming experience than what you were used to when playing SM64. For example, new collectible items, Star Bits, have multiple uses in the game. One of these being ammo for you to shoot with by aiming the Wii controller at the screen. The controls for Galaxy are very simple and yet this simplicity makes the game more about the experience than just playing a Mario game on the Wii. You move with the nunchuk's analog stick, jump with A, crouch with Z, and move the camera with the D-pad. Unlike before, Mario doesn't punch, but instead, he whirls around in the air to attack his enemies when you shake the controller. And yes, you still have Mario's old moves like his back flips, ground pound, and multiple jumps.

As soon as you begin playing, you'll realize what playing in space is all about. Each world, or galaxy, Mario travels to contains multiple star missions that range from platform puzzles to boss fights. Each galaxy is unique and each planet you land on has different gravitational fields. Planets range from actual orbs to platforms to other objects depending on the galaxy you're in. Most of the time, you'll land on planets that can be traversed on all sides leading you sometimes to walk upside down and even sideways. Other planets have normal gravity, meaning you can't walk off the edge and expect to walk to the other side. In these cases, you'll fall off the planet and into black holes leading to immediate death. Think of these black holes as Galaxy's answer to pitfalls in older Mario games. This is the only aspect in the game that might frustrate you at first since you'll have to adapt your controls to the gravity which may lead you to sometimes run around in circles until you figure which way is up. Also, because there is no sign indicating how the gravity is like on a planet (except in some cases,) you might think you can walk around a planet, but instead die as you walk off the edge.

Comparable to worlds in previous Mario games, each galaxy has a different theme. Some galaxies are grassy worlds, underwater labyrinths, fiery deserts, and even snow-capped mountains. You might enter a grassy galaxy and realize it's reminiscent of a SM64 world for example or land on a planet and realize you're on platforms that create the 2-D sprite of Mario. Whatever the galaxy, the graphic capabilities of the Wii are put to good use as worlds are rich and colorful. Sun rays reflect nicely off liquid substances, lava looks amazing in outer space, and even Bowser looks more scaly than usual. It's everything you'd expect from a Mario game but with richer detail.
Normally, Mario games have simple, catchy, and rhythmic tunes that go well with its simple yet effective style of play. This time however, it's so much better. The majority of the game's soundtrack has been professionally orchestrated giving the game an air of greatness. You'll enjoy listening to this epic soundtrack as you travel through worlds and as you battle bosses. Battles with Mario's arch nemesis become something of a holy struggle as an entire chorus accompanied by violins and horns create a song truly out of this world. Of course, all the favorite Mario tunes are in the game and they sound even better remixed and updated.

Mario's galactic adventure is huge. With over 200 stars to collect in the game, each one with a different mission, there is a lot of variety and replay value in the game - even after you beat it. Some stars will have you doing mini-game type missions that will require you to change the way you hold your controller. Other star missions will force you to race against the clock and even yourself. Boss battles are fun and increasingly challenging. Overall the game's difficulty is nicely spread out and levels range from relaxingly fun to annoyingly difficult. Its great variety will leave even the more challenge-hungry gamers satisfied.

Labels: games, nintendo, review, wii

After recently listening to a plethora of incredibly orchestrated music in Super Mario Galaxy, I just couldn't resist in expressing my love for great music in games. My favorite type of game music has to be the orchestrated kind. Of course, each game is unique, and if you include orchestrated music in every game, for example, things will get boring and even stale. But if you include just a few of these music tracks at correct times, a game can truly become an adventure.
A track from Shadow of the Colossus. The word "epic" comes to mind.

Epic novels and poetry predominantly tell the story of a hero on a quest for something grand. Readers follow this hero on his adventures of daring feats of courage and risk. I think this adjective well suits this type of music that accompanies a game.

For those of you who played Shadow of the Colossus and remember fighting each colossus, the music made a great impact on how you felt during these fights. Upon seeing the colossus the music is calm and alluring. Then, as you finally find a way onto the giant, the music picks up speed and a new music track is heard. This track is full of cymbals, drums, and horns that turns this seemingly mundane encounter into an epic battle - hero versus villain.

Orchestrated music like this gives players a feeling or urgency and a rush of adrenaline. Having moments where music changes during a boss battle gives games a whole new depth. The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess did this as well. It wasn't orchestrated, but the sudden change in musical speed and rhythm made it awesome. As soon as you found a boss's weakness, the song changed to inform you, and perhaps even Link, that an opening had been made and the time to take action was now.

Other games choose to have orchestrated music that accompanies the player beyond a boss battle. Final Fantasy games are known for having music like this. In fact, it's usually RPG games or action RPG games that incorporate music in a this style that gives the game a new level of enjoyment. In an RPG's case, an orchestra can take a player back in time to an age where technology did no exist. Hence in this method, this type of music can create a time for the player. Locations and places can be created through the use of music as well. Soul Calibur III did this as it gave each character his or her unique stage with music from the character's region. Also realize that by incorporating a choir or a vocal hymn into any song, battles and encounters become something holy.

Regardless of how it's used, well created music has the power to make a game truly an adventure. Remember how Melee turned a seemingly humble Pokémon song into a grand symphony complete with a choir for Pokemon Stadium? Or what about a little pink puffball's epic clash of cymbals in Fountain of Dreams?

Labels: games, music, nintendo, smash bros, wii

In spite of my broken DS, I actually have a few new games to play around with this weekend. I was in the middle of Phoenix Wright: Justice for All and Final Fantasy Tactics A2 when it broke. Both games were a lot of fun and the latter was a really hearty sequel to the hit Gameboy Advance game. It's not out in English yet, so you need to know (some) Japanese to enjoy it. The storyline really wasn't that impressive but the job system and distinct missions robbed me of a few hours.

Just yesterday I got Half Life 2: Chapter One and Super Mario Galaxy. I only played through a little bit of Chapter One, but it feels very similar to its prequel and the graphics seem to have gotten a boost.

Now I'm pretty sure Galaxy will steal my weekend seeing as how I couldn't stop playing it last night. It's similar to Super Mario 64 in terms of structure, but some of the controls and game mechanics are different. Some of the music is orchestrated and some songs are remixes of classic Mario tunes. Overall the game is fun and it seems huge. Too bad I can't play it at work...

Labels: DS, games, nintendo, wii

Today's update revealed that each character would be getting 3 different taunts to exploit during matches. I personally like this new addition since taunts are how you can play with your opponent - when you're not actually fighting him that is.

The update today also showed another screenshot with text. And you know what that means!

Dedede critiques the food - "Add soy sauce to the curry"
Wario is questioning himself? - "What's that?"
And Snake has gone mad - "Ahahahaha"

What I wonder is how Nintendo is doing that. How are they producing identical screenshots in English and Japanese and having all the text differ? They did this with the trophies update as well, and I think there can only be a few possible ways to do this: 1)Pause, take a screenshot, then change the language and take another screenshot, 2)take two separate screenshots (highly unlikely due to precise pausing and character placement on-screen), and 3) simply Photoshopping the text for the purpose of smashbros.com updates.

If the the third one is right, all these screenshots with text we are seeing may not be the final look the game will have in regards to font and lettering. If the second one is right, better and more expansive multilingual options might get implemented for the final product.

But will Brawl allow us to switch from English to Japanese like Melee did? Or will the fact that US Wii games contain instruction books in English, Spanish, and French deter this idea?

Labels: games, Japanese, languages, nintendo, smash bros, wii

Yesterday Nintendo revealed its brand new "Check Mii Out" channel which allows Wii owners to share and exchange their Miis with others over wi-fi. You can upload your Miis, give them initials, and give them a category that describes their "profession" i.e. exploration, gourmand, acting etc. You can also search for other Mii's, view the most popular ones, and "favorite" the ones they like.

The channel also has a contest section where users can submit Miis and have them compete in popularity contests such as "Mario without his cap on". After a certain time, 6 days for the Mario contest, people will be able to judge and vote for their favorites.

The channel also makes users create a "Mii artisan" upon submitting a Mii which is pretty much a Mii avatar that keeps track of your popularity (number of people favoriting your Miis) and your stats.

Overall the channel is a great idea that lets people finally show off their Mii. There have been websites online now for a while that let people do what this new channel lets people do, and of course it makes it much easier. I already uploaded several of my Miis...and yes I entered the Mario contest! In the end, it's just a big popularity contest.

Labels: games, nintendo, wii