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Louisiana resident wins GameStop's Smash Bros. Brawl tournament

by Alexander Sliwinski { Apr 17th 2008 at 10:00PM }

Remember when that little game nobody paid any attention to called Super Smash Bros. Brawl came out ... it was last month, remember? Well, GameStop helped promote the indie title by holding a tournament to support the game's fanbase and raise awareness. According to GameStop, the tournament had over 75,000 players and, following a couple semi-final rounds across the country, culminated last weekend in San Jose with Lee Martin of Houma, Lousiana, emerging victorious.

Martin (pictured above, he's the skinny one) walked away with a 37" LCD-TV, the entire Nintendo Wii software library, a Wii console, selected accessories and $5,000 in cash. Martin brawled against 60 other opponents at the store, district and regional levels on his way to winning the championship. No word yet which fat man pictured Martin got to take home as a trophy for winning.

Gallery: GameStop Smash Bros. Brawl Tournament

Revolutionary: Playing. Creating? Sharing!

by Mike Sylvester { Mar 25th 2008 at 6:30PM }

Every (other) Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.

Custom level creation in console games has come a long way. It used to be, if you wanted to share a track that you built in Excitebike, you had to invite friends over to play your creation on your cartridge, until you powered off your NES and the track was lost forever. Nowadays our levels can be saved to internal storage, and shared by removable media, or across the internet to survive for posterity.

It's a feature that's fully supported by all consoles this generation, and big games are highlighting it amongst their bullet points. System sellers like Halo 3, LittleBigPlanet, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl are trojan-horsing the concept of custom level creation into the consciousness of the console-consuming collective. Former Sony exec Phil Harrison popularized the term "Game 3.0," but we'll be taking a look at how it is playing out on Nintendo's platform.

Continued →

Super Smash Bros. Brawl's secret Snake codec taunt

by Alexander Sliwinski { Mar 13th 2008 at 3:30PM }

An interesting Super Smash Bros. Brawl secret involving Solid Snake's famous codec can be found after the break.

Continued →

Joystiq's official Super Smash Bros. Brawl friend codes �ber-list

by Alexander Sliwinski { Mar 10th 2008 at 1:15PM }

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]

GameStop holding Smash Bros. Brawl tournament, midnight launch events

by Alexander Sliwinski { Mar 6th 2008 at 1:20PM }

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.

Continued →

Joystiq attends Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament in pseudo-Boston

by Alexander Sliwinski { Mar 3rd 2008 at 7:00AM }

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: Smash Bros. Brawl Tournament: Worcester

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Smash Bros. Brawl sales exceed 1 million in Japan

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Feb 12th 2008 at 9:49AM }

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.

Smash Bros. Brawl shortages imminent

by James Ransom-Wiley { Jan 29th 2008 at 7:00PM }

Japan is poised to suffer significant Super Smash Bros. Brawl shortages when the game is officially released on Thursday, reports Game|Life. Nintendo has failed to supply as much as 75% of pre-order units to retailers; likely due to production delays and oversights. Though the shortage would seem to pale in comparison to Wii hardware scarcity, a meager Brawl launch would underscore Nintendo's continued struggle to operate a functional supply chain.

Game|Life theorizes that Japan's expected shortages explain Brawl's delay in North America, as it will take until March for Nintendo to manufacture an ample shipment of units for the territory – not to mention, fulfill the rest of Japan's demand. Others speculate that Nintendo is intentionally withholding supply to give its WiFi Connection service a chance to adapt to the inescapable surge of online Brawl players. This isn't the first time Nintendo has been accused of such tactics, and – if someone don't fix that damn supply chain – it won't be the last.

Wal-Mart gives $10 gift card to victims (opportunists) of Brawl price error

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 18th 2008 at 11:40PM }

Wal-Mart wants to apologize with a $10 electronic gift card to those who acted on the long-shot dream of purchasing Super Smash Bros. Brawl for $19.82 last week due to an error last week. Wal-Mart shoppers who had their orders canceled by the corporate overlords have now made $10 out of deal, which can be put toward purchasing Brawl for $39.82 from Walmart.com. Brawl buyers who jumped at the error deal, keep an eye on your email, Uncle Wally's sending you a $10 gift card soon.

[Thanks to all who sent this in]

Video introduces the new Smash Bros. Brawl fighters

by Justin McElroy { Jan 18th 2008 at 9:10AM }

With the slow information leak coming out of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, we fear that the effect may have been something akin to Chinese water torture for the staff. A few of us (who shall remain unnamed) have taken to cosplaying different characters from the game, either by wearing elaborate character costumes, or, in some of the more desperate cases, just shouting their names repeatedly.

The worst part is that some of our now mentally unstable staff can't even remember what fighters are in the game anymore. We're sure that we've seen a Wu-Tang Clan costume or two, and at least one of our staff has taken to dressing as Chun Li. Thankfully, GameTrailers has put together this video profiling some of the new fighters from the game to help us keep them straight. It pulled us back from the edge, we hope it does the same for you.

Wal-Mart 'ends' $20 Smash Bros. Brawl pre-orders [update]

by Justin McElroy { Jan 11th 2008 at 10:45AM }

[Original headline: "Wal-Mart offers $20 Smash Bros. Brawl pre-orders"]

We know, we know. This Wal-Mart listing for Super Smash Bros. Brawl pre-orders at the bargain price of $19.82 is almost certainly a technical error. But, if you're going to buy the game anyway, we figure there can't be any harm in putting your name and two sawbucks down. Worse case scenario, your order gets canceled. Best case: You save $30.

That said, there is yet a third possibility that's downright mind-blowing. What if this is the actual price? Can you imagine how that would (continue) to move systems? Can you imagine what a sales juggernaut that would be? Sure, the Wii may not need the extra help, but come on, let us have our fantasy until reality brings it crashing down around us, OK?

Update 1: Looks like Wal-Mart is running a major pre-order sale, which also includes reduced prices for upcoming Xbox 360 and PS3 titles.

Update 2: Super Smash Bros. pre-order price has been changed to $49.82.

[Thanks, Dalibor]

Smash Bros. Brawl's Multi-Man gets online co-op

by Justin McElroy { Jan 10th 2008 at 10:00AM }

Smash Bros. Melee's Multi-Man mode, which pitted you against tons of wire frame models was a great way to take out your aggressions, especially if a wire frame model had just beaten you out for the big promotion or the WF Gang was picking on you in school. Smash Bros. Brawl's take on the lengthy battle mode looks to be even more satisfying though, with wire frames replaced by the the much more substantial-sounding Fighting Alloy Team.

More exciting is the revelation that a buddy will be able to join you in your campaign against the colorful robots from all the way across the country with online co-op. There's also just regular old two-player, for all the Smash Bros. fanatics' real life friends ... Hey, if you don't use a mode long enough, do you think it will actually get dusty?

New Smash Bros. Brawl intro video looks amazing

by Justin McElroy { Dec 21st 2007 at 9:05AM }

We were watching this intro video to the new Super Smash Bros. Brawl adventure mode "The Subspace Emissary" when something occurred to us: Regardless of your feelings about Wii, if this video doesn't move something inside of you, then you're dead inside. It's as simple as that. It either jams a pickaxe into that carapace you call a heart and finds a deep, rich vein of nostalgia or you're a vampire. A mean vampire.

How about the part where the Arwing -- wait, you know what? We don't want to ruin anything for you. Just watch above and discuss below. We'll leave you to it.

Smash Bros. Brawl dated for Europe ... at a 'later date'

by James Ransom-Wiley { Dec 7th 2007 at 1:51PM }

Since 'June 2008 or beyond' didn't exactly resonate with European Wii owners, Nintendo has quickly, albeit indirectly revised its update on the European release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In a statement responding to yesterday's concerns about Brawl missing from a tentative Q1/Q2 release list, Nintendo has said: "All Nintendo software titles launching in Q2 2008 have not been finalized or confirmed to date. Nintendo will communicate on all software titles launching in Q2 2008 for Wii and Nintendo DS at a later date" -- oh, except for Mario Kart Wii, that one's definitely coming Q2.

Nintendo can dangle Mario Kart in our faces all its wants, but that won't change the fact that its stance on Brawl in Europe remains as vague as ever. Europe's used to waiting, so c'mon Nintendo, either end it with a swift kick to the dome or just lay the bad news on us.

Smash Bros. Brawl not expected in Europe until Q3 '08

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Dec 6th 2007 at 10:53AM }

Nintendo hates Europe: Confirmed? It's not the steadfast and ever-lingering sort of hate, but rather that insidious aura which prompts someone to suffocate you with a pillow as soon as you're comfortable enough to share a bed with them. After all, our gaming pals in Europe didn't have to endure entirely ridiculous waits for Metroid Prime 3 or Super Mario Galaxy, and managed to enjoy both excellent titles while they were still fresh in the memories of those on more privileged continents. Even next year's Mario Kart Wii got a spot on Nintendo's latest second quarter release list.

Cross-over cartoon violence spectacular, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, was sadly omitted from said list, prompting Videogamer.com to politely ask Nintendo when Europe could expect its arrival. "If the game is not listed on the schedule up until the end of Q2 it is currently not due out until after that time," came the bloodcurdling answer. That places Super Smash Bros. Brawl in June at earliest, roughly four months after the game's American release in February. We hope this is nothing more than a precaution (would another delay surprise anybody?), as we simply cannot comprehend this level of cruelty being inflicted upon Europe intentionally -- and we watch the Royal Variety Performance every year.