Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Difference between revisions

{{ArticleIcons|brawl=yes|featured=yes}}{{Cquote|They're back. Stronger than ever. And they've brought friends. Lots of them.|cite=North American commercial}}

| designer    = [[Masahiro Sakurai]] (director) Kazushige Nojima (scenario writer)<ref name="IwataAsksSubspace">{{cite web|last= Sakurai|first= Masahiro |interviewer= Satoru Iwata |title= Iwata Asks: Super Smash Bros. Brawl |url=http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/ssbb/vol4_page2.jsp |format=Transcript |program= Wii.com |accessdate=2008-04-11}}</ref>

| released    = {{Flag|Japan}} January 31, 2008<br />{{Flag|North America}} March 9, 2008<br />{{Flag|Australia}} June 26, 2008<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://games.nintendo.com.au/title.php?id=1143 |title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl at Nintendo Australia |accessdate=2007-06-20 |date=2006-05-12 |publisher=[[Nintendo]]}}</ref><br />{{Flag|Europe}} June 27, 2008<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ms.nintendo-europe.com/e32007/enGB/pr_releaselist.html |title=Upcoming Nintendo titles for Wii and Nintendo DS across Europe |publisher=Nintendo-Europe |accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nintendo-europe.com/NOE/en/GB/news/article.do?elementId=Fyu4YOmOJP1c4ewdiPJkW2VHfwfh-ZgK |title=Look who is attending the Brawl! |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |date=2007-10-10 |accessdate=2007-10-10}}</ref>

| modes        = Single player, Multiplayer, Online multiplayer<ref name="Online">{{Cite web |url=http://www.smashbros.com/wii/en_us/gamemode/wi-fi/wi-fi01.html |title=Wi-Fi Play |accessdate=2007-09-18 |date=2007-09-18 |work=[[Smash Bros. DOJO!!]] |publisher=Smashbros.com}}</ref>

'''''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''''' ({{ja|大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズＸ|Dairantō Sumasshu Burazāzu Ekkusu}}, ''Great Fray Smash Brothers X''), often shortened to "'''''SSBB'''''" or "'''''Brawl'''''", is the third installment in the [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]] published by [[Nintendo]]. The game was designed by [[Masahiro Sakurai]], who also created the two preceding ''Super Smash Bros.'' games, and was developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of [[Sora]], [[Game Arts]], and staff from other developers, beginning in October 2005. The game uses an engine called [[Havok (company/engine)|Havok]] provided by an Irish company of the same name.<ref name="oldDojo">{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20061116161044/www.smashbros.com/en/main.html|title = Foreword|accessdate = 2007-11-11|last = Sakurai|first = Masahiro|publisher=Smash Bros. DOJO!! (Internet Archive)}}</ref>

The game released on January 31st, 2008 in Japan, March 9th, 2008 in North America, June 26th, 2008 in Australia, and June 27th, 2008 in Europe.

''Brawl'' supports four types of controllers<ref>name="four control">{{cite web|url= http://www.smashbros.com/wii/en_us/gamemode/various/various01.html|title=Four Kinds of Control|accessdate=2007-06-08|date=2007-06-08|publisher=Smash Bros. Dojo!!}}</ref> - the [[Wii Remote]] alone held horizontally, the Wii Remote and [[Nunchuk]] together, the [[Classic Controller]]/Classic Controller Pro, and the [[GameCube controller]]. Up to four players can engage in local [[Versus Mode|multiplayer battles]] at any given time with any combination of controllers, while ''Brawl'' also supports online play through the Nintendo [[Wi-Fi Connection]], the first game in the series to do so.<ref name="Wi-Fi Play">{{cite web|url= http://www.smashbros.com/wii/en_us/gamemode/wi-fi/wi-fi01.html|title=Wi-Fi Play|author=Sakurai, Masahiro|date=2007-11-16|publisher=Smash Bros. DOJO!!|accessdate=2008-04-22}}</ref>

Most of the game's musical score is made up of newly-arranged versions of pieces that originated in earlier video games starring the characters featured in ''Brawl'', with the remainder taken directly from the original games. The new arrangements were composed in a collaboration between 38 renowned video game composers<ref name="Musicians">{{cite web |url=http://www.smashbros.com/wii/en_us/music/music01.html |title=The Musicians |accessdate=2011-01-16 |last=Sakurai |first=Masahiro |date="May 22 Tue. 2007"|publisher=[[Smash Bros. DOJO!!]]}}</ref> and has been critically acclaimed for its representation of different generations in gaming history.<ref name=GameRevolution>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/wii/super_smash_bros_brawl|title= Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review at Game Revolution .|first=Chris|last=Hudak|accessdate=2008-04-21|publisher=Game Revolution}}</ref>

The game requires 128 free blocks of memory in the Wii System Memory. No data, except some vault data, can be copied to an SD Card or transferred onto another Wii. If the player does not create a save file when they start, he or she will not be able to play via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and vault data will not be saved. As of May 20, 2014, the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection has been shut down therefore making it impossible for anyone to play ''Brawl'' online without hacking.

New character slots which go to Nintendo series previously unrepresented include [[Pit]], the first appearance of the ''[[Kid Icarus (universe)|Kid Icarus]]'' series since the 1991 Game Boy game ''{{s|Wikipedia|Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters}}''; [[Wario]], originally a ''Mario'' spin-off but long launched into [[Wario (universe)|a franchise of his own]]; [[Captain Olimar]] from the ''{{uv|Pikmin}}'' series; and the NES accessory [[R.O.B.]].

The number of Trophies, statuettes of Nintendo characters and objects which can be collected in-game, was almost doubled from ''Melee''.<ref name="Trophies">{{Cite web |url=http://www.smashbros.com/wii/en_us/gamemode/various/various05.html |title=Trophies |accessdate=2007-10-24 |date=2007-09-24 |work=[[Smash Bros. DOJO!!]] |publisher=Smashbros.com}}</ref>  A related feature was the introduction of [[sticker]]s, small pieces of Nintendo artwork which can be picked up from offline and online matches, along with the Smash Service's "Spectator Mode." Stickers also make an appearance in the single-player and multiplayer modes, such as the Stadium mode. Stickers also act as a sort of enhancement to the characters' abilities when using attacks in [[Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary]].<ref name="Stickers">{{Cite web |url=http://www.smashbros.com/wii/en_us/gamemode/various/various03.html |title=Stickers |accessdate=2007-10-24 |date=2007-08-15 |work=[[Smash Bros. DOJO!!]] |publisher=Smashbros.com}}</ref>.  Through the [[Trophy Hoard]] and [[Sticker Album]], players can place trophies and stickers onto virtual backgrounds and take snapshots, all of which is recorded into the Wii's internal hard drive or onto SD cards depending on the player's choosing. From this point, these virtual items can be sent to other players via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, "WiiConnect24".<ref name="Trophies"/><ref name="Stickers"/>

The inclusion of a new ''Super Smash Bros.'' element, collectable [[CD]]s, which, when obtained, offer new music selections for playable stages. Although this can add more variety to the music played on a stage, the music selection will always be at random. However, the player can adjust how often a track can be played from the options menu. <ref name="My Music">{{Cite web |url=http://www.smashbros.com/wii/en_us/music/music08.html |title=My Music |accessdate=2007-10-28 |date=2007-09-07 |work=[[Smash Bros. DOJO!!]] |publisher=Smashbros.com}}</ref>

On May 22, 2007, Sakurai revealed a list of 38 composers providing the musical score for the game. In his accompanying statement, Sakurai said that he had asked the composers, who come from a variety of companies and have written music for first, second, and third-party games, "to listen to an elite selection of Nintendo music and arrange several of their favorite songs."<ref name="Musicians"/>

At the pre-E3 2005 press conference, the president of Nintendo, [[Satoru Iwata]], announced the next installment of ''Super Smash Bros.'' was not only already in development for their next gaming console, but would be a launch title with Wi-Fi compatibility for playing online.<ref name="E3 2005">{{Cite web |last=Casamassina |first=Matt |date=2005-05-17 |url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/670/670552p1.html |title=E3 2005: ''Smash Bros.'' For Revolution |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2006-05-03}}</ref> The announcement was unexpected to the creator of the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, [[Masahiro Sakurai]]. Back in 2003, he had left [[HAL Laboratory]], the company that was in charge with the franchises' development and was never informed of this announcement despite the fact shortly after resigning from the company, Iwata said if a new game was to be made, he would be in charge. It was not until after the conference Sakurai was called to Satoru Iwata's room on the top floor of a Los Angeles hotel where he was 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".<ref name="director">{{Cite web |url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/667/667525p1.html |title=''Smash Bros. Revolution'' Director Revealed|author=IGN Staff |accessdate=2007-06-21 |date=2005-11-16 |publisher=IGN}}</ref> Although originally announced to be a launch title, Sakurai stated "I decided to become director. And as of May, 2005, I was the only member of the new Smash Bros. development team". Development of the game never actually started until late 2005, and just for its production, Nintendo opened a new office in Tokyo at the beginning of October 2005. Nintendo also enlisted outside help from a company who, at that point in time, just finished development of a major title. Sakurai also stated that these people had spent excessive amounts of time playing ''Melee''. The team had  access to all the original material and tools from the development of ''Melee'', courtesy of HAL Laboratory.

''Brawl'' was absent from Nintendo's Wii showing at its 2006 Pre-E3 press conference. The next day, on May 10, 2006, its first official trailer was unveiled at E3 and at the After-Hours Press Conference, Nintendo officially revealed the game under the name of ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''. 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."<ref name="E3 2006">{{Cite web |last=Casamassina |first=Matt |coauthors=Peer Schneider |date=2006-05-10 |url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/707/707504p1.html |title=E3 2006: Super Smash Bros. Brawl |publisher=IGN |accessdate=2006-08-01}}</ref> As far as [[Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection|Wi-Fi]] play is concerned, Sakurai stated his plan was to include Wi-Fi connection compatibility and online functionality, he goes on to say "one of the primary reasons ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' was created was that Nintendo, when taking Wii online, wanted to have Smash Bros. to do that".<ref name="E3 2006"/> However, as stated 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.<ref name="Joystiq">{{Cite web |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2006/06/05/sakurai-reveals-new-smash-bros-brawl-details/ |title=Sakurai reveals new Smash Bros. Brawl details |accessdate=2007-06-21 |last=Miller |first=Ross |date=2006-06-05 |publisher=Joystiq}}</ref> During a test play between Sakurai and [[wikipedia:Hideo Kojima|Hideo Kojima]], creator of the ''Metal Gear'' series, Kojima stated that the game felt complete and that Nintendo "could put it out right now and it would sell millions of copies."<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3159049 |title=Kojima's Played Super Smash Bros. Brawl |accessdate=2007-06-21 |last=Dormer |first=Dan |date=2007-04-27 |publisher=1up.com}}</ref> Starting May 22, 2007, the site had updates every weekday until shortly after ''Brawl'''s release. Throughout October 18-22, 2007 at the first Entertainment for All Expo show in Los Angeles, California, Nintendo hosted a ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' tournament.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://wii.advancedmn.com/article.php?artid=10866 |title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Galaxy Playable at E for All |accessdate=2007-10-21 |last=Wirgler |first=Matthew |date=2007-10-09 |publisher=Advance Media Network}}</ref>

At the Nintendo Media Conference at E3 2007, it was announced by Nintendo of America president [[wikipedia:Reggie Fils-Aime|Reggie Fils-Aime]] that ''Brawl'' would be released on December 3, 2007 in the Americas.<ref name="E3 conference 2007">{{Cite web |url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/803/803335p1.html |title=Nintendo E3 2007 Press Conference |publisher=IGN |last=Casamassina |first=Matt |date=2007-07-11 |accessdate=2007-07-11}}</ref> However, just two months before its anticipated December release, the development team asked for more time to work on the game. During the Nintendo Conference on October 10, 2007, Nintendo of Japan president Iwata announced the delay, saying:

{{cquote|In order to fine tune Smash Bros., with this unprecedented game depth, we have decided that we have to take a little more time to complete the game than we announced before. We are sorry for the fans that are already anxiously waiting for the launch, but we would like to launch this game on January 24th, 2008 in Japan. As for the North American launch, we will review that too, and our local subsidiaries will make their own announcements.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.irwebcasting.com/071010/53/f078bbc3f8/main/index_hi.htm|title=Nintendo Conference Fall 2007|accessdate=2007-10-11|date=2007-10-10 |format=mpg|publisher=E-news.co.jp}}</ref>}}

On October 11, 2007, George Harrison of Nintendo of America announced that ''Brawl'' would be released on February 10, 2008 in North America.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/826/826579p1.html|title=Smash Release Date Confirmed|accessdate=2007-10-14}}</ref> Apparently, the American English game was delayed again to March 9th.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://smashboards.com/news/articles/457/brawl-delayed-again|title=Brawl Delayed Again|date=2008-01-15}}</ref>

 

 

Suggestions were no longer being taken as of June 9, 2006. In August 2006, Sakurai and Miyamoto stated that Nintendo was negotiating rights to other third-party characters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wii.qj.net/Sakurai-and-Miyamoto-Comment-on-Sonic-s-Popularity/pg/49/aid/62240|title=Sakurai and Miyamoto Comment on Sonic's Popularity|accessdate=2007-08-04|author=Rushan S.|date=2006-08-17|work=Nintendo Wii News|publisher=QJ.NET|quote=Nintendo hopes that Snake's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl will encourage other publishers to allow their characters to join the Smash Bros. line-up, and is already actively negotiating for the rights to include at least one other non-Nintendo character.}}</ref> The most requested third-party character, Sega's [[Sonic the Hedgehog]], was announced to be in the game on October 10, 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.smashbros.com/wii/en_us/characters/sonic.html|title=Sonic The Hedgehog|accessdate=2007-10-10|date=2007-10-10|work=[[Smash Bros. DOJO!!]]|publisher=Smashbros.com}}</ref>

Several different trailers for ''Brawl'' were released before the game came out. The original trailer was shown at E3 2006 on May 11, 2006 and revealed Solid Snake as a playable character. A second trailer was shown at the Nintendo World 2006 convention in December, and revealed Fox's return as a playable character. A third trailer was shown at the October 10, 2007 Nintendo Press Conference, which revealed Sonic as a playable character. A final trailer showcasing ''Brawl's'' adventure mode, the Subspace Emissary, was released on Friday, December 21, 2007. This trailer revealed that Ike and the Ice Climbers would appear in this mode, among other things.

**"Pain yells" are reliant on how long a character is in stun (instead of being reliant on how much knockback the character receives), and each character has two (or one in [[Ness]]'s and [[Lucas]]'s case) or none at all.

**Characters no longer have a single noise for being KO'd horizontally or falling; each character now has two (this is most notable with {{SSBB|Pit}} and {{SSBB|Ivysaur}}) or again, none at all. Additionally, most characters have multiple noises for their aerial attacks and tilts (all of them are shared; {{SSBB|Donkey Kong}}, for example, can make the same noises when executing his down tilt as when executing his up aerial).

*Visually, most characters appear much less saturated and have more realistic, detailed textures, even if it doesn't match with their appearances in other games. This is easily noticeable in {{SSBB|Mario}}, {{SSBB|Luigi}}, {{SSBB|Peach}}, {{SSBB|Yoshi}}, {{SSBB|Kirby}}, {{SSBB|Jigglypuff}} and the {{SSBB|Ice Climbers}}.

*[[Pummel]]s now deal variable damage from 1% to 3% depending on the character, rather than all dealing 3%, and have variable speeds depending on their strength: while characters like {{SSBB|Mario}} pummel as slow as in the previous game while dealing more damage per pummel, others like {{SSBB|Kirby}} can pummel very quickly, dealing less damage per pummel.

*Players can now configure personalised [[controls]] for [[name]]s.

*[[Target Test]] is now known as "Target Smash!!", and it now has selectable difficulties, though there are now only five stages for all characters, rather than every character having their own stage, like in the previous two games.