Super Smash Bros. Brawl News
July2020
Random Have Super Smash Bros. Boxes Been Teasing Future Games All Along?
What are the chances?
Ever since Melee arrived in 2001, the Super Smash Bros. games have all been treated to a subtitle in their name, rather than following any sort of numerical sequel-style system. After the original Super Smash Bros. on N64, we had Melee on GameCube, Brawl on Wii, the less-imaginative for Wii U and
April2020
News Smash Bros. Ultimate Announces A Special Brawl Tournament, Starts This Friday
Celebrating the 2008 Wii entry
Years before Masahiro Sakurai and his talented team released Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch, they created Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This game saw the introduction of characters like Sonic the Hedgehog, and was the first entry in the series to include online play. Now, to celebrate this title, which...
February2020
News Leading Smash Bros. Player Calls Out Nintendo For "Not Putting Resources Into The Scene"
"This is the step that you're missing"
Super Smash Bros. is one of Nintendo's most popular franchises, and has sold millions of copies over the decades. Its popularity has resulted in an active and vibrant competitive scene, but it's one that has so far struggled to gain parity with other titles in the realm of eSports, such as Fortnite and...
December2019
Feature How Super Smash Bros. Became The Ultimate Fighter
The path of a champion
What do you do if you’ve been fighting with the same people for 20 years? If you’re Nintendo, you hand out some weapons, get an announcer, and invite your friends over to watch. The Super Smash Bros. series, Nintendo’s perennial Saturday-morning-cartoon take on how fighting video games can work, turns a whopping 20...
April2019
Soapbox I Don't 'Get' Smash Bros. And I Just Don't Know Why
Confessions of an apathetic Smasher
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on various topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In this piece, staff writer Gavin looks back on his history with the Smash Bros. series and tells us why he's weary of the latest iteration on Switch...
June2018
News David Hayter Returns As Solid Snake In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Do us a Solid
It's safe to say Metal Gear fans weren't best pleased when David Hayter, the long-serving voice of gruff spy clone Solid Snake was dropped in favour of Kiefer 'I'm always going to be Jack Bauer' Sutherland for 2015's Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Well, grumble no more because Mr Hayter has returned to lend his signature...
September2016
News Super Smash Bros. Was the 7th Most Watched eSport in August
In your face, Call of Duty: Black Ops III...
The growth of eSports remains a major talking point in the games industry. When the Rio Olympics rolled around it was an opportunity to debate where eSports stand in the broader picture, and it's not hard to find eye-watering viewing figures and revenues from the global industry, with full stadiums in...
April2016
Random There's Nothing Smoother Than Super Smash Bros. Set To A Jazz Drum Solo
Nice
Super Smash Bros. is pretty great as we all know, and Jazz - while not to everyone's tastes - is a musical genre which has its fair share of fans. However, fuse the two together and you've got something so smooth it puts a baby's bottom to shame. Performed by Andrew Barhite and "composed" by Adam Lindgren (AKA Armada), this awesome freeform...
March2016
"There are stories waiting to be told"
The competitive Super Smash Bros. community is one of the most committed in the Nintendo sphere of gaming, driving the series' popularity and value in major tournaments and keeping interest in the games alive long after release. It's a community that's had its difficult times, too, but there's much to praise...
January2016
News SmashPad Arrives on iOS and Aims to Deliver a Definitive Super Smash Bros. Resource
Videos, stats and even live streams of tournaments
The Super Smash Bros. community seems to be in a positive period of expansion at present, with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U combining with the much-loved Melee to add some extra spice to the competitive scene, with Nintendo also showing signs of engaging more with that area. A decent audience of more...
News ESPN Plans On Broadcasting Super Smash Bros. Events
Milestone reached
Some of you may be aware that major sports network ESPN has added eSports to its catalogue of broadcast types. In fact, it's created a site dedicated to the new initiative, accompanied by a Twitter account under the handle of @ESPN_Esports. Its "popular" games of coverage choice are League of Legends, Dota 2, and Hearthstone, which...
News Nintendo Confirms Support for Upcoming Competitive Smash Bros. Event, Genesis 3
Big name players also lined up, including Mango and Armada
Fans of competitive Super Smash Bros. tournaments have something to look forward to in the coming week - Genesis 3 is taking place in San Jose, with thousands of entrants and an ongoing rivalry lined up. The rivalry in question is between Mango and Armada, who made the Melee top two in 2009...
December2015
Feature The Poor Career Choice of Super Smash Bros. Professionals
"A game like this can't survive forever with no institutional support"
From now until the start of the new year we're going to be republishing some of what we feel are our best features of 2015. Hopefully this will offer the chance for newer readers to catch up on content they might have missed and allow long-time fans to reacquaint themselves with...
October2015
Random Fan Creates Custom amiibo of EarthBound Cast and Pokémon Trainer Red
Because wave-waiting just doesn't cut it...
Custom amiibo have become a growing craze since shortly after the launch of Nintendo's NFC figurines, and have ranged from simple paint-jobs to full-blown model changes. It's impossible to keep track of everyone's creations, but Insomniac Games' Environment Artist Bryan Renno has joined the party and has...
April2015
Video Lucas Visuals and Moveset Compared Between Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Wii U
Spot the difference
Fans of the latest Super Smash Bros. titles on Wii U and 3DS certainly have a lot to look forward to, with Mewtwo on the way soon - we also know that Lucas is coming this summer, of course, making a return from Super Smash Bros. Brawl on Wii. Though we have a wait for the character to arrive as DLC, we're yet to see how he'll...
March2015
News Modder Makes Chrom Playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Just because...
We recall a character reveal for the latest Super Smash Bros. titles last year that caused some confusion, as a brief appearance of Chrom and a dodgy live feed made some - including this writer - mistake him for a 'new challenger'. He wasn't of course, but was rather just part of Robin's Final Smash move - one of the lead characters...
February2015
News Super Smash Bros. Pros Explain Competitive Theories in Reading, Zoning and the "Neutral Game"
If you fancy brawling with the best, watch this
Your humble writer, like many in the Nintendo Life team, likes Super Smash Bros. a lot, with the latest entries on Wii U and 3DS pushing our buttons. While some of us in the broader community may be decent players that can compete well in occasional online matches, competitive pro players are naturally...
News Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Apex Champion Calls For Unity in Competitive Smash Scene
"It will take time, but it’s possible"
It's clear that eSports have evolved and grown on a significant scale when calls for it to be considered an Olympic sport are, for the first time, not entirely unreasonable. With sports such as shooting, archery et al - which are arguably reliant on skill and co-ordination rather than athleticism - are...
January2015
News Popular Super Smash Bros. Tournament Apex 2015 Put on Hold Due to Fire Marshal Sanctions
Yes, really
This weekend is supposed to feature one of the best-known competitive gaming events of the year - in Nintendo circles - with Apex 2015; Apex is typically referenced as one of the largest Smash Bros. tournaments of its kind in the world. In a bizarre turn of events, however, the current rounds for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super...
Weirdness This Interpretation of Super Smash Bros. 'Lore' Takes a Serious Turn
A tale of growing up and being trapped by fate, or something...
Gaming is a funny hobby, in which the most dedicated can find meaning in the most simplistic and light-hearted of concepts. That's not a bad thing, just a reflection of how much fans really love their favourite franchises and games. The latest video from hugely popular YouTube channel...
News Nintendo of America Partners Up With Apex 2015 for Super Smash Bros. Tournament Event
Possibly the first of many eSports deals
Nintendo is clearly aware of the importance of eSports, a phenomenon that attracts millions of fans across a huge range of global events every year. The competitive gaming scene is perhaps biggest in the PC space, with titles like League of Legends being prominent, but Nintendo brands such as Pokémon and...
December2014
Poll Which is the Best Super Smash Bros. Game?
Five choices, endless debates
Following the announcement of our staff and reader awards results, we decided that the release line-up of 2014 had given us an opportunity to re-assess some of Nintendo's biggest franchises and determine current-day favourites. In our first poll Mario Kart 8 boosted away with over 50% of the vote for that IP. Th
News Professional Super Smash Bros. Melee Player Talks Smash 4
Who are this generation's top tier characters?
With Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U being available for quite some time now, one can only imagine the efforts that the competitive scene's partakers will go through to become the very best at Nintendo's latest beat-em-up. It is well-documented that certain characters have received overdue...
November2014
News This Lovely White Super Smash Bros. GameCube Controller Is Up For Pre-Order From Japan
Importing is the answer
Earlier today we bemoaned the price hikes and lacking stock of the GameCube Adapter for Wii U, which doesn't appear to be improving after over a week in North America and at launch in Europe. That's a pity, especially if it means some of those with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U can't enjoy the game with their controller of...
Video Two Smash Bros. Instructional Videos to Get You Brawling with the Best of Them
One's perhaps more advanced than the other
Did You Know Gaming and Nintendo have both released some instructional videos for the Super Smash Bros. series. Did You Know Gaming focuses on the advanced techniques from the earlier games such as wave dashing and directional influence, but Nintendo has taken a much more basic approach. It's the first part...
October2014
News These GameCube-Style Mario Bros. Controllers Offer An Edge In Super Smash Bros.
Rocking a turbo button like it's 1989
Hori has produced some of the more attractive licensed Nintendo peripherals, and it's now confirmed two Super Mario Bros.-themed GameCube-style controllers — they're only confirmed for Japan so far, each retailing for 2,980 yen. While looking almost identical to Smash players’ beloved GameCube controller,...
News Harmony of Heroes, Free Super Smash Bros. Fan Album, Launches on 4th October
101 tracks in total
Harmony of Heroes, the free fan album dedicated to the Super Smash Bros. series, has a confirmed release date of 4th October, just a day after the arrival of the 3DS title in Europe and North America. It's a large-scale project involving contributors from around the world, bringing together a grand total of 101 tracks. The lead...
September2014
Developer Profile Masahiro Sakurai
About the man behind two of Nintendo’s most significant franchises
"I decide what goes in the game; nobody else." These were the words of Masahiro Sakurai during a 2008 interview with Official Nintendo Magazine about Super Smash. Bros. Brawl. It's a quote that stands out because it contrasts quite starkly with the modest way in which the man...
August2014
Feature The History of Super Smash Bros.
How Nintendo's crossover fighting series smashed its way to fame and glory
Despite its immense popularity — not to mention the frenzied hype and anticipation that comes during the lead-up to each new instalment — the origins of the Super Smash Bros. series are in fact remarkably humble. When its creator, Masahiro Sakurai, initially came up with...
Talking Point A History of the Sexualisation of Samus
Exploring the long, complicated history of the bounty hunter's public image
Zero Suit Samus' alternate costumes in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Just this week, Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai revealed the new alternate costumes for Zero Suit Samus in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U: “From the ending of
May2014
Weirdness Gaze in Wonder at Junkboy's 16-Bit "Demake" Art
Don't you want Super Smash Bros. on SNES?
Retro-inspired "demakes" of popular modern games are all the rage these days, but don't you want to put some on your walls? Swedish graphic designer Junkboy has created a wide array of gorgeous 16-bit demake art, much of which is available for purchase online. You can check out his Tumblr page for the full...
April2014
Ninterview Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman on Mastering Super Smash Bros.
The King of Smash
Not long ago we conducted a Ninterview with TriForce Johnson, who told us about his journey from being a passionate gamer in the Bronx, New York, to a gaming celebrity famous for being first-in-line for a record number of Nintendo launches. He's far more than a keen video game shopper, however, with multiple world record scores and...
Feature How A Team Of Dedicated Fans Is Fixing Super Smash Bros. Brawl
The inside story on Project M
Super Smash Bros. Melee was a love letter from Nintendo to the company’s legion of fans — a fighting game packed to the brim with songs, stages, characters and art from the storied history of the Japanese game company. It’s an accomplishment quite unlike and unmatched by any other. Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the...
December2013
Video This New Harmony of Heroes Smash Bros. Album Trailer Sets the Scene
Let's play spot the franchise
Earlier this year we told you about Harmony of Heroes, a Smash Bros. fan album from the same group that led the Harmony of a Hunter Metroid music projects. Like those albums, when this offering arrives in 2014 it'll be a free download, with a dedicated website to be setup soon. As a number of months had passed since...
October2013
News New Nintendo Selects Titles Coming to Australia and New Zealand
Price drops scheduled Down Under
With the holiday season just a few months away, Nintendo of Australia has announced a list of "Nintendo Selects" titles set to be released in Australia and New Zealand at a new, cut price. Some of the most popular titles for the Wii are being offered up to those who may have missed these titles orginally. The...
September2013
News Four New Titles Added to Wii "Nintendo Selects" Budget Range in Europe
Karting chaos, brawling and monkeying around included
Late last week Nintendo of America revealed three Wii classics getting a price reduction in the region ahead of the Holiday season. Nintendo of Europe is now making the same move, in its case adding four new titles to the Nintendo Selects range. Although recommended prices aren't provided in...
July2013
News Masahiro Sakurai Rules Out Story Sequences For Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and 3DS
Blames online leaks of Brawl CG videos
While not necessarily loved by everyone, the Subspace Emissary adventure in Super Smash Bros. Brawl was undoubtedly loved by some, with a fairly lengthy campaign and a bonkers storyline incorporating a broad spectrum of characters. While Masahiro Sakurai has stated there'll be some form of single-player...
June2013
News Sakurai: New Super Smash Bros. To Strike A Balance Between Hardcore And Casual
Tripping is out, for one
Some people like to place themselves in one of two camps when it comes to the Super Smash Bros. series: either siding with the faster-paced, more technical Melee or favoring the wilder yet easier to access Brawl. The rest of us just shrug and start chucking home run bats at each other no matter which version we’re playing,...
March2013
News Sakurai: Online Play Will Be Improved in Upcoming Smash Bros.
"We've learned a lot about net play since Brawl was released"
Super Smash Bros. Brawl was one of the few Wii games to venture online. By delving into the Nintendo WFC players from all four corners of the world could brawl with each other in what was a decent experience in some battles, and a more turbulent one in others. Unfortunately, as with most...
January2013
News Smash Bros. Melee Needs Your Help To Make It To EVO 2013
Donations required to secure final place in Las Vegas
EVO is the place to be if you're into competitive fighting games, and the 2013 event is scheduled to take place in July. Eight games will be making the trip to Las Vegas, with seven already decided upon. The organisers are opening up a donation run to decide the eighth and final entrant, and...
August2012
News Rest Easy, New Characters Are Coming To Smash Bros. 3DS and Wii U
Masahiro Sakurai confirms new additions to roster
Super Smash Bros. supremo Masahiro Sakurai's recent comments regarding the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game have caused a little concern amongst fans. Speaking a few weeks ago about adding more cameos to the game, he said: "Introducing more non-Nintendo characters willy-nilly will lose the focus of...
News Sakurai Spills Some Beans On Super Smash Bros. 4
Control methods being explored, more cameos looking unlikely
Super Smash Bros. boss Masahiro Sakurai has spoken to IGN about the fourth installment in the series, revealing that he's keen to avoid unnecessary gimmicks and feels that adding more non-Nintendo characters might be detrimental to the game's focus. "The GameCube controller is not the...
August2011
News Super Smash Bros. Dices with Fan-Made Board Game
For when a console won't cut it
Taking all the action of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and turning into a board game is no easy proposition, but that's exactly what one fan has done to prove his skills. James Gabbard is the man responsible for this complicated but awesome-looking Super Smash Bros. Board game, put together to support his application for an...
December2010
Podcast NLFM Episode 11: A Holiday Season in FLUX
Take a sneak peek at the final BIT.TRIP, sigh at simians, sneak along with a secret agent and get into the spirit of the season
We look to the future here at Nintendo Life. Why, take this episode of NLFM, the little ol' chip and game music podcast we've got going: it's got an exclusive first listen of the soundtrack to Gaijin Games' upcoming...
News There May Never Be Another Smash Bros. as Hardcore as Melee
So says Sakurai
Super Smash Bros. Melee holds a special place in the hearts of many Nintendo fans, but creator Masuhiro Sakurai regrets aiming the game so strongly towards hardcore gamers, saying it's a mistake he wouldn't repeat again. Claiming to have created Smash Bros. to counteract the industry-wide move towards making the fighting game genre...
October2010
News Top Smash Bros. Players Accused of Fixing MLG Match
Thrown out of tournament too
Playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl can be pretty competitive even if you're just playing with your friends, so imagine the pressure surrounding a match in the Major League Gaming circuit, the pinnacle of competitive gaming. The most recent MLG event saw two players supposedly succumb to such pressure, as Mew2King and ADHD...
News Redbox Rental Kiosks to Begin Distributing Wii Games
Just $2 a night expanding to more cities this month
While online rental services like GameFly, Netflix and LoveFilm have largely taken the place of the in-person video store, viewers who've missed the quick fix of an instant pick-up have seen their needs met in part by services such as Redbox, which offers a small variety of DVDs and, recently,...
July2009
News New Take On Smash Bros. Cast Slightly Disturbing
Another case of some things best left animated.
Santa Monica-based artist Greg de Stefano is, like many others, a fan of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He also seems to be a fan of scaring the willies out of you, if his latest work is any indication. Taking things a bit deeper than the uncanny valley, the off-kilter ensemble cast of the mascot basher is...
News Nintendo World Store Brawling All July
Virtually beat up strangers every Thursday in New York.
The user-generated bits of Super Smash Bros. Brawl may be getting a big nothankyou.jpeg from Nintendo's servers now, but the fighting never stops. If you're looking for some fresh competition and happen to be in the New York area at some point this month, well, you're in luck! From 2 to 5 p.m...
May2009
News Nintendo To Stop Taking Brawl User Content
No new stuff after June 30.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a game absolutely packed with content, is about to lose a nice little feature soon. Over at the official Brawl site, this nugget has appeared: As of June 30th, 2009, the current service that accepts user-generated snapshots, stage designs, and replay data will no longer be available. Please note,...
