Smabura-Ken
Sumabura Ken!! (スマブラ拳!!), literally "Smash Bros. Fist!!", is the name given to the Japanese Super Smash Bros. development information websites; the Melee edition is named Sokuhō Sumabura Ken!! (速報スマブラ拳!!), literally "News Flash Smash Bros. Fist!!", while the Brawl edition came to be known as Smash Bros. DOJO!! in other countries. The term "Sumabura Ken!!" (or "Smabura-Ken", from a mention on the English Brawl DOJO!!) is commonly used to refer to the Melee's Sokuhō.
The pages are written by Masahiro Sakurai and other developers during the creation of each game, giving information about characters and modes as they were in development.
Super Smash Bros. Smabura-Ken[edit]
The original Smabura-Ken detailed all aspects of the game, including characters, modes, stages, and unlockable content. It also contained polls, a questionnaire, and even a manual covering basic and advanced techniques, such as Z-canceling, teching, and DI.
The website started life as a project pitch document titled "The Secrets of Smash Bros." that was written by Sakurai himself and sent to various news outlets. Because the development team essentially created a new genre of video game, the general public didn't understand what the game was meant to be. Sakurai wrote the document during the free time he had after the game went gold but before the game actually released. The document didn't gain much traction among news outlets, so he instead retooled the document into a rudimentary website, keeping the layout as basic as possible to accommodate slow internet speeds at the time. The site went live with Nintendo's approval.[1]
Super Smash Bros. Melee Smabura-Ken[edit]
The Super Smash Bros. Melee Smabura-Ken launched in May 2001 and ended February 2002. It detailed the characters and modes in the game, as well as events pertaining to the game, such the Super Smash Brothers DX Orchestra Concert, Nintendo Space World 2001, E3 2001, and the Camera Mode Contest. It also includes interviews of staff members involved in the game, and pre- and post-release questionnaires containing tidbits about the development and Sakurai's thoughts on the game. Unlike the previous website, the Melee Smabura-Ken was created while the game was still in development, allowing the development to post updates in the form of screenshots. The website was also updated by Sakurai himself despite the incredibly short and hectic development schedule, as he believed he was the best person to explain what the game is as director and would save time having to review posts made by other team members.
This is the only iteration of Smabura-Ken that was not officially translated to English.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Smabura-Ken[edit]
Masahiro Sakurai launched the Super Smash Bros. Brawl Smabura-Ken around May 22, 2007. He updated the site every weekday with posts containing information on characters, how to play Brawl, game modes, stages, items, music, and more. He also posted a collection of handpicked Snapshots submitted via Nintendo Wi-Fi. Sakurai kept updating the site every weekday until April 14, 2008, though he still continued to make a few periodical posts afterwards.
This website was translated into many different languages, such as American English, British English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian. These languages were translated and update by Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe respectively. The only update exclusive to one language was New Launch and E for All, which was exclusive to the American English site as the convention took place in North America.
On June 11, 2013, the website's URL was changed to make way for information on Super Smash Bros. 4.
See also[edit]
- Smash Bros. DOJO!!
- Super Smash Bros. 4 Official Site
- List of Director's Room Miiverse posts - Masahiro Sakurai often provided development info regarding Super Smash Bros. 4 on the official Miiverse Director's Room channel.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site
