Editing Super Smash Bros. Brawl

{{Title|''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''}}
{{ArticleIcons|brawl=yes|featured=yes}}{{Cquote|''They're back. Stronger than ever. And they've brought friends. Lots of them.''|cite=North American commercial}}
{{Redirect|''Brawl''|the game mode|Versus Mode}}
{{Infobox Game
|title = Super Smash Bros. Brawl
|image = {{tabber|width=250px|title1=American boxart|content1=[[File:SSBB Cover.jpg |250px]]|title2=Japanese boxart|content2=[[file:SSBB-cover-japan.jpg|250px]]|title3=PAL boxart (limited edition)|content3=[[file:SSBB Limited Edition.jpg |250px]]}}
|developer = [[Sora Ltd.|Sora]]<br>[[HAL Laboratory]]<br>[[Game Arts]]<br>[[Monolith Soft]]<br>[[Paon]]<br>[[Intelligent Systems]]
|publisher = [[Nintendo]]
|platform = [[Wii]]
|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>
|engine = [[Havok]]
|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><br>{{Flag|South Korea}} April 29, 2010
|genre = [[wikipedia:Fighting game|Fighting]], [[wikipedia:Platform game|Platform]]
|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>
|ratings = {{vgratings|CERO=A|ESRB=T|OFLCA=PG|PEGI=12+}}
|platforms = [[Wii]]
|media = [[Wikipedia:Nintendo optical discs|Wii Optical Disc]] (Double-layer)
|requirements = 128 free blocks of memory in the Wii System Memory
|input = [[Wii Remote]], [[Nunchuk]], [[Classic Controller]], [[GameCube controller]]<ref name="four control">{{Cite web |url=https://www.smashbros.com/wii/en_uk/gamemode/various/various01.html |title=Four Kinds of Control |accessdate=2007-06-08 |date=2007-06-08 |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'''''" ({{ja|スマブラＸ|Sumabura ekkusu}}), is the third installment in the ''{{b|Super Smash Bros.|series}}'' series published by [[Nintendo]]. The game was directed 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 Ltd.|Sora]], [[Game Arts]], and staff from other developers. The game released for [[Wii]] on January 31st, 2008 in Japan, March 9th, 2008 in North America, June 26th, 2008 in Australia, and June 27th, 2008 in Europe. The game requires 128 free blocks of memory in the Wii System Memory. A limited edition release of the game came with an extra cardboard sleeve depicting all of the characters available by default, and came with two postcards, providing a biopic on {{SSBB|Zero Suit Samus}} and {{SSBB|Zelda}}, giving a short summary of them, and showing images of their special moves.

''Brawl'' is fundamentally similar to its predecessors ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', being a fighting game that contains characters with simple movesets and an emphasis on movement and ringouts. However, ''Brawl'' introduced many elements that would become standard in later installments, such as an expanded [[Subspace Emissary|adventure mode]] and support for online play through the [[Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection]].<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> 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, they were unable to play via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and vault data will not be saved. However, 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. While some characters were cut from ''Melee'', many more were introduced, including third-party characters for the first time in the series.

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>

''Brawl'' received universal acclaim, with praise centered on its entertainment value despite issues relating to its content loading times, and its musical score was lauded for its representation of different generations in gaming history. The game has sold 13.32 million units as of March 31, 2020, making it the eighth best-selling Wii game of all time.

==Opening movie==
The CGI [[opening movie]] of ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' utilizes [[List of cutscenes in the Subspace Emissary|scenes]] from [[The Subspace Emissary]], along with lots of selections of [[Versus Mode]] matches, as opposed to featuring unique footage in the manner of the game's predecessor, ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' (''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' used footage from its E3 trailer).

{{#widget:YouTube|id=JBuEcxmZqPw}}

==Fighters==
[[File:Character Selection - Super Smash Bros. Brawl.png|thumb|left|300px|The [[character selection screen]] of ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' with all characters unlocked.]]
[[File:SSBBcast.png|thumb|300px|The entire cast, as they appear in the ending; excluding {{SSBB|Zero Suit Samus}} and {{SSBB|Sheik}}, the transformations of {{SSBB|Samus}} and {{SSBB|Zelda}}, respectively.]]
[[File:SSBBLineupBack.png|thumb|bottom|300px|A back view of all the fighters in the previous image during the Opening Movie.]]

The cast of 35 playable characters (39 if [[Zelda]], [[Sheik]], [[Samus]], [[Zero Suit Samus]], [[Squirtle]], [[Ivysaur]] and [[Charizard]] are all treated as separate without counting the trainer himself) includes 20 (21 including Sheik) returning veterans from ''Melee'' and 15 newcomers (18 including transformations). Of these, 21 are [[starter character]]s (25 if the seven transformation characters above are all treated as separate) and the other 14 need to be [[unlockable character|unlocked]]. Many of the returning characters have been updated or refined since their last appearance, either in terms of appearance, fighting capabilities, or both. For example, Link and Fox have taken on new designs from more recent titles, while [[Samus Aran]] has gained the ability to change into a new form, [[Zero Suit Samus]], by using her [[Final Smash]] or by the player pressing a certain button after picking Samus and before picking a stage.

Five characters do not return from ''Melee'': {{uv|Super Mario}}'s [[Dr. Mario]], {{uv|The Legend of Zelda}}'s [[Young Link]], {{uv|Pokémon}}'s [[Mewtwo]] and [[Pichu]], and {{uv|Fire Emblem}}'s [[Roy]]. Of these, only Mewtwo was not a moveset [[clone]]; and it is assumed to have been the furthest into development of the cut characters due to having the most unused code out of the cut veterans. Except for the ''Mario'' series, each of these series' gained new characters added to the roster: [[Toon Link]] for ''The Legend of Zelda'', [[Pokémon Trainer]] (who controls [[Squirtle]], [[Ivysaur]], and [[Charizard]]) and [[Lucario]] for ''Pokémon'', and [[Ike]] for ''Fire Emblem''.

Several franchises already represented in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series gain additional character slots, with the {{uv|Kirby}} universe the biggest gainer, as both [[King Dedede]] and [[Meta Knight]] make their playable ''Super Smash Bros.'' debuts. Otherwise, {{uv|EarthBound}} sees [[Lucas]] join, the {{uv|Star Fox}} franchise adds [[Wolf O'Donnell|Wolf]], and the {{uv|Donkey Kong}} universe adds [[Diddy Kong]], while {{uv|Metroid}} has Samus's aforementioned "Zero Suit" form, which originally debuted in ''[[Metroid: Zero Mission]]'', added as a transformation for its sole character.

New character slots which go to Nintendo series previously unrepresented include [[Pit]], the first appearance of the {{uv|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.]]

Finally, main protagonist [[Solid Snake]] of the {{uv|Metal Gear}} franchise, and [[Sonic the Hedgehog]] from [[Sonic (universe)|his eponymous series]] become the first third-party characters to appear in a ''Super Smash Bros.'' game.
{{clr}}
{{SSBB character table}}

==Collectibles==
{{Main|Trophy|List of trophies|Sticker|List of stickers (complete list)|CD|Coins (collectible)}}
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>

By completing stages in {{SSBB|Classic Mode}}<ref name="classic">{{Cite web |url=http://www.smashbros.com/wii/en_us/gamemode/various/various11.html |title=Classic |work=[[Smash Bros. DOJO!!]] |date=2007-10-30 |accessdate=2007-10-30 |publisher=Smashbros.com}}</ref>, [[All-Star Mode]] and The Subspace Emissary, coins can be earned. The coins can be used to play the [[Coin Launcher]] to win more stickers or trophies, to "pay" for [[Continue]]s in Classic and All-Star Mode, to bet on the outcome of [[Spectator Mode]] matches and to choose stages in online play.

===Masterpieces===
{{Main|Masterpieces}}
''Brawl'' introduces "Masterpieces", time-limited [[Virtual Console]] game demonstrations, to the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. The international release has twelve such games available, each of which features one or more of the playable characters from ''Brawl''. Seven games are available for play to begin with, with five more unlockable by completing [[Challenges]], which range from Mario's debut in ''{{b|Donkey Kong|game}}'' to the critically acclaimed late [[Nintendo 64]] title ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]''. The time-limits on each individual play last between 30 seconds (''Donkey Kong''), to five minutes (''Ocarina of Time'').

The Japanese release has two additional Masterpieces not included in the international releases — the SNES games ''Mother 2'' (known as ''{{b|EarthBound|game}}'' in its US release) and ''[[Fire Emblem: Monsho no Nazo]]''.

===Music===
{{Main|My Music|Music (SSBB)|Super Smash Bros. Brawl Main Theme}}
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"/>

Each of the game stages have multiple musical tracks which players can listen to using the new "My Music" feature, including some songs that were taken directly from other games without any modification or special arrangement. This feature also allows the player to adjust the frequency of how often a music track is played on a given stage. Collecting [[CD]]s expands the range of music available.<ref name="My Music"/>

==Stages==
{{Main|Stage}}
[[File: Stage Select Brawl.png|thumb|300px|The stage selection screen in ''Brawl''.]]
[[File: Stage Select Brawl Melee Stages.png|thumb|300px|The Melee Stages screen in ''Brawl''.]]
''Brawl'' features many stages that can be fought on. Most of them are new, but a few return from ''Melee''. On some stages, such as Shadow Moses Island, [[Smash Taunt]]s can be performed. ''Brawl'' also has an option to create custom stages with the [[Stage Builder]].
{{clrl}}
{{SSBB stage table}}

==Development==
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". Iwata would later admit that, had Sakurai declined the role of director, he would have released a remastered version of ''Melee'' for Wii with added [[online]] capablilities.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXpFTHtlmCo&t Super Smash Bros. Brawl [Game Concepts]]</ref> Development of the game did not actually start until late 2005, and just for its production, Nintendo opened a new office in Tokyo at the beginning of October 2005, dubbed the Takadanobaba office.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDrNWAHaKfI=37s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate [Game Concepts]]</ref> Sakurai's new company, [[Sora Ltd.]], was put in charge of the project and [[Game Arts]] was chosen as a lead developer, with other companies like [[Monolith Soft]] and [[Paon]] having significant hands in production. Sakurai has stated that the teams he chose had spent excessive amounts of time playing ''Melee'', and thus had a deep mechanical knowledge of the series. The team had access to all the original material and tools from the development of ''Melee'', courtesy of HAL Laboratory. This was the first team Sakurai was involved in that exceeded 100 members.

''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 {{s|wikipedia|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 {{s|wikipedia|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> The North American version of the game was later delayed a second time 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> Nintendo issued a warning statement regarding ''Brawl'' causing issues with some [[Wii]] systems. Due to the sheer size of the game files, double-layer discs were used to fit the entire game physically. This would cause the disc to be unreadable if the lens of the disc drive became contaminated. Nintendo offered a free repair service to those that experienced this issue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223052430/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/repair/repair_form_us_ssbb.jsp|title=Wii disc drive lens repair request form|accessdate=2022-7-1}}</ref>

Following the release of the game in Japan, a bug was discovered in the game. This bug causes the game to display an error message when it starts, however, players can close the error message and play the game as usual. A replacement program was created to address this issue.

===Inclusion of characters===
Sakurai stated that he did not want to emphasize Japan-only characters;<ref name="thirdparty">{{Cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3151198 |title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl Details|accessdate=2007-09-13|last=Klepek|first=Patrick|date=2006-06-05|publisher=1UP}}</ref> in ''Brawl''{{'}}s cast, only [[Lucas]] had not appeared outside of Japan (although [[Marth]] had only previously only appeared internationally in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', rather than his home franchise). Sakurai also stated there would be no more than three third-party characters;<ref name="thirdparty" /> these characters were [[Solid Snake]] and [[Sonic the Hedgehog]]. The inclusion of Konami-created character Solid Snake may seem to conflict with the ''Super Smash Bros.'' paradigm — to only include characters from games made by Nintendo and its second parties — but Sakurai said Hideo Kojima "practically begged" for Snake to be included in ''Melee'', which did not happen because the game was too far in development. This in turn led to his appearance in the following game instead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/gaming/nintendo/e306-super-smash-bros-brawl-qa-173071.php|title=E306: Super Smash Bros. Brawl Q&A|accessdate=2007-09-18|last=Mcwhertor|first=Michael|date=2006-05-11|publisher=Kotaku}}</ref> Similarly, Lucas was intended to be used in ''Melee'', but was left out due to the constant delay and eventual cancellation of [[wikibound:EarthBound 64|''Mother 3'' on the Nintendo 64]] at the time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/flash/0717/index.html|title=速報スマブラ拳: Ness|accessdate=2007-10-21|publisher=[[Nintendo]]|language=Japanese}}</ref>

Japanese fans were asked to submit their desired characters and musical themes via a forum on the game's official Japanese site, with some possibly appearing in the game. Likewise, fans from other countries were asked to submit ideas on Nintendo's official forums.<ref name="character poll">{{Cite web|date=2006-05-11|url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/707/707671p1.html|title=E3 2006: Fans Asked to Fill Smash Bros. Roster|publisher=IGN|accessdate=2006-05-11}}</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>

==Trailers==
{{Main|Super Smash Bros. Brawl Trailers}}
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 Pit, Meta Knight, Zero Suit Samus, Wario and Solid Snake as new playable characters, alongside the return of Mario, Link, Samus, Pikachu and Kirby. 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.

==Reception==
{{Reviews
|title=''Brawl'' reviews
|1UP = A<ref name="GameScore">{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3166844&p=44&sec=REVIEWS|title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review|date=2008-03-07|first=James|last=Mielke|accessdate=2008-05-16|publisher=1UP.com}}</ref>
|Edge = 9 of 10<ref name="Edge">{{cite book|url= http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9575&Itemid=51|title= Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review|author=Edge staff|year=2008|month=April|journal=Edge|issue=187|pages=84–85}}</ref>
|EuroG = 9 of 10<ref name="euroReview">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=128676&page=1|title=Eurogamer Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review|first=Tom|last=Bramwell|accessdate=2008-03-27|publisher=Eurogamer}}</ref>
|Fam = 40 of 40<ref name="Famscore">{{cite news|url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3165462|title=Famitsu Gives Smash Bros. Brawl a Perfect Score|author=Gray, Brian|publisher=[http://www.1up.com/ 1up.com]|date=2008-01-16|accessdate=2008-04-27}}</ref>
|GT = 9.4 of 10<ref name="GameTrailersReview">{{cite web|url=http://www.gametrailers.com/player/31663.html|title=GameTrailers Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review|accessdate=2008-03-09|publisher=GameTrailers}}</ref>
|IGN = 9.5 of 10<ref name="IGNReview">{{cite web|url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/856/856580p1.html|title=IGN Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review|first=Matt|last=Casamassina|accessdate=2008-03-04|publisher=IGN}}</ref>
|NP = 10 of 10<ref name="NPBrawl">{{Cite news|date=March 2008|magazine=Nintendo Power|publisher=Future US|volume=226|title=Simply Smashing|last=Slate|first=Chris|pages=82–83}}</ref>
|NGamer=93<!--The link shows a score of 9.3/10, but this is CVG.com's method of scoring - NGamer itself scores with solid numbers. Check its article.--><ref name="ngamer">{{cite web|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=183358|title=Ngamer&nbsp;— Review: Super Smash Bros. Brawl|accessdate=2008-02-26|first=Matthew|last=Castle|work=NGamer}}</ref>
|ONM = 95%<ref name="ONMReview">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/article.php?id=4885|title=Wii Review: Super Smash Bros.|first=Martin|last=Mathers|date=2008-06-26|accessdate=2008-10-02|publisher=Official Nintendo Magazine}}</ref>
|MC = 93/100 (81 reviews)<ref name="metacritic">{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/wii/supersmashbrosbrawl|title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl (wii: 2008): Reviews|accessdate=2008-04-23|publisher=Metacritic}}</ref>
|GR = 92.84% (78 reviews)<ref name="gr">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/wii/928518-super-smash-bros-brawl/index.html|title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl Reviews|accessdate=2010-10-25|publisher=Game Rankings}}</ref>
|TTR = 3.85/4 (56 reviews)<ref name="ttr">{{cite web|url=http://games.toptenreviews.com/reviews/g27302.htm|title=TopTenReviews – Super Smash Bros. Brawl|publisher=TopTenReviews|accessdate=2008-07-09}}</ref>
|award1Pub = GameSpot
|award1 = Best Fighting Game<ref name="Gamespotfighting">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/best-of-2008/genre-awards/index.html?page=4|title=Gamespot: Best Fighting Game of the Year|publisher=GameSpot|accessdate=2009-02-23}}</ref>
}}
''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' received critically positive reviews and sold successfully. In the United States, the game sold 874,000 units on launch day and 1.4 million units in its first week to become the fastest-selling video game in Nintendo of America's history, according to Nintendo. The game has sold 10.79 million units worldwide as of March 2012 according to Nintendo, which made it the best selling game in the series and best selling fighting game at the time. ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is currently the 8th best selling game for the [[Wii]] and sold 13.32 million units worldwide as of September 30th, 2023<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/wii.html|title=IR Information:Top Selling Title Sales Unit|publisher=Nintendo|accessdate=2023-12-29}}</ref>, and was only surpassed as the best selling in the series and best selling fighting game by its own sequel, ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', in 2019. ''Brawl'' currently holds an aggregate review score of 92.84% on Gamerankings and a score of 93/100 on Metacritic. Despite this, British publication NGamer received criticism for awarding a 93% rating to ''Brawl'', with readers deeming the score too low, especially in comparison to Official Nintendo Magazine's 95% rating. ''Brawl'' has reviews with ratings equal or slightly better than ''Melee''. The game's multiplayer was received excellently, but single player, while noted as superior to ''Melee''{{'}}s, was still only average.

Gamespot awarded ''Brawl'' best fighting game of 2008, beating competitors such as ''{{iw|wikipedia|Soul Calibur IV}}'', and ''{{iw|wikipedia|Blazblue: Calamity Trigger}}''. While ''{{iw|wikipedia|Street Fighter IV}}'' technically released in arcades in 2008, it was excluded from running due to not having a home console release until 2009.
{{clr}}

==Changes from ''[[Melee]]'' to ''Brawl''==
===Gameplay===
*Generally, ''Brawl''{{'}}s gameplay engine functions much like ''Super Smash Bros.'' as the game plays slower: every veteran has a slower [[falling speed]] and [[gravity]], [[L-canceling]] has been removed, [[dash]]ing barely increases forward momentum in midair, and characters must wait a slightly longer amount of time before being able to meteor cancel.
**As a result, many veterans were generally heavily [[nerf]]ed due to the decreased or removed abilities while a few, particularly the low and bottom tiers of ''Melee'' at the time of ''Brawl''{{'}}s release, generally benefited from the new physics and were [[buff]]ed.
*The [[air dodge]] no longer involves characters shifting in a direction; instead, characters continue on whatever path they were moving before the air dodge without inducing the [[helpless]] state. This gives characters more options in the air, but makes [[wavedash]]ing impossible.
*The amount of time a launched character is forced to stay in [[hitstun]] is significantly decreased; it can be [[hitstun canceling|cancelled]] with an air dodge or an aerial after a short amount of time, making true [[combo]]s less common, and can even be done to the point of [[momentum canceling|slowing down or even cancelling their momentum]] while still suffering from knockback, allowing characters to survive for much longer than before.
*Some characters now have unique [[meteor cancel]] windows: while the universal meteor cancel window is 25 frames for most characters, those with tether recoveries only (such as {{SSBB|Ivysaur}}) have a smaller delay in meteor canceling, while characters that use wings for multiple jumps (such as {{SSBB|Meta Knight}}) must wait for longer. The only exception to this rule is {{SSBB|Wolf}}, who oddly has a 60 frame delay before being able to meteor cancel despite not having multiple jumps. Additionally, attempting to meteor cancel with a jump before this window of time will result in a 40-frame penalty where the character cannot meteor cancel.
*The knockback formula has been changed to include a character's gravity. This results in a character's falling speed having a much smaller effect on their vertical endurance. An example can be seen in {{SSBB|Fox}}: despite having the highest accelerated falling speed, he has the 5th worst vertical endurance out of the cast, unlike in ''Melee,'' where his vertical endurance was the 6th best, as his high gravity now causes him to sustain more knockback.
*The calculation of knockback no longer ignores [[stale move negation]], resulting in moves losing significantly more knockback the more they are staled. This requires players to preserve their KO options more carefully, but makes certain moves able to combo into themselves more effectively. 
*The window for [[dash-dancing]] is so small it loses almost all its usefulness.
*[[Tether recovery|Tether recoveries]] are generally less useful than the [[wall-grapple|wall-grappling]] they replaced; they only aim for ledges as opposed to walls, and can be very easily [[edgehog]]ged, however they do not render the user helpless barring a few special move tethers.
*Characters must wait a short amount of time before being able to move after grabbing a ledge.
*[[Shieldstun]] has been drastically decreased, with an increased [[perfect shield]] window.
*It only takes 7 frames to drop [[shield]], making the game more defensively-focused.
*Some characters have the [[dash attack canceled up smash]] that improves their approach.
*A new move called the [[Final Smash]] has been introduced, activated by hitting a [[Smash Ball]].
*There is a [[landing lag glitch]] on not all but several characters that causes the character when they land to be inflicted with the landing lag of a helplessness-inducing [[special move]], if they grabbed the edge during the move, or after using the move before landing.
*Characters can grab a [[ledge]] with their back facing it, and most recovery moves (though not all of them) also cancel for the character to grab the edge, making recovery easier and more flexible, as well as lowering the effectiveness of attacks that turn the opponent around, such as Mario's [[Cape]]. Additionally, using any up special move (with [[Quick Attack|two]] [[Spin Attack|exceptions]]) no longer expends the character's double jump, allowing characters to use it after an up special move if they are hit out of it in the air without having used the double jump prior.
*Edge teching is no longer possible, as well as [[ledge canceling]] attacks. Characters can now air dodge while [[tumbling]], so [[teching]] itself is harder to perform, and has become generally less useful due to the reduced hitstun and momentum canceling.
*Knockback that doesn't cause tumbling can no longer be [[directional influence]]d.
*Characters can now randomly [[trip]], and they have a [[floor attack]] for when they do so.
*[[Buffer]]ing implemented: characters can now perform actions by inputting them at least 10 frames before they can actually be executed.
*[[Spike]]s no longer exist, as the trajectory range for a [[meteor smash]] has been increased, and all attacks with a downwards angle fall into this range.
*The [[footstool jump]] allows characters to bounce off of other characters' heads while sending the opponent downward; it acts like a meteor smash, though the footstool jump is not a true meteor smash.
*[[Perfect Shield]]ing no longer reflects projectiles during the first 2 frames of activation, instead the projectiles either disappear or redirect at an angle depending on the projectile.
*Fighters no longer experience a period of [[intangibility]] between the period of their shield is broken and them hitting the ground and entering their stunned animation. This slightly increases the window in which a fighter can be attacked when their shield is broken, as well as making it possible to use windboxes to push opponents offstage while falling to the ground to be stunned. However, it also enables players to save teammates who are tumbling to their death due to being forced over the ledge after their shield broke.
*Characters [[Floor recovery|knocked down on the floor]] now enter a flopping animation upon hit by a weak attack, which does not give them any [[invincibility]] frames until they can get up, enabling [[lock]]s.
*[[Crouch]]ing cannot cancel dashes, and [[crouch cancel]]ing no longer reduces knockback.
*[[Smash attack]]s are easier to angle, as the player can now just hold up or down during the forward smash to angle it.
*Characters now conserve forward momentum when [[dash grab]]bing opponents.
*[[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.
*Some characters can [[crawl]], while others can [[glide]] or [[wall cling]], and every character can [[swim]] in water instead of falling through it.
*Some characters can [[grab release|grab release-combo]] other characters.
*[[Moonwalking]] has been removed.
*[[CPU]]s, while still having exploitable flaws, have gained an AI increase in general, choosing more alternatives with attacks and having quick dodging techniques of 1 frame reaction, among other improved behaviors.
*Grabbing a character does not restore their [[midair jump]](s).
*[[Short hop]]ping is at least 1 frame easier for all characters compared to ''Melee''.
*[[Smash Taunt]]s do not end if the user flinches; they have to be KO'd to end it early.
*Up smashes can be performed while running without needing to [[jump cancel]], known as a [[slide smash]].
*Characters can now [[pivot grab]].
*[[Glancing blow]]s no longer deal damage, and a few sparks will show up to indicate one.
*All characters now have three taunts instead of one, have unique [[on-screen appearances]], and the announcer counting down before the match begins which return from the original ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''
*[[Item]]s can now be grabbed during [[dash attack]]s, [[aerial attack]]s and air dodges.
*[[Poison Mushroom|Shrinking]] and [[Super Mushroom|growing]] animations have been added for every character.
*The [[C-stick]] no longer throws battering items, enabling smash attacks.
*[[Share stock|Life stealing]] is now done by pressing the [[A button|A]] and [[B button|B]] buttons simultaneously, instead of [[Start button|start]].
*[[On-screen appearance]]s return from ''[[Super Smash Bros.|Smash 64]]'' in VS mode.

===Game modes===
*[[List of bonuses|Bonuses]] have been removed, with only a few being awarded at the end of [[Classic Mode (SSBB)|Classic]] and [[All-Star]] modes depending on the player's progress.
*Outside of the main game, players can build [[custom stage]]s and save [[snapshot]]s and [[replay]]s.
*The [[Sound Test]] is now available at the start. However, certain sounds and music have to be unlocked.
*Melee's {{SSBM|Adventure Mode}} has been replaced by [[The Subspace Emissary]].
*[[Event match]]es have selectable difficulties.
*All fighters now have a trophy based on their Final Smashes, which can be obtained by clearing All-Star mode in their respective users, replacing the "Smash" fighter trophies from ''Melee''.
*The Race to the Finish bonus game has been removed, with the repeat of the bonus game Target Smash being revamped.
*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.
*The [[Home-Run Contest]] puts a temporary shield around the platform.
**All of the four modes above can also be played in co-op, and players could also play [[Wi-Fi|online]] in various modes.
*[[Special Brawl]]s' effects can now be combined rather than all appearing in different modes. Other special effects have also been added.
*Collectible [[sticker]]s have been added, which can be collected on matches to then be used in the Subspace Emissary. The Lottery for trophies has also been replaced with the [[Coin Launcher]]. Players can now take snapshots of both trophies and stickers.
*In one-player game modes, the [[C-stick]] acts the same as in multiplayer modes: instead of [[Camera|zoom]]ing, it is used as how the player has configured it, the default function being uncharged [[smash attack]]s.
*Any wins, losses, KOs, and other things performed by CPU characters do not count in the records.
*Players can now configure personalised [[controls]] for [[name]]s.

===Aesthetic===
*The menus are significantly reorganized and color-coded.
*Along with the new opening, the [[announcer]] no longer announces the game's title, though there are unused sound files suggesting they originally would've.
*Character noises have been mostly overhauled:
**"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).
**Characters only make one sound when doing smash attacks ({{SSBB|Mario}}'s "Yeeha!" heard when he does his [[up smash]] is among the easiest to notice).
**[[Star KO]] screams now play simultaneously with tumbling animations, consistent with Blast KOs. Previously, screams played much earlier than tumbling animations in ''Smash 64'' and slightly earlier in ''Melee''.
*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|Pikachu}}, {{SSBB|Ness}} and the {{SSBB|Ice Climbers}}.

==In competitive play==
{{main|Super Smash Bros. Brawl in competitive play}}
''Brawl'' represented a turning point in the competitive [[tournament]] scene. The gripes many top level players had with the many changes from ''Melee'' caused a schism in the [[community]] where many chose to not bother transitioning and stay playing ''Melee''. The scene then split into ''Melee'' players and players of the latest release that somewhat remains to this day.

''Brawl'' itself had a respectable competitive run, being featured at prestigious events like [[Major League Gaming]] and [[EVO]]. The game also has a vibrant [[mod]]ding scene, with several having their own niche competitive scene. Mods like [[Project M]] even grew to eclipse the very game it modded in later years. However, ''Brawl'' quickly dropped in popularity after the release of its successor, {{forwiiu}}, and now exists as a small niche community.

The community has constructed a set of [[tournament legal (SSBB)|standard tournament rules]] to regulate tournament play. While rulesets may vary between different tournaments, generally universal gameplay rules include all matches being played via [[time]]d [[stock]] (three stocks and eight minutes), and restrictions on legal [[stage]]s. These regulations are enacted to ensure that gameplay at the highest level remains fair and interesting.

==Staff==
{{main|List of staff (SSBB)}}

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
SSBB-cover-PAL.jpg|PAL cover art
NP222Cover.jpg|''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' as featured on the cover of Nintendo Power issue #222.
SSBB Logo (US).png|The game's logo.
BrawlTitle.png|The English title screen.
DSBXTitle.png|The Japanese title screen.
</gallery>
</center>

==Trivia==
*''Brawl'' introduced the most new base-game [[fighter]]s (18) and [[stage]]s (31).
**It also has the most unlockable stages, with 12.
*The ''Brawl'' menu was designed to be very similar to the menu in ''{{s|wikirby|Kirby Air Ride}}'', including the [[Challenges]] Checklist.
*''Brawl'' was the first [[Wii]] appearance for [[Zero Suit Samus]], [[Kirby]], [[Meta Knight]], [[King Dedede]], and [[Olimar]].
*''Brawl'' is the only ''Smash'' game to:
**Neither introduce nor have any playable full [[clones]].
**Have no gameplay differences between different versions of the game. ''[[Smash 64]]'' and ''[[Melee]]'' had gameplay changes between [[List of regional version differences (disambiguation)|regional releases]], ''Melee'' was [[List of regional version differences (SSBM)|re-released]] with gameplay changes between NTSC versions, and ''[[Smash 4]]'' and ''[[Ultimate]]'' had gameplay changes between [[Patch (disambiguation)|patch updates]].
**Not feature any stages that debuted in ''Smash 64''.
**Not introduce a new ''Mario'' series fighter (discounting sub-universes).
**Not introduce a new Generation I [[Poké Ball]] Pokémon. It does, however, bring back [[Meowth]], who was absent from ''Melee''.

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[https://www.smashbros.com/wii/ Official ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' website]
*[https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/gameslist/manuals/Wii_Super_Smash_Brawl.pdf Official PDF-file instruction manual] for ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' <small>(English)</small>

{{SSBSeries}}
{{SSBBMenus}}

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[[Category:Super Smash Bros. Brawl| ]]
[[Category:Super Smash Bros. universe]]
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[[Category:Super Smash Bros. series]]
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