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Super Smash Bros. Slamfest '99: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Slamfest.png|thumb|right|Title card for Slamfest '99 created for the ''Zelda 64 Planet'' website.]] | [[File:Slamfest.png|thumb|right|Title card for Slamfest '99 created for the ''Zelda 64 Planet'' website.]] | ||
'''Super Smash Bros. Slamfest '99''' was a promotional event held at the | '''Super Smash Bros. Slamfest '99''' was a promotional event held at the {{iw|Wikipedia|MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park}} in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 24th, 1999.<ref name="ign">[https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/04/22/nintendo-stages-smashing-fight Nintendo Stages Smashing Fight - IGN (04/21/1999)]</ref> Organized by Nintendo of America and public relations firm Golin/Harris,<ref name="gamexplain">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Coa7gZdAUMM GameXplain interview with Ed Espinoza]</ref> it was meant to promote the then-upcoming release of ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' The event featured a real-life, staged wrestling match between costumed performers dressed as [[Mario]], [[Yoshi]], [[Pikachu]], and [[Donkey Kong]], as well as stations set up for attendees to preview the game.<ref name="ign" /> The costumes used were the same as those seen in the [[List_of_commercials_for_the_Super_Smash_Bros._series#Super_Smash_Bros.|North American commercial]] for the game. | ||
The wrestling match was broadcasted live on the web via [[Wikipedia:RealPlayer|RealPlayer G2]]. A downloadable file was available from the event's official website for several months following its conclusion, allowing users to watch a rebroadcast of the stream when loaded into RealPlayer.<ref name="website"/> Despite the rebroadcast, no video footage of Slamfest '99 is known to survive, and the broadcast is currently considered to be | The wrestling match was broadcasted live on the web via [[Wikipedia:RealPlayer|RealPlayer G2]]. A downloadable file was available from the event's official website for several months following its conclusion, allowing users to watch a rebroadcast of the stream when loaded into RealPlayer.<ref name="website"/> Despite the rebroadcast, no video footage of Slamfest '99 is known to survive, and the broadcast is currently considered to be {{iw|Wikipedia|lost media}}. | ||
==Event | ==Event details== | ||
Slamfest '99 was a joint production between Nintendo of America and public relations firm Golin/Harris International, Inc.<ref name="gamexplain"/> It was held in the "Salem Waterfront" district at the | Slamfest '99 was a joint production between Nintendo of America and public relations firm Golin/Harris International, Inc.<ref name="gamexplain"/> It was held in the "Salem Waterfront" district at the MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 24th, 1999, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM PST.<ref name="ign"/> Ed Espinoza of Golin/Harris served as the event's lead producer.<ref name="gamexplain"/> | ||
The wrestling match lasted for 17 minutes<ref name="nwr">[https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/5291/this-beats-monday-night-raw This beats Monday Night RAW! - Nintendo World Report (04/26/1999)]</ref> and was performed by Cirque du Soleil actors, who choreographed the fight themselves.<ref name="gamexplain"/> Espinoza wrote the event's script.<ref name="gamexplain"/> The match was performed in a boxing ring in the "Salem Waterfront" district initially slated for use with an upcoming Mike Tyson fight.<ref name="ign"/> | The wrestling match lasted for 17 minutes<ref name="nwr">[https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/5291/this-beats-monday-night-raw This beats Monday Night RAW! - Nintendo World Report (04/26/1999)]</ref> and was performed by Cirque du Soleil actors, who choreographed the fight themselves.<ref name="gamexplain"/> Espinoza wrote the event's script.<ref name="gamexplain"/> The match was performed in a boxing ring in the "Salem Waterfront" district initially slated for use with an upcoming Mike Tyson fight.<ref name="ign"/> | ||
The costumes used in the match were created by California-based KCL Productions. They were previously used in the [[List_of_commercials_for_the_Super_Smash_Bros._series#Super_Smash_Bros.| North American commercial]] for ''Super Smash Bros.'', and were later used in various Nintendo-related advertisements and events. KCL Productions had no involvement with Slamfest '99 beyond initially providing the costumes to Nintendo. | The costumes used in the match were created by California-based KCL Productions. They were previously used in the [[List_of_commercials_for_the_Super_Smash_Bros._series#Super_Smash_Bros.|North American commercial]] for ''Super Smash Bros.'', and were later used in various Nintendo-related advertisements and events. KCL Productions had no involvement with Slamfest '99 beyond initially providing the costumes to Nintendo. | ||
Promotion for Slamfest '99 was deliberately limited in scope as a cautionary exercise in the wake of the Columbine school shooting earlier that week, as it had spurred controversy surrounding violence in video games.<ref name="gamexplain"/> More than 100 children from the Andre Agassi Foundation were invited to the event, as well as six members of the media,<ref name="winnipeg">Winnipeg Free Press, April 29, 1999, pp. C10</ref> including an Associated Press photographer. While the event was not mentioned in ''Nintendo Power'' magazine around the time period, several print publications and numerous online gaming outlets covered it. | Promotion for Slamfest '99 was deliberately limited in scope as a cautionary exercise in the wake of the Columbine school shooting earlier that week, as it had spurred controversy surrounding violence in video games.<ref name="gamexplain"/> More than 100 children from the Andre Agassi Foundation were invited to the event, as well as six members of the media,<ref name="winnipeg">Winnipeg Free Press, April 29, 1999, pp. C10</ref> including an Associated Press photographer. While the event was not mentioned in ''Nintendo Power'' magazine around the time period, several print publications and numerous online gaming outlets covered it. | ||
==Firsthand | ==Firsthand accounts== | ||
{{cquote|Mario and Donkey would start the match. Donkey Kong, being much larger than our favorite plumber, quickly took Mario out. Yoshi came in and got his revenge on the gorilla. Pikachu would come in for the monkey only to be knocked down by Yoshi's lethal tail. Then, before anyone knew it, Mario went crazy. He wiped out Donkey Kong, Pikachu, and his own teammate, Yoshi. Ultimately, the match would end in a crash which knocked out everyone resulting in a draw. "Everyone's a winner!" the announcer yelled.|cite=Zelda 64 Planet<ref name= zelda>[https://z64central.tripod.com/specials/smashbros/slamfest99/ Zelda 64 Planet's Slamfest '99 special]</ref>}} | {{cquote|Mario and Donkey would start the match. Donkey Kong, being much larger than our favorite plumber, quickly took Mario out. Yoshi came in and got his revenge on the gorilla. Pikachu would come in for the monkey only to be knocked down by Yoshi's lethal tail. Then, before anyone knew it, Mario went crazy. He wiped out Donkey Kong, Pikachu, and his own teammate, Yoshi. Ultimately, the match would end in a crash which knocked out everyone resulting in a draw. "Everyone's a winner!" the announcer yelled.|cite=Zelda 64 Planet<ref name= zelda>[https://z64central.tripod.com/specials/smashbros/slamfest99/ Zelda 64 Planet's Slamfest '99 special]</ref>}} | ||
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A [[Wikipedia:RealAudio|Real Audio Metadata (.ram)]] file was available to download from the event's website for several months following its conclusion, which allowed users to watch a rebroadcast of the stream when loaded into RealPlayer.<ref name="website"/> The .ram file was not an actual encoded video file, but rather a container file that would direct RealPlayer to stream the video from the URL it contained. | A [[Wikipedia:RealAudio|Real Audio Metadata (.ram)]] file was available to download from the event's website for several months following its conclusion, which allowed users to watch a rebroadcast of the stream when loaded into RealPlayer.<ref name="website"/> The .ram file was not an actual encoded video file, but rather a container file that would direct RealPlayer to stream the video from the URL it contained. | ||
The websites which hosted both the .ram file and the address it pointed to are non-functional, as are their archived counterparts in the {{iw|Wikipedia|Wayback Machine}}. | |||
==Legacy== | ==Legacy== | ||
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In the years since it took place, Slamfest '99 has never been referenced in any official capacity by Nintendo, and maintained an extremely obscure status even among fans of Nintendo and ''Super Smash Bros''. | In the years since it took place, Slamfest '99 has never been referenced in any official capacity by Nintendo, and maintained an extremely obscure status even among fans of Nintendo and ''Super Smash Bros''. | ||
No video footage of Slamfest '99 is known to survive, and the broadcast is currently considered to be | No video footage of Slamfest '99 is known to survive, and the broadcast is currently considered to be lost media. However, some non-video content has surfaced, such as photographs, magazine articles, written firsthand accounts, and an archive of the event's official website. Additionally, a talking Donkey Kong plush figure from the "Nintendo Collectibles" line was found featuring promotional material for the event.<ref name= brain>Images provided by [https://twitter.com/ForcedUserX Brain Bot (@ForcedUserX via Twitter)]</ref> | ||
In May 2020, André Segers of the YouTube channel GameXplain published a tweet recalling Slamfest '99,<ref name="andre">[https://twitter.com/AndreSegers/status/1259900063653888009 André Segers' Slamfest '99 tweet, 5/11/2020 ]</ref> which garnered the attention of members of the Lost Media Wiki. A coordinated search effort was launched by the Lost Media Wiki in the following months | In May 2020, André Segers of the YouTube channel GameXplain published a tweet recalling Slamfest '99,<ref name="andre">[https://twitter.com/AndreSegers/status/1259900063653888009 André Segers' Slamfest '99 tweet, 5/11/2020 ]</ref> which garnered the attention of members of the Lost Media Wiki. A coordinated search effort was launched by the Lost Media Wiki in the following months. | ||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
:''For more images, see: [[Super Smash Bros. Slamfest '99/Gallery]].'' | |||
<gallery> | <gallery> | ||