Topic: Virtual Console Preview Reveals Smash Bros. for Japan

[Kairon]

Almost exactly 10 years after its initial release, the popular Nintendo 64 game will become available on the Wii's download service.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=17483

 Japanese Virtual Console buyers enjoy an advantage over their counterparts elsewhere: official release previews that can reveal titles up to a month in advance. The latest such preview has revealed that Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64, the predecessor to last year's Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, will soon become available for download.    

This release may be designed to coincide with the ten-year anniversary of the first game in the Super Smash Bros. series. The Nintendo 64 game became available in Japan on the 21st of January, 1999. For reference, Super Smash Bros. was released in the American market on April 26, 1999.    

The preview also revealed additional titles for Japanese Wii owners to expect, including four titles from the PC Engine (known as the TurboGrafx16 in America), three from the Famicom (NES), and one each from the Sega Master System and Mega Drive (Genesis). The preview lists one game from the little-known MSX platform, however this title isn't slated for January specifically but is labeled to-be-announced.    

However, since this preview only concerns Japan, there are no official release dates for these titles in other territories. In particular, it is almost certain that games from the MSX will see never release outside of Japan.    

The full list:    

 Famicom  
 
• Detective Saburo Jinguji: A Dangerous Duo (Part 1+2)
 
• The Legend of the Lunar Wind Demon
 
• ZOIDS Revelation
 
 Nintendo 64  
 
• Nintendo All Star! Great Melee Smash Brothers
 
 Sega Master System  
 
• Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa
 
 Mega Drive  
 
• Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair
 
 PC Engine  
 
• Rastan Saga II
 
• Legend of Xanadu 2
 
• Spriggan Mark 2
 
• Champion Wrestler
 
 MSX  
 
• Relics
 

[TheYoungerPlumber]

Wow, has it already been 10 years? I feel old.

[Mop it up]

Smash Brothers was one of the few Nintendo 64 games I bought on release (or maybe it was couple days after...), even although I didn't even want it originally. I was out shopping with my friend, he picked up this game and said "check this out, Mario is in a fighting game!" I looked at the box in disbelief as Mario pummeled Pikachu on the cover; I never thought I'd see such a sight. Skeptical as I was, there was nothing else I wanted so I took it home. After all, you can beat up Pikachu with a bat so it couldn't be all bad.

I'ma gonna need to slide this into my N64 on April 26th, for old time's sake.

[Tanookisuit]

Around this time 10 years ago, I made a website about how cool Smash Brothers was going to be.  I can't wait to buy it again.

[AV]

as I own Brawl and Melee and have cube controllers having n64 one would be redundant and pointless.

That being said I remember back in the day reading a copy of a gaming magazine. I don't remember what it was called but it had tons of cheats and only like 10 pages of previews in each issue. They still have issues to this day.

Anyway they had a preview of than Japanese game Super Smash Brothers. I was shocked and amazed at the game concept and I wished and hoped it would come out in America. I rented it on day one and loved it. I never bought it but I picked up melee and brawl on day one. I still got them both, I haven't touched melee in God knows how long. So buying n64 would be so pointless.

I just love mr. Game and Watch and Ice Climbers to much.

[GoldenPhoenix]

What the heck is Zoids Revelation?

[KDR_11k]

Um, a licensed game based on Zoids?

[Nick DiMola]

as I own Brawl and Melee and have cube controllers having n64 one would be redundant and pointless.

I don't know man, the game actually holds up pretty well today, and has its own unique feeling compared to both Brawl and Melee. Additionally, the game still runs extremely smooth, and never feels like a sluggish old N64 game. If you are a fan of the series, I'd still recommend it.

[Ian Sane]

My friend had this and shortly after Brawl came out and we were all playing it he dug it out of the closet and gave it a play.  Man did it look old! I used to think the N64 had such great graphics at the time but these days it's like looking at an Atari game.  F*CK.  I was surprised how slow the original SSB seemed in comparison to Melee and Brawl.  The N64 analog stick felt weird to smash with.  It felt really dated.  My friend agreed which is important since I wasn't a big fan of the original SSB in the first place.  I got into the series with Melee.  I never got into Brawl as much as I got in Melee.  I think I played Melee so much that it was impossible for Brawl to feel fresh and exciting.  I think I may be SSB'd out.

The reason I didn't care for the original SSB is twofold.  First of all it didn't play like Street Fighter and at the time I was some dumb high school kid who wasn't very open-minded.  I felt like a *gasp* casual fighting game for people that couldn't handle a "real" fighting game.  In a way it kind of still is but working my ass off to unlock the sound test in Melee really showed me the depth the game has.  The other issue was that I couldn't really give the original a chance because my friend was such a cheapo dickface.  He would just spam Samus' grappling beam throw again and again and never really gave me proper instructions on how to play.  He told me what each button did but never told me how to smash or that smash attacks even existed.  And then he kicked my ass with Samus.  With Melee I owned the game and thus learned how to actually play it and the throws aren't so cheap.  It should be noted he is a very average player now that the playing field is level.

[vudu]

The reason I didn't care for the original SSB is twofold.  First of all it didn't play like Street Fighter and at the time I was some dumb high school kid who wasn't very open-minded.  I felt like a *gasp* casual fighting game for people that couldn't handle a "real" fighting game.

The use of the passive tense in this post makes me smile. 

[KDR_11k]

I wonder if he's even aware of the implications of what he just said.

[Halbred]

I loved the original Smash Bros. If it comes out Stateside, I may very well buy it again, for old time's sake.

[Ian Sane]

The use of the passive tense in this post makes me smile.

Because I'm obviously still a dumb high school kid.  At 27 "dumb" is the only type of high school kid I could be.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Yeah, stay in school.

[Jonnyboy117]

I like the feel of the original SSB, but the small character list would drive me crazy after spending so much time with Melee and Brawl.

[UltimatePartyBear]

On the positive side, no Ice Climbers!

[NWR_pap64]

I personally love the wacky, cartoony feel of the original. The intro alone makes me happy.

As much as I liked Melee and loved Brawl they were too serious.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

The serious gamers ruined it for everyone.

[UltimatePartyBear]

The seriousness is what makes them wacky.  It's practically mock epic.

[Kairon]

On the positive side, no Ice Climbers!

I hope Nana pushes you off a cliff.

I personally love the wacky, cartoony feel of the original. The intro alone makes me happy.

Yeah, the Super Smash Bros. intro in the original was simply magical. I mean, Melee had a really big cinematic intro that was good to, but it was of a totally different quality from the first Super Smash Bros. intro, which just... I thought it perfectly set up the game's entire gimme, and even provided info on the role of "Master Hand."

The seriousness is what makes them wacky.  It's practically mock epic.

Yeah, but after Brawl, which had some great mock epic moments... there might be such a thing as too much mock epic...

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Has Kairon played enough onrine Brawl with NWR folks to substantiate that?

[Kairon]

I refer, of course, to the single player mock epic campaign.

[Mop it up]

Melee and Brawl were too serious.

I couldn't agree with this more when it comes to Brawl. The art style of that game uses dramatic shading and colouring that does not fit in with many of the characters in the game, such as Mario, Kirby, Pokémon, etc. It is to such an extent that the art style is rather drab and depressing to look at. Melee got a tad more serious than the first game but it was still bright, cheerful, colourful, and wacky. Brawl has only the fourth of those things, though not to the extent of Melee.

[UltimatePartyBear]

Brawl only looks drab and depressing next to something like a bowl of Easter M&Ms, and even then only if you never play most of the stages.

[KDR_11k]

I recall people demanding serious texturing like that for all Nintendo games...