An old favorite is returning to Super Smash Bros. Brawl with some new tricks.
More information about SSB Brawl's online features continues to trickle in. The newest bit of info pertains to the beloved Home Run Contest mini-game, in which you beat up the Sandbag pseudo-character and then smash it as far as you can. In Melee, a particularly long shot could unlock one of the game's playable levels, so many players spent time with this mini-game, perfecting Yoshi's air sprint or any other move that could deal massive damage very quickly.
Brawl's version of Home Run Contest brings with it a few new features. First, a translucent shield surrounds the platform and is invulnerable to weak attacks but not to the smash attacks that will ultimately send Sandbag flying. This barrier is meant to keep your character and Sandbag from falling off the platform, a common occurrence in the previous game.
For the first time, Home Run Contest will support two players, either cooperatively or taking turns. And in an even bigger announcement, both the cooperative and alternating forms of the mini-game will be playable online with your friends (but apparently not with random strangers). The Smash Bros. Dojo blog has been hinting that more online features would be announced, and this is the first one since online battles were finally confirmed in any detail.