Nintendo Names New Characters in Smash Bros. Game for Wii Console

A brawl at Nintendo's booth last night left dozens of gamers stunned --

and wanting more.

Nintendo unveiled a spectacular video of Super Smash Bros.(R) Brawl for

the company's upcoming Wii(TM) console. The amazing footage also revealed a

variety of new Nintendo characters who will be playable in the game, including

Meta Knight, the sword-wielding nemesis of Kirby(TM); Pit, the angelic archer

from Kid Icarus(R); Zero Suit Samus, the powerful Metroid(R) series heroine

minus her versatile armor; and Wario(TM), who demonstrated a noxious attack of

gastronomic proportions.

Nintendo also revealed that the game would include Snake, the gritty

soldier from Konami's hugely popular Metal Gear series.

Nintendo issued the surprise announcement during the Electronic

Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, which continues through May 12. Super

Smash Bros.(R) remains one of Nintendo's most popular franchises, both for its

fun, over-the-top battles and because it brings the most popular characters in

Nintendo's universe into one common setting. The latest incarnation, Super

Smash Bros.(R) Melee, is the best-selling game of all time for Nintendo

GameCube(TM).