Final Brawl stage list

The final 41 stages included in the game are:

Battlefield
Final Destination
Delfino Plaza
Luigi's Mansion
Mushroomy Kingdom [Overworld/Underworld]
Mario Circuit
Rumble Falls
Bridge of Eldin
Great Sea
Norfair
Frigate Orpheon
Yoshi's Island
Battleship Halberd
Lylat Cruise
Pokemon Stadium 2
Spear Pillar
Port Town
Castle Siege
Wario Ware
Distant Planet
Smashville
New Pork City
The Summit
Skyworld
Mario Bros. (it's in there, the 4th part)
Flat Zone 2
Pictochat
Electroplankton
Shadow Moses Island
Green Hill Zone
Donkey Kong Arcade

PAST STAGES
Rainbow Ride
Temple
Brinstar
Yoshi's Island
Corneria
Big Blue
Onett
Green Greens
Pokemon Stadium
Jungle Japes

The FINAL Brawl Roster

Well, here it is:

Expect another rant soon...

MAJOR Brawl updates

The following characters are confirmed in the game (note- this does not necessarily mean they're playable):

• Ganondorf
• Captain Falcon (yes, he's playable)
  
• Luigi
• Master Hand
• Falco
  
• Lucario
• Ridley
  
• G&W (he's playable)
• Ness (playable)
• Marth (playable)
  
• R.O.B. (!!??)
• Young Link (no, not that young Link)
• Jigglypuff
  

UPDATE: Lucario, Ganondorf pic
Roster
roster
THE MARIO BROS STAGE I SUGGESTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
roster
final destination
Green Hill Zone
Tetra's Ship
Port Town

That's about all the info as of now. You guys have no idea how hard it is to dig this stuff up...

Smash Feature 3

It's just three days until Brawl is released in Japan. THREE DAYS! Then, all will be revealed. Until then, I've been speculating on what I think (or would like to see) in Brawl. Today, I'll cover levels and possible songs to appear on those levels. Sure there is plenty of great music in video games, but I'm just considering the most epic of them- the ones that would make good battle music.

First of all, I would like to see More representation of Metroid Prime. There are a number of stages that could be incorporated. Personally, I would like to see the following

• Phendrana Drifts from Prime(Metroid Metal version is represented here.)
• Either the theme from Metroid Prime 2 or 3, or the menu theme from Prime 2.
• Skyworld from Prime 3

That's just to name a few.

Next is Metal Gear solid. The new song from MGS4 kicks some major ass. Maybe a stage from MGS4 will be included. I'm not an avid MGS fan, but when I heard this next song, I thought "That is the single greatest theme in all of gaming!" The trick is, it has to be done just like this. That absolutely MUST be included!

Mario Galaxy should definitely get some representation in Brawl in some form or another. I know it would be difficult to include a Galaxy level since the major premise is playing with gravity, and, lets face it, Smash Bros. is not about running around spherical worlds. Maybe though, they could create a level that you could fight beneath. Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine a Mario Galaxy themed platform. Just a plain flat platform like Final Destination. The major premise would be that if you were to fall off the ledge, the platform's gravitational pull would pull you back to the underside of the level, where you would fight upside down. Of course, the platform would just pull you back in if you fell off of it. How would you get a KO? You would have to hit your opponent really hard to break the stage's gravitational pull. I think this would be a great idea, but (like Weavel) I think it's something no one would have thought of. As for music, I think the best songs from Galaxy to brawl to are:

• The song from the Buoy Base Galaxy
• The battle music from the battles with Bowser

I realize that it would be difficult to create a Starfox stage that wasn't on some kind of a spaceship, but I suggest a level from Dinosaur Planet (like I said before, I'd like to see some representation from that game). As long as we're still in space, though I think this song from Starfox Assault would be pretty epic.

I think a level from the original Donkey Kong arcade game would be cool, especially since they've already included the music. They could even have barrels rolling around the platforms. Speaking of old school games, a level from the original Mario Bros. would be cool as well complete with POW blocks and crabs.

*EDIT* I started this post yesterday thinking nothing much significant would happen between then and now. Wrong! This showed up on the Dojo today. It's a list of songs that you start out with for each level. This basically confirms that the levels listed on the Dojo are the levels (for the most part) you will start the game out with. Also, in a Japanese magazine, it was confirmed that the starting roster for the game consists of the 21 characters on the Dojo (minus ZS Samus, Sheik, Sonic, and Snake). More importantly, the following video (the game's intro) confirms a few more characters: MARTH and NESS. Looks like I was right about Marth, but completely off when it came to Ness. I really thought he was out! It also confirms a level from Sonic's GREEN HILL ZONE. Anyway, enjoy! I was going to finish this feature, but it seems that things are slowly starting to leak out now, so there's really no need. Keep it posted to this spot for any further Brawl updates as soon as they come!

You won't believe your ears

All the movie announcer guys... together... in one place...

Philosophical grass

A blade of grass. It's quite simple really, until you look at it closely. What is grass made up of? Grass at the simplest level like everything else is made up of atoms.

No one really knows what atoms look like but we assume they look like the picture above.

Granted if the picture above is true, if that's what atoms really look like, atoms look a lot like something but on a much larger scale.

The other picture that you see is a galaxy, if you compare the two pictures you can clearly see that atoms and galaxies look very similar in shape, and act in a very similar nature.

Some might be so bold to say that every atom is a galaxy on a small scale.

Kinda interesting don't you think? But here is the even more interesting part. Lets go back to that blade of grass for a second, if every atom is a galaxy, that blade of grass could be it's own universe! Imagine you can have hundreds of universes right in you own back yard that you would never even know about, each with it's own civilization, beings, ect.

Don't get freaked out now, when you cut your grass you aren't killing an entire universe, it takes a lot more than that to destroy atoms.

But then there's also the atomic bomb.

When an atomic bomb goes of the explosion is caused by literally splitting and destroying and atom. So theoretically you could be causing a mass genocide of trillions of lifeforms and not even know about it.

Kinda creepy eh?

One Last Treat For Today

Enjoy!

Smash Bros. Feature 2

By new posts last night, I meant new posts this night. Just thought I'd set the record straight. Anyway, in regards to Smash Bros., here's how it's going to go down: the next two weeks will be smash filled. Now through next Thursday (the game's Japanese release) will still be filled with speculation. The following week, however, will reveal everything. From then until the game's North American release, we will be posting strategies and the like to prepare players for when they get the game themselves. And so, today will be another speculation day focusing on possible new characters.

Characters

Let's face it, some game franchises in Smash are more represented than others. There are a few games that are represented by just one character. To me, this in unacceptable. Let's start with Metroid, shall we?

First of (and the most obvious choice) is Ridley. If he were to be used in Brawl, he'd probably be seen in his form from Metroid Prime, Omega Ridley. Ridley's basic attacks consist of claw and tail swipes, shooting fireballs, and unleashing a beam of plasma from his mouth. Omega Ridley is considerably more powerful. He can shoot plasma and flame as well as a blast of phazon from his tail, homing fireballs, a shockwave attack, a dash attack (Fox style) and he can bite. His final smash would be his Meson Bomb Launcher which would fill the arena with a rain of bombs. All of these can be incorporated into his move set. Since Ridley has wings, could also be given the ability of limited flight by tapping the jump button multiple times (like Kirby or Pit). He can also make use of Brawl's new glide ability. Overall, I think Ridley is no-brainer. He's a highly demanded character that I firmly believe will be included in the game. As for other Metroid characters, the first that comes to everyone's mind is Dark Samus. She'd probably just end up being a clone character. I have a different suggestion: why not include another bounty hunter from Metroid Prime: Hunters? My suggestion is Weavel, my personal favorite bounty hunter from that game. I picked him for a number of reasons. For one, he is a Space Pirate general that, unlike the other bounty hunters, has a previous history with Samus. On a battle on Brinstar, Samus wounded Weavel to the point where only his brain and spinal cord could be salvaged. The Space Pirates infused what remained of Weavel into a cybernetic body. Weavle's body has a built-in energy sword built into his right arm. His other weapon is the Battlehammer which lobs green balls of energy at opponents in addition to being a hand-held mortar. Weavel has the unique ability to split his torso from his upper body. The bottom half acts as a stationary turret armed with the Battlehammer, while the top half is player controlled and uses the energy sword. I think Weavel would be an awesome character to include, but I also think he's a character that not many would think of. Therefore, I believe his chances are low. Heres to hoping!

Another series that could use more representation at the moment is F-Zero, which, currently, only consists of Samurai Goroh as an assist trophy. Captain Falcon is a given, but who else could they include? Well, everybody's first guess was Samurai Goroh. So much for that. Besides him, Black Shadow seems like the most likely candidate. The only problem is that he has no moveset to work off of and complete set of attacks would have to be created. But, hey, they did it with Captain Falcon didn't they? I'd say he turned out alright.

Next, we'll take a look at the Starfox series. If Falco doesn't return with new attacks, the next most likely candidates are Krystal and Wolf. Wolf would be tough, though. It would be hard to create a set of attacks that doesn't mimic Fox (the reason I think Falco is out if they can't come up with something creative). As far as Krystal goes, maybe they could give her Fox's staff from Dinosaur Planet. I would actually like to see that game be acknowledged in some way. Of the two, I think Krystal has the better chance. The game needs more women fighters and Starfox characters and Krystal fills the part. It would be cool to see Wolf included in some way, perhaps as a boss in the single player mode.

If Ness does not return, that means Lucas will remain the sole representative for the Mother (Earthbound) series. Of course, Ness was the lone warrior the past two games, but I still believe there needs to be more Earthboud. So, who could they include? Well if they're into newest installment, Mother 3, then how about The Masked Man? The Masked Man is a villain from Mother 3. He has an energy sword in one hand and an arm-mounted blaster in the other. This would make him ideal for both close and long range combat. Not only that, but he also has PSI psychic powers like Ness and Lucas. His armor also has a pair of mechanical wings that, like Ridley, could take advantage of Brawl's flight and glide mechanics. No doubt The Masked Man would make one hell of a playable character (perhaps, being just a tad too strong). Will he be included? Probably not. But perhaps, as before, he'll appear as a boss character.

Finally, there's Fire Emblem. At this point, I would proceed to discuss possible Fire Emblem characters but I don't know anything about Fire Emblem. Also, there are just to many characters from the series that it's hard to pick one so.... I won't. Maybe I'll do my homework and update about FE characters later.

Stay tuned for the next update where I'll talk about levels and music!

The posts are coming!

Busyness has set in. Updates are slipping. But fear not! Updates are coming. Tonight. YOU SHALL BEHOLD THEIR GLORY! Oh, and at the bottom of a post near the time posted and comments, it actually says who wrote the post. Imagine that! I suggest some of you start paying attention to that. Which reminds me: Doegab, WTF MAN! You should be posting in my absence. You useless blob.

Smash Bros. Brawl Rant

Nintendo, I understand you want to make the best possible product- and you usually do- but in this case, things just don't add up. Nintendo has a long history of delaying games. Their classic excuse is that they want "to make the best product possible". That's all fine and good, and I'd rather wait for a masterpiece than play crap, but I just can't believe them this time. The reason? The game is obviously finished. I don't just think it's finished, I know it's finished. If it's not, then I guess Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu used their voodoo magic to travel to the future to obtain a copy of the game which they could review. There, my friends, lies the proof. The game has already been finished and reviewed in Japan (and given a perfect score I might add), which means the week delay was most certainly not for development. A week is nothing in the cycle of game development. If the game was not finished by now, a week delay is not going to get the job done. That means that the delay was made for some other reason. It's most likely a marketing or production thing. They either want to milk sales by upping the hype-machine, or they simply want to print more copies. That's also okay with me. I would have settled for a week delay- but a month? That's just a big WTF in my book. Really, I don't understand it. I can't take that long to translate the damn thing, can it? In any case, all we really have to do is wait for the Japanese release. Once that finally releases, we can be certain there will be no further delays. Not only that, but finally the floodgates will open and all will be revealed. It's been a long wait, but the greatest game of all time (no, I am not exaggerating) is almost upon us. Here's hoping we'll have only two weeks to wait (and about seven to own the game ourselves)!

Deep down, I knew this was coming

So I visit the Smash Bros. Dojo, as I do every day, for the latest update only to be greeted with this:









And the following message from the lead designer:

Due to delays in the completion of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, we’ve had to change the release date of the game to Sunday, March 9th.

I deeply apologize to the people who have looked forward to playing the game for so long and ask that you hold on just a little longer. Thank you for your patience.

Well, I'm deeply pissed. Another month of waiting. Deep down, I knew this was coming. Let's just see if this release date lasts, hmm? And Japan? They've only got an extra week. It'll be released January 31st in Japan. I could go on a long angry rant, but I'm not in the mood. Maybe later.

Mini Preview- Sonic Chronicles

For those of you who don't know, there is a Sonic RPG in the works for the DS. That's right, an RPG. Not only are they making a Sonic RPG, but it's being developed by acclaimed RPG developer BioWare. Yep, the people who brought you Jade Empire and Mass Effect are developing a Sonic the Hedgehog role playing game. If anyone can revive the Sonic franchise it's BioWare.

The full title is Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. Eggman is not the main villain this time around. Instead, that honor goes to a mysterious group called The Marauders. Apparently, they've stolen the Chaos Emeralds and kidnapped Knuckles. Though not the main villan, Robotnik will be making an appearance.

The main action will take place on the lower screen and will, apparently, be touch controlled (probably Phantom Hourglass style). When outside, the top screen will display a map. The action is turn-based but battles are not random. Special attacks can be triggered via a touch screen minigame. After leveling up, you may increase your attributes and skills or buy special abilities. Characters also have their own specific abilities. For example, Tails can fly for a short period of time. Like all RPGs, there will be side quests and currency to purchase items (in this case, rings). The dialog should remain fairly simple because this is a handheld game (don't expect the depth and complexity of Mass Effect). The game's worlds will be split between the classic Sonic world (with remixed tunes) and a much darker world later on in the game. Cut-scenes will be fully animated and, as you can tell from these in-game shots, the art style will be highly stylized. There should be about 11 characters in all (you can have four in your party at a time) including: Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Shadow, and Big the Cat.

Crapload of posts pt. 2

I will now kill four birds with one stone and review four things in one post.

Fist up, National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

I didn't even want to see this movie, but I did. It turned out to be surprisingly good (and long). It was suspenseful, had a good plot, was action packed, and even pretty funny at times. I don't really remember the first one too well, but you don't need to to enjoy this movie. I though the premise itself was actually pretty stupid: Ben Gates goes on a crazy treasure hunt/adventure to prove his great grandfather did not orchestrate the assassination of president Lincoln. What I found, however, was a very engrossing movie. I now fully understand why it has been number one for several weeks straight. Really good. See now!

Next is the miniseries Tin Man.

I missed Tin Man when it originally aired back in early December, but I always wanted to see it. Well, folks, I finally did, and I am pleased. Tim Man is an excellent take on the classic Wizard of OZ story. Actually, it's really only loosely based on OZ. The main plot completely diverges from the original for the most part. All the classic characters are represented in some way or another. The main character is DG (which would stand for Dorothy Gale) who gets swept away in a tornado to The O.Z. (Outer Zone). On her journey she meets Glitch, a man who has literally had his brain removed, Cain, a heartless ex-cop (aka. Tin Man), Rah, a cowardly mind-reading beast-man, Toto, a man who can shape shift into a dog, and the Magic Man (the Wizard of OZ). In fact, Tin Man is somewhat of a sequel to The Wizard of OZ (you'll see why at the end). I'd really rather not spoil the excellent plot for you, so go see it for yourself. Really, is great! Check it out on alluc (in the sidebar).

Walk Hard

It's a great parody on the music industry. Very funny and clever. Unfortunately, it's also been playing for quite some time, so you might want to check this one out when the DVD is released. It's also not for everyone, but if you're into the Balls of Fury/ Talladega Nights kind of stuff, you're in for a treat. Great job by Sean C. Riley. This is the first movie I can think of where he's in the main role. Also full of current and prior SNL cast members.

Nyco Wii classic controller grip

If you're like most people, the Wii classic controller is too small and uncomfortable for you. This wonderful piece of plastic attaches to the controller adding grips on either side to make it easier for your hands to grip as well as an attachment for the Wiimote on the back. It make the controller far more comfortable to use, gets rid of the dangling remote, and adds bulk (it weighs about as much as an Xbox controler). It's a great buy but you might want to avoid it for the retail price of $20. I, however, picked it up for $5 at Circuit City.

Smash Bros.- What's Next?

To prepare you for the release of this year's most anticipated game, Smash Bros. Brawl, Installation 04 will be bringing you an entire month of features and updates. Smash Bros. releases on February 10th in the U.S. (a mere month away) and the 24th in Japan (just 13 days away!).

Today's Update: What's Next?

The question on everybody's mind has to be "What more could they possibly include in the game?" A good question indeed. Well, there's plenty of things. The Dojo is constantly updating with little things here and there: unlockable trinkets, modes, items, music, control schemes, etc. That's all fine and good (Don't think those are insignificant- they're not. Subspace Emissary and the level editor look especially cool.), but what everybody wants to know, the real meat and bones of the game, are the characters and stages. Currently the roster of characters stands at 24- that's one less than the last installment. Chances are, Nintendo won't stop there. There's still half the Melee cast yet to be announced, and with a roster rumored at around 50 characters, there's still a lot to be announce. And so, where does that leave us? We can only speculate. And speculate we shall!

So, what are the chances that any given fighter will return? Let me break it down for you. For starters, I believe that clone characters are a thing of the past. That means young Link, Dr. Mario, and Pichu are out. I personally believe that Starfox and Zelda could use more characters. Ganondorf has a pretty high chance of returning with a new moveset. Falco would be a nice addition if he could be given his own attacks. It would be easy to give Ganon his own moves, but I'm not so sure about Falco. Then there's Marth and Roy. If either return, Marth has a better chance. Marth has been a recurring character in several Fire Emblem games, whereas Roy was included in Melee as a publicity stunt. Around the release of Melee, a new Fire Emblem game was released staring Roy. For instance, Ike is a character from recent Fire Emblem game. Roy hasn't been in one since.

Next, are the unannounced original characters. Let me say this first: Captain Falcon will be in. Stop your bickering. There is a 99.9% chance that he'll return. There is obviously a good, and probably awesome, reason they haven't announced him yet. Be patient. Ness is out. He has officially been replaced by Lucas. Get over it. Jigglypuff. Who cares. No one uses Jigglypuff anyway, but just because she(?) has been in since the beginning, she'll probably be back. Now for the toughies: Mewtwo and Game & Watch. They've got about as much chance as the Ice Climbers, who are already in. I hope they include these two again because they were Melee's most original characters. Finally, there's Luigi. He'll probably return sporting the Poltergeist 3000. He's Luigi- you can't seriously just include half of the Mario Bros. can you?

So lets recap the chances of characters returning:

Young Link- very low (unless of course they do something totally different with him)
Dr. Mario- very low (maybe just an alternate costume)
Pichu- very low (he may already be gone...)
Ganondorf- moderately high (with a new moveset)
Falco- moderately low (hey, if they could make him original...)
Marth- moderate
Roy- moderately low
Captain falcon- extremely high (no chance he's not in)
Ness- out (officially replaced by Lucas)
Jigglypuff- fairly high
Mewtwo- moderate
Game & Watch- moderate
Luigi- high

Well there you have it. Next time, I'll tackle what new characters could be included. Stay tuned.

You won't believe your eyes

Behold this new trailer of Soul Caliber 4!

See, this is what happens when the writers strike

Jagabra

Rabid snails are mating with the French pails,
Xenon trails,
Shipping lanes and airplanes,
Intergalactic growing pains,
Ice cream,
Moon beams,
Kamikaze,
Chimpanzee,
Noodle butt,
Horse gut,
Chicken curry sand pails,
Maine,
Spain,
Alpine train flying through a speed zone,
Rome,
Home,
Dog bone,
Zenith beast,
Twilight Zone,
Cone,
Rod,
Stick,
Prod,
Three eyed quail,
Guy named Rob,
Arby's meal,
Orange peel,
Nuclear winter,
Bean seal,
Crock,
Rock,
Doodle dock,
Mr. Magoo and crock pot,
Zoo,
Moo,
Sultan of Shmoo,
Satan has a poodle,
If you understand this then,
You are hereby the wisest being in all creation,
If not,
Don't worry,
You're just as confused as I am.

He can't do it without laughing!

Videos for Today

Birth By Sleep pt. 2:




And here's a real special treat: a brand new un-aired episode of Avatar. Come on! I know you love Avatar! It's only the next DBZ. For the fans at least, enjoy!

*EDIT* Looks, like it's too large to fit on this page. Go here instead.

Looks like Canada is good for something after all!

Won't get fooled again...

Well, It seems I've been fooled. That Cloverfield monster I reported the other day turned out to be based on this guy. He's apparently an enemy from FFX named Sin. Sorry! Guess we'll have to wait for the movie to see what it finally looks like. On the bright side, It if does look anything like Sin, that would be totally kickass!

I must have missed these...

At some point, I guess I missed this trailer. Pretty awesome. This is why I own a PSP.



There's more footage... but you'll have to wait for that. Stay tuned.

By the way, this game is NOT Kingdom Hearts 3. It's Birth By Sleep- a prequel for the PSP.

Crapload of posts pt. 1

I thought I'd take a minute to talk about so upcoming movies. First, is Cloverfield. I came across a picture of the monster from the movie and I thought I'd share it with you:
This actually is a fanmade picture, though it has been confirmed that Cloverfield will have giant crab-monsters and some sort of whale-like beast. Can you say awesome? Hit up Google images for more pictures.

Second is Transformers 2... already? It seems that way. I stumbled across this website earlier which seems to be a teaser site for the next Transformers movie. At the main page, enter 'codeblack' to gain access into the site. Have fun exploring, and make sure you click on the red hard drive for some video clips.

D-Sides: A Review

So I was at Best Buy a couple of months back (around Thanksgiving), and to my surprise I came across a brand new Gorillaz CD entitled 'D-Sides". It's basically a collection of songs and demos that didn't make it into 2005's 'Demon Days'. 'D-Sides' is a two disk affair. The first disk contains unreleased songs and demos, and the second contains remixes. I will now proceed to break the album down song by song because, let's face it, some of these were meant to be left on the cutting room floor.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Yeah, so I took New Year's off. Who didn't? To honor the new year, please enjoy these two crazy flash videos. While you're at it, explore the rest of the videos- they're pretty entertaining.


Flash one

Flash two

Oh, and don't forget to enjoy the Twilight Zone marathon on SciFi!