Smash Bros.: Delayed, Yet Again.
While Japan will only see a delay of a single week, the US version is delayed a full month. The new US release date is now March 9th.
And that’s in 2008, right Nintendo? Right?
In case you all forgot, Smash Bros. Brawl was first announced at E3 as already in development, and to be an online launch title for the Nintendo Wii. Can you believe that?
But the irony of this is even greater than you can imagine.
The soon-to-be-director of this new Smash Bros, Masahiro Sakurai, later revealed the announcement was made before development had actually started. In fact, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata called him into his office just days later to offer him the position of director. When he ended up taking the job, at that point he was the only one hired to work on the game.
Announcing something this big to fans before anyone is actually on board… that’s a bit crazy to me.
On the old Smash site, Sakurai talked extensively about how the game came to be made. I recommend anybody read it – it’s a story of love, determination, and destiny. Here’s a small excerpt…
So came the sudden request to create Smash Bros. and the related complications. Should I do it? Or not?
A conversation I had with Eiji Aonuma, producer of the Legend of Zelda series, best represents what caused me to make my decision.
“Sakurai-san! Please make Smash Bros.! You are gonna make it, right?”
“Well, uh, I wonder what will happen.”
(I was a little incoherent because I didn’t know how to respond.)“To be honest, if you aren’t involved with it, that will probably mean the end to the Smash Bros. series. Smash Bros. piles together so many elements from so many games and continues entertaining people without ever growing old. It’s your skill, your sense, your thinking that’s allowed that to happen. I don’t think there’s anyone who can replace you.
Creating a Smash Bros. with no soul would be a waste of time.”There is something that only I can create, and it is desired now. If I’m not going to show my strengths now, when will I? And among all the activities I could undertake, the best way to satisfy the most consumers, including those overseas, would probably be to create Smash Bros.
If the result of leaving it up to someone else was to cause regret for both the fans and the creators of the games related to Smash Bros., then I, too, would likely be deeply wounded.
I encourage you to read the rest. It’s very inspiring.
Actual development for the game began in October of 2005.
On May 10th, 2006, The first teaser trailer was shown, and they announced “Super Smash Bros. Brawl will no longer be a Wii launch title, but will instead be released in 2007.”
At the end of May, a new site was launched for the game, with new updates every weekday. This has been going for nearly eight months straight, with more anticipation and excitement being built every day.
On July 11th, 2007, Nintendo announced Smash would go on sale December 3rd, 2007.
On October 12th came the word of a two month delay. Now we’d be seeing the game February 10th. The reason? Perfection.
Which brings us to now. Another delay.
I swear I’m always two months away from this game… yet I still know it will be worth the wait. Just look at this long list of musicians behind the game, and you can just feel the quality. It’s going to be quite some time before we have anything like this happen ever again.
But I’ll end on these words from Sakurai.
So in October of 2005, Nintendo’s newest office opened. And it was established solely so that we could create the new Smash Bros.
“We’re really doing this…” I thought.
When they go this far for a single title,
the only thing you can say is, “that’s Nintendo.”
Everyone join me in colon-open-bracketing.
🙁
“A delayed game is eventually good. A bad game is a bad game forever.”
— Shigeru Miyamoto
Those guys really need to work on their time management skills…and fire the guy who keeps predicting their release dates.
They should just say, “We’ll release it whenever. One day, you’ll just see it in the stores. Then you’ll buy it.”
Release dates are always subject to change. Things happen. I am disappointed because it was going to come out the day I started my vacation. But it will be well worth the wait.
Oh please don’t let it be like Duke Nukem Forver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree with paq(I spoke that qoute the second i found out), and I agree with Rokai
. Oh well, maybe they’ll add voice chat now 😀 (<-wishful thinking)
Sigh. So close, yet so far away. This feels even worse than the wait for Twilight Princess. Let’s hope it lives up to that comparison!
I still stand by my comment that the Wii just can’t do Blast Processing. Only Sega systems can deliver such graphical power. Nintendo should just port Smash to the Dreamcast and stop trying the impossible.
As a Long time nintendo fan, news such as this doesn’t phase me. Mainly because nintendo knows what they’er doing. They always delay there major titles but in the end there always good and atleast its not a huge delay. I can wait a just little bit longer if it means playing a great game.
The original Smash Bros. and Smash Bros. Melee are still fun.Anyone dying to play Brawl can probably be tided over with playing the classics for a bit. Although I’m sure Brawl will be amazing, and brings tons of new characters to the table, the gameplay will not be too too different.
But it does suck that it got delayed…
Denial. The first step on Oprah’s 97 step self help program, only $19.95
Oh well, it’s not that bad of a delay. One month will go by like that, and soon, we will have one of the greatest games ever!!! 😀
Super Smash Bros. Brawl used to be a release title, and it’s not out yet? Why does it remind me on Gran Turismo Mobile for the PSP? *rofl*
Hey thanks for the link to the archived original DOJO. I’ve been wanting that for a long time. (Mostly to prove my point that the dev. team wasn’t Hal, Nintendo, or Sora. (Of course, now we know it was mainly Game Arts, but it has been a secret until the recent “Iwata Asks.”)
Yeah, you’d be surprise at the assumptions even supposedly hardcore fans make.