Five years after the release of the Nintendo GameCube’s best-selling game title Super Smash Bros. Melee, Nintendo announces its intention to debut the highly-anticipated third title of the series, Super Smash Bros Brawl on the Wii. Fans shouldn’t hold their breaths though, the next installment of the wildly popular series is projected for release at a maddeningly undecided date in 2007. As Nintendo’s development team keeps their collective nose to the grindstone in efforts to complete Brawl, news about the game itself has been almost teasingly released in slight increments.While confirmable information about the game remains in short supply, what is known gives gamers plenty enough to set their expectations high and minds racing.

As successor to the highly acclaimed Super Smash Bros. Melee, Brawl promises to deliver the same extreme, rapid-fire, visually dazzling combative fighting action that’s proved to be the hallmark of the series. The game allows for up to four players to engage in competitive mayhem against each other or with CPUs. Brilliantly simple controls allow for players to easily execute a vast range of offensives such as combos, built-up “Smash attacks”, or aerial maneuvers that lend to the fast-paced manner of play. Also in a departure from traditional fighting games, items of various uses are “dropped” onto the stage amidst battle for the players to use against each other or for themselves. The cartoon-style carnage takes place across variously-themed animated stages, each with an interactive environment complete with its own challenges to players.

Despite the specialized functionality of the Wiimote being the Wii console’s most considerable and publicized feature, its motion sensing capabilities will not be utilized in Brawl. Instead, the classic controls will remain to preserve the ease of play gamers have come to expect of a Super Smash Bros. title. In this case the player would use the Wiimote as a classic controller, alternatively use an add-on shell controller resembling the GameCube controller, or simply use their old GameCube controller that promises compatibility with the Wii. However, the game will take advantage of the console’s other features. Initially, Brawl was slated to be among the Wii launch titles, but then was pushed back to allow more time in development. This disappointed the fans, but the developers redeemed themselves with the extended time frame allowing the game to adapt Wi-Fi capabilities for online play. This feature alone will add to the already extensive replay value to be expected of a Super Smash Bros. title.