Smash Bros. Online

The official site for Super Smash Bros. Brawl has revealed that Nintendo's four-player beat-'em-up will feature online multiplayer.

The game will allow Wii owners to battle with up to three friends or complete strangers over the wi-fi connection. Playing with friends will require the exchange of Friend Codes in order to see each other's names, taunt the other fighters and keep a track of your battle records.

In an important step concerning parental controls, playing against strangers will not allow any usernames or personal information to appear on the screen.

Smash Bros. Brawl is currently scheduled for a Q1 release in Europe, and a December 3 launch in the U.S. While it competes with other Christmas titles across the Atlantic, here it should stand a better chance of standing out of the crowd, with consumers trawling the high streets with post-Christmas money to spend.

The announcement is another example of Nintendo's move to branch into the online gaming sphere. With Microsoft and Sony both providing comprehensive online services, there is some level of expectation for Nintendo to keep up.

While the Wii can already exchange messages, Miis and information from games such as Big Brain Academy and Eledees across a wi-fi connection, only Mario Strikers: Charged offers real-time online gameplay.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the first of a number of first-party online titles due for release in 2008, including Battalion Wars II and Mario Kart Wii.


Need i say anything? This is the greatest announcement since the Bread Slicer!

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