Nintendo Direct on Nov. 1 to feature new Smash Bros. Ultimate info

Early on Oct. 30, 2018, Nintendo announced that its upcoming Nintendo Direct stream will offer the final new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate details before the game's release.

The company promises 40 minutes of coverage on the upcoming brawler hosted by the game's director Masahiro Sakurai, along with a Treehouse: Live presentation after. Nintendo did not offer any information on what will be discussed on the Direct, but if the recent roster leak has any truth behind it then some of the unrevealed characters will likely make their official debuts.

The Nintendo Direct featuring Smash Ultimate will simulcast to a worldwide audience starting at 7 a.m. PDT on Nov. 1, 2018, on the company's Twitch channel and other platforms. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches for Nintendo Switch on Dec. 4, 2018.

Her work is never done: Isabelle joins Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The never-resting secretary of Animal Crossing is finally taking some much-deserved time off and entering the fray in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Announced during the Nintendo Direct on Sept. 13, Isabelle brings her cheery disposition and a host of unique attacks with her to Ultimate. Party poppers, a fishing rod, broom and even a bucket of water will help her clean up the competition.

Readers can check out Isabelle's trailer below. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches for Nintendo Switch on Dec. 7, 2018.

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to receive special edition, Pro Controller

Nintendo has revealed the North American special edition for its upcoming brawler, and the game-themed controller that will come packaged with it.

Details are scarce at the moment, but Nintendo's website shows the game coming in a SteelBook case along with the Smash Bros. version of the Switch Pro Controller. According to Shoryuken, Best Buy currently has the package priced at $139.99, and the Pro Controller will be sold separately as well.

This is a decidedly different take from the European special edition of the game, which will be packaged with a GameCube controller and GameCube controller adapter.

It's odd that Nintendo would offer Smash fans a brand-new controller style when the community plays the game on GameCube controllers, but perhaps Nintendo is hoping to court new fans with Ultimate. 

Seven games announced for Evo Japan

Seven titles have been announced for the inaugural Evo Japan.

Tekken 7, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, King of Fighters XIV, Smash Bros. for Wii U, ARMS, BlazBlue Central Fiction and Street Fighter V round out the current roster of titles for the 2018 event. 

Evo Japan will be held on Jan. 26-28, 2018, at Akihabara UDX, which is close by Akihabara Station in Tokyo.

Readers can check out the new trailer after the jump.

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Wizard World Gaming returns with 2017 tour

After serving as the host for most of the Tekken Tour in 2016, Wizard World is returning in 2017 with tournaments in mainstay FGC titles.

Wizard World Gaming will be part of 10 dates in the convention schedule, with Tekken 7 again being a feature title. Street Fighter V and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will also be run at select Wizard World conventions.

Wizard World's first stop will be Portland, Oregon, on Feb. 17-19. For the other locations as well as a breakdown of what games will be played at each Wizard World event, check out the Wizard World Gaming official website. 

Bayonetta and Corrin now available in Super Smash Bros.

As announced on Jan. 30, Bayonetta and Corrin are now available as downloadable content in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS.

Similar to past downloadable characters, both Bayonetta and Corrin are available as separate downloads or available as part of a bundle with Mii fighter costumes. Bayonetta and her Umbra Clock Tower stage are packaged together at $5.99 for either console or $6.99 for both, and Corrin is $4.99 or $5.99 for both Wii U and 3DS.

For those who have not purchased any of the DLC to this point, Nintendo is also offering character and stage bundles. The DLC characters bundle will cost players $34.93 on either system or $41.93 on both, and the stage package will cost $8.46 on 3DS, $10.45 on Wii U and $14.45 for both. All of Nintendo's DLC pricing can be found on the Smash Bros. website.

NorCal Regionals 2016 Announced, March 25-27 at Sacramento, CA

NorCal Regionals is heading back to the California capital of Sacramento for 2016.

This will be the third consecutive entry that NCR will be at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Capitol Plaza. From March 25-27, the Northern California major will host Street Fighter V, Ultra Street Fighter IV, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- and Mortal Kombat X. SFV is part of the Capcom Pro Tour as a Premier Event.

While the aforementioned games are part of the main list, players can also participate in the Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round and Killer Instinct community tournaments.

Registration for NCR 2016 is live with different packages. If you are planning to register, there are multiple options with various benefits including the weekend-long After Hours Room. If you are looking to stay at the Holiday Inn, it's priced at $99 a night.

You can register now on the official NorCal Regionals website!

Evolution 2016 lineup announced, coming to Las Vegas Convention Center & Mandalay Bay

In a sitdown interview on Red Bull eSports, Joey "Mr. Wizard" Cuellar revealed the games that will be part of Evo 2016 as well as its location.

The Evolution staff is putting on nine games for the competitive fighting game community. You can expect Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Mortal Kombat X, Pokkén Tournament, Killer Instinct, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Tekken 7: Fated Retribution.

A majority of Evolution will be at the Las Vegas' own convention center for Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the finals day will come to the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The hotel is set for the Westgate Hotel. Stay tuned for information on tickets.

Other information revealed includes the return of the Indie Games area. Brook's Super Converters will be allowed but can be banned if any future issues affect them.

Evolution 2016 is coming July 15-17! Make sure to check the Evo website for updates!

Super Mario Maker, Wind Waker Stages Join Super Smash Bros. DLC

The latest downloadable content is now available for Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and 3DS systems, and while that includes the previously promoted Super Mario Maker stage, it also includes an unannounced stage based on Link's first GameCube adventure.

The pirate ship stage, done in the style of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and first appearing in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, is also now up for sale on Nintendo's eShop. This stage is only playable on the Wii U version of the game

Both stages can be bought individually or as part of DLC Collection 4—$7.74 for 3DS, $9.73 for Wii U or $13.53 for both—when they will be bundled with a new Mii Fighter costume pack. The Super Mario Maker stage retails individually for $2.49 on either system and $3.49 for both, and the Wind Waker level costs $1.99

Details on all the Super Smash Bros. downloadable content can be found on the game's official site.

Frame Melee and Smash Set Helper Apps Released

Renard "Kerblaster" Tumbokon has created two new Android applications to help Smash Bros. players, new and old, analyze matchups and tournament play.

The first is called Frame Melee and it is a program that breaks down all of the GameCube game's 26 characters frame by frame. It lets users choose a move and shows the hitbox as well as hurtbox of the move, and can even go splitscreen to compare that attack to one of a different character.

Tumbokon's second product is called Smash Set Helper, and it "walks players through an entire competitive (BO1, BO3, BO5) set obeying the legal rules of a chosen smash title." From selecting port priority to following stage choice, Helper lets users analyze the set. The application also includes tournament rules and a rock-paper-scissors generator. Smash Set Helper supports Smash 64, Melee, Brawl, Project M and Smash 4.

Smashboards recently interviewed Tumbokon about his creations. Trailers for the two applications can be found after the jump.

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Mayflash Releases Its Own Gamecube Controller to Wii U Adapter

Following Super Smash Bros. for Wii U's release, the Gamecube controller to Wii U adapter by Nintendo has been highly sought after. A third party peripheral company is offering an alternative.

Mayflash has released a third party version of the popular Nintendo adapter and it is intended to work very similarly. It can carry up to four Gamecube controllers and plugs into the Wii U through two USB cables. It can also work on PC so you can play past Super Smash Bros. entries or other Gamecube games through the Dolphin emulator.

It's currently available at Play-Asia for $19.99 so if you are looking to get an adapter for your local gathering or in a tournament, take a look here.

Trailer for Upcoming Project M Version 3.5 Shows Off New Stages, Moves & More, Coming Nov. 14

The next major version of the popular Super Smash Bros. Brawl modification is upon us. A trailer of what will be in store is after the jump

Project M version 3.5 will arrive on Nov. 14, 2014, for North American (NTSC) users with European (PAL) players able to get their hands shortly after. This newest build features a multitude of new and changed content including remade stages from the original Nintendo 64 game, more outfits for the cast, etc.

Also included in 3.5 are adjustments for the whole cast with some gaining new moves to their arsenals. The game system will also see changes. Information behind some of 3.5's traits can be found on the game's website.

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Nintendo Will Offer Retailer-Exclusive Amiibos

Nintendo's amiibo figures will launch the same day as Super Smash Bros. for Wii U in the U.S., Nov. 21, but the company is already planning the release of figures beyond the initial assortment.

These plans include retailer-exclusive Amiibos, with GameStop listing Shulk from Xenoblade Chronicles as one such figure. Nintendo, meanwhile, said that "some of our retail partners will be releasing a certain number of these [amiibos] as exclusive figures, so stay tuned for details."

Shulk will be part of the third wave of amiibos, which releases in February 2015 and includes Rosalina and Luma, Bowser, Lucario, Toon Link, Sheik, Ike, Sonic, Mega Man, King Dedede and Meta Knight. With the wave offering a number of high-profile characters, it will be interesting to see just how many Nintendo offers in such limited release.

North America will get Wii U Smash Bros. First

Nintendo has released the street dates for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and this time North American players will be getting an opportunity to play the game ahead of everyone else. Smash releases on Nov. 21 on that continent, followed by a European release on Dec. 5 and then a Japanese release on Dec. 6.

In North America, the game will ship in one of two possible bundles: the game-only bundle and a special $99.99 version of the game that will include a GameCube controller and the GameCube Controller Adapter.

The first wave of Amiibo figures—Mario, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Link, Fox, Samus, Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, Pikachu, Kirby and Marth—will also be available on Nov. 21 in North America, with the second line—Zelda, Diddy Kong, Luigi, Little Mac, Pit and Captain Falco—set to go on sale on Dec. 19. Each figure will cost $12.99.

Nintendo Unveils New Music for Super Smash Bros.

Nintendo has made several tracks for the upcoming Smash Bros. games available for players to hear on the official Smash website. These tracks include music from Mega Man 2, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Kirby's Dream Land, Nintendogs, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and Pokémon X & Y.

In addition to these previews of the music in the upcoming game, Nintendo has also posted the complete list of composers whose works will be featured in the 3DS version of Smash Bros. The 40-person list, which also names each individual's major works, covers many different genres and eras of gaming and includes artists such as Kenji Ito and Hirokazu Tanaka.

The 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. releases on Oct. 3, 2014. The Wii U version of the game still has no concrete release date.

All Eight EVO 2014 Intro Hype Videos Now Available For Viewing

Go check out the intros for the eight games featured at this year's EVO after the jump!

These videos, created by Seth Mussey with additional contributors, were shown to both EVO goers and stream monsters before the top eight finals of every game. They were also specifically created to accommodate the widened screen featured in the main stage.

If you missed the awesome guitar cover of the Killer Instinct theme or even the appearance of Indestructible (instrumental, no vocals, sorry!) for Ultra Street Fighter IV, watch now! You can also find EVO content including top eight for every game on the official YouTube channel and Capcom Fighters' channel!

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Frequency Gaming Signs HugS

Frequency Gaming has announced its signing of Southern California's Hugo "HugS" Gonzalez. This comes with barely one week to go before Evolution 2014.

HugS is a known threat with Samus in the SoCal Smash community, and was one of the players invited to participate in the Super Smash Bros. exhibition at E3 2014. Gonzalez commented on the signing on Twitter, saying:

"Proud that I've been picked up by @FRQGaming . A team passionate about supporting Socal's best across the FGC. Can't wait to get started."

[UPDATE] E3 2014: Pac-Man to Join Super Smash Bros., Game & Watch Teased

During the Super Smash Bros. Developer Roundtable at E3, Nintendo has revealed a new character for the upcoming games: Pac-Man.

Pac-Man fights with basic punches and kicks, as well as pixelated fruit, ghosts and other classic Bandai Namco characters; certain moves can even change him into classic Pac-Man. His Final Smash creates the original Pac-Man playfield, complete with walls and power pellets.

Hit the jump for the Pac-Man reveal trailer.

UPDATE: This story previously said that Mr. Game & Watch was confirmed for the upcoming games. There seems to be some descrepancy as to whether Nintendo was seeking to reveal Game & Watch, or simply compare his age to that of Pac-Man. For that reason he remains unconfirmed at this time.

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E3 2014: Kid Icarus' Lady Palutena To Be Playable In Upcoming Super Smash Bros. For 3DS & Wii U

The Nintendo E3 briefing introduced the latest character coming to the next Super Smash Bros. games!

Palutena, a major character from the Kid Icarus series, will be premiering in the SSB series for the first time through the Wii U and 3DS games. The trailer featured an anime introduction where Lady Palutena interrupts a fight between Kid Icarus' main protagonist Pit and The Legend of Zelda's Link. Gameplay footage of her various moves were also featured.

Pit's doppelganger Black Pit was also shown but no other details were given aside from a conversation with Palutena.

The trailer in both English and Japanese can be found after the jump! The 3DS entry will be playable on Oct. 3, 2014!

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Nintendo Releases Player, Announcer List for Smash Invitational, Debuts Wii U Adapter for GameCube Controllers

Nintendo has released the list of players who will be competing in the Smash Invitational at 2014's E3 Expo, as well as the people who will be broadcasting the action. In a video released on May 29, the company revealed all 16 participants in the tournament, as well as the three men calling the action: Winton "Prog" Smith, Bobby "Scar" Scarnewman and D'Ron "D1" Maingrette.

In addition, Nintendo revealed the rules of the event, which will not follow a usual tournament format.

And in a final surprise to fans, Nintendo revealed a Wii U adapter for GameCube controllers so that players would not have to use wireless controllers. However, Nintendo did not say how this adapter will be offered to the public. Hit the jump for the full list of players as well as Nintendo's promo video.

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