<em>(Note: this post has been updated to reflect that there is more than one commercial currently airing in Japan.)</em> The Japanese release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a mere 19 days away (if you’re in Japan, that is), and Nintendo has put out at least <strike>one</strike> two Brawl commercials. How many newcomers are featured? Zero. (Well, at least in the first spot.) Take a look at it for yourself:
<p align="center"><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/377oTsXAC7Y&rel=1"></param>
<param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/377oTsXAC7Y&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object></p>
A quick play-by-play of what we see happening, along with a second and more interesting spot, follows the break.
<!--more-->
<p align="center"><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ft-2Aiio7iY&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ft-2Aiio7iY&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></p>
Here’s a rundown of the first spot:
<ul>
<li>Mario comes running and does his newfangled “take your hat off and spin” taunt.</li>
<li>Mario slips on a banana peel, and falls hard. I wouldn’t have expected that kind of reaction from a banana peel (I guess I imagined more slipping?).</li>
<li>Two Marios dash at each other with beamswords, run past each other, and Fire Mario swings and misses. Red Mario smashes him away. Looks like he’s swinging a baseball bat.</li>
<li>Pikachu uses Thunder and hits Mario.</li>
<li>Pikachu does his waving taunt.</li>
<li>Giant Pikachu chases tiny Bowser on Bridge of Eldin.</li>
<li>Pikachu uses Headbutt against Yoshi.</li>
<li>Kirby walks up to a sleeping Pikachu, who wakes up.</li>
<li>Kirby jumps a few times in the air.</li>
<li>Kirby uses his new hammer o’ doom against the Ice Climbers.</li>
<li>Four Kirbys Stone in concert, showing us the many shapes they can (still) become.</li>
<li>Link and Link Kirby charge and fire arrows.</li>
<li>Link spins and sheathes his sword.</li>
<li>Link uses his grappling hook to grab on to the side of Battlefield.</li>
<li>Pikachu uses what looks like a forward smash on Mario and Link (this is one of the few gameplay-style clips we see).</li>
<li>Mario glows full of Final Smash goodness, and lets it go against Bowser, Kirby, and maybe someone else?</li>
</ul>
Not bad commercials to see, though it would have been nice to see less cinematic stuff and more actual gameplay in the first one. The second spot does a much better job of this; perhaps Nintendo will have more of the latter in the next couple weeks? If nothing else, this suggests that we’re only a couple weeks away from seeing Nintendo of America’s Brawl commercials.
What do you think of the spots? Care to compare it to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPbqNbLEvfc">this Melee commercial</a>, which, in my opinion, has a seriously awesome background theme?
<p align="center"><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/377oTsXAC7Y&rel=1"></param>
<param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/377oTsXAC7Y&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object></p>
A quick play-by-play of what we see happening, along with a second and more interesting spot, follows the break.
<!--more-->
<p align="center"><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ft-2Aiio7iY&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ft-2Aiio7iY&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></p>
Here’s a rundown of the first spot:
<ul>
<li>Mario comes running and does his newfangled “take your hat off and spin” taunt.</li>
<li>Mario slips on a banana peel, and falls hard. I wouldn’t have expected that kind of reaction from a banana peel (I guess I imagined more slipping?).</li>
<li>Two Marios dash at each other with beamswords, run past each other, and Fire Mario swings and misses. Red Mario smashes him away. Looks like he’s swinging a baseball bat.</li>
<li>Pikachu uses Thunder and hits Mario.</li>
<li>Pikachu does his waving taunt.</li>
<li>Giant Pikachu chases tiny Bowser on Bridge of Eldin.</li>
<li>Pikachu uses Headbutt against Yoshi.</li>
<li>Kirby walks up to a sleeping Pikachu, who wakes up.</li>
<li>Kirby jumps a few times in the air.</li>
<li>Kirby uses his new hammer o’ doom against the Ice Climbers.</li>
<li>Four Kirbys Stone in concert, showing us the many shapes they can (still) become.</li>
<li>Link and Link Kirby charge and fire arrows.</li>
<li>Link spins and sheathes his sword.</li>
<li>Link uses his grappling hook to grab on to the side of Battlefield.</li>
<li>Pikachu uses what looks like a forward smash on Mario and Link (this is one of the few gameplay-style clips we see).</li>
<li>Mario glows full of Final Smash goodness, and lets it go against Bowser, Kirby, and maybe someone else?</li>
</ul>
Not bad commercials to see, though it would have been nice to see less cinematic stuff and more actual gameplay in the first one. The second spot does a much better job of this; perhaps Nintendo will have more of the latter in the next couple weeks? If nothing else, this suggests that we’re only a couple weeks away from seeing Nintendo of America’s Brawl commercials.
What do you think of the spots? Care to compare it to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPbqNbLEvfc">this Melee commercial</a>, which, in my opinion, has a seriously awesome background theme?