Hanging on the Edge of Tomorrow

Well, it's official. Sonic the Hedgehog is indeed a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. All things considered, it's not really surprising in and of itself. But how and when it was announced? That was a hell of a curveball. Most of us (from what I've seen) didn't expect to get confirmation or denial on the blue blur until shortly before or after release. Huh.





Like Snake before him, Sonic comes along with a short video clip, showcasing some of his moves. However, the thematic differences between the two strike me as somewhat curious. Snake's video begins with a codec transmission wherein Snake converses with Col. Campbell about how famous Mario is, and basically what an honor it is to be able to face the plumber in battle. From there, Snake engages Mario in single combat, both getting some pretty good licks in. Most of the rest of the video shows off some of Snake's moves, and for a lot of it, nobody else is on-screen. It's almost like a Smash kata.

Sonic's, on the other hand, is all about the blue blur kicking ass. It even begins with him knocking Mario off the screen. Forgive me, this was the best shot I could get.


What follows is mainly footage of Sonic kicking the crud out of everyone else, over a shortened version of "Live and Learn," the main theme from Sonic Adventure 2. From easily dispatching Mario in one-on-one combat, to holding his own in some four-player brawls, watch closely. He doesn't get hit even once, anywhere in the video.

Later in the video, Sonic is seen fighting alongside Mario in the Subspace Emissary mode. Does this mean the two long-time rivals will team up in this game to throw hands with a common foe?


The showcase ends with Sonic using the Chaos Emeralds to transform into Super Sonic. I imagine this will be his Final Smash. Smash news doesn't end there, however. There was also the Nintendo Fall Conference video, which, while not as epic as Sonic's announcement, includes some noteworthy tibits.

1) The Peach Bomber appears to have been changed from an explosion of fire to an explosion of... hearts.



2) Inclusion of some sort of trophy-arranging mode, demonstrated with the following Kongtastic scene. Anyone else think it's a little awkward seeing PAON Dixie next to Rare Diddy?


3) Donkey Kong Country-style barrel cannons. Are we finally going to see some real DKC-style side-scrolling with next-gen power?


4) A few strange clips involving Yoshi, DK, Diddy, Wario, Peach, and Bowser. They look like taunts to me, but I guess they could also be victory poses put in-stage for thematic purposes. Either that or there are new/multiple taunts this time.





And, the in-game footage ends with Mario's side smash sending the clip to a white background for the "COMING SOON"-type messages.


And that's that. Quite an epic day, for anyone looking forward to this game, whether Sonic's inclusion pleases you (as it does me) or displeases you. It'll be tough to top, that's for sure.