Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

What other characters will make up the Smash Bros. roster?

Despite its alarming popularity, and fan outcry for more information, Nintendo has remained tight-lipped about Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Aside from last year's E3 trailer and a handful of images released sporadically throughout the year, there really hasn't been a heck of a lot of info to work with, until now that is. With Nintendo recently unveiling the game's official website, the floodgates have opened and new info is seeping its way on through. So to keep our beloved readers up-to-date with the latest and greatest news on one of the most anticipated games of 2007 we're putting together a series of features highlighting every facet of the game, from character profiles, to stage details, to whether or not Samus indeed owns every other brawler as some have boldly claimed. So what are you waiting for? Read on!

We could write about Pokeballs, new stages, and battle music all day long (and you better believe we will), but deep down inside, you're praying for a juicy titbit - a tiny morsel if you will - of news revealing who the additional third-party characters are. Am I right? We know Solid Snake is in and we know director Masahiro Sakurai has hinted that we can expect another one or two surprise fighters, but who the heck are they? Well I've got some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is, for our second of many Brawl features, we're going to be giving you our succulent predictions on what the final roster will look like. As for the bad news, they're just that, predictions, and sadly, we likely won't hear any confirmations until closer to E3 and leading up to the game's Q4 release.

Truthfully, with the amount of rumoured characters out there, we could write a 72-page thesis on speculation alone, so this list only scratches the surface, but thankfully (for both you and I), we've condensed the list a little.

Sonic

Stranger things have happened

Rumour Origins: Character submission contest.

Background: Last year, Sakurai asked Smash Bros fans to submit ideas for new characters, and stated that some may in fact appear in the final version. In August of 2006, Sakurai and Miyamoto announced the results. Who received the most votes? Sonic by a land slide.

Our Thoughts: I've got seven words for you: Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. Sure this isn't a confirmation of Sonic's appearance in Brawl by any means, but it makes sense. Both titles compliment each other well and the addition of Sonic would only help bolster sales of Sonic and Mario's Olympic debut (provided Brawl comes out earlier). Plus the relationship between Nintendo and Sega has never been better.

Holes: Marketing director at Nintendo Europe, Laurent Fisher, has subtly refuted the idea in a number of interviews since the game's announcement and Sakurai himself has said he prefers to include characters of the lesser-known variety (Mr. Game & Watch anyone?).

The Verdict: It's still difficult to tell at this point, but our gut instincts say yes. Welcome aboard Sonic.

Mega Man

We'd like to see him in Brawl

Rumour Origins: Why, the Internet of course!

Background: As soon as Snake was announced, the web was flooded with theories on who else would appear alongside Mario and the gang. Naturally, Mega Man's name came up on the radar.

Our Thoughts: If Mega Man is in Brawl, we've died and gone to gaming heaven.

Holes: Sakurai has publicly denounced weapons-based characters, which is why Snake is being limited to the use of bombs rather than his trusty-ol' Socom.

The Verdict: Not gonna happen. Although there's not much evidence to support Mega Man's addition or omission in Brawl, this is just one of those scenarios that's simply too good to be true. Sigh.

Ridley

It seems Ridley will make an appearance, but perhaps not as a playable character.

Rumour Origins: Supposedly announced, along with Baby Bowser, Krystal (from Star Fox Adventures), and Wind Waker Link, by Sakurai himself during a Japanese radio interview.

Background: This was one of those rumours that was so believable, many gaming publications had posted the story on their sites, only to take it down moments later after it was revealed to be a clever scheme concocted by some pimple-faced basement-dwelling nerd.

Our Thoughts: The Smash Bros official website recently updated with Ridley's battle music orchestrated by the excellent composer Minako Hamano. Why does Ridley have his own battle music appearing in Brawl? Gee, I wonder...

Holes: Aside from the above rumour being bogus, not really any at the moment. Nintendo hasn't confirmed or denied Ridley being in the roster set.

The Verdict: You better believe it, Ridley's in... in a manner of speaking that is. Like the giant hand, Ridley will likely be a boss-only character rather than a fully playable combatant. Either way, we'd be happy to have him onboard.

Krystal

Could Krystal make an appearance?

Rumour Origins: The internet, as ever.

Background: The foxy (literally) staff-wielding vixen from Star Fox Adventures, who also had a voice as irritating as nails on a chalkboard, has been a popular choice among Brawlers and appears in almost everyone's top five character wish list.

Our Thoughts: Falco's replacement? Could be. We're not entirely sold on the idea of Krystal in Brawl, and we'd much rather have Wolf, though with her staff we can envision some delicious melee possibilities.

Holes: Aside from the fact that her confirmation ended up being an elaborate hoax, nothing.

The Verdict: We're split on this one. Really, it could go either way, but to be perfectly honest, we wouldn't be surprised to see her in a trailer in the very near future.

Wind Waker Link

Link is a given, but cel-shaded Link?

Rumour Origins: The internet again. Surprise surprise.

Background: We've been hearing about a cel-shaded version of Link for ages now and the rumour only persisted when Sakurai supposedly announced his appearance.

Our thoughts: A cel-shaded character in a non-cel-shaded game? The contrast could be a bit jarring. We'd much rather have Young Link return (also rumoured to be leaving the cast).

Holes: Everything. This just doesn't seem very likely unless cel-shaded Link appears in alternate costume form, in which case, we wouldn't be complaining.

The Verdict: Sorry folks, not likely.

Bomberman

Unlikely, but it'd be interesting.

Rumour Origins: A wishful-thinking gamer.

Background: Another popular choice, Bomberman has received a lot of support from the Brawl community, and like many of the characters above, first appeared as a rumoured addition on many message boards.

Our Thoughts: Bomberman is finally making a comeback appearing on Xbox Live Arcade (after the disastrous Bomberman Act Zero) later this summer, and as a result, the Bomberman craze is back in high gear. He also happens to fit into the Brawl universe artistically, so we'd love to see him as playable character.

Holes: Bomberman throws bombs, and that's about it. Not a whole lot of depth to the character and besides, Snake has got the bomb front covered anyway.

The Verdict: A big, fat, explosive, negative. Bomberman is definitely not appearing in Brawl; though it would be cool to see him in the roster set, he just doesn't fit the bill.

Balloon Fighter

Bizarre, but it looks likely to happen.

Rumour Origins: Actually this is more than just a rumour, Balloon Fighter, from the classic 1984 NES game Balloon Fight, was originally supposed to appear in Melee. In fact, Sakurai himself has expressed his interest in the character a number of times.

Background: Balloon Fighter was one of the first characters rumoured to be in Brawl for the same reasons we pointed out in the above paragraph and remains on everybody's radar, despite his obscurity.

Our Thoughts: Contrary to popular belief, balloons can be deadly. Granted, it doesn't seem like much of an arsenal to compete against fire balls, plasma blasts and a massive Hylian sword, but then again, who'd have thought we'd be using sausages as projectiles in Melee.

Holes: None to report.

The Verdict: We'll been playing as Balloon Fighter this year. Sakurai loves bringing retro characters back from the dead and the fact that he was planned for Melee should tell you something.

Master Chief

Probably not going to happen

Rumour Origins: Believe it or not, there are actually people out there who believe he may in fact be in the game.

The Verdict: I'm going to go ahead and skip the other sections here. If you believe Master Chief will be present, seek immediate help. I'd love to be proven wrong though.

Cloud

Maybe not Cloud, but another FF character is possible.

Rumour Origins: As soon as the list of musicians went live on the official Smash Bros. website, which features superstar composers who worked on such classics as Actraiser, Super Mario RPG, and Chrono Trigger, message boards across the world simultaneously crashed.

Background: Not surprisingly, reactions of having a Final Fantasy character in Brawl have been mixed. Some Nintendo fans don't want anything PlayStation-related in their beloved franchise, even if the series originated on the NES.

Our Thoughts: Though it would be cool to play as Cloud, or any other Final Fantasy character for that matter, we'd much rather see Sonic, Mega Man, or heck, even Geno from Super Mario RPG (also rumoured).

Holes: Sakurai said publicly that only characters which have been featured on a Nintendo console will appear in Brawl. Translation: Cloud is out. As for other Final Fantasy characters, you never know.

The Verdict: Don't get your hopes up

Check back soon for another Brawl update. In the meantime, head to our comments section below and let us know who you think is going to be in Brawl.