Smash Bros. DOJO!! updates

In 2007 up to the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. Dojo!!, the website dedicated to information about the game and hosted by the game's chief developer Masahiro Sakurai, underwent a redesign and proceeded to show pieces of new information about the game at a rate of once every weekday. Each update provided by Sakurai to the site is reworded and reposted here.

List of updates

 * May 22: "The Basic Rules" : The site opened up with this basic description of how Smash-style gameplay looks like. Little new content was revealed, but what was revealed was a redesign of the damage counters at the bottom of the screen, showing the character's facial portrait in addition to the universe symbol and health meter.
 * May 22: "Battlefield" : The site also opened up with a more in-depth description of the Battlefield stage. The stage's apparent Day/Night cycle was clarified and made official.
 * May 22: "The Musicians" : The site finally opened up with what is probably the complete list of videogame musicians credited with contributing to the game. The eye-raisingly long list of 36 separate musicians is characterized as amazing by Sakurai. The music for the Battlefield stage was posted on the site, and it is revealed to be a remixed version of Melee's Menu 1 theme.


 * May 23: "Mario" : Mario is given his official section as a character, described as a "Veteran Fighter". Little new information is provided, apart from graphical updates and sceenshots of generic moves.
 * May 23: "Link" : Link is given his official section as a character just like Mario, described as a "Veteran Fighter" by the site. Little new information is provided, but one notable occurrance in the update is that one of the screenshots features Link aiming his bow while crouching. It is unclear if this is simply how he poses now when he charges it, or if he can charge while crouching.


 * May 24: "Gooey Bomb" : The Gooey Bomb is introduced as a new item. It is a variant on the Motion Sensor Bomb that adheres to characters passing by each other before exploding; thus games involving this item start to look like games of hot potato.


 * May 25: "Pit" : Pit is given his official section as a character just like Mario and Link, but unlike them he is described as a "Newcomer" by the site. Again, little new information is provided, but Pit himself has undergone a slight visual redesign.


 * May 28: "Pit: Special Moves" : Pit's coverage is expanded in this update, which describes his new Normal-B and Up-B moves (The Palutena Arrow and the Wings of Icarus, respectively).


 * May 29: "What is a Final Smash?" : The giant special moves seen in the previous trailers are officially classified as Final Smashes, and the spherical items characters grab to be able to use them are now called Smash Balls.
 * May 29: "Mario: Final Smash" : Mario's Final Smash, the giant fireball seen in the first trailer, is identified officially as the Mario Finale.


 * May 30: "Moving and Shooting" : The Super Scope item returns from Melee, and a new mechanic that applies to this and any other projectile-based item is described as well, revealing that characters can now move and jump around while using these items; before, characters had to be in a stationary x-position.


 * May 31: "Cracker Launcher" : Another new item called the Cracker Launcher is showcased for the first time. This cylindrical cannon launches projectiles at a regular rate that explode into gaudy fireworks.


 * June 1: "Delfino Plaza" : This update showcases a brand new stage for Brawl, which is a near-perfect recreation of the Delfino Plaza hub area in the GameCube video game Super Mario Sunshine.


 * June 4: "Yoshi's Story: Ending" : The second music clip posted on the site, a remix of an ending sequence in the Nintendo 64 game Yoshi's Story, and the music will be featured in the game, probably as the music for the Yoshi's Story stage in Brawl.


 * June 5: "What Are Poké Balls?" : The Poke Ball item from the previous two games makes its return practically as expected, with the same basic function of releasing a randomly chosen Pokemon creature to influence the battle. The update reveals two of the Pokemon: Goldeen and Chikorita from Melee.
 * June 5: "Groudon" : A third Pokemon revealed to appear from a thrown Poke Ball in Brawl is revealed as this all-new Pokemon from a more recent generation of the Pokemon franchise. Groudon is a red lizardlike behemoth who damages any opponent touching it.


 * June 6: "You must recover!" : The basic concept of recovering from off the side of a stage using double and triple-jumps is added to the How To Play section of the site. Although very little is revealed, Mario's recovery seems to be higher, and the update further hints at the game's improved aerial fighting ("Fierce aerial battles often rule the match!").


 * June 7: "Pikachu" : Pikachu is given his official character section as a "Veteran Fighter" like Mario and Link before. He appears to be slightly smaller than in previous games.
 * June 7: "Kirby" : Kirby is given his official character section as a "Veteran Fighter" like Mario, Link, and Pikachu. Pretty much nothing new is revealed, but the site humorously admits to Kirby's near complete lack of a graphical update.


 * June 8: "Four Kinds of Control" : This update reveals that Brawl will be compatible with four different controllers compatible with the Wii: The Wiimote, the Wiimote and Nunchuck, the Wii Classic Controller, and the standard GameCube controller. How they will all work is promised to be explained in future updates.


 * June 11: "Fox" : Fox is given his official character section as a "Veteran Fighter". Some of his older moves are seen to return, and he is described as retaining the speed and agility from his Melee incarnation.


 * June 12: "Yoshi's Island" : The Yoshi's Island stage in Brawl is covered more in-depth, confirming a simple layout but with a top platform that is unstable, changing between all four seasons, and a platform that appears courtesy of the Support Ghost.


 * June 13: "Metroid: Boss Battle Music (Ridley Fight)" : The third music file posted on Dojo!! is this short remix of the most common boss battle theme heard throughout the Metroid series. The site specifically connects this to Ridley, raising rumors as to whether Ridley will be a playable character, or more of a "background character" like Kraid was in Melee.


 * June 14: "Crates and Barrels" : Confirms the return of the Crate and Barrel items from previous games, along with the announcement that the items will change cosmetically, depending on the stage the player is on. Also, "Sliding Boxes" have been introduced, which have little wheels on them and will move during gameplay.


 * June 15: "Samus" : Character profile of Samus in her regular form, including the first in-game images ever shown of her in Brawl. She is classified as a "Veteran Fighter", and visually seems to be heavily based off of her appearance in Metroid: Zero Mission. She appears to retain most of her moves from Melee, and how or if she transforms into Zero-Suit Samus is not mentioned.


 * June 18: "Link: Final Smash" : Link's Final Smash, as seen in the first trailer, is officially named the Triforce Slash. The specifics of how the move starts out and finishes, which wasn't shown in the trailer, is also revealed.


 * June 19: "Pikachu: Volt Tackle" : Pikachu's Final Smash, Volt Tackle, is revealed to involve him temporarily turning into a gigantic ball of light and flying across the stage at great speeds, which can be controlled to an extent by the player. Also mentioned is that other players are capable of canceling Pikachu's Final Smash, and presumably other Final Smashes as well.


 * June 20: "Wario" : Wario is given his own character section in the "Newcomer" category. It is mentioned that Wario will have a fighting style that "other characters cannot even see", which could mean a large number of things, but most likely refers to his fart based attacks (as farts are generally not seen by the naked eye).


 * June 21: "Fox: Special Moves" : Two of Fox's special moves, the Reflector and Blaster, are confirmed to reappear in Fox's moveset for Brawl. Aside from a few cosmetic differences, both moves seem to be 100% unchanged from their functions in Melee.


 * June 22: "Lylat Cruise" : The Star Fox stage from the second trailer is dubbed the Lylat Cruise, and it is revealed that the stage will traverse not only the area around Corneria and its atmosphere, but also various areas of the entire Lylat system.


 * June 25: "Zelda" : Zelda is revealed as a playable character and "veteran fighter" in Brawl. Her appearance is loosely based on the version of Zelda in LoZ:Twilight Princess, but there are several differences such as the colors of her hair and dress. She is confirmed to remain a slow character with strong magic-based attacks, but whether or not she will be able to transform into Sheik this time remains unmentioned.


 * June 26: "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Medley" : The fourth music update on the site is a medley of various songs heard in Ocarina of Time, among them the "Song of Storms", "Epona's Song", "Song of Time", "Saria's Song", and "Zelda's Lullaby". It is unknown which stage this theme will be played on, if any.


 * June 27: "Banana Peel" : A new item, the Banana Peel, is revealed. The effect of the item is somewhat obvious. When dropped on the floor, any character running on this item will slip on it. It's apparently classified as a Smash Bros. item, despite it possibly being derived from Donkey Kong or Super Mario Kart.


 * June 28: "Names" : The second update to the "Game Modes" category reveals several things about the game's interface. The ability for the player to enter custom names returns, and it is revealed that custom button configurations for each controller can be chosen and assigned to the player's name. Also is the mention that player name data may be able to be saved on the player's Wii Remote so they could take this information to other people's Wiis, but this feature has apparently not been implemented yet and may not happen. It is unknown whether making player names in Brawl will be mandatory in order to play.


 * June 29: "Wario: Special Moves" : Two of Wario's B moves are covered. His Smash B move, Wario Chopper, is similar to Yoshi's Egg Roll attack with the exception of Wario's bike being used, and that it will stay on stage after the first use of the attack. Also elaborated on is the Wario Waft attack, which contrary to popular belief, is not a Final Smash, and in fact his Down B.


 * July 2: "What are assist trophies?" : A major new item named the Assist trophy is introduced. When a character picks it up and uses it, a secondary Nintendo character appears and performs an action before disappearing; in concept this is just like the Poke ball, but for all manner of characters outside of the Pokemon franchise that can't quite make it as actual Smash Bros. fighters. A Helper character introduced is the Hammer Bro, and the Nintendog from the original trailer is revealed to be an Assist trophy-caused character.
 * July 2: "Samurai Goro" : Another new Assist trophy helper character introduced is Captain Falcon's rival from the F-Zero universe, Samurai Goro (previously spelled Samurai Goroh). The obese samurai appears and slashes with his imposing sword out of the control of the player, much like a Pokemon from a Poke Ball. Also similar to the Pokemon concept is the update's notice that Assist trophy helpers will often be invincible to attacks from fighters.


 * July 3: "Bowser" : Bowser is revealed as another new returning character and veteran fighter, sporting an updated look not seen in normal Mario games. Bowser's B, Up B, and perhaps his forward B moves are seen preserved, but Sakurai claims that Bowser and a lot of other characters will offer a "slightly different flavor this time around" than their previous appearances, implying alterations to Bowser's design that aren't just cosmetic.


 * July 4: "Bowser: Final Smash" : Bowser's newly revealed Final Smash is also the return appearance of a Melee boss character: Bowser temporarily transforms into Giga Bowser, updated to look similar to his SSBM incarnation like normal Bowser is to his old SSBM incarnation. He gains a vast amount of power and defensive ability for the duration of time in Giga Bowser mode before he reverts to normal Bowser form again. This will be the first time Giga Bowser is now a legally playable character.


 * July 5: "Smash Attacks" : Illustrates the most basic Smash series fighting concept of pressing A and forward on the joy stick to perform standard attacks of varying intensity, but the update visually maps out the button presses involved to all four confirmed controller types.


 * July 6: "Bridge of Eldin" : A brand new stage based on the Bridge of Eldin location in the Wii game The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. It appears to be the longest flat-all-across stage in the Smash series. Twilight Princess characters King Bulblin and Lord Bullbo cameo as obstacles that damage players they charge through on the bridge, and Bulblin occasionally uses bombs that destroy parts of the bridge and allow fighters to fall to their deaths below. These holes will be replaced by twilight-zone portals shortly afterward.


 * July 9: "Standard Combos" : This update reveals that the Standard Combos of the characters, which beforehand were dictated entirely by repeated presses of the attack button, can now also be performed by simply holding down the attacking button to make the character automatically attack with that combo. Fox, for example, in addition to doing his Rapid Kick by pressing A repeatedly, can now also do his Rapid Kick by merely holding down A. This was included to better accomodate the different controller setups, and Sakurai says he has "gone a tad easier on the button pressing" with this. Meta Knight is also revealed to be somewhat different than other characters in attack style; single-button attacks on ground and in the air for him cause multiple swift-sword strikes per press, as opposed to one punch or kick per button press for most other characters, and his Standard Combo is the lengthy swift-sword-swipe sessions he has performed against ground opponents in the trailers.


 * July 10: "Dr. Wright" : A new Assist Trophy helper character like Samurai Goro before is this obscure character from the SNES version of SimCity. Dr. Wright, when he appears, will wave his baton over the ground and summon a miniature city that will pop out of the ground as if it were a giant stalagmite being propelled through the ground, sending opponent characters high into the sky likely with damage.


 * July 11: "Bumper" : Another item update, this time showcasing the return of the Bumper from the original Super Smash Bros. that was missing in Melee. It seems to retain its function and purpose perfectly, but can also now be thrown to float in midair as an obstacle, carrying over the function of Melee ' s Flipper item.


 * July 12: "Donkey Kong" : The first update to be shown at a different time of the day (usually updates are posted at midnight Pacific time), and to be posted in conjunction with a reveal from a different source. Shortly after the E3 press conference showed a clip guaranteeing DK's return as yet another new returning character, this update officially showcases Donkey Kong as a Veteran Fighter with an updated look that gives him a more furry appearance similar to his normal everyday appearance in modern Mario games. His fighting style appears to be unchanged at its core.
 * July 12: "15 Second Movie Presentation" : The first update to fall under the Notices category, it notifies that the official release of the game in North America is December 3, 2007. Sakurai claims to be "working with all [his] might" on the game right up until release, and in the meantime posts a 15-second high-framerate clip of the game, showcasing much of the content revealed throughout the above updates.


 * July 13: "Smashville" : A new stage based on the Animal Crossing series. Screenshots provided showcase a platform that seems to float around while an Animal Crossing-style town given its "appropriate" original name is seen in the background, along with many Animal Crossing-style critters. The stage's background features elements dependent on the Wii's internal clock and calendar; Play the stage at night and it will be nighttime in the game, and play it at night on Saturday and a stage performance by K.K. Slider will occur while the brawl is on. This update also indirectly confirms that Tom Nook will not be a playable character in Brawl, as some fans were hoping.


 * July 16: "Star Fox: Space Armada" : The fifth music file shared with viewers is an arrangement of the Space Armada theme from the original StarFox, which was used for a part of the "Corneria" theme from Melee.


 * July 17: "Deoxys" : A brand new Pokémon that can appear from the Poké Ball is revealed and described. The viral DNA alien Pokémon Deoxys is the "final secret" Pokémon from the Third Generation, and in normal Pokémon games it can change between four available forms. In Brawl, it seems to appear only in its Attack form, and when it appears out of a Poké Ball it will float up into the sky and unleash Hyper Beam to the ground, which is apparently very powerful.


 * July 18: "Samus: Final Smash" : This update finally clarifies that Zero Suit Samus is indeed merely a form Samus becomes when she fires the gigantic beam seen in the first trailer, which is identified as her Final Smash and named the Zero Laser. Newly revealed, however, is that the broken pieces of her armor remaining on the ground can be picked up and hurled as projectile weapons. It is not specified whether "Zamus" can turn back into Samus anytime during the remainder of the match.


 * July 19: "Zero Suit Samus" : Continuing the coverage of the Samus factor in the previous update, this update profiles Zero Suit Samus as though she were a standard playable character like everyone else, put in the Newcomer category, raising questions as to whether she can be playable as a fighter without having to use armored Samus's Final Smash attack during battle. The gun in her hand is identified as the Paralyzer, which was its use in Metroid: Zero Mission against Space Pirates, and it can extend into an energy whip giving her long reach in fighting.


 * July 20: "This World..." : A very different style of update, consisting of just a long series of images in what is likely FMV format, followed by text describing the Smash Bros. universe and the conditions of their world, perhaps indicating the game's "story". Melee's thematic emphasis on trophies is shown to return in Brawl as well. The update shows a new sky-stadium-style environment that may be a new stage, with Mario and Kirby appearing on it, then the Halberd appears, and then a strange original character of sorts is seen in the last screenshot. This may be footage from the opening FMV sequence of the game itself, or one of its single-player modes.


 * July 23: "Rumble Falls" : Another brand new stage is revealed, this time themed after the Donkey Kong universe, specifically Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat. In terms of stage layout and mechanics Rumble Falls seems to be in direct homage to Melee's Icicle Mountain stage, in that the screen scrolls up (and up only), but the physical stage seems much wider. Supposedly the fight can climb up and beyond Rumble Falls, and Sakurai implies that something unrevealed may be found at the very top of the stage's vertical progression.


 * July 24: "Yoshi" : Yoshi is confirmed to return as a playable Veteran fighter in the game. He is visually touched up like most other returning characters, but apparently retains his same playing style as his Melee incarnation. New modifications to his moveset is that his Up B, Egg Toss, can be used to increase jumping distance like traditional third jumps of other characters, "among other things".


 * July 25: "Skyworld" : Official description of the suspected Kid Icarus stage previously seen in the Nintendo world trailer, which is officially identified as Skyworld, and its platform-breaking mechanics are somewhat clarified: The broken platforms quickly regenerate, even though it seems apparent that the clouds underneath the platforms suffice as platforms themselves based on trailer footage. There is no big platform below the stage, underneath where all the smaller cloud-lifted platforms are irregularly laid out.


 * July 26: "Footstool Jump" : A new addition to the core gameplay, the Footstool Jump can be used by all characters as an offensive measure by jumping onto and off of the heads of opponents a la old Mario games, with a perfectly timed jump-button press when right on a character's head. This may do some damage, and it makes the user jump much higher. It can be used as an alternative to a spike to perform a Meteor Smash.


 * July 27: "Knuckle Joe" : Knuckle Joe, a side character/enemy in the Kirby franchise featured particularly prominently in Kirby Super Star, is revealed as a new Assist trophy character. He first flurries foes in front of him with his Vulcan Jab, then randomly performs one of two finishing moves: A strong short-range Smash Punch, and an electric uppercut-like move called Rising Break.


 * July 30: "Donkey Kong: Final Smash" : Donkey Kong's Final Smash is identified and described as the Konga Beat: He whips out the DK Bongos (a GameCube peripheral used for games like Donkey Konga and Jungle Beat) and plays a tune (during which he's invincible) whose musical notes damage opponents around him. The power of the move is influenced by how the player presses buttons to the provided beat.


 * July 31: "Pitfall" : The Pitfall is introduced as an item, and it was once found as an item in Animal Crossing. When the item is thrown at the ground, it vanishes, and an opponent stepping into its area gets temporarily caught in a hole that appears on the ground. Also, if thrown at an opponent standing on a pass-through floor/platform, that opponent will automatically drop down below.


 * August 1: "Ike" : Ike from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is revealed as a playable character. He is the first completely new character to be revealed on the website, and is stated to use his Aether ultimate battle skill from PoR. There is a header above his profile that says "WARNING! CHALLENGER APPROACHING!", which could mean that Ike is an unlockable, or is just noting that he is a previously unannounced newcomer.


 * August 2: "Castle Siege" : The "Castle" environments seen in previous trailers are revealed to be one stage named Castle Siege, and it is identified officially as a Fire Emblem stage, directly stated to be representative of the general thematic essence of the Fire Emblem series and not of any one particular game. The stage starts off at the roof of this castle, then later the ground will shatter and the characters will drop down inside and continue the fight in front of the stone statues (which can be broken by attacks). And this indoors section is not the deepest part; the stage can progress further down into some sort of underground area, which fans will find out later.