With Smash Bros. Brawl just over two months away I am going to give you my month by month insight until launch on what new and returning characters I believe will be announced that already haven’t as well as provide a few possible levels, items and modes that could potentially join the fray. Here is my second month’s lineup of possibles.

Returning Characters

Luigi – Okay, I know this one is basically a no-brainer but oh well. Luigi has been a veteran of the Smash series since its beginning as an unlockable character in both previous games, and I know that he will reemerge in Brawl as an unlockable fighter once again. After all he is Mario’s (a.k.a. Mr. Nintendo’s) taller, slenderer brother. Look for Luigi to return to brawl along with his incredibly wacky moveset that he utilized in Melee.

Jigglypuff – she’s the balloon fighting Pokemon that everyone loves to hate. Admit it; you used to set the computer player as Jigglypuff while you took pleasure in pounding that fat, pink little face of hers into the ground. It’s okay everyone did…I still do. Just like Luigi Jigglypuff has been around since the original N64 Smash Bros., she returned in Melee and rest assured will triumphantly return in Brawl come February 10, 2008. Again, just like Luigi, Jigglypuff will be unlockable – most likely as the very first hidden character unlocked (just like the previous Smash installments). So rest assured because your guilty pleasure will return for her third bid in Smash Bros. Brawl. Let’s face it. There is no character more disgraceful to lose to than Jigglypuff, especially when one of your friends taunts you with that ridiculously high-pitched “Hi” after he sends you flying with that powerfully absurd sleep move.

Newcomers

Cel Shaded Link – Was actually rumored to be included in the game only a month after Brawl was first announced. Cel Shaded Link along with Ridley, Samus’ arch-nemesis, and Bowser Jr. were all rumored to be in the new Smash installment after Masahiro Sakurai (Brawl’s producer) appeared on a Japanese talk show and allegedly confirmed their appearance in Brawl. That rumor has since been cast aside as false, yet I still maintain hope that he will make the cut as a playable character. He could easily replace Young Link from Melee, and in addition, he would wield an entirely different moveset than the Twilight Princess Link. I also think he has potential to make the roster because he now has two of his very own games under his tunic – Wind Waker, the smash hit on the now deceased Gamecube and Phantom Hourglass, released just a couple months ago on the Nintendo DS. So keep your eyes open because his early confirmation could be one rumor that ends up true.

Ridley – The archenemy of Samus Aran of the sci-fi Metroid series. Ridley has been a reoccurring enemy in all of the Metroid games dating back to the original on the NES. Just like Cel Shaded Link, Ridley too was rumored to be in Brawl after Sakurai’s comment on the Japanese talk show. Although those rumors have been denied by Sakurai himself, I still believe that Ridley has a good chance to join Brawl. For starters, there is only one character representing the Metroid series (two if you count Zero Suit Samus as a separate character), and that’s Samus herself. Another reason behind my hunch that Ridley will make the list of newcomers is because the Smash roster is lacking in villain characters. With the addition of Ridley not only would there be one more villain, but there would also be one more main character representing the Metroid franchise.

Paper Mario – This one is a long shot, but I think he still has some potential. Paper Mario is Nintendo’s answer for RPG fans who may have never been into Mario’s platformer titles. Paper Mario stands a chance to make Brawl’s cut in my mind because of his best-selling title, Super Paper Mario for the Nintendo Wii. My prediction is that Doctor Mario will be cut from the roster, or a costume alternative for regular Mario, allowing an open spot for another Mario spin-off character, and who better to fill that spot than Paper Mario. He’s been around since the SNES days and he would boast an entirely different stamina and set of moves (based of his latest hit Super Paper Mario) than regular Mario. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for this dream to come true.

New Items

Starbits – This one is another long shot, but it could be a really cool addition if done correctly. For those who don’t know what Starbits are look at the picture above. Do you see those colorful little star-shaped gems surrounding Mario? Those are Starbits, and Mario uses them primarily in Galaxy to shoot at enemies, stunning them or even killing them. Starbits could be a cool item in Brawl because once a player collects a pack of Starbits they could have the opportunity to use the motion control of the remote or the joystick of the Gamecube and Classic Controller as a makeshift cursor. With the cursor players could then shoot the Starbits they have collected at opposing players stunning them in mid-move, stealing jumps resulting in deaths and much more. I’m aiming high on Starbits appearing in Brawl…literally.

New Levels

Mario Galaxy Non-gravitational Planets – Sticking with the theme of Mario Galaxy, the coolest thing about the game was the addition of the non-gravitational planets. Mario jumps around on, walks on the bottoms of and flings from these non-gravitational planets throughout the course of the game. Adding these non-gravitational planets to Brawl could make fights much more interesting and challenging for combatants. Players could fight on the bottoms and backsides of levels as the camera pans around to follow the action. However, the gravitational field would only be limited so far off the planet’s ground. So if a player was cast off the planet at a high percentage it would be just as challenging to get back to the planet without plummeting to death as it would be to get back to the ledge of a standard level.

Well, that’s all for this month’s session of “Let’s Get Ready to R-U-M-B-L-E!!” Stay tuned for next month’s final addition of possible returning characters, newcomers and the like. Also check out www.smashbros.com for daily, weekday updates as well as my picks for last month’s addition of “Let’s Get Ready to R-U-M-B-L-E!! – Month 1, Round 1.” As always, thanks for reading.

-Dillon (D-Dub)