Super Smash Bros A-Z

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26 reasons why Brawl will be the best in 2008

I is for... Items
Smash Bros has always had great items, so we're eager to get our mitts on the latest additions. For example, gobbling a plate of Super Spicy Curry will let you perform mind-bending combos you'd never even dreamed of. The Gooey Bomb's even better: letting you tag an opponent and run away giggling like a schoolgirl while they try their best to pass it on. Every single item adds a layer of depth, and you can choose which ones to activate to create the perfect match.

J is for... Jumping
No, really. The new footstool jump has taken a leaf from Mario's book, and allows everyone to 'boiiing'3 off of their fellow competitors. It's also the best way to kill someone. Think of the humiliation: there's no greater way to KO someone than to leap off a stage's edge, land on top of a recovering character and then jump back to safety as they plummet off-screen. Awesome.

Seriously, it's making us paranoid. Every month we come up with great ideas for Brawl, and every month Nintendo go and put them in the game. Our super-fantastic 'wouldn't-it-be-great-if' list of awesomeness had a level editor somewhere near the top (just under Sonic actually). AND IT'S IN! Once the issue's done we're going to start scanning for bugs.4

M is for... Music
A quick straw poll about gaming's best music should see Nintendo run away with the votes. When we saw the list of musicians involved in Brawl we nearly cried with joy. Not only have we got pieces from every major Nintendo franchise, we've got contributions from Metal Gear's Akihiro Honda, Kingdom Hearts's Yoko Shimomura and Grandia's Noriyuki Iwadare.

The game's brimming with classics, and by using the My Music option you can choose which tracks will be played on any given stage. There are plenty of hidden songs too, and it's always worth risking a life to snaffle the CDs when they appear.

N is for... New Pork City
"We want to beat-'em-up in a city that never sleeps, And find we're king of the hill, top of the heap.
That little air ship, is destined to sway; We'll make a brand new start of it, in old New Pork.
If we avoid the Chimera, we'll take you on anywhere-a; We'll meet you there, New Pork, New Pork."