UPDATE: Aaaaaaand those videos are now gone. Sorry, folks!

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A huge chunk of the hype for a new Smash Bros. games involves slowly announcing what characters are in the game. Some of those may have just been preempted by a person named "Izat True" on YouTube.

If you're adverse to spoilers, you might want to stop reading now.

While I don't normally report on leaks or rumors, it's hard to argue with these videos, which appear to reveal fighters like Bowser Jr. and Dark Pit in the 3DS version of the upcoming Super Smash Bros.

The person playing in these videos is listed as "ESRB0083," which would suggest the copy being played is an early version submitted to the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. One way or the other, it wouldn't be a surprise if these videos magically disappeared later today.

Also, why is it that leakers always have such horrible ways of capturing video?

In the meantime, watch away.

I have sprung a leak.

So yeah....there's Shulk. Was he actually announced yet? I don't seem to recall seeing anything about him before.

Still Waiting on Lucas being announced!

All else matters little to me!

You forgot Duck Hunt and Shulk.

Hahhah, what a story Scoops!

I was wondering if Patrick was going to write anything about this.

Not sure what I think about these leaks. While I think Duck Hunt is a hilarious (and great) pick, and anything relating to Xenoblade is something I'm for, some of the other potential characters seem...lame. Like Dr. Mario.

Also, no Snake.

We are getting closer and closer to the Japanese release date. We should know all the characters by Sept. 13.

Bowser Jr. is a cool addition. And I am glad to see Ganondorf is back, hopefully we get his Hyrule Warrior costume as an option. But the coolest addition seems to be the Duck Hunt dog. I'm excited to see how he plays.

It's rumoured that Snake and Ice Climbers will be DLC, which is super lame if true.

All I want is a leaked character select screen and I'm good.

You're leaking.

@corruptedevil: Yeah. I also hate that we live in a world where even Nintendo is going for the planning DLC before release thing, if that's true. Like, I know the reasons why, I'm not saying they shouldn't, etc etc, I just never thought Nintendo would start doing it. I dunno.

Someone is going to be fired over this. And not just a loss of their job. Nintendo will fire them out of a cannon pointed at the moon.

Still, I'm excited to play as Shulk!

Or this is the most elaborate fake ever, which would be way more awesome.

Snake is an alternate skin for Dr. Mario.

OHHHHH, so THAT'S what people meant when they were talking about "Shulk" being in the game. I thought people were joking about She-Hulk making a surprise entrance.

Correct, I'm guessing this is a Nintendo employee playing the build they recorded for the ESRB.

Are the Duck hunt dog and duck really playable characters? I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Also DUCK HUNT DOOOOOOOOOOOOG.

I'm kinda disappointed in the roster overall. Smash Bros to me always had a wide variety of characters from different art-styles unified into a more coherent look this time around half the characters look all anime.

Duck Hunt is a real great pick though!

As far as I know, that rumor started with an anonymous post on 4chan's /v/ board, so I would take it with a pretty large grain of salt.

Also: is no one else hype for Bowser Jr.?

@corruptedevil said:

@papercut said:

All I want is a leaked character select screen and I'm good.

@corruptedevil said:

I am very okay with this!

Leaker better hide from Nintendo ninjas or Sakurai. He's doomed either way.

@bbqbram said:

@corruptedevil said:

@papercut said:

All I want is a leaked character select screen and I'm good.

@corruptedevil said:

I am very okay with this!

NO WALUIGI. NO BUY.

No. Everyone thought he'd be the next character announced for the Lucina/Robin reveal only because there were tweets from Monolith Studios about a voice actor of their's being in Smash, but he wasn't. Now I guess this is the unofficial unveiling of him.

Edit: Also, I assume that Duck Hunt Dog and Duck act like strategic fighters like Rosalina and Olimar where the dog has some control of the ducks for the fight, which would be pretty rad.

@bbalpert said:

OHHHHH, so THAT'S what people meant when they were talking about "Shulk" being in the game. I thought people were joking about She-Hulk making a surprise entrance.

I'm still at the point where I'm looking for Jennifer Walters. Who is this Shulk everyone is talking about? Is it a Fire Emblem character? Is it a gender flip Sheik?

@brodehouse: Xenoblade Chronicles protagonist.

I think this is relegated to the 3DS version. It differs from the Wii U version graphically with a SFIV type of art style (looks slightly 2Dish with bold outlines). I'm guessing they did this due to the low specs of the 3DS and to help emphasize the visibility of the characters in the small screen.

I wonder if the DLC rumors for cut characters is true then too. In addition to Snake, Lucas, Chorus Men, and Ice Climbers there's another rumor that suggests Dixie Kong and Mewtwo are coming too. That would be so rad.

Aha!

TOO BAD! NOT WALUIGI TIME!

Who the fuck are Chorus Men?

Its_a_leak.jpg

Anyway the Duck Hunt Dog & Duck are nuts, and I hope it is an even 50 that has a good grass starter final form (AKA Sceptile) and either Wolf or Ice Climbers. I'd love Lucas but it is a long shot at this point. Dr. Mario is definitely as boring of an addition as possible, close to Falco in the yawn level.

You missed the part where the dog from Duck Hunt is in this game. I'd buy a separate, real world figurine of that.

Just came in to say that this is a great article title. Also that all these new characters are actually getting me kind of optimistic about this even after Brawl wasn't the greatest.

@corruptedevil: Wow, that's alot more than the original SSB >.>

@papercut: he's actually just an assist trophy, you can see em in the Nintendo Direct SSB video

Nobody "got their hands on an early copy." This is a montage video of content sent to the ESRB for ratings (notice in the third embed that it switches directly from a victory screen to footage of the home run derby mode). There's also an imgur gallery floating around of more shots from this video, many of which focus on any content that would potentially affect the rating (shots of scantily clad female character trophies, Wario's trophy that mentions farting, the gambling-esque element of spectator mode, etc). This isn't somebody with a leaked copy, this is a leaker in either NOA or inside the ESRB, which is news in itself. Somebody's getting fired.

SHUUUUUUULK

Also Duck Hunt Dog. HA.

I bet it's NOA because very little has leaked out of ESRB in the past except what they put on their website.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand the leaked videos are down by Nintendo.

Whups. There goes the article.

At least this really confirms that it's not some sort of elaborate hoax.

@dan_citi: Says they're something from Thetarhythm.

Rhythm Heaven not Theatrhythm. Theatrhythm only has Final Fantasy characters.

So the ESRB plays games now, or.

Already been addressed, it's the videos they sent to the ESRB.