April 1, 2009 by Paul Curtin
IGN has released probably the most impressive April Fool’s Day fake news story so far today claiming that Nintendo is prepping a new ‘Expand’ service for the Wii and a new bloody update to Super Smash Bros. Brawl dubbed Super Smash Bros. Brawl X: Extreme.
On Wednesday afternoon in Kyoto, Japan, Nintendo Co. Ltd. allegedly held a private conference at the Rihga Royal Hotel, where company leaders spoke to third-party publishing partners about a new service in the works for Wii owners. Called ‘Wii Expand,’ the addition, which utilizes the recently-released Wii System Menu 4.0’s new SD card compatibility, enables players to download game expansions, modifications and updates. Insiders who attended the exclusive event said that Wii Expand would launch globally later this year, but could not provide an exact date.
Much more surprising is the demo the publisher showcased presumably as a proof of concept for the service: an ultra-violent update to its hit Wii fighter, now appropriately dubbed Super Smash Bros. Brawl X: Extreme. The moniker seems to be a play on the game’s original Japanese name of Dairantou Smash Bros. X — now, though, the ‘X’ is stained with blood. Insiders explained that via a content download through the Expand service, Wii owners would be able to save the expansion to SD card and could then choose to play the so-called ‘Extreme’ version of the game upon next booting Brawl.
Sources described several scenes from Nintendo’s presentation, all of them depicting gory additions to the fighter. In one such bout, Link of Zelda fame supposedly decapitated Nintendo’s plumber. Skeptical, we asked our contacts to provide us with documented proof, either of the event or of the revelations made within, and they did us one better. As a result, IGN can today present the first look at the new Super Smash Bros. Brawl X: Extreme via bootlegged shaky-cam footage from the event. It’s not of the best quality, but it’s better than you’ll find anywhere else.
