IGN recently held an interview with Masahiro Sakurai, the head of Team SORA and the creator of the Super Smash Bros. franchise. With Kid Icarus done and out in stores, Sakurai has finally begun development on the next entires into the SSB series, one for the 3DS and one for Nintendo's next console, the Wii U. Supposedly these two games are to be released together and a main feature is that they will somehow be able to link and communicate with each other.

The relevant parts of the interview are here: [link]

I have no idea what two linked versions of the game could do for the series, but I suppose there are plenty of possibilities. I'm just hoping the Wii U version isn't "dumbed down" from Brawl or graphically rendered at a lower standard just so the two games will be "equal". While it probably won't happen, I would love to see the 3DS Smash Bros. be a beautifully rendered 2D fighter, and since Sakurai talks about taking the series in a slightly new direction, why not keep the console version to the standard 4 player chaos while bringing the 3DS version into a more focused, maybe 1-on-1 affair? Or would that defeat the purpose of Smash Bros. vs other traditional fighting games? Like I said, the possibilities are endless since the game development is JUST beginning now.

I personally LOVED Brawl and still play it with my fiancee and future brother-in-law all the time. Lucario and Ganondorf are my main crew. Bowser is slowly working his way in too, with Zelda just behind him. Just Zelda though, no Sheik. Sheik can take a running leap into Lake Hylia for all I care. Sheik doesn't have magic or that sexy lightning kick.

I look forward to seeing how these games develop. I'm thinking over the next few days I'll use my journal to post some ideas for new characters too. For funsies!

How about you guys, what new direction would you like to see taken for Smash Bros? Or would you not try to take a new direction at all? Simply expand the roster and stages and items? And of course, what new characters would you like to see?