Nintendo makes Brawl world less colorful

by JC Fletcher { Dec 23rd 2008 at 10:55AM }

Remember the awesome Super Smash Bros. Brawl hacking project through which some guys were making alternate color schemes for all the character models? Well, the group responsible started calling themselves ]EE[ Syntax-Error, and they were planning to distribute a patch for Brawl that would allow any homebrew-capable Wii owner to play with all kinds of recolored characters. Soon before this patch was to be released, their site went down.

We don't know exactly what happened, but according to a post at Stack Smash, a related Smash Bros. character model hacking site, Nintendo threatened Syntax-Error with lawsuits. As a result, the site is down and the patch is shelved. The image above, found in another Stack Smash post, features almost every texture alteration that was to be released with the software. Check out Pac-Kirby! Oh, we've just made ourselves sad.

Gallery: Smash Bros. Brawl Snapshots

[Thanks, Ants!]

Tags: smash-bros-brawl, syntax-error, textures

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

rodjoh @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:16AM

Thats a shame, but seriously what where they expecting?

Roto13 @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:20AM

Most of those don't look very good, really.

Shadow31 @ Dec 23rd 2008 5:03PM

That pic is bad resolution though, not to mention that pic was made with the textures before they were in their final forms. Seeing the finished thing in motion was so much better...

Roto13 @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:29PM

I've seen one or two YouTube videos and I stand by my judgment. :P

Sketch @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:40AM

Is there any way to see a bigger version of that pic??

KaBob799 @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:45AM

I wasn't impressed with them when I saw the larger pictures that one time, it's sad to see a hack go but it's nothing I was looking forward to.

ChrisCanberg @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:16PM

they were planning on distributing a patch for a game that wasn't theirs that they had no rights of adding things onto it. i wonder why they're getting in trouble. i freakin wonder.

Dustin @ Dec 24th 2008 4:14AM

They bought the game. So they did own it. They can do what ever the hell they want with it. Distributing it is another story as far as legality, but it's not like they were selling it.

They were not making profit. They were just being creative. If anything they were supporting the franchise as you had to actually own the game in order to install the hack anyway.

At any rate. You can remove a website, but once something like this has been on the internet, it never really leaves. Just moves around a bit.

Level 5 @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:31PM

This stuff happens ALL THE TIME, were we really that shocked? Google Chrono Resurrection, a tech demo of the first fraction of gameplay from Chrono Trigger. It was never meant to be a full game. It was never meant to make anyone money. It was merely a tech demo and a hats off to Square to say thanks for making a game we love. A YEARS old game that we love. Still, they got a cease and desist order.

On the other hand, Brawl is still current software that is in print, for a console still in print. A console that's had hacking that Nintendo sees as problematic since very early in its life. Not only does this require breaking the console's software protection, Nintendo views it as encouragement to break said protection, as well as a possible avenue for further circumventing the boundaries they have in place. Keep in mind Nintendo went from on top with the NES, to barely ahead with the SNES, to bottom of the pack with N64 and GCN. They're just now gaining home console ground with the Wii. Protect every dollar you've got, and since your intellectual property makes you that money, protect it too. I don't know why these home developers think that a company wouldn't intervene.

Red-Blue @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:51PM

Really, it's a shame. Because these fellows were really just fan artists. The patch they were going to supply was only to be used on an unmodified dump of your own copy of Brawl. Throughout the project, they were telling everyone that piracy is bad, and all they wanted to do is add some new faces as far as textures go. And then Nintendo throws a lawsuit at them on the day of release.

Shame. As Smash Stack said about Nintendo: "Sue the pirates? No. Sue the fanartists."

esposch @ Dec 23rd 2008 6:41PM

LOL!
No-one gets ISOs legally. It would just encourage people to pirate it. Now, if this was instead a DOL that patched a legal disc on runtime, then the big N would have no reason to threaten them with legal action. However, why they haven't sued Waninkoko yet, but some fan modders instead is a difficult question to answer. Methinks they are cracking down.

Gun Barrier @ Dec 23rd 2008 12:51PM

I was very excited for the release of this patch, but oh well...

Tito @ Dec 23rd 2008 1:55PM

Are you sure Nintendo really shut them down or that the project owners just was looking for an excuse? Isn't the general mantra that Nintendo doesn't typically sue people for fan projects?

KaBob799 @ Dec 23rd 2008 4:46PM

They don't sue for fan games as far as I know but I this is a hack, and its for a currently selling game, and it's really the first one that a ton of people could use (due to the Wii's easyness to hack).

Shadow31 @ Dec 23rd 2008 5:01PM

Patch was done, They were literally about to release it. In fact, Stack Smash has the patch, they're just afraid to release it lest Syntax Error get in trouble...

Mr Khan @ Dec 23rd 2008 1:15PM

A sad development, but what do you really expect Nintendo to do?

Shadow31 @ Dec 23rd 2008 5:10PM

By the way, it should be noted, worst part about this? Nintendo shut them down the day it was to be released. Hate how they waited until the last minute...

Nebinator @ Dec 23rd 2008 5:14PM

What about Stack Smash and Kity Corp Projects? Were they "threatened", too?

Shadow31 @ Dec 23rd 2008 5:34PM

No. Stack Smash has no plans to release a patch at this point, which was what Nintendo seemed to dislike. And Kitty Corp is too small to draw enough attention yet, not to mention their patch attempts thus far have been fail.

Stack Smash stated they are probably going to move their website to be safe, though, as they are the next most likely to be targeted.

RAWRzilla @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:52PM

I was so angry. I'm still not over it. I get an empty pit-like feeling in my stomach whenever I think about it.

Atlantis1982 @ Dec 24th 2008 1:42AM

Funny, Nintendo haven't done the same to those making the Homebrew Channel which does hurt them more (Sorry, but you got to have that mind set that people will use that hack as a way to play pirated games).

intro94 @ Dec 24th 2008 10:22AM

nothing like homebrew to play free wii games..err to color in ugly ways my brawl chars.Meh, its an awful application anyway.They look like vomit after some color tinkering.

zochmenos @ Dec 24th 2008 11:47AM

Ha ha ha! Artists? That's the word of the day for the people creating this mod? Poor. They are artists in the same way people copy anime characters to make hentai. I would also like to point out that Nintendo can't shut down a web site they don't own. A court of law can, they can't. If the artists are so innocent, let them defend themselves in court. THAT'S WHAT IT'S FOR! But wait, in court there would be evidence and computer records! I can't just troll a forum pretending I'm innocent while everyone who wanted the mod defends me for free? Oh peas. Day the patch came out...I'm going to buy World of Goo right now to reward Nintendo for having teh brawls.