In a nutshell: Nintendo’s cameo filled beat ‘em-up returns with an even stranger mix of characters and at least one very special guest. It’s also going to be online for the first time so you can smack Pikachu over the head with a baseball bat from around the world. The lowdown: Although it’s not due to be released until next year Nintendo has already revealed that the new Smash Bros. will include a number of new playable characters such as Meta Knight from the Kirby games, Pit from Kid Icarus, Zero Suit Samus (i.e. Samus without her armour) from Metroid: Zero Mission, Wario and, most unexpectedly, Solid Snake from Metal Gear. The Nintendogs also make an appearance, although only as an item for obscuring the screen, and each character now seems to have some gigantic new special attacks that take up the whole screen.. Not only will the game have an online mode but it is the only major Nintendo title to use the “shell” controller by default rather than the Wii remote. Most exciting moment: The idea of Kirby and Solid Snake facing off is almost too bizarre to contemplate but the strangest moment in the trailer comes with Wario’s new bottom burp attack. Since you ask: Nintendo has admitted that it is in talks with other third party publishers, about the possibility of including other non-Nintendo characters in the game beyond just Solid Snake, with Sonic the Hedgehog touted as the next most likely to make an appearance. The bottom line: Video game’s finest are assembled for the most star studded fighting game ever. HARRISON DENT