More Smash Bros. characters revealed

SIDEBAR: Although US gamers have to wait another month and change before dropping the gloves with Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, they're getting a little taste of the action today. A wave of new screenshots from the game has hit the Web and been compiled on online message boards like GameFAQs, giving eager fans new tidbits to sift through in the weeks until the game's March 9 North American launch.

The pics are coming from the Japanese language version of the game, which is set to arrive in the Land of the Rising Sun later this week. They showcase a number of previously unannounced characters, including the cartoon-styled Link from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass.

Other new faces include the Pokémon Lucario as well as R.O.B., the robotic operating buddy peripheral from the original Nintendo Entertainment System. In addition, series veterans like the Game & Watch man, Luigi, Marth, Falco, Ness, and Jigglypuff will also be returning to the battlefield. As for new stages, they appear to be pulled primarily from the different brawlers' previous games. The original Mario Bros. arcade game is represented in one stage, as is Sonic the Hedgehog's Green Hill Zone. A ship sailing the water-covered world of the Wind Waker serves as another stage, and F-Zero's Port Town will host a few brawls.