so i don't know if you know of this (i've done a quick search of the forums and stuff and nothing has come up) but those guys over at that there TIGSource website are making a Super Smash Brothers Brawl clone, with an emphasis on indie games. they're including a load of excellent characters from some classic games (including Barkley from beloved shut up and jam gaiden!!!) and it's really shaping up to be something special. there's a load of ideas for stages and whatnot, and a lot of the characters are pretty much finished! there's characters from aquaria, noitu love 2, trilby: the art of theft, dwarf fortress and a whole lot more.

they have their own forum, which has all the details and a download link of the current build available: http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?board=29.0

within most the stickies you can view current artwork.

this is the artwork for barkley: http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=8256.0

and here's the download link of the current version. it's pretty much in alpha at the minute, but pretty cool nonetheless!

I'm going to main charles barkley when this comes out. I'm going to play him at all the tourneys

I've seen this around but am waiting for the full version! Also I'm kind of embarrassed by how many of the characters I don't recognise. I should really play more indie games!

incidentally is anyone else surprised to see an ambitious community project which is actually getting done, i know when i first heard of this my immediate reaction was PFFT GOOD LUCK WIT THAT 

I'm actually helping doing work for this, I've done a couple of animations for lyle and did an edit of the portrait for him. I'm working on a music remix for them now.

for instance:

here's a WIP for the victory theme.
WAV: http://www.box.net/shared/1losji60vv
MP3: http://www.box.net/shared/iuc1kehaad

is the site down for anyone else?

It has problems every so often. Never lasts more than 5 minutes usually.

Will the monopolo man be in this?

Yay for Barkley!

Wonder what his stage is going to look like? Oooo! Wonder what music they are going to use?

Keep in mind, that this project has been in the works for a long time now, I'm not sure they are ever going to finish, but...I'll still be there if they ever do finish it.

He hasn't got a stage planned. All the music is remixes of the original game music, so someone (maybe I) would remix one of Chef's tunes.

It is VERY likely we will finish this project, work gets done in spurts and by very talented people, and a lot gets done very quickly. The actual engine appears to be almost complete, and all we are waiting for is for characters and stages to be drawn. Soulliard has coded most of the characters, even the ones not drawn, but he needs to code the stages. But that can only be done once they are drawn.

Seriously, this will get done.

I've been following this, but i definitely seems to have gone downhill since i last checked.

Big LOLs that cave story denied being a part of it but Behemoth didn't? How does that work anyway, Castle Crashers is hardly an indie game...? also, I'm assuming this game is free, why don't they just say fuck you and add in whatever characters they want?

because they really don't need a cease and desist order at the last minute.

Cave story accepted at first, but they are remaking it for the Wii, and that brought about complications. It's really difficult to contact Pixel at the best of times.

They should just make it open source. So anyone could add anything and there'd be 100 different versions that no organization of people could ever track down and put a cease and desist on.

Yeah, that would solve everything.

After downloading/playing the latest build, I am very impressed at the general COHESIVENESS of this all and how solid it already feels. I am muchly looking forward to seeing everything come together when it finally does.

They should just make it open source. So anyone could add anything and there'd be 100 different versions that no organization of people could ever track down and put a cease and desist on.

Yeah, that would solve everything.

BTW it is open source.