It’s been nearly three years since Super Smash Bros. Brawl was announced at E3 2005, and with nine months of updates from the creators, tons of details revealed from the Japanese release, and rumors that US stores already have copies stashed away, anticipation for the game has never been higher. So whether you’re clutching your pre-order slip or you’re looking for a way to pass the hours as you sit in a sidewalk launch line, let’s take a look back at the media that marked Brawl’s development.

E3 2005

At E3 2005, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata teased that one of the first games for the then-named Nintendo Revolution would be a Smash Bros. title with online play. In truth, no such game was even in development, but Nintendo quickly wooed back series mastermind Masahiro Sakurai and collaborated with GameArts to begin work on the next installment of the fighting franchise.

E3 2006

Unveiled at a small meeting after-hours, Brawl’s very first trailer began by updating the Melee character models to show off their new looks. As Nobuo Uematsu’s rousing fanfare set the tone, viewers were treated to a host of fantastic revelations, including a first look at final smashes, assist trophies, and newcomers Meta-Knight, Pit, Zero Suit Samus, and Wario. But just when the trailer seemed to be finished, a familiar ring signaled the unthinkable – Solid Snake would be joining the fray.

Nintendo World 2006

The trailer shown at Nintendo’s fall event didn’t bring any huge surprises, but fans were eager for any scrap of footage they could find. The line-up from E3 got a bit more screen-time and there were new stages shown for the first time. This second video also has a false ending, but we won’t spoil it for you.

E3 2007

With daily updates to the official site already in full swing, Nintendo held back on Smash news at E3 2007. The clip shown was a meager 15 seconds long, but viewers got to see Bowser and Zelda in action and glimpse new stages.

Subspace Emissary

August brought the first look at Brawl’s new adventure mode, The Subspace Emissary, which is packed with dozens of pre-rendered cinemas interweaving the game’s many characters into one narrative. This video sets the stage for the mode, so it’s essential viewing.

Tokyo Game Show 2007

While the espionage specialist was revealed as a contender long before, this surprise trailer at TGS still made a huge impact as it focused exclusively on Metal Gear’s Solid Snake. Watching Snake square off against one of Nintendo’s mascots in this trailer is priceless.

Fall 07 Press Conference Trailer

Final smashes from two of Nintendo’s biggest characters kick off this October trailer, followed by recently revealed Pokemon, assist trophies, collectibles, and side-scrolling stages from the Subspace Emissary. The video wraps up with a montage of characters, including some unexpected new ones.

A New Challenger

Quite possibly Brawl’s biggest surprise, this secret character has been rumored for years. This Sonic Boom of a confirmation shook the Internet harder than any press release or screen shot ever could.

Japanese Trailer

As Super Smash Bros. Brawl neared its January street date in Japan, Nintendo unleashed a massive video that includes single player and co-op modes, online matches, boss battles, stickers, trophies, screen shots, stage-building, and more.

Modes Trailer

This walkthrough video fast-forwards through Brawl’s menus to give you a glimpse of just about every mode and option in the game. See how to set up special matches and tournaments. Check out single-player events, classic mode, replay videos, custom stages, demos of classic games, music preferences, online matches, and more. If you have time to watch just one piece of video, this is it.

The countdown to launch on March 9 has already begun! Stay tuned to GameTrailers.com for the full review when the countdown clock hits zero!