Like spoilers? Speculation? Hacking? Super Smash Bros. Brawl? If so, this story may be for you.

Deep inside the humongous, informative, yet never completely reliable Brawl spoilers page on NeoGaf, there is a link to a page claiming to be the complete list of files on the Brawl game DVD. Those willing to attempt to decipher the wall of text this list presents will find more potential spoilers than even those in Reaprar's world famous Brawl spoilers C-blog.

For the record, I've tried all day to authenticate the list and the super weird site it was found on. The list itself was taken down from the host's site hours ago and replaced with yucky-ness, but luckily I saved myself a copy and included it in the gallery of this post. It's a huge list, and had to be split up into seven parts. Even then it turns out the list is not compete. It ends with the words "movi", not the way these sorts of ISO data dumps lists usually end. Anything, the inclusion of more characters, moves, movies, information on anything could follow word "movi" in the text dump. We may never know. 

The super weird site's owner, the person likely responsible for the original data dump and the corresponding list, is thus far unreachable for comment.  So stick all this info firmly in your "rumors" file for now.

My findings after the jump.

[Via Brawl spoilers page at NeoGaf] 

There is a lot to be deciphered from this list of file names, but I'm just going to stick with what I found most interesting; the potential for more playable characters.

Hope and potential can be found from the list's fighter\ef directories. There is such a directory for each of the thus far confirmed characters, plus a few extras. Those extras include Dr Mario, Dixie, MewTwo, Pra_Mai(?), Roy, Toon Sheik, Toon Zelda, Zako Ball, Zako Boy, Zako Child, and Zako Girl. Sorry folks, no Mega Man. 

All these files chalk in at a size of 128 each. It doesn't specify 128MB or GB, so we'll just have to guess that it's 128 somethings. More importantly, 128 somethings is much smaller than most other character's fighters\ef files. For example, Peach's fighter\ef file comes in at "size:113280". The smaller file size for the fighter\ef directories designated to so far unseen characters implies that these directories may represent unfinished or otherwise unusable data.

However, there are four characters confirmed to be playable in Brawl that have these small 128 sized fighter\ef directories. Those characters are GKoopa (presumably Giga Bowser), Warioman, Nana (one half of the Ice Climbers team), and Mr Game and Watch. So what can we infer from that? Well, I take it to mean that fighter\ef files 128 somethings in size are for alternate polygon sets for other potentially playable characters.

The Zako series of files likely represent the Fighting Alloy team, are of whom are known to solely use other character's animations. Nana uses identical animations as her Ice Climbing partner Popo. As for Warioman and Giga Bowser, they are the alternate polygon sets for the final smashes of Wario and Bowser, and have no unique animations of their own. And since Game and Watch technically has no animations, just a series of texture maps cycled in specific orders to give the illusion of animation, it can safely be deducted that fighter\ef files must only be for character models and textures, and not for animations in any way. 

So what more can we assume from all this? I don't know about you, but I'm taking this info to mean that maybe, just maybe, Dr. Mario, Dixie Kong, MewTwo, Roy, Toon Sheik, and Toon Zelda are potentially unlockable alternate character models for other currently confirmed characters in Brawl. I'm sure hoards of Wii hackers are already on the case, trying to confirm or deny this rumor. I for one was a little disappointed that the above characters from Melee were cut from Brawl, and would be delighted see them made available for the game via WiiConenct 24, tournaments, or other methods.

But more so, I'd like to think that all of Brawl's secrets couldn't be unlocked mere days after it's release in Japan. That would just be too anti-climactic for a game that's had it's secrets talked about for five years running.

Don't think me naive. I've been around. I am aware that this list could be fake, and even if it's not, that nearly every game has unusable data still on the disk. This could all be much ado about nothing. That doesn't mean I can't hope that the Brawl equivalent to GTA: San Andreas' Hot Coffee mod is a MewTwo, Dixie Kong, Toon Sheik and Dr Mario battle-orgy of epic proportions.

Anyone else out there want to get on board my hope train?