Hear the good, the bad, and everything else from a person that has played more Smash Bros. than is probably healthy.
Yesterday’s Nintendo Direct focusing solely on the two upcoming Super Smash Bros. games was filled with a ton of incredible information. It’s clear these titles are going to be something special for Nintendo fans.
I’ve been playing Smash Bros. since the day the first one hit North America. Since then I’ve gone from being a more casual player, insisting on items being used, to someone who prefers to play with a more tournament style rule set. It’s because of this that I have an understanding of the Smash Bros. games from varying perspectives, and would like to share my thoughts on this Direct’s announcements.
Release Windows
I find it rather shocking that the 3DS Super Smash Bros. will be coming out before the Wii U version. The general consensus among fans has been that the 3DS version of the game will, likely, cannibalize the sales of the Wii U version. There are far more 3DS owners out there, and having a similar Smash Bros. experience available to them without the cost of having to purchase a Wii U won’t help increase the consoles sales as much as if the release dates were reversed.
With that said, I can’t wait to get my hands on any version. I just hope Nintendo is able to make the connectivity between the two titles compelling enough so all the people that have purchased the 3DS version will really want the Wii U counterpart.
Stages
The new stages do look like a lot of fun. I find the addition of Boss characters, on select stages, appealing, and love how they will offer benefits to the player responsible for their defeat. Yeah, Boss characters likely won’t be good in more serious fights, but more casual players will surely enjoy them.
I understand the purpose of making many stages exclusive to each version, but I can’t help but wish that there were a way to unlock them in both copies of the game.
Online Play
It’s great, but expected, news that there will be online play offered in both the Wii U and 3DS versions of the games. However, I think it’s a bit worrisome that Sakurai is suggesting that players use a Wii U LAN Adaptor to get a more stable connection. This should be common sense, but the fact that it is being mentioned makes me worry about the stability of the game, especially since it’s clear a large majority of players won’t be using one.
The two online modes, For Fun and For Glory, sound pretty good and attract the two different types of players that enjoy the series.
For Fun targets the more casual players, allowing them to face each other with all the items turned on. Only the wins are recorded in this mode. My only problem with this is that it appears to only allow for timed battles, and why is the Final Destination stage banned here? With all the items and such turned on, what’s the big deal?
For Glory targets the hardcore Smash enthusiasts and will display both wins and losses on a player’s record. Importantly, no item 1 on 1 battles are allowed in this mode, but it looks like the matches will also be time based. Since when do Smash pros play timed matches? Also the only stages allowed will be Final Destination. While I know it’s a common Internet joke that tournament style players only want Final Destination, this is not true. Multiple neutral stages should be offered in this mode.
Luckily, the shortcomings of both For Fun and For Glory will be modes will be avoidable to a degree since it will be possible to play with any ruleset with registered Friends. I’m just wondering why Communities, like those found in Mario Kart 7, aren’t currently known to be implemented in the games. It seems like a huge missed opportunity at this point, especially since it would allow groups to set their own rulesets. Hopefully, Communities will be announced in the near future.
The Temporary Ban system is a bit troubling in regards to some of the rules. I mean, banning people for “Relentlessly targeting of an individual”? What does that even mean? In four player matches would you be banned for constantly targeting a player who keeps winning, and thus has a higher score and needs to die? Also, depending on the rules, Self Destructing, in order to lose a life and prevent other players from gaining a point, is a legitimate strategy that could get players banned. In short, we as players need more information on how these bans will be handed out.
Also, I will be pissed if there is no online voice chat for this game. I know it may be difficult to pull off on 3DS, but there is no excuse for lack of voice chat, at least with friends, on the Wii U version. Nintendo, it’s just sad if you don’t do this. Don’t make me have to go on Skype in order to pull this off.
Global Smash Power
Does anyone really care how they rank against other players in single player mode? It’s a neat feature, but it’s not something I’m really looking forward to and it really won’t have any real bearing on how skilled a player is at the multiplayer mode, which is the main gist of the series.
Items, Assist Trophies, and Pokéball Pokémon
There are several exciting new items, Assist Trophies, and Pokéball Pokémon as well as a few repeats. Casual players will surely have a good time with them all. I just feel bad that, as a more competitive player these days, they won’t matter as much to me, as cool as they are.
On a side note, it makes me cry is that Dark Samus is an Assist Trophy. I wanted her to be a playable character very badly.
One thing we didn’t learn about items is how easily they will be picked up. I felt that in Melee, picking up and using items was a skill that was very fine-tuned. In Brawl, I often picked up items by mistake. It was as if they made it far too easy in the later game and, as a result, it made using items masterfully much more difficult for all the wrong reasons.
During this portion of the Direct, I loved how Sakurai used the Substitute attack when discussing the Pokéball Pokémon.
No More Characters Changing Mid-Match
I have mixed feelings about characters no longer being able to change forms in the middle of matches. On the one hand, it was rarely used in the competitive sense. The flip side is that some characters were made very unique by this ability. The Pokémon Trainer, for example, could have been a very useful character in Brawl if the game were more balanced. It’s just a shame this won’t be explored further this time around.
Returning Characters
Zero Suit Samus – I’m glad this character is being updated in the playable sense. I had a very difficult time using her in Brawl. That said, I don’t think the high-heels suit Samus and I haven’t been a fan of the mole. Also, is it just me, or has Samus been given an unnecessary larger chest?
Zelda – The Phantom Slash looks like fun, but I don’t know if this Twilight Princess looking Zelda should be using an attack that would make more sense for a cel-shaded version of the character. I know I will probably take some heat for this opinion, but hey, I am going to let it be known.
Sheik – I am happy about all the changes make to Sheik. Gone is that stupid chain and now replaced with cool looking Burst Grenades. Bouncing Fish also an interesting move, but it’s hard to know exactly how it will be used.
Kirby – We weren’t specifically told what move the Hammer Flip replaces. Regardless, the move looks cool. The Ultra Sword Final Smash also much better looking than the one he had in Brawl.
King Dedede – He only throws Gordos now. If you played as King Dedede in Brawl, you will know that Gordos were very powerful, so I’m wondering how nerfed they will be. Regardless, the attack will probably be more useful as a result.
Lucario – Other than the fact that he now has access to a Mega Evolution, probably earned though a Final Smash, we didn’t really learn anything new about him. My question is, why is Lucario still in Smash Bros.? Do people really like him? Where is Mewtwo?
Pikmin & Olimar – Olimar was a very good character in Brawl. As a result, it looks like he got a slight nerf in the ability to only have three Pikmin out at a time. The good news is that players can now know what Pikmin he can expect to pluck. I’m already planning to send Pikmin off the cliff that I don’t want in order to stock up on more useful allies. Additionally, Olimar’s new recovery, involving Flying Pikmin, is very interesting.
Pit – Yeah, he can no longer glide, but his recovery still looks amazing. His new Final Smash, Three Sacred Treasures, does look much better than praying to Lady Palutena. This, however, makes me wonder. Now that Pit isn’t praying to his goddess, will the rumors of Palutena becoming playable end up being true?
Yoshi – Yoshi has always been a weak competitor in the Smash Bros. games. Hopefully the promised power upgrade is no joke.
New Characters
Rosalina & Luma – As someone who has mainly used the Ice Climbers in the last two games, this character combination is right up my alley. Everything about this character looks great, with loads of deep gameplay mechanics to master.
Little Mac - A character I felt should have been in Smash Bros. since Melee. I’m glad he is here, and despite his obvious shortcomings, looks to be a unique powerhouse. The wire frame costume is also an awesome touch.
Villager – Another interesting character. Again, not much new information about the Villager was shown, but his final Smash, Dream Home, is hilarious. I just hope we learn it’s also possible to play as the female villager as an alternate costume.
Mega Man – Looks like he may be the king of projectiles. The only third party character I feel deserves to be in Smash Bros. has attacks from a plethora of his titles. The only negative I see is his final Smash. I hate the Battle Network and Legends version of Mega Man. And where is X from the Mega Man Zero series? His body was around.
Wii Fit Trainers – I’m glad it’s possible to play as the male version of the Wii Fit Trainer. I have nothing against the female trainer, quite the opposite. I just didn’t think it was fair to leave the optional male out.
Charizard – As mentioned earlier, it’s sad to see the uniqueness of the Pokémon Trainer leave us. However, I do know most people probably just used Charizard when playing as the Pokémon Trainer in Brawl. Of course, it appears his Final Smash will be the Mega Charizard X evolution, which looks awesome.
Greninja – As cool as Greninja is, I don’t think this Pokémon is deserving of a spot in Smash Bros., especially since we already have a ninja in the form of Sheik. Yes, he’s badass and uses the cool Substitute move, but where is Mewtwo? I see Miiverse posts everyday begging Sakurai to bring Mewtwo back. Stop trolling us.
Custom Move Sets
Custom Move Sets look like one of the most interesting new features being added to the games. I just don’t understand why it’s not possible to play with the custom moves in online random battles. It should just be an option available in both For Fun and For Glory modes. Luckily, Custom Move Sets will be useable when playing against friends online.
What I think is more interesting is how the competitive Smash Bros. scene will use custom moves. Will they just be banned? Will only certain custom moves be banned? Will they attempt to use custom moves as a way to further balance the game? So many questions that I’m sure fans will argue about in the months and years to come. It’s very exciting.
Smash Run
Even though I’m more of a competitive player now, Smash Run looks quite entertaining. It may be the best way to rope in multiple random people for a quick round of fun. It’s just something different that mixes up the traditional Smash Bros. formula. Currently though, I’m disappointed that we haven’t been given confirmation if Smash Run will be playable online, and I’m not hopeful.
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As negative as I may seem at times, I am truly excited about the upcoming Super Smash Bros. games. I may come off as harsh because I love the series so much. Brawl let me down in more ways than one and I really want these new Smash Bros. games to deliver in every way possible. Luckily, many of the new elements and characters have me drooling for more. If it was Nintendo’s intention to get me hyped even more for the games with this Nintendo Direct, mission accomplished. Just give them to me now Nintendo…please.
P.S. Sakurai, I need the Ice Climbers (Nana and Popo) to come back. Don’t let me down.
I don't know why everyone is complaining about th Wii LA adapter comment. That's the same for every single online game ever: wired is more stable than wireless. Come on.I didn't get it either. I suppose people are concerned with how online will run wirelessly if Sakurai is going out of his way to suggest using the LAN adapter. Considering how crummy Brawl played online, it's an understandable albeit knee-jerk reaction to what is true for all online games. The LAN adapter isn't even a viable option for me because the FiOS box as well as the modem/router are in a closet and I'd have to run the Ethernet cable through three walls. No thanks, I'll take my chances with wireless.
Also, Mewtwo is not coming back. If Ridley isn't in, neither is Mewtwo.How are these related? One isn't dependent on the other.
Mewtwo was garbage, just absolutely terrible to play as.That's why they tweak the characters.
I find it strange that Sakurai has decided to cater to the tourney crowd after trolling them so hard in Brawl. As far as I'm concerned, the new online modes are For Fun and No Fun Allowed.Some of that trolling affected non-tournament players. Tripping was total bullshit. I much prefer the approach of these games. Sakurai is not so much catering to the competitive tournament crowd as he is catering to everyone. If someone doesn't care about For Glory, they can simply avoid it. That works out best for everyone.
I just wanna have fun, not worry about one game's sales undermining the other's.I worry only in terms of the potential domino effect. Wii U needs the sales more because the better it performs, the better games it gets and the better off its successor will be. No, it doesn't guarantee anything. However, better sales on a weaker platform can't hurt.
Sakurai said that there were going to be less characters than in Brawl. Brawl had 35 characters. So we only have room for at the most six more characters. With Captain Falcon, Ness, and Jigglypuff taking up the original slots, that means we only have three slots left for other returning characters or newcomers. That means I highly doubt there will be clones like Dixie this time.
“It isn’t a matter of ‘if the next game has 50 characters, that’ll be enough. There is a certain charm to games that have huge casts of playable characters, but they tend to have issues with game balance and it becomes very difficult to fine-tune each character and have them all feel distinctive…. In terms of quantity, we’ve probably already reached the limit of what’s feasible. I think a change of direction may be what’s needed.”
Sakurai said that there were going to be less characters than in Brawl.Not explicitly. That was mostly how people read into it. If you're referring to the quote I think you're referring to, he talks about limitations on 3DS and how that may lead to cutting some characters.
The reality of the situation unfortunately is that there are certain limitations on the 3DS, so we’re forced into a situation where we may need to reduce some characters to a certain degree, but we’re really working hard to include as many characters as possible.The implication is that some characters may have to be cut. That isn't really news; we've seen cuts before. There was also this earlier quote:
It isn’t a matter of "if the next game has 50 characters, that’ll be enough." There is a certain charm to games that have huge casts of playable characters, but they tend to have issues with game balance and it becomes very difficult to fine-tune each character and have them all feel distinctive…. In terms of quantity, we’ve probably already reached the limit of what’s feasible. I think a change of direction may be what’s needed.That part seems most important, but the media seemed to latch into the part about characters. My understand (which may or may not be right) was Sakurai didn't think adding characters was enough, that they needed new idea to keep the series fresh. Smash Run is a good example of this kind of thinking. Then, there's this one:
I can answer that: no. We don’t have the time to fully recreate every single character who’s been in Smash Bros at this point. Adding new characters is not a simple addition – it’s really multiplication. The amount of work, adding a character is multiplied and becomes bigger and bigger as you go. We can’t because of the amount of work it takes. However, I do believe I understand that each character has its own set of fans out there who really like that character. So we’re not going to cut characters out of the way, we’re going to put in as many characters as we can, we really want to do that, because it’s good for the fans and good for all of us. But in the event that we do have to cut some characters, I’d like to apologise in advance to those fans.I think the verdict is still out on what all of this means. Sakurai also said:
I am planning on doing my best to bring old characters back in Smash Bros.Based on the current list of newcomers, this hasn't happened yet. In fact, Wii Fit Trainer, Rosalina, and Greninja are all fairly new. That's almost the exact opposite of what Sakurai said he was planning.
The best thing about the 3DS version coming out early is we should know the entire roster pretty soon. Brawl had some of its roster leaked by a random Gamefaqs poster in October 2007, 3 months before its first release in January 2008 in Japan.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/luigidude/CMKo43W_zpsd8eab636.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/luigidude/media/CMKo43W_zpsd8eab636.jpg.html)
Since the 3DS version is scheduled for Summer which to Nintendo is usually a July or August release, we could end up getting more leaks. Hell, we might already have a real one again.
http://gematsu.com/2014/04/rumor-shulk-palutena-set-super-smash-bros
This is apparently from the same source that predicted Mega Man, Villager, Wii Fit Trainer, Little Mac, Mii, and Pac-Man before E3 last year. Being the only person to predict Wii Fit Trainer I find it hard not to believe them. Of course they could have had information for the E3 one and this new leak might be the same person just trolling us so who knows.
Before anyone complains about the lack of a certain character, if this person is the real deal, they never predicted Rosalina so there could still be other new characters that the leaker hasn't revealed. So time will tell and we should know in probably less then 3 months now.
I still don't count that original Wii Fit Trainer rumor as fake, that was just too good a guess. I will say though, I know the Wii Fit leaker person posted his "speculation" on Neogaf and hasn't posted a single thing since. I have yet see proof that the same the person is the one who told us the new leak with the Chorus men.