Saturday, February 16, 2008
I decided to do a weekly character countdown rather than a daily.
Day 8: Donkey Kong
Series: Donkey Kong Series
First Apperance: Donkey Kong [Arcade, 1981]
Last Main Apperance: Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber [DS, 2007]
Smash Experience: One of the Originals
Intro: They say that this incarnation of Donkey Kong is the (somehow) grandson or nephew (I forget which) of the arcade Donkey Kong, the latter becoming some old codger in the DK Country games. Unlike the old Kong, Donkey Kong is full of 'tude. Thankfully, unlike the overload of 'tude Sonic's game have had recently, DK's 'tude is at just about the right level to NOT kill several kinds of species. Well, I imagine the DK rap killed a couple.
Standard B: Giant Punch. Self-explanatory. Imma chargin ma punches and then imma punchin!
Side B: Head Butt. I'm guessing it'll be the same 'headbutt you into the GROUND' as before. I never was a fan of that move.
Up B: Spinning Kong. Probably the same 'better at side recovery than up recovery' move as before. Its this kind of strategy that those who need to use recovery a lot need to keep in mind to not suck as badly.
Down B: Hand Slap. In Melee, I did 15-minute Melee by doing this non-stop. I went 13 minutes the first time and lost, but then I cleared it the second time. The hand trauma DK received from such a battle must've nerfed the move a bit for Brawl. >_>
Final Smash: Konga Beat. In recent years, Donkey Kong has gained a taste in music. Not that stereo stuff he was trying to 'tude with in DK Country, but more specifically, Bongos! This FS takes timing to be used at its maximum effiency, which is to deal damage and send foes flying like most other things do. Haven't seen it do as well as other Final Smashes, though.
Other Notes: You ever notice how DK tries to be the 'jerk' of the bunch? His taunt and winning animations show as much. What a jerk that DK is, with his minimal amount of 'tude. Sonic isn't a jerk.
My Expectations: Looks like DK will be the same as before, possibly a bit stronger. His 'meh' FS isn't doing him favors, though.
Day 9: Bowser
Series: Super Mario Brothers Series
First Apperance: Super Mario Brothers [NES, 1985]
Last Main Apperance: Super Mario Galaxy [Wii, 2007]
Smash Experience: Veteran
Intro: Oh, Bowser. For some reason you, as a giant turtle-like creature, continue to capture and possibly have relations with a human female yet get continually thwarted by a crafty though incredibly short human and rarely his taller brother time and time again. Will you ever gain new tricks to help you destroy your foes? The answer... may be surprising.
Standard B: This is his flamethrower, and I'm guessing it still loses juice the longer you hold the B button down.
Side B: His weird little claw/grab attack here is a little different, particularly the, I think, forward grab. Apparently retaining his mad flipping skills from Super Mario Galaxy, Bowser grabs you, jumps up and flips, and slams you back into the ground. What if there's no ground? Why, he'll slam you - and himself - into oblivion. DK's throw suicide and Kirby's swallow suicide have nothing on Bowser's grab suicide. Watch the hell out if you're down to your last stock against this guy.
Up B: Flying Fortress is basically him spinning in his shell really fast for some good horizontal recovery. I believe this time around electricity is involved. Oh, that crafty, crafty koopa.
Down B: The Bowser Bomb. I don't know why he keeps using this move. This move practically kills him in Super Mario 3, and it doesn't do much for him in other Mario games. In this game, however, it's a rather decent power move.
Final Smash: When Bowser grabs a smash ball, he turns into one of the more talked about characters in Melee. That being... Giga Bowser! He moves are that much more powerful! Can anything stop it!? By that I mean, Jigglypuff's Rest > it? Is it? I can't tell, the dojo update indicates that Giga Bowser can't be flinched or even hurt. Bad news for everyone else.
Other Notes: Seriously, if you're down to your last stock, and Bowser has at least two, you better hope you have access to ranged weapons or chances are your last moments are going to be between oblivion pit and koopa belly. Not a fun combination, I assure you.
My Expectations: Bowser seems to of been kicked up a notch from Melee. He'll probably be as slow and powerful as he was before, and with some new options for the King of the Koopas, he'll be suiciding against you and everyone else in no time!
Day 10: Mr. Game & Watch
Series: Game & Watch
First Apperance: Ball [G&W Silver, 1980]
Last Main Apperance: Game & Watch Gallery 4 [GBA, 2002]
Smash Experience: Veteran
Intro: I tell ya what, Mr. Game & Watch sure did come out of nowhere in Melee. A flat, monochrome person of sorts doing frame-by-frame motions of what seem to be attacks was not what fans had in mind when they were speculating for new characters before Melee. Yet, he came and was met relatively well I would hope. He has returned for Brawl, but I dunno if he's been changed much, what with so few frames and all.
Standard B: Frypan, or whatever its official name is. The frypan hurts and burns, and those things which I assume are pancakes deal small bits of damage as well.
Side B: Damage Hammer. The higher the number, the bigger the pain. I don't see much different with it now.
Up B: Parachute. Somehow, two other G&W like guys appear with a trampoline and boost Game & Watch as he parachutes to safety. Oh, I think the parachute part is new. How neat.
Down B: Bucket. Fill'er up three times, then it spills out some weird black stuff that only Game & Watch could identify. Whatever it is, it hurts. Of course, this moves' usefulness depends on who you're playing against (as in, with no items, he could have a field day with Fox while that bucket would go unused against Marth).
Final Smash: Luigi had a pretty out-of-nowhere FS. Game & Watch's isn't as bizarre, but its still pretty screwy. He turns... into Octillery. Well, the sprite looks pretty damn like the octapus pokemon that evolves from a fish somehow, but its probably just a generic octapus. Whose one-frame tentacles deal pain and suffering. Also, its huge.
Other Notes: Game & Watch has new color schemes, including Gold! And (almost) Silver! Who said they were ignoring those two games, huh? Huh!?
My Expectations: Game & Watch looks pretty much the same as before. I mean, its pretty tough messing with a moveset as unique and surprising as his was in Melee. With R.O.B stealing the 'who, where and why' bit from Game & Watch, he can just sit back and go old school on everyone who dares enter his flat zone.
Day 11: Link
Series: Legend of Zelda Series
First Apperance: The Legend of Zelda [NES, 1987]
Last Main Apperance: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess [GCN/Wii, 2006]
Smash Experience: One of the Originals
Intro: Link is back, this time adapting the look and weapon design of his Twilight Princess counterpart. Many thought Link improved from his N64 appearance to his Melee one, how will his Brawl version stack up? I'm mainly curious as I mained Link in both games.
Standard B: Hero's Bow. Doesn't look much different than it did in Melee. What'd be cool is if it did some awesome knockback with a charged shot, but that's probably not true.
Side B: Gale Boomerang. Unlike normal boomerangs in the Zelda series, Twilight Princess' boomerang had wind properties to it. When the boomerang comes back, a mini-tornado appears, pulling anybody in it slightly toward Link. I guess it could make for boomerang-Forward smash combos, but I dunno. The dojo update didn't exactly make the Gale Boomerang's ability all that great.
Up B: The Spin Attack. Apparently, this can now be charged. I wonder, if its charged while in mid-air, will it increase the distance Link will go? Seems like its been improved regardless.
Down B: Bombs. They take its Twilight Princess look, but it doesn't seem like they'll be much different. Heh, one of the things I liked to do in Melee was get a bomb ready, throw it straight in the air, then immediatly grab my opponent and throw him right into the bomb. That's awesome.
Final Smash: Triforce Slash. What would've been awesome is if Link's multiple sword attacks were made in a fashion where he cuts the design of the Triforce himself. Instead, two Triforces are already there, apparently trapping the foe as they have no choice but to take Link's onslaught of pain. Morons who get too close to said onslaught feel the pain as well. The next thing to occur is most likely death.
Other Notes: Link's Hookshot, which I guess would now be called the Clawshot to keep consistent with Twilight Princess, will now lock onto ledges should it be used for recovery instead of going straight forward and probably missing the ledge. I also wonder if any of Link's normal attacks have adapted some of his sword abilites that he could acquire in Twilight Princess...
My Expectations: Looks like Link is going to play similarly to how he did in Melee, with a couple of perks here and there, but nothing that much improved or nerfed from before. Gonna take awhile to get used to his new voice, though. His old voice was pretty awesome.
Day 12: Pikachu
Series: Pokemon Series
First Apperance: Pokemon Red & Blue [GB, 1998]
Last Main Apperance: Pokemon Diamond & Pearl [DS, 2007]
Smash Experience: One of the Originals
Intro: Pikachu has garnered most of its fame from the Pokemon television show, which is a laugh for several of the wrong reasons. Don't get me wrong, I actually like Pikachu. I actually like Raichu more, but Pikachu's pretty cool too. After all, he can aim for horns and defeat ground pokemon he's not supposed to beat, and can hit flying pokemon but not hurt them but rather infuse them and itself with magical Thunder Armor. Oh, TV Show, how silly you are.
Standard B: Thundershock. A weak attack, Thundershocks used while on ground will wrap around the landform while thundershocks shot in midair will go down and to the side in a ball like form. Pikachuuu!
Side B: Skull Bash is the name. It works like Luigi's side B, but without the threat of misfire. Pretty easy to dodge, though, unless you don't charge at all, then the attack won't be worth much. PIIIIIIIIIII ... ... ... ...-kah!
Up B: I forget if its called Quick Attack or the more accurate Agility. In any case, after a short delay, Pikachu will shoot to whichever direction you will it too, and will even do it twice if you choose two directions quickly enough. A nice recovery, though Pikachu is helpless after using it. Pi, pi!
Down B: Thunder. Powerful if it hits, but it doesn't hit very often. Just like in the game! If a foe is sent straight up, Thunder can ensure that foe's death, but its of no use if there's a landform above Pikachu. Pika! *boom*
Final Smash: Volt Tackle works very similarly to Super Sonic and I would even go as far as saying that one is a FS clone of the other. Simply put, like Super Sonic, Pikachu flies all over the level severely damaging whomever it touches. Pressing A makes it shoot in a certain direction.
Other Notes: Some say that this Pikachu is Melee's Pichu who has evolved, evidence by how Pikachu in Brawl can wear the same goggles Pichu wore in Melee. But, if that's the case, where did Melee Pikachu go? Did it evolve and, as poor Raichu, get sent into obscurity? If that's the case, that's a shame. Poor Raichu
My Expectations: Many say that Pikachu in Melee was far worse than its 64 counterpart. While I didn't really notice the changes that much, if his Brawl counterpart returns to its 64 days, I won't complain.
Day 13: King Dedede
Series: Kirby Series
First Apperance: Kirby's Dreamland [GB, 1992]
Last Main Apperance: Kirby: Squeak Squad [DS, 2006]
Smash Experience: Newcomer
Intro: Its strange. In Japan, its name is pronounced "daydayday", as 'de' makes that sound, yet here in America its officially "deedeedee", even though 'de' is supposed to still make that 'day' sound. What even stranger is how Dedede, supposed King of Dreamland, continuously gets possessed in Kirby games. Seriously, and this is a Kirby's Dreamland 3 spoiler, I freaked out when I first battled possessed Dedede in that game.
Standard B: Inhale. Unlike Kirby, who can copy the ability of the people it eats, Dedede carries no such ability. As such, when Dedede eats someone, he just spits them back out as a star. Woo.
Side B: Waddle Dee toss. Those poor Waddle Dees, they're so worthless. This is like Peach's turnip toss, except not as useful as, again, Waddle Dees are worthless. Unless Dedede pulls out a Waddle Doo or a Gordo. Then its time to rock.
Up B: Super Dedede Jump. It's apparently like Bowser's down B, except with more jump and less rump. Sorry, the rhyme presented itself. It can also be cancelled, which is a good thing as Dedede will be left open for a moment after it lands.
Down B: Jet Hammer. That Dedede is so crafty, putting a jet of some sort into its hammer. It can be charged up for harder jet hammer pain.
Final Smash: Waddle Dee army. While Waddle Dees by themselves are useless, tons of Waddle Dees can prove troublesome, as this Final Smash calls tons of them to screw with Dedede's opponents. Gordos can also appear to cause more direct pain.
Other Notes: Like Kirby and Meta Knight, Dedede has multiple midair jumps. This is handy, as Dedede is considered a heavy character and you don't normally see heavy characters get recovery like the one Dedede gets.
My Expectations: Dedede seems like a character where you'll have to pile up damage with him using Waddle Dees and whatnot before you can use the strong stuff to finish. Yeah, theoretically the same is true for every character, but its especially the case with Dedede from what I've seen thus far.
Day 14: Mario
Series: Mario Series
First Apperance: Donkey Kong [Arcade, 1981]
Last Main Apperance: Super Mario Galaxy [Wii, 2007]
Smash Experience: One of the Originals
Intro: Mario. One of the most recognizable figures in video games. He can jump, he can do... other things. In the Smash games, Mario has always been a model of balance. He's not too fast and he's not too strong. He comes with changes this time around, will they be for the better?
Standard B: Fireball. It bounces, it deals minimal damage. The end.
Side B: Mario's cape from Super Mario world can flip opponents around (though useless against computer opponents) and can reflect projectiles. Remember when Mario's cape helped him fly? Like its 1991? ...yeah.
Up B: Mario's coin jump does more damage as a whole when compared to Luigi's coin jump, but Mario's jump doesn't have the possible smash effect to it like Luigi's.
Down B: ...and now for something really different, Mario's Down B is... FLUDD! That thing from that game haters like to hate is in Brawl. It does no damage, but instead its used for knockback. The more damage an opponent takes, the farther they apparently fly after being hit by it. I haven't seen it used in much capacity, so I can't really say how effective it is...
Final Smash: Mario Finale. It's a stream of fireballs being blasted in one direction. Seems like a move Mario would have; a move that isn't that powerful but doesn't have a high chance of hitting everyone as a result. Balanced.
Other Notes: His old Down B, the Mario Tornado, is now his Down A. ...or was it his midair down A? ...I'm guessing the former. Meh.
My Expectations: It'll probably take some time to get used to FLUDD and the new placement of the Mario Tornado. That's fine, though. Balanced ol' Mario will probably remain balanced, and those who like that balance will probably be pleased with Mario once again.
--Written by Rick52 [GameWinners Moderator]
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on 02/16 at 11:14 PM
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Saturday, February 09, 2008
A favorite among the population appears in Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Rick52 goes into deep detail about this character.
Day 7: Sonic the Hedgehog
Series: Sonic the Hedgehog Series
First Apperance: Sonic the Hedgehog [Genesis, 1991]
Last Main Apperance: Sonic Rush Adventure [DS, 2007]
Smash Experience: Newcomer
Intro: Some people don't like Sonic. Maybe its the old Sega hatred in them back in the SNES days. Maybe they're only experienced in his good-to-mediocre-to-awful 3D games. Or maybe they're jealous that they haven't had the joy to experience more of Sonic the f'in Hedgehog in his awesome games. Like most of his 2D outings. Most of them are pretty awesome. Play them.
Standard B: Homing Attack. His main method of attack in the 3D games seems simple enough from what I've seen. He gets into his patented spinning motion, and goes right for the nearest thing he can find. Pretty simple. Thankfully for him, unlike in his 3D games there's NOT a 40% chance a missed homing attack will send him into an oblivion pit. This time, its just around 3%.
Side B: Spin Dash. Sorta. It doesn't have homing capabilities, it's just him dashing forward in his super attack spin ball. Of awesome.
Up B: Spring Jump. The spring makes the same "BOING!" sound as it does in the old 2D Sonics, and as such Sonic in Brawl is the most awesome thing ever. See, I was worried that it was gonna make that lame "bonk" sound such as in the later games, then I'd be downright sad. The bonk sound is lame, the BOING! sound is pure win. In other news, Sonic gets some great height with the spring, and should make for a good recovery.
Down B: Spin Dash. Uh, I mean Spin Charge. 'cause he's chargin' hiz lazers. I mean, himself. To Spin Dash. At foes. Awesomely.
Final Smash: Super Sonic. Finally, for the first time since 1994, you can use Super Sonic outside of the Final Boss! Shame its not an actual Sonic game. It seems to work like Pikachu's Volt Tackle where he can fly around, killing anything he touches. I bet hitting A makes him dash in a certain direction.
Other Notes: Sonic seems to be a fast character in the game, which is, you know, obvious. He better be the fastest character in the game. It just wouldn't be right if Sonic was somehow slower than Fox. Also, I don't like how the other characters' representation was geared toward the new games. Shadow the not-f'in Hedgehog is a confirmed Assist Trophy, while awesome Tails and awesome Knuckles get knocked back into mere background duty in Sonic's stage (along with Silver the Hedgehog, whom I haven't seen enough of to form an opinion towards).
My Expectations: I'm a big Sonic fan, having grown up with his awesome 2D games, and it seems like Sonic has been represented well. I look forward to jumping and spinning my hapless foes with Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic the f'in awesome Hedgehog.
--Written by Rick52 [GameWinners Moderator]
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on 02/09 at 03:49 PM
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Friday, February 08, 2008
Day 6, Rick52 talks about Meta Knight. [A newcomer]
Day 6: Meta Knight
Series: Kirby Series
First Apperance: Kirby's Adventure [NES, 1993]
Last Main Apperance: Kirby: Squeak Squad [DS, 2006]
Smash Experience: Newcomer
Intro: Meta Knight is pretty cool. I mean, he looks like an evil Kirby... but in evil armor! First seen in Kirby's Adventure and really making a name for himself in Super Star, Meta Knight appears to be the quickest of the sword users in the game. He comes with some neat tricks as well that should make him an enjoyable character to use.
Standard B: Mach Tornado. Meta Knight spins, apparently at mach speed, to create a small tornado which does a fair amount of damage. Sounds like fun.
Side B: Drill Rush. Similar to Pit's arrows, you can change the direction in which you Drill Rush. I wonder how far it goes. It might make a decent recovery move if Meta Knight didn't already have...
Up B: Shuttle Loop. It starts off like Marth's Up B, but once he reaches the top, it seems like Meta Knight can glide to safety. From how I understand it, its a nice recovery though you might have to be careful as to how far you glide.
Down B: Dimensional Cape. Like Zelda/Shiek's Up B, you can warp to a different spot to screw with people (not so much recovery), but unlike Zelda/Shiek's Up B, you can attack immediately upon re-entry. Warp, slash. Warp, slash. Quite an irritating if possibly effective strategy.
Final Smash: Galaxia Darkness. Meta Knight's Cape can screw with dimensions, and with the Smash Ball in his hands, that cape will screw with you. Anything that falls into its range during Meta Knight's Final Smash is gotta get slashed. Hard. Well, not that hard, but its still gonna hurt. Plus it looks as cool as an evil Kirby in evil armor can make it look.
Other Notes: I haven't been able to confirm if he can fly or glide like Kirby or Jigglypuff can. I don't think so, as his Up B is recovery enough, and he doesn't seem as easy to knock away as the other two, what with the evil armor and all.
My Expectations: It's nice to see the Kirby Series get more representation, at least in terms of characters. Meta Knight should be a fun character to use.
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Thursday, February 07, 2008
Rick52 summarizes another Veteran character.
Day 5: Luigi
Series: Super Mario Brothers Series
First Apperance: Mario Brothers [Arcade, 1983]
Last Main Apperance: Super Mario Galaxy [Wii, 2007]
Smash Experience: One of the Originals
Intro: Yeah, I'm one of those guys who always preferred Luigi over Mario, to the point where sometimes, I would start a two player game on an old Mario game, kill off Mario and then just play as Luigi. I'm not particularly fond of the persona Luigi has taken on through the years, either. Brawl... isn't helping. Not a lot of info has come out regarding Luigi, so most of this is just speculation.
Standard B: Fireball. Its green, and travels on a straight path instead of bouncing. ...yeah.
Side B: Luigi Torpeeeeedo! I've read it can still backfire, and in fact forces Luigi into walls on misfires, but I think the misfire rate has been reduced some.
Up B: Luigi Coin Jump. Straight up instead of up and to the side like Mario. I hope you can still try to smash this attack for massive damage.
Down B: A lot of people were wondering about this considering Mario's down B became his midair down A and his down B became FLUDD. However, its been confirmed that Luigi's down B is still his old down B, the Luigi Cyclone. Oh well.
Final Smash: People have been complaining about clone Final Smashes. With, what, three landmasters floating around you would think Luigi's FS is similar to Mario's. Oh my, how not true that is. In Luigi's FS, dubbed "Za Warudo" for the time being, he dances. Dances hardcore. While doing this hardcore dancing, a weird energy field surrounds Luigi. Foes caught in the field become slowed, as well as possibly being hit with other statuses. Its also said that if Luigi hits you while in said zone, you'll fly farther than normal. All in all, it seems like a very useful, if out of nowhere, Final Smash.
Other Notes: In Melee, Luigi was the only one who had a taunt that did damage, albeit poor damage. This time, it does 2% damage, but it looks like it can send people flying. Neat.
My Expectations: It doesn't seem like Luigi has changed much, in terms of personality and playing style. Its too bad for the former, but for the latter I don't mind too much.
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on 02/07 at 04:48 PM
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Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Today Rick throughly explains a veteran smasher.
Day 4: Ganondorf
Series: The Legend of Zelda Series
First Apperance: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time [N64, 1998]
(first apperance of 'Ganondorf', not Ganon)
Last Main Apperance: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess [GCN/Wii, 2006]
Smash Experience: Veteran
Intro: A lot of people assumed that, with the supposed removal of clones, that Ganondorf would still be back and have a moveset that actually used his sword, especially since he uses one in Twilight Princess. However, the report of no more clones was misunderstood, and Ganondorf was back sporting the same "slow Captain Falcon" set as before. Specifically, he's been "luigified" a term given to clones whose sets now have some key differences from the original. I wonder how these changes improve Ganondorf, if at all?
Standard B: Ganondorf's version of Falcon Punch. Haven't seen it in action yet, but I can only guess it doesn't take as long to charge as before, though probably still longer than Falcon's.
Side B: His side B has been modified. Unlike in Melee, and unlike Falcon, instead of just hitting his opponent with an uppercut, he'll grab 'em and blasts them with a shot of dark energy or something. The opponent just falls down after this, so its not a good way to KO someone, but its still pretty cool looking.
Up B: Same move as before, but it looks nerfed this time around. By that I mean, it doesn't look like it sends foes flying like it did in Melee. Which sounds like a relief to those who hated fighting Ganondorf for that very reason, but I'm sure those who planned to main Ganondorf will be sad to see this development. Though, I've been told that if Ganondorf can't grab with this move, he'll just try to hit normally for damage, which would be a plus.
Down B: His version of the Falcon Kick doesn't seem much different. To note, I've seen people use his Down B followed by his up B to recover, as the Down B does cover a decent distance.
Final Smash: As it is Ganondorf you would expect his FS to be some kind of Ganon. As it is the Twilight Princess model of Ganondorf you would expect a version of Ganon like the 'giant boar' version featured in Twilight Princess. Those expectations are met. Ganondorf turns into his giant boar version, then slams into whomever is in front of him for some nice damage and a good chance of KOing. All in all, it looks very solid.
Other Notes: I've never gotten used to Ganondorf's TP model, even when completing TP. Still haven't. This is especially weird given that I got used to Ganondorf's WW model rather quickly. Maybe its because I expected the latter to look like it did, but not so much the former. Meh. Also, you know his standing Up A? You know, the long-delay kick where he reveals his crotch for three seconds? Couple of things seem to be different about it this time. First, its not as powerful. Second, the delay isn't as bad. Third, it now pulls opponents in. That's right, Ganondorf's crotch now has it's own center of gravity. Yikes.
My Expectations: Ganondorf's moves might be based on Captain Falcon again, but that was never really a bad thing. Some of the changes his moves have gone through may be met with mixed reviews, but those used to his Melee version should still be at home... unless they spammed his Up B. They probably won't like Ganondorf as much now.
--Writtten by Rick52 [GameWinners Moderator]
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on 02/06 at 05:46 PM
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