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COMMENTS
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Weekly Brawl Character Countdown
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]
Posted by Haze on 02/16 at 11:14 PM
links last main apperance was in phantom hourglass
· Posted by
on 02/19 at 06:35 PM
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