Super Excited for Super Smash Bros. 4

Yay, a post. I'm currently not too busy right now, so being able to enjoy some free time is very nice. And what better way to waste time than to write in this blog?

Super Smash Bros., a series that I've enjoyed since the first game and have ever since been one to make sure I buy these games day 1. I remember waiting in front of a Circuit City (this was before they shut down), sitting there with my gift card in hand, excited for Brawl. Or the time I bought a Gamecube with my own money and spent many a night with Melee. Or even the times of the N64 when Smash meant huddling around a smaller TV. Still, there's never been a better game to whip out with guests around.

I guess it would help if I told people that I myself use to be heavily into the meta game when Melee was out, looking at combo videos and horribly written guides anywhere for an extra tidbit of information. Yes, these were days I spent months trying to master characters, including lower tier Mewtwo and Pichu, both of which are still low (but with Pichu, at least it was/is still fun wrecking someone's face in with Pichu). Mewtwo was the bigger main though, and I would test my skills against a friend's Marth, depending on teleport mindgames and watching Taj's Mewtwo videos for guidance. Needless to say, I was never as good as him, nor will I ever, but I still enjoyed it immensely.

Competitive Melee. Definitely cool stuff to watch if you haven't done so before.

Flash forward to now, Super Smash Bros. 4. I couldn't help but smile at the Direct given to us, full of ruses from Sakurai, big reveals, very smooth gameplay, fanservice (by that I mean little details like Wireframe Little Mac, although I guess ZSS fits the more believed definition), a Kirby's Air Ride-like mode on the 3DS, For Fun/For Glory, and more.

In fact, speaking of For Fun and For Glory, let's talk about them. This is a spectacular idea. It separates two mediums, people that casually play the game that enjoy playing it for what it is, or people that play it more competitively that will have a wide variety of Final Destination-esque maps to random from. I'll be trying out both, but the very thought that this bonus of variety is here is something I can get behind. If I could complain about one thing, I would've liked the addition of having Battlefield type maps in there as well.

Something that does bother me is people asking "Where is Captain Falcon? Ness? Jiggypuff?" While I don't deny that there is possibility of dropping characters, these seem ridiculous, not to mention one specific thing: For Melee, many of the characters that could be unlocked were revealed every week, the game giving us only the unlockables at first. Even with Brawl, locked character updates only came out closer to the release of the game. So your answer? Just be patient. At least for Captain Falcon, we've been able to glimpse at an F-zero stage, not to mention Samurai Goroh is still an assist trophy. Not to mention, he's practically a staple in the series, almost more of a Smash character than F-zero. One more note on the unlockable characters: I really, REALLY hope that they aren't as easy to unlock as Brawl was (play Subspace, receive characters). Getting new characters felt rewarding in Melee, let's see that again.

Another thing that I've really been looking at is the limited gameplay we've seen. So far, the speed seems to be in between Brawl and Melee. This is good, because it seems to be eliminating the floatiness of Brawl, but also isn't too fast for the more casual audience (I would prefer myself for it to be at Melee's speed, though I won't deny that not everybody that plays Smash is hardcore). Plus, they are eliminating tripping. Well, random tripping anyways (Diddy Kong's bananas still trip his opponents, but otherwise you won't randomly start running, only to fall flat on your face).

Seperation of characters and making them unique is also a very welcome change. Having Samus and Shiek be their own unique characters rather than having to change back and forth, also giving them access to decent down b moves, makes them feel more whole, and allows for more options. Just the same, Metroid and his gf Samus and ZSS separating allow them to have a more unique feel. While I'm not a big of Charizard, as a Pokemon or a character, the fact that he's not tied down to the Pokemon Trainer gimick and is therefore more unique because of it is a welcome change.

The thing that made me glee the most is definitely Smash Run. I was skeptical at first, but it looks like a genuinely fun mode that is a spiritual successor of Kirby's Air Ride that will allow for unique matches, and the fact that it ends with either a random stage or a trial (such as seeing who can climb up a tower the fastest) is really cool. There is definitely more to do here than just fight around, but by no means does the combat suffer for it.

Another welcome addition was noticing some minor tweaks that they have made. For example, back when Megaman was announced, people complained how soulless he looked. Now, his attacks show him with some more expressions (he keeps the standard face for a few in true NES Megaman fashion), and has even shown off a smile in screenshots. There's also other gameplay changes such as moves having different properties, like Pikachu's Thunder spiking opponents, or Link's dair spiking. Even stuff like Kirby being able to charge and move with his hammer, Pit having a new moveset and a really awesome new Final Smash, and others really allow this game to stand out.

One thing that I really wish we could've heard more of is the custom movesets option. This is really awesome, and it shows that with different properties on the moves, that the typical standard movesets are switched around, meaning that you won't have to play the same thing over and over. While it may or may not be in the competitive scene (For Glory is standard mode), this seems like a good change.

Another bonus is trophies. It looks like they're still here, and it'll be nice seeing what all trophies will be in this one. I know it's not really a huge thing, but it's still a nice touch.

Oh yeah, I should talk about new characters. Villager and Megaman were great characters to bring onto the table, and while I don't think Snake's reveal will be topped in a LONG time, Megaman's reveal was still glorious. Wii Fit Trainer seemed "eh", but then moved to a more enjoyable character the more I saw her(now also a him). Rosalina and Luma? Yes please, a very unique mechanic and a very welcome change, despite complaints that her spot was more deserved to others (this will always happen with new Smashes, there is no way around complaints). Little Mac looks extremely hype, with super armor and invincibility frames with a crippling weakness to air, but still extremely powerful on the ground. Another gimmicky character compared to our usual shpeal, but you know what they say, THE MORE THE MERRIER.

Greninja gets his own little section because he's new. Honestly? I'm actually happy for him. I know most of us want Mewtwo (who knows? He could still show up as a secret character alongside Jigglypuff, who is always an unlockable), but he looked fun as well. Faster like the other characters, with Substitutes and all. His trailer made him look fun, but I would like to see more of him later. I feel like I'll judge characters more so as we learn about that (I might even want to make a write up of every character and how they feel/have changed)

But yes, the question remains what we'll see coming up. I'm already planning on buying, and after watching the direct, I only wanted the game even more. I'm debating on whether to even get a Wii U or not for that version, so it's a huge toss up on what will happen. Regardless, my 3DS is going to be seeing a ton of use when Summer rolls around and we get our first taste.