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Preview: Super Smash Bros.

If there’s one game I would have happily played for the whole three days at E3, it’s Super Smash Bros. This is somewhere in-between Melee and Brawl in terms of pacing. Actually, it’s perhaps a little closer to Melee, or, in short,  exactly we’ve all been hoping for. Super Smash Bros. is quick but not out of control.

A lot of time has been spent balancing the new Smash Bros. and it shows. Using any of the older characters is immediately familiar. I was surprised how quickly I fell back into using old tactics with Mario, Link and Samus. Though this is mainly due to the changes or improvements to established characters being very minor, using a Gamecube controller was also a contributing factor. It just felt right. Nintendo could potentially make a whole lot of gold coins if they were to release a Wavebird controller that works with the Wii U for the launch of Smash Bros. Fingers crossed.

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One of the major balancing features I noticed immediately was the new edge play. If a character narrowly makes its back to the platform and is hanging on for dear life, they can only stay as long as a second character doesn’t find itself in the same situation. Once a second character attaches itself to the edge, the first character is pushed off. The change means there’s no more hanging on the edge of a map shying away from the fight.

After the announcement of Pac-Man, the total number of characters on the roster is now sitting at 33. I’m convinced this isn’t everyone. While watching some gameplay footage on the Nintendo Treehouse, Nate Bihldorff, Senior Localization Manager and Producer of Nintendo Treehouse, was asked who his favorite character was he said, “I’ve actually been leaning towards a couple characters that we haven’t announced yet”. There are a few characters from past games like Captain Falcon, Ganondorf (my favorite) and Falco that wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see. Both the Wii U and 3DS versions of the game will have the same roster so when the 3DS version is launched we will finally know what the full list is.

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Greninja, the Animal Crossing Villager, Wii Fit Trainer, Rosalina & Luma, Little Mac and Mega Man were all playable on the show floor. Of all the new characters, the Villager surprised me the most. The Villager, while very different to play as compared to a more standard character like Mario, is surprisingly easy to use. It doesn’t take long to figure out his strengths and start working on a play style. Rosalina & Luma, on the other hand, will take a little longer to get the most out of. Think Ice Climbers but a little more involved with more ranged attacks. Little Mac is super powerful up close but suffers if he’s anywhere near the edge.

Greninja is fast and surprisingly packs quite a punch. His shadow sneak move is a great example of the kind of fighter he will be. After beginning the shadow sneak move, Greninja’s shadow will move independently of his body; once you have it in place under an opponent you can launch the surprise attack. Mega Man is a lot of fun to use and I can see him easily becoming a new fan favorite. His arsenal is impressive and with some decent ranged attacks and a lot of mobility he can be quite dangerous. The only disappointment in the new lineup is the Wii Fit Trainer. While she’s very mobile she’s quite weak; you should never bring a hula hoop to a gun fight.

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The new dynamic stages look amazing; the Pilotwings arena has you jumping from plane to plane as the background constantly changes. Stages are apparently the only difference between the Wii U and 3DS versions but the 3DS still has a lot to offer. Things may be a little simpler but thankfully that’s only graphically and there’s still a ridiculous amount going on at any time during battle. Everything works just as you would expect and even on the small screen things rarely get lost in the chaos.

Like my time with Smash Bros. everything has to end and although this preview could go on for three days its important for you to find out some of this by yourself. You’ll get your first look at Smash Bros. on 3DS in October with the Wii U main event coming latter this year.


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About the author

Shane Wall

I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe. A game geek turned audio engineer/musician. Shane's life is a delicate balance of video games, music and science fiction.