Gaming Super Smash Bros. Brawl

[Nerdsy]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]I'm pretty sure he did that a bit earlier than I noted. This instance was during Jigglypuff's demo. (Which may or may not be good. Depends on how well the player can follow up.)[/FONT][/QUOTE]


[color=deeppink]Ah, that one. It seemed slightly different... less "tractor beam"-y and more "scaling the wall"-y, but yeah.[/color]

[Solo Tremaine]

[quote name='Desbreko'][COLOR=#4b0082]Captain Falcon seriously should've jumped out of the Blue Falcon and done a huge Falcon Punch as he raced by during his FS. That would've been so much more awesome than simply running the person down.[/COLOR][/quote][COLOR=#503F86]Or just done an insanely powerful Falcon Punch anyway, heh. That would have been cool.[/COLOR]

[quote][COLOR=#4b0082]I couldn't even really follow what was happening during Luigi's FS.[/COLOR][/quote][COLOR=#503F86]I think (I've only watched it the once) everyone who gets caught in it (aside from Luigi) is slowed down and takes continuous damage, so they're being constantly worn away and unable to effectively retaliate for as long as they're stuck in the nega-bomb, or whatever it is. Something involving E.Gadd's vacuum might have been more appropriate for his character. This makes him look like he practices voodoo or something o_o;[/COLOR]

[The Spectacular Professor]

[quote name='Solo Tremaine'][COLOR=#503F86]I think (I've only watched it the once) everyone who gets caught in it (aside from Luigi) is slowed down and takes continuous damage, so they're being constantly worn away and unable to effectively retaliate for as long as they're stuck in the nega-bomb, or whatever it is. Something involving E.Gadd's vacuum might have been more appropriate for his character. This makes him look like he practices voodoo or something o_o;[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Someone else described it as this: Take all the missed games, all the stolen staring roles, all the times he's played second fiddle to his big brother, and of course all the crap he takes in the RPG's about "Mario and... this other guy!" or "Green Mario" or "Whoigi?"

Now gather it all together into a gigantic bomb of negative energy. That's Luigi's final smash.

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082][url=http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/characters/hidden02.html][u]Marth[/u][/url] is up on the Dojo! They went to pretty great detail explaining his moves compared to most other characters. But, of course, he deserves it.

They show images of all nine swings possible with his side+B dancing blade combo. The neutral and up position swings look about the same as in SSBM but they changed the down swings a lot. Instead of the third down being a downward stab we get a wide overhead slash which, while I can see it being really useful as the third swing, is a bit disappointing since I loved spiking people off the edge or bouncing them into the air for a SHFFL combo with the down stab in SSBM. The fourth down is also now a low horizontal slash, replacing the low stabs of the fourth down in SSBM?I can only see this as an improvement because the fourth down was nearly useless before.

They also have this to say about his down+B counter move:[/color]

[quote]Let?s continue. Marth?s counterattack delivers damage at 1.1 times the power of the attack he was hit with and will always do a minimum of 8% damage.

Ike?s counter doesn?t go up as quick, but does 1.2 times the damage with a minimum attack power of 10%.

Regardless of the damage dealt, counters will not knock back opponents any further than the attack deflected.[/quote][color=#4B0082]This is absolutely freakin' awesome because Marth's counter only ever did about 5-8% in SSBM no matter how hard the blocked hit was and the knockback was also proportionally small. It sounds like they basically buffed his counter to the level of Roy's in SSBM (while hopefully keeping the speed of Marth's) and then made Ike's even more powerful yet still slower like Roy's. This gets a big thumbs up from me since I love Marth's counter but it was underpowered in SSBM given its amount of recovery time if you didn't counter anything.[/color]

[Allamorph]

[quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082']The fourth down is also now a low horizontal slash, replacing the low stabs of the fourth down in SSBM[/color][/quote]
[FONT=Arial]That's not correct. The fourth down is still the five-stab; all Dojo shows is the initial strike, not the follow-ups.

He feels good, though. Little slower than before, by maybe a mere ot, but still very good. I must say, Shield-breaker is rather much better this way, even though it feels kind of like a Raptor Punch. My one disappointment is that they increased the delay on his neutral ground, so I doubt the bunny hood Marth-spam will be returning.

Critical demands precise activation?which for veteran Marth fans should be little issue. It's really simple: as long as a character is directly in front of you, activate and they die. If more than one character are standing fairly close together (say, brawling) they all die. It is a happy Final Smash.


By contrast, Ike feels completely different. No Fire Emblem clones here, and no attempts to mask power behind a façade of similar grace; everything about Ike's gameplay screams zweihänder. His aerials have some of the longest initiations I've seen or felt, but they're brutal, and his Down-Air is a nasty stab that only avoids plagiarizing Link's by the fact that he doesn't hold it there. His Quick Draw (over B) is a chargeable attack that the player can hold indefinitely, even after attaining full power?which can clear three-quarters of Final Destination. It stops as soon as Ike strikes an opponent, though, but it is extremely useful as an alternate rescue, especially for those times you'll go sailing away from the stage at high altitudes; think of it like a better version of Luigi's Green Missle, or Pikachu's Skull Bash, but without the added elemental damage or explosiveness of which Ike needs no more. Aether should only be used when the player is close to the stage and below ground level, much like Kirby's.

Speaking of which, Aether is very nice to have around. I think four total strikes are possible if executed correctly. Eruption (down B) is a fantastic replacement for Flare Blade; Ike rears back and charges, and once he hits critical mass or is released, he stabs the ground and things blow up. :animesmil The rearward reach of Eruption outshines DK's Ground Pound, for a quick comparison, and the knockback is sufficient to KO moderately damaged enemies?say at around 70%, though I'll have to go back and check.

Great Aether is very pretty. It's also more useful than Link's, since you can capture more than one opponent in the initial mid-air barrage.

I want to confirm that bit about him not flinching, but I can't remember precisely.


Pit is fast, furious, and full of fun. He's more of a hit-and-run character, though, since his smashes lack the raw power that some characters have and his specials are average. He can build up damage rather quickly, though, so KOing won't be a problem once you know how to play him. Aerials are good and solid; his Neutral and Up are spinning blade attacks, and the Up has a modest knock back to it. His Mirror Shield will have Fox shooting himself all day long.

His jumping is . . . interesting. He falls slower than most characters?[I]á la[/I] Peach, I think?and he has three or four extra wing-flaps to keep him aloft. Additionally, his Wings of Icarus allow you to flap very high indeed, and one can rise from bottom to top of the massive New Pork City with no trouble at all. I think it allows him to play more evasively, since it is rather hard to catch up with him when he's running away.

Pit's arrow deserves a small mention. Once held, it is chargeable, and the player has the option of firing it horizontally [I]or vertically[/I]. Once fired, the arrow's trajectory can be influenced in the desired direction, much like Link's boomerang. It doesn't come back, though. It [I]does[/I] have a small bit of stun to it, like Falco's laser?except for Ike, who just lets it shoot through him. He takes damage, but doesn't bat an eye.

Pit's Final is better than it looks. Each of the centurions has a fairly high knockback to their punches, and three successive hits in the same direction can be fatal. No guarantees who they'll go after, though; it can be frustrating watching opponents bounced around randomly without actually going off the sides.


More impressions when I feel like I can sense some other characters.[/FONT]

[Desbreko]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]That's not correct. The fourth down is still the five-stab; all Dojo shows is the initial strike, not the follow-ups.[/FONT][/QUOTE][color=#4B0082]Dang. I was hoping for a good low, hard hit to smack someone straight out to the side after beating them to the ground with the combo. But I guess the stabs could still be good if they fix the move so it doesn't push people behind you when they get hit by it.

I'm really wondering how the lack of wavedashing is going to affect Marth though. In SSBM it added a crazy amount of maneuverability to him which went a long way in making him as good as he is. Though I guess since other characters will no longer be able to do it either it'll balance out.

I have a feeling Ike is going to become another favorite of mine. I always loved Ganondorf in SSBM and learned to work around his slowness pretty well. And Ike is sounding similar in play style, with long activation time but high power and low knockback. Only Ike has a sword, which automatically makes him awesome.[/color]

[Allamorph]

[quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]Dang. I was hoping for a good low, hard hit to smack someone straight out to the side after beating them to the ground with the combo. But I guess the stabs could still be good if they fix the move so it doesn't push people behind you when they get hit by it.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]
[FONT=Arial]It doesn't. It holds them in place. (I think part of that, though, was the other player holding towards you as you struck them. That's usually how I get through the other characters' rapid strikes.)

I could agree with your idea, there, even though I like the five-stab. Either way works for me; I have a few follow-ups to the flurry that I use . . . like the C-stick. :p

[QUOTE][COLOR=#4B0082]I have a feeling Ike is going to become another favorite of mine. I always loved Ganondorf in SSBM and learned to work around his slowness pretty well. And Ike is sounding similar in play style, with long activation time but high power and low knockback. Only Ike has a sword, which automatically makes him awesome.[/color][/QUOTE]
No, Ike is long activation with medium to severe knockback. Doesn't mean he can't combo or follow up, but it [I]does[/I] mean he can KO at low damages.

I look at it like this:

Marth = Finesse. Use the tip and dance around your opponent. Kill when either they don't expect it or they just can't stop it.

Ike = Berserker with a sword. You have a long piece of metal in your hands. [U]Beat[/U] [U]them[/U] [U]with[/U] [U]it[/U].[/FONT]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]When I said knockback there I meant when he gets hit. Meaning he doesn't flinch as much or get knocked back as far by attacks.

Btw, the C-stick is for nubs. It's faster to just flick the control stick and press A than reach your thumb down to the C-stick. :p[/color]

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial]Gotcha. Now, Ike [I]does[/I] take it from, say, the beam rifle, but I think the tiny pokey shots don't do much. Forgot to check; I was testing out Fox and Falco.

C-stick may be a tad slower, but when you know exactly where it is and have the time to get there, it's okay. Besides, the attack initiates immediately, as opposed to the infinitesimal microt of charge time the other method uses. That's all, really; otherwise I stick with the A button. I like the versatility using both offers. (Especially considering my thumb hovers over the buttons instead of sitting on one or the other.)

I'd talk about the Star-Fox team now, but I haven't played as Wolf yet, and I want to wait for him before I give verdict.[/FONT]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]Yeah, I figured anything with decent punch behind it would still make him flinch. Ganondorf in SSBM still flinches from nearly everything other characters do, he just doesn't come off the ground as easily, which lets him walk through light hits to get in his quick jabs and combo into more powerful attacks. I imagine Ike is similar to that, though if [i]really[/i] light hits don't make him flinch at all that would be even more awesome since it would make it much easier to stand up to really fast characters.

Zero Suit Samus's FS got its own article on the Dojo today. But the biggest piece of information in it is that you can start a match as Zero Suit Samus, and also that you can manually change in the middle of a match. It's a bit ambiguous about whether or not you can switch back to power suit Samus with the second method though.[/color]

[Neptune]

[FONT="Palatino Linotype"][COLOR="Navy"]I've heard from a few people on some other forums that Zero Suit Samus is actually pretty weak. Obviously, I'm taking that with a grain of salt, but can anyone else that has the game give their opinion on the matter? I trust these forums more than any of the others I venture on.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial]As soon as I can get some decent play time as ZS, I'll let you know.[/FONT]

[Kaze]

Played this around a week ago.....I'm looking forward to it. I don't like that Jigglypuff's rest is weakened. When I used it in a match the person I hit survived it, partially because it's weaker and also because DI is easier in this game. I killed someone off the top with an up-air>rest at the start of a match though. It was hilarious.

I also don't like that Falcon's knee is changed. The sweet spot is so difficult to hit now, that the main reason he was awesome is gone. I pulled off one actual knee in the span of an entire match. But it sure was cool.

I'm looking forward to Brawl tournaments though. This game's already going to be broken.

[Allamorph]

[quote name='Kaze']I also don't like that Falcon's knee is changed. The sweet spot is so difficult to hit now, that the main reason he was awesome is gone. I pulled off one actual knee in the span of an entire match. But it sure was cool.[/quote]
[FONT=Arial]They also altered his and probably Ganondorf's down-B (Falcon/Wizard Kick) so that it essentially functions as a rescue move. Stinks, because now neither can recover anywhere near as effectively.

Whatevs.[/FONT]

[Kaze]

Yeah, I'll miss Falcon kick recovery. What I'll really miss though is moonwalking. >.> I hope there are a bunch of neat little tricks to discover in Brawl as was the case with Melee.

[The Spectacular Professor]

So I hear you can't actually control Ganon.

This disappoints me, but I still have Toon Link.

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial]Nope. Ganondorf [I]does[/I] turn into Ganon for his FS, but all it is is a buck-and-rear and a charge; anyone caught in the charge will die (unless you have barely any damage), but it's kind of easy to dodge, especially on larger levels.

Non-Dojo-released spoilers beyond this point.

[spoiler]Okay, impressions on Lucario. :D

I was skeptical of his inclusion at first, especially since I'd seen (shaddup) the movie he was from, but I decided to give him a fair test anyway, and I was [I]not[/I] disappointed.

He plays similar to Mewtwo, but with a much better overall arsenal. All of his ground attacks make for solid hits, and his smashes are fairly strong. From an aesthetic standpoint, I enjoy watching him charge a smash attack; he animates continuously through them, adding to the martial feel he plays with. His aerials are satisfying as well: his up air is good for star-KOing, and his down is a double-kick meteor smash ... also good for bouncing opponents wildly around enclosed spaces. Additionally, almost all of his attacks are augmented with Aura, a blue cloudy stuff similar to the dark energy used by Ganondorf and Mewtwo.

Lucario's standard special is Aura Sphere (most likely), which is basically the same as Shadow Ball. It also does damage while charging, and naturally one can carry the charge around. When fired, it is [U]far[/U] less wobbly than Shadow Ball, but has a shorter range; say, half the span of a large stage.

His side special is . . . interesting. It's a blast of Aura in one direction that takes a half-second to initiate. If an enemy is close enough to Lucario when he uses it, he will grab them and fire the blast into their faces, and anyone standing behind the immobilized player will still be hit. I want to see how Dojo describes it, because I am partially confused about how to use it. I like it, but it's . . . odd. >_>

Lucario's rescue is a dash; he charges for a second and shoots in the desired direction, about the same distance as Pikachu's first rescue, I think. The absolutely nifty thing about this rescue is that it is continuously steerable. I have driven Lucario in a complete circle in midair, just for kicks.

And now Counter is not specific to Fire Emblem. I doubt it carries the same name, but Lucario's down special is basically the same thing. He takes himself through a small kata and his outline blurs for about a second; during this time, if something would cause him damage, he will split into two images, disappear, reappear, and slam into wherever the attack was initiated from. (Arg, bad grammar.) The maneuver has a high knockback, which pleases me, and is especially useful while falling. Like you thought otherwise. =P

One other note: Lucario can wall-cling like crazy. Just jump and hold into a wall, and he'll grab on and sit there as long as you don't tell him otherwise. He'll do this rather unexpectedly, also, so don't be surprised if you're recovering from a large hit and suddenly jump without jumping. I find it a little ridiculous, given that his jumps are basically identical to Mewtwo's anyway.

Overall, I really enjoy him. Much, [I]much[/I] better than Mewtwo, and a good solid fighter to boot. Naturally, this is just my opinion, so take this information/evaluation as you will; but I think he'll fit easily into my top five.

Maybe I should expand to a top seven. =P[/spoiler]

Still waiting for Wolf....

[B]Edit:[/B] [spoiler]Forgot to mention throws. Nothin' too spectacular, but I thought I'd hit on his down, since he basically slams his victim's face into the floor. It just looks nasty. =P

Oddly enough, in the twenty-odd matches I've played as this character, I haven't thrown anyone up once. Dunno.[/spoiler][/FONT]

[The Spectacular Professor]

Hey gaiz guess whut

[youtube]jiOmpKy-oLE[/youtube]

Des rawks.

Also:

[youtube]37ER1zpg_F4[/youtube]

[Allamorph]

[COLOR=#EDEDED]/[/COLOR]
[CENTER][IMG]http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/characters/images/iceclimbers/iceclimbers_080219l.jpg[/IMG]
[B][SIZE="1"]Ahem... And let?s overlook our friend?s occasional impulse to
wander off, shall we?[/SIZE][/B][/CENTER]

[FONT=Arial]No. We shall not.

Bad Nana.[/FONT]

[The Spectacular Professor]

I'm only concerned with what appears to be happening to Popo in that pic. Wandering related?

[Allamorph]

[quote name='Aceburner']Wandering related?[/quote]
[FONT=Arial]Naw, he just forgot the lunch money.

"Is Mario gonna hafta choke a *****?!"[/FONT]

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]Mario's Italian-American. Of course he's got mafia connections.

"It's-a nothing personal, eh?"[/COLOR]

[The Spectacular Professor]

[quote name='Solo Tremaine'][COLOR=#503F86]Mario's Italian-American. Of course he's got mafia connections.

"It's-a nothing personal, eh?"[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Suddenly that "cement shoes" bonus from Melee has taken on a whole new meaning.

[Allamorph]

[CENTER][IMG]http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/items/images/item02/item02_070531b.jpg[/IMG]

[FONT="Arial"][B]Say hello to my [I]LI'L[/I] friend!![/B][/FONT][/CENTER]

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503f86][center][IMG]http://www.smashbros.com/en_uk/characters/images/hidden03/hidden03_080215c.jpg[/IMG][/center][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503f86][B]"Mario, you're nothing to me now. You're not a brother, you're not a friend. I don't want to know you or what you do. I don't want to see you at the hotels, I don't want you near my house. When you see our mother, I want to know a day in advance, so I won't be there. You understand?"[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#503f86]The Super Mario Family Syndicate goes through tough times.[/COLOR]