Building the Ultimate Smash Roster: Trimming the Fat

I literally finished writing this in June before any characters were announced, and never posted it. Well, here's what I thought would happen then. I'll update it shortly, and every time a character is announced. No, I'm not going to format it.

Brace yourselves, Smash Bros is coming. And with it come roster changes. But this new set of games may have the biggest shakeup yet. Previous installments built upon the old roster while cutting few characters and replacing those cut with new ones. This time around, Sakurai has confirmed that some old characters just won't make it. A while back, he stated something to the effect of the new roster having the same (or roughly so) amount of characters. With that in mind, I aim to build the ultimate roster. In the first part of this ongoing feature, to be updated until the final roster is confirmed, I will try and assess who of the current cast will stay and who will go.

Final Brawl stage list

The final 41 stages included in the game are:

Battlefield
Final Destination
Delfino Plaza
Luigi's Mansion
Mushroomy Kingdom [Overworld/Underworld]
Mario Circuit
Rumble Falls
Bridge of Eldin
Great Sea
Norfair
Frigate Orpheon
Yoshi's Island
Battleship Halberd
Lylat Cruise
Pokemon Stadium 2
Spear Pillar
Port Town
Castle Siege
Wario Ware
Distant Planet
Smashville
New Pork City
The Summit
Skyworld
Mario Bros. (it's in there, the 4th part)
Flat Zone 2
Pictochat
Electroplankton
Shadow Moses Island
Green Hill Zone
Donkey Kong Arcade

PAST STAGES
Rainbow Ride
Temple
Brinstar
Yoshi's Island
Corneria
Big Blue
Onett
Green Greens
Pokemon Stadium
Jungle Japes

Smash Feature 3

It's just three days until Brawl is released in Japan. THREE DAYS! Then, all will be revealed. Until then, I've been speculating on what I think (or would like to see) in Brawl. Today, I'll cover levels and possible songs to appear on those levels. Sure there is plenty of great music in video games, but I'm just considering the most epic of them- the ones that would make good battle music.

First of all, I would like to see More representation of Metroid Prime. There are a number of stages that could be incorporated. Personally, I would like to see the following

• Phendrana Drifts from Prime(Metroid Metal version is represented here.)
• Either the theme from Metroid Prime 2 or 3, or the menu theme from Prime 2.
• Skyworld from Prime 3

That's just to name a few.

Next is Metal Gear solid. The new song from MGS4 kicks some major ass. Maybe a stage from MGS4 will be included. I'm not an avid MGS fan, but when I heard this next song, I thought "That is the single greatest theme in all of gaming!" The trick is, it has to be done just like this. That absolutely MUST be included!

Mario Galaxy should definitely get some representation in Brawl in some form or another. I know it would be difficult to include a Galaxy level since the major premise is playing with gravity, and, lets face it, Smash Bros. is not about running around spherical worlds. Maybe though, they could create a level that you could fight beneath. Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine a Mario Galaxy themed platform. Just a plain flat platform like Final Destination. The major premise would be that if you were to fall off the ledge, the platform's gravitational pull would pull you back to the underside of the level, where you would fight upside down. Of course, the platform would just pull you back in if you fell off of it. How would you get a KO? You would have to hit your opponent really hard to break the stage's gravitational pull. I think this would be a great idea, but (like Weavel) I think it's something no one would have thought of. As for music, I think the best songs from Galaxy to brawl to are:

• The song from the Buoy Base Galaxy
• The battle music from the battles with Bowser

I realize that it would be difficult to create a Starfox stage that wasn't on some kind of a spaceship, but I suggest a level from Dinosaur Planet (like I said before, I'd like to see some representation from that game). As long as we're still in space, though I think this song from Starfox Assault would be pretty epic.

I think a level from the original Donkey Kong arcade game would be cool, especially since they've already included the music. They could even have barrels rolling around the platforms. Speaking of old school games, a level from the original Mario Bros. would be cool as well complete with POW blocks and crabs.

*EDIT* I started this post yesterday thinking nothing much significant would happen between then and now. Wrong! This showed up on the Dojo today. It's a list of songs that you start out with for each level. This basically confirms that the levels listed on the Dojo are the levels (for the most part) you will start the game out with. Also, in a Japanese magazine, it was confirmed that the starting roster for the game consists of the 21 characters on the Dojo (minus ZS Samus, Sheik, Sonic, and Snake). More importantly, the following video (the game's intro) confirms a few more characters: MARTH and NESS. Looks like I was right about Marth, but completely off when it came to Ness. I really thought he was out! It also confirms a level from Sonic's GREEN HILL ZONE. Anyway, enjoy! I was going to finish this feature, but it seems that things are slowly starting to leak out now, so there's really no need. Keep it posted to this spot for any further Brawl updates as soon as they come!

Smash Bros. Feature 2

By new posts last night, I meant new posts this night. Just thought I'd set the record straight. Anyway, in regards to Smash Bros., here's how it's going to go down: the next two weeks will be smash filled. Now through next Thursday (the game's Japanese release) will still be filled with speculation. The following week, however, will reveal everything. From then until the game's North American release, we will be posting strategies and the like to prepare players for when they get the game themselves. And so, today will be another speculation day focusing on possible new characters.

Characters

Let's face it, some game franchises in Smash are more represented than others. There are a few games that are represented by just one character. To me, this in unacceptable. Let's start with Metroid, shall we?

First of (and the most obvious choice) is Ridley. If he were to be used in Brawl, he'd probably be seen in his form from Metroid Prime, Omega Ridley. Ridley's basic attacks consist of claw and tail swipes, shooting fireballs, and unleashing a beam of plasma from his mouth. Omega Ridley is considerably more powerful. He can shoot plasma and flame as well as a blast of phazon from his tail, homing fireballs, a shockwave attack, a dash attack (Fox style) and he can bite. His final smash would be his Meson Bomb Launcher which would fill the arena with a rain of bombs. All of these can be incorporated into his move set. Since Ridley has wings, could also be given the ability of limited flight by tapping the jump button multiple times (like Kirby or Pit). He can also make use of Brawl's new glide ability. Overall, I think Ridley is no-brainer. He's a highly demanded character that I firmly believe will be included in the game. As for other Metroid characters, the first that comes to everyone's mind is Dark Samus. She'd probably just end up being a clone character. I have a different suggestion: why not include another bounty hunter from Metroid Prime: Hunters? My suggestion is Weavel, my personal favorite bounty hunter from that game. I picked him for a number of reasons. For one, he is a Space Pirate general that, unlike the other bounty hunters, has a previous history with Samus. On a battle on Brinstar, Samus wounded Weavel to the point where only his brain and spinal cord could be salvaged. The Space Pirates infused what remained of Weavel into a cybernetic body. Weavle's body has a built-in energy sword built into his right arm. His other weapon is the Battlehammer which lobs green balls of energy at opponents in addition to being a hand-held mortar. Weavel has the unique ability to split his torso from his upper body. The bottom half acts as a stationary turret armed with the Battlehammer, while the top half is player controlled and uses the energy sword. I think Weavel would be an awesome character to include, but I also think he's a character that not many would think of. Therefore, I believe his chances are low. Heres to hoping!

Another series that could use more representation at the moment is F-Zero, which, currently, only consists of Samurai Goroh as an assist trophy. Captain Falcon is a given, but who else could they include? Well, everybody's first guess was Samurai Goroh. So much for that. Besides him, Black Shadow seems like the most likely candidate. The only problem is that he has no moveset to work off of and complete set of attacks would have to be created. But, hey, they did it with Captain Falcon didn't they? I'd say he turned out alright.

Next, we'll take a look at the Starfox series. If Falco doesn't return with new attacks, the next most likely candidates are Krystal and Wolf. Wolf would be tough, though. It would be hard to create a set of attacks that doesn't mimic Fox (the reason I think Falco is out if they can't come up with something creative). As far as Krystal goes, maybe they could give her Fox's staff from Dinosaur Planet. I would actually like to see that game be acknowledged in some way. Of the two, I think Krystal has the better chance. The game needs more women fighters and Starfox characters and Krystal fills the part. It would be cool to see Wolf included in some way, perhaps as a boss in the single player mode.

If Ness does not return, that means Lucas will remain the sole representative for the Mother (Earthbound) series. Of course, Ness was the lone warrior the past two games, but I still believe there needs to be more Earthboud. So, who could they include? Well if they're into newest installment, Mother 3, then how about The Masked Man? The Masked Man is a villain from Mother 3. He has an energy sword in one hand and an arm-mounted blaster in the other. This would make him ideal for both close and long range combat. Not only that, but he also has PSI psychic powers like Ness and Lucas. His armor also has a pair of mechanical wings that, like Ridley, could take advantage of Brawl's flight and glide mechanics. No doubt The Masked Man would make one hell of a playable character (perhaps, being just a tad too strong). Will he be included? Probably not. But perhaps, as before, he'll appear as a boss character.

Finally, there's Fire Emblem. At this point, I would proceed to discuss possible Fire Emblem characters but I don't know anything about Fire Emblem. Also, there are just to many characters from the series that it's hard to pick one so.... I won't. Maybe I'll do my homework and update about FE characters later.

Stay tuned for the next update where I'll talk about levels and music!

Smash Bros. Brawl Rant

Nintendo, I understand you want to make the best possible product- and you usually do- but in this case, things just don't add up. Nintendo has a long history of delaying games. Their classic excuse is that they want "to make the best product possible". That's all fine and good, and I'd rather wait for a masterpiece than play crap, but I just can't believe them this time. The reason? The game is obviously finished. I don't just think it's finished, I know it's finished. If it's not, then I guess Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu used their voodoo magic to travel to the future to obtain a copy of the game which they could review. There, my friends, lies the proof. The game has already been finished and reviewed in Japan (and given a perfect score I might add), which means the week delay was most certainly not for development. A week is nothing in the cycle of game development. If the game was not finished by now, a week delay is not going to get the job done. That means that the delay was made for some other reason. It's most likely a marketing or production thing. They either want to milk sales by upping the hype-machine, or they simply want to print more copies. That's also okay with me. I would have settled for a week delay- but a month? That's just a big WTF in my book. Really, I don't understand it. I can't take that long to translate the damn thing, can it? In any case, all we really have to do is wait for the Japanese release. Once that finally releases, we can be certain there will be no further delays. Not only that, but finally the floodgates will open and all will be revealed. It's been a long wait, but the greatest game of all time (no, I am not exaggerating) is almost upon us. Here's hoping we'll have only two weeks to wait (and about seven to own the game ourselves)!

Deep down, I knew this was coming

So I visit the Smash Bros. Dojo, as I do every day, for the latest update only to be greeted with this:









And the following message from the lead designer:

Due to delays in the completion of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, we’ve had to change the release date of the game to Sunday, March 9th.

I deeply apologize to the people who have looked forward to playing the game for so long and ask that you hold on just a little longer. Thank you for your patience.

Well, I'm deeply pissed. Another month of waiting. Deep down, I knew this was coming. Let's just see if this release date lasts, hmm? And Japan? They've only got an extra week. It'll be released January 31st in Japan. I could go on a long angry rant, but I'm not in the mood. Maybe later.

Smash Bros.- What's Next?

To prepare you for the release of this year's most anticipated game, Smash Bros. Brawl, Installation 04 will be bringing you an entire month of features and updates. Smash Bros. releases on February 10th in the U.S. (a mere month away) and the 24th in Japan (just 13 days away!).

Today's Update: What's Next?

The question on everybody's mind has to be "What more could they possibly include in the game?" A good question indeed. Well, there's plenty of things. The Dojo is constantly updating with little things here and there: unlockable trinkets, modes, items, music, control schemes, etc. That's all fine and good (Don't think those are insignificant- they're not. Subspace Emissary and the level editor look especially cool.), but what everybody wants to know, the real meat and bones of the game, are the characters and stages. Currently the roster of characters stands at 24- that's one less than the last installment. Chances are, Nintendo won't stop there. There's still half the Melee cast yet to be announced, and with a roster rumored at around 50 characters, there's still a lot to be announce. And so, where does that leave us? We can only speculate. And speculate we shall!

So, what are the chances that any given fighter will return? Let me break it down for you. For starters, I believe that clone characters are a thing of the past. That means young Link, Dr. Mario, and Pichu are out. I personally believe that Starfox and Zelda could use more characters. Ganondorf has a pretty high chance of returning with a new moveset. Falco would be a nice addition if he could be given his own attacks. It would be easy to give Ganon his own moves, but I'm not so sure about Falco. Then there's Marth and Roy. If either return, Marth has a better chance. Marth has been a recurring character in several Fire Emblem games, whereas Roy was included in Melee as a publicity stunt. Around the release of Melee, a new Fire Emblem game was released staring Roy. For instance, Ike is a character from recent Fire Emblem game. Roy hasn't been in one since.

Next, are the unannounced original characters. Let me say this first: Captain Falcon will be in. Stop your bickering. There is a 99.9% chance that he'll return. There is obviously a good, and probably awesome, reason they haven't announced him yet. Be patient. Ness is out. He has officially been replaced by Lucas. Get over it. Jigglypuff. Who cares. No one uses Jigglypuff anyway, but just because she(?) has been in since the beginning, she'll probably be back. Now for the toughies: Mewtwo and Game & Watch. They've got about as much chance as the Ice Climbers, who are already in. I hope they include these two again because they were Melee's most original characters. Finally, there's Luigi. He'll probably return sporting the Poltergeist 3000. He's Luigi- you can't seriously just include half of the Mario Bros. can you?

So lets recap the chances of characters returning:

Young Link- very low (unless of course they do something totally different with him)
Dr. Mario- very low (maybe just an alternate costume)
Pichu- very low (he may already be gone...)
Ganondorf- moderately high (with a new moveset)
Falco- moderately low (hey, if they could make him original...)
Marth- moderate
Roy- moderately low
Captain falcon- extremely high (no chance he's not in)
Ness- out (officially replaced by Lucas)
Jigglypuff- fairly high
Mewtwo- moderate
Game & Watch- moderate
Luigi- high

Well there you have it. Next time, I'll tackle what new characters could be included. Stay tuned.