Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS

[JuicieJ]

So THIS is interesting...

It actually means "Remaining HP", but still -- it would make sense for Dark Pit to be a boss on Palutenta's Temple. He did come in to “crash [Palutena’s] party”, after all.

 

[Krazy4Krash]

It actually means "Remaining HP", but still -- it would make sense for Dark Pit to be a boss on Palutenta's Temple. He did come in to “crash [Palutena’s] party”, after all.

I did see that line of debug code (or whatever it is) in the Smash Direct when it aired in April, but had no idea what it meant. It's possible Dark Pit is a boss, although disregarding the hint in Palutena's trailer, it could also be Medusa, Hades or the Chaos Kin, to name a few. Uprising sure had a lot of foes. Taking the stage itself into account, the Chaos Kin would canonically make the most sense (not that it matters, considering what Smash Brothers typically thinks of canon). If not a boss, Dark Pit has the potential to be a sweet alternative to Pit, or a clone (even though the latter outcome would be terrible).

 

[Krazy4Krash]

Week 59

Monday, 28th July

I, Takamaru, have waited many years to appear in Super Smash Bros.! Link, Samus, Pit, and I debuted in the same year! Multidirectional Pinwheel Knife Rook Attack!! (FYI, I'm an Assist Trophy.)

Takamaru was on a lot of lists to be a retro newcomer this time around, however he is instead an Assist Trophy. He comes from the Famicom game The Mysterious Murasame Castle, unreleased on the NES, although it has seen a wide variety of re-releases and references in other games.


Tuesday, 29th July

For the first time ever in the Super Smash Bros. series, here's a Paper Mario stage! It's made of paper, so strong winds will blow it away.

Since the stage is paper, it transforms when it folds over and opens up again. This ship is the S.S. Flavion from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

The first section is based on World 1-4 in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, called Hither Thither Hill. The Fan Thing is in the background, presumably causing the aforementioned winds. This stage also draws inspiration from the second Paper Mario game, The Thousand-Year Door, which was released on the GameCube in 2004. There are two other Paper Mario games that we may see references to; the original title on N64 and Super Paper Mario on Wii.


Wednesday, 30th July

If you get caught in the Boss Galaga item's tractor beam, it will carry you away to the top of the screen. You can shoot it down, but it won't join you in battle for double the firepower.

This item was first teased back in April when we got hundreds of screenshots around the time of the Smash Brothers Nintendo Direct. Only in a few of these screens was it seen, and no explanation was given. However, the official press release marked it as an item. Its purpose is similar to the Beetle item, in that it lifts opponents, and it may also be viewed in action during Pac-Man's trailer.


Thursday, 31st July

Reshiram appears on one of the stages in the 3DS version! Zekrom and Milotic will appear, too. It's close enough to the launch date, so I don't have to describe this stage to you, right? The design of this stage is based off of the surroundings of someone's castle.

This is N's Castle from Pokemon Black and Pokemon White on the Nintendo DS, which surrounds the Unova Pokemon League Champion (or something like that, I honestly haven't played those games). Milotic appears on this stage, despite having no relation to the construction, similar to Cresselia on the Spear Pillar stage in Brawl.


Friday, 1st August

What's up with this bomb? This looks like the stadium for the Home-run Contest, but there's no bat. Once you touch the bomb, it begins to count down. Give it enough damage and launch it at the right time…then once the bomb's countdown hits zero…!!

...It goes BOOOOOM! Not only will the blast destroy targets, but it'll also cause a chain reaction by using shattered walls and bomb blocks--all of which contributes to you getting a high score!! This is a new activity that combines the concepts of Target Smash and the Home-run Contest--it's called Target Blast! Your final score is the total you rack up over two rounds. Of course, your Target Blast scores contribute to your Global Smash Power, too.

This mode had a small clip in the Digital Event Trailer at E3, but only the main platform was in view. Target Blast is partly a spin-off of the Home-Run Contest, which is already known to exist in the 3DS version.

---

Nintendo have released a recap video of the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS tourney that took place at SDCC. Watch it here. Lots of Bowser action going on. You can see more gameplay of the Wii U version in other videos made by Nintendo, linked below:

Nintendo Challenge: Live at SDCC - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 3-on-1 with Bill
Nintendo Challenge: Live at SDCC - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 3-on-1 with Bill Round 2
Nintendo Challenge: Live at SDCC - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - Bill vs. Toph

Additionally, earlier today a bunch of screenshots found their way online, although some are recycled daily pics or from character pages on the official site. They are ones used in Famitsu Magazine. Here they are as displayed by Nintendo Everything (or alternatively on GoNintendo if that doesn't work).

 

[JuicieJ]

In response to the latest PotD.

“Oh, now this one’s good, THIS one has some depth to it. Probably because it’s Angry Birds, literally it’s Angry Birds, and it changed the course of the gaming market when it came out because it’s ffffffffffffffffffffff**king Angry Birds!"

 

[Fig]

So apparently Matt Ryan, a Nintendo Canada Employee who is also in charge of Communications, Marketing, and Partnerships at Nintendo of Canada has implied that Rayman will in fact be playable in Super Smash Bros. Wii U. You can hear his comment around the 2:14 mark of the video. This could be a mistake on his part as he sounded like he meant to say Mega Man, but a lot of people are now talking about this. Another thing that confirmed, the rumble feature is returning as stated by Matt Ryan when playing the first few rounds of Smash Bros.

[video=youtube;AiWdJcEEC7s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiWdJcEEC7s[/video]

Source: My Nintendo News

 

[Vaati101]

So apparently Matt Ryan, a Nintendo Canada Employee who is also in charge of Communications, Marketing, and Partnerships at Nintendo of Canada has implied that Rayman will in fact be playable in Super Smash Bros. Wii U. You can hear his comment around the 2:14 mark of the video. This could be a mistake on his part as he sounded like he meant to say Mega Man, but a lot of people are now talking about this.

I think the bit in Bold happens to be the case. Rayman's Trophy wouldn't of been revealed if he was a playable character, It would of been a Video Presentation like all the other newcomers.

 

[JuicieJ]

Yeah, there's no way Rayman is playable after his trophy being shown off TWICE (the second time fixing his eyes, as it looked like he was high, or something). Roster reveals are always deliberate, and newcomers always have their own trailer.

 

[Krazy4Krash]

If this Rayman incident were a "leak", it'd possibly be the silliest way of going down. While it's not impossible for them to happen, even from the most official sources (such as when Lucario, Ness and Jigglypuff were all accidentally revealed as playable characters in Brawl before they were meant to, as their icons were seen in a trailer released on the official website), the dude says it so nonchalantly that I have little doubt he did anything other than misspeak. The fact Rayman has a trophy revealed really cements the idea to me that he won't be playable (but I would love to be proven wrong, Rayman is super cool :bleh.

Now excuse the following partly-off topic subject, but since it's a special occasion, I'll chuck it in anyway. Some of you are well aware, today is Sakurai's birthday! His staff brought him a cake at work, and he additionally thanks all his fans for the messages they've sent. This guy deserves a seriously long break after the immense development of these titles, and I wish him all the best.

---

Below are scans of the latest issue of Famitsu. It elaborates on Rosalina and Little Mac, the two newcomers revealed post-E3 2013, being the fourth and fifth revealed respectively, in December 2013 and February 2014 during Nintendo Direct presentations. The images below have rough translations over the Japanese text, so please excuse their informal appearance.

Spoiler

The most notable contents in this are the details on the custom attributes for Rosalina's down special move and Little Mac's neutral special move, unheard of until now.

 

[JuicieJ]

If we don't get Mulletdorf as an alt skin for Smash 4, I'm going to flip a table.

Also, there's now no excuse for Ganondorf to not have his own moveset.

 

[Akuhime-sama]

If we don't get Mulletdorf as an alt skin for Smash 4, I'm going to flip a table.

hehe... mulletdorf

 

[Krazy4Krash]

The latest Famitsu issue goes into great depth for Palutena's Special Moves. As I'm sure you're aware, she has 12 entirely unique special instead of the spin-off variations the rest of the roster uses, outside the three Mii Fighter classes. They are all present in her trailer that was shown at E3 this year, including her Final Smash, however it was up to speculation as to what direction each regular special fit into. The two pages sharing this information are in the spoiler tag below, with translated text over what used to be in Japanese.

Spoiler

Here is an older issue Famitsu which I missed out on previously, so I apologise for that. The first page details on the Wii Fit Trainer, including the two custom alternatives for her Neutral Special Move, Sun Salutation. The second page is all about Smash Run.

Spoiler

 

[Fig]

If we don't get Mulletdorf as an alt skin for Smash 4, I'm going to flip a table.

Spoiler

Also, there's now no excuse for Ganondorf to not have his own moveset.

See this is where I see problems when a new game has come out, in this case Hyrule Warriors, and expect content from it. Now that's not to say that I'm against the idea, but the thing is I do believe that Hyrule Warriors is just too new of a game to receive any content for this iteration of Smash Bros. We don't have any sort of gauge for how far ahead is Sakurai looking in terms of content to add for Smash Bros. Greninja's conception is proof that Sakurai does look ahead to future games, and adds content from them, even before they are released. But we just don't know how far is he looking. If we see content from Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, or OmegaRuby & AlphaSapphire in this iteration of Super Smash Bros., then I think it could be fair to say that Sakurai was familiar with Hyrule Warriors a long time ago, and therefore, I'll believe Ganondorf from Hyrule Warriors could have been chosen as the new style for Ganondorf.

It's like saying Sceptile is going to be a playable character simply because he will complete this "elemental trinity". I get it, he's a Gen III rep and we got Gen III remakes coming out soon that he could promote. But the way I see it, Sceptile is in the same boat as Ganondorf from Hyrule Warriors. We don't know how far ahead Sakurai is looking forward when looking for future games to pull content from. We don't know how long he's known about Hyrule Warriors or in this case OmegaRuby & AlphaSapphire, nor do we know how much he knew about these games before they were officially revealed to the public. Even if Sakurai knew about OmegaRuby & AlphaSapphire a long time ago, I really don't think he had a slot for a Gen III Pokemon in mind when he was deciding on the roster. He's never had a slot for a Gen III one before, so why would he have one now? We know he had a slot for a Gen VI Pokemon long before X & Y came out, and that's how he chose Greninja. But there's no indication that anything like that has been played for a Gen III Pokemon, way back before X & Y. Heck, we don't know when Alpha and Omega left the concept stage and actually went on to actually start to development.

People also like to argue that Sceptile would complete this "elemental trinity" by being the Grass starter next to Charizard with Fire and Greninja with Water. But the problem I have with this idea is that this little theory is something the fans have made up for this game. There's no proof that this pattern legitimately exists or that it matters to Sakurai at all. We didn't have Fire, Water, or Grass Pokemon playable in N64 Smash or Melee and the only reason we have them in Brawl was because Pokemon Trainer was a special case. But Charizard and Greninja weren't put in just because they were Fire and Water types. There are actual reasons for their inclusion are much more important than that, so I don't see why Sceptile being a Grass starter means anything substantial for his chances. To be fair though, I do think having a Gen III Pokemon could help balance out the line-up more than just pure love and pandering to Gen I. We would have at least Generations I, III, IV, and VI represented in Smash, but that's really the only good thing coming from Sceptile's inclusion. I could always be wrong and maybe Sakurai was considering a Gen III Pokemon all this time just like he was considering a Gen VI one. We have no way of knowing for sure at this time, so we will just have to wait and see.

 

[Krazy4Krash]

Week 60

Monday, 4th August

In this Smash Bros. installment, this little guy is also making an appearance! I…don't know his name, but he's the Prince of the Sablé Kingdom. He's from the Game Boy game Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (translated as The Frog For Whom the Bell Tolls), which was only released in Japan.

Here's the trophy of the Sablé Prince. He transforms into a snake or a frog, and unloads multiple attacks on any opponent he catches. Keep attacking your foes when they're trapped in his dust cloud.

This is a new assist trophy. Given his origins, it's probable he may be exclusive to the 3DS version, since it is known some assists will not be in both games.


Tuesday, 5th August

Look at these three radiant pieces... Yup, you guessed it! It's another combinable item like the Dragoon-the Daybreak.

This is what it looks like when all three parts are combined together. How powerful will its beam blast be? FYI, you can fire shooting items while moving backward and forward. Change direction by flicking the Control Stick or Circle Pad toward the back of the fighter.

The Daybreak is an item from Together Mode in Kid Icarus: Uprising. Like the Dragoon, you must collect all three parts to be able to pull off an extremely strong attack. The attack in question should be a large blast more similar to traditional shooting items, as opposed to the reticle that appears onscreen for the Dragoon.


Wednesday, 6th August

Victini and Xerneas are both support Pokémon. Victini's Victory Star boosts the attack of whoever throws the Poké Ball, and also prevents flinching. Xerneas's Geomancy increases the launch power of all fighters, but exceptionally raises it for whoever had the Poké Ball.

Both of these Pokemon have been known to be Pokeball Pokemon for a while, however it was unknown what they did. They are rare examples of status effects from a Pokemon, instead of the usual attribute of just attacking opponents for you in a variety of ways. This picture is set in the Kalos Pokemon League stage, which has still not been elaborated on even though we have known of its existence since Greninja's reveal in April this year.


Thursday, 7th August

Here's the trophy gallery for the 3DS version. You can rotate the trophies by drawing circles on the bottom screen. Super Smash Bros. Brawl had tons of trophies, but rumor has it that the 3DS version alone may have more than Brawl. Looks like the Dr. Wily that we made from scratch for the 3DS version is on his knees in disbelief.

Here's something new--the trophy shop. If you're having a hard time getting certain trophies, why not just buy them? They sometimes go on sale, too.

For reference, Brawl has 544 trophies, and Smash 3DS will have more. Dr. Wily is a new trophy to us, and is also the first time we have seen a description for a trophy in either title. The interface is comparable to the Idols of Kid Icarus: Uprising, as is the feature of being able to spent Play Coins on these figurines. However, the trophy shop is entirely new. It should make getting particular trophies much less constraining.


Friday, 8th August

"♪Ba-ding!♪"

If you turn on the 3D effect, it really looks like there's a Game Boy inside the screen.

A new Game Boy based stage for the 3DS version. It must be similar in concept to the two Game & Watch stages we have gotten before, as it will likely have transformations and such. Kirby and King Dedede both have their Game Boy inspired alternative colour schemes here, which return from Brawl.

 

[Akuhime-sama]

If you turn on the 3D effect, it really looks like there's a Game Boy inside the screen.

That sounds really cool, actually.
Though I don't use 3D much.

 

[JuicieJ]

This is legitimately the face I made when I saw the Game Boy stage. Seriously, I didn’t even reenact it -- this was taken as it happened.

(Note: I’m not actually a ’Bama fan.)