Super Smash Bros. The Next Generation - Day 26

The Angel and the Temptress! Sin and Punishment!

  I just wanted to give a shout out to one of my fellow Giant Bombers, RockmanBionics, for showing me this awesome collection of Game and Watch (and Russian rip offs) in fully playable form: http://pica-pic.com/#/zelda/ Check it out if you've got a few minutes to kill, it's awesome.

The Newcomer Turned Veteran - Pit

  The hero of Kid Icarus: Uprising is in an interesting position. For starters, his most recent title was made by Smash creator Mashahiro Sakurai, putting him in a sort of "Founder's Favorite" category. More interestingly, however, is the sheer vast array of abilities he had in that game, giving him the most literal arsenal to bring to Smash I've ever seen.

  If you're unfamiliar with Kid Icarus: Uprising, the player has the ability to customize Pit with a series of "perks," as well as a bevy of weapons of varying qualities and stats ranging over 7 types. Claws, cannons, bows, and Orbitars make up just a few of the weapons he could bring to Smash. So the  question is: what does he bring? I think for starters, we kill off the Forward+B spinning blades. I've always thought that move to be extraordinarily cheap, especially since it can deflect (which his Down+B Mirror Shield is for). So instead, replace it with one or many of his weapons.

  Which brings me to a sort of broader idea for a new Smash Bros.: perks and weapons. Customizing your characters with a bevy of perks like better jumping, or stat boosting items. Similar to the sticker system in Brawl's single player, but designed for the full multi-player experience. Now, as Capcom X Tekken might show, that kind of deal can get game-breaky really fast, so I don't know how much we can look into it. But the idea of at least starting off with weapons could be fun.

  In either case, I expect that we'll see at least a couple of Pit's weapons, like the Tiger Claw or Eyetrack Orbitars as pick-up weapons, and a large cannon attack as a Final Smash for Pit. I'd say an alternate costume should be Dark Pit, but that's just a palette swap (and was in Smash Bros. Brawl), so instead I move to an original costume being in store. Perhaps something more casual, like a celebrational Japanese robe, or something more heavily armored?

The Newcomer I Don't Want - Krystal

  I've been dreading this. It was inevitable that I would have to type it, but I had hoped that perhaps I would be struck dead before I did. I'm going to level with you, dear reader: I don't like Krystal. I think she's a dull-as-nails character riding on a sex appeal to be popular. Now mind you, I don't mind that she's a sexy fox lady. I mean, I've got my own... types, shall we say. But there's something that borders on exploitative here; it's -all- she is. I don't really have anything against Krystal herself, it's just the way she's portrayed, and worst, the way she's been... accepted into the fanbase.

  But then, the entire StarFox team has this problem. I'm trying -really- hard not to share the dark recesses of the internet with you.

  I will say, if there is anything kid to the implementation of Krystal into the Star Fox cast, it's that we don't yet have a staff fighter, and she would be a tremendous speed character. Pack her with a laser pistol at her hip and you do have the makings of a great fighter. Her alternate costume could be the more tasteful (by a margin) space suit she wears in newer games. And her Final Smash could be a triceratops that stampedes around the stage for a while. Or we could just have a fourth Landmaster because fuck you.

The Stage - Sin and Punishment

  Simple enough, there needs to be a stage for Sin and Punishment: Star Successor. It's a great game with some amazing locals ranging from the scene above, to floating temples, to awesome dreary future locals. Any one of these would make for a great stage. In most cases, the platforms of the stage itself could be floating through the course, similar to Captain Falcon's Mute City and Port Town: Aero Dive.

Music from a Sin and Punishment Level

Sin and Punishment - Within Earshot

  Swanky music for a distopian future, but that's the Treasure way.

Sin and Punishment - Blood Infactor

  They don't make awesome music like this anymore. Makes me want to go fire up some Darius Twin on the SNES.

Sin and Punishment: Star Successor - Menu

  Best menu theme or BEST menu theme?

Sin and Punishment: Star Successor - Fukuoka

  It gets the blood ready for a fight, I think.

Kirby: Return to Dreamland - Another Dimension

  A song dedicated to the exact same kind of game that Sin and Punishment is (a scrolling shooter), it's a great fit for this kind of level. Yes, it's not something I would expect in this kind of stage, but it fits, and it's a great little "teehee" moment.

  So did I miss any of your favorite Sin and Punishment tracks? Have I offended you, the delicate Krystal lover? Which of Pit's weapons would you like to see most in Smash and why? So many topics to speak on, I'm sure I"ll get all sorts of comics.

-Make it a nice day.

Super Smash Bros. The Next Generation - Day 16

Of Mice and Wolves! Knocking on Death's Door!

  I deeply apologize for the interruption, even if nobody but me noticed it. I've been stressed to the bone lately with work. That's not an excuse, just an explanation with a hope that you won't mind. This may be a silly pet project that I owe to nobody, but I still take it seriously. Thank you. Here's an amazing Kirby tribute I found to make up for it.

Veteran'd - Wolf

    I was a huge fan of Falco in Melee, and Wolf was equally welcome in Brawl. I love that he's a powerful character without being heavier than a sack of steel bricks. I feel like his specials were a tad derivative of Fox's without being as awesome. I appreciate the gritty, low-tech style of his equipment, but overall I think he's due for a few new moves in whatever we get for a new Smash.
  Alternate costumes, I'm thinking something more battle damaged, reminiscent of how he looked at the end of StarFox 64.

Newcomer'd - Daroach

  I might be shooting a tad obscure with this one, but Daroach is the leader of the titular villains in Kirby's Squeek Squad. He's yet another not-always-bad guy, starting off as a thief of Kirby's believed cake and treasures. What he could bring to the Smash Bros. table is an array of roguish magic-tricks. Borrowing a little from Kirby's Ninja and Magic Hat powers, and combined with the few moves he displayed in the game, there's a lot of potential here to craft a unique character in the Smash roster. And a Final Smash summoning The Squeak Squad sounds delightfully dangerous.
   His alternate costume could feature him dressed up like another Kirby villain, or even decked out in his own Epic Yarn attire. What would be really neat is if he had a Poppy Bros Jr. style bomb-throw, and he his alternate costume was Mouser from Super Mario Bros. 2 (Super Mario USA for our overseas friends).

Staged - Kid Icarus: Uprising

  Sakurai basically created a new franchise in Kid Icarus: Uprising. Sure it's got some modern representations of those old sprite critters, but it's otherwise unrecognizable. It plays like Sin and Punishment, it looks like Smash Bros. Brawl, and sounds amazing. But we'll get to that last part. My idea for a stage takes place in the level with the Reaper's Castle as seen in "The Reaper's Line of Sight" It was one of the major shots shown off in trailers, and it makes an impact visually. If this entire stage was re-enacted, with a floating platform set-up instead of Pit actually flying, you'd have an amazing view while combating. Throw in laser beams and/or monster stage hazards, and you've got a fast-paced, frantic stage... perfect for Smash. And at the end of Palutena's 5 minutes of flight, the stage lands atop the castle to finish out any time it still has.

Music'd - Kid Icarus: Uprising

Kid Icarus: Uprising - The Reaper's Line of Sight

  Dat opening... A fast-action, perilous, thunderous rendition of the Underworld theme, it's a great setting to the stage.

Kid Icarus: Uprising - Opening

  It's so puppy-frolicking cheery, followed by a sweet guitar solo. I don't. This song is too good. My ears are unworthy! Sakurai really outdid himself with this game's soundtrack.

Kid Icarus: Uprising - Magnus and the Dark Lord

  This is actually my favorite track in the game. It has this stormy weather vibe to it, combined with a 70's Anime sound, wrapped up in a delicious fully-orchestrated caramel that goes straight to the thighs of my brain. My brain thighs.

Kid Icarus: Uprising - Pandora's Labyrinth of Deceit

  One of the more interesting levels, Pandora's Labyrinth was the moment I realized just how amazing this game was going to be. I wasn't on some sort of "this first level is awesome!" Mirror's Edge kick, this was the real deal. The soundtrack is... I'm just going to say reflective of the nature of this stage and leave it at that!

Kid Icarus: Uprising - Dark Pit's Theme

  God yes, that Spanish guitar fills me with feelings. Dancing feelings that I want to shake, shake, shake out of my system. Dark Pit's kind of destined to be one of those uncommonly favored characters like Wolf, I think. Combined with the fact that this track was just amazing, I figured I'd leave it here.

  I'm going to stop there. Not because I think it's a good point, but because I'd otherwise be just posting the whole soundtrack. Kid Icarus: Uprising may or may not be the most fun to play, but my God is that game just an absolute delight in every way, shape, and form. The story, the banter, the music, the visuals.. Sakurai is one of my favorite development leads for a reason.

  What do you think, kids? Drop me a comment; I love to chat.

-Make it a good one.

Super Smash Bros. The Next Generation - Day 13

A Bird's Life in the Kingdom: Starring You!

The timer is ticking on this one, as the gates of Diablo await... But for now, we Smash!

Veterans of a Feather - Falco Lombardi

The bird with a bad attitude from the StarFox series, Falco's always been a contentious member of the team. The cocky 'do-everything-myself' loner that you either love or you hate, nobody can deny that he gets things done. Shown here in his StarFox Assault attire, holding what I think would have made an interesting (and way less broken) Final Smash, Falco really received an update in Brawl. Despite the knee-jerk reaction to call him a clone, he actually fights very little like Fox, outside of having the same basis of Special Moves. That's where I think our pilot could stand to have his feathers ruffled; he needs to mix up his arsenal. I say we bust out some more firearms for him in the next game, with his Assault duds mixing up his costume with his standard leather jacket.


Fun fact I learned today about the cast of StarFox: did you know that they amputate their legs and replace them with cybernetic replications so that they don't lose the blood from their brain when hitting intense G-Forces? It's perhaps just a rumor, but here's some info on it.

The Newcomer - Mii

  I can see why Nintendo wouldn't want to have Mii's as playable characters for a number of reasons. You have trademark issues where Zoidberg and Peter Griffin start showing up as combatants, you have to worry about penis-faces for online matches, and something about not wanting to have scenes of people beating up the cutesy avatars of their loved ones. Makes sense, and it's really a huge block against this actually happen, but I'm going to be really hopeful for a moment, so please indulge me.


  I envision a game where the Mii's are combatants armed with just one thing... A Wii Remote. This Wii Remote becomes a weapon, however, transforming into Omni-Tool style replications of the items you're supposed to pretend you're wielding when you brandish one. Suddenly, the remote is an bow for firing ranged arrows, a laser gun with just a press of the B button. Perhaps it's a shield for defending one's self, or a sword for dicing. You could even pretend to roll a bowling ball across the ground like a Koopa shell, or turning into a grappling hook to save you from falling off the ledge. The possibilities are quite literally endless, and I think it's a unique little spin on an otherwise limited character.


  The Final Smash is called the "Mii Parade!" It's just what it sounds like; a ton of Mii's break free from their plaza to stampede the screen and trampling your enemies underfoot. In lieu of alternate colors and costumes, what with the Mii's having their own colors from being imported, I recommend Hats, as featured in the Mii Plaza on 3DS. 


And hey, while searching the internets, I found a flash Mii creator. So. Here you go!

New Super Mario Bros.

   Filling the roll of the 'standard' looking Mario stage, you could grab the openning level to New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Peach's castle in the background, a big rotating hill in the middle, and some breakable blocks. Simple and effective. There's also the log ride in the poison lake, featured above, that was one of the game's more interesting treks. And as a Smash level, it could be provide to be a simple, yet perilous scrolling stage. The players stand on what boils down to be a Final Destination sized log, rafting down a Brinstar Depths acid pit. Various traps and blocks will occaisionaly swing by and make hazards for the players, keeping the stage from being more than a log in the mud.

Songs for a New Super Mario Bros Wii. stage.

New Super Mario Bros. - Athletic

  The sort of obvious track, right?

Super Mario 64 - Credit Roll

  I'm not sure why, but I've always just absolutely adored this theme.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - Battle

  Alright, we need a song you can actually throw-down to, and I think this is a pretty good one that doesn't forsake the style of the style of the level.

Super Paper Mario - Lineland Road

  A lot of people didn't care for Super Paper Mario, and I can see why. It wasn't the strongest entry, but I thought it was an neat-o experiment in gameplay, and I admire trying something new rather than just remaking the same ol' game all the time. Regardless, there's no doubt that this game starts off strong, and Lineland Road accentuates that fact.

Mario Kart Wii - Toad's Factory

  Not going to lie: I just really like this tune. 

Super Mario Land - Muda Land

  This song is so damned cheery! Keeping in line with slightly less obvious Mario songs, I think throwing this one into a stage for New Super Mario Bros. is the right decision in every way.

  Alright! That's another done. We're moving through these pretty well. I could stand to have some more comments, though. I love bouncing ideas off of people. So if you're reading this, go ahead and drop me a line, I'd love to hear it. : )

-Make it a good one.

Smash Bros: The Next Generation: Day 1

  There are 35 days until E3, so I thought now would be an interesting time to start talking about the future of the Smash Bros. series. For the next 35 days, I will lay out one veteran character, one potential newcomer, and one stage idea with a list of accompanying tracks. Hopefully this will lead up to some sort of Smash Bros. info dump that I can write on, but if not, well it's just for fun anyway.

  What is my goal by writing this? Well for one, I need to keep practicing, and this is a new challenge for me. 35 straight days of content. It's something I'm passionate for, so I'm hoping it'll work. Beyond that, I'm hoping that this information gets out into the zeitgeist, and somehow enters Masahiro Sakurai-san's mind through some sort of psychic osmosis, and then becomes a reality. We'll see how well that works.

  And just so you know how this works, I have scrambled all of the franchises up so that nothing is in a predictable order, and no one day focuses on a particular group. I could have just done "Mario Week!" and "Random leftover shit!" week, but this sounded more interesting to me. Let me know how you like the format and I can consider revising it for the rest of the way. Also, please note that I do not think about tiers, and I do not think about "Final Destination: No Items." I think like I'm making a Smash Bros. game. Sorry if that bothers you ahead of time, but not really.

Veteran: Fox from Star Fox

One of the original Smash participants, Fox has seen a few ups and downs to his system, but nothing has changed dramatically. In fact he's only been cloned three times, making his general style repeated a few too many times. I think he needs to stay relatively the same, I mean we shouldn't go breaking the wheel here, but we need to start breaking his clones. I'll get to those when their time comes.

I'm a huge fan of this design not because of it's associated game, which was horrid, but because it's a bit unique for Fox. It looks more rough and tumble, and I always kind of pictured Fox as a Captain Kirk kind of captain. Also, I just like the more vibrant palette, and the lack of weasel head. I want alternate costumes for everybody as unlockable goodies in the next Smash, and I think borrowing from his Assault design would be a great second costume.

The Landmaster was a terrible Final Smash, in that it was retarded over-powered. I think this time should include something a little more kind, like a sniper bullet to the head. Something more akin to a high powered weapon upgrade from Slippy dropped down to Fox would be more my flavor. Or a Call of Duty style aircraft assault where his Arwing just lowers and shoots at people on the field periodically.

Potential Newcomer: Geno from Super Mario RPG

   Geno comes to us with a wide array of special moves from his only main appearance in Super Mario RPG. From shooting his fingers as bullets to shooting rockets out of his elbow, the dude is packed with firepower. Throwing discs of destructive energy, calling down laser beams from orbit... Potentials for special moves and Smash Attacks are numerous. I for one believe a Geno Whirl is on order for his Final Smash. If the Whirl would connect at the moment it's thrown with only one enemy, that enemy is pretty much assured being knocked out. However, if it hits multiple targets, it's effectiveness at knocking out thins exponentially. Thus, if the opponents are all weak, you stand to gain something by hitting them all, but if you're in a one-on-one scenario, your victory is all but assured.
  I have no really good idea for an alternate costume for Geno, other than slapping on a different outfit. Perhaps some pants could be on the table for discussion.

Stage: The Faceship from Mario Galaxy 2.

"More like Faceship!"

   The Faceship from Mario Galaxy 2 is somewhat of difficult idea, but bear with me. Turned to be a profile view, you have a fairly flat boat-like surface with the hat frill and Mario's nose to catch on, and a towering smoke stack in the back to provide some terrain. Blow the size of the face ship up for proportion if you need too, and consider adding a planetoid or two hovering around it for extra fighting room. Alternatively, it could be a -really- weird stage if it rotated in different degrees, but the perspective and gravity remained the same for the players. At that point, I'm thinking we're a bit too complex, however. I like the idea of the ship traveling through space, showing different galaxies in the background, similar to Lylat Cruise from Smash Bros Brawl. There could be some great opportunities to mix other Nintendo franchises too, with Samus's ship or Olimar's ship flying in the backgrounds. Spaceman Tatanga could make an appearance zipping around while being chased by Deoxys. Also, any random other thing could show up in the background, like one of the Spacebattle scenes from Star Fox, or stages from Super Mario 3D Land.

Music for The Faceship could include:

 Super Mario Galaxy - Purple Comet Challenge

  All the fun of Gusty Garden Galaxy, with a more dire and intense sound to it, suitable for conflict.

 Super Mario Galaxy - Gusty Garden Galaxy

  All the fun of Gusty Garden Galaxy. Done.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Yoshi's Star Galaxy

  The swanky sounds of Yoshi's Star Galaxy will have you tapping your toes while smacking your foes.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Glider

  Another more high-energy, albeit overly peppy, tune.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Bowser's Galaxy Generator

  A much more appropriate Smash Bros. tune. With the right remix, this could be turned into an amazing theme to thrash by.

Super Paper Mario - Brobot Battle

  And just to make sure we had at least really awesome battle theme in here, I wanted to make sure to include one of my favorite tracks from Super Paper Mario, a series that direly needs to be represented in the next Smash iteration.

  And that's one down, 34 more new characters, old characters, and stages to go.

  What do you think of my selections so far? Feel free to discuss these ideas or your own down below!