Super Smash Bros. The Next Generation - Day 31

Life is But a Play! The Demon and the Knight!

  Sooo much E3... but first, I gotta talk Smash.

The Veteran - Meta Knight

  Meta Knight was came onto the scene, and immediately everything was "Oh, well of course that's his special. Oh, and of course he does that." Aside from some potential balance tweaking, I don't really see what else they could add to him in a new Smash. A great alternate costume would be the Galacta Knight from more recent Kirby titles.

The Newcomer - Skull Kid

  Perhaps it would be more accurate to say "Majora's Mask," but regardless, we have yet another great villain from the Zelda series. Now, conventionally, there's probably not a lot for the Kid to do to directly reference the game, but there's a lot in spirit. Skull Kid is mischievous with a side of god-like powers, so his fighting style would probably be best represented as a trickster and a trap layer. Lots of unconventional movement and dodges, laying surprises around the field, maybe even summoning AI pests for indirect assaults. All the while he floats around none to dissimilar to Mewtwo, that giant mask twitching about. Perhaps his specials could be twists on the Link abilities... throwing bombs and direction altering gusts of wind.

  His Final Smash has two great sources of potential. For starters, he could summon down the evil Moon onto the stage, nuking a portion of it. There's also going berserk and turning into Majora's Wrath , flying around the stage and whipping fools about.

The Stage (Literally) - Grassland

  Another nostalgia-laden stage, it's time to hit up Mario 3 for some classic goodness. In case time has gone by and you've forgotten how it works, Super Mario Bros 3 is essentially a stage. Hence why things have shadows on what appears to be a wall in the back, and why many things are suspended from the air by ropes. This type of level just screams with stylistic possibilities that range from leaving it retro looking to making it more stage-like. Also, there needs to be a white box that you can hold down on and drop through for no real reason other than to go "JUST LIKE IN THE GAAAAAME!"

The Grassland Music

Super Mario Bros. 3 - Athletic

  Those were the days.

Dr. Mario RX Online - Sneeze

  Now, we could just remix one of the original Dr. Mario tunes once again, and I"m totally okay with that. But I thought it would be neat to give this rather peppy tune a shot.

Super Mario 3D Land - Theme

  Catchier than a zombie plague, and certainly more pleasant, the theme to Super Mario 3D Land just never gets old.

Paper Mario - The Koopa Bros.

  A great representation of the Paper Mario series and a reference to a song that came from Super Mario Bros. 3. Sounds like a perfect fit to me.

Mario Paint - Creative Exercise

  Your childhood was hollow if you don't know this song by heart. As a fellow tip to Wario Ware: DIY fans, if you title your game "Mario Paint" at creation, you'll unlock the soundtrack to it while you're slaving away at your meticulous sprite-work.

  Here's to hoping for a Smash announcement of any sort tomorrow. I'm hopeful, but I don't find it likely that we'll see anything.

-Make it a nice day.

E3 Day -1 - Nintendo's Wii U Info.

T Minus One and Counting...

   Nintendo's giving us a head start with a look into some of the features and tech surrounding the Wii U today, and there's quite a few talking points. But first, if you haven't seen it, here's the video:

The Controller - New and Improved

  Unsurprisingly, recent rumors of the Gamepad redesign were true. The 3DS style slide-pads have been changed to proper sticks, complete with click-down buttons, there's been some comfort-enhancing adjustments to the form factor, and a few new goodies have sprung up.

  There's the "NFC Reader" in the left hand side beneath the D-Pad. According to Satoru Iwata, that's for 'reading and writing' data to and from the remote. The quickest thought here is that they're jumping into Skylanders territory, allowing for the transfer of data between figures or trading cards. My immediate thought for this? Get ready to drop a lot of bucks on Pokemon figurines.

  You'll also notice a TV button. The Wii U pad can be used as a universal remote for your TV, as well as switching your gameplay video feed directly to the gamepad's screen, in all it's HD glory. Hopefully the display has improved since last year. Either way, taking a break from the action to drop a deuce is no longer necessary; Now Assassin's Creed 3 can come with me, and ensure that nobody else ever wants to touch my Wii U controller.

The Other Controller - Going Pro

  Along with the bulky, somewhat intimidating Wii U Gamepad, Nintendo announced the Gamepad Pro, which is exactly what it sounds like. It's basically the Classic Controller Pro, with the sticks and face buttons/D-Pad inverted to match the Wii U's form.

  Yes, it may resemble a 360 controller, but I would like to point out two things on that. One, the 360 layout is exactly like the Gamecube's, only with uniform face buttons. So technically they 'copied' first. Two, there are only so many designs for a controller out there, and comfortable is comforter. And okay, a third thing? Nintendo's controllers always feel the best, and that D-Pad won't be garbage, so there's that.

  It's worth noting that this controller appears to have a USB port at the top, implying that a rechargeable battery pack is built into it. So that's good news, eh? This also seems to solve the "How are we playing Smash Bros. on this if they only allow one Wii U Gamepad?" thing that's been bothering me. You'll also notice that there's 4 lights, implying that all 4 controllers can be used at, forsaking the need for, or in addition to, the Wii U's tablet-like controller.

The Galaxy at Your Fingertips - Miiverse

  This is a totally Nintendo thing right here. Their answer to online gameplay is unique to say the least. I don't think we're looking at a final version here, but more of a prototype, but either way I'm very intrigued. There was talk of a sort of Forum like structure, allowing people to leave thoughts and tips on a game, completely accessible from the Wii U's menu while the game is on. I prefer to see it as the evolution of the notepad feature in the 3DS.

  They also talked about video conferencing, which is amazing, as well as interactivity with PC's, 3DS's, and Mobile Phones. It's very clear that Nintendo has spent some time going "alright, they want online? We'll give them online." I'm admittedly reserved... When I say this is "total Nintendo," that means there's a good chance there's going to be some freakishly jarring safety features to keep people from drawing penises and turning the video conferencing into Chat Roulette. 

  There's also a neat sort of annotation feature that's going into live games, which I think will end up being implemented similar to the way Demons' Souls uses it. People can leave notes of empathy, frustration, or useful tips along the stages, to be implemented however developers see fit. Hopefully there will be a way of keeping spoilers out of there, or at least limiting it to friends only (which I imagine will be the case for most of these features), and overall it seems like a really cool way to interact with other Nintendo fans.

Oh, Never Mind That Mario Game

  Aside from the cryptic "He's baaaack" left next to Samus' icon in the screenshot above, Nintendo showed off that annotation functionality atop a strikingly New Super Mario Bros. looking game. Somehow, they did this without even mentioning Mario, in what is one of the most painful teases I have ever seen. Look at those mountains in the back? That shit's right out of Super Mario World, and they just brushed over it. Nintendo, you sly bitches.

  What I find most interesting is that, again, while showing off the annotation feature, they seem to be hinting at New Super Mario Bros. Wii U features. Notice how one person talks about being a flying squirrel, and another mentions a cute baby Yoshi that inflates. Curious and curiouser, I am.

  Those are my thoughts and updates on the Wii U. Tomorrow's going to be a big press conference day for everybody BUT Nintendo, so there will be tons of ground to cover. I'll be posting my thoughts and another Smash blog, so keep tuned.

Super Smash Bros. The Next Generation - Day 30

Green, Red, and All The Other Colors!

  This is probably going to be a quick one because I also want to post a thought piece on the WiiU announcements today.

The Veteran - Luigi

   Once a simple clone, Luigi spun off and became very much his own character in Melee. While he still has some comparable special moves, anybody who plays the game seriously knows that he and Mario couldn't be more different. When Mario got the F.L.U.D.D. in Brawl, it was suggested that perhaps Luigi get an attack that utilized the ghost-gobbling vacuum from E. Gadd. I wasn't the biggest fan of the idea, but the idea certainly warrants discussion. One other mechanically differentiating special attack could involve turning his fireballs into the iceballs from more recent Mario titles. Contact with them could provide a momentary frozen status, useful mostly only for cancelling out opponent's attacks. It might be a tad overpowered, but it's one way for the green plumber to differentiate himself without straying too far from his core.

   Final Smash? Summon in a bunch of Boo's to terrorize his foes (while he cowers in the background, completely invincible). Then maybe he triggers E. Gadd's vacuum to clear them out. If you think about it, that makes him the hero in this scenario, doesn't it? It's so nice of him to help out his opponents like that.

   Sorry if this is a spoiler, but there's no denying that The Mysterious Mr. L is where it's at for a costume swap:

The Newcomer - Captain Rainbow

  I've never been sure why this game didn't come over. I haven't looked into it too much to see if there's any localization concerns, but overall it seemed neat enough. Captain Rainbow, the titular hero of his own game, is all about a crazy adventure to save his own TV show ratings while encountering obscure Nintendo characters. It's almost entirely necessary, one would think, to put him in a game about Nintendo characters. I don't know what all he can do, or what his special powers are, I'm coming at this from a strictly conceptual angle. I know what he's about and I know that he's an original property. Those two things alone make him an absolute necessity. Along the way, Nintendo's Treehouse could get working on a localization so we're not completely blindsided by this bright battler.

The Stage - Virtual Boy

  The Virtual Boy is easily understood as a commercial failure, but with the 3DS kicking around, I think it's important to honor and recognize the earlier days of Nintendo's 3D development. The most likely idea for a stage here is Mario Clash's Clash Tower, but I think that stage being a starting point for a larger appreciation of the Virtual Boy is important. The beloved series Mario Tennis got it's start here, and Galactic Pinball was damned fun. Burned out retinas be damned, I enjoyed this crazy contraption.

  Honestly, I'm surprised we haven't seen these hit the Virtual Console yet. Perhaps a colored remake? The fact is Mario Clash was a fun game to play, and the lack of continuation of that series is a real bummer.

  What could be cool is if this was the start of a two-layered Smash Stage. A short, compact stage broken into two layers that requires taking the pipes to travel between. There's some potential for trolling and chasing, yes, but overall it'd be a neat idea. Perhaps there could just be a mechanic for hopping between the layers by hitting up and jump.

The Music of the Virtual Boy

Mario Clash - Various.

  Unsurprisingly, it's difficult to find direct OST rips of the Virtual Boy soundtracks, so here's just some footage of the game that gives you an idea of what the soundtrack is.

Red Alarm - Stage 1

  Oh, man. It's been years since I've heard this. This music is impressive given the limited tech at the time, and a good arrangement could just make this into a powerfully awesome piece.

Mario Tennis - Doubles

  This just sounds like an fun time is happening. I especially like that dramatic build up. Kind of reminds me of a Kirby tune.

Wario Land - Level Theme 2

  The one Wario Land that has eluded me to this day, I was actually unfamiliar with this song until just now. I like it! I think it would uhm... It uh... I'm sorry, right there to the left. Did they roll Jaws, Jason, and Leatherface into one horrific creature? That is a thousand times, "nope."

Teleroboxer - Prim

  Hells yeah, Teleroboxer. Robots getting their fight on; what's not to love?

  Man. My eyes hurt just thinking about all of this Virtual Boy stuff, so I think we're going to call that for the night. If you have anything to say, drop it below, I love reading that stuff.

-Make it a nice day!

Super Smash Bros. The Next Generation - Day 29

Out of Their Element! The Boy Prodigy and The Red Flash!

  Hey, do you like awesome music? Of course you do. Well this has nothing to do with anything really, but I hope you enjoy. There's awesome Phoenix Wright animations to go with it.

The Veteran - Lucas

  The kid from the game we'll never see localized, Lucas is somebody you're possibly more familiar with than me. I've finally decided to jump into all of the Earthbound games here shortly, but I don't have the time right this moment. As it stands, Lucas was one of my absolute favorite characters to play in Brawl. I loved the way he animated, I loved the way his PSi powers looked, and I loved the way they operated. What little I do know of Lucas paints him as one of the most tragic video game characters out there, and I think with that I'd rather take this time to just say he's awesome and move on.

The Rollin' Newcomer - Dillon

  Hero of the eShop title Dillon's Rolling Western, this armardillo of few words may not be much in terms of noteriety, but he just looks cool. Rolling Western could very easily be the start of a big franchise for Nintendo, if they wanted to push it, and I think the titular hero is 'cool' enough to be a bit more mainstream.

  Yeah, so his primary thing is rolling around, and we have characters that do that. Well if Sonic is out for whatever 3rd party licensing agreement causes him to shoo, then Dillon can easily take his place. Even still, check them claws, son. This desert dweller is going to cut down anyone who stands in his way.

  His Final Smash could involve constructing a tower that just starts shooting at any and everyone on the field, while an alternate costume could dress him up like a Sandslash, because fuck yeah.

Balloon Fight

  Originally I had planned to do an Ice Climber stage, but you know what, no. I love those guys, but I gave Yoshi the ice stage, and poor Balloon Fighter never got to be a playable character (despite being a prototyped in Smash Bros. Melee). So here's his. Balloon Fight: The Stage. Look at that screenshot. It's a stone's throw from a Smash stage as it is. You've got the stage hazards in the clouds and psycho death fish monster living in the water. We can even keep this as a retro stage for some of that 8-bit nostalgia. So there you go: Balloon Fighter. For the music I'll be doing a selection of remixes I find on youtube for various NES era games that are otherwise unrepresented in Smash thus far.

Music to (Balloon) Fight By

Pictobits - Balloon Fighter

  How in the hell have I gone -this- long without referencing Pictobits' soundtrack? I love that game! This is also a great way to get my 'remix' on without sacrificing the fact that I just love the glorious 8-bit tune. Honestly, it's going to be hard not to just make everything for this level Pictobits. (Listen to the whole thing, it builds as it goes)

Pictobits - Excite Bike

  See, you guys, now I'm all excited for this Pictobits stuff again. Well get ready, because there's still more.

Pictobits - Devil World Part 1

  So Devil World is a Japan-only title, so you've.. Sorry, hang on. *Pushes up glasses* So you've probably never heard of it. Well the Devil from this game was in the previous Smash, as an assist trophy, so I figured I'd bring this sweet Pictobits remix in.

OC Remix - Ice Climbers "Snow Cone Heaven"

  This awesome remix comes to you compliments of the brilliant musical minds of OC Remix. It has a lot in common with some previous remixes, I'm aware, but I actually enjoy the ragtime sounds layered on top of the simply satisfying beat.

OC Remix - Mach Rider "Mach Schnell"

  Another great OC Remix of one of my favorite NES tunes.

Punch-Out! Wii - Minor Circuit

  I don't think the team at Next Level Games, who did Punch-Out! Wii and Super Mario Strikers: Charged get enough credit for the amazing work they do, especially in the musical department.

DDR: Mario Mix - Destruction Dance

  I've posted a few songs from this collection before, but "Destruction Dance" is easily my favorite. The rapid fire pianos atop a swanky dance beat just get me right in my chewy center.

  E3 is coming up soon. I'm ever so hopeful, yet completely doubtful, that we'll see any solid Smash news this year. I'm sure we'll get a "And yes, it's still happening, and maybe here's a title for it with a nameplate!" but that's about it. Hope for the most, expect the least.

-Make it a nice day!

Super Smash Bros. The Next Generation - Day 28

The Quick Change Princess and the Mage! Also, a Robot!

  Here's something to listen to while you read this.

Shiek/Zelda

  In general, I think Zelda and Sheik are fine. It's a unique character template to switch between the two, although I've seen some people that are interested in the idea of making them two separate characters. My trap card springs, and I reveal that they should be one character! A design that is mostly Sheik, but without the mask, clearly showing Zelda. Replace Sheik's specials, which are fairly worthless, with Zelda's, while retaining the kung-fu quickness and combat. Give it a bit of magic 'zing, but overall make it about quick moves, but relatively low impact. Light arrow Final Smash, and a costume swap that looks like Tetra but all grow'd up.

  I think I may have finally lost my damn mind.

Kamek

  I'm not going to lie to you, readers. I'm pretty much scraping up an assist trophy here just to fill in some space. I admit that I really love Kamek, and always have. He's the perfect blend of loyal lackey and menacing villain. Plus, it'd be cool to have another strictly caster type character. His Final Smash could be him dropping his Embiggen Powder to make Naval Piranha spout up and do some damage before drying up. I won't lie though, he should just burst out of an assist trophy and make the person that summons him big or toss around some magic bolts at people.

Atop the Metal Gear Rex

  Fans of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes may remember the awesome fisticuffs fight scene between Liquid and Solid snake atop the back of the Rex. Throw in some suspended catwalks for platforms and you've got yourself a... *ahem* solid stage. I'd go into the music for this stage, but honestly, Metal Gear music has always been very "take it or leave it" with me, and the music they used in the last Smash was perfect. So I invite you to present a list of songs you think would be great for a level like this, and prove to me how wrong I am.


-Make it a nice day.

Super Smash Bros. The Next Generation - Day 27

The Prince Goes on Vacation! An Original Idea!

  I'm still a little behind so why not toss out another post today, hm?

The Fabulous Veteran - 

Marth!

  Marth's not my favorite character. I still have no attachment to him or the Fire Emblem series, so he doesn't mean much to me. That said, I know he's got his fans, and he's a unique fighter so I have no issues with him. The real question is, what do we do for an alternate costume? Well I may be boring but I think we could use his Brawl attire for the alt costume, and make the above his default costume. Or vice-versa.

Newcomer - A Brand New Character...

  My original idea went bust, so now I'm going to drag up an old topic I had in mind and eventually shelved. I think it's time that the Smash Bros. series have it's own playable character. Masahiro Sakurai has a knack for creating truly original characters, and yet he has never created anything truly original for Smash. That's not to say he hasn't been immensely creative, and yes he did create the Subspace Army and Tabuu, all of whom were original, but none of them were actually Smash Bros. characters who played by Smash Bros. rules. In this idea, it would be a totally original fighter that would be playable in multiplayer, carrying the banner of the window-frame circle Smash emblem.

  This character could be any number of things. It could be something a little more generic, but totally appropriate for a fighting game, where it's some amorphous blue human who can form their arms and legs into different weapons or sprout wings in order to mimic the main Nintendo characters. It's a little boiler-plate, but still kind of cool. What I would prefer to see, however, is some generic hero whose world is being affected by the events that brings the Smash realm together. Something akin to a Sora character from Kingdom Hearts, but without being from Final Fantasy and without being obnoxious. In the vain of the original Smash concept, it could be an original, handmade toy the player has that he starts playing with the rest of his Nintendo toys. It could be inspired off of a toy Sakurai had or just a general toy like a Teddy bear. Now, keep in mind, this wouldn't just be some lame stuffed bear, but represented as a powerful bear warrior or adorable bear creature, whichever direction he wanted to go.

The Stage - Sunset Shore

  This stage is probably the most evocative visual image in Donkey Kong Country: Returns. It's striking beauty hits you immediately, and it's impossible to stop looking at it. What would be incredibly awesome is if each character had a special model that silhouetted them in the level (that could maybe come into play on a couple of other stages just for the sake of getting something out of the work for this.) Each character would have a few brightly colored features that would cause them to stand out, like Samus' glowing green parts in her armor or Mario's hat. Mr. Game and Watch would be, hilariously, the same.

Music for Sunset Shore

Donkey Kong Country Returns - Sunset Shore

  Potentially the best version of this song ever constructed, this jazzed up version of "Jungle Hijinx" just has it going on. Perhaps they could use the version that was performed at the Nintendo World 2011 event.

Donkey Kong Country Returns - Fear Factory

  Even though it's designed for a factory stage and is more electronic, I still find the beat and ambient background fit the smooth visuals of Sunset Shore.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong - Donkey Kong Plus Battle

  A little more battle-heavy, which is why it's a good fit for Smash Bros.


Donkey Kong '94 - Final Battle

  I especially love this song for it's revisit of the original Donkey Kong music.

Donkey Kong '94 - Jungle Level

  An awesome, catchy theme that could be spruced up with the right remix to be a perfect tune for this stage.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Bramble Blast

  A superb arrangement, this song is easily one of the best in Brawl. I've never even played Donkey Kong Country 2 to have the nostalgia here... it's just a damn fine song.

  What all jungle beats would you like to hear in a new Smash? Any cool ideas for an original character? What in the world is Marth wearing? Discuss in the comments downwards.


-Make it a nice day.

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.