This week of Smash reveals wasn’t quite as exciting as last week, but it had some interesting surprises and some downright curious contributions. Last week of course heralded the return of Marth, the iconic swordsman from Fire Emblem, to the joy of many (and dismay of me). Let’s see what this week had to offer, shall we?
Monday’s screenshot was a bit of a WTF-moment, to be honest. Not only did it not showcase ANY characters, it also displayed the return of the capsule items. Yay? On the plus side, it does offer a dramatic shot of what I take to be the new rumored Pilotwings stage, so I guess it’s not all bad. Moving on.
That’s more like it. Tuesday offered this awesome screen of Marth vs. Link. Not much to say about this one, so just sit back and enjoy the epic confrontation of swordsman vs. swordsman. Done? Good. Now for a much cooler screen.
While this may not offer the drama present in the picture above, I personally find it much more interesting. Much like last week’s Villager screen, it clearly illustrates another of his unique moves. Last week we got his wood cutter move; now he nets Link. What this instantly makes me wonder is if the size of the net will vary depending on whether or not he has nabbed a big boy like Bowser or Dedede? Will the net break more easily if it is stretched out? I also wonder if this is a throw move? Either way, Villager is looking better and better to me.
I have mixed feelings about this reveal. While not as dramatic as the two-day reveal of Marth last week, Pikachu is irrefutably just as- or more- popular. The little electric rat does have a certain charm, and I am glad to see he’s coming back. The thing is, I never doubted he WOULD be back. Now I just have to wait for Ness to be revealed…
This week definitely saved the best for last. This one literally made my jaw drop after I realized I wasn’t looking at a screen from Galaxy. I’ve heard the rumors of a Galaxy stage of course, but actually seeing it makes it apparent how compelling it can be! I love how the contours of the level are warped by the curvature of the sphere. I can only wonder how that will affect gameplay. It will probably wreak havoc on projectile enthusiasts. I also wonder if players can run around the whole sphere à la Mario in Galaxy? I’m really excited about this one.
Finally, keep reading to see our second Character of the Week, written by talented editor Tyler Lubben!
Character of the Week
TYLER: I don’t know what it is about King Dedede – the giant hammer, the regal robes, the fact that he’s a big fat penguin – whatever it is, the instant he was announced, I said to myself: “That’s going to be my main.” Maybe after playing as a fast character (Fox) in the first Smash Bros, and a medium class (Mario) in Melee, I wanted to change things up with a heavy-hitter in Brawl. Kirby’s sometimes adversary (but usually ally) may seem like a joke at first, but his strong attacks and surprising airborne mobility make him a tricky and dangerous opponent.
Dedede has a pretty versatile moveset. On top of his slow but incredibly damaging smash attacks, he has a few surprisingly quick attacks that can keep opponents on their toes. Key among these is his grab, which has decent range as well as being quick enough to not be too risky to use. I owe many of my victories with Dedede to the fact that I could block incoming attacks and immediately pop in with a grab to turn the tide in my favor. I also liked that I could keep the pressure on from a distance with a barrage of Waddle Dees, Waddle Doos and the odd Gordo. And, if you were feeling particularly cruel, you could suck up your opponent and jump off the edge with them à la Kirby or Donkey Kong. Plus, his sassy ducking animation was much more infuriating to my friends than any of his regular taunts could ever be.
I sincerely hope that Dedede makes it back onto the roster in the Wii U/3DS version of Smash Bros. As I seem to change my main fighter with every iteration of the series though, I won’t lose too much sleep if he doesn’t. Personally, I feel the heavy class is still a little underutilized in the Smash franchise, so I think it’s safe to assume the hammer-wielding ruler of penguins will be making a reappearance before too long.
