Sakurai seems to be improving the quality of his daily pics as we get ever closer to the official release date of Smash Bros. for 3DS next Friday (god that’s close!). Instead of focusing on technical psychobabble, he has gone back to cool pics that reveal new elements of the game, for both the 3DS and Wii U versions. I have to say, the wait is getting intolerable for me, especially after putting some 6 hours into the Smash Bros. demo this past week. But we’ll all just have to grin and bear it until next week! Just a reminder that this week and the next are the last ones to feature a Character of the Week or Most Wanted Brawler, but I will continue covering the daily pics until Sakurai stops posting them. Additionally, we have a special feature coming that will coincide with the final week of Smashing Saturdays, whenever that may be. So stay tuned! Until then, let’s get Smashing!
Monday detailed Conquest Mode in further detail. Not much to say here, so I’ll allow Sakurai to do the talking – “Here are the results for Conquest mode for players in Japan that are playing the Japanese 3DS version. Their next challenge is to battle each other with fighters they’ve trained up and fighters made of metal!!” I do like the idea of persistently difficult challenges, though. Should be fun to try out.
Tuesday was a much more interesting picture. It looks like Master Hand is only the precursor to a much more challenging foe. Sakurai explains it best – “Master Hand’s glove rips open, and a mysterious substance we’re calling the swarm, er, swarms out. The amount of this substance determines the shape of your final opponent, and you will have to launch it away in small clusters at a time. The higher your intensity, the denser the substance will be.” Fantastic! I liked Tabuu fine, but this new foe looks FAR more menacing. Also, is it just me, or does this image strike you as Okami-esque? Either way I’m excited.
Wednesday offered up the first two-for-one special of screenshots for this week. Am I the only one sad there is a PictoChat stage yet no more PictoChat? Bums me out, even though the level does look cool. Better yet, it changes as you play!
The stage makes use of depth perception to wig players out. Should be a lot more impressive with the 3D slider turned on, assuming anyone is brave enough to try a fighting game with 3D active. I know I”ll definitely be playing without the 3D, just so my reaction time isn’t messed with.
Oh Mii Fighters, have I mentioned lately how excited I am for you? I always adore customization options in games, be they level editors or avatar editors. Case in point, in Brawl I literally made a custom stage for each and every song available in the game. So you can tell I’ll spend a lot of time making a diverse and crazy Mii Fighter roster. The fact that they can wear costumes unlocked in StreetPass Mii Plaza is just icing on the cake.
Not only did Friday have another twofer of screenshots, but it had my favorite screenshots of the week, besides the Master Hand one. This first screen illustrates a new level for the Wii U. I couldn’t quite place where the terrifying woman on the left is from, but I found out from staff that she is from Game & Wario, which I have never played. Either way, her terrifying flashlight gaze instills deep fear in me. But the next pic is even more frightening…
Yikes. Sakurai has some things to say here. “Here’s a stage exclusive to the Wii U version: Gamer. Don’t let Mom find you while you’re duking it out!! If Mom does spot you, she’ll scold you and blow you away!! …I’ve never seen a fighting action game as chaotic as this one. ” Well said. I love the chaos in Smash, and will be playing nonstop once it comes out next week. Until then, enjoy a new Character of the Week by yours truly!
Character of the Week
JOSH: What is it that is so fulfilling about playing the bad guy? I mean, sure, it’s fun to play as the Marios, Pits, Links and Samuses of the world, but it’s SO much more fulfilling to play their sinister foils. Such is the case, for me, with Meta Knight. I was never a master of the dark Kirby doppelganger, but I loved playing as him. There was just something compelling, practically magnetic, about the sinister swordsman.
I guess one attraction was how uncompromising and brutal all his attacks were. While Kirby was floaty and evasive, Meta Knight was vicious and cold. Case in point were his many, many multi-hit attacks. A favorite of mine was the Mach Tornado, which I would use suddenly to rack up hits when my foe least expected it. Combined with his Drill Rush and rapid fire sword attacks, he had no shortage of ways to hurt you fast and often. But that wasn’t the only thing he had in his favor.
Kirby may have an amazing air recovery game, but Meta Knight’s put his to shame. His wings allowed for great aerial tactics which, combined with his Shuttle Loop, made it near impossible to get rid of the spherical knight. Granted, I am glad they have nerfed his recovery a bit for the new Smash, but I enjoyed it quite a bit in Brawl. But what good is a villain without a menacing Final Smash?
While it may have been a challenge to connect with Meta Knight’s Galaxia Darkness, this Final Smash was truly diabolical when it did. Engulfed by the darkness, powerless to resist, they met his mighty blade and went flying! The fact that it could engulf more than one Brawler made it a true threat, and helped Meta Knight retain his bad-ass persona. Even though he eventually became overly powerful in Brawl, to the point where he was banned from competitive play, I am confident Sakurai will tweak him sufficiently to keep him playable, but not unbeatable, in the new Smash. I look forward to seeing how he plays, and using the dark knight to instill fear in Dream Land once more!
