This was another good week to be fans of Smash Bros. Is it just me, or does Sakurai seem to be ramping up the frequency of significant reveals? I halfway wonder if we won’t be hearing a release date sometime soon… Dreams aside, this was another fun week, with some lovely candids of newly revealed Little Mac, as well as some thought provoking new items and observations. It also culminates in another Brawler reveal! As if that wasn’t enough, we have a brand new Most Wanted Brawler by yours truly! Read on, Smashing fans!
Remember when I said this week had some great screenshots? This one is the exception. It physically hurts me to see Little Mac pummeling Mega Man! Poor little robot… Also, this is the first time I noticed how freakishly huge the Blue Bomber’s head seems… Double boo on Monday’s screen. Though it is funny that even Mega Man is bigger than Little Mac.
How can Bowser look adorable and menacing at the same time? It defies the laws of the natural order, I tell ya! Regardless, I find it interesting that in his quote Sakurai talks about how the Fairy Bottle can restore over 100% damage. I vaguely recall that honor used to belong to a Heart shaped item… Maybe this is a new replacement? Or does the bottle serve a separate purpose? I look forward to finding out.
Wednesday is where things started to get interesting. For one thing, giant puppy! For another, this quote by Sakurai – “This dog is huge… Wait, no, the playable characters are small. The Smash Bros. series doesn’t always stay true to scale.” True to scale. Ahem. THIS quote is proof positive that my crazy theory about Ridley being a possible Brawler isn’t all that far fetched. Granted, I don’t think it’s likely my favorite Space Pirate will join the roster, but it would be awesome if he did. Moving on.
And after Wednesday’s comment about scale varying, we get this screen. Not much to say here. The height difference between Samus and Little Mac was already pointed out in the hilarious intro trailer. Luckily, the next screen is much more exciting (at least to some). Are you ready?
BAM! On the same day that Tropical Freeze releases in North America and Europe, sneaky Sakurai reveals Diddy Kong is back. I was honestly pretty surprised by this. I mean, Diddy Kong was entertaining and fun, but I didn’t think he was that popular of a character to make a comeback. Also – did his arms always stretch that far? Either way, I’m glad to see the Donkey Kong franchise get some more love. Now I can’t help but wonder if Sakurai will reveal the return of Yoshi to coincide with the release of Yoshi’s New Island in March. I can only hope, as I grew to really enjoy playing as Mario’s dino steed in Brawl.
Don’t check out yet, cause we have another Most Wanted Brawler next!
Most Wanted Brawler
As I always do the week of a Most Wanted Brawler, I left little breadcrumbs of clues on my Twitter to have fans guess who this week will be about. In case you missed them, here’s what I said this week:
Here is clue #1 for the upcoming Most Wanted Brawler: This character is originally from a GBA game. — Joshua Speer (@SpeerofD3stiny) February 17, 2014
Clue No. 2 – This character has a penchant for wearing stylish capes. February 18, 2014
Clue No. 3 – This character starts as a subordinate to a witch. February 19, 2014
Clue No. 4 – This character is great with gadgets! February 20, 2014
Clue No. 5 – This character might have issues managing his FURY… February 21, 2014
Any last guesses? Okay, without further ado here is this week’s Most Wanted Brawler!
And you thought my Ridley Most Wanted Brawler was crazy. I have laughter at your expense! For now, a segment of FURY and Beanish proportions!
*ahem* Let me start over. I’ve loved Fawful ever since I was introduced to him in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, way back in the Game Boy Advance days. He was so strange and creative, he instantly struck a chord with me. I’ve heard many clamoring for Geno from the original Super Mario RPG to be represented in Smash, but, for me, it has to be Fawful. And before you write it off as crazy, read how I envision the Beanish mad scientist playing in the next game.
First and foremost, Fawful’s moveset must revolve completely around his omnipresent and constantly strange technology, most specifically, his lovely headgear. Given his small stature and ridiculous physical weakness, he would be more of a technician character who could torment and harass his opposition. I could see his Side B summoning forth a blast of energy from his headgear. But, unlike Mario’s Fireballs, this energy would dart around erratically. Perhaps you could even briefly control its trajectory, akin to Ness’s PK Thunder. And, as a throwback to Superstar Saga, foes would even be able to reflect it back at you with precise timing! But failure to do so would result in massive damage, temporarily stunning the recipient.
I also see Fawful having a very basic Up B recovery, based around the flight capabilities of his amazing headgear. The tricky thing is his neutral B and Down B. I mean, pretty much all Fawful does is float around and spit energy at people. Perhaps his neutral, then, could rely on his lovely cape? He would lift it up, unleashing a swarm of Fawful bots that would track whatever was closest to him and attack. Granted, such a move would do minimal damage, but would work as a quick way to rack up lots of hurt, similar to Fox’s Blaster. His Down B should be some sort of shield. Perhaps even temporarily summoning the indestructible Fawful-shaped dome seen in the final battle in Superstar Saga? This would be more effective than a regular shield, but also more dangerous, as using it for too long would result in overheating! This would cause poor Fawful to explode, dealing upwards of 50% damage to himself, and setting the little guy on fire. The upside? While flaming, Fawful’s Side B energy is unblockable, but deals less overall damage.
But what, you ask, of Fawful’s Final Smash? I gave the matter much thought. At first, I considered the dome, but wrote it off as too powerful. Then I thought of Fawful’s Dark Bug form from Bowser’s Inside Story, but realized that was too small to be an effective attack. Then it hit me – Fawful was always better with Cackletta! For his Smash, Fawful would cry out for his mistress, and she would race across the field blasting random areas with berserk lightning strikes, and stunning anyone she physically touched. Then, loyal Fawful would be left to pick up (or dispose of) the pieces.
What do you think? Anyone else hearkening for the Beanish brain as a Brawler? Or is he too crazy to be true? I mean, he did get representation in three games, so it’s not completely outside the realm of possibility (hell, Pit was only in 2 before Brawl…) Plus, you can experience him firsthand once Superstar Saga releases on the Wii U virutal console! Let us know what you think by chiming in below!
