tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10595867981431198842024-03-20T03:14:06.970-07:00Super Smash MattA blog about Smashmatt202 and his life and hobbies.Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-22557797524524602232018-06-16T21:14:00.003-07:002018-06-16T21:15:20.268-07:00Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Echo Fighters: My Hot Take<div data-contents="true">
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<span data-offset-key="dsp53-0-0"><span data-text="true">If you couldn't tell from the last post I made, Nintendo unveiled what the latest <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> game will look like on the Switch at E3 this year. They're calling it <i>Super Smash Bros. Ultimate</i>, and it's the perfect title for this game, because they're going all out in bringing back all previous fighters from the series as well as bringing back favorite stages to deliver the ultimate <i>Super Smash Bros. </i>experience! Best of all, Ridley is finally made a playable character, so as far as I'm concerned, the roster is perfect; any newcomers they add from now on will just be icing on the cake! That being said, Masahiro Sakurai said that they're mostly focusing on bringing back old stuff, so there might not be as many newcomers this time around. That being said, there is a new method of creating newcomers which he's calling "Echo Fighters", which are essentially just clone characters, characters identical to other fighters but with slight tweaks to their moveset. Lucina and Dark Pit are labeled as Echo Fighters, and they introduced a new Echo Fighter in the form of Daisy, whose based on Peach's moveset. Since it feels like making Echo Fighters wouldn't take as much work compared to a normal, unique fighter, it's possible that we could get other Echo Fighters to meet certain fan demands.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="dsp53-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br />With that in mind, after ruminating a bit, I've come up with some ideas for </span></span><span class="_5zk7" data-offset-key="dsp53-1-0" spellcheck="false" start="48"><span data-offset-key="dsp53-1-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighters</span></span></span><span data-offset-key="dsp53-2-0"><span data-text="true"> I either would like to see or wouldn't mind seeing in </span></span><i><span class="_5zk7" data-offset-key="dsp53-3-0" spellcheck="false" start="116"><span data-offset-key="dsp53-3-0"><span data-text="true">Super Smash Bros Ultimate</span></span></span></i><span data-offset-key="dsp53-4-0"><span data-text="true">. I should mention upfront that I'm not including Dixie Kong, Dark Samus, or Shadow the Hedgehog/Tails, because I feel they have enough unique attributes going for them to be more than just exact moveset clones of Diddy Kong, Samus, and Sonic respectfully. Same goes for Waluigi and Luigi; despite being an Assist Trophy again, there IS always a possibility that Sakurai could update the game to remove him from the Assist Trophy line-up and make him playable, but if he is, he'd better be unique; much like Wario being too unique to simply be a Mario clone, the same logic applies to Walugi (perhaps even moreso, given how ridiculous and surreal he is).<br /><br />See my suggestions after the break.</span></span><br />
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<span data-offset-key="4iceb-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDGVo1TkbCkoPxy3jgnTUodh9U65oLTu3KrYNhbjjAvJF87igIgoOTQXdOZp0XMlFjyA6BU7maW6FYwAP-qRAB7RRD4UyvWrjmFQAaZJH6r_bpJmNHnU1K7aOSHlp0vqoCJLKzbhvJ4k/s1600/ForemanSpike-ThroughTheYears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="500" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDGVo1TkbCkoPxy3jgnTUodh9U65oLTu3KrYNhbjjAvJF87igIgoOTQXdOZp0XMlFjyA6BU7maW6FYwAP-qRAB7RRD4UyvWrjmFQAaZJH6r_bpJmNHnU1K7aOSHlp0vqoCJLKzbhvJ4k/s320/ForemanSpike-ThroughTheYears.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<u><b><span data-offset-key="4iceb-0-0"><span data-text="true">Foreman Spike</span></span></b></u></div>
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<span data-offset-key="b0nnb-0-0"><span data-text="true">Games/Series: <i>Super Mario</i>/<i>Wrecking Crew</i></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="aj2r6-0-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighter of: either the Ice Climbers or Mario</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1tfet-0-0"><span data-text="true">As weird as it sounds, Foreman Spike is one of my most-wanted characters in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, despite being extremely obscure and irrelevant. I feel like the series is underrated, not to mention they already have a <i>Wrecking Crew</i> stage, so why not? As for who he'd be a clone of, I feel like he should have his hammer, so maybe he'd play like a buffed up Ice Climber, with some of Mario's moves mixed in? The idea of an Echo Fighter is that they're basically taking a moveset that already exists and making incredibly minor alterations to make a separate fighter out of them, so I get that thinking too hard about how a character would play goes against the point of an Echo Fighter, but still, as much as I'd want it, I don't see this happening.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="5jb0b-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3hj0NWD8OjN4pAsLORucUrJWKZZSbgCyTOO7LrFMgWAS3ZsFKtA_AiMIubXZOSX5lWkp423QLPT5aqh4K1-AsYZJrW7X2IDOH_feP1AnGniz7bHoWqx-b27TSAArGe3Vm6wu7OfZ6Sw/s1600/Wart_Artwork_-_Super_Mario_Bros_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="479" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3hj0NWD8OjN4pAsLORucUrJWKZZSbgCyTOO7LrFMgWAS3ZsFKtA_AiMIubXZOSX5lWkp423QLPT5aqh4K1-AsYZJrW7X2IDOH_feP1AnGniz7bHoWqx-b27TSAArGe3Vm6wu7OfZ6Sw/s320/Wart_Artwork_-_Super_Mario_Bros_2.png" width="294" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="dss1i-0-0"><span data-text="true">Game/Series: <i>Super Mario</i> (specifically <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i>)</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8k5o1-0-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighter of: Bowser</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="3manc-0-0"><span data-text="true">Yeah, that seems about right; just give him bubbles instead of fire breath and we'd be all set with him! Now if only I can think of a fighter who'd make a good basis for Tatanga...</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="do4qv-0-0"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdLGqZHVrmIQ5PdtAX5BMyv3XnxOhl2aSE0es5CRGCffmFT_L5S_oHfeEFmU3xH-L7MddAlax4w5yr9VcweAFP0uj1h3WuqiYC1Mw4lYyilVhnUwJaNuq669QKKZEOEEOmNzWVu67H2M/s1600/Funky_Kong_Artwork_-_Donkey_Kong_Country_Tropical_Freeze.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1421" data-original-width="1600" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdLGqZHVrmIQ5PdtAX5BMyv3XnxOhl2aSE0es5CRGCffmFT_L5S_oHfeEFmU3xH-L7MddAlax4w5yr9VcweAFP0uj1h3WuqiYC1Mw4lYyilVhnUwJaNuq669QKKZEOEEOmNzWVu67H2M/s320/Funky_Kong_Artwork_-_Donkey_Kong_Country_Tropical_Freeze.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ank4d-0-0"><span data-text="true"><u><b>Funky Kong</b></u> </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4m2iq-0-0"><span data-text="true">Game/Series: <i>Donkey Kong</i> </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2avu0-0-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighter of: Donkey Kong </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="741kt-0-0"><span data-text="true">Let's be real here: Funky Kong is basically Donkey Kong just with shades and clothes... and also a surfboard. With that in mind, maybe it'd be possible to work in his surfboard for, say, the Spinning Kong or maybe use it for Smash Attacks or the Headbutt instead of his hands or head? His Final Smash could be different, too, if Dark Pit's Final Smash is still different from Pit's. Although I'm not sure how I'd feel if he got in over Dixie Kong or King K. Rool...</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="39smv-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjre6MgGDQtcbO0T4uerG725uC8pxm-vSPPXGVT8_Ht8tX15BsCN1EeRQ3hBuToa8TlOj5GMQFa3vEGABnvy6OMIzgKJrdLHyEtmCjJl81rbd-QJ5tSd03MUwmCJLOu-sb2sNN2bY7ScJc/s1600/Birdo_MP9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1043" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjre6MgGDQtcbO0T4uerG725uC8pxm-vSPPXGVT8_Ht8tX15BsCN1EeRQ3hBuToa8TlOj5GMQFa3vEGABnvy6OMIzgKJrdLHyEtmCjJl81rbd-QJ5tSd03MUwmCJLOu-sb2sNN2bY7ScJc/s320/Birdo_MP9.png" width="208" /></a></span></span></div>
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<u><b><span data-offset-key="39smv-0-0"><span data-text="true">Birdo</span></span></b></u></div>
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<span data-offset-key="58dpa-0-0"><span data-text="true">Game/Series: <i>Super Mario </i></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bak9d-0-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighter of: Yoshi</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="7el93-0-0"><span data-text="true">I saw someone tossing this idea out there on Twitter and... yeah, I can see that. Just have the egg come out of Birdo's snout when copying "Egg Lay", or just shoot out Eggs instead.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="452uf-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIQrEqWdW7SH-3A_HBmd-m6tr74HMtXz8G4wNUdNSKIWqkzSOsAaJvoi9Z7QCuHqAMKQg-SKoZV3TYYq-dVtp_Ba0MCw50BkyZkb2ezuJH8_qnNeLiPS5rjQpu9bLgfwD7Z8qQ10Kz2I/s1600/Impa_Artwork_%2528Skyward_Sword%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="855" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIQrEqWdW7SH-3A_HBmd-m6tr74HMtXz8G4wNUdNSKIWqkzSOsAaJvoi9Z7QCuHqAMKQg-SKoZV3TYYq-dVtp_Ba0MCw50BkyZkb2ezuJH8_qnNeLiPS5rjQpu9bLgfwD7Z8qQ10Kz2I/s320/Impa_Artwork_%2528Skyward_Sword%2529.png" width="171" /></a></span></span></div>
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<u><b><span data-offset-key="452uf-0-0"><span data-text="true">Impa</span></span></b></u></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2rh64-0-0"><span data-text="true">Game/Series: <i>The Legend of Zelda</i></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4fb0f-0-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighter of: Sheik</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="3krva-0-0"><span data-text="true">On the one hand, I want a new <i>Zelda</i> fighter with a wholly unique moveset, since aside from Link, Zelda, and Sheik, every other fighter (which is about half by now) has their moveset based on another fighter. This is why I'm still secretly hoping Tingle will be playable at some point, but given how hated he is in the west, I severely doubt it. That being said, Impa is probably the most major recurring <i>Zelda</i> character aside from Link, Zelda, and Ganon(dorf), and it'd be a lot easier to include her if you just modeled her after her <i>Ocarian of Time</i> or <i>Skyward Sword</i> appearance and make her a clone/Echo Fighter of Sheik thank to try and think up a wholly original moveset. Besides, given that she's an actual member of the Sheikah tribe, it make sense for her to play like someone posing as one.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="5ldvr-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35rXVEapmPa6UrXOHxjbkkcot2kI1z98vn0XIUSi45taYsrmmoSa5hEmQAkg55sNX04PF_6iBb2J8ZHF_AtsMYwc8514y8hPw8T86grIwlWJn1zKCXroXEDj_SaCL7GdCahRqutXhyphenhyphenl8/s1600/SFZ-Slippy_Toad.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35rXVEapmPa6UrXOHxjbkkcot2kI1z98vn0XIUSi45taYsrmmoSa5hEmQAkg55sNX04PF_6iBb2J8ZHF_AtsMYwc8514y8hPw8T86grIwlWJn1zKCXroXEDj_SaCL7GdCahRqutXhyphenhyphenl8/s320/SFZ-Slippy_Toad.png" width="305" /></a></span></span></div>
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<u><b><span data-offset-key="5ldvr-0-0"><span data-text="true">Slippy Toad</span></span></b></u></div>
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<span data-offset-key="f4h4u-0-0"><span data-text="true">Game/Series: <i>Star Fox</i></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="3jb1l-0-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighter of: Fox</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="30rg6-0-0"><span data-text="true">This is one I'm also hesitant about, since we already have two semi-clones of Fox already, but if we're just adding new fighters for the sake of it, I'd be okay with this. I could also see him using more tech or having a different Final Smash compared to Fox or Falco.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="5snn8-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="89bfp-0-0">
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<span data-offset-key="89bfp-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1HOajRcBf_TVBX3y6en6-Xqld3b8OclqKwlPrchOpKEK4h-sk32w4PrN5R1D9eNRTo4pUy4i7d3qKIpNKIIJ_9cfZ6vVANRIlef1ucZWfCq0rj1nbKr1RXjcyyPIxTRlbyGeVc8Wtag8/s1600/Ninten-_clay-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1HOajRcBf_TVBX3y6en6-Xqld3b8OclqKwlPrchOpKEK4h-sk32w4PrN5R1D9eNRTo4pUy4i7d3qKIpNKIIJ_9cfZ6vVANRIlef1ucZWfCq0rj1nbKr1RXjcyyPIxTRlbyGeVc8Wtag8/s1600/Ninten-_clay-art.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
<span data-offset-key="89bfp-0-0"><span data-text="true">
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<u><b><span data-offset-key="89bfp-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ninten</span></span></b></u></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3bfc8-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="3bfc8-0-0"><span data-text="true">Game/Series: <i>MOTHER</i>/<i>EarthBound Beginnings</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="22b2c-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="22b2c-0-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighter of: Ness</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8bomm-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8bomm-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="1c005-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1c005-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1c005-0-0"><span data-text="true">Of course! Why didn't I think of this sooner? It only recently hit me how obvious this is; Ness is more-or-less a carbon copy of Ninten, the original protagonist of the <i>MOTHER</i>/<i>EarthBound</i> series, so it makes sense to have him play similarly, too! PK Starstorm wasn't a thing in the first <i>MOTHER</i>/<i>EarthBound Beginnings</i>, though, so he'll have to have a different Final Smash. Yeah, give the first installment some love, and have all three protagonists in this game!</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="41bau-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="63ujb-0-0">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span data-offset-key="63ujb-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoE-QB3SoJ9pEozUOERaRG1kWV6B8sWjnQxoC_TAaxc73E8Ug0eDxaQtXX8lowQVwNHQ6pNrOBwWKG9Uir7rUqdoiRmHc_uSNRAoIYJTi3rM5FQN5oSeIXPU05d-m5mbF2BincYMvUDps/s1600/giygas-giegue.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="600" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoE-QB3SoJ9pEozUOERaRG1kWV6B8sWjnQxoC_TAaxc73E8Ug0eDxaQtXX8lowQVwNHQ6pNrOBwWKG9Uir7rUqdoiRmHc_uSNRAoIYJTi3rM5FQN5oSeIXPU05d-m5mbF2BincYMvUDps/s320/giygas-giegue.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span data-offset-key="63ujb-0-0"><span data-text="true">
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="63ujb-0-0">
<u><b><span data-offset-key="63ujb-0-0"><span data-text="true">Giygas/Giegue</span></span></b></u></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2p1k3-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2p1k3-0-0"><span data-text="true">Game/Series: <i>MOTHER</i>/<i>EarthBound</i> </span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6fht6-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6fht6-0-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighter of: Mewtwo</span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="dh7s1-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dh7s1-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="dh7s1-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="e1bpk-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="e1bpk-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="e1bpk-0-0"><span data-text="true">Given that Mewtwo is at least partially based on Giygas, I'd say this would be fitting, but then again, in the original <i>MOTHER</i>/<i>EarthBound Beginnings</i>, he remained inside a container the for the whole fight, and his attacks are literally indescribable. How does one translate that into <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>? Still, I'd love to see him, if only just to see his Final Smash being him going all crazy like at the end of <i>EarthBound</i> (<i>MOTHER 2</i>).</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bpsv1-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bpsv1-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="416o8-0-0">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span data-offset-key="416o8-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAifBntstx55JotyefCDqg3T0946UNz9CPm_7KZqY5jsTtW78URByho_hJ4dr0fjPlGDoJ3VG8LEwoL__fr91sckwNymdaZFSaLvFVHe-5FAm2gliwrgvwABfCOGt4kK3DMXSlKPMwaEI/s1600/Black-Shadow-064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1118" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAifBntstx55JotyefCDqg3T0946UNz9CPm_7KZqY5jsTtW78URByho_hJ4dr0fjPlGDoJ3VG8LEwoL__fr91sckwNymdaZFSaLvFVHe-5FAm2gliwrgvwABfCOGt4kK3DMXSlKPMwaEI/s320/Black-Shadow-064.jpg" width="223" /></a></span></span></div>
<span data-offset-key="416o8-0-0"><span data-text="true">
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<u><b><span data-offset-key="416o8-0-0"><span data-text="true">Black Shadow</span></span></b></u></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="50o21-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="50o21-0-0"><span data-text="true">Game/Series: <i>F-Zero</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="12kc2-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="12kc2-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="12kc2-0-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighter of: Captain Falcon</span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="4ttgg-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4ttgg-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4ttgg-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="8ri5b-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8ri5b-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8ri5b-0-0"><span data-text="true">I'm not really in favor of this since the only reason I'd want him is for him to adopt Ganondorf's old moveset so that Ganondorf could be a more unique fighter, and even though Ganondorf now uses his sword with some of his attacks, he still seems to be somewhat of a semi-clone of Captian Falcon... which I'm okay with, but it does defeat the idea of why we'd have Black Shadow here. Besides, until <i>F-Zero</i> gets a new game, I'm okay with only having Captain Falcon on the roster.</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3bens-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="3bens-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4g3nv-0-0">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span data-offset-key="4g3nv-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRnYfklKPLu8fMBOgyIjVnU_ELJANvpnjcVifhAzLoIB0pz70ILot-FDlheT9GJHKygpqQFKB-meeQtvDP_nA0i2s4HcwaG94OmUWiqtmJnxD-q-PNGE2d0MVOHnB81b8dOt2l7XnheQ/s1600/Chrom_%2528FE13_Artwork%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="574" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRnYfklKPLu8fMBOgyIjVnU_ELJANvpnjcVifhAzLoIB0pz70ILot-FDlheT9GJHKygpqQFKB-meeQtvDP_nA0i2s4HcwaG94OmUWiqtmJnxD-q-PNGE2d0MVOHnB81b8dOt2l7XnheQ/s320/Chrom_%2528FE13_Artwork%2529.png" width="170" /></a></span></span></div>
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<u><b><span data-offset-key="4g3nv-0-0"><span data-text="true">Chrom</span></span></b></u></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ccck7-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="ccck7-0-0"><span data-text="true">Game/Series: <i>Fire Emblem</i> (specifically <i>Fire Emblem Awakening</i>)</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="32cor-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="32cor-0-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighter of: I guess Ike, since Viridi made that comparison in <i>Super Smash Bros. for Wii U</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="emr2g-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="emr2g-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="em3jt-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="em3jt-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="em3jt-0-0"><span data-text="true">If Sakurai is giving the go-ahead on clone characters like this, I see no reason not to include Chrom this time around, since his reasoning for not including him last time was not being able to think of up how he'd be different from Marth or Ike. Have we seen what Robin's Final Smash looks like this time around? There might still be a chance this is the case.</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="22pb2-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="22pb2-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTU0ZV_RySdnF6Gei2dwkJWmlUMxjolK3j7W9NeY8acXZgyK4TLQPuXmQBwor-ko8yvyASyfA9BiyovD3xCiRBi38MtSv82kOawtj3MZfDkWAFMN8LRdl3Dsu5XwGpxaahdJopF2HeOds/s1600/Louie-Pikmin2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="157" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTU0ZV_RySdnF6Gei2dwkJWmlUMxjolK3j7W9NeY8acXZgyK4TLQPuXmQBwor-ko8yvyASyfA9BiyovD3xCiRBi38MtSv82kOawtj3MZfDkWAFMN8LRdl3Dsu5XwGpxaahdJopF2HeOds/s320/Louie-Pikmin2.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>
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<span data-offset-key="d5ff8-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br /><u><b>Louie</b></u></span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6jqoe-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6jqoe-0-0"><span data-text="true">Game/Series: <i>Pikmin</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="65tcd-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="65tcd-0-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighter of: Olimar</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cehde-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="cehde-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="bqr7f-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bqr7f-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="bqr7f-0-0"><span data-text="true">It's weird seeing Alph as an alternate costume for Olimar again, you'd think he'd be upgraded to an Echo Fighter this time around. Still, some people are looking for more <i>Pikmin</i> characters, and since I have no idea how you'd make up a different unique moveset for the main characters of the <i>Pikmin</i> series, might as well make an Echo Fighter out of one of them. As an added bonus, why not make Brittany an alternate costume for Louie?</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="498ut-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="498ut-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3c2USdIMeFcZrdD_Pmj7TisgxFk5tJyy7THRiAj9Gu-j2lBJz7VaJdr52PZjNdZKaN5Ru5myafN8RKIsmN_I9TEsDjKP6LufvoLspUeP-fc8-Xln80nFrzaVsSeFC_pX9O3IOcO4adSM/s1600/KenMasters.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3c2USdIMeFcZrdD_Pmj7TisgxFk5tJyy7THRiAj9Gu-j2lBJz7VaJdr52PZjNdZKaN5Ru5myafN8RKIsmN_I9TEsDjKP6LufvoLspUeP-fc8-Xln80nFrzaVsSeFC_pX9O3IOcO4adSM/s320/KenMasters.png" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="c37t0-0-0">
<u><b><span data-offset-key="c37t0-0-0"><span data-text="true">Ken Masters</span></span></b></u></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="1k3uc-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1k3uc-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1k3uc-0-0"><span data-text="true">Game/Series: <i>Street Fighter</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="7vegn-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7vegn-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="7vegn-0-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighter of: Ryu</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="41q19-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="41q19-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="8vfqf-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8vfqf-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8vfqf-0-0"><span data-text="true">I'm not entirely sure how they treat Ken in the <i>Street Fighter</i> series, but from what I've seen, he basically already is an "Echo Fighter" of Ryu; similar but his attack shave different attributes. So, why not?</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="f9q8s-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="f9q8s-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="4bt4f-0-0">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD8SaWi2IhyVal4Wqbq6jW61k0tAHTOfKvPUXf07UqhcCS7VBAvaxdGTjDhPZyc9SaJqxrE9RpjZzWT_9SUshySYDw2EIZXj8FDqHqAwDxu9fYGDY9njZ20YEBp2uE985Dph9a2PdmO8/s1600/Octolings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="605" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD8SaWi2IhyVal4Wqbq6jW61k0tAHTOfKvPUXf07UqhcCS7VBAvaxdGTjDhPZyc9SaJqxrE9RpjZzWT_9SUshySYDw2EIZXj8FDqHqAwDxu9fYGDY9njZ20YEBp2uE985Dph9a2PdmO8/s320/Octolings.png" width="287" /></a></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4bt4f-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4bt4f-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br /><u><b>Octoling</b></u></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="1f6lk-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1f6lk-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="1f6lk-0-0"><span data-text="true">Game/Series: <i>Splatoon</i></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="edsps-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="edsps-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="edsps-0-0"><span data-text="true">Echo Fighter of: Inkling </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="2cf8a-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2cf8a-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2cf8a-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="2n97m-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2n97m-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2n97m-0-0"><span data-text="true">If they aren't going to be an alternate costume for the Inklings, they might as well be this.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="953n7" data-offset-key="7ju00-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7ju00-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="7ju00-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2drip-0-0"><span data-text="true">Well, that's all I've got. Leave a comment for any other potential Echo Fighters you think would be cool. Thanks for reading, and sorry for the lack of updates, real life got in the way, and I kind of lost motivation for the "Newcomer Pick of the Day" thing. I may or may not continue it, knowing the information I know now about the new <i>Smash Bros.</i>, so sorry if there was anyone out there looking forward to that.</span></span><span class="_5zk7" data-offset-key="2drip-5-0" spellcheck="false" start="98"><span data-offset-key="2drip-5-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span></span></div>
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Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-57651405984906828692018-06-16T13:57:00.001-07:002018-06-16T13:57:22.655-07:00So this happened...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T-v88jEmkYM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T-v88jEmkYM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />...<br /><br />Masahiro Sakurai, I take back every bad thing I said about you. You're the greatest and I love you.Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-73821251738121850062018-04-20T21:32:00.001-07:002018-04-20T21:33:57.808-07:00Mini-Review for Velocispider<div data-contents="true">
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<span data-offset-key="4cn40-0-0"><span data-text="true">I just downloaded my second non-Nintendo mobile phone game: <i>Velocispider</i>! Unlike <i>Duke Dashington</i>, this one up-front costs $2.99. There are also in-app purchases, but as far as I can tell, they're only for unlocking all stages right away, stages you can unlock by progressing normally, for $1. Not as bad as I feared, and not a bad deal if you want to get a taste of all the stages without having to beat them all first, but that's up to you to decide.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4l2p2-0-0"><span data-text="true">Anyway, the game is... basically <i>Space Invaders</i>. But you control a cross between a velociraptor and a spider that has a gun on its head. You have to use that gun of yours to defend your precious velocispider eggs from evil mutant sea creatures which, according to the website <a href="http://retrodreamer.com/velocispider.htm" target="_blank">here</a>, are part of the "Robot Seafood Corporation", the CEO of which wants to eat them. You get three hearts, lose all three and it's Game Over. To defend yourself and your eggs, you have to tilt your phone left and right as you autoshoot what's above you; you can also touch and hold the screen to do a charge attack. All and all, pretty straight-forward stuff.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="60bie-0-0"><span data-text="true">My only gripe with the game is the controls; they're not bad for what they are and they work just fine, I'm just not a fan of motion controls or anything that uses gyro-sensors or whatever, which forces me to be in a certain position in order to play. With <i>Duke Dashington</i>, I could play sitting down, lying down, being sideways, what have you, but the ideal way to play <i>Velocispider</i> is to sit/stand upright while holding the phone like so. Again, it's not a deal breaker by any means, I just wish I could get comfortable while playing.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9s19t-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cejeq-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="cejeq-0-0"><span data-text="true">But that's ultimately a nitpick, the game is fun as Hell otherwise, and the overall look and designs of the characters is great pixelated fun, especially the design for the Velocispider itself; it's design alone from when I saw it in </span></span><i><span class="_5zk7" data-offset-key="cejeq-1-0" spellcheck="false" start="234"><span data-offset-key="cejeq-1-0"><span data-text="true">Indie Pogo</span></span></span></i><span data-offset-key="cejeq-2-0"><span data-text="true"> was enough to make me look into the game, it's just a really cool/cute design! So yeah, another hardy recommendation from me, as far as mobile games go! </span></span><span class="_5zk7" data-offset-key="cejeq-11-0" spellcheck="false" start="453"><span data-offset-key="cejeq-11-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span></span></div>
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Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-26099277836726096322018-04-18T20:57:00.000-07:002018-04-18T20:57:07.843-07:00Mini-Review for Duke Dashington Remastered<div data-contents="true">
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<span data-offset-key="bbcd3-0-0"><span data-text="true">So after much deliberation (and sharing this game for those unaware of it), I finally downloaded <i>Duke Dashington Remastered</i> on my phone. It's a free download, though it comes with ads; you can remove the ads by paying $1.99, which I did almost immediately. Really, I'm the kind of person who'd rather pay for games upfront than either deal with ads or microtransactions.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="582jp-0-0"><span data-text="true">As for the game itself, it's pretty simple, honestly; you play the titular Duke Dashinton as he explores various temples to find the legendary treasures within. Thing is, the temples he goes into are always collapsing, so he has to dash his way through them, <i>Wario Land</i> style! Each temple is made up of several single-screen levels where you have 10 seconds to figure out how to progress to the next level. Your only options are to dash left, right, or up, each of which have their own corresponding button on-screen, and typically once you start dashing you won't stop until you either hit something or tap a different direction. It's basically rapid-fire puzzle-solving, in which you need to quickly figure out when and where you need to dash to, while avoiding traps and spikes along the way.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="6c4ho-0-0"><span data-text="true">As someone who does not play mobile games (unless they're from Nintendo, and even then I don't play them that often), playing such an action-oriented game that required me to think on my feet and actually focus on what I'm doing is quite the change of pace from what I'm used to out of games on my phone. Even <i>Super Mario Run</i> is pretty laid-back in terms of challenge; with this game, the pressure of clearing a room before the time runs out while trying to figure out what the gimmick of that room was gave me quite the rush. Not to worry, though; if you run out of time or mess up, you almost immediately start off on the same room you died on, and as far as I can tell, there's no lives system in play, so you can try again as many times as you want.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4glcl-0-0"><span data-text="true">I should probably note that I only know about this game through </span></span><i><span class="_5zk7" data-offset-key="4glcl-1-0" spellcheck="false" start="64"><span data-offset-key="4glcl-1-0"><span data-text="true">Indie Pogo</span></span></span></i><span data-offset-key="4glcl-2-0"><span data-text="true"> from </span></span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="4glcl-3-0" spellcheck="false" start="80"><span data-offset-key="4glcl-3-0"><span data-text="true">Lowe Bros. Studios</span></span></span><span data-offset-key="4glcl-4-0"><span data-text="true">, and the similarities to <i>Wario Land</i>, one of my favorite Nintendo series, is what really caught my attention. The fact that it was a mobile game made me hesitant to look into it, but finally getting it made me realize that beneath the swamp of freemium games littered with microtransactions and loot boxes that skimp out on content, there are wholly entertaining games that offer a decent challenge ad reasonable prices. I haven't looked that much into it, but I believe the game is available on iOS, Android, and Google Play, and for those who either play mobile games or are into a more traditional gaming experience from a mobile game, this one gets a hardy recommendation from me! </span></span><span class="_5zk7" data-offset-key="4glcl-13-0" spellcheck="false" start="851"><span data-offset-key="4glcl-13-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span></span></div>
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Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-68891523715515420632018-04-13T11:47:00.002-07:002018-04-13T11:47:25.447-07:00Quickie: Playtesting Indie Pogo with Lowe Bros. Studioes<div data-contents="true">
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<span data-offset-key="ctmda-0-0"><span data-text="true">I'm working on my next SSB Character Pick of the Day, it's taking longer due to having a particularly busy week, not to mention an even busier weekend ahead, but don't worry, it's still coming. Until then, I'm going to tell all of you something you need to know (if you like video games). </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ctmda-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ctmda-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="ctmda-0-0"><span data-text="true">I just spent an hour playing </span></span><i><span class="_5zk7" data-offset-key="ctmda-1-0" spellcheck="false" start="27"><span data-offset-key="ctmda-1-0"><span data-text="true">Indie Pogo</span></span></span></i><span data-offset-key="ctmda-2-0"><span data-text="true"> with the dev team </span></span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="ctmda-3-0" spellcheck="false" start="56"><span data-offset-key="ctmda-3-0"><span data-text="true">Lowe Bros. Studios, all while chatting with them on Discord</span></span></span><span data-offset-key="ctmda-4-0"><span data-text="true">! They're really great guys, and it's a REALLY fun game! I'm not even kidding, there's a lot more strategy to it than one would think, and each character has their own strengths and weaknesses to where one character plays completely different from any other, which is not something you'd expect from a fighting game where everyone auto hopes and there's one one attack button!</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4iom1-0-0"><span data-text="true">This game and these guys deserve more recognition. They got lucky having </span></span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="4iom1-1-0" spellcheck="false" start="74"><span data-offset-key="4iom1-1-0"><span data-text="true">GameXplain</span></span></span><span data-offset-key="4iom1-2-0"><span data-text="true"> play their game and promote their Kickstarter, and I REALLY hope it grows more of a following. Take it from someone who talked directly to them while playing against them, this game is a blast and everyone should check it out!</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="c18uk-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5esk8-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="5esk8-0-0"><span data-text="true">...Though I guess I ought to tell you where you can learn more. Here's their main website:</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="aoif4-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="http://www.indiepogo.com/" target="_blank">Indie Pogo</a></span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="aki1c-0-0">
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<span data-offset-key="a43ef-0-0"><span data-text="true">And their Kickstarter page:</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="e7gsa-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1642689247/indie-pogo" target="_blank">Indie Pogo by Lowe Bros. - Kickstarter</a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="aur9-0-0"><span data-text="true">Of course, you can always like them on Facebook</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="aur9-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LoweBrosStudios/" target="_blank">Lowe Bros. Studioes - Home</a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="aur9-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="aur9-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="aur9-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="aur9-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="aur9-0-0"><span data-text="true"><br />And go follow them on Twitter here:</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="cub9t-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="https://twitter.com/lowebros?lang=en" target="_blank">Lowe Bros. Studio (@LoweBros) | Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4ss84-0-0"><span data-text="true">Not sure if this counts as an endorsement or plug (not that I have anything to gain for this game getting popular other than being glad that it's succeeding), but regardless, <i>Indie Pogo</i> is definitely a game to look out for!</span></span></div>
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Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-44918690300719296392018-04-08T19:33:00.000-07:002018-04-08T20:18:45.466-07:00SSB Newcomer Pick of the Day #3: Marshal/Tibby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6wllK6Bxu3LsUXhIpjuML4kJuvNZdSs_Tr-ihgQzAjxnZLrZl0i5EfuSvemVgZqlSYTBfQ0uQhc7u5cxxPAOlWZpsZBnwBPTft9g9uyLTfbwLZCr9OjRSm6ltnn9pa0vlqDCni0I3jo/s1600/Marshal_Wii.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="635" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6wllK6Bxu3LsUXhIpjuML4kJuvNZdSs_Tr-ihgQzAjxnZLrZl0i5EfuSvemVgZqlSYTBfQ0uQhc7u5cxxPAOlWZpsZBnwBPTft9g9uyLTfbwLZCr9OjRSm6ltnn9pa0vlqDCni0I3jo/s320/Marshal_Wii.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowPO6rXFmwN5KG6lW0ieUyHAW6qYUTi2-MMyj7qRO5DmBi0Rbqy9WKnQp0nYi7Jc4q7ttbnZine8YJO1MKFbkmXpPuPK8BvD47G66D0FBHpGQ8R1aJd6y95xO8UlE69AblOzfmDMvxlI/s1600/Tibby-neutral.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="543" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowPO6rXFmwN5KG6lW0ieUyHAW6qYUTi2-MMyj7qRO5DmBi0Rbqy9WKnQp0nYi7Jc4q7ttbnZine8YJO1MKFbkmXpPuPK8BvD47G66D0FBHpGQ8R1aJd6y95xO8UlE69AblOzfmDMvxlI/s200/Tibby-neutral.png" width="171" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAx_1BzRzvdsWeZ59b9ee6IGEP_Iolwkuu8WATxN8swhngN6axjElnltH6461ResQsSdSsy9Cfk_UVxpiw3kDEmjXdR5GgD7Dsr6MBuM9TG2KziXej4Y0tqA2aJDTEpL21N6vncf4k7AU/s1600/Tibby-neutral.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Official artwork of Marshal (left) and Tibby (right).</i></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hello everyone, sorry this article took so long; free time to work on this was rather short with my schedule, not to mention this one took a bit more research than the other articles, but it's also one that I really wanted to get done and (hopefully) get done right! Before I get into that, though, I'd like to mention that my Isaac article ended up being more popular than my Ridley one! Once again, I greatly appreciate everyone who took the time to read it and give feedback! These articles are somewhat laborious but also a lot of fun to make! I also hope to shine the spotlight on a character or game series that could use more attention, or help inform people on not only the characters/games I'm talking about, but also what Masahiro Sakurai has stated as far as the <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> series goes. Hopefully, it'll clear up misconceptions and false statements attributed to him.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">In any case, this time we're going to do something a bit different. Not only is the character(s) in question from another underrated Nintendo series, but we're actually going to talk about two potential characters for the price of one (and maybe more)! It's Marshal and Tibby from the <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> series (known as <i>Rhythm Paradise</i> for all you Europeans out there), and I'm annoyed that I couldn't even out their images more here, but I did the best with what I know how! ...Uh, yeah, more info after the break. (and if anyone can help explain how to make these two images the same size and fit within the same space, I could definitely use the help)</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Who are they?</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before I get into the characters themselves, I think it's equally as important to answer one other question: what the heck is <i>Rhythm Heaven</i>? Well to answer that, it's time for another history lesson. I promise it won't be boring! ...Hopefully!</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Back before most of Nintendo's various software development divisions merged into one, now known as Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development (Nintendo EPD), one of the divisions was known as Nintendo Software Planning & Development (Nintendo SPD), which was made from the remnants of Nintendo Research & Development 1 (Nintendo R&D1). While Nintendo R&D1 was basically responsible for creating and developing most if not all of Nintendo's most beloved franchises and most successful hardware, the main thing you need to know here is that Nintendo R&D1, and eventually Nintendo SPD, would create and develop the <i>WarioWare</i> series. Why's that important? Well, it should help give you an idea of what you're in for when it comes to <i>Rhythm Heaven</i>.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The inception of <i>Rhythm Heaven</i>, or <i>Rhythm Tengoku</i> as it's called in Japan ("tengoku" basically meaning "heaven", "paradise" or the "Kingdom of Heaven"), came about w<span style="font-family: inherit;">hen Tsunku♂, a prolific Japanese vocalist, songwriter, and record producer, approached Nintendo about creating a rhythm game that did not require visual indicators to play. Now for those of you who've played any kind of rhythm game, like <i>PaRappa the Rapper</i>, <i>Dance Dance Revolution</i>, or <i>Guitar Hero</i>, it's likely that the game will show you what buttons you need to press or what actions you need to perform, usually done to the beat of whatever music is being played. Because of this, programmer and chief director of the first two games, Kazuyoshi Osawa, had concerns that people wouldn't enjoy it due to having a lack of true musical scores, as the mini-games within <i>Rhythm Tengoku</i> would have unique musical cues to indicate what you're supposed to do, and that the game might only appeal to a niche audience as a result. Despite this, the original <i>Rhythm Tengoku</i> for the Game Boy Advance (exclusive to Japan) was well-received, enough to warrant a sequel on the Nintendo DS, called <i>Rhythm Tengoku Gold</i>, which was the first installment to get a western release, where it got the name <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> in the Americas and <i>Rhythm Paradise</i> in Europe. Since then, the series got an installment on the Wii called <i>Rhythm Heaven Fever</i>/<i>Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise</i>, and a "best of" Nintendo 3DS installment called <i>Rhythm Heaven Megamix</i> (basically the same in Europe, just with <i>Paradise</i>).<br /><br />The actual games themselves are more like a collection of mini-games, each being divided into sets of 4 or 5. The structure typically goes like this: you play a mini-game, and you're ranked on how you did. If you get "Try Again", you have to, well, try again. If you get "OK", you get to continue. If you get "Superb", you'll get to continue AND you'll get a medal, which is used to unlock bonus features such as extra mini-games such as endless ones. Occasionally, you'll be issued the challenge of "going for a Perfect", in which you have to play the mini-game flawlessly. Doing so will get you a Perfect medal, which either unlocks extra information about the mini-game or make the mini-game's song available in the game's sound test. After a set of mini-games, they'll get mashed together in a "Remix" mini-game, which gives no tutorials and relies on what you've learned from the mini-games you just played and your sense of rhythm. Beating the remix unlocks the next set, and it continues until you've reached the final remix, which is usually all the mini-games mixed into one, and almost certainly the hardest or most challenging mini-game within the game. <i>Rhythm Heaven Megamix</i> does things a little differently by actually having a story that contextualizes the mini-games, though it's mostly a tongue-in-cheek thing and is otherwise the same basic thing as before.<br /><br />Explaining the appeal of this series is incredibly difficult, given that it's... well, weird. Like I said, anyone familiar with <i>WarioWare</i> will know what I mean, but there's this really off-the-wall, almost random feel to these games, all with a distinctly Japanese authenticity to them (as in, only Japan would come up with something as nutty as these games). Just to give some examples of what I'm getting at, this is a series that includes rhythm-based mini-games about...</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hitting baseballs shot out of a flower pot in a room floating in outer space</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shooting rods into moving squares in order to build "widgets"</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Having sentient tuning forks strike each other in order to fly a rocket through the clouds</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The ground, which is blue and has a face, shoots fruit shot out of pipes into basketball hoops</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Plucking hair off of onions, turnips, and potatoes</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A monk slaps his arm in order to shoot dumplings into his mouth</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A quartet of business pigs spin around in desk chairs</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A lumberjack bear (or wolf?) chops wood for cats with stretchy legs</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I think you get the idea now. If all of this sounds too bizarre, then this probably isn't the game series for you, but as someone whose played at least two of these games, I can safely say it's one of the most enjoyably fun games I've ever played! First of all, the games really showcase Tsunku♂'s desire to have the mini-games based entirely around musical cues or stuff you need to actually hear instead of see. It's possible to play most of the mini-games blind or with your eyes closed and still be able to do fairly well on a lot of them. Second, it's one of the few rhythm games I've seen to truly be all about rhythm and not memorization. A lot of rhythm games, particularly Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero, really emphasize pressing the right button at the right time, sometimes in rapid succession, but as the Rhythm Heaven games say upfront in their opening tutorials, it's all about going with the flow. Take for example the Nintendo DS Rhythm Heaven mini-game (and bane of my existence) Lockstep, which is all about tapping to the beat, then switching off-beat for certain sections of the game, then switching back on-beat. Trying to "muscle memory" your way through it will prove INCREDIBLY challenging as well as frustrating, especially if your going for a Perfect. Lastly, even though it's possible to play the game without actually looking at it, it's absolutely worth just watching the game because of how ridiculous the scenarios get, such as the ones I mentioned above! Not to mention, and maybe this is just me, but it's really satisfying when you nail something to the beat of a mini-game, much more so than doing the usual Simon Says, Quick-Time Events Button-Mashing stuff (not to disrespect other rhythm games, they're all great fun, though again, not quite as satisfying to play in comparison). The music's pretty great, too, some of which are even straight-up songs with lyrics. It's just a good time all around!<br /><br />So where to Marshal and Tibby come into this? Well much like the games themselves, their role in these games are a bit... strange. See, every Rhythm Heaven game has their own "mascot" character to call their own. The most consistent mascot is the Barista of the Café, called "Master" (マスター Masutā) in the Japanese versions, who is a white dog with headphones that gives tips and advice while also running a café in every game (though in the first three games it's ambiguous if the dog seen in those games is the same one who runs the café). The first game had the Drum Samurai, who is the first character you see in the game and also closes out the game. On top of that, the Drum Samurai explains the concept of the game while testing your sense of rhythm in order to prepare you for what the game has in store. This role of introducing the game in such a way would be picked up by other "mascots" in the series. When it comes to Rhythm Heaven on the DS, it's a little unclear who the mascot of that game is supposed to be; some say it's the girl from "Tap Trial", who is one of the first characters you see as she explains the concept of flicking the stylus for that game, others say it's the Bandleader from "Frog Hop", who fulfills the same role as the Drum Samurai in regards to teaching you the concept of Rhythm Heaven and closing out the game, still others associate the game with the Chorus Kids from "Glee Club", due to being on the cover of the game. Regardless, things got a little more consistent with Rhythm Heaven Fever, as the clear mascots of that game, as well as the characters who serve the same role as the Drum Samurai and the Bandleader, are a trio of characters called Cam (a tall blue guy with glasses, called Camrock or something-rather カモック in Japan), Miss Ribbon (a small pink lady who wears a big red ribbon, called Ribbon-chan リボンちゃん in Japan), and one of the subjects of this article, Marshal (small white dude with pink blushes and a cute cat mouth, called Matt in the PAL regions, known simply as Marsh マッシュ in Japan). They introduce you to the game with a "Rhythm Test" mini-game, and you can even play as Marshal in a remake of the Rhythm Tengoku game "Night Walk" during the end credits! Finally we come to Tibby, known as Tebiri テビリ in Japan, who's by far the most fleshed-out "mascot" listed so far. This is because Tibby is the main character of Rhythm Heaven Megamix's story and thus you end up spending a lot of time with him. The basic plot is that Tibby falls from the sky, and after introducing himself to the player, claims that he's from a place known as "Heaven World". The main goal of the game (at least at first, hint hint) is to help Tibby get back home, which apparently involves having a good "Flow" and beating the rhythm-based mini-games we've become accustomed to by this point. Overall, he's an adventurous and curious lad, who frequently admits to being a crybaby in the game. He'll occasionally give snarky remarks to the incredibly bizarre characters both you and he encounter over the course of the game, but it's ultimately a good kid at heart.<br /><br />And... Yeah, I'd say that about covers it when it comes to explaining what Rhythm Heaven is, as well as explaining who Marshal and Tibby are within those games, even though my summation of who specifically Marshal and Tibby are can be boiled down to a few sentences, whereas the majority of this section was dedicated to detailing the history and appeal of Rhythm Heaven. Yeah, it turns out that there isn't a whole lot to talk about in terms of their respective character, but you know what, just like with Isaac and Golden Sun, I hope to spread the word on this game series and why it's so great! But I guess I'm done with talking about Rhythm Heaven specifically; now it's time to move on to...</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="ja"><span lang="ja"><span lang="ja"><span lang="ja"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><u><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">How he'd/they'd play</span></span></span></u></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />In Super Smash Bros., that is! Although, before I get into how they'd look and play in the game, I'll answer a question some of you are probably asking the moment you saw this article: why two characters? Well... it's complicated. Not in the sense that how they'd play is complicated, I mean which one I'd rather have is complicated. I mean, I'd be ecstatic to see Rhythm Heaven character no matter what, but I wanted to go about it the way Masahiro Sakurai goes about including characters: giving a proper representation of who the character is as well as the game they're from. There are a lot of people who want the Chorus Kids because of the Gematsu leak (yeah, we'll talk about that later), but honestly, I feel that wouldn't do the series proper justice, and neither would Karate Joe from the "Karate Man" mini-games or the Wrestler from "Ringside" for that matter, despite also being popular characters from the Rhythm Heaven series. See, they're all from one specific mini-game in the series (or in Karate Joe's case, a series of mini-games), and even though they make cameos throughout the other mini-games as well as the main games, I feel like a character who isn't tied to just one game would represent the series as a whole better. Enter the mascots I mentioned in the previous section. For the longest time, I've wanted Marshal, mostly because he was from the then most-recent Rhythm Heaven game and was slightly more notable than Miss Ribbon and Cam. Not to mention, he kind of looked like a Chorus Kid, who was a popular choice at the time thanks to that aforementioned Gematsu leak, and I felt his basic-looking appearance would help lend himself to more mini-games, the same way Mr. Game & Watch's distinct yet nondescript appearance lent himself to a number of Game & Watch games that were incorporated into his moveset. But then Rhythm Heaven Megamix, and Marshal was no longer the most notable "mascot" of the series. And I'll be honest, while I'd be okay with Tibby getting in over Marshal, I still kind of prefer Marshal. I don't know, I just find his design more appealing in its simplicity overall, not to mention the similarity to the Chorus Kids just feels too perfect for me...<br /><br />But hey, how about a compromise? Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U really dived into the idea of separate characters being used as alternate skins/costumes, most notably in the form of male/female counterparts for Wii Fit Trainer, Robin, and Corrin, Alph for Olimar, and the seven Koopalings for Bowser Jr. What if, say, Tibby was the official character confirmed for the next Super Smash Bros. (or a future installment), but Marshal was an alternate skin for him? I mean, they're both relatively short characters with similar proportions, it wouldn't be that much of a stretch compared to how the Koopalings were resized to fit the same Clown Car. And hey, why stop there? Let's also throw in Miss Ribbon, Cam, the Drum Samurai, and even a Chorus Kid while we're at it, since again, they all have relatively similar body-types. Characters like the Bandleader and the Tap Trial Girl would be a bit more difficult due to how tall/lanky they are, but how about a monkey? Monkeys are quite prevalent in the Rhythm Heaven series, particularly in Fever! I would be SO down with a set-up like that!<br /><br />As for how they'd appear in Super Smash Bros., here's what I'd hope they'd do. You know how the WarioWare characters were presented as completely 2-dimensional with their trophies (even though Ashley, Kat, Ana and Wario himself are still 3D so why even include that extra detail, but that's beside the point)? Well, I think they should do the same thing for any Rhythm Heaven character they include! They basically did just that for the Rhythm Heaven trophies in both Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, not to mention the Spooky Spirit in the 3DS version's Smash Run. However, to make them stand out compared to Mr. Game & Watch, who similarly has a completely flat look to him, I'd say give them smoother animations. After all, the animations are pretty smooth in the Rhythm Heaven games themselves, as opposed to the more jerky movements of WarioWare (which Sakurai decided to incorporate with Wario in Super Smash Bros. Brawl even though he's been in plenty of games that aren't like that, but again, beside the point), and it would be pretty cool to behold, not to mention possibly easier for them to make and create separate skins for... I think. Again, not a designer myself, don't know how it works, but I legitimately think it would work better than having 3D models of all the characters, at least from an aesthetic standpoint.<br /><br />Now, how would Tibby/Marshal/whoever Sakurai includes from Rhythm Heaven fight? Well again, just like Mr. Game & Watch, I feel like their moveset should consist of attacks based on the various mini-games throughout the Rhythm Heaven series. In fact, a while back, someone made this little animation of how a Chorus Kid (or Chorus Man) would play in Super Smash Bros. Check it out (and whoever made this, please leave a comment so I can adequately credit you):</span><div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumVaojT2KU5uJqYCmJY9rJP4-qUy0xfQuZU_jrlUI__O-IHx7hzQgWaRSNmYxbjzRxWp4Epa_ocYOpwUMMKGF-ds5VghjrQrExVJ8BAydSCnBQPvM5WkutDQjkUrb2YUSQrIM9ioTIDM/s1600/ChorusManmovesetanimation.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumVaojT2KU5uJqYCmJY9rJP4-qUy0xfQuZU_jrlUI__O-IHx7hzQgWaRSNmYxbjzRxWp4Epa_ocYOpwUMMKGF-ds5VghjrQrExVJ8BAydSCnBQPvM5WkutDQjkUrb2YUSQrIM9ioTIDM/s320/ChorusManmovesetanimation.gif" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pretty dope, right? Although I think this was made before <i>Rhythm Heaven Megamix</i> was announced/released, since it doesn't incorporate anything from those games. On top of that, I have some things to add here. First and foremost, regardless of what mini-game is represented with each move, I feel like the most important thing that Marshal/Tibby/a <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> character should have in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> is a moveset that is based around, or at least encourages, good rhythm. Masahiro Sakurai always wants to make sure characters properly represent they games they're from, and to have a <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> character not utilize rhythm or keeping to a beat in any way would be like not having Kirby inhale and copy the abilities of his opponents or Link not having his sword; it's just a trait that's so obviously associated with the character that not having it would just be strange. That being said, I'm having a difficult time figuring out how it would be utilized. I was thinking that, with smash/charged attacks for example, there would be a window where you do more damage if you release at the right point as opposed to letting the attack be fully charged. Like in the games, there would be an audio cue letting you know when to execute this move, and it's up to the player to make sure you execute the move to that beat. But then again, would having an audio cue for so many of their attacks be really distracting for the other players? Not to mention, it would make things difficult playing as Marshal/Tibby/etc. in a competitive sense, seeing as experienced players can just anticipate when a move is going to be used thanks to the audio cue. So, I don't know about this one; I definitely want rhythm/keeping to a a beat to be a part of this character, but I'm not sure how to execute it. I also feel like the neutral attacks would be entirely based on the "Karate Man" games, like their standard combo would be the "Hit 3!" move from those games, their strong side attack would be a "Punch-Kick", and their side smash would be the barrage combo ending in an uppercut. Well, it makes sense to me anyway. Also, I'd like the Final Smash to incorporate "Moon Walk" in some way, it just feels like an ideal Final Smash, what with it being in 3 of the 4 games and it being used in the credits of <i>Final Smash</i>. Oh, but the neutral special move HAS to be the "AHHHHHHH!" from "Glee Club", as illustrated in the animation! I would LOVE to see what Kirby's copy version of that would look like! Those aside, I don't really have anything else to add, or any specific move ideas I want to see utilized.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And that about wraps it up for how I think Marshal or Tibby or whoever would look and behave in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>! Unlike the last two characters I went over, there are some pretty specific details I hope to see out of this character! It feels like I'm only setting myself up for disappointment by doing that, but I suppose I'd be willing to compromise, so long as I see some kind of <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> character playable. Whoops, I guess that's kind of a spoilers for the next section.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Do I Want This Character Playable and Why?</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">As if it really needs to be said by this point, after the two massive sections detailing some pretty thorough insight for the <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> series and what I expect to see out of a character from that series being included in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>..</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Obviously, I would LOVE to see someone from the <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> series playable!</b></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I mean, I picked out Marshal and Tibby because they're the most relevant choices, but personal preference aside, anyone from <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> would be a boon for me! Seriously, whether it be Marshal, Tibby, or even the Chorus Kids, the <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> series, just like <i>Golden Sun</i> from last time, deserves more love and recognition!</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's the thing about <i>Rhythm Heaven</i>: even though it's always had fairly decent popularity and sales in Japan, it's performance in the West, particularly in the Americas, as been... less than stellar. In fact, when it comes to <i>Rhythm Heaven Megamix</i>, when it was finally released in in North America, it was dropped in the middle of E3 2016 and was an eShop exclusive at that, whereas both Japan and even Europe got a physical release (although the release was much later in Europe). Not only that, you can definitely tell there was some corner-cutting in some places, such as the fact that any songs that weren't already in English didn't get a translation like in previous installments, and were in fact removed from the game entirely. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful we got the game at all, but I can't help but feel like the writing was on the wall in terms of Nintendo of America's faith in this franchise. And honestly, I don't blame them for being a little cynical about it; the games are really weird, and I also can't deny that <span style="font-family: inherit;">Kazuyoshi Osawa's fear that this series would only appeal to a niche audience aren't unfounded. But that's where the influence of <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> comes in!<br /><br />As discussed at length in my last article, <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> has the power to introduce players to new games they might not have known about before; among other feats, it helped bring <i>Fire Emblem</i> to the west, and elevated <i>EarthBound</i> into being the ultimate Nintendo cult classic, not to mention get Nintendo to (finally) release the original <i>MOTHER</i>, which had already been translated by them, as <i>EarthBound Beginnings</i>. With that in mind, the case I made for <i>Golden Sun</i> I also make for <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> here! In fact, dare I say, I'm almost a little more passionate about this than <i>Golden Sun</i>, because while I really like <i>Golden Sun</i> and want the series to get that fourth installment, I LOVE <i>Rhythm Heaven</i>, because gosh darn it, the game is just too much fun for it to be neglected like this! Every time I play it, a big, doofy grin pops onto my face, and I want everyone to be able to experience that feeling of pure joy! Besides, like I said, a <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> character would be inherently unique and bring something new to the roster that isn't already there, which is something Masahiro Sakurai is always looking out for when it comes to a new character!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So yeah, Marshal and/or Tibby (or whoever else, but I'm rooting for these two), definitely one of my most-wanted characters, within my top three easily! But despite how much I want them...</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Actual Odds of Newcomer's Appearance</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">What are the actual odds of a <i>Rhythm Heaven </i>character being playable?</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Actually, I'd say it's highly probable, though not an absolute certainty.</b></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some of you may be surprised that I think that way, or that I might be biased with this assertion, but I honestly don't think I am with this. To that end, let's look at <i>Rhythm Heaven</i>'s history in congruent with the history of <i>Super Smash Bros.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i>So, the first <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> game, <i>Rhythm Tengoku </i>for the Game Boy Advance, was released exclusively in Japan August 3, 2006. By that point, development for <i>Super Smash Bros. Brawl</i> was already underway, having already started development shortly after it's announcement at E3 2005. I bring this up because when it comes to characters in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, the roster is typically finalized before actually programming and developing the characters ever begins. Adding a character after the fact, such as Sonic the Hedgehog for that very game, is incredibly rare. That being said, Sakurai also tends to add characters from games that are about to be released or will have been released by the time the current <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> will be released (actually, Roy's game, <i>Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade</i>, got delayed and released AFTER <i>Super Smash Bros. Melee</i>, making the latter his debut game, but that's a unique case). In the case of <i>Super Smash Bros. Brawl</i>, a game that also released in 2006, <i>MOTHER 3</i>, got to have its protagonist, Lucas, included as a playable character! That being said, Lucas is another unique case in that he was intended to replace Ness in <i>Melee</i>, but since <i>MOTHER 3</i> was going through development hell, Ness remained. Heck, from what I recall, Sakurai was prepared to do the same for Lucas in <i>Brawl</i>, only deciding to bring back Ness later on once Sakurai released <i>MOTHER 3</i> didn't get a western release and didn't want to replace a character more widely known with one that was exclusive to Japan (supposedly, I'm having a hard time finding the source of this thing). But as for <i>Rhythm Tengoku</i>, well, it was a relatively minor game released on the GBA, and while a lot of GBA games got some attention through Assist Trophies, such as <i>Drill Dozer</i>, <i>Golden Sun</i>, and <i>Advance Wars</i>, <i>Rhythm Tengoku</i> got no such luck it seems...</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Flash forward to <i>Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS</i>/<i>Wii U</i>, <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> had gotten two more installments since then, and it seems Sakurai noticed! Not only did both versions get their own trophies (<i>3DS</i> got Karate Joe and the Chorus Kids, <i>Wii U</i> got Marshal, Cam, and Miss Ribbon and the Wrestler and Reporter), but the Sneaky Spirit even became an enemy encountered in the 3DS version's Smash Run! But there's more to this than what was actually in these games. <a href="http://sourcegaming.info/2015/01/26/smash-4-wii-u-data-discoveries/" target="_blank">If what was data-mined from the Wii U version is to be believed</a>, an emblem exists to represent the <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> series! Could there have been more <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> content planned for <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> than just trophies and an enemy? Could there have been a stage planned, a la the <i>Balloon Fight</i> or <i>Pilotwings</i> stages? Was Sakurai even considering a full-blown character early on? Unfortunately we don't know for sure, but from what evidence we can gleam, Sakurai is indeed aware of the <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> series and at some point intended to include more than what we got, possibly even a character. Who knows, maybe when the Nintendo Switch <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> comes around, he'll finally decide give a <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> character a chance to shine! That is, assuming a character was ever even planned in the first place, which I suppose is as good a segue as any to the infamous...</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Gematsu Leak</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">For those of you unaware, <a href="https://gematsu.com/" target="_blank">Gematsu</a> is is a video game news outlet that I'm willing to bet most people didn't even know about until the now infamous "leaks" started rising to prominence. Dating back to early 2013, Gematsu reporter Sal Romano received an e-mail from an anonymous source listing what newcomers will be in the then upcoming <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> games for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Finding this e-mail dubious at best, he jokingly posted this list on NeoGAF forums as an "unlikely prediction". Said characters listed were "<i>Animal Crossing</i> Guy", Mega Man, the female trainer from <i>Wii Fit</i>, Little Mac, Miis, and Pac-Man. Flash forward to E3 of that year, and the reveal that the Villager, Mega Man, and even Wii Fit Trainer would ALL be playable. Needless to say, this turned some heads, particularly the prediction of the Wii Fit Trainer.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of course, there were still questions of the legitimacy; while the leaker managed to accurately predict three of these characters, the other three were still unconfirmed at the time. Little Mac would eventually be confirmed via a February 2014 Nintendo Direct, though people were still unsure, given that Little Mac was already a popular choice, not to mention Rosalina was also confirmed inbetween reveals and the leak made no mention of her. People were starting to believe the leaker just made a few lucky guesses (even though I personally find it rather hard to believe anyone would have guessed that the trainer from <i>Wii Fit</i> would be playable in any capacity, even as a joke). Cut to April 8, 2014, where Nintendo would be hosting a <i>Smash Bros.</i>-themed Nintendo Direct. A mere hours before the Direct, Romano got a new e-mail, presumably from the very same leaker. In this e-mail, the leaker stated that Miis and Pac-Man were still playable, but also that Shulk from <i>Xenoblade Chronicles</i>, Palutena from <i>Kid Icarus: Uprising</i> (which tied into another rumor at the time), Chrom from <i>Fire Emblem Awakening</i>, the Chorus Kids from <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> (referred to their Japanese name, the "Chorus Men", in the leak, and now you know why the three of them specifically are such a popular choice), and an unknown Pokémon from <i>Pokémon X </i>&<i> Y</i> (referred to as "Pokemon from X/Y" in the leak). One Smash Direct later, and the only character that was confirmed was Greninja, who was indeed a Pokémon from <i>X</i>/<i>Y</i>. Unfortunately, this did little to confirm people's suspicions, given the incredible vagueness of the leaker describing the Pokémon. However, a random Tweet from Adam Howden, Shulk's English voice actor, definitely got people excited:</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/A_HOWDZ/status/468458294223581184" target="_blank">"Done some VO on several very exciting games so far this year. I'll tell you what they are when I know my balls won't be cut off for telling."</a></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sparks were flying as rampant speculation and debate over the legitimacy of these leaks continued! This brings us to a day before E3 2014, where Romano received yet another e-mail, again from this supposed leaker. This time, the leaker not only reaffirmed that all the characters he previously stated were all still playable, he also explicitly referred to Miis as "Mii Fighters" and Palutena as "Goddess Palutena". In addition, while the leaker didn't implicate that there would be other newcomers, they did say that there would be plans for post-launch DLC, and that there was an internal debate over whether Ness or Lucas would be cut from the roster, with the latter being "likely to get the cut". Come Nintendo's E3 Digital Press Event, Mii Fighters and Palutena would be confirmed, with Pac-Man getting confirmed later that day. Not only that, but during E3, where <i>Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS</i> was available for people to play, people took notice of the Sneaky Spirit within the Smash Run mode. This was notable due to the fact that, at the time, the only enemies in the game were either from series with characters representing them or from the Subspace Emissary from <i>Super Smash Bros. Brawl</i>, not to mention no other <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> content was revealed at that time. That being said, people still were incredulous about the leak. For one, the fact that Palutena was already rumored, due to screenshots of her on the 3DS version being leaked at some point (I don't recall exactly when but basically before the Smash Direct), not to mention Sakurai directed <i>Kid Icarus: Uprising</i> so it seemed natural for him to include a character from that game. On top of that, at E3, Sakurai explained why he included Greninja, and how at the time of development, not only was <i>Pokémon X </i>&<i> Y </i>not released yet, but Greninja didn't even have a name! While this does tie into the leak and make it technically correct, one has to wonder why they didn't outright say Greninja since his name had been known by the time the leaker gave away this information.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">These leaks would eventually come to an end on July 14, 2014, where Sakurai intended to debut another newcomer trailer on that day. A day beforehand, Romano received an e-mail from the leaker telling him "to enjoy Shulk". On the morning of the reveal, Romano got one last e-mail in which the leaker reaffirmed their certainty of Shulk being revealed:</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />"I only know what has been done, not what or when they will be made
available. Sakurai may change his mind, and he does all the time. Shulk
will not be changed."</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Then the reveal trailer played, and... the leaker was proven wrong. On multiple levels even. Not only was the reveal trailer NOT about Shulk, but rather Robin and Lucina, the trailer also confirmed that Chrom WASN'T playable, and instead he would be relegated to being part of Robin's Final Smash. Romano tried to e-mail the leaker, wanting an explanation, but sadly, he never heard from the leaker again.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So yeah, the Gematsu leak was how officially in shambles. Even though there eventually would be DLC for both Wii U and 3DS versions, and Ness was included over Lucas (though Lucas came back through DLC), all of that wouldn't have been known until after both games' initial release, which was long after the Gematsu leaks were relevant by any stretch of the imagination. As for Shulk, he would eventually be confirmed via the <a href="https://www.ssbwiki.com/ESRB_leak" target="_blank">ESRB leak</a> (then officially in August of 2014 through a Japan-exclusive Nintendo Direct), by that point no one cared about whether or not it lined up with the Gematsu leak because it was already proven to be false. Some have tried to justify why the leaker was wrong by saying it was a last-minute switch, but given that Robin and Lucina would be featured in an article in the Japanese magazine Famitsu not long after the reveal, and given that publishing a magazine takes a long time to do, that idea got debunked pretty quickly. Not only that, but in that very article in Famitsu, Sakurai stated that while he considered Chrom, he was always in favor of Robin, since he viewed Chrom as just another swordsman without much to differentiate him from either Marth or Ike. Of course, he THEN turns around and says Lucina was meant to be an alternate costume for Marth but for whatever reason decided to make her a separate character with incredibly minor difference to distinguish her from Marth, which made Sakurai look <i>incredibly</i> hypocritical, BUT, I stated I wasn't going to devolve into angry rants anymore so I'll stop there. Point is, from the looks of things, Chrom was never truly considered to be a playable character, at least not for any great stretch of time, crushing the credibility of the leaker with a thick "CRUNCH!"</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So what do I make of all of this and how it ties into <i>Rhythm Heaven</i>? Well, first of all, it was interesting going over the history of this leak and laying it all out here, but looking back, I have to say, I can't fully dismiss what this guy (or girl) said to Sal Romano and Gematsu. Yeah, they ended up being wrong about Chrom and the Chorus Kids, but to have gotten so many things right, particularly the Wii Fit Trainer and what the Miis would be named, I can't bring it in me to dismiss this completely. So here's how I see it: perhaps the leaker's information was old, or at the very least, outdated by the time they leaked it. Maybe they were no longer connected to Sakurai or the development team, but given what we know now, it seems like a lot of what they said is true depending on the time of which they obtained the information. If this was during the decision-making process, when the roster hadn't been finalized, it makes sense that ideas like Chrom or the Chorus Kids to have been considered at the time though dropped later on. The emblem I mentioned in the previous section could very well confirm this (emphasis on could). Not to mention, this also explains why the leaker didn't have a name for Greninja when they leaked it. Then again, you run into certain problems like why didn't the leaker update their information accordingly, especially since they were so certain that Shulk would be revealed on the day Robin and Lucina would be. Then there's that statement just before the reveal, about how "Sakurai may change his mind", and that, to me, sounds like the leaker covering their ass. It's statement like that the signals to me that they found out they might not be right this time and tried to make it seem like they were still legit, regardless of whether they were proven wrong or not. And when they WERE proven wrong, they just went silent, almost as if the writing was on the wall.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">To this day, the Gematsu leak would play a memorable role in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> speculation. It serves as a cautionary tale to those who believe whatever rumors they hear, and teaches us all to keep things in perspective and always be hesitant. Even though we now know what was and wasn't true, there are still those who try to take advantage of what little we know at the time, and as such, we must remain on alert for the truth of it all! That being said, the leak did end up bolstering support for certain characters, even from those who weren't specifically fans of the games the characters were from. In fact, dare I say, it's because of this leak that I wanted a <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> character in the first place. Hell, I even got my first <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> game, <i>Fever</i>, as a result of wanting to know more about the series, so in a way, I have this questionable leak to thank for introducing me to one of my favorite Nintendo series! Regardless, at the very least, this whole thing probably brought Gematsu more attention than they ever did! Actually... what if Sal Romano made this all up in order to draw in more traffic for the site?! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl8sORIPjAM" target="_blank">Illuminati confirmed.</a></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Final Thoughts</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well regardless of the legitimacy of the Gematsu leak, the fact remains that <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> is a highly underrated series, and that Masahiro Sakurai is indeed aware of it enough to give it further consideration. While I would like any <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> character to be playable by this point, my hopes are still for Marshal to be playable, with Tibby as an adequate compromise. There's just so much fun and potential to be had with a <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> character that it'd be a shame to give it a pass just because it isn't AS popular as certain other Nintendo franchises. Heck, even then, like I said for <i>Golden Sun</i>, <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> is a great advertisement for Nintendo's own work! So until the day when <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> is properly represented in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, I'm going to keep to the beat, maybe even go for a Perfect, but most important of all, have fun along the way!</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">That's it for this article! This ended up being more about <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> as a whole than about Marshal or Tibby specifically, but again, I feel more people should know about this series and what it's about. Consider this article an endorsement for <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> as a whole than one for any specific character (though again, I'd really prefer Marshal over the others, but that alternate skin idea is also too good to pass up). Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this, and for being patient with this one. Again, this took longer then I expected, I think I might do these about one a week or so, depending on the character, not that I expect anyone out there to be waiting in baited breath for when the next "SSB Character Pick of the Day" will be. Still, for those interested, I'll try to keep everyone updated whenever I can. As for what character I'll cover next, well... I guess you could say, I'm gonna get Jiggy with it! ;)</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Until then, have a great one!</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-14439032616640074712018-04-02T21:46:00.000-07:002018-04-03T21:48:25.145-07:00SSB Newcomer Pick of the Day #2: Isaac<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVOLSWAeCG-2YrE5Lkc7IVvhU6H4sp3BG61fSdRWTu1fW-SU33pPsNJaqR4ElxJXrQBgm9_BWl_jFKU3wDN7yAqyrYhaZnZRp85PBLqxzhXfYHIlARSZVsNEeXwaJ0K9HB9Q8lfWxj_o/s1600/Isaac-Smashified.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1501" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVOLSWAeCG-2YrE5Lkc7IVvhU6H4sp3BG61fSdRWTu1fW-SU33pPsNJaqR4ElxJXrQBgm9_BWl_jFKU3wDN7yAqyrYhaZnZRp85PBLqxzhXfYHIlARSZVsNEeXwaJ0K9HB9Q8lfWxj_o/s400/Isaac-Smashified.png" width="399" /></a></div>
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<i><a href="https://colossalcake.deviantart.com/art/Isaac-Smashified-555060132" target="_blank">Smashified Isaac made by colossalcake (Andrew Coleman)</a></i></div>
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Well I said I'd make this a series, which means there has to be more than one, right? Got quite a bit of feedback on my Ridley post, which by the way, thank you to everyone who read the whole thing and providing said feedback! I'm glad it got the reception it did! Two main things I got criticized for were the whole "Ganondorf is based on Sakurai's father" thing (it's fake, should have been obvious to me honestly) and my ranty tone when trying to argue against Sakurai's points. Rest assured, I've taken all legitimate criticism into account and will keep it in mind with future characters I cover. From now on, I'll be sure to verify the validity and accuracy of my sources and I'll try to keep a more neutral tone with what I'm talking about. After all, there are more than enough false accusations and angry blogs on the Internet; even though my feelings in my Ridley blog were genuine and I wanted to be sincere with it, I think we can all agree to stay classy with this stuff so that we all have a better time here.<br />
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But all that's in the past, it's time now for our second <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> potential newcomer! This time, it's Isaac from the <i>Golden Sun</i> series! Go beyond the break to see my break-down!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u>Who is he?</u></span></div>
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If you've been hanging around the <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> community for some time, you might have heard this guy's name pop up once or twice among people's "most-wanted" character lists. Heck, you might even recall that he was once an Assist Trophy in <i>Super Smash Bros. Brawl</i>. But who is this Isaac person, and why do people want him so badly? Well worry not, readers, I'm here to educate ya! That's kind of what this section is for, though unlike Ridley, who's kind of infamous among the <i>Smash</i> community at this point, Isaac's a bit more low-key, so I feel some introduction is in order.<br />
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Our story begins with a company now known as Camelot, either Camelot Co. Ltd. or Camelot Software Planning, doesn't really matter for this. Once upon a time, they were a division of Sega, where they were called Sega CD4 and then Sonic! Software Planning, and were best known for producing the <i>Shining</i> JRPG series, most notably <i>Shining Force</i>. It was during the production of <i>Shining Force III</i> that they started calling themselves Camelot, and were in a bit of trouble since Sega was now focusing more on the Dreamcast than Sega Saturn games like <i>Shining Force III</i>. Thankfully, they managed to finish the game, but decided to cut ties with Sega and pursued a partnership with Nintendo, one that has lasted to this very day! Under Nintendo, they became known for producing the <i>Mario Golf</i> and <i>Mario Tennis</i> series of games (and perhaps, most infamously, creating the character of Waluigi); a new installment of the latter, <i>Mario Tennis Aces</i>, is in fact coming this June! I actually did a blot post about that, but that's neither here nor there.<br />
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What is strange, though, is that a company known for making JRPGs for Sega would be relegated to making sports games for Nintendo, even if some of the <i>Mario Tennis</i>/<i>Mario Golf </i>games have RPG elements to them. Enter <i>Golden Sun</i>, a labor of love made by Camelot using the experience they've built up over the years making the <i>Shining </i>series! The game took 12 to 18 months to make, and was originally intended to be a single game for the Nintendo 64, however when it became clear that the Nintendo GameCube was on it's way, they moved production to the Game Boy Advance, and when it came to light that hardware limitations on the GBA couldn't handle the scope of the game they were making, they split the one game into two, the first, simply titled <i>Golden Sun</i>, released in Japan August 1, 2001, and it's "sequel", <i>Golden Sun: The Lost Age</i>, released in Japan June 28, 2002. The success and critical acclaim both games received sparked talk of a third installment, something Camelot toyed around with for years without giving anything concrete, until Nintendo finally announced at E3 2009 that a third installment was coming during the 2010 holiday season, and at E3 the following year, it got an official name in the form of <i>Golden Sun: Dark Dawn</i>, and was released in Japan October 28, 2010.<br />
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At the center of it all was a young man named Isaac (called Robin ロビン in Japan), the main protagonist of the first <i>Golden Sun</i>, a major playable character in <i>The Lost Age</i>, and basically the main character of the whole <i>Golden Sun </i>series. So... okay, this section is already getting overly long as it is, so I'll try to condense as much of the background and plot for these games as I can while sticking to Isaac's role in them: the games take place in a world known as Weyard, and within this world, there exists a power known as Psynergy, a type of alchemy that allows people to control the elements. There are Four main types of Psynery that revolve around the Four Elements of Nature: Venus, which revolves around manipulation of plants and earth, Mars, which revolves around control of fire, heat, and lava, Jupiter, which is based on powers of wind, lightning, and the mind, and Mercury, which concerns the control of water, ice, and healing. Other types exist, but they're not revealed until the third game. When it comes to Isaac, he is what's known as a Venus Adept, an Adept being a person who can use Psynergy. Therefore, his powers are based around Earth and plants, though with the help of elemental creatures known as Djinn, he can perform other kinds of Psynergy. <br />
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When it comes to Isaac himself, well... Actually, I'm concerned about potential spoilers for those who haven't played the <i>Golden Sun</i> games, but if I come across something particularly spoilery, I'll just white it out and leave you to fill in the blanks, how's that? Anyway, Isaac comes from Angara, the northern central landmass of Weyard; more specifically, he comes from the village of Vale, set at the foot of Mt. Aleph, where it is said all alchemy originates from. After a fateful stormy evening involving <span style="color: white;">the apparent death of his father, Kyle<span style="color: black;">, he dedicates himself to learning Venus Psynery. Three years later, Isaac, along with his friends Garet and Jenna, the latter of whom seemingly lost her entire family including her brother Felix, along with their elderly scholar friend Kraden, approached Mt. Aleph with the intent of exploring the Sol Sanctum, a man-made complex said to lead to the Elemental Star Chamber, which... you know what, this is starting to get complicated, as most RPGs do, so long story short, bad guys show up, Felix is still alive, Isaac and Garet get separated from Kraden and Jenna, some big stuff happens, Isaac and Garet leave their hometown to go on a journey to save the world. Along the way, they befriend Ivan, a Jupiter Adept, and Mia, a Mercury Adept (Garet is a Mars Adept, by the way), and the four of them discover many secrets about alchemy and the world they live in on their quest...</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>Funnily enough, in the first <i>Golden Sun</i>, Isaac is a silent protagonist, but in <i>Golden Sun: The Lost Age</i>, Felix becomes the silent protagonist, while Isaac starts talking. It's kind of like what they do in <i>MOTHER 3</i>, only it's between just two characters over the course of two games instead of multiple characters in one game. In <i>Golden Sun: Dark Dawn</i>, thirty years have passed and Isaac now sports a nice beard and a haircut, in addition to growing quite a bit and gaining a blue trench coat. In this game, Isaac's 16-year-old son Matthew is now the silent protagonist du jour, and Isaac even passes on his signature yellow scarf to him, though that ultimately means people confuse Matthew for his father now. To say anymore would definitely get into spoilers, and this section is overly long as is; besides, I think you all get the idea of who Isaac is by this point, so let's move on.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u>How He'd Play</u></span></div>
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This part usually gets really tricky for me, since as I've stated multiple times, I'm not a game designer or expert on fighting games, but thankfully when it comes to Isaac, this part will be really easy, because the work of figuring out how Isaac would play has already been done for me!<br />
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See, there's this fella on YouTube who goes by the name <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6r7FHWxeu5_DB1OTzLhGTg" target="_blank">Delzethin</a>, who's best known for doing REALLY good videos about speculating how characters who play in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, right down to their stats, play-style, special moves, etc. He does REALLY good work, and you should absolutely check him out; he doesn't get the recognition I feel he deserves and can use all the support he can get! In any case, one of the characters he did was Isaac, which you can watch here:<br />
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He even gives an introduction to Isaac that's more to the point then the nonsense I wrote, but whatever... In either case, he offers up some cool ideas, from using a longsword to the way in which Isaac uses Psynergy for his attacks. If there IS one thing I'd add to this, it's something that I don't think is a very popular idea among those who want to see Isaac in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, but I'll just go ahead and say it anyway: I wouldn't mind seeing adult Isaac from <i>Golden Sun: Dark Dawn</i> playable instead of his teenage self. The way I see it, <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> typically uses the most recent incarnation of a given character as the basis for how they play and behave in <i>Smash</i>, not to mention I feel that, much like <i>Dark Dawn</i> itself, adult Isaac's kind of underrated. Then again, Isaac's teenage incarnation from the first two <i>Golden Sun</i> games is more iconic by this point, not to mention, like Delzethin pointed out, it would help make his son Matthew from <i>Dark Dawn</i> a good alternate costume, a la Alph to Olimar. So I guess I'd be cool either way. Other than that, Delzethin's ideas are what I'd go with when it comes to how Isaac would play in <i>Smash Bros.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u>Do I want this character playable and why?</u></span><br />
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Once again, I hope to get to a point where a character I cover in these blogs is someone I don't want all that badly or someone I'm indifferent to... Until then, when it comes to Isaac being playable, I say...<br />
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<b>Absolutely!</b><br />
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As for why, well as a matter of fact, there's another video I can share that pretty much sums it it up better than I ever could, and like Delzethin, it's another underrated YouTuber that could really use your support. His name is Ryan, and while he's gone by numerous names before, it seems he's settled on calling his YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRyanSucksAtGames/videos" target="_blank">Ryrule</a>, and I'm not going to lie, the very first video of his I saw is the video that convinced me Isaac should be playable! I'll share it with you guys, but keep in mind, this video was made a few years ago and the quality of it, particularly the live action bits, are pretty bad in places, but just listen to what he has to say on the matter.<br />
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While I don't necessarily agree with everything he has to say (I have no problem with the amount of <i>Mario</i> or <i>Pokémon</i> characters in the game, considering they're the biggest Nintendo franchises, if anything I wonder why <i>The Legend of Zelda</i> doesn't have equally as many characters, but that's just me), and I realize some of the things in this video are a bit dated now (it WAS made back in 2015), but otherwise he makes some strong points, about what Isaac could bring to the table, about representing a part of Nintendo's history that's underrepresented, and in particular, what Isaac's inclusion can do for the <i>Golden Sun</i> series. In fact, what <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> can do for Nintendo series' like <i>Golden Sun</i> is something I'd like to touch on, but before we get into that...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Actual Odds of Newcomer's Appearance</u></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">What do I think of Isaac's actual chances of being playable in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>?</span></span></span><br />
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<b>The way I see it, his chances diminish with each passing day, though there IS a chance!</b><br />
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<i>Super Smash Bros.</i> series director Masahiro Sakurai has a column he does with the Japanese magazine Famitsu, and in one particular issue, translated here on Source Gaming:<br />
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<a href="http://sourcegaming.info/2015/07/09/i-answer-some-questions-sakurai-famitsu-column-vol-461-464/" target="_blank">“I Answer Some Questions” Sakurai Famitsu column vol. 461-464, on Ice Climbers, clones, and Smash Run - Source Gaming</a></div>
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He talked about why certain characters weren't in <i>Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS</i>/<i>Wii U</i>. He mostly talks about this with regards to the Ice Climbers and the technical difficulties he had when trying to make them work on the Nintendo 3DS, but he said something that could also apply to Isaac as well as many other Nintendo franchises:<br />
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<i>"Also, characters and series that have no plans for future releases, or a
low possibility of future releases, inevitably will be considered lower
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That, coupled with this quote from Sakurai's <a href="http://sourcegaming.info/2015/12/13/sakurai-fe25/" target="_blank">interview from the <i>Making of Fire Emblem: 25 Years of Development Secrets</i></a>:</div>
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<i>"<span style="font-weight: 400;">Industry trends around the time when development begins is a pretty big factor. I started development on </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smash for 3DS/ Wii U</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> right after I’d wrapped up </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kid Icarus: Uprising</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fire Emblem Awakening</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <i>was released one month after </i></span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Uprising</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><i>.
So what’s popular around the time when I begin designing the game is
important. Characters are almost never added after I’ve completed the
project plan for</i> </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smash</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">."</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Suggests to me that relevance means everything when it comes to a character's inclusion... with the exception of deliberately retro characters like Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B., and Duck Hunt, as well as some third-party characters.<br /><br />So what's Isaac got to do with this? Well think about it: the last <i>Golden Sun</i> game, <i>Dark Dawn</i>, was released for the Nintendo DS back in 2010. Despite it's mostly positive reviews, they were nowhere near as glowing as the original two Game Boy Advance titles, and even worse, the sales for that game were lackluster. I'm having a hard time finding exact numbers, but from what I can tell, <i>Dark Dawn</i> sold just over 700,000 units, while the first game managed to sell over 1 million units. Granted, to some that might not seem so bad, but to put things another way, by January 2012 in Japan, <i>Dark Dawn</i> sold a mere 80,000 copies, while the first <i>Golden Sun</i> managed to break 330,000 in Japan. Now it's actually rather surprising to see a JRPG (Japanese role-playing game for those unaware) do so well in the West compared to Japan, but then again, as stated in my Ridley blog, Nintendo has a nasty habit of not seeing outside of it's Japanese borders sometimes (not to mention, Nintendo of America tends to do a crappy job at promoting games that aren't <i>Mario</i> or </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><i>Pokémon</i>, but that's another discussion for another time).<br /><br />Ultimately, what I'm getting at is, because of the low reception of <i>Dark Dawn</i>, the <i>Golden Sun</i> series seems to have been put on the shelf, leaving Camelot to just work on <i>Mario Golf</i> and <i>Mario Tennis</i> from now on, and because <i>Golden Sun</i> wasn't as popular at the time of development for <i>Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS</i>/<i>Wii U</i>, and because the series didn't seem to be continuing anytime soon, Isaac and any other potential <i>Golden Sun</i> character was passed over. And it seems like things haven't changed much since then; there's no word of a fourth <i>Golden Sun</i> game in development, and Nintendo doesn't really seem to be acknowledging the series in any way, shape, or form these days. As such, the longer things go on like this, the more unlikely it seems Isaac will ever be playable in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>But like I said, there IS a chance, and that brings me to this other unique segment I call:</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><u>Fighter Ballot & What <i>Smash</i> Can Do to a Series</u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">If you watched both of the videos I embedded into this blog post, you'll notice that the key thing both Delzethin and Ryan mention in their videos is the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot. Remember that? Shortly after they announced when Mewtwo and Lucas were going to be available for purchase in <i>Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS</i>/<i>Wii U</i>, Nintendo also announced that players would get to vote for who they would like to see playable either as DLC or future <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> games! It was an amazing idea... that got out of hand pretty quickly. And after it was announced Bayonetta was the winner almost a year later, people were outraged, going so far as to say Sakurai was biased with his pick, that Bayonetta wasn't the REAL winner, or even going so far as to say the whole ballot was a hoax and the so-called "winner" was already decided by that point.<br /><br />Personally, I'm not THAT cynical about it. Though I was kind of disappointed that Bayonetta "won" the ballot (or that she was the only one influenced by the ballot in that game), I can still believe that she won the ballot, or that she had enough silent majority voters to be near the top at least. Personally, I'd go with Delzethin's view on things, that there might have been other characters that got more votes than Bayonetta, but they might have been impractical (either at the time or just in general) and Bayonetta was one of the more popular choices that they could work with. And besides, I refuse to believe that someone as ridged and old-fashioned as Nintendo would set something like that up purely as a joke with no intention to use it in the long-term. After all, the ballot DID say choices from that ballot would be used for consideration in not only future <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> games, but future Nintendo games in general!<br /><br />So what does this mean for Isaac and <i>Golden Sun</i>? Well, as I've stated towards the beginning of this blog, Isaac is a fairly popular choice among many potential newcomers, so it could go without saying that he'd at least have a strong standing within the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot in some parts of the world. Of course, since they never released the results for the ballot, we can only guess as to how popular he was, and therefore can only hope he was high enough on it to be considered this time around. But I think there's another aspect to all this that I feel the developers of <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, particularly Sakurai himself, are overlooking, and it's something Ryan stated in his video: it's how much of an effect <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> can have on a Nintendo series.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span>As stated above, Sakurai tends to go with popular games/trends at the time, and stated that games that don't have anything new announced or planned at the time get a lower priority, at least when it comes to the characters represented in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> I find that rather interesting, considering how many characters ridgedly stick to their Nintendo 64 or <i>Melee</i> movesets no matter how dated that may seem, but I suppose that's fair when it comes to not wanting to alienate veteran <i>Smash</i> players. Regardless, I totally get the idea of using the latest of what Nintendo has to offer at the time, but I can't help but feel like in trying to keep to only what's relevant (not just with characters, but even the trophy selection in some cases), he's overlooking just how popular <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> is and how getting a mention, a trophy, an Assist Trophy, even a full-blown character inclusion can do for a series as a result, and how it will ultimately benefit Nintendo in the long run. Ryan already mentioned the effect <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> had with <i>Fire Emblem</i>, <i>Kid Icarus</i>, <i>EarthBound</i>, and even <i>Ice Climber</i> to an extent, but I'll go one step further and say it's thanks to Saki Amamiya from <i>Sin & Punishment</i>, Stafy (now Starfy) from <i>The Legendary Starfy</i>, and Little Mac from <i>Punch-Out!!</i> being Assist Trophies in <i>Super Smash Bros. Brawl</i> that we managed to get new installments in all three of those games, particularly notable in <i>Sin & Punishment</i> and <i>Starfy</i>'s case since their respective games were Japan exclusive up until that point. Heck, Little Mac even made the jump to being full-on playable in the next installment! It's this beautiful self-serving cycle of celebrating Nintendo's past, shining a spotlight on games that were underappreciated for their time, Nintendo deciding to revisit said games thanks to their newfound popularity, and the newer games of that series getting represented further in new <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> installments!<br />
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Granted, this doesn't always happen; Ray from <i>Custom Robo</i> and Jill from <i>Drill Dozer</i> also got Assist Trophies in <i>Brawl</i> and neither game/series has seen the light of day since. Same goes for <i>Advance Wars</i>, even after the Tanks and Infantry sprites were used in both <i>Brawl</i> and the 3DS/Wii U installments. Still, when it comes to <i>Golden Sun</i> in particular, including Isaac as a playable character is a move that can only do good, both for Nintendo and the series as a whole... because seriously, we can't have a cliffhanger be where the series ends, that's just not cool!<br />
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Isaac isn't a choice I'm as passionate about as Ridley, though that might be because Isaac isn't a meme and doesn't have a lot of controversy about him, not to mention <i>Golden Sun</i> hasn't reached <i>Metroid </i>levels of being a classic Nintendo series that's been criminally mishandled for quite some time. Nevertheless, I feel very strongly that Isaac should be a playable character in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> for the Nintendo Switch. He'd be a unique fighter, <i>despite</i> being "just another sword-user", he's from a series that could use more love (and a new installment, but lets not get ahead of ourselves), he's a fairly popular choice among <i>Super Smash Bros. </i>fans, AND he has a history of being in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, being an Assist Trophy in <i>Brawl</i> and whatnot. I don't know if Sakurai ever actually played any of the <i>Golden Sun</i> games, though he's at least aware of them to have acknowledged Isaac at all, though I have to wonder if he'll give the games another look if Isaac did end up ranking highly on the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot. Isaac from <i>Golden Sun</i> is my second most-wanted newcomer for good reason, and I hope what I've said will inspire those to give the <i>Golden Sun</i> games a look, maybe even help with Isaac's <i>Smash Bros.</i> efforts, or even <i>Golden Sun 4</i> at last! ...Eh, not likely. But it's worth a shot!<br />
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And that concludes another SSB Newcomer Pick of the Day blog post! I'm going to have to think of a new name for this series at the rate I'm going... Anyway, stay tuned for my next article, because it's about a character (or characters) from another series that could use more love! See you then! </div>
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Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-76589539993128967502018-03-31T14:04:00.001-07:002018-04-03T21:48:10.566-07:00SSB Newcomer Pick of the Day #1: Ridley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-2_IU9StT0fx5wvEepb43WZTH8ISXuWaTikw-vb5cvlGdWKigeAysCZo9IQh2TBT9rRVU8nTS2NQUJlewbuj_2AmgEIuZLNJtEZfvJQzLi2feRDouBchXlZbU6VOYdHoVOMeooW0GXE/s1600/Ridley-Smashified.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="509" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-2_IU9StT0fx5wvEepb43WZTH8ISXuWaTikw-vb5cvlGdWKigeAysCZo9IQh2TBT9rRVU8nTS2NQUJlewbuj_2AmgEIuZLNJtEZfvJQzLi2feRDouBchXlZbU6VOYdHoVOMeooW0GXE/s400/Ridley-Smashified.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://zesiul.deviantart.com/art/Ridley-Smashified-635618132" target="_blank">Smashified Ridley made by Zesuil (Chris Szczesuil)</a></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hello all, and welcome to the first in a series I hope to keep going for some time, or at least until the new <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> comes out. I'm going to be listing a whole bunch of Nintendo characters (as well as other third-party video game characters) and talking about them in a would-be analyst way in terms of who they are, how they'd play, and their chances of being playable in <i>Smash Bros.</i>! I'm not going to pretend that I know what I'm doing, or that I did any research going into this; most of this stuff I'm just winging and based off of knowledge I've accumulated from this or that resource over the years. Hopefully you'll be interested enough to hear what I have to say, though.<br /><br />For our first character, we're going to start things off in a BIG way (though I am LOATHED to use that word when talking about him): it's Ridley from the <i>Metroid</i> series! See my ramblings after the break!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><u>Who is he?</u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Samus Aran, protagonist of the <i>Metroid</i> series of video games, is a bounty hunter renowned throughout the galaxy for her extreme hunting prowess and saving said galaxy on multiple occasions, but she honestly wouldn't have been that way without a certain purple pterodactyl-dragon. It is said that every great hero needs a villain; Mario has Bowser, Link has Ganon/Ganondorf, etc., but Ridley goes one step beyond that. Within the <i>Metroid</i> universe, Ridley is a high-ranking commander of the space pirates, and though he might not be the leader of the pirates (sort of, some games/sources says he is, others say it's Mother Brain), the role he plays both in the <i>Metroid</i> series and in Samus's origins cannot be understated. When Samus was a young girl living with her parents in the Galactic Federation colony K-2L, Ridley led a violent raid on the colony in order to obtain a valuable fuel called "alforaltite", and it was here he first encountered Samus. The young Samus tried to be friendly with Ridley at first, not fully realizing who he was, but after some hesitation, Ridley attacked, and Samus narrowly survived after her mother intervened. In the end, both of Samus's parents were killed, which resulted in her leaving her home colony and meeting the Old Bird of the Chozo tribe, which would ultimately lead to her obtaining her Power Suit and becoming the bounty hunter she is today. So basically, Ridley unintentionally created his own worst enemy (nice going, bud)!<br /><br />And enemies Samus and Ridley would be for every one of their encounters since, which is a lot! It's safe to say that Ridley is just as synonymous with the <i>Metroid</i> franchise as the Metroids and Samus herself, as Ridley has appeared in just about ever <i>Metroid</i> game in the series, with the exceptions being <i>Metroid II: Return of Samus</i> for the Game Boy and <i>Metroid Prime 2: Echoes</i> for the GameCube. Some would say this is a detriment, since the series frequently has some rather roundabout ways of trying to fit Ridley into a game's narrative, to the point where in <i>Metroid: Other M</i>, the "Ridley" that appeared there wasn't even the true Ridley, but rather a clone of him (made just because some scientists thought it'd be funny, basically) that had zero connection to Samus other than the apparent trauma seeing Ridley again causes her, even though that would have been, like, the fifth time she's encountered him so why is she freaking out now when she sees him and-OKAY, I'm getting off topic here. Point is, Ridley has a vital place and role within the <i>Metroid</i> series.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">How he'd play</span></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm still trying to plan out how I'm going to order these sections, but basically going in, I'm going to act like there is a chance that a character can be playable and thus think of how they'd behave if they were to be included, before I talk about if I want them playable and their actual odds. When it comes to this section, though, let me just say some things upfront: I'm no game designer, or character designer, I barely have a basic understanding of how fighting games, hitboxes, movement frames, etc. work, and I'm not the best at thinking up entire movesets for every character I want. That being said, if I'm going to go around saying this or that character should be in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, I'd better at least have a good idea of what I either want or expect out of said inclusion, so at least people don't say I completely don't know what I'm talking about.<br /><br />In the case of Ridley, well, a moveset might not be entirely obvious for him at first, since he doesn't appear to have many signature moves, or rather, moves that only he would pull off. That's not a complete deal-breaker by any means, since there are plenty of characters in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> who have moves created entirely for the game that aren't even hinted or referenced in their original series up until that point (hell-O, Falcon Punch!), but that does beg the question, what <i>can</i> Ridley do? Well, as far as I can tell, Ridley has 6 notable features: his claws, his talon-like feet, his long, pointed tail, his wings, his sharp teeth, and his fire breath, so it'd make sense to utilize all these features, right? Some of these features are shared by other characters such as Bowser and Charizard, and a few people even go so far as to say Ridley shouldn't be playable because he'd be redundant as a result. I disagree for a few reasons. For one, having similar features hasn't stopped about a dozen other characters from being playable, and that's not even including moveset clones. For another, it's not the features of a character, it's how they're used. When it comes to Bowser and Charizard, the key thing defining their attacks is that they're blunt, hit hard, and are all about how powerful they are respectively. While some would think that due to Ridley's typically depicted size (WHICH WE WILL GET TO, that can of worms deserves it's own section), some would think that's the same case with Ridley, but I see things differently. For those of you who don't know, Ridley is frequently known as the "Cunning God of Death", which to me means he doesn't necessarily have to be overwhelmingly powerful, just brutal and deadly with how he attacks. There's also the "cunning" aspect of his epithet, which to me translates not to the wild, straight-forward punches, kicks, claw swipes, and headbutts of Bowser and Charizard, but something more nuanced, even straight-up sneaky. I'm not completely sure about how this would be conveyed in terms of a <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> moveset, but I'd say it's a good place to start as well as something to keep in mind when thinking about how he'd play.<br /><br />Here's another idea to throw out there, just because series director Masahiro Sakurai loves to make his characters unique from each other (for the most part); this is actually something that's been floating around the "pro-Ridley" scene for a while now, but basically, the idea is that Ridley should either be in continuous flight (while still susceptible to gravity) or that Ridley is stronger and has better kill options will in the air than on ground, kind of like an anti-Little Mac. It's a neat idea, one I kind of hope they go with if and when they ever do make Ridley playable, considering the majority of the Ridley fights in the <i>Metroid</i> series have Ridley in mid-flight as he's fighting. But regardless of how he'd fight, what would his actual attacks be? Like I said, Ridley has several notable features about him, and thus I think the simple answer is to use them, preferably in the ways I just described. You'd have your typical claw slashes, bites, that sort of thing, but something I hope to see expertly utilized is his tail. I particularly love that one move in <i>Other M</i> where the Ridley clone thrusts its tail down at Samus, and I could see that either being his down aerial or possibly even his down special move. Speaking of special moves, I think it goes without saying that his fire breath should be his neutral special move, though unlike Bowser and Charizard, I don't expect it to be one continuous flame spouting from his mouth; rather, I'd prefer to see something akin to a charge attack, like if you just tapped the B button (or whatever the special attack is linked to when you play), it's a tiny fireball that causes minimal damage and maybe even flinch some characters, but the longer you hold the B button, the bigger and more powerful it becomes, something like that. His side and up specials, though, I don't really have anything in particular in mind for them, though for some reason, I can see him using attacks that "pierce defenses", if that makes any sense. Like I said, Ridley's supposed to be cunning and brutal, so rather than have attacks that emphasize raw power, he should have attacks that are about bypassing normal defenses and outmaneuvering his opponents for an opportunity to strike. As for his Final Smash, honestly, Ridley has had a lot of powered-up forms over the years that he could use as a Final Smash. Personally, I'd like to see either Phazon Ridley/Omega Ridley or Ridley-X/Neo Ridley, and he'd either act kind of like the boss Ridley from <i>Super Smash Bros. for Wii U</i> or like Mega Charizard X from that game (after all, there's nothing wrong with having multiple characters with similar Final Smashes).<br /><br />And that's what I think Ridley would be like if he were playable in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> Hopefully you got the basic idea and it didn't come off like a lengthy, rambling, incoherent mess (I need and editor for my stuff). Anyway, now for some of the BIG questions (don't worry, we're getting there).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><u>Do I want this character playable and why?</u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This section may seem redundant, since one would think that of course I'd like this character playable if I'm doing a lengthy blog post about them, but eventually I'd like to toy around with some ideas for characters I might not necessarily want all that much in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, so the answer won't always be as obvious. But as to whether or not I want Ridley playable, I say...<br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b>YES! DEFINITELY!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The funny thing is that Ridley wasn't always at the top of my most-wanted characters list, he was just one of the many characters I think ought to be in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> because it just made sense to me, but as time went on, and the memes about Ridley's size (hang in there) and Sakurai's continued denial of entry for him got more ridiculous, that strengthened my resolve to see him made playable to the point of pushing him to the top of the list. But even besides being a reactionary thing, like I said, it just makes sense! I've stated before that Ridley is just as synonymous with the <i>Metroid</i> series as Samus and the Metroids, so not seeing him playable, or worse yet, seeing the likes of Dark Samus or the other <i>Prime</i> hunters playable before Ridley, even if they would have cool movesets of their own, would be just tragic in my eyes. To me, having them in before Ridley is like having Waluigi in before Bowser, or having Vaati in before Ganondorf, or having Meta Knight but no King Dedede, it just doesn't feel right to ignore such an important character to a series in favor of another less important but still popular character. On top of all of that, the <i>Metroid</i> series DESERVES more representatives. The fact that it's been 4 (or 5, depending on if you count the 3DS/Wii U versions as separate games) installments and the most we have as far as <i>Metroid</i> characters go is Samus herself and Samus without her armor is just sad. I get that <i>Metroid</i> isn't that popular in Japan, and it took a long time for Nintendo to realize this, but the <i>Metroid</i> franchise is beloved all across the world, particularly in the West. Once upon a time, it was one of Nintendo's flagship franchises, almost akin to <i>Mario</i> or <i>The Legend of Zelda</i>, even if sales didn't fully match either of them. Even though we got <i>Metroid: Samus Returns</i> last year, and <i>Metroid Prime 4</i> is finally coming to the Nintendo Switch, it remains to be seen if the series is here to stay and won't go on another lengthy hiatus with only the occasional crappy spin-off to tide us over. But regardless of whether or not it does, the fact remains that games like <i>Super Metroid</i> and <i>Metroid Prime</i> not only rank highly among the best of their respective platforms, they're widely considered to be the best games Nintendo has ever produced, and to see such praise ignored or dismissed, just because the games don't do well locally, is heartbreaking. <i>Metroid</i> deserves better, and because Ridley is so integral to the series, that's why he's my #1 choice for <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> newcomers. That being said...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">Actual Odds of Newcomer's Appearance</span></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Do I think Ridley will actually be playable in the next installment of <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Unfortunately, that's highly unlikely at this point.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The ultimate tragedy of Ridley is that he's one of the few Nintendo characters who have appeared in every installment of <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> (except the 3DS version for some dumb reason), he has never been playable in any of them, despite having significant prominence in at least two of them. Ridley appeared in the background of the Planet Zebes stage in the original Nintendo 64 <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, he appeared in the introductory cutscene and was featured as a trophy in <i>Super Smash Bros. Melee</i>, he got two boss battles in the Subspace Emissary in <i>Super Smash Bros. Brawl</i>, and perhaps most controversially, his <i>Metroid: Other M</i> clone was erroneously stated to be Ridley himself as one of the three "stage boss" characters of <i>Super Smash Bros. for Wii U</i>, along with the Yellow Devil from <i>Mega Man</i> and Metal Face from <i>Xenoblade Chronicles</i>. Particularly insulting in that not only did Ridley's trophy in that game kept insisting that this is the same Ridley from the first <i>Metroid</i> when it clearly isn't, but the amount of attention given to how Ridley fights as a boss in that game, along with counting KOing him as one point for you in a Time battle, gives the impression that this was some kind of compensation, like Sakurai stubbornly insists that he can't be playable so he figures this is as close as he's going to get. It's infuriating on multiple levels, especially since Sakurai is otherwise known for keeping true to a character he's incorporated into the <i>Smash Bros. </i>series.<br /><br />Oh wait, what's that? You agree with Sakurai? You don't think Ridley can be made playable in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>? *sigh* We're really going there, aren't we? Well, let's get this over with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">"Too Big"?</span></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So usually this is where I have some final notes or trivia to add about a given character, or just give one final summary of the character and what I think about them, but because Ridley's a special case on his own, he's getting his own unique section where I do my best to address the common criticisms about him and why he "shouldn't" be playable in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> Keep in mind, like I've said before, I'm no expert on game design or fighting game mechanics, but I do understand some basic stuff, not to mention I know the loosely-defined logic of what you can and can't do in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, so I feel confident enough to say things on Ridley's behave and even back up some claims. That being said, I am by no means the best kind of person to address this kind of thing, and I've seen far better arguments made by people with intense knowledge of <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>'s mechanics and whatnot demonstrate how he'd work better than I ever could, so for those of you hoping to get a go-to justification for why Ridley should be playable, you're probably better off finding someone else. The following comments are meant to reflect my own feelings on the subject and no one else's. Alright? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here we go...<br /><br />So here's the thing about size in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>: it doesn't matter... up to a point. I and many other Ridley supporters have pointed out how using Ridley's canon size within the <i>Metroid</i> series is irrelevant since if we went by canon size for all the characters, Olimar would not be a viable fighter for being ridiculously tiny, while Kirby and several Pokémon wouldn't even reach most fighters' knees. The fact of the matter is that a character's size is flexible when it comes to <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> in order to fit the fighter mold. Sakurai himself has often noted in a few of his "Pic of the Day" posts for the last two <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> games how inaccurate the sizes are in these games (which just highlights his hypocrisy but we'll get to that in a moment), so really, size shouldn't be an issue... for the most part. However, something I feel that gets overlooked a lot with this argument is what a character's size truly means, not just in terms of height or girth, but proportions and where the hitboxes would be. There are definitely some characters I don't think would be viable for <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> because of their size, but Ridley?<br /><br />Well, if I'm being perfectly honest and forgive the unintentional pun here, I don't see why Ridley's size was ever a 'big' deal to begin with.<br /><br />You see, I never felt that Ridley's size was an integral part to his character. Sure, he was always on the larger size, but that felt secondary to me, similar to how Bowser was always a big dude but his exact size ultimately didn't matter compared to what else he was capable of. In fact, it was only until after a bunch of anti-Ridley people showed me a bunch of screenshots from the <i>Metroid</i> games showing off how big he was compared to Samus that I finally went "Huh... I guess Ridley is kind of on the large side." Not to mention, there's the issue with how he looks; even though I've stated that Ridley's strengths doesn't completely lie in his brute force, at least some, NOT ALL but some, of his intimidation comes from his size, because when you really look at Ridley's body, it's actually quite thin, even lanky in some places. It's not quite bare-bones, in fact I'd go so far as to say he has lean muscles in certain places, but there are some areas, particularly his crooked neck, that some think would look pretty fragile if scaled down. But even then, I still wasn't convinced that his size was THAT much of a hindrance, not just because of the aforementioned "size is flexible in <i>Smash</i>" reasoning, but also because we've seen Ridley be the same size as Samus and look fine before. As I mentioned a few paragraphs back, Ridley appeared in the opening of <i>Super Smash Bros. Melee</i>. You can see the intro for yourself <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp92T0Iw2cc" target="_blank">here</a>, but to cut to the chase, here's what he looks like:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0XAsO9PJz0HxsaMGOKpmj4AnnAOyMMfnGb9h3RjdIfGSuaUhzZqEfxR5qFB9z0J1tNMKvbaeIRfmfbocCNnp1oej7LOJEMIOKzyHPpts_lw60rWwBqkpp7jORHeIGl5FnHj29U4k8Dg/s1600/RidleyMeleeIntro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0XAsO9PJz0HxsaMGOKpmj4AnnAOyMMfnGb9h3RjdIfGSuaUhzZqEfxR5qFB9z0J1tNMKvbaeIRfmfbocCNnp1oej7LOJEMIOKzyHPpts_lw60rWwBqkpp7jORHeIGl5FnHj29U4k8Dg/s400/RidleyMeleeIntro.png" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now like I said, I'm no expert with this kind of thing, but from where I sit, Ridley looks pretty badass here, looking like a strong, imposing figure with his body, even his large wings, proportional and manageable. He looks just like Ridley ought to look, and while he wasn't playable in <i>Melee</i> due to massive time restraints on that game (the fact they got in as many characters as they did as well as put in so many different modes of play plus collectable trophies in such a short amount of time is impressive on it's own, in my opinion), I never understood why this Ridley wasn't made playable in subsequent installments. What's the problem? Sure, he might not have been that small in his respective games (save the first <i>Metroid</i> that everyone seems to overlook), but that shouldn't be an issue in a series like like <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> where characters can shrink and grow to meet the standards of a fighting character in this series, right? Oh, buy wait, if we did that "he wouldn't be Ridley anymore", would he?<br /><br />Ugh, okay, here we go with this bullcrap. Way back in November of 2014, IGN did an e-mail interview with Masahiro Sakurai on the subject of Ridley. You can read the full article here:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/11/19/why-ridley-isnt-playable-in-smash-bros" target="_blank">Why Ridley Isn't Playable in Smash Bros. - IGN</a><br /><br />But for brevity's sake (thought it's a little late for that), I'm going to take his exact words from the article to explain Sakurai's "reasoning" behind what he did with Ridley in </span><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.</span><br /><br />“I definitely know that Ridley’s a much-anticipated name for fans, but
if we made Ridley as a fighter, it wouldn’t be Ridley any longer. It’d have to be shrunk down, or
its wings reduced in size, or be unable to fly around freely.<br /><br />“Providing accurate portrayals of characters is something I want to pay
ample attention to. If I don’t stick to that thought,
then we’d have to lower the quality or break the balance of the game.
Something that goes way off spec could break the entire game.”</i></div>
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<i>“Instead of going through a lot of very convoluted hocus-pocus to make
Ridley a fighter, I figured it’d be better to keep Ridley as it
currently is, the correct way, and have it feel like a truly threatening
presence. There are other icons, too, like Metal
Face and the Yellow Devil, which help effectively portray each of their
world settings. They go a long way toward deepening the game world, and I
think it’s been fun to experiment with.”</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">*deep seething inhale*<br /><br />Okay, first of all, I have to wonder if Sakurai even knows who Ridley truly is, or at least, knows him as well as he thinks he does. He claims what he'd do to make Ridley a fighter "wouldn't make him Ridley anymore", but considering the fact that the Ridley used in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> is the clone of Ridley from <i>Metroid: Other M</i> (to the point where they literally ripped the skin/model from that game with no alterations made to it) and therefore is ostensibly NOT the actual Ridley, just who is he to say who and what Ridley is? How can he say Ridley needs to be this or that if he can't even tell the difference between the real Ridley and a fake one, especially since the clone from <i>Other M</i> has zero connection to Samus besides the one she projects onto it and might as well be another giant monster she fights in that game, but that's for a whole different discussion.<br /><br /><i><b>*Language Warning starting here; I've tried to keep this article PG so far, but I REALLY start to lose my cool after this point, so yeah, fair warning*</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>But it's Sakurai's very next comment that pisses me off to no end and how I KNOW he's full of shit when it comes to Ridley. He says Ridley would have to be shrunk down, which is kind of a "no-duh" thing for me but apparently is an issue to him and several others, and that his wings would have to be reduced in size, which is a fair assessment, the wings DO take up a lot of space and he probably didn't have Ridley's portrayal in <i>Melee</i> in mind when he answered that question, but THEN he goes and says Ridley would "be unable to fly around freely"...</div>
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...What? Like, seriously... WHAT?! <i>THAT'S </i>your best excuse? He'd be unable to fly around freely if he were playable? I'm sorry, did you, yourself, not create a character who, in his own core series, can do just that? Can Kirby not just float around the screen without consequence in every mainstream <i>Kirby </i>game you've directed? Can Meta Knight and King Dedede not also do the same thing? Are there not also characters like Charizard who are similarly able to fly around freely in their respective series and franchises? Yet in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, ALL of them have limitations; Kirby has limited jumps, so do Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Charizard! None of them are about to fly around freely like they can in their respective games! Yet you feel like Ridley being able to fly around freely is SUCH an integral part of his character that he therefore cannot be made playable?! You're making and exception just for Ridley despite being okay with it for everyone else?! Oh FUCK OFF, Sakurai, just fuck right the Hell off! You can tell at this point that Sakurai is just pulling excuses from his ass without really thinking about them, almost as if he has something against Ridley. Of course, this isn't a conspiracy corner so I'm not about to accuse Sakurai of anything of the sort, but suffice to say I find Sakurai's asspull reasons incredibly flimsy at best and outright hypocritical at worst.<br />
<br />
This is especially true for his next statement, regarding "accurate portrayals of characters". Ignoring the whole "paying ample attention" attention bit, since we've already established that if Sakurai WAS paying attention he'd have realized that the Ridley in <i>Super Smash Bros. for Wii U</i> ISN'T THE REAL RIDLEY, and since I can't really comment too much going off-spec and breaking the game (yet), let's go over the fact that Sakurai seems to love going on about how he wants to stay as true to the characters he's including in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, and while that may be the case for characters like Mega Man, he really falters if not falls flat on his face when it comes to characters like Ganondorf and Ike. To recap for those unaware, Ganondorf is a powerful dark sorcerer who, in <i>The Legend of Zelda</i> series, primarily either attacks using magic or magic-based projectiles or fights using a sword (or two swords, as in <i>The Wind Waker</i>), while Ike is a Ranger-class unit in <i>Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance</i> who gets promoted to a Lord midway through the game, and whose second-highest growth stat is his <i>speed</i>! While it is true that in <i>Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn</i> his speed growths aren't nearly as high, and therefore would better fit the slow powerhouse moveset there, the fact still remains that in <i>Super Smash Bros. Brawl</i> where Ike was introduced to the <i>Super Smash Bros. </i>series, they went with his <i>Path of Radiance</i> incarnation, and <i>deliberately exaggerated</i> the size of his sword, the Ragnell, to justify making him a <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MightyGlacier" target="_blank">might glacier</a>! Yeah, way to give an "accurate portrayal" of one of the most popular <i>Fire Emblem</i> characters, Sakurai. Going back to Ganondorf, though, one of the biggest continued criticisms of the <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> series is why Ganondorf remains a stronger, slower Captain Falcon clone and doesn't even bother using his sword (personally, I'd prefer that he use a trident as a reference to his Ganon persona, but again, different topic for a different time). By now, most people know that when Ganondorf was originally included in <i>Super Smash Bros. Melee</i>, he was a very late addition made after someone noticed that his model used in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1eALWueMFU" target="_blank">Space World 2000 GameCube demo</a> was similar enough to Captain Falcon's body shape, so, since Ganon was a popular choice at the time and since Ganon/Ganondorf is an important figure in <i>The Legend of Zelda</i> franchise, they had him be a Captain Falcon clone in that game. Now that's fair enough, but as the series continued, people wondered why he remained a clone of Captain Falcon, even though his animations were made to be more uniquely his. I recall reading that Sakurai wanted to keep the movesets the same or at least similar enough between installments so people wouldn't have to relearn how to play as their favorite characters, and I was going to provide a response to that line of thinking, but I figured I didn't want to make presumptions based on things that aren't even true, so I tried to look up where he said that... and instead, I found something else. Something deeply more troubling.<br />
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Now unfortunately, I can't confirm if the following is true or not, but according to...</div>
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<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/2j5izc/ganondorf_sakurais_father/" target="_blank">This Reddit Post</a><br />
<br />
In a then-recent interview in Famitsu magazine, Sakurai divulged in his reasons why Ganondorf is why he is and why he hasn't changed much. Long story short, Ganondorf as he is in <i>Smash Bros. </i>is heavily based on Sakurai's late father, who he once viewed as a large, powerful, and imposing individual only to find out later in life that he was frequently short-of-breath and limped along. That's why Ganondorf has moments where he looks powerful but also has weird moments like his "huffy old-man run" in both <i>Brawl</i> and <i>Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U</i>. Again, I don't know for sure if this is true, and I don't want to jump down Sakurai's throat over false information, but if it's true, with sincere condolences to him and his family over his father...<br />
<br />
WHAT THE EVER-LIVING FUCKING HELL?!?! You turned Ganondorf, one of the most evil, badass villains in Nintendo's repertoire into a senior citizen just because you based him on your father? Like, forget basing him on anything from the games, you just made Ganondorf your dad, is that it? I guess this explains why Sakurai plays as Ganondorf a lot (speaking of which, wow, there's a lot to unpack there), but my GOD, how can you be so steadfast against Ridley and his so-called character when you're willing to break Ganondorf's character for your own self-indulgences!? I really don't want to be disrespectful to Sakurai or his family with regards to his deceased father, but in terms of the potential characters he's keeping from <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, this all just comes off as one big slap to the face!<br />
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Oh, and here's another little tidbit I found out about during my search for Ganondorf stuff. Over on <a href="https://sourcegaming.info/" target="_blank">Source Gaming</a>, which is by far the most reliable source of accurate <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> information just so we're clear, site founder PushDustin did an article about how, in his humble opinion, Ganondorf should stay the way he is. You can read (and disagree with it) here:<br />
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<a href="https://sourcegaming.info/2016/09/14/ganondorf-is-fine-the-way-he-is/" target="_blank">Ganondorf is Fine the Way He is - Source Gaming</a><br />
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But Push uses this one quote from Sakurai in his article. It reads:<br />
<br />
<i>"<span style="font-weight: 400;">If I only included things true to the
original source material, then there would also be times when things
wouldn’t mesh well. I always reflect on things that went well and things
I want to improve with every </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smash</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, but I think it’s most important to prioritize a game’s enjoyability!"</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">...Okay, so which is it, Sakurai? Do you want to have your characters remain true to their game selves, or are you okay with them breaking that character so long as it makes a good game? Because I'd say a lot of us would think Ridley being playable would be great, and entirely possible. Yeah, that's right, I don't by your whole "convoluted hocus-pocus" crap for a second, not anymore than I buy any of your previous bullshit. Fans have proven through game mods that Ridley CAN be made playable numerous times, and I refuse to believe that you and your entire staff of game developers can't do what a couple of dedicated fans do better! Really, when I look at everything I've collected over the years, the one thing keeping</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ridley from being playable isn't his size, his wings, being true to his character, or any of that nonsense, it's YOU, Masahiro Sakurai! YOU are the one thing keeping Ridley from being playable! And hey, it's your game, you're entitled to include or not include whoever you want in your game, but just be honest about that! I might be pissed off over your refusal to keep Ridley from being playable in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, but I'd at least find it less infuriating if you didn't come up with such bullshit, hypocritical, almost nonsensical reasons for why he "can't" be playable!<br /> </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Because he CAN be playable; you just don't want him to be. That's the long and short of it.</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: x-large;">Final Thoughts</span></u></div>
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HO BOY, that rant went on a LITTLE longer than I intended it to. Just to be clear, though, I don't hate Masahiro Sakurai just because he won't make my most-wanted/favorite <i>Metroid</i> character playable. I'd be incredibly petty and shallow to be upset with a man who has created so many great games that have brought such joy to my life and helped open up new avenues for me just because of this one grievance I have with him. That being said, it's exhaustively painful to have to deal not only with Sakurai's words on Ridley, but also the anti-Ridley brigade, and even just casual fans who've bought into the meme of Ridley being too big. Hopefully with all of this out of my system, I won't have to repeat myself again anytime soon (though in that case, if something new comes up, I'll have to made some addendums to this blog post for clarity's sake).<br />
<br />
But overall, looking back at what people have criticized about Ridley, and the limitations keeping him from being playable, and after years and years of debating this over and over and over again, I've ultimately come to one final conscensus, and that is this:</div>
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Ridley... would indeed be a difficult character to implement... but he's still possible. <br />
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Even though I'm willing to accept that making Ridley playable might not be as easy as I initially thought back in the early days of <i>Brawl</i> speculation, looking at the hard facts about the game, who's in the game, and Sakurai's words not just on Ridley but on characters he's included as a whole (including characters like the Villager and Miis, who he initially did NOT include because of the peaceful nature of their respective games), I can't, in all intellectual honesty, accept that it's impossible for Ridley to be a playable fighter, or that it will never happen. That last part in particular is important here, by the way. Sakurai has gone back on his word on several elements in the <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> series, so to say Ridley will never be included because of the reasons he gave feels a bit shallow in my opinion, but that's only true if the demand for playable Ridley continues. If Ridley fans finally concede defeat, and accept Ridley will never be playable, it'll be a self-fulfilling prophecy. The only way Ridley has zero chances of being playable in <i>Super Smash Bros. </i>is if we let it get to that point.<br />
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So to everyone who's ever wanted Ridley playable in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>, these are my words to you: Never. Give. Up. Our day will come. If not in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> for the Nintendo Switch, than some day. We must stand our ground, have our information at the ready for those who stand against us, and be prepared for anything. Because, and I mean this sincerely... Both Ridley, and <i>Metroid</i> as a whole, deserve better than what they're getting.</div>
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...<br />
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UGH, FINALLY I'M DONE! That last bit got pretty heavy (and even heavy-handed), but it all came from the heart. This was a monster of a post to make, but I'm glad to finally be done with it! I REALLY hope a lot of people read it, and if you liked it, please share it with others. More importantly, if there's any constructive criticism you can give me, like about structure, my writing style, how to make what I say more coherent, I openly welcome and invite it since I fully intend to do more. Don't ask for character requests, since this is purely my own thing, and if I'm not fully invested in a character I want to talk about, it just won't work out... Anyway, thanks for talking the time to read this mess! Coming soon, another <i>SSB</i> character pick!<br />
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Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-43715214893798339892018-03-28T19:37:00.002-07:002018-03-28T19:37:32.244-07:00Super Smash Bros. Newcomer Pick of the Day comingI don't know how many people read my blog, but in case you couldn't tell from the blog's name, I love <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>! For me, it's the ultimate love-letter to long-time Nintendo fans (and preferably I'd like to keep it that way and not lose sight of that with certain unwanted addition, i.e. characters who have nothing to do with Nintendo and characters who aren't even from video games). It's been on my mind a lot recently, what with the announcement of a new installment on the Nintendo Switch, particularly what characters they could add to the series. <i>Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS </i>and <i>Super Smash Bros. for Wii U</i> had the biggest roster yet, and some say it'll be hard to top, though I could certainly think of some new additions that would either shake up the roster a bit, or even improve it, and I don't just mean bringing back the Ice Climbers!<br /><br />So here's what I'm going to do: for as long as I have the brain power and dedication able to handle doing this, I'm going to see if I can do one blog post a day detailing potential newcomers for <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> on the Nintendo Switch. Each entry will go over who the character is, what they can do in <i>Smash Bros.</i>, how much I'd like to see them, their actual odds of getting in (based on what I know about the series and its director Masahiro Sakurai), and perhaps a few extra details I feel like adding.<br /><br />This'll probably be a big mistake, and I'll end up biting off more than I can chew with this, but hopefully it'll be a lot of fun as well. Stay tuned.Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-37438213465903795692018-01-13T10:50:00.002-08:002018-01-29T19:14:16.171-08:00Quickie: Mario Tennis Aces<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So a new <i>Mario Tennis</i> game was announced in the form of <i>Mario Tennis Aces</i>:<br />
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I already did a massive blog post about what my ideal roster for a <i>Mario</i> spin-off was, but after <i>Super Mario Odyssey</i>, some updates should be noted. I'm not going to rewrite the whole thing again, instead, I'm just going to do a basic outline which hopefully will be self-explanatory. With that in mind...<br />
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<u><b>Confirmed</b></u><br />
Mario<br />
Luigi<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> Wario<br /> Waluigi<br /> Donkey Kong</span><br />
<br />
<u><b>Sure Thing</b></u><br />
Peach<br />
Daisy<br />
Yoshi<br />
Bowser<br />
<br />
<u><b>Most likely</b></u><br />
Toad<br />
Bowser Jr.<br />
Rosalina<br />
<br />
<u><b>Since they already have models for them from <i>Ultra Smash</i></b></u><br />
Toadette<br />
Boo<br />
Sprixie<br />
<br />
<u><b> Characters who SHOULD be obvious inclusions but might get passed over for who-knows-why</b></u><br />
Diddy Kong<br />
Birdo<br />
Cappy<br />
Pauline<br />
Chargin' Chuck<br />
<br />
<u><b> Characters who will probably be included even though I'd hate it if they were</b></u><br />
Baby Mario (well, I guess I wouldn't mind as much if it were only him)<br />
Baby Luigi<br />
Baby Peach<br />
Baby Daisy<br />
Baby Rosalina<br />
Dry Bowser<br />
Metal Mario<br />
Pink Gold Peach<br />
<br />
<u><b>Other characters I wouldn't mind seeing</b></u><br />
Shy Guy<br />
Koopa Troopa<br />
Koopa Paratroopa<br />
Wiggler<br />
Petey Piranha (doubt it since he's a boss, but still possible)<br />
King Boo<br />
One of the Broodals (most likely Topper and maybe Hariet)<br />
Dixie Kong<br />
Larry Koopa (if any Koopaling makes it in, I hope it's him)<br />
Kamek<br />
Nabbit<br />
Funky Kong<br />
King K. Rool<br />
Dry Bones<br />
Hammer Bro<br />
Monty Mole<br />
Pianta<br />
Noki<br />
Whittle<br />
Tostarenan<br />
New Donker<br />
Shiverian<br />
Boom Boom <br />
<br />
<u><b>Characters who definitely won't be playable in this game but I'd want to see anyway</b></u><br />
Donkey Kong Jr.<br />
Foreman Spike<br />
King/Big Bob-omb<br />
Blue Bowser (Bowser's brother from <i>Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels</i>; I like to call him Bluser)<br />
All Seven Koopalings (one or two of them, maybe, but all seven, highly unlikely)<br />
Toadsworth<br />
Professor E. Gadd<br />
Cranky Kong<br />
Mouser<br />
Wart<br />
Tatanga<br />
Captain Syrup<br />
Ashley (from <i>WarioWare</i>)<br />
Stanley the Bugman<br />
Il Piantissimo<br />
The Chimp<br />
The Kings from <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i><br />
Mad Scienstein/Dr. Arewo-Shitain<br />
<br />
...And that about covers it I think. Here's hope Nintendo surprises us some more with this game (and GOOD surprises at that).<i> </i>Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-85999554587918328262017-07-10T20:00:00.002-07:002017-07-10T20:00:19.156-07:00 Mario Spin-Offs: My Ideal Roster<div data-contents="true">
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<span data-offset-key="8mrst-0-0"><span data-text="true">Disclaimer: I originally started this article months ago and have struggled to finish it until recently. Since then, a lot has changed, and new information has come to light. I've tried to change what I've written accordingly, but if some spots sound weird or outdated here and there, well, there's your reason. Apologizes in advance if any of this is confusing.<br /><br />So I'm playing <i>Mario Tennis</i> for the Nintendo 64 on my Wii U's Virtual Console, and I thought to myself, "There's a nice selection of characters in this game, for its time anyway... Why can't all <i>Mario</i> spin-offs have rosters like this?" See, it feels like lately Nintendo's been throwing in random "new" characters to their spin-offs while neglecting old favorites; <i>Mario Kart 8</i> and even it's <i>Deluxe</i> Switch counterpart are the most recent and notorious example. It makes me wonder who decides these things and why they thought people would want to play as Baby Rosalina or Pink Gold Peach of all things... And it's a good thing Link was originally bundled with Tanooki Mario and Cat Peach as DLC for the former, otherwise I would seriously question who at Nintendo thought people would pay extra money for such uninspired characters...</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1oa19-0-0"><span data-text="true">So with that in mind, if I was working at Nintendo, and I was head of whatever group decides what characters should be in a <i>Mario</i> spin-off, who would I pick? Now, obviously, there are some factors that affect who gets chosen or not; some characters are not adequately build for certain spin-off, such as being too big or too small. Of course, the <i>Mario</i> series has always been fickle when it comes to that sort of thing, but that doesn't mean there are still some unspoken rules for some spin-offs. <i>Mario Party</i>, for example, is a series where Bowser will never be one of the main playable characters, given that his whole thing in those games is to mess things up for the actual players. If he IS playable in <i>Mario Party</i>, it's through a special mode or mini-game like in <i>Mario Party 10</i>. There's also the size of the roster, you can only have so many characters before things start to get overwhelming. The exception is <i>Mario Baseball</i> games which are build around having lots of characters to build 9-player teams out of (incidentally, I REALLY hope we get a dedicated <i>Mario Baseball</i> game for the Switch, the one on the 3DS game <i>Mario Sports Superstars</i> just feels REALLY lackluster).<br /><br />So that being said, the characters and roster ideas I mention are going to be games like <i>Mario Kart,</i> <i>Mario Tennis</i>, <i>Mario Golf</i>, that kind of thing. This will be broken down into 5 sections: "Gold Standard", "Other Favorites", "Playable Generics", </span></span><span data-offset-key="1oa19-0-0"><span data-text="true"><span data-offset-key="1oa19-0-0"><span data-text="true">"Potential Newcomers",</span></span> and "Pipe Dreams", and I'll explain what they mean as I go. Also, this will only pertain to <i>Mario</i> characters, no other Nintendo characters or third/fourth party characters allowed on this list, otherwise this could go on forever. With all that out of the way, click the break to see what characters I'd have in my ideal <i>Mario</i> spin-off!</span></span></div>
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<u><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Gold Standard</span></i></u><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">This is a line-up that I feel needs no justification for their inclusion in basically every single <i>Mario</i> game, spin-off or otherwise. They're the most popular characters in the series as well as the most recognizable, and most of them have appeared in more spin-offs than any other character. Think of this roster as the "default" in which all spin-offs, past, present, and future should be judged by. Who am I talking about? Why these all-stars of course!</span><br />
<ul>
<li>Mario</li>
<li>Luigi</li>
<li>Princess Peach (Toadstool)</li>
<li>Toad</li>
<li>Yoshi</li>
<li>Wario</li>
<li>Waluigi</li>
<li>Princess Daisy</li>
<li>Donkey Kong</li>
<li>Diddy Kong</li>
<li>Bowser</li>
<li>Bowser Jr.</li>
<li>Rosalina</li>
<li>Toadette</li>
<li>Birdo</li>
</ul>
Now Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Bowser, Wario, and Donkey Kong need no further explanation for their presence. They're what's called "The Big 8", in that every <i>Mario</i> game, major and minor, stars them, including those who star in their own sub-series of games! The rest may take a bit more explaining...<br />
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Waluigi and Daisy, on the other hand, are different in that they're probably the most popular <i>Mario</i> characters who aren't part of the Big 8, despite being relatively minor in the grand scheme of the series. Daisy has only appeared in on <i>Mario</i> game that wasn't a spin-off of some kind, and even said game, <i>Super Mario Land</i>, isn't a mainstream <i>Mario</i> game (as fun as the game is, it and everything besides Daisy from it have faded into obscurity). Meanwhile, Waluigi has only appeared in spin-offs EXCLUSIVELY, and that combined with his ridiculous name and silly concept have basically made him a joke and go-to gag for not only<i> Mario</i> characters, but "roster filler" as a whole. Despite that, both characters have their own fanbases, with Daisy fans pushing for more notoriety for her (including being playable in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>) and Waluigi fans pushing for an official appearance in a mainstream<i> Mario</i> or <i>Wario</i> game (I'm a bit of a Waluigi fan myself). Regardless of their faults, they've been consistently appearing in <i>Mario</i> spin-offs since the late Nintendo 64 era and I don't see that changing anytime soon.<br />
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Bowser Jr. and Rosalina have their own story, though, in that they're fairly new <i>Mario</i> characters that have jumped up to being spin-off regulars in their own right. Weird, considering I've seen just as many vocal haters for both of them as I have fans. People hate Bowser Jr. for being a simple mini-Bowser look-alike and not having much to him besides that, and the fact that he's Bowser's son puts him at odds with Koopalings fans, since the Koopalings were Bowser's original children before Miyanoto arbitrarily decided to retcon that detail for no good reason and just made things more confusing and infuriating (my head-cannon is that they're Bowser's adoptive children, meaning that Bowser Jr. is the heir to the Koopa Kingdom but Bowser still treats the other Koopalings like their his own). As for Rosalina, I think hate might be a strong word, but I've seen people dismissive of her, saying her design is "lazy", that she's just "space Peach in a blue dress", and that she's far too recent to be a true <i>Mario</i> mainstay, and that she hasn't got the history to back her up. Thing is, that doesn't change the fact that they're both still popular characters; Rosalina was featured in two popular mainstream <i>Mario</i> games and was one of the few <i>Mario</i> characters to get her own backstory (in <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>, the library scenes), and as much as I prefer the Koopalings as Bowser's children to Bowser Jr., the father-son dynamic Bowser has with Junior creates interesting scene and adds more depth to Bowser as a villain that hasn't been explored before, whenever Nintendo bothers to explore it. Regardless, the fact that both of them are playable characters in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> now speaks for itself in regards to their popularity and why they're not going away anytime soon.<br />
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But the weird thing about popularity is that even that's not enough to guarantee you sometimes. Take Diddy Kong for example; he's the Luigi to Donkey Kong's Mario, has appeared in every Donkey Kong game since his debut in <i>Donkey Kong Country</i>, and even starred in the sequel to that game, and started becoming a regular in spin-offs around the time the Donkey Kong characters that Rare created went to Nintendo after their departure from Nintendo and acquisition from Microsoft. These days, it's easy to say you can't have Donkey Kong without Diddy Kong... Yet he's nowhere to be seen in <i>Mario Kart 8</i>. Or even <i>Mario Kart 8 Deluxe</i>, which finally included Bowser Jr., who was absent for the original game. To this day, I can't understand why Nintendo wouldn't include such a popular, notable character, other than they wanted to make room for Baby-freaking-Rosalina... Oh well, there's always DLC, and that aside, Diddy Kong IS consistent in every other <i>Mario</i> spin-off.</div>
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Which leaves us with Toadette and Birdo, both are interesting cases though not for the same reasons. Toadette is like Waluigi, making her debut in a spin-off as a female counterpart to Toad, and taking off from there. Much like Waluigi, who was created to be partners with Wario, Toadette was created to be partners with Toad, but unlike Waluigi, Toadette has managed to make some notable appearances since her debut, such as an instructor in <i>Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door</i>, and Captain Toad's partner in <i>Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker</i>! That being said, her appearances haven't been AS consistent as, say, Waluigi or Daisy, but she's still made a number of appearances in the odd <i>Kart</i>, <i>Party</i>, and sports game, and hey, she even got in <i>Mario Kart 8</i> over Diddy Kong, so that's something! Birdo's another story, though; she initially appeared in <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i>, which yes was originally a different game in Japan but TECHNICALLY it was originally a tech demo featuring <i>Mario</i> characters before that so there, and since then she's made occasional appearances, from cameos like in <i>Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars</i> to assist roles like in<i> Wario's Woods</i>. It wasn't until <i>Mario Tennis</i> for the Nintendo 64 that she started appearing in <i>Mario</i> spin-offs proper, and was a regular in <i>Mario Kart</i>, <i>Mario Party</i>, <i>Mario Tennis</i>, and <i>Mario Golf</i> from there... until she kind of wasn't... She's oddly absent in the most recent installments (save <i>Mario Golf: World Tour</i>, where she's an unlockable character). That being said, she's been in enough spin-offs to not be fully forgotten, and given her appearance and her infamous gender controversy, I doubt it'd be easy to truly forget her!<br />
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Wow, this is turning out longer than I thought! I hope you're all still with me, because it's time to move on to our next section!</div>
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<u><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Other Favorites</span></i></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">These are characters who are just shy of being part of the "Gold Standard", characters who have appeared in plenty of spin-offs, or were even just popular characters at one point in time. If the Gold Standard characters were the default, these are the unlockables! Or something close to that at least. These characters include...</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;">Koopalings</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;">Larry Koopa</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Morton Koopa Jr.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Wendy O. Koopa </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Iggy Koopa</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Roy Koopa</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Lemmy Koopa</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Ludwig von Koopa </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kamek</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Toadsworth</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Petey Piranha</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">King Boo </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nabbit </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sprixie/Sprixie Princess</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Baby Mario</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Baby Luigi</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Baby Peach</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Metal Mario</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dixie Kong</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Funky Kong</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">King K. Rool </span></li>
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The Koopalings in particular are complicated. After their debut in <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i>, they made subsequent appearances in <i>Super Mario World</i> and the spin-off <i>Yoshi's Safari</i> (an SNES game that used the Super Scope), as well as appeared in the cartoon adaptations of <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i> and <i>Super Mario World</i>. After that, aside from the odd cameo like in <i>Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga</i>, they basically just disappeared, forgotten without a single mention of them... That is, until <i>New Super Mario Bros. Wii</i> brought them back! Now they're in almost every other <i>Mario</i> game you can think of, including <i>Mario Kart 8</i> and <i>Mario Kart 8 Deluxe</i>! Now this is good news for me, because I freaking LOVE the Koopalings! On top of being Bowser's children, which is already an interesting dynamic as I've said before, they each have a unique look and design to them, so you can pick your favorite among them (I personally like Larry the most)! Of course, they're sudden resurgence has led to a backlash, since people either prefer Bowser Jr. or think they're a waste, since there's only so much you can do with them as boss characters. And it's true, they do take away from potentially unique boss characters and unique boss fights, but I still like them and would like them to appear in as many games as possible. Of course, I'm also of the opinion that you can't just have one or two, you need all seven of them, which is a problem because that's a lot of characters; it could potentially take up half a roster or even more, depending on the game you're playing! Hence why I think they're good for games that are designed around a large character selection, like the <i>Mario Baseball</i> games and, of course, <i>Mario Kart</i>. Otherwise, as much as I like them, I can't see them appearing in many other spin-offs.<br />
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Other characters, though, like Kamek, Toadsworth, Petey Piranha, and King Boo have enough fans and are relevant enough to warrant a spot in all kinds of potential spin-offs, though their relevancy depends on the character. Kamek is odd in that he looks like a generic Magikoopa ("Kamek" is even the name of Magikoopas in Japan, the "Kamek" we know is called "Fang" in Japan, to differentiate him), yet is established as Bowser's foster father in the <i>Yoshi's Island</i> games. On top of that, he's usually depicted as Bowser's right-hand man, especially in the RPGs. He's being used more and more, so I'd say definitely include him, but give him a more unique design to have him stand out more, maybe decorate his robes and hat with the patterns that you see whenever he casts a spell. Toadsworth, on the other hand, is in an awkward situation, in that he hasn't made a major appearance after <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> (which was the first mainstream <i>Mario</i> game not to feature him). He still appears in spin-offs and the <i>Mario & Luigi</i> series, though, not to mention being Princess Peach's steward he should technically be an important character, so I see no reason to just suddenly ditch him like that. If Toadsworth can play baseball, he most certain can play at least golf and drive a kart! Then there's Petey Piranha and King Boo, the "odd boss duo" as I like to call them. These two have seen a fair amount of appearances in spin-offs, though King Boo seems to be more popular and consistent compared to Petey, which is a shame since I kind of like Petey Piranha. Incidentally, I've seen people call Rosalina the new Petey Piranha, in that she was popular after her initial debut but "will fall out of popularity" the same way. Well, she isn't losing popularity anytime soon, and even though Petey hasn't been playable in a while, he's still popular enough to make appearances in numerous spin-offs, RPGs, etc. As for King Boo, nothing really to add, though I like the idea that he's to Luigi what Bowser is to Mario. The only thing I'd add is that I feel like he should look more like his <i>Luigi's Mansion</i> incarnation as opposed to his generic Boo with a crown look he usually sports. <br />
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Now for Nabbit and the Sprixies, who in a weird way are almost the new Bowser Jr. and Rosalina, in that they're both relatively new additions that made the leap into <i>Mario</i> spin-offs quickly. Nabbit is not only playable as a DLC character in <i>Mario Golf: World Tour</i> and <i>Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games</i>, he also essentially took Mario's place in <i>New Super Luigi U</i> as the fourth playable character! He DOES have a unique design, and I can totally see him in future spin-offs! As for the Sprixies and Sprixie Princesses, they've only appeared in <i>Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash</i> so far, which was already kind of unexpected, but they are pretty cute, and I do think Nintendo can utilize them in various ways, given that the Sprixies aren't quite well-defined yet in what they can do and what makes their home world so different from the Mushroom Kingdom. I don't see them reaching Rosalina levels of popularity, but I wouldn't be against future appearances, either.<br />
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This next part is a touchy subject: baby characters in <i>Mario</i> spin-offs. They've been around since at LEAST <i>Mario Golf</i> for the Nintendo 64, with Baby Mario making the most appearances, but their appearances outside of a <i>Yoshi's Island</i> game where they serve a gameplay purpose are getting out of hand. That being said, it'd be weird to suddenly drop them, since I guess they are pretty popular, so I'd at least keep Baby Mario (since he's been around the longest), Baby Luigi (since you can't have Mario without Luigi, in my humble opinion), and Baby Peach (since she's made appearances in <i>Yoshi's Island DS</i> and <i>Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time</i>). Baby Daisy and ESPECIALLY Baby Rosalina, though, are definitely getting the boot the moment I take charge. By the same token, I'd remove Pink Gold Peach in a heartbeat (and also Gold Mario), but I'd keep Metal Mario. I can't really explain why, but the fact that he's a playable character in <i>Mario Golf</i>, and a boss in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> and <i>Super Smash Bros. Melee</i>, helps me think that Metal Mario can be viewed as a separate character from Mario. At the very least, I'm okay with him (and Dry Bowser to an extent, but I'd prefer to have as little duplicate characters as possible).<br />
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Lastly, regarding <i>Donkey Kong</i> characters; initially, Nintendo wasn't sure if they could use characters from the games Rare made, since they were technically a second-party developer, but after Rare got bought by Microsoft, all the <i>Donkey Kong</i> characters Rare made went to Nintendo and thus Nintenndo was free to use them however they wanted, hence why Diddy Kong is a regular. The other characters, though? Well, Funky Kong made an odd (but welcome) appearance in <i>Mario Kart Wii</i>, and Dixie Kong was in both <i>Mario Baseball</i> games, and is typically a fan-favorite overall. King K. Rool has a HUGE following of fans begging for his return, either in the main <i>Donkey Kong</i> series or otherwise, and he DID appear in <i>Mario Super Sluggers</i>, so I can most definitely see all three of them appearing in future spin-offs!<br />
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But wait, aren't we forgetting some other favorites? Well, that brings us to...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><u>Playable Generics</u></i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">There have been a number of playable characters who represent an entire species of either NPCs or enemies Mario and co. face. Many of them are just as beloved as the established characters! I do like a few of them as well, but at the same time, I don't want them to overshadow the actual characters... Still, I can see these characters being regulars or semi-regulars going forward.</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Koopa Troopa</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Koopa Paratroopa</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Dry Bones</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Shy Guy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Boo</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Hammer Bro</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Pianta</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Noki</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Monty Mole </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Wiggler</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Kremling</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;">Koopa Troopas are Bowser's main troops and have appeared playable in many spin-offs since <i>Super Mario Kart</i>. Koopa Paratroopa, similarly, has made frequent appearances since <i>Mario Tennis</i> for the Nintendo 64. In a way, I see Koopa Troopa as a <i>Mario Kart</i> and a <i>Mario Party</i> kind of guy, while Paratroopa I see as a <i>Mario</i> sports kind of guy, but they are by no means exclusive. Plus, Paratroopa's flight and added mobility would give him unique properties compared to a normal Koopa Troopa, so I can see them being playable within the same game. Dry Bones, I consider to be an "ensemble darkhorse" of <i>Mario</i> enemies, after an extended period of not appearing in any major <i>Mario</i> games from <i>Super Mario 64</i> to <i>Super Mario Sunshine</i> (outside of RPGs), he suddenly becomes a playable character in <i>Mario Superstar Baseball</i>, then <i>Mario Kart DS</i>, then <i>Mario Party 7</i>, until he's eventually brought back in full force in <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i>, and was brought back to being a regular. Admittedly, a skeletal Koopa Troopa is a cool design in concept, not to mention the fact that they reassemble when they fall about making a unique gimmick as far as enemies go; thus I feel Dry Bones will continue to appear in spin-off AND mainstream <i>Mario</i> games going forward.<br /><br />Speaking of fan favorites, Shy Guys are also common as playable characters in spin-offs, even though their appearances in mainstream <i>Mario</i> games are limited. There IS a definite appeal to them, they look cute, and they have a variety of looks, powers, and abilities. I feel like Shy Guys are the go-to <i>Mario</i> enemies to use in spin-offs, besides Koopa Troopas. Same goes for Boos, they're a regular in almost every spin-off save <i>Mario Kart</i>, where they're usually an item or an obstacle if they appear at all. The cute/creepy look definitely helps their appeal. Hammer Bros., though, is an enemy that I thought would get more attention then it does. They're playable in <i>Mario Party 8</i> and in the <i>Mario Baseball</i> games, but not much else besides that. Maybe it's because they're such annoying enemies to deal with, people don't want to play as them, which is kind of the opposite of me; because they're so infamous, I want them to appear more often. Weird, I know... Similarly, Monty Mole doesn't appear playable that often, mostly just the <i>Mario Baseball</i> games, but I feel there's untapped potential with him. I could totally see a Monty Mole in <i>Mario Party</i>, <i>Mario Tennis</i>, and <i>Mario Golf</i>! <i>Mario Kart</i> might be tricky, since there are Monty Moles on some courses, but then again, that didn't stop Wiggler from being playable in <i>Mario Kart 7</i>! And since Wiggler is also playable in <i>Mario Power Tennis</i> and <i>Mario Super Sluggers</i>, I'd say there's precedence in letting him (or her?) be playable in more spin-offs! The whole "normally sweet but gets really angry" thing can be used for great comedic effect as well as for certain special moves, not to mention transforming into a Flutter!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Other species I figured would get more attention are Piantas and Nokis, the main residents of Isle Delfino in <i>Super Mario Sunshine</i>. Out of them, Piantas seem to be more popular, since they're in more games than Nokis, but they're both playable in the <i>Mario Baseball</i> games. Maybe Nintendo just wants them to be spectators and audience members than actual participates in events, though I think that if generic Yoshi, Koopa Troopas, Shy Guys, etc. can be audience members AND playable characters, so can Piantas and Nokis. Lastly, there are Kremlings, specifically Kritters, which is weird considering they're <i>Donkey Kong</i> enemies, but that didn't stop them from being playable in <i>Mario Super Sluggers</i> and being goalies in the <i>Mario Strikers</i> games! With more <i>Donkey Kong</i> characters appearing in <i>Mario</i> spin-offs, I'd say they're more than likely to appear in more as well, though it's more likely we'll see established characters like Diddy, Dixie, King K. Rool, etc. before them.<br /><br />That about covers what kind of generic NPCs and enemies I'd make playable in <i>Mario</i> spin-offs, yet I still can't help but want more. We've covered characters who have been established as being capable of being in spin-offs, but what about characters who have yet to appear playable in a spin-off? That brings me to...</span><br />
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<u><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Potential Newcomers</span></i></u></div>
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There's always room for more characters in <i>Mario</i> spin-offs, and with an ever-expanding cast with each new game, there are only going to be more new characters ripe for showing up in spin-offs! For this list, though, I'm going to try to be reasonable with who I'd pick, characters who are either popular or relevant enough to have a shot at being in a new <i>Mario</i> spin-off. It's a bit difficult, but here's the list I've come up with.</div>
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<ul>
<li>Dr. Mario</li>
<li>Professor E. Gadd</li>
<li>Boom Boom</li>
<li>Rocky Wrench</li>
<li>Chargin' Chuck</li>
<li>King Bob-omb</li>
<li>Mini-Mario</li>
<li>Whomp</li>
<li>Ashley</li>
<li>Captain Toad</li>
<li>Whittle</li>
<li>Cranky Kong</li>
<li>Pauline </li>
</ul>
I know I said I'd prefer non-duplicate characters, but if you're GOING to have yet ANOTHER alternate version of Mario, you might as well go with Mario's most famous alter-ego! I can see <i>Dr. Mario</i>-themed powers, karts, and abilities for Dr. Mario should he start appearing in <i>Mario</i> spin-offs, and it's honestly weird that Nintendo didn't think of adding him to such spin-offs sooner. I mean, it'd be no weirder than adding a baby version of Mario, or a metal version of him, or a version of him wearing a Tanooki suit. Speaking of obvious additions, why hasn't Professor E. Gadd appeared in any <i>Mario</i> spin-offs? I mean, <i>Mario Kart</i> should be the most obvious one, but since Toadsworth is in the <i>Mario Baseball</i> games, and since E. Gadd has been shown to get down and dirty in the <i>Luigi's Mansion </i>games, I can't see why he can't be allowed to participate in a game of <i>Golf </i>at least. It's weird how he often appears in some spin-offs as an NPC but never a playable character. I mean, I'd play as him, at least.</div>
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Boom Boom, Rocky Wrench, and Chargin' Chuck are of a similar kind, since they're all old enemy characters that have recently been brought back! Well, technically, Rocky Wrench has been in several recent games, but the idea remains the same. They were all memorably enemies back in <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i> and <i>Super Mario World</i>, and are now back in the likes of <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> and <i>Super Mario 3D World</i>! Boom Boom was even a goalie in the soccer segment of <i>Mario Sports Superstars</i>, why not upgrade him to being fully playable? And Chargin' Chuck is MADE to be in <i>Mario</i> sports games, and NOT just because he's dressed like a football player! These guys do all kinds of stuff in <i>Super Mario World</i>, I REALLY want to see him in spin-offs! Rocky Wrench, I mostly just want to see him in the next baseball game, with a wrench as a baseball bat. :P<br />
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King Bob-omb, Whomp, Captain Toad, and Whittle are different in that they've made consistent appearances and seem perfect for spin-offs yet haven't been made playable in them yet (unless you count Captain Toad's spin-off game). King Bob-omb has had fairly consistent appearances in spin-offs, but has yet to make a playable appearance, and I don't see why he can't be made playable, not even his size. Yeah, I think Honey Queen's appearance in <i>Mario Kart 7</i> pretty much made size in <i>Mario</i> spin-offs moot when it comes to playability. Same goes for Whomp, too; a moderately popular enemy that's used once every so often, but his design feels like it was made for spin-offs like <i>Mario Kart</i> or even <i>Mario Tennis</i>; as slow stone-wall type of player, you know? Captain Toad's popularity, to the point of getting his own game, should give him reason to be playable in <i>Mario Kart</i> at least. I think it's been established that Captain Toad is a different character from the Toad we've known for years, but even if they weren't, that hasn't stopped Nintendo from reusing the same character over and over. Whittles are awesome new NPCs, people made of wood with cute appearances. I'm surprised they haven't made a major appearance since <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i>. I just REALLY want to see these little guys more!<br />
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Lastly we have Mini-Mario, Ashley, and Cranky Kong, who would be unique new additions in that they don't QUITE fit the established criteria. Mini-Mario, as in those Mario toys from the <i>Mario vs. Donkey Kong</i> series SEEM popular enough to appear in games outside of those ones, but aside from brief cameos here and there they have not. Why this is, I don't have a clue, but I think it hinders their chances a bit. Still, as long as Nintendo keeps making <i>Mario vs. Donkey Kong</i> games there's always a chance! Ashley's another odd case, we haven't seen a character originate from a <i>Wario</i> game in a <i>Mario</i> spin-off, despite <i>Donkey Kong</i> characters being regulars, and I don't know why that is. Maybe it's because Wario's games aren't as popular, but <i>WarioWare</i> is a fairly popular series, and Ashley in particular is the most popular character from that series. I feel like if anyone from Wario's games is going to start being playable in <i>Mario</i> spin-offs, it's her. As for Cranky, I think the fact that he's a crotchety old geezer is the only thing keeping him from being playable in <i>Mario</i> spin-offs, since other <i>Donkey Kong</i> characters have shown no such problems making appearances in them. That being said, there ARE certain spin-offs where the elderly like him, E. Gadd, and Toadsworth can be made playable, and in that respect, I think he should show these whippersnappers how video games are done, if you know what I mean! ;)<br /><br />...And this is initially where I was going to end this particular section, until a character formerly in the next section made a sudden appearance in this year's <i>Super Mario Odyssey</i> E3 trailer! That's right, Pauline's back as New Donk City's mayor in Mario's next upcoming game for the Nintendo Switch! It's weird that I say she's "back", though, in that she's technically been back since <i>Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis</i> and has appeared in every <i>Mario vs. Donkey Kong</i> game since then, but much like how the Mini-Mario's aren't acknowledged outside of that game, neither is Pauline, at least not much. Also weird is the fact that this is the first mainstream <i>Mario</i> game she's ever appeared in. The original <i>Donkey Kong</i> had the ape himself get top billing with Mario getting called "Jumpman" and Pauline getting called "Lady" (although Japan seemed to miss the memo on that and confusingly labeled "Lady" a separate character). Pauline's only other appearance before <i>Mario vs. Donkey Kong </i>was in the 1994 <i>Donkey Kong</i> Game Boy game, essentially a remake of the arcade game before expanding into a lengthy, epic puzzler! Regardless of her limited appearances, Pauline's sudden resurgence in Mario's next biggest title leads me to think Nintendo could start using her more, including putting her in spin-offs... Only time will tell, though.<br />
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Alright, this is getting REALLY lengthy, far longer than I anticipated, but don't worry, we're almost done! I just need to get self-indulgent with some...<br />
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<u><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Pipe Dreams</span></i></u></div>
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These are characters who by this point don't stand even a remote chance of ever appearing in a <i>Mario</i> spin-off, unless something new happens that changes things up a bit. Regardless, I REALLY want to play as them in <i>Mario Kart</i>, <i>Mario Party</i>, <i>Mario Tennis</i>, <i>Mario Golf</i>, <i>Mario Baseball</i>, etc. Bear with me for a moment as I go over characters who should make a comeback in <i>Mario</i> games and start being playable in spin-offs!<br />
<ul>
<li>Donkey Kong Jr.</li>
<li>Foreman Spike</li>
<li>Stanley the Bugman</li>
<li>Blue Bowser</li>
<li>Mouser</li>
<li>Wart</li>
<li>Tatanga </li>
<li>The Kings from <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i></li>
<li>Captain Syrup</li>
<li>Mad Scienstein/Dr. Arewo-Shitain</li>
<li>Vampire Wario </li>
<li><i> </i>Il Piantissimo</li>
<li>Broozer</li>
<li>The Chimp</li>
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The weird thing about two of these guys is that they actually DID appear in spin-offs before; Donkey Kong Jr. and Foreman Spike, to be exact! Donkey Kong Jr. was one of the 8 racers in the original <i>Super Mario Kart</i> (along with Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool [later Peach], Yoshi, Bowser, Toad, and Koopa Troopa), and was a playable character in <i>Mario's Tennis</i> for the Virtual Boy and <i>Mario Tennis</i> for the Nintendo 64! Since then, though, aside from cameos like in <i>Super Mario Maker</i> and the like, he's rarely seen. Of course, there's the whole "the current Donkey Kong" thing that Rare started but Nintendo didn't acknowledge but kind of did later on, but now it doesn't and it's all just a really confusing mess... but even IF DK Jr. is the current DK, that hasn't stopped younger versions of other characters from being playable, so I say, why not bring back DK Jr.? As for Foreman Spike, AKA the main antagonist of <i>Wrecking Crew</i> and one of the few villains Mario had before <i>Super Mario Bros.</i> and Bowser, managed to make an appearance in <i>Mobile Golf</i>, a Japan-exclusive Game Boy Color game that could be connected to your mobile phone for online play. His appearance in this game is EXTREMELY odd and seemingly out of nowhere, especially given that his spot could have easily been given to Wario, who was growing in popularity at the time. Regardless, outside of a Mystery Mushroom costume in <i>Super Mario Maker</i>, Foreman Spike hasn't seen the light of day since then, which is a shame because I like his design, essentially a big, gruff construction foreman with a big burly beard and shades. I think his construction theme would be pretty cool in spin-offs, driving a bulldozer or something similar as a Kart in <i>Mario Kart</i> and hey, he has history in golf, so it wouldn't be out of place! Fingers crossed he'll get a full-blown return one of these days (Pauline suddenly came back, so who knows).<br />
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The two next characters have had no such luck, and I doubt anyone else remembers them. Stanley the Bugman is the hero of <i>Donkey Kong 3</i>, where Donkey Kong invades his greenhouse with an army of insects in order to sample the tasty fruit there, and it's up to Stanley to drive off the bugs AND Donkey Kong. That is Stanley's ONLY appearance outside cameos in <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> as trophies and/or stickers. Still, with some people calling him the third Mario brother, I think he's well-known enough to warrant a revival. But if you think THAT'S obscure, get a load of this: on the Famicom Disk System version of <i>Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels</i>, there was a brown-and-blue Bowser fought on world 8-4 before the actual Bowser. According to <i>Encyclopedia Super Mario Bros.</i>, this is NOT a Fake Bowser like the Bowsers faced in previous worlds, but actually Bowser's brother! ...At least until <i>Super Mario All-Stars</i>, where he was replaced by a regular Fake Bowser, after which point who he is and his relationship to Bowser remains unclear. Personally, I think it would be awesome to have Bowser have a brother, give him the Mario-Luigi dynamic only have Bowser be the clear superior one with Blue Bowser (or Bluser as I sometimes call him) being pushed aside and not get as much attention. As for his sudden reappearance, perhaps Bowser banished him after his failure to stop the Mario Bros. and Blue Bowser wants vengeance, or at least the chance to prove himself? There is a LOT of potential here, and I really hope Nintendo takes advantage of it... if they remember him, that is.<br /><br />Mouser, Wart, and Tatanga have easier explanations for their inclusion on this list; each of them are memorable one-off antagonists from fondly remembered <i>Mario</i> games (<i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i> for Mouser and Wart, <i>Super Mario Land</i> for Tatanga), and each of them could bring something unique with them. Mouser obviously has the bomb theme going, and I would honestly love to see someone besides Birdo be a <i>Mario</i> regular who also has an ambiguous allegiance. Wart is often said to be merely a dream creation but given that Birdo, Shy Guys, Bob-ombs, and Pokeys are real, I don't think it'd be that much of a stretch to say he is as well. Besides, why not keep the dream theme going? Perhaps there's an entryway to Subcon, and thus people's dreams? In the magical world of the Mushroom Kingdom, anything is possible. As for Tatanga, I want to keep him a little purple spaceman with pointy ears and fangs, and most importantly, I want to retain his size small, perhaps even the size of Toad or one of the baby characters, but have him compensate (or over-compensate) with incredibly big machinary, weapons, and vehicles, just like his original spaceship the Pagosu! Again, trying to think of creative ways to use these old characters.<br /><br />Say, you know how Nintendo said in <i>Super Mario Odyssey</i>, Mario will be visiting various lands and kingdoms, each with their own rulers, Pauline of New Donk City being one of them? Doesn't that make you wonder where the Kings from <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i> disappeared to? ...At the very least, I wouldn't mind seeing them again in some way, shape or form (including their transformed forms from said game :P ).<br />
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The next three characters are all <i>Wario Land</i> characters, and given how <i>WarioWare</i> seems to be more popular these days yet even characters from those games can't seem to break into <i>Mario</i> spin-offs, I don't see any of these guys happening soon. At the very least, though, I want Captain Syrup, AKA Wario's other arch-enemy, to make an appearance in something else. She made a short-lived comeback in <i>Wario Land: Shake It!</i>, so if Nintendo actually decides to continue to make <i>Wario</i> games, I unquestionably want to see more of Captain Syrup. Mad Scienstein, though... well, here's his deal. In <i>Wario Land 4</i>, and old man makes an appearance who's actually Arewo Shistain-hakase (which means Dr. Arewo Shistain), a character from the Japan-exclusive Game Boy game, <i>Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru</i> (or "The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls" in English)! Even weirder is that a Japanese ad for <i>Wario Land 4</i> had an interview with Dr. Shistain, who claimed he was also in <i>Wario Land 3</i>, meaning he was actually Mad Scienstein all along! Not only that, but he was in <i>Dr. Mario 64</i> as well, so there's at least some precedence for him to be in a <i>Mario</i> spin-off! ...Sort of, considering that game was released exclusively in North America, though it WAS re-released in Japan as part of the <i>Nintendo Puzzle Collection</i> bundle on the GameCube. Eh, who knows... As for Vampire Wario, well, if we're going to have duplicate characters, we might as well go with one of Wario's best transformations and one who's appeared in a spin-off as well (once again, <i>Dr. Mario 64</i>).<br /><br />The last three characters are ones who I have no idea of people actually care about them or not, but I think are fun and unique enough to warrant a random appearance in a spin-off. Il Piantissimo is definitely tops on my list; he's already got a weird yet highly unique design (a short, tan human-like character [actually the Mailman from <i>The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask</i>] wearing a Pianta mask, as well as Pianta gloves and shoes) who dishes out colorful insults and has a rather annoying laugh! You can't tell me there isn't potential to make him a really obnoxious playable character which players can use to taunt everyone else with! The Chimp is basically the Il Piantissimo of <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i>, and due to the fact that he's got a similar basic design to Diddy Kong, I'd call him redundant, but dang if he doesn't look funky with those shades, that tree on his head and that blue fur! Broozer is essentially a ghost version of Chargin' Chuck, back before Chargin' Chucks made a comeback. If Chargin' Chucks started showing up in spin-offs, I'd be satisfied, but I feel like more can be done with Broozers as well.<br /><br />...<br /><br />And that's about it, holy HELL that took way longer than I thought it did. What was originally supposed to be a fun little list turned into this mammoth monstrosity. Still, if you read the whole thing, you have my thanks, and hey, maybe you learned something new about some <i>Mario</i> characters you didn't realize! Please comment on who you would like to see in <i>Mario</i> spin-offs, and also share this! Put a lot of work into this, I'd love to see as many people read it as possible... even though I'm sure there are a TON of spelling and grammatical errors in this that I overlooked. Regardless, thanks again!</div>
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Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-74945834437992895462017-04-11T18:55:00.004-07:002017-04-11T19:14:54.192-07:00Yooka-Laylee - Initial Impressions<div data-contents="true">
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<span data-offset-key="bijei-0-0"><span data-text="true">So I played <i>Yooka-Laylee</i> for about 2 hours, according to Steam anyway, and I gotta say, I feel pretty overwhelmed... For me, that is. If something's too big or too daunting, I sometimes have difficulty getting motivated to do it all, especially now since my time to play games is so limited. Plus, even though the game emphasizes the whole "explore or expand" thing (which really should be called explore or expand THEN explore, because that's what you're doing regardless), I'm the kind of guy who tries to go for 100% completion, which can be tiring when each world has so many collectables in it. This more than ever makes me miss the <i>Banjo-Kazooie</i> mode; decently sized worlds with just the right amount of collectables and challenges in each of them. Again, this isn't a criticism against the game, it's just how I feel.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1b9na-0-0"><span data-text="true">Also, yeah, the camera's a bit wonky but not as bad as I was expecting. There ARE some forced perspectives at certain places and my gosh, does it get caught on objects like crazy, it's like I'm bumping around whenever I try to maneuver the camera to how I want it to.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9e2qv-0-0"><span data-text="true">Other than that and some REALLY minor nitpicks, this game isn't bad at all. In fact, I love it! The story had me intrigued, and there's already a mystery element with the book, the Pagies, and Yooka and Laylee's shipwrecked home. The characters are all great, yes, even the minor, incidental ones! I really do feel like each character has their own personality, and each one of them could be on their own personal adventure (though that's not to say I'd want a game focused on each one of them), and the humor is typical Rareware dry, British humor, the kind of humor that would make many people groan but dang it, I just love it! I also want to say, I am LOVING Yooka and Laylee's design, how they're textured, hwo they move, how expressive they can be; already I feel a personal connection with them akin to Banjo and Kazooie! Even characters I didn't think I'd warm up to right away like Trowzer I find myself adoring! Also, some people may take issue with the voice grunting, I didn't mind in the slightest. It's what I've wanted since <i>Banjo-Tooie</i> and I'm glad it's back in full force!</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="du677-0-0"><span data-text="true">Even though exploring all this space and agonizing to get every single collectable with be tough, I want to pull through just because I love the world this game set up! Thank you, </span></span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="du677-1-0" spellcheck="false"><span data-offset-key="du677-1-0"><span data-text="true">Playtonic Games</span></span></span><span data-offset-key="du677-2-0"><span data-text="true">, for giving me a joy I haven't felt in ages! <br /><br />Edit: </span></span><span><span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody"><span>OH,
I almost forgot, I didn't know you could switch to a first-person
perspective until I accidentally pressted the left control stick once. I
had SUCH a difficult time aiming projectiles until that point. There are other times I performed something I didn't realize I could do, though I can't remember exactly which moves they were. It's weird, considering the tutorial at the beginning, they'd leave out some extra stuff that could have been helpful to know...</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-36969661358964538532017-04-08T12:29:00.001-07:002017-04-08T12:29:10.448-07:00What new character do you want as DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe? - Poll on StrawPoll.com<a href="https://strawpoll.com/93rz158#.WOk5-yhtaPw.blogger">What new character do you want as DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe? - Poll on StrawPoll.com</a>: What new character do you want as DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe? - Whats your opinion? Vote now!Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-40152267609495979422016-10-22T20:28:00.003-07:002016-10-22T20:28:45.582-07:00What I'd like to see for the Nintendo Switch<br />
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Man... What a reveal that was... We might not be getting any more info on the Nintendo Switch until November, but I can't contain my excitement regardless! In fact, after a recent YouTube video, I made a MASSIVE list of stuff I want to see out of the Nintendo Switch! See what I mean after the break (MASSIVE wall of text follows, you've been warned).<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />So there's this guy called PaleoSteno who I've known for a long time but haven't really kept in touch with for a while. Recently, though, he made a video about what he wants to see out of the Nintendo Switch:<br /><br /><br />
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<br />Paleo prompted his views to ask what they wanted to see in the comments section and I just went all-out! You can see what I wrote in the comments section of this video, but since you're here already, this is basically what I wrote.<br /><br />Regarding what Paleo said:<br /><br />-Not sure about features, I don't really use much on my Wii U or Nintendo 3DS besides games, though I HAVE been watching YouTube and Netflix on my Wii U as of late, so if that's on the Switch, I'd totally be down for that!<br />-If they had Skype or Discord (lol), I'd probably create and account just so I could use that with friends.<br />-Nintendo would REALLY be missing an opportunity if they didn't have a way to transfer what you've purchased, on the Virtual Console at the very least, to the Switch. The Wii U is a must, IMO, but the 3DS? Well, we'll see. Given that Nintendo did that whole "My Nintendo" thing, I feel like they should be going in that direction, but you never know with them...<br />-I feel like amiibo support is a given; we see amiibo in the trailer, not to mention Nintendo isn't the kind of company to invest so much in something like amiibo just for a quick cash-grab. I, for one, look forward to not only future amiibo (Ridley amiibo, please!) but more uses for amiibo... Particularly the <i>Super Smash Bros.</i> ones, so many Nintendo characters, they have to make use of all those possibilities!<br />-<i>Metroid</i>'s obvious, but what I want is one of two things: a 2D <i>Metroid</i>, or even a 2.5D <i>Metroid</i> that's just like <i>Super Metroid</i>, <i>Metroid Fusion</i>, or <i>Metroid: Zero Mission</i> (<i>Metroid Fusion</i> might be my favorite <i>Metroid</i> game), or a third-person <i>Metroid</i> game that is absolutely nothing like <i>Metroid: Other M</i>. My God, I can't tell you how absolutely disappointed I was with that game; here we finally get a 3D <i>Metroid</i> game that isn't a first-person shooter (nothing against the genre, I just can't get into it), and it SUCKS! And if you want to argue with me, fine, but I'll just ignore you because I'm sick of arguing about that game. If you like <i>Metroid: Other M</i>, good for you, but me, I can't hide the extreme anger and disappointment I had for that game... But yeah, I guess another <i>Metroid Prime</i> would be alright; they seem to be building up to something with Sylux after <i>Metroid Prime 3: Corruption</i> and even the end of <i>Metroid Prime Federation Force</i>.<br />-It frustrates me how Shigeru Miyamoto won't touch an IP he's created unless he can do something unusual and "different" with it, even if it's an IP that hasn't seen the light of day in years. <i>Star Fox Zero</i>? That wouldn't have gotten made without Miyamoto insisting on an incredibly intuitive new playstyle, and the game itself was just a remake/retelling of <i>Star Fox 64</i>, which was ALREADY a retelling of the first <i>Star Fox</i>! Not QUITE as big a disappointment as <i>Metroid: Other M</i>, but it doesn't give me much hope for <i>F-Zero</i>. Last I heard, Miyamoto MIGHT make a new <i>F-Zero</i> if he things of a good new "control interface" or some nonsense, like it can't JUST be a new installment in the series, it HAD to be different, albeit only in how you play, the game itself can be interchangeable nonsense, but it HAS to have something new or else why bother! I mean, but now, people just WANT a new <i>F-Zero</i>, maybe with a new story mode for Captain Falcon and maybe even some other characters few new characters, definitely new courses, course editor, and HELLO, ONLINE RACING?! Geez, man... Nintendo can be really frustrating to deal with somethings...<br />-Speaking of <i>Star Fox</i>, a new <i>Star Fox</i> that actually continues the story and doesn't force you to play like you have two sets of eyes would be nice... But now the question is, do they follow the rebooted continuity or go back to, say, <i>Star Fox Command</i> and use the characters introduced there? I liked the idea of Dash Bowman and how he's Andross's grandson, so there's this "following in his grandfather's footsteps" vs. doing the right thing going on with him, that could make for an interesting story and a unique relationship with Fox... Then again, sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who gives a crap about characters in Nintendo games. Oh well...<br />-"COME ON, REGGIE, GIVE US <i>MOTHER 3</i>!" We have <i>EarthBound</i> and <i>EarthBound Beginnings</i>, all we need is <i>Mother 3</i>/<i>EarthBound 2</i> to finally complete the trilogy... A collection game would be a great way to solve that, they could do what they did with the <i>Kirby</i> 20th anniversary collection, and have the 3 games plus a museum of stuff from the series's history and stuff! I wonder if Shigesato Itoi would be up for something like that...<br />-<i>PAPER MARIO, </i>YES! PLEASE!!! <i>Color Splash</i> was actually surprisingly good, but please, Nintendo, give us a <i>Paper Mario</i> game that's true to it's RPG roots! I miss the partners, the battles, the badges, and the variety of characters that AREN'T ALL INTERCHANGEABLE TOADS!! I'm practically on my knees with this, please, please, PLEASE NINTENDO!!!<br />-<i>Endless Ocean</i>? ...Oh, yeah, Paleo's a marine-lover, I forgot about that. :P<br />-<i>StarTropics 3</i>, Hell yeah! The <i>StarTropics</i> games were cool <i>Zelda</i>-like games but set in the modern day, I could totally see a franchise like that blossoming in this day and age. See also: <i>Balloon Fighter</i>, <i>Mach Rider</i>, <i>Nazo no Murasame-Jo</i>/<i>The Mysterious Murasame Castle</i>, and <i>Ice Climber</i>. Yeah, if <i>Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS</i>/<i>Wii U</i> has proven anything, it's that people really do like the Ice Climbers, and a new game for them, perhaps one that expands the <i>Ice Climber</i> world a bit, gives Popo and Nana personalities and backstories, give a bit of lore while doing a game that's like, I dunno, an exploration kind of game where Popo and Nana find food like the vegetables or other resources to either help their home village or to continue their ice-climbing ventures, that would be REALLY neat!<br />-When it comes to third parties, the only thing I want is for the third parties to stick around this time. They were all for supporting the Wii U until it started underselling then they abandoned it in droves... I STILL won't forget how <i>Rayman Legends</i> was meant to be a Wii U exclusive, and how Ubisoft forced the developers to crunch it to make a February release date, only to suddenly announce, without them knowing, that the game was going to be delayed, JUST so it could coincide with a PS4 and Xbox One release! It's absolute BULLSHIT and it put all the house they put into the Wii U development to waste, hours they didn't need to work so hard, especially since during the delay the Wii U version wasn't altered at all, the delay was for making PS4/Xbox One ports. Michel Ancel, <i>Rayman</i>'s creator, actually considered leaving the company because of this bullshit... But I guess he didn't, because <i>Beyond Good & Evil 2</i> is finally coming, to the Nintendo Switch no less, if rumors are to be believed...<br />-Another Pokemon game like <i>Colosseum</i> or <i>Gale of Darkness</i> would be cool, I liked those games, PaleoSteno should totally play them, and so should all of you. But yeah, new <i>Pokemon</i> games on the Switch feels like a given, as much as <i>Zelda</i> and <i>Mario</i> are a given.<br /><br />What I want to see:<br /><br />-In addition to the <i>Balloon Fighter</i>, <i>Mach Rider</i>, <i>Murasame Castle</i>, and <i>Ice Climber</i> revivals, I wouldn't mind seeing revivals for other more obscure Nintendo classics, like <i>Urban Champion</i>, <i>Pro Wrestling</i>, <i>Ice Hockey</i>, and <i>Gumshoe</i> (that's a Zapper game where you have to shoot the protagonist to make him jump, how weird is that?!)! Keep the odd, quirky characters and settings for those characters, since it's what helped make them unique and kept that Nintendo charm to them.<br />-I'd like to see and new <i>Punch-Out!!</i> game, called "<i>Super Punch-Out!!</i>" in keeping with the tradition of having one game be released as <i>Punch-Out!!</i> than the follow-up being called <i>Super Punch-Out!!</i> Next Level Games put SO much personality into the classic characters, not just for Doc Louis but also for all of Little Mac's opponents! For this one, I'd like to see them put some more personality into the SNES <i>Super Punch-Out!!</i> characters and create more original characters to see what they come up with (fun fact: Disco Kid was originally supposed to be Kid Quick from the first arcade <i>Punch-Out!!</i> but he ended up being so different that they just straight up made him a new character; check his stats and where he's from, both him and Kid Quick are identical in that regard)<br />-A <i>Donkey Kong</i> game that brings back the Kremlings as the primary antagonists. The Tiki Take Tribe were alright, and so were the Snowmads, but I think fans have made it clear, no one can truly replace King K. Rool and his Kremlings Krew... Also, the final boss fight of Tropical Freeze was incredibly underwhelming, King K. Rool wouldn't have taken that lying down!<br />-A new Mario that plays like <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i>? Or heck, a new <i>Mario</i> game set outside the Mushroom Kingdom where Bowser ISN'T the main antagonist for once? <i>Super Mario 3D World</i> kind of went halfway, making Bowser not kidnap Peach and technically having it take place in a different world, but there wasn't much different between the Mushroom Kingdom and the Sprixie World, and there's only so many times you can beat up Bowser before it starts to get old. The return of Wart or Tatanga would be nice, and having characters like Tryclyde, Clawgripe, and Mouser (ESPECIALLY Mouser) come back would be so awesome!<br />-Heck, revisiting <i>Wrecking Crew</i> wouldn't be so bad, either. Foreman Spike seems like an interesting minor antagonist (though I'd prefer his bearded form as opposed to his psuedo-Waluigi look) that I wouldn't mind seeing in newer <i>Mario</i> games.<br />-Another <i>Excitebike</i>? With course editor that you can more easily share via an Internet connection? Kind of like the WiiWare game only better.<br />-New <i>Animal Crossing</i> and <i>Fire Emblem</i> feel like a given, but then again, they weren't on the Wii U aside from spin-offs, so who knows... I know Nintendo considers them valuable enough properties to give them smart phone games, so a proper <i>Animal Crossing</i> and <i>Fire Emblem</i> game on the Switch would be pretty sweet. <br />-And a proper <i>Kirby</i> game as well! <i>Kirby Triple Deluxe</i> and <i>Planet Rorobot</i> were awesome, I'd like to see a game like those on the Switch! Or perhaps, dare I say, a fully 3D Kirby game instead of a 2.5D one?! That would be different!<br />-New <i>Wario Land</i>... Heck another proper <i>WarioWare</i> game would be cool, too, <i>Game & Wario</i> felt a bit lackluster, but really, it's been too long since we had a new <i>Wario Land</i> game and I want to see Wario beat up some bad guys... well, badder guys. Have Waluigi be in it, too.<br />-OH FUCK, A WALUIGI GAME! Right? Come on, I know you Waluigi fans are out there and want to see it as much as I do!<br />-Another <i>Kid Icarus</i> installment. It's great that they revived <i>Kid Icarus</i>, but I want to see him continue to get installments and become as much of a staple as... well, not <i>Mario</i>, <i>Zelda</i>, and <i>Pokemon</i>'s levels, but at least <i>Animal Crossing</i> and <i>Fire Emblem</i>'s levels. For that matter, I want <i>Metroid</i> to return to that status as well, but we've already talked about that.<br />-<i>Stunt Race FX</i> revival? :P I only know about this thanks to Andre from GameXplain, but dang... That would be neat, and different!<br />-Speaking of different, Nintendo is supposedly working on a wholly new IP for the Switch. That's good, let's see them make the next <i>Splatoon</i>!<br />-Here are some games that could use new installments that aren't "retro", or at least as far back as the NES and SNES: <i>Custom Robo</i>, <i>Chibi-Robo</i> (a proper <i>Chibi-Robo</i> game, as opposed to what <i>Zip-Lash</i> did), <i>Golden Sun</i>, <i>Sin & Punishment</i>, <i>Advance Wars</i>, <i>Baten Kaitos</i> (since Nintendo owns Monolith Soft now), <i>Dillon's Rolling Western</i> (though maybe that's better suited to the 3DS... if you haven't played that game and its sequel, DO IT NOW!!), <i>Fatal Frame</i> (this time, DON'T make it an eShop exclusive, that shit takes up too much memory/GB), <i>Game & Watch Gallery</i> (basically a Game & Watch collection but with Mario characters added to remade versions of those games, those were fun), and <i>The Legendary Stary</i> (I LOVE Starfy, and I'm sure Paleo would too, it's about marine-life! ;) ).<br />-A <i>Mario Tennis</i> game that isn't completely phoned in. :[<br />-A <i>Dr. Mario</i> with a story mode, like <i>Dr. Mario 64</i>? That'd be nice...<br />-<i>Super Mario Sunshine 2</i> or <i>Super Mario Galaxy 3</i>? Eh, why not...<br />-A new <i>Xenoblade</i> game that's actually a story-focused game as opposed to an open-world game like X was; nothing against X, but the first <i>Xenoblade Chronicles</i> was PHENOMENAL!!<br />-Hey, if Nintendo ever does look into VR and not suck like they did with the Virtual Boy, maybe they can revive <i>Teleroboxer</i>? That seemed like a neat concept!<br />-Maybe they can translate and release <i>Tomato Adventure</i>? It's an RPG made by AlphaDream, the developer behind the <i>Mario & Luigi</i> games, BEFORE they made the <i>Mario & Luigi</i> games. Looks fun and bizarre!<br />-Another <i>Rhythm Heaven</i> game, maybe? Though it'll be hard to top <i>Megamix</i>...<br />-Maybe they could revisit <i>Drill Dozer</i> and <i>Codename: S.T.E.A.M.</i>? I feel like those are fun and unique games that didn't get enough attention or love the first time around...<br />-If <i>Mario Kart</i> and <i>Splatoon</i> are getting updated re-releases, I think the <i>Super Smash Bros. for Wii U</i> should get the same treatment. I don't expect them to do much, the game could be virtually identical, but I would expect to see at least a few new characters, perhaps even a few new trophies or an extra mode to entice people to pick up this one. I'm hoping that they'll bring back the Ice Climbers with this one, since the only reason they weren't in the 3DS version was because the 3DS couldn't handle the whole "two characters at once" gimmick they had going for them and not do it in the same way they did with Olimar or Rosalina, and they weren't in the Wii U version because they wanted to keep the roster consistent between versions. Wolf should also come back, he was as popular a veteran as Lucas and Roy, I don't see why they shouldn't include him again. Also, RIDLEY! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT, GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS SAKURAI AND MAKE IT HAPPEN!!! ...I don't expect many new characters beyond the Ice Climbers and maybe Wolf or a new character, though. My dream would be to have a new Adventure Mode like Subspace Emissary but better, but that's not going to happen anytime soon...<br /><br />PHEW! I think that about covers it. How about the rest of you? Do you agree with my ideas or disagree? Is there something in particular you want to see out of the Switch (almost said NX for a second there, need to get used to that)? There's no stopping the floodgates now!Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-24564596537696377712016-08-12T21:57:00.001-07:002016-08-12T21:57:17.876-07:00Pokemon XY anime - Saw the first episode!<div data-contents="true">
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<span data-offset-key="9hkm6-0-0"><span data-text="true">So I just watched the first episode of Pokemon XY, and... I liked it!<br /><br />Yeah, I wasn't going to write a blog post about this, but since I made a MASSIVE post about it on Facebook, I figure I might as well. Click the break to read my thoughts...<br /><br />Actually, no, watch this, and then also click the break the read my thoughts.<br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span data-offset-key="1nnc2-0-0"><span data-text="true">First a little background; I watched the Pokemon anime almost religiously up until the end of the Hoenn league. I definitely remember earlier episodes better since I watched them repeatedly, but the one thing I remember about the Hoenn region was when I officially stopped watching; it was when Ash was fighting another rival he met at the league itself and Ash freaking lost, again. At that point, I was getting REALLY sick of Ash never making it to even the final battle of each new Pokemon League. Heck, I THINK this might have actually been the Johto League championship, and I was pissed that Ash finally managed to beat Gary yet didn't beat this other guy... Either way, I stopped watching the anime, though I kept tabs on what Pokemon as got, and which ones he released, and hoping that some of his old Pokemon might make a surprise return here and there. Other than that, never bothered to try and watch any of the Diamond/Pearl or Black/White anime. The Black/White anime I WAS almost tempted to watch, if only because Team Rocket is actually a serious threat this time, and Ash finally meets Giovanni face-to-face! However, I'm also told that Ash's new traveling companions this time around, Iris and Cilan, weren't that interesting. Not to mention it seems to take place after the events of the game so N and Team Plasma are barely in it, so whatever.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="6tgt8-0-0"><span data-text="true">So why start watching the Pokemon anime again now? Well, mostly because Derrick Bitner of GameXplain highly recommended it, not to mention, like him, I'm in a bit of a Pokemon kick right now, having really been this excited about Pokemon in a while! Plus that one video of all the main characters' Pokemon singing was super adorable, and Ash has a Greninja, one of my new favorite Pokemon ever (and a Hawlucha, sweet)! Plus it's on Netflix, so I figured "What the heck?" and gave it a shot!</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="57f06-0-0"><span data-text="true">So far I'm just one episode in and I'm already intrigued. This new girl, Serena; the Internet being what it is, I already know quite a bit about who certain characters are and what their deal is, so I know that this new girl is not only a new potential romantic interest, but it's the most blatant the anime's ever been with ship teases for these kinds of characters... Of course, Ash being an oblivious idiot never catches on, at least that's what I hear. Ash doesn't even meet her in this episode, though; he arrives via plane in Lumiose City and the moment he gets off it he wants to battle a gym leader. Like, why don't you wait until you get some more Pokemon first, dude? He gets kicked out of the gym in Lumiose (after getting zapped and shot out via a trap door) and we meet Clemont and Bonnie, who I can only assume are our Brock and Max stand-ins (except Clemont is more like Max than Brock and Bonnie's just... a cute girl I guess?). Ash is so itching for a fight that he demands to fight the guy that just saved him with a Pokemon he only recently caught, way to show some gratitude dude.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="evcsf-0-0"><span data-text="true">So we get our first battle and HOLY CRAP THE ANIMATION FOR THIS FIGHT!!! Like, the intro was a trip, there were these swirling bubbles and we get an "Ash vs. Clemont" split-screen and we see Clemont's Pokemon, Bunnelby, and for a Pokemon he recently caught it surprisingly holds its own very well against the highly experienced Pikachu... and Ash. Like, the best part of this battle was showing that Ash isn't an incompetent idiot. Something I didn't like about the anime was how often Ash would do something stupid or idiotic despite the fact that being a trainer for as long as he is, he should know better and not make such armature mistakes! Here, he's showing legitimate strategy against a surprisingly competent opponent... </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="3ep5q-0-0"><span data-text="true">Then of course Team Rocket shows up and what's this? No goofy shenanigans? Perhaps they're still trying to be serious from the last season but it's actually pretty darn remarkable just how threatening they can be when all they have is Wobbuffet... Actually, what surprised me the most is how the actually USE Wobbuffet this time and how deadly he can be as a result! Oh yeah, speaking of which, Ash STILL impulsively has Pikachu shock Team Rocket; so much for learning from the past, you'd think by now he'd know that after all the encounters they've had Team Rocket ALWAYS manages to have a means of making sure Pikachu doesn't zap them... Hell, here, they didn't even have any equipment, they just used Wobbuffet, which I guess might have caught Ash off guard and excused this blunder; he didn't see any zap-proof tech and thought they were unprotected but didn't expect them to use Wobbuffet!</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4vbaj-0-0"><span data-text="true">You know what else is unexpected, how much ASS Wobbuffet kicks in this episode! Seriously, Bunnelby and Pikachu attack him at once and Wobbuffet dodges Bunnelby's attacks and reflects Pikachu's attack again! Talk about taking a level in badass!</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2ggkf-0-0"><span data-text="true">But wait, Froakie to the rescue! And what's more, Froakie beats them on a technicality! He throws his "Frubbles" at Wobbuffet, and that's not an attack so Wobbuffet can't reflect it...</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="cg3a1-0-0"><span data-text="true">...Like seriously, how do you define a Pokemon attack? I mean, I guess if Pikachu managed to beat Cubone in season 1 by spinning the skull it wears around and by biting and scratching it, which aren't moves Pikachu learns, I guess they can do this. Also, I want to go back on the word "Frubbles"... Great stuff!</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="afeee-0-0"><span data-text="true">So Team Rocket blasts off again but Froakie's injured! They have to take it to Professor Sycamore, since there aren't any Pokemon Centers close by. And that's the first episode! There's a bunch of other stuff in this episode, but I don't have much to comment on them and this post is already massive as is, holy Hell, I didn't mean for it to be this long, I just wanted to get this out there.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8j05a-0-0"><span data-text="true">Sorry guys, bottom line, this is a good start and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series </span></span></div>
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Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-85910339241904851432016-07-16T18:13:00.000-07:002016-07-16T18:13:06.665-07:00NES Classic Edition: The Game Nintendo Missed!<div data-contents="true">
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<span data-offset-key="690iv-0-0"><span data-text="true">I'm working on my first <i>Wander Over Yonder</i> blog, don't you worry about that, but before that, there's something I want to talk about. I'm a gamer at heart as well as a cartoon enthusiast, after all, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention something really cool that just happened!<br /><br />Nintendo announced a few days ago that they'd be releasing something called the "NES Classic Edition", a console that you can plug into your TV and you can play up to 30 classic Nintendo Entertainment System games! Learn more about it here:</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="690iv-0-0"><span data-text="true"><a href="http://www.nintendo.com/nes-classic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition - Official Site</a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="690iv-0-0"><span data-text="true">I've seen a lot of people complaining about this news, or not interested, saying it's for kids or people who don't own a Wii U or 3DS. Personally, I love this idea! It's a great value for all of these games, especially considering how much some of these cost on the Nintendo eShop. Besides, as long as there's a TV, you can just plug and play, and there are some REALLY good games in this collection, as well as some overlooked classic and obscure titles! You can check the site for which titles that were included, but I, for one, think that there are enough popular games to draw people in, and also enough overlooked classics to hopefully introduce people to those classic games!<br /><br />Besides, this is coming from a guy who got basically the same thing as a gift, only it was for Sega Genesis games! Having all those games in one place is REALLY convenient, especially if there are games you could just play for hours! I can only hope Nintendo does the same for SNES, that would REALLY be something!<br /><br />...That being said, there are some games I were surprised weren't included in this collection, especially given the presence of other games... I'm going to get into what kinds of games that weren't included that SHOULD be included in this... Or something else? Click the break to see what I mean.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="690iv-0-0"><span data-text="true">So I was listening to a </span></span><span data-offset-key="690iv-2-0"><span data-text="true">discussion from GameXplain, a group of gamers who review games and take a close look at games and game trailers for hidden details and Easter eggs. In this particualr discussion, they talked about the NES Classic Edition, the selection of games, the emulation capabilities of the system, and what Nintendo might do with this concept in the future. You can watch it here:</span></span></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/g1dKvyJmETI/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g1dKvyJmETI?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span data-offset-key="egq4o-0-0"><span data-text="true">And that had me thinking... What if they released a SECOND NES Classic Edition? ...I mean, I doubt it'll sell as well, since all the big names are on this collection, but I still can't help but wonder...</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ar0vv-0-0"><span data-text="true">Here are at least 30 games I think should be in a potential second "NES Classic Edition":</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="t3e0-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC344LoZYdQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Adventures of Lolo</i></a></span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="dnjal" data-offset-key="3b0ld-0-0">
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<span data-offset-key="3b0ld-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLxXmnqaJtw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Battletoads</i></a> (if Nintendo can work something out with Microsoft and Rare)</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="c2f46-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKIOVwqgSXM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Bomberman</i></a></span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="dnjal" data-offset-key="cdapt-0-0">
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<span data-offset-key="cdapt-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeMQIPOVaE0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="e74b9-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QitNp1YjmPk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Clu Clu Land</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="djlh6-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mWZlNOzdv8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Contra</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1csi4-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LK97bPhBqY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Devil World</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="11eth-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWdtYW5U9DI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Donkey Kong 3</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="58pl-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMJXZm21faY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Double Dragon</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="5fp7h-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U5gnCG0AUI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Dragon Warrior</i></a> (the first <i>Dragon Quest</i> game)</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="enpa5-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYuqB2BPkz4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>DuckTales</i></a> (if they can work something out with Disney and Capcom)</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="da7a6-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-daxzVxrQI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Duck Hunt</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bepms-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttKkiEKqwuk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>EarthBound Beginnings</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="267pa-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJhpZkoOIGw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Gumshoe</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="5ka8f-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcO0Gu37NhE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Hogan's Alley</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="59g0n-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kXVFCfBWoQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Ice Hockey</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2hprt-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZFuU_BPOo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Kung Fu</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="egbng-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH9raawXdWs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Mach Rider</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bimba-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sKcjUjbPr4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Mega Man</i></a> </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4cbc1-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3apcIT1rGzE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Mega Man 3</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="3588d-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzb4Tonx0WI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ambgq-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=786yrUhXVrk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Pinball</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="70tqq-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HiUUJqJvqg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Pro Wrestling </i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="3asjn-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7xeGpoCScs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>River City Ransom</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="5dh5a-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvUK-YWYcaE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Tetris</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="fesr8-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPixc4qzg50" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Urban Champion</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1hgl-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDuFDlAZpZY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Wild Gunman</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="7ga9c-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3I_pVpFBsk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Wrecking Crew</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="dhgqt-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T7eRPAII8k" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Yoshi's Cookie</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1lcb1-0-0"><span data-text="true">-<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yum_v33h5lY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II</i></a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ev558-0-0"><span data-text="true">I threw in some Zapper games, figuring this one can come with a peripheral that's like the original NES Zapper. Wouldn't that be a neat idea?</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="40q7t-0-0"><span data-text="true">I'd say that's a solid line-up for a potential NES Classic Edition 2. What do you think? I mean, I tried to get as many well-known games in there as I could, while filling in stuff that was missing from the first NES Classic Edition, and putting in some more obscure games or games that deserve more recognition.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1rcju-0-0"><span data-text="true">...Lastly, though, I want to bring up something. The NES Classic edition features <i>StarTropics</i>, which is awesome, but there's a part in the game that require that you dip a letter, that came with a physical copy of the game when it was originally released, into water, which revealed a code that was required to progress in the game... I wonder how that will work with this re-release...<br /><br />Well, that's all I wanted to say, really. I hope you agree with what I had to say, or at least inspired you to think about the concept and what Nintendo could do with it! Thanks for reading, and once again, stay tuned for my <i>Wander Over Yonder</i> recaps!</span></span></div>
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Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-91897194932190520852016-07-14T19:12:00.001-07:002016-07-14T19:12:08.947-07:00#SaveWOY Blog Prelude - How I Got into Wander Over YonderSo, before I actually get into the episode recaps, I figure I'd start out this series by going into how I first discovered <i>Wander Over Yonder</i>, as well as a general overview for potential newbies to the series. I aim to be informative, since I can't help but go into extreme detail with stuff I really like. Because of that, I should warn all of you that I tend to talk a LOT when it comes to stuff like this, so prepare for giant walls of text! I'd also like to apologize for grammatical or syntax errors, or repeating myself, or stuff that doesn't flow right with what I say; I'm not a professional essayist, I just tend to talk in-depth with a lot of things. I suggest you take some time out of your day if you're interested in what I have to say.<br />
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Also, while I want to be general with my overviews, I still can't help but talk about things from my own perspective, so you might find yourself disagreeing with what I have to say about this character or that episode or whatever. That's fine, though; we don't all have to like the same thing, and differing opinions is what helps make great shows like this anyway. I'd also like to add, I know SOME behind the scenes details for this show, but not all of it. Truth be told, even when I was intensely following <i>Wander Over Yonder</i> back when it started, I could barely find anyone to talk to about it, let alone anyone to actually share behind-the-scenes stuff, unlike today, where the SaveWOY movement has brought the fandom and the staff closer than ever! So keep in mind, I might bring up some things about the show's production, but I don't know all the facts. I apologize in advance if I get any particular detail wrong.<br />
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Alright, with all that out of the way, the prologue for my <i>Wander Over Yonder</i> blogs begins after the break!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I first found out about <i>Wander Over Yonder </i>probably before the majority of the WOY fandom ever existed, back before Disney ever picked it up as a series! I forget exactly when it happened, but I started following Craig McCracken on deviantART, mostly due to me following Lauren Faust, Craig's wife who wrote for <i>The Powerpuff Girls</i>, <i>Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends</i>, and was the original showrunner of <i>My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic</i>, on deviantART as well, and seeing her tag her husband, giving him credit for helping her out with the character Discord's head. It was there that I saw the first early sketches of Wander. They're unfortunately not there anymore, but for those of you fellow WOY fans who are curious to know what they look like, just imagine Wander as less spoon-shaped, hairier, more scraggly, and with a walking stick. Seemed a bit older than the Wander we've come to know, and more fitting for the "space-traveling hippie" than the more yokel-esque portrayal we got.<br /><br />At that point, <i>Wander Over Yonder</i> was a pet project of Craig, similar to Lauren Faust's <i>Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls</i> (which, incidentally, you should support and help her out as much as you can; she tried pitching the show multiple times, including with Cartoon Network, but no go so far), and honestly I didn't think that much of it... There wasn't that much to think of to begin with, at least that's how I felt. Then about 4 years ago (according to when I shared this news on Facebook anyway), I found out that <i>Wander Over Yonder</i> got picked up by Disney and not only was Craig McCracken the showrunner, Lauren Faust would be a producer and story editor for the show! I was absolutely ecstatic, but at the time, I had a hard time finding ANYONE interested or excited as I was. I suppose it only made sense, seeing as we didn't know what the story was about, who any of the characters were, and didn't see any clips or stills from the show yet, but to ME, I could only be happy about this. Craig McCracken is one of those cartoon-creators that I just have absolute faith in that he will make an excellent product (provided he's not going through hard times or exhausting himself), and along with Genndy Tartakovsky (creator of <i>Dexter's Laboratory</i>, <i>Samurai Jack</i>, co-creator of <i>Sym-Bionic Titan</i>, and director of the <i>Hotel Transylvania</i> movies), is a guy that helped shape an entire generation of animation fans and cartoonists!<br /><br />My suspicions were confirmed when we caught out first glimpse at Comic-Con (I forget exactly when). You can see the clip here, though it was recorded off-screen so... yeah, best I could find.<br /><br />
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It's not much, but I could tell from this one minute of ToonBoom goodness (for the longest time, I assumed the show was done in Flash, silly me!) that THIS is Craig McCracken's work! The comedic timing, the character designs, the way the characters move... It's all so hard to describe, but I know it when I see it, and what I saw was another McCracken classic in the works!<br />
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It wouldn't be until August of 2013 that we'd see a sneak peek of the series in the form of the episode The Picnic on Disney Channel, with the actual series premiere with The Greatest being in September of that year, but before we talk about the individual episodes, let's get right down to it and talk about what the series is actually about.<br /><br />Naturally, the main focus of the show is Wander, the little orange thing with the big green hat you saw in the clip there. He loves to travel the galaxy, see what wonders it holds, and more importantly he loves helping others. Wander is basically a paragon off goodness, who can't let a potential good deed slide by; if someone needs help, he's there in a heartbeat! He's infinitely curious and a perpetually optimistic, always looking the bright side of life and moreover, always seeing the good (or potential good) in everyone. He's voiced by Jack McBrayer, who you might recognize as Kenneth Parcell from <i>30 Rock </i>and Fix-It Felix Jr. from the movie <i>Wreck-It Ralph</i>. Anyone who's familiar with those two characters and how impossibly nice they are will see that this is perfect casting at it's finest. In fact, the series kind of kicked-off when Craig McCracken met Jack for dinner one night, and in talking to him he felt like he just met Wander himself! From what I've seen, Jack likes to goof around in real life as much as Wander does. :P<br /><br />So that's Wander for you, but you can't really have a show with just one character in it. The core cast had to be extended, and new characters had to be there for Wander to bounce off of. And really, what's a worldly traveler without a trusty stead for his companion! Enter Sylvia, the blue dinosaur thing you saw in that clip. Sylvia is meant to be kind of a foil to Wander; while Wander's always got his head in the clouds, Sylvia's a bit more down-to-Earth, so to speak. She's not cynical or pessimistic so much as she is a realist, someone who acknowledges that bad things happen and sometimes there isn't much you can do about them. That doesn't mean she doesn't want to help as much as Wander does, but more often then not she ends up having to hold Wander back from doing something too reckless, or rescuing him from trouble... usually by force. Yeah, another defining trait of Sylvia is her love for rough-housing and action, and thus she does a lot of the grunt-work when it comes to either fighting this or that alien creature or doing something that requires a lot of physical strength (Wander's a straight-up pacifist and isn't exactly all that strong, you see). Wander and Sylvia sometimes find themselves at odds when it comes to their conflicting world-views, but no matter what, they're always there for each other and care for each other deeply. Sylvia is voiced by April Winchell, who you might recognize as the teacher Muriel Finster from <i>Recess</i> or as the current voice of Clarabelle Cow in the Mickey Mouse cartoons. Fun fact: she's also the daughter of the late Paul Winchell, who was the voice of Tigger from the <i>Winnie the Pooh </i>franchise, up until his death. Guess voice acting mus run in the family!<br /><br />Now that we have two characters, that might be enough to base a series on; other shows have done as much, but Craig and his team took things a bit further. After all, every show needs a conflict, and who better to instigate conflict than a villain! But not just any villain, for this show, we have... <i><b>LORD HATER, NUMBER ONE SUPERSTAR!!!<br /></b></i><br />
*guitar riff*<br /><br />The polar opposite of Wander, Lord Hater is a guy who just hates; he's mean, rude, nasty, and makes it a point to conquer every planet in the galaxy to prove how great he is. He doesn't care about other people or their feelings, unless they involve praising him or telling him how awesome he is. He subjugates every planet he conquers to doing manual labor, making monuments to his greatness, and just generally spreading as much hate as he can... So of course, Wander puts a damper on these plans. Wander's positive attitude has him trying to make friends with Hater, and discourage his mean behavior, which only drives Hater nuts as he tries to do away with Wander and Sylvia, who he views as the one thing in his way to galactic conquest! He doesn't appear in the clip, but to imagine Mojo Jojo from <i>The Powerpuff Girls</i> and Skeletor from <i>He-Man and the Masters of the Universe</i> crossed together, with an attire that seems like an unholy mash-up of goth and heavy metal with a little bit of Electro from the <i>Spider-Man</i> franchise sprinkled in. Lord Hater is voice by Keith Ferguson, who you might be surprised did a voice in McCracken's previous work, <i>Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends</i>... as the character of Blooregard Q. Kazoo, aka Bloo! Man, talk about a difference in voice quality... He also did the voice of Deputy Durland from <i>Gravity Falls</i> which ALSO sounds completely different from either of these two characters! Just goes to show, Mr. Ferguson has a talent for voicing of variety of characters with different personalities... Although Bloo is a lot like Hater in that they're both selfish, self-centered, conceited, a jerk to literally EVERYONE around them (save perhaps one person), and just overall unpleasant to be around... Though I'd much rather hang out with Hater than Bloo, Bloo can go... well, this is about <i>Wander</i>, not <i>Foster's</i>, so let's move on.<br /><br />So you got your protagonist, his sidekick, and a villain; sounds like this show is all set! ...Well, ONE more character couldn't hurt, for good measure, you know? So from that clip, you can see Lord Hater has an army of one-eyed creatures whose heads are literally eyeballs called "Watchdogs". They make up the entirety of Lord Hater's army, and obey his every command. There is one notable Watchdog who is second only to Lord Hater himself, and that is Commander Peepers!<br /><br />*Commander Peepers fanfare*<br /><br />
He doesn't look any different than any other Watchdog but wears a different outfit and hat, and relays Hater's orders to the rest of the Watchdogs. Peepers is just as capable of leading and conquering as Hater himself, yet just as helpless when it comes to doing anything about Wander or Sylvia. He's loyal to Hater and has a vast amount of respect and admiration for him. He wants to see Hater's dream of conquering the galaxy realized (with his help, of course). He has his eye on the prize, though, so he often tries to get Hater to focus on just conquering planets rather than focusing on petty squabbles or, more often than not, trying to destroy Wander. Peepers is voiced by veteran voice actor Tom Kenny, Craig McCracken's "good luck charm" who previously voiced the Mayor and the narrator in <i>The Powerpuff Girls </i>and Eduardo in<i> Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends</i>! I almost get the impression that Peepers was created just to give Tom Kenny a major recurring role in this show, but that's neither here nor there. ;)<br /><br />So that's our main cast, Wander, Sylvia, Lord Hater, and Commander Peepers. They, and a host of other characters, help make up the universe that they all traverse, meeting new creatures, exploring new planets... conquering them, or attempting to conquer them in the case of Hater and Peepers... Hell, the entire premise of the show can be summed up in it's opening sequence, all without saying a single word of exposition like most shows do! Just take a look:<br /><br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hH-d8YUYsWk/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hH-d8YUYsWk?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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Note: this was the original opening to the show, it would be shortened later on, along with a little banjo riff at the end.<br /><br />It seems no matter where Lord Hater goes, Wander isn't too far behind. The conflict between the two, that is, Wander trying to be Hater's friend and Hater trying to get Wander out of his way, would be enough to base the entire series on that alone, but there's more to it than that. Craig McCracken knows that a good show has good, memorable characters, and these four, while they would be fleshed out later, particularly in season 2, have enough stand-out qualities from the get-go that make them funny, unique, and relatable, so much so that they can carry the show just by putting them in a situation and having the story practically right itself, knowing how they'd deal with it. There's also a clear message the series as a whole is trying to convey. Each episode has it's own individual moral, but the overall message is that you can either be a "Hater", or you can be like Wander. You can be mean, rude, and think only of yourself, or you can be kind, considerate, and help others. While Craig McCracken's words try to make this sound neutral, the show itself kind of makes it clear that you should be more like Wander and less like Hater... all while having goofy slapstick and witty dialogue all the way through!<br /><br />I cannot explain in words just how glad I was to see a show like this, in this day and age of television, and media overall. All too much, you'll see shows, not just animated shows, but show in general, movies, comics, video games, what have you, where the normal is being inconsiderate, snide, passive-aggressive, and just overall emotionally abusive and draining to each other. Characters we're supposed to relate to or at least LIKE casually insult and belittle their closest friends and family members, and we're not supposed to think anything of it. It feels like more and more, being cruel is what's funny, and "<a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SadistShow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sadist Shows</a>" are your go-to staple if you're trying to make a show, ESPECIALLY an animated show... Maybe this is out of laziness, like it's easy to be a jerk, and some people say it's "fun" to be mean or to "corrupt the good character", but it's become so frequent that it makes me pine for the days of Superman being the ideal superhero (instead of angsty, dark, and gritty Batman, who's become increasingly overrated) and Captain America being the greatest human being BEFORE he took the Super-Soldier serum (in fact, it's BECAUSE of his good nature that the serum worked the way it was supposed to)... Like, them being the norm, rather than the exception.<br /><br /><i>Wander Over Yonder</i> felt like a breath of fresh air in a smog of toxic gas, a shining island in a sea of cynicism, a show that shows that you CAN be funny and be nice, that comedy isn't always based on the suffering of others, or failing that, have the suffering be at the hands of the obvious villain or bad guys. Wander might not be my favorite character of the show (that would be Lord Hater, I know, irony), but his existence in this medium felt necessary, that there can be a protagonist that doesn't fight, that isn't an anti-hero (well, he might qualify as a <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClassicalAntihero" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"traditional" anti-hero</a>, as it were, but still), is unambiguously good and wants to help others and do the best he can, and can still be funny in what's ultimately a comedy show! ...And yet, when the show finally premiered, I struggled to find anyone to talk about this with. I showed some of my friends, but only one of them watched it regularly. Heck, I was part of a Brony group back in 2013, and I wanted to host a meet-up for the ground for the premiere of <i>Wander Over Yonder</i>, because hey, Lauren Faust is working on it, I figured that would interest people! ...But no, only one guy came, the aforementioned regular watcher. I guess it doesn't matter what Lauren Faust or anyone on MLP does now, unless it directly involves ponies, Bronies aren't interested. :/<br /><br />My luck online didn't help any. I used to be a regular forum/message board-goer, and I had to keep the threads I posted alive myself more often then not. Some people might have shown interest, but it felt like I was the only one who gave a crap about this show! Some people weren't that impressed, which is fair, not everything is for everyone, but one guy actually went on a rant about how Wander was a Spongebob knock-off and how he thought the premise was stupid because real life can't all be happy-go-lucky good times and trying to preach such is foolhardy. Even though the "rant" part of his post was mostly joking around, I fired back at him with a tirade of my own, saying that yeah, it's not real life, but you know what, the fact that real life sucks is WHY things like this should exist, to add levity to our existence and show that there CAN be good with the bad, not to mention I found the Spongebob comment to be INCREDIBLY insulting given how far off the deep-end Spongebob and his so-called "good nature" have gotten over the seasons! I think he was shocked to see that I got that legitimately upset about his comment and apologized, but it's been so long since I last talked to him... or been to that forum or any forum in general...<br /><br />Indeed it seems that only recently I've been able to talk with Wander fans, and ironically it's because the series ended prematurely, after Craig and his team had an entire season's worth of ideas brushed aside because Disney thought that moving the show to a channel that not everyone gets, would be unlikely to get just because of that show, was a good idea (<i>Gravity Falls</i> managed to survive because of the massive following it had) and decided to cancel because it wasn't getting enough Neilsen ratings, which are outdated these days anyway... all while giving <i>Star Vs. The Forces of Evil</i> a second season before the first one even aired, and a third season before the second one aired! Like, <i>Star Vs. The Forces of Evil</i> looks like a great show, and I've heard a LOT of good things about it, but come ON! Oh, and the fact that Disney keeps pushing <i>Pickle and Peanut</i> doesn't help matters...<br /><br />...So yeah, that's how I got my start with <i>Wander Over Yonder</i>, what the show's about, and why I stand by the show these days. Again, I hope these blogs will help get people into the show and help support the show enough for Disney to reconsider their stance on WOY and hopefully give it one more season... I hope you've enjoyed reading this, because it certainly took a while to write... I did enjoy writing it, though; these kinds of things are my bread and butter, and while the prospect of writing a recap for every episode of the series like this is daunting, I'm more than game for doing this in my spare time, especially if it'll help open people up to the show and spread the word on SaveWOY! Speaking of which, there's no schedule for these things. Truth be told I have a full-time job and coming home afterward leaves me drained. Depending on my mood and if I feel motivated, it could be a daily thing, but it could be a while in-between recaps, so please stay tuned and be patient. Once again, thanks for reading, and I hope you look forward to my first SaveWOY recap blog!Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-90609532583807768112016-07-13T19:47:00.002-07:002016-07-13T19:47:33.530-07:00#SaveWOY - The Movement to Bring Back Wander Over YonderWow, it's been FOREVER since I last made a post here... It looks just as abandoned as when I first started this blog. Then again, I never got that much traffic.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm going to revive this blog a big, starting with a series of posts relating to the Disney animated show, <i>Wander Over Yonder</i>, by Craig McCracken (creator of<i> The Powerpuff Girls</i> and <i>Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends</i>). The series was suddenly canceled, right after the staff had already planned out what the overall story would be for season 2 and many episodes were already written out. Unfortunately, there was a lot left hanging, and set-up for season 3, and they were completely unaware that Disney pulled the plug on them. Because of this, and because the show's so awesome to begin with, a movement has begun for fans of the series, with the hashtag "SaveWOY" for social media outlets.<br /><br />I figure I'd do my part by giving my thoughts on the series as a whole, and re-watching every episode of the series. For some, I'll be giving my initial thoughts, while for others I'll be seeing if my opinions have changed for them. In the end, I hope my comments on the show will help open up people to it, and maybe even help convince Disney to bring the show back. Really, if Craig and his team were given just ONE more season, just to tie up the loose ends season 2 left hanging, I'd be satisfied (though I wouldn't mind getting more than that).<br /><br />I'll be going in the order of when the episodes were produced as opposed to when they aired, since "The Greatest" was meant to be the first episode, "The Picnic" was just meant to be a sneak peek. I should have it ready within a few days, so please look forward to it!Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-70159814538463661672014-08-21T20:07:00.001-07:002014-08-21T20:07:32.513-07:00Nefarious - A New Game Where You Play the Bad Guy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />That's right! Play the villain! Kidnap princesses! Outwit the good guys! Even turn the tables in a boss fight (whereas you're the big guy trying to thwart the little guy jumping around)! <i>Nefarious</i>, a new game coming for the Wii U, Windows, Mac, and Linux (and currently undergoing voting for Steam Greenlight)!<br /><br />As you can see, the game is fully animated, almost akin to <i>Wario Land: Shake It!</i> or other such titles. You play as Crow, a man who prides himself in being a classic villain, as he kidnaps various princesses, each of which unintentionally assist him through various stages, and uses his skills and tricks, including his specially made "power glove", to both escape pursuing good guys and make it back to his lair. You can even interact with your minions back at Crow's Lair, though most of the management for them is handled by Crow's assistant, Becky.<br /><br />What I found most notable about this, thought, is that Matthew Taranto, aka TriforceBun, the author and artist of <a href="http://brawlinthefamily.keenspot.com/2014/08/18/587-little-fox" target="_blank">Brawl in the Family</a> is doing the music for the game (as well as another guy named David Levy who I'm not that familiar with)! He even wrote the main theme, which can be heard on BitF's site and on the Kickstarter page.<br /><br />...Oh yeah, this is a Kickstarter. The game needs $50,000 to get funded, and it's almost a fifth of the way there. Of course, there are also stretch goals, including...<br /><br />$60,000 - Musical Stage!<br />$70,000 - Additional Princess!<br />$80,000 - Hero Rush Mode!<br />$90,000 - Additional Princess!<br />$100,000 - New Game+<br />$110,000 - Additional Princess!<br />$120,000 - Minion Co-Op Mode!<br />$130,000 - Local Versus Mode!<br /><br />For more information about the game, and to back it, visit the Kickstarter page here:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/749082525/nefarious" target="_blank">Nefarious by Josh Hano - Kickstarter</a><br /><br />...Just so you know, I'm not tied with this game or the production team at all, I just think this is a really cool-looking game that deserves to get made (and NOT just because they're making it for the Wii U). Besides, I'm a bit tight on money at the moment so I can't really back it that much, so I want to try and support it however I can. Here's hoping this gets funded!Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-18976361259572515552014-08-12T21:29:00.000-07:002014-08-12T21:29:05.999-07:00My Thoughts on The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water trailerSo, if anyone's curious, I'm feeling better now, but man... I was in
some major depression there. It might take me a while before I can
watch any Robin Williams-relates stuff without breaking down... But
I'll get better with time.<br />
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So a while back, Nickelodeon announced their intentions of making a new <i>Spongebob Squarepants</i> movie. My reaction was pretty much the
same as everyone else's at the time, that of surprise, exasperation, and
apathy. It's pretty much common knowledge that Spongebob hasn't been
any good since the first movie (and when the creator left the show),
though at the time, I had no idea how horrible the show had gotten...
After that, this news kind of faded from memory, or at least my memory,
until the first trailer came out... a few weeks ago; I procrastinated
on talking about this sorry about that. The movie will be called
"<i>The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water</i>"... It's almost like
the titles both implying that the previous <i>Spongebob Squarepants</i>
movie never happened, while also denoting it as a sequel by giving it a
subtitle. Anyway, the trailer itself:<br /><br />
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<br />Read what I think of this after the break.<br />
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So
it appears to be like one of those "live action movies based on classic
cartoons"-type movies... I would make fun or groan about that, or point
out how low modern Spongebob has gotten to the point that I feel like
there's no way this movie can redeem all the shit that's come after the
first movie, or be nitpicky and point out that the characters are in 3D
while in the live action world whereas in the first movie, Spongebob and
Patrick were still traditionally animated while in the life action
world (and also that Sandy is helping Spongebob and the others getting
the "hairy porpoise" back in the water when really she could have just
told them it was a human)...<br /><br />...But I'll be honest, I'm kind of
liking the look of this. It feels appropriately funny, and it has a good
plot worthy of a movie. I'm actually a bit intrigued... Particularly in
that Plankton is frequently seen with them, it makes me wonder if he
intends to work together with them or if he has his own evil scheme...<br /><br />I
just want to say, the animation on the 3D character models is amazing!
It it literally looks and feels like their 2D counterparts, but in 3D.
It's hard to explain, but it just looks really good. There's a part of
me that's nagging me about how there should be more of the traditional
animation, and also the 2D segments aren't up to snub when compared to
the original movie, but I hushed it, because the traditionally animated
segments are fine, and the 3D parts looked so good I just didn't care.<br /><br />I
actually looked into this more, and found out that the writers for this
movie are Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, who wrote the <i>Kung Fu
Panda</i> movies AND <i>Monsters vs. Aliens</i>! ...They also,
apparently, wrote the two live action <i>Alvin and the Chipmunks</i>
sequels, but I guess they can't always be golden. But I still count
this as a good thing, because they got actual WRITERS to write this
movie, and not whatever lazy, talentless hacks they got to put together
an average Spongebob episode, which basically amounts to nothing much
happening and really weak jokes.<br /><br />I should also point out that
while Paul Tibbitt, the current showrunner of <i>Spongebob
Squarepants</i> (who also wrote for the show originally), is directing
and also helped come up with the story, the story mostly came from
Spongebob's creator, Stephen Hillenburg! And really, the story is not
that bad, it feels appropriate for a movie based on Spongebob: an evil
pirate plans to destroy Spongebob's world (for whatever reason) and
Spongebob and his friends have to stop him... and they eventually
become superheroes. It's not THAT much of a far-cry from the original
movie, in which Plankton steals King Neptune's crown and Spongebob and
Patrick have to work together to get it back, all while being obsessed
over becoming "men".<br /><br />The gags... are funny, at least to me.
Even if you don't find them funny, admit it, Spongebob has ALWAYS had
this level of humor, even back in the glory days. Hell, I don't think
the show's been THIS funny since those days... Not to mention, the
characters are all in-character, as opposed to either perversions of
their character archetypes or just pieces moving through the plot of a
story with no depth to them whatsoever. Like, I'm seriously so relieved
to see Patrick acting like the lovable doofus he used to be, rather
then the cruel, malicious smartass whose stupidity is mostly a facade
because he's such an uncaring, unfeeling douche.<br /><br />Like, wow, for
the first time in what seems like forever, I'm actually excited and
happy about something Spongebob-related that's new! Will it save
Spongebob? Hell no, at this point it would take a literal miracle (and
also firing all the writers currently working on the show) to save
Spongebob by this point, but as for this movie? Yeah, color me excited.Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-23903149510432104382014-08-11T17:04:00.001-07:002014-08-11T17:04:15.995-07:00Robin Williams is dead...<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2014/08/11/robin-williams-is-dead/13925199/" target="_blank">Robin Williams Has Died at 63</a><br /><br />I
seriously can't stop crying now... There is a joy that's been lost, a
void in my heart that's gone missing... I know I'll move on, but... it
feels like I'll never get over the death of Robin Williams. He truly
felt like joy, childhood, and humor personified. With him gone...
nothing feels the same anymore.Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-89189568869775590862014-08-09T20:47:00.003-07:002014-08-09T20:47:30.542-07:00Star vs. the Forces of Evil - What is it?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Created by Daron Nefcy, a former storyboard revisionist for <i>Wander Over Yonder</i>, <i>Star vs. the Forces of Evil</i> is set to be the first show created and run by a female showrunner on Disney XD. ...This WAS going to be a Disney Channel original, but since Disney REALLY wants that network to stick to it's dumb tween image (as evidenced by moving <i>Gravity Falls</i> and <i>Wander Over Yonder</i> to Disney XD), we're getting it on the other channel. I would have been annoyed by this, but honestly, with all three of these shows, plus <i>Phineas and Ferb</i> (if that IS still any good, which I honestly don't know, since I don't watch it) and <i>The D7</i> (which is being run by Tom Ruegger, the creator of <i>Tiny Toon Adventures</i> and <i>Animaniacs</i>), I'd say Disney XD is starting to become a new home for some of the best (or at least some of the better) shows in animation, kind of like Disney back in the 80's and 90's. Heck, if I recall correctly, Disney XD used to be Toon Disney, which I watched all the time when I was growing up, so it's almost a return to form... sort of.<br /><br />But anyway, back to this show in particular. The basic premise is this: Star Butterfly is a a magical princess from outer space who, as the title of this show implies, battles the forces of evil. She soon comes to Earth to live with the Diaz family, and while on Earth, she continues to battle the forces of evil while also going to high school (ho boy, here we go again) and also figuring out the powers of her magic wand. The premise, I'm not going to lie, sounds INCREDIBLY cliche, especially the whole "high school" aspect, which I'm so sick to death of...<br /><br />But seeing this teaser made me reconsider. I really like the design ove this show. The way the characters are drawn feels really similar to certain other shows I've seen, though I can't exactly think of which ones, other then the obvious one (<i>Wander Over Yonder</i>). I also like the designs of the monsters she fights, it's a cool juxtaposition of being cutsie while also being scary and/or gruesome, kind of like how <i>The Powerpuff Girls</i> used to be. Other things about the teaser, like the guy accompanying Star (I'm assuming that's Marco Diaz, the teenager son of the Diaz family). He seems relatively competent (he knows karate after all), so hopefully he won't just be dead weight whenever Star fights evil. Also, they seem to travel to all sorts of places and meet all sorts of neat characters.<br /><br />You know what, I'm suddenly reminded of <i>Steven Universe</i>, which is another show that's created by a female showrunner. Mystic, otherworldly powers, self-discovery and character growth, simplistic yet expressive character designs... That reminds me I REALLY need to catch up with that show, I'm like way behind...<br /><br />Anyway, this seems like a cool show, and yet another one to look out for when it finally airs in 2015!Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-83662739065233027372014-08-07T19:20:00.003-07:002014-08-07T19:20:57.296-07:00Hex Heroes - What is it?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br />A party/real-time strategy game for PC, Mac, Linux (whatever, I don't even...) and most notably, the Wii U! With music from the wonderful <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Kirkhope" target="_blank">Grant</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t70l-9n1rCQ" target="_blank">Kirkhope</a>, and the the key designer having worked on another title, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sor8_lHWHkc" target="_blank"><i>The Bridge</i></a>, that received... decently good reviews.<br />
<br />
<br />
The game appears to be meant to be played as a group, with one player, using the Wii U Gamepad, commanding and directing up to 4 other players, who use either Wii Remotes or perhaps Pro Controllers(?). There are a variety of modes, where it's to fend off enemies, search for enemy strongholds, or going on a journey together.<br /><br />
But what caught my attention was the fact that certain indie developers have approved of cameos of their characters in the game! These cameos include:<br /><br />-Alicia from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDySQknA928" target="_blank"><i>Heart Forth, Alicia</i></a> (I haven't played it, but it looks really good)<br />-Zoya from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZAPzdlJOeI" target="_blank">the <i>Trine</i> series</a> (never played, but heard a lot of good things about)<br />-Juan from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyUo53bfl4s" target="_blank"><i>Guacamelee!</i></a> (featured in the intro trailer; have yet to play, but it's on my list!)<br />-Max from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JtcdXkUtt0" target="_blank"><i>Mutant Mudds</i></a> (featured in the intro trailer; sweet game overall)<br />-Shovel Knight from... <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgnD4WRzgjI" target="_blank">well, yeah.</a> (featured in the intro trailer; if you haven't played it yet, GET IT NOW!)<br />-Rusty from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMGYQ40DzsU" target="_blank"><i>Steamworld Dig</i></a> (featured in the intro trailer; fantastic game, even though I've yet to finish it)<br />-Lady Faye IV from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0DKxOEikTs" target="_blank"><i>Rogue Legacy</i></a> (REALLY want to play, but I'm computer-retarded when it comes to PC games, and don't have any PS systems)<br />-Subject W from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP66bmLqRTg" target="_blank"><i>Parasite Lost: First Contact</i></a> (dang, this game looks really cool)<br />-Cyrus from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUh09N-EzoM" target="_blank"><i>Wizorb</i></a> (OH MAN, I've heard of this game! I think I might actually have it on my Xbox 360 and forgot about it!)<br />-The Drifter from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIfVqZq1cJo" target="_blank"><i>Hyper Light Drifter</i></a> (said to be a combination of <i>The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past</i> and <i>Diablo</i>... interesting)<br /><br />But the biggest thing that caught my attention? Egoraptor and Danny Sexbang, also known as the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/GameGrumps" target="_blank">Game Grumps</a>, are going to be featured in the game as well! ...Oh, and also Ross from Steam Train (and his cat, Dr. Orpheous).<br /><br />Anyway, the Kickstarter is over, but you can visit their page here:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/prismaticgames/hex-heroes" target="_blank">Hex Heroes - A Party RTS for Wii U/PC/Mac/Linux by Prismatic Games LLC --- Kickstarter</a><br /><br />And you can visit the developer's Facebook page here:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/prismaticgames" target="_blank">Prismatic Games - Facebook</a><br /><br />Please support this game. Being a Wii U owner, I know I will!Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-14643486725778465952014-08-05T19:42:00.002-07:002014-08-06T19:38:52.596-07:00Gravity Falls season 2 blogs: Scary-oke & Into the BunkerSo I guess this is going to be my regular thing now, until <i>My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic</i> season 5 starts airing. I try to do the same with <i>Adventure Time</i> and <i>Wander Over Yonder</i>,
but I either don't have to proper motivation to do write-ups on those,
or not enough people comment or are interested in discussing those
shows (not that I regularly get comments on these blogs, but whatever)... I should catch up with those shows, actually, I've fallen
behind quite a bit.<br />
<br />
...ANYWAY, season 2 of <i>Gravity Falls</i>.
Before I watched the season premiere (and the second episode of the season), I was kind of nervous... Mostly because after the cliffhanger at the end of season 1, I was afraid the
series would return to the status quo. After all, before I watched it, I
did see some sneak peek clips of the first two episodes, one of which
was of, to avoid spoiling for those who haven't seen it, essentially
reversing something that happened in the season 1 finale. I remember
hearing on <a href="http://www.nerdist.com/pepisode/nerdist-writers-panel-97-j-g-quintel-and-alex-hirsch/" target="_blank">a Nerdist panel interview with Alex Hirsch</a> that something
happens in the season 1 finale that made writing season 2 difficult, and
I assumed it was the thing that happened in said episode. Since this
turns out not to be the case, I kind of assumed the worst and that they
copped-out, and there wouldn't be that much change this time around...<br />
<br />
...Leave
it to Alex Hirsch and his crack team of writers, storyboard artists,
etc. to prove me wrong and show me why I got into the show in the first
place! Not only are the first two episodes of season 2 <i>Gravity Falls</i>
excellent, exciting, and hilarious, they also continue Mr. Hirsch's
trend of showing that this show progresses and that we should have
stakes in what's going on! Two major things happen in both of these two
episodes, and while I'm going to discuss them in further detail, I just
want to say right now that I'm glad they did what they did here at the
beginning of season 2, since it pretty much addresses two problems (or
rather, a problem and a minor annoyance) I had with season 1! It's so
fantastic, I really don't know where to start...<br />
<br />
Just a fair warning, anyone not familiar with what I did with my <i>My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic</i>
blogs, or heck anything I talk about in general, there will be a LOT of
text, because I tend to talk in detail about a lot of things. If that
intimidates you, or turns out off, that's fine, just don't bother
pointing out that my post was "too long" and you "didn't read", okay?<br />
<br />
Oh,
and another fair warning, spoilers for the first two episodes of season 2 are
in this post, obviously, as well as some profanity here and there. See
what I thought, after the break.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>...Well, I
suppose I should start with Scary-oke, the first episode of season 2. I
guess I should also say that my DVR didn't get the whole thing and cut
off a bit of the beginning as well as a bit of the ending to both of
these episodes, so I might have missed out on some information or a
gag. I'll basically talk about what I DID see and what I thought of it.<br />
<br />
So,
the episode opens up directly where season 1 left off. Good thing,
too, better to explain this then to leave us hanging on what that's
about. Thankfully, though, they don't blow their load and immediately
show us what that thing is; it shows that, whatever that machine is
doing, it's going to take some time for it to fully function, as
indicated by the 0.0000000001% on a nearby machine. We don't actually
learn what Stan is trying to do or what he plans to accomplish just yet,
though we do learn that he's worried if he's going to endanger Dipper
and Mabel with this project of his. He shrugs it off, saying he's
gotten away with this secret this long, he can keep it secret a bit
longer. Also, I noticed he puts on a rubber glove with 6 fingers on
it. I thought it was weird, and I almost forgot about this, but then I
realized... the journal has a six-fingered hand on it... Could it be
that the glove... Hell, maybe that whole laboratory belonged to the
author of the journals?!<br />
<br />
That will have to wait, as Stan's
machine attracts the attention of some government facility, who decide
to investigate the place they've been looking into for some time:
Gravity Falls!<br />
<br />
The next day, apparently Stan slept in the lab all
night... I like his comment of "Oh, right... Showtime." Like his Mr.
Mystery persona AND his Grunkle Stan persona are all just acts he puts
on to hide his true nature... Anyway, the citizens of Gravity Falls
show up at the Mystery Shack for an announcement; continuing from where
season 1 left off, the town still hates Lil' Gideon for lying and spying
on all of them, and love Stan for exposing him and taking back the
Mystery Shack (which Gideon stole the deed to). There's going to be a
big karaoke party that night to celebrate, and Mabel advertises that
she, Dipper, and Stan will all sing together as part of a group that I
forget the name off and don't feel like looking up, to which Stan and
Dipper are incredibly reluctant to participate in. As the crowd leaves
to buy tickets for the party, Dipper asks Stan for his journal back. I
was actually rather surprised when I first saw this; at the very least I
expected Stan to hang onto the journal longer then he did. True, he
did copy all of the pages, but then again... isn't that the copier that
makes clones out of the things it copies? What if the drawings and
images on those pages come to life thanks to that thing?! ...Then
again, since it's Stan's copier, he probably has that under control and
won't let that happen. Now, as I alluded to before, I thought this
might have been a cop-out, in that Alex Hirsch said that "something"
would happen in Gideon Rises (the season 1 finale) that made writing for
season 2 hard, and I thought this might have been it. So seeing Dipper
immediately get the book back felt like kind of a let-down. On the
other hand, it does help that he has it back, since there would be little
else to turn to, if and when Dipper and Mabel inevitably come across another
thing supernatural. Not to mention, as soon as Dipper gets it back, he
discloses with Mabel that he realizes that they're not any closer to
solving the mysteries of Gravity Falls. Who wrote these journals? Why
did Gideon want them so badly? Since Gideon went to great lengths to
try and get them, they clearly must hold a terrible secret... And he
recalls Bill Cipher saying soon everything they know will change
forever, what could THAT mean? Unfortunately, Dipper has already went
over the book from start to finish, so he pretty much knows everything
that's written down in it, plus the remaining unwritten pages are
seemingly blank, so it feels like there's a piece of the puzzle
missing...<br />
<br />
Later on, some government agents arrive to investigate
a mysterious signal they picked up from Gravity Falls. I have to say, I
love these government agents, or at least Agent Powers. For the first
time, we have a completely straight-faced character who's taking the
situations he's in completely seriously... And they still manage to
make him funny, specifically in a "comically serious" or "anti-humor"
kind of way. He says he was born with a defect making him unable to
comprehend or feel humor, which makes him funny, in that he could be
placed in a number of goofy situations and he'll treat it all seriously,
which itself is pretty funny. But the other thing about him is that,
while Stan obviously wants to keep him away, Dipper wants to try to work
with him to figure out just what is the deal with Gravity Falls. Turns
out his a paranormal investigator by trade (sort of like the MIB of
this world), and he's willing to listen to what Dipper, a child, has to
say. Of course, Stan shoos them away, and takes away the card they gave to
Dipper, telling him not to talk or associate with those guys again. Of
course, we know why he doesn't want government guys snooping around,
though part of me wonders why Dipper doesn't question this suspicious
behavior... Then I realized that Stan has done various crimes and
criminal acts in Gravity Falls, so obviously he doesn't want government
guys snooping around and seeing what he does.<br />
<br />
Later that evening,
everyone is setting up the party, when Wendy and Dipper talk while
Wendy hangs up some black lights for the party. It's cool that we're
seeing the first few steps of Wendy getting more involved this season,
and also cool that Dipper isn't tripping over himself while talking to
Wendy. I guess it's because he's so close to having the answers and he
might not get another chance like this. Wendy tells Dipper that Stan
keeps everything he confiscates in his room; Dipper thinks he'll get in
major trouble if he gets caught, to which Wendy tells him that's part of
the fun. The guests start to arrive, and with all the recurring
characters that show up here, I can't help but notice that Robbie is
missing... Could it be that he's still upset over the break-up with
Wendy (odd, considering he approached her in Gideon Rises), or... well,
I have this theory that Robbie is actually a zombie as opposed to a
normal human teenager, and I think he isn't here because it might come
into conflict with what happens later on... Anyway, Dipper sneaks into
Stan's room, finds the card, and instead of escaping the room and
calling the agents in private, stays in Stan's room and uses Stan's phone
to call the agents. This comes to bite him in the butt, because even
though he sets up a meet-up with the agents, Stan catches him (Wendy was
supposed to be watching, but she got distracted with a funny joke from
this episode). Dipper pleads with Stan, trying to make him see/realize
that the supernatural DOES exist, but Stan keeps his facade and insists
that there isn't anything supernatural, and he's going to get in over
his head if he keeps messing around with this. He tells him to go enjoy
the party, because he's grounded after that. After that, Stan proceeds
down to the basement, to continue his work, while the party-goers
continue to have a good time.<br />
<br />
Not Dipper, though. Dipper meets
up with the agents to show them the journal, but unfortunately, despite
investigating supernatural stuff regularly, the stuff in the book is too
strange (and stupid) for even them to believe. They dismiss Dipper,
but Dipper, desperate to get them to believe him, reads a spell and
inadvertently summons the dead. At first, Dipper takes this as a
positive, since there's only one zombie, but the agents are clearly
horrified by this, and after disposing the one, dozens of zombies show
up, and even though they're paranormal investigators, even THEY haven't seen something like this before. As the zombies drag the agents away,
Dipper rushes back to the Mystery Shack in order to warn the others...
Too late for that, though, as the dead are already descending on them.
Wendy takes to action by leading the citizens of Gravity Falls away,
leaving Dipper, Mabel, and Soos to deal with the zombies. All while
this is happening, Stan is underground, pondering if he's being too
harsh on his grand-nephew, since Dipper's as stubborn as he is... He dismisses it and says
it's for their own good (I think), all while the zombies continue to
attack outside. Soos says he's seen enough zombie movies to know what
to do in this scenario... only to promptly get bitten and turn into a
zombie himself (Zombie Soos, incidentally, is hilarious, because he
keeps his personality, but he's motivated by the desire to eat brains).
Mabel and Dipper try to fend themselves off from the zombie horde,
though they're quickly overwhelming them through sheer numbers... and
because Soos is on their side, who's pretty dang smart by zombie
standards. They zombies are about to get them, all seems lost...<br />
<br />
...Until
a gruffed up Stan barges in and lays the smack-down on the zombies!
HELL FREAKING YES, this is probably my favorite part of this episode,
and another reason why Stan's my favorite character; when push comes to
shove, Stan is a total badass! He tells the kids to head for the attic
while he holds off the zombies. He drives them away with a bat, and
when the zombie takes the bat and breaks it, he whips out his BRASS
KNUCKLES! That's right, Stan literally punches out the zombies
surrounding him! I seriously can't understate how badass this whole
scene is! All three of them make it to the attic, and Dipper finally
tells Stan that this proves supernatural stuff is going on. Backed into
a corner, Stan finally admits that he knew all along that Gravity Falls
is a strange place, and that he was lying to keep Dipper and Mabel
safe, so they won't mess around in anything too dangerous... Yeah, so
much for that. Again, they seem doomed, as none of them know how to
deal with the zombies, and the book doesn't tell them anything... that
is until some of the black lights from earlier shines on it, revealing
that there's more written in the book! It seems as though the author
wrote some stuff in invisible ink, to further protect the secrets in the
book, and one of the things written down is that the zombies can be
stopped through a "perfect three-part harmony", to which Mabel immediately
deduces this means they can defeat the zombies by doing their planned
singing routine! Dipper and Stan are highly reluctant, but eventually
come through, and blow up the zombies' skulls all by the break of dawn!<br />
<br />
So
the day is saved, and Mabel isn't even mad that zombies crashed the
party, since she got to sing with her brother and great uncle! Stan,
now on... relatively even turns with Dipper about the crazy going-ons
in Gravity Falls, says he'll let Dipper keep the journal, but only if he
doesn't go looking for trouble. Dipper agrees, on the grounds that
Stan doesn't keep any more secrets from him. They both have their
fingers crossed as they agree to this. I like this, at the very least
now Stan CAN be a resource and "in" on what happens on Gravity Falls,
but now Dipper and Mabel have another excuse not to involve Stan, since
they promised not to go snooping around like that again. And of course,
Stan's not about to tell them what he's been doing in the basement.
This progresses things a bit while not overloading us with what the
ultimate answer is. On top of all that, now there's a new wealth of
information, to which Dipper can now look up using a black light, so
there are plenty of new things to be discovered! ...And then it's shown
that Soos is still zombified, but luckily, there's a cure for it, and
the episode ends with them curing Soos...<br />
<br />
...Except during the
credits, we see that the two agents survived the zombie attack (Agent
Powers was wearing an apparently zombie-proof vest), and realize that
things are more serious then they expected. It's time for them to call
in the "big guns"... And then there's another joke at Toby Determined's
expense. WAH-WAH-WAAAAAAAAAH!<br />
<br />
So yeah, great introduction to
season 2! Exciting, action-packed, humorous, full of secrets revealed
while teasing at new ones! If this were all I saw, I'd be more then
excited for the rest of season 2...<br />
<br />
But I also saw Into the
Bunker, immediately after I saw Scary-oke! And while the first episode
fixed my minor issue of Stan acting ignorant about what's happening in
Gravity Falls (because honestly I feel like that minimalizes his role in
the series), this one tackles the issue of Wendy. See, in season 1,
she was probably one of my least favorite characters, not because I
didn't like her or that she's a bad character, she just... didn't have
much to do. She wasn't characterized beyond anything other then an
object for Dipper to pine over, and only really got involved in Dipper
and Mabel's adventures only once. Alex Hirsch realized that was a
problem, and aimed to fix that in season 2, and it looks like it'll
start with this episode!<br />
<br />
The episode opens up with Dipper and
Wendy watching a really lame zombie movie at Wendy's house. Robbie is
still pestering Wendy over the break-up (this actually reminds me of
Wendy's talk with Mabel in the episode The Hand That Rocks the Mabel, and how she's
had dozens of boyfriends, and realizes she might not have officially
broke-up with some of them... then proceeds to ignore an incoming call
from one of them), and when Dipper asks if she has a new boyfriend, she
says yes... and she's referring to a stuffed animal she has. Dipper
tries to ask Wendy out, or at the very least admit his feelings to
Wendy, but ends up getting to overwhelmed but his own nervousness and
merely asks if Wendy would join him and Mabel on their next adventure
out in Gravity Falls. Wendy agrees, and is apparently looking forward
to hanging out with Dipper, though Dipper seems upset about this,
probably because he realizes it's never going to work out with her, so he won't
bother making things awkward between him and Wendy by admitting his true
feelings for her. You know, I'm going to do this a lot in this
particular write-up, but I'm reminded of Finn from <i>Adventure Time</i>,
and his relationship with both Princess Bubblegum and Flame Princess,
and how badly the show botches up the romance and relationships Finn
gets in. First Finn loves PB, but PB's much older then Finn, so she
rejects his advances. It gets to the point where Finn goes into a
depression, and Jake finds Flame Princess, and they become an item...
until Finn botches that up and sours their relationship. Now FP is
still on friendly terms with Finn, but doesn't want to get into another
relationship with him, but Finn not only doesn't seem to care, he tries
everything to try to make things work with either Flame Princess or
Princess Bubblegum. I could understand this kind of awkward, immature
behavior towards the beginning of the series when he was, like, 12, but
now he's at LEAST 15, and he should know better by now. That aside,
it's INCREDIBLY creepy and awkward for our "hero" to be acting this
way. Really, I don't know where <i>Adventure Time</i> is going with
half the things it does, and I can only hope it goes somewhere good or
interesting... I'm losing hope that it is, which is kind of the
opposite of <i>Gravity Falls</i>, in which I'm both intrigued with
what's happening, and excited to see where it's going, plus I'm
confident now that it'll go somewhere good!<br />
<br />
Anyway, later on,
Dipper, Mabel, Soos, and eventually Wendy all head out to the tree where
Dipper originally found the journal (incidentally, Stan is overseeing
the rebuilding of the Mystery Shack from what happened in the last
episode). Mabel catches on that Dipper invited Wendy, and thinks he's
going to try and ask her out, but Dipper says he's over Wendy and shoots
down Mabels inquiries. Meanwhile, Wendy immediately displays her
usefulness by spotting a branch that looks like a lever, then using her
belt to climb the tree and her axe (that she apparently carries with
her, since her dad, Manly Dan, is a lumberjack and made her play
lumberjack games as a kid... which she apparently ruled at) to hit the
lever. The tree then moves into the ground, and reveals a door and
steps leading to it. They enter the door to find some type of bunker,
riddled with things that were apparently there to prepare for
something. One of the cans of beans appears to have been recently
opened, and they find a hidden latch that leads to a room apparently
filled with blocks and strange symbols. Mabel shoves Dipper which
causes him to step on one of the symbols, causing the blocks to slowing
move in and crush them! Thankfully, Dipper consults the book and tells
the team to find and press four particular symbols, which opens up a
doorway leading out of there. Dipper just barely makes it, and his vest
is caught in the trap as he leaves. The four of them appear to have entered
some type of laboratory, and while they investigate, Mabel returns
Dipper's vest... and also points out she found a note, proving that
Dipper DOES still have feelings for Wendy, to which Dipper shushes
Mabel, and tells her it doesn't matter. He's looked over every possible
scenario, and it just isn't going to work out between them.<br />
<br />
And
you know what, I like this! All too often, romance subplots have one of
the characters try to make things work when it obviously isn't going to
work, and in the case of <i>Adventure Time</i>, Finn continuously
trying to get PB and FP to like him, in a very UN-subtle fashion mind
you, gets not only annoying, but intrusive of the much more interesting
stuff. I "get" that people are into romantic tension or some shit, but
fuck it, just get over it and move on. I don't want to have to
constantly see characters acting like creepers or laughing nervously or
give off that lovey-dovey talk. The fact that Dipper recognizes that
Wendy is out of his league and won't bother to pursue it makes me rather
glad and grateful that he won't try to delude himself anymore... Of
course, Mabel is having none of that. Mabel's the type of gal who will
force relationships wherever possible, and she feels that, regardless of
if Wendy accepts or rejects him, Dipper will be happy to get it of his
chest that he likes Wendy. With that in mind, Mabel proceeds to shove
Dipper into what apparently looks like a closet with Wendy and locks them in there
until Dipper tells Wendy "what he wanted to tell her". While Dipper
refuses to say anything and tries to open the door, Wendy pulls a chain
that's in the room, which proceeds to shower and dry them, then shove
them into a room filled with large containers. They hear something
moving just outside their viewpoint, and both tell Mabel to open the
door, saying there's a monster in the room with them. Mabel doesn't
believe them and insists that Dipper say what he wanted to say. Wendy
asks him to just go ahead and say it, but Dipper... in a move that I
HOPED he would grow out of by this point, risks their lives rather then
risk embarrassment. I get that this series is all about teaching Dipper
lessons and going through character growth and all that, but
there's got to be a point where he really has to think "this CAN'T be
worth it". In this case, I would think that admitting that he likes
Wendy and the aftermath thereof can't be worth risking BOTH of their
lives trying to find a different exit. Regardless, Dipper and Wendy
find themselves backed into a corner and seemingly at the mercy of
whatever's following them, until a man jumps out and attacks the beast
and steps forward, showing them that he cut it's tongue off. Dipper
automatically assumes this is the author of the journals, and the three
of them together try to find a way out of there.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Soos
puts on a lab coat and holds up a briefcase, asking Mabel if it makes
him look smarter Mabel, on the other hand, seems more occupied with
turning on and off this cryogenic container seen through a surveillance
camera... Then notices a note mentioning a dangerous experiment,
Experiment #210, "the Shape-Shifter". Soos reminds Mabel that Dipper
mentions being chased by a monster, and Mabel realizes he and Wendy
might actually be in danger. Meanwhile, the old man and Dipper talk,
the old man saying he's been living down there for quite some time, and
that he lost his "research". Dipper says he rediscovers it and gives
him the journal. The old man mows over it, while Wendy asks Dipper if
this is truly the author. Dipper is certain that it is... until Wendy
points out that the man looks just like the guy on an old can of beans.
At first this confused me, like yeah, the guy happens to be the guy on
the bean can, so? Then I realized, the can must be really old, and yet
this guy looks like he hasn't aged a single day since that photograph of
him was taken. Dipper asks for the journal back, only for the man to
reveal that he's the shape-shifter! He makes a remark that the author
of the journal is no longer the man he was (also that he apparently had
six-fingers), and that with the journal, he can take the shape of
anything in it! Wendy attacks the shape-shifter, which proceeds to give
chase to them. They lose the shape-shifter, then run into Mabel and
Soos. The question if either of them are the shape-shifter, and realize
it's really them in humorous fashion. Oh, by the way, it might not
sound like it in my write-ups, but these episodes are all kinds of
hilarious. I'm not mentioning them here because a.) doing so would
require more time and effort to explain and b.) it's better if you don't
know, so you can laugh when you see the episodes for yourself!<br />
<br />
The
four of them come up with a plan, and they lead the shape-shifter to a
pipe and try to blast it with water. Unfortunately, the pipe isn't
quite working, so Wendy upright attacks it... just as the water starts
to burst out at them. They turn the water off, and Dipper rushes off to
see Wendy unconscious. Dipper laments over getting her seriously hurt
or worse, and admits to her that he loves her... only for Wendy to be
apparently conscious and standing behind him. The Wendy he's weeping
over is the shape-shifter, and proceeds to attack! Dipper gets the two
Wendies mixed up, and when he grabs Wendy's axe, he's not sure who is
who. He asks to give him a sign who's the real one. One of them winks
at Dipper, the other zips her mouth shut and "throws away the key"
(similar to what Wendy did in The Inconveniencing" and at the beginning
this episode). Knowing the latter is the true Wendy, Dipper swings the
axe into the other, which was indeed the shape-shifter. They force it
back into the cryogenic chamber and freeze it, though not before it
threatens them and he tells Dipper he will never find the author of the
journal, then shifting into Dipper himself showing what he'll apparently
look like before his end.<br />
<br />
The group leaves the bunker, and Soos,
tried of screaming all day, leaves with Mabel for some "hero
breakfast". Dipper takes this opportunity to finally come clean about
what he said. Wendy tells Dipper that she always knew, since she can
hear him mutter that stuff under his breath. Dipper just feels more
awkward about this then ever, and Wendy sits down and tries to tell him
that while he really likes him, as a friend, and that she's incredibly
flattered by his affection, she just doesn't feel the same way about
him. She's out of his age-range, and while she definitely still wants
to be friends, it's just not going to work out. See, this is another
think <i>Adventure Time</i> fails at: the characters never have a moment to
just explain themselves. Even if Finn wasn't a freak when it comes to
expressing his feelings, Princess Bubblegum is just such a
stone-hearted bitch. She claims to love all the citizens of the Candy
Kingdom, and really likes Finn as a friend, but her science experiments,
attempts to expand her empire, and the way she acts and reacts to
people, including Finn's advances, is just very blunt and
unsympathetic. Wendy may be a "typical teenager" (and she might have
lose a few points for me when she didn't bother helping Mabel rebuild
the Mystery Shack until she started acting like Stan in the episode Boss Mabel), it's moments like
this that make her more then just that. Hell, this moment, along with
her badassery in this episode, finally bumped her up from one of my
least favorite characters to... well, not one of my favorites, but now
she's probably within the top 5... maybe... top 10 at least.
Regardless, what I'm getting at is, this moment shows that she isn't
just some prize to be one, but her own character, and that she's not
only aware of Dipper's constant advances, but tries to let him down in a
way that doesn't hurt his feelings too badly... Because she really
likes Dipper, and wants to hang out with him more. It's really
heartwarming (I'm actually close to tearing up as I'm writing this and
I'm not sure why), even if she says it's because her life got a lot more
interesting when Dipper came to town. Wendy then leaves (after making
sure they're still on good terms, of course), and then Mabel reveals
that she and Soos didn't leave at all, and they've been hanging around
listening to everything they said. Dipper still feels awkward about the
whole thing, and Mabel apologizes for being so pushy (I like this, it
shows that Mabel actually cares about Dipper's feelings, unlike in The
Deep End, where it feels like she was too absorbed in what SHE wanted
over what Dipper wanted), and they both make up...<br />
<br />
Soos then sits
with them and laments that he wish he had brought something up from the
bunker, other then the labcoat and the briefcase... Then it's revealed
that the briefcase is actually a laptop computer! It's old and clearly
broken, making Soos remark that he'll need a few days, and lots of duck
tape, to fix it. The episode ends with a slow zoom-in on the plate on
the top of the laptop, reading "Property of F"...<br />
<br />
Also, the credits scene has Dipper and Wendy watching more lame movies, ha ha.<br />
<br />
So...
Yeah, that's about it. This took a while, as usual. Hey, when I have
something to say, I have a lot to say! I'd say anyone who's interested
in what I have to say on a given episode better get used to this.
Regardless, it's great to have <i>Gravity Falls</i> back, and it's great to see that it met and exceeded expectations! Here's to more mysterious... and answers?Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059586798143119884.post-28810829464388625462014-08-03T12:14:00.004-07:002014-08-03T12:14:43.987-07:00Operation Murasame Ca$aleSo here's a tale about a Japanese game titled <i>Nazo no Murasame Jō</i> (which can be spelled a number of different ways). It was a relatively obscure game for the Famicom Disk System, a peripheral for the Famicom, Japan's equivalent to
the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), that stored games on floppy
disks. Many other popular titles had games for the FDS, including <i>Super Mario Bros.</i> and <i>The Legend of Zelda</i>. In the case of <i>Nazo no Murasame Jō</i>, though,
it was moderately popular, though not too popular, and because of the
Japanese flair, it was considered too niche for a Western audience and
never saw a release outside of Japan...<br /><br />Until recently anyway; after years of mere cameos in various other games from <i>Pikmin 2</i> to <i>Samurai Warriors 3</i> to <i>NintendoLand</i>, having bit parts like being a sticker in <i>Super Smash Bros. Brawl </i>and being one of the many forgotten Nintendo characters featured in the other Japanese exclusive game <i>Captain Rainbow</i>, <i>Nazo no Murasame Jō </i>is
finally seeing a release outside of Japan, under the name of The
Mysterious Murasame Castle! On the Nintendo 3DS, players in both Europe
(as of May 29, 2014) and North America (as of August 7, 2014) can
finally experience the highly obscure cult classic for the first time!
Heck, such an announcement, plus the amount of attention it was getting
at events like the San Diego Comic-Con and the aforementioned cameos
over the years, made many, including myself, think that he might be
playable in <i>Super Smash bros. for 3DS </i>and <i>Wii U</i>!<br /><br />...Turns
out, that wasn't the case, as he is a mere Assist Trophy in both
games. Many have lost faith that this is all Takamaru is ever going to
amount to... But perhaps not! A new movement has started known as
"Operation Murasame Ca$ale", where the goal is to make <i>The Mysterious Murasame Castle</i>
popular in the West! Why? Well, for a number of reasons: for one,
it'll bring attention to a pretty sweet, classic game. For another, it
can show Nintendo that people clearly have an interesting in this
classic IP, perhaps enough to make a long-awaited sequel out of it.
Heck, the same thing happened to Pit and <i>Kid Icarus</i>, not to mention Saki Amimiya of <i>Sin & Punishment</i>, who similarly was an Assist Trophy in <i>Super Smash Bros. Brawl</i> and had a game available on the Wii's Virtual Console and subsequently got a sequel known as <i>Sin & Punishment: Star Successor</i>!
Heck, who knows, perhaps Takamaru will be like Little Mac, in that
he'll be an Assist Trophy, get a new game that draws more attention to
his franchise, then become playable in the next <i>Super Smash Bros.</i>!
There certainly wouldn't be any harm in trying the game out, and
letting Nintendo know via Miiverse or other means how much you like the
game and would like to see more! For more information on the game and
the movement, check out this tumblr blog:<br /><br /><a href="http://operationmurasamecasale.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Operation Murasame Ca$ale tumblr</a><br /><br />...Oh, and apparently <i>Digimon Adventure</i> is getting a sequel series following Tai as a 17-year-old high schooler. Yay~!Smashmatt202http://www.blogger.com/profile/05993678210896932119noreply@blogger.com0