Super Smash Bros. Community: This is Not the End

EDIT: The accusations on Nairo were false.

I had a Min Min impressions post I wanted to do but I didn't feel it would be right to go forward with anymore Smash related content without addressing the recent developments regarding the Super Smash Bros. community.

As I continue to keep up with videos on YouTube on COVID-19 and the civil unrest sweeping the country, I've been watching less videos about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Sure, I still check out stuff from Alpharad and Little Z but even then, days can go by before I get to the latest upload. It occurred to me that videos from Nairo and ZeRo hadn't appeared in my sub or recommended sections for more than a week. When I finally decided to watch a video about the latest going ons in the Smash community, it became all to clear why.

If you are not aware, allegations of sexual misconduct with minors have been labeled against some pretty big names in the Smash community, including Nairo and ZeRo among others. I won't dive in any further on the allegations. If you want to know the full details, you can look things up on your own, but Nairo and ZeRo have confirmed that the allegations labeled against them are true. Of course it isn't all dudes that have been accused of some pretty bad deeds. Cinnpie, a pretty well know female member of the Smash community has kept silent about the allegations against her. Naturally all this has cast a dark shadow over the Smash scene.

A lesson we are forced to learn all too often is that we should not place people on pedestals. Even before this wave of Smash news hit, I was reminded of this awful truth: our heroes, people we hold in the utmost of highest regards, are not flawless individuals. Everyone has secrets that they would rather keep hidden from the rest of the world. In this case, the secrets were pretty damaging. Nairo and ZeRo weren't my heroes. I don't even really pay a great deal of attention to the competitive Smash scene. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed seeing Smash Ultimate videos from these guys. Cinnpie I can't say much about but her silence on the matter does make me question if the claims against her are true. As of this writing, she still hasn't said a word. This whole situation reminds me that last year, I learned that some pretty prolific voice actors in the anime community were not the good people I thought they were just because of their talents.

In 2019, Vic Mignongna had his life ruined by Mars Girl (Channel Awesome) and several members from Funimation which included Monica Rial, Christopher Sabat, Jammie Marchi among others. They spewed lie after lie and got him fired from Funimation. The reason for their attacks on Vic? They didn't like him. These people (minus Mars Girl) are pretty big names in the English dubbing anime scene. While they went on a rampage attacking Vic via Twitter numerous times, they revealed to the world that despite their outstanding voice work, they turned out to be some pretty awful people. Vic lost work because of them but he's managed to stay positive in spite of what has to be the lowest point in his life. All they could do was pull stories out of their butts and provide no actual evidence, which made them look so much worse. At the very least, Nairo and ZeRo owned up to their dark pasts. Rial and Marchi continue to spout lie after lie and Vic continues to show that he is ten times the human being they will ever hope to be. Vic is currently engaged in a lawsuit against his former colleagues and he's maintained tremendous fan support in addition to getting more work.

Finding out that some of my favorite voice actors were some pretty horrible sacks of flesh was a tough pill for myself and others to swallow. Knowing this was enough for some people to stop watching dubbed anime entirely. I have my own reasons for watching my anime dubbed and if someone wants to watch subbed anime that's fine but I highly doubt the Japanese voice actors are all saints. So what happens when news surfaces that some Japanese voice actors did some pretty terrible things? Stop watching subbed anime as well? Swear off anime all together?

My point? Don't let this ruin Super Smash Bros. for you. I have loved Smash since 1999 and there is no way I am going to stop playing it because high profile people in the community have some pretty reprehensible behavior. Likewise, you also shouldn't let it keep you from enjoying one of gaming's greatest crossover titles. Now if you need to take a break then by all means, take all the time you need. For those that knew Nairo and ZeRo personally, I can only imagine the hurt you feel and it has to be a thousand times worse for the victims.

I can still watch dubbed anime even though Sabat, Rial and Marchi are not the most upstanding people. I hate what they've done to Vic but I can still commend the great voice work they've done. It was and in some ways still tough to separate the art from the artist but if I dropped the things I love every time those that had a hand in it turned out to be awful people or did something horrid, I would never enjoy anything.

Nairo, Zero and other well know pro players were a big part of the Smash scene. That being said, Smash is more than big name participants. Heck, there is more to the community than just the competitive scene. Smash is bigger than big and there is no way this is gonna destroy it.

This is not the end. It is a new beginning. So select "continue" and let's get moving.

Favorite Tunes #264: Black Sabbath Invades

You read right, Black Sabbath, the hit 70s rock band has taken over this week's Favorite Tunes. Don't worry, Favorite Tunes isn't going "real music" on you. There's still plenty of game tunage to be found and even if you aren't a fan of the band, I think you'll still get a kick out of my Black Sabbath song choice.

Marionation Gear - Chosoju Mecha MG (DS)

I love the Super Smash Bros. games for exposing us to music from games that didn't make it outside of Japan, such as the Nintendo DS game Chosoju Mecha MG. Brawl introduced an outstanding remix of the Marionation Gear theme and it has been in every Smash game since. I'd wondered what the original tune sounded like. That piano is killing it and that guitar solo sounds as rad as ever even on the DS.

Over the Hill - Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii)

Kirby Star Allies just might be my favorite Kirby soundtrack but there's still a lot to love about Return to Dream Land's score. It has several beautiful arrangements of old themes and plenty of quirky, catchy new beats. I do wish more of Return to Dream Land's soundtrack was used in Ultimate, but you can't have everything.

At Doom's Gate [E1M1] - Doom (PC)

Good, well paced stories are all fine and dandy but sometimes you just wanna run around and shoot stuff. The original Doom from 1993 did that extremely well and so did the 2016 version. For any Doom head, this is sure to get your head banging. An arranged, slowed down version is even used for Doom 2016.

Paranoid - Rock 'n' Roll Racing (SNES)

I guess Doom put in a mood for some rock jams. With a name like Rock 'n' Roll Racing, you better go hard on the music or go home. Thankfully, the soundtrack to this game was not a let down, consisting of classic rock sounds like Bad to the Bone and for me, one of the greatest versions of Paranoid. I'm surprised the SNES sound chip didn't melt playing this sucker.

Stamp Collection - NES Remix (Wii U)

With Nintendo's runaway success of the Switch, it is almost hard to believe that a few short years ago, they were struggling with the Wii U. There were numerous reasons why the system failed but the console still had a solid lineup of games. One of the earliest titles to hit the Wii U was NES Remix, a game that offered new takes on Nintendo's classic NES titles in the form of bit sized challenges. It was later given a physical release along with the sequel, NES Remix 2 via NES Remix Pack.

Meta Crystal - Super Smash Bros. (N64)

As of yesterday, it the 20th anniversary of Super Smash Bros. American release. The fact that so many of the original game's tracks are included in Ultimate makes me so giddy and nostalgic. Metal opponents are always annoying to fight but none took a beating like Metal Mario from Smash 64. That dude could last was past kill percent.

Favorite Tunes Database

The Original Super Smash Bros. TV Spot is (Still) One of Nintendo's Best Ads

Mario slugging it out with Samus is such a common sight today that no one bats an eye over it. However, two decades ago, such a sight would make people stare in disbelief.

Let's rewind. The year is 1999. Microsoft hasn't thrown their hate into the ring. SEGA is still making video game consoles. The internet is still in the infancy stages so word doesn't travel anywhere near as fast as it does today. You're watching your shows on TV instead of a streaming service. When your show breaks for commerial, this is the ad, the channel plays.

This is you after that ad is finished.

Alternatively, this could also be you.

Or this.

Like, did that really just happen? Did I really see Nintendo characters beating the crap out of each other?! Yes. Yes, you did.

Being a regular reader of video game magazines and game websites (things I rarely partake in these days), I was well aware that Super Smash Bros. was punching and kicking its way onto an N64 near me, so I had myself a hearty laugh when I saw that ad for the first time. But for anyone else, I imagine that was quite the eye opener.

Nintendo is far more relaxed these days but twenty years ago, this was not the case. We never imagined we'd have a game where the Big N's characters would pummel each other senseless, but because the game's co-producer Masahiro Sakurai wanted the cast for Nintendo's brawler to have a broad appeal, this is exactly what we were given.

Everything about this ad works so, so well. The fact that Nintendo's icons are represented by people in costumes. That sprawling flower field. Everyone is holding hands, walking jollily as The Turtles Together plays. All of it paints such a lovely picture of Nintendo's family friendly image. And then, without warning, Mario goes and wrecks it by kicking Yoshi in the kneecap. Cue record scratch, narration by the late great Don LaFontanie as Nintendo icons duke it out. It is completely out of left field, hilarious and glorious. I would give anything to see the look on people's faces if this commercial was how they found out about Super Smash Bros.

Sure, we've had great Super Smash Bros. ads like the one for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U. But none of them come close to topping the original. They may be vastly superior games but Smash 64 far and away had the best advertisement. The ad is just as good in 2019 as it was in 1999 and still manages to make me laugh. Whoever the person or persons were that came up with that ad, I hope they got an absurd amount of money for it because it was freaking brilliant. Ditto for the people that wore those costumes.

By now, I'm sure most are aware but about a year go, behind the scenes photos were posted on Twitter for the commercial shoot. You can can a gander at the rest of theme here.

Favorite Tunes #260: Shoot! Shoot! SHOOT!

Favorite Tunes on a Sunday? What gives? Well, since the Tetris 99 editorial went up on Saturday, Favorite Tunes was moved to Sunday. I don't like to post twice in one day. Soooooo, here's some video game music to go with your Sunday.

Black Rain (Stage 6) - Hyper Duel (ARC)

With so many arcade games getting digital re-releases, I'm really hoping that more of Technosoft's catalog get's time to shine again. Just listening to the music from Hyper Duel has me itching to play it. Expect more music from this game in future Favorite Tunes.

Invitation - Gradius III (ARC)

My first exposure to the Gradius series was the SNES port of Gradius III. Even so, I do greatly enjoy the arcade version's score along the the 16-bit version. It's tough for me to pick which version I like the best. When it comes to the game, however, I'll take the SNES version. Sure it has slowdown, but it actually gives me some continues.

Swanky Swing - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)

King K. Rool's presents in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate along with numerous spirits from the Donkey Kong Country games has reminded me of music from the SNES trilogy. Every time I spot Swanky Kong's spirit, I can hear his tune playing in my head. Why, oh why didn't someone arrange it?

Iron Attack (STAGE 1) - Devil Engine (PC, NS, PS4)

SHMUPs have been on a major comeback over the past few years. At $20, Devil Engine costs more than most games in digital shops but I can tell you that this one is well worth the money. It's also really freaking hard. As if the shoot 'em up action weren't great all on it's own, the game boasts incredible visuals and an absolute banger of a soundtrack.

Ancient Zone - Street Fighter EX3 (PS2)

I really like the music in Street Fighter IV as well as Street Fighter V. But can we get the sound crew behind the EX games to make some more amazing Street Fighter jams again? I've always felt the EX games got far more flak than they deserved but no one will dis the music. Listen to that violin! Ugggghhhhhhhhhh, so goooooooood!!!

How to Play - Super Smash Bros. (N64)

Hearing music from the original Super Smash Bros. makes me feel so nostalgic. Hard to believe the series is 20 years old now. A great deal of the first Smash's music is in Ultimate. Sadly, this theme is not. Just hearing it brings memories of Mario beating the crap out of Luigi in the tutorial.

Favorite Tunes Database

Super Smash Bros.: Smashing for 20 Years

Art by pwpk

History has always been an intriguing subject for me. I always love to look into the past of my favorite movies, books, shows or games and see how they came to be. The history of Nintendo's massive crossover series is quite fascinating to say the least. To say far more, well, read on, reader.

Smashing Beginnings 

An early image of what would go on to become the biggest
crossover series in the history of video games.

It was the fifth generation of console gaming and after winning the previous two, Nintendo found themselves struggling against Sony's PlayStation, ironically, a system partially born out of a broken partnership when Nintendo stabbed Sony in the back. Sony's 32-bit disc based baby was killing it and while the Nintendo 64 was still moving units, in the end, the PS utterly crushed the N64. Even though this was a tough time for the Big N, the company did turn out some fantastic, ground breaking games on the system. Super Mario 64 was the 3D platformer from which all others were judged for years to come, GoldenEye 007 did a marvelous job of demonstrating just how viable FPS games could be on consoles, and The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is often hailed as one of the greatest games ever created. It was on the N64 that a very, very different style of fighting game was born and while the budget for the game was low, it would go on to spawn a juggernaut franchise for Nintendo.

Dragon King: The Fighting Game began development began in 1998 and was directed by Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai, who would later be joined by his colleague and future Nintendo President of Japan, the late/great Satoru Iwata. Placeholders for the fighters were a bunch of generic-looking no names that would go on to supply the move set for a certain captain. Sakurai's idea for fighters was unthinkable because he thought it wouldn't get approval: he wanted the fighters of Dragon King to be Nintendo characters such as Mario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Pikachu. Nintendo was a very different company back then, so one could see why Nintendo characters beating each other up probably wouldn't fly with the top brass. And yet, the idea was approved. Sakurai probably knew that giving Dragon King more appeal would help it sell and tossing around some nameless polygons wasn't gonna cut it. Nintendo's characters are known far and wide and it definitely helped supply the game with far more personality than it would have had otherwise. I'm guessing someone (perhaps Sakurai himself) thought that with the Nintendo characters inclusion being green-lit, name change was in order. Good thing, too, because Dragon King: The Fighting Game does not roll off the tongue very well. For all the digging I've done, no one seems to know how the name Super Smash Bros. came to be, but it sounds a heck of a lot better than it's initial name.

One-on-one fights were possible in the
first Smash...

...But one of the biggest draws was the four
player free-for-all battles.

I still remember the first time I'd ever heard of Super Smash Bros. It was in an issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (those magazines that use to rule video game news and reviews back in the day). I'm guessing they were previewing the Japanese version because the full title I recall was "Nintendo All-Stars: Smash Bros." Nintendo's characters had made appearances in other games before, but never like this. This was a full blown crossover. It was so strange looking at screen shots and seeing Nintendo characters whaling on each other. And yet, I knew it was a game, I wanted. Strange as it was, it sounded so cool to play as Mario, Samus, or Link in a fighting game unlike anything else.

Super Smash Bros. released in Japan on January 21st, 1999, with the American release on April 26, 1999. At a time were fighting games getting more and more complex, Super Smash Bros. kept things super simple, while still being innovative. Adopting a two button system, every single character's special moves are executed the exact same way across the board. The only difference being using a different character would offer different results. Inputting up + B for Mario would have him perform a rising super jump punch that would land multiple hits if it connected with an opponent. Using the same input with Kirby would see him unleash Cutter, one of his many Copy abilities. This simplified control scheme meant anyone could pick up and play the game and yet each character still felt different.

The fighting in Smash was also much more comical than other fighting games. Loud, crunchy, cartoonish sound effects were heard when connecting hits on opponents. When fighters were KO'd they woulld sometimes soar off into the background and fade out as twinkle or smack up against the TV screen, adding a element of humor. The method of knocking out fighters was also vastly different from other games in the genre. There were no health bars to be found in Smash, rather the game used percentage meters. The more damage fighters take on, the higher the percent increases, making it easier to knock a fighter off stage Just because you got sent flying didn't mean you couldn't return to the stage. All fighters can perform multiple jumps, bringing them back into the game, so long as they weren't too far away from the ledge.

Stages in which players fought on weren't just random backgrounds but every single level was modeled after themes from the games the respective characters came from. Mario and Luigi's stage took place at Peach's Castle, Samus had Brinstar, Kirby had Dream Land and so on. Each stage also had a type of hazard that players would have to avoid or send their opposition into. Hyrule would spawn random twisters that launched the player upwards, Whispy Woods would try to blow players off stage and random Pokemon would come out in Saffron City. Randomly appearing items also made things pretty interesting. If you threw a Pokemon, you could get aid from Blastoise or Staryu. If you were unlucky, Goldeen would pop out and do nothing. Beam Swords, Ray Guns, Fans, the Hammer from Donkey Kong and several other items could litter the battlefield to turn the tide in your favor. All of this ensured that Super Smash Bros. was an insanely chaotic game and with the option for up to four players at once, it was great for multiplayer. Players that didn't want items on were taken into consideration with the option to disable them being included.

When all was said and done, Super Smash Bros. was the fourth best selling game on the N64 and a sequel would release a little over two years later and a very ambitious one at that.

A Bigger, Better Sequel

With a short development period of only thirteen months, Super Smash Bros. Melee was released on the GameCube in 2001. Melee was a massive step up from the original Smash 64 not only in terms of visuals and sounds, but in gameplay and content. Melee was much faster (the fastest game in the series in fact), had a roaster of 26 fighters over the first game's 12, had way more stages and  wealth of modes to ensure that it would be a very long time before players ran out of things to do.

Bowser and Peach were two of the many new
fighters added to the Melee roster.

Melee introduced a new adventure mode felt like a homage to classic platforming and action adventure games. Homerun Contest was a simple mode where you would rack up as much damage on Mr. Sandbag and then take a crack at him with the Homerun Bat to see how far you could make him fly. Multi-Man Melee had several modes in and of itself where you could spend three minutes KOing Wire-frame fighters, see how fast you could defeat ten or see how long you can last against an endless onslaught of them. All-Star was an endurance mode where you would take on the entire roster with only a single life and limited health recovery items.

Melee was responsible for getting gamers acquainted with some of Nintendo's (at the time) more obscure characters with the several newcomers to the roster. Popo and Nana, the duo that makes up the Ice Climbers had not been in a game since Ice Climber on the NES. One of the last characters players could unlock, Mr. Game & Watch is one of Nintendo's oldest icons, even predating Mario. He was also the oddball character that no one saw coming and began a trend that would continue with each new Smash title. I'd wager most Nintendo fans and gamers had no clue who Marth and Roy were and the two's inclusion probably helped spark interest in the Fire Emblem series, a franchise that now enjoys steady releases outside of Japan.

Among the copious amount of new content to
Melee, Trophies were a fan favorite. [Image from The Mushroom Kingdom.net]

It wasn't just new fighters in the roster that had players asking questions about who these characters were. Melee gave birth to trophies, unlockable and purchasable (with in game currency) figurines with information about each one. These ranged from tons of know characters to a plethora of less known and to many players, unknown characters from Nintendo's rich history. The inclusion of these trophies made Melee feel like one had their own Nintendo museum.

For all of the new content and character's Melee added, however, perhaps the game's greatest contribution to gamers was that it lit the fire for competitive play. Despite the game being close to 20 years old, Melee still has a thriving competitive community. Not only is the game at Evo every year, but each Smash game to follow has had it's own competitive scene.

As influential as Melee was, the game was not without it's flaws. The game's speedy development period ensured that a plethora of issues either weren't fixed before release or went by unnoticed. A few of the game's issues included character specific moves with insane hit boxes, moves that when they connect cause no damage whatsoever, easy infinites, shielding that doesn't even cover the entire character's body upon activation grabs that don't work or a grab that can be used when you aren't even within grabbing range. You've also got several characters that are just leagues better than the rest of the cast. It is highly common to see Marth, Fox, Falco, Shiek, and Jigglypuff in tournaments due to how well they can perform. Because of this, the majority of the roster isn't viable for competitive play, meaning you end up seeing many of the same characters in matches over and over again.

There Will Be Brawl

2006 marked the year that Nintendo would release the Wii and when that year's E3 rolled around, fans had a new game to look forward to: Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The trailer was heavily focused on introducing newcomers that included, Pit, Wario, and Meta Knight among others. When the trailer was seemingly over, fans were greeted to one very unexpected reveal: Solid Snake. For the first time in the series, a third party character was joining the battle. Apparently Snake's creator, Hideo Kojima was/is a big fan of Smash and wanted Snake in Melee but the game was too far along in development to include him.

Snake wasn't the only special third party guest that would be in Brawl. When SEGA became a third party publisher in 2001, Nintendo welcomed them with open arms. Sonic games sold quite well on Nintendo systems and though SEGA refused Sakurai's initial proposal to include Sonic in Brawl, they later allowed it, which led to the game being delayed.

The hype leading up to Brawl's release was massive. After the phenomenal game that was Melee, a title that improved upon the first Smash in every aspect, fans were expecting a lot from Brawl. In a some ways it delivered, in others, it disappointed. Due to the numerous changes, Brawl is the most divisive game in the series.

As much as Melee was loved, especially by the competitive scene, some felt the game was far too fast. Breakneck speeds can be great for a fighting game, but they certainly aren't everyone's cup of tea. Perhaps in response to this, Brawl was a slower, more floaty game than Melee, which turned a good chunk of the Melee crowed off. The slower speed wasn't the only criticism labeled against Brawl. The game also had a tripping mechanic. You wouldn't trip constantly during fights but the fact that such an eyebrow raising feature was there in the first place made zero sense. Even those that liked Brawl hated tripping. Some believe Sakurai implemented the feature just to discourage the competitive scene that Melee drew in.

Brawl also had the most ambitious single player mode out of any Smash game out at the time in the form of Subspace Emissary. Classic and All-Star Modes were still around as well as Break the Targets and Homerun Contest but Subspace was a full blown story mode where the entire 40 plus character roster united to save the world from Taboo and featured tons of cut scenes that were adored by many.

While reducing Brawl's speed may have alienated some Smash fans, it also made the game more accessible to new players and it didn't stop the game from selling truckloads of copies. It isn't uncommon to have some Smash fans tell you this is their favorite game in spite of it's faults.

Handheld and Console Smashing

After a rocky start in 2011, the Nintendo 3DS was selling units at a very steady pace by the time 2013 rolled around. The Wii U, which launched in 2012, wasn't faring so well. Horrible advertisements and Nintendo's poor communication to the masses of what the system was, ensured that the system only sold over 13 million copies in it's four year life cycle. Nevertheless, the Wii U was still given a Smash title, one it would share (or sorts) with the 3DS.

The wait for this new Smash game was about as unbearable as the wait for Brawl. An announcement that a new Smash game was in the works for both systems was made during E3 2011, but development hadn't actually begun until 2012 and the games would not be released until late 2014.

Going by the bizarre titles of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the 3DS version was released first with the Wii U version following a month later. Fans often refer to these titles as Smash 4 to alleviate confusion.

Making the wait for this Smash that much harder was the character reveal trailers. During E3 2013, it was revealed that among the newcomers were Villager from Animal Crossing and freaking jump and shoot Mega Man, making the third party representation that much larger. More Fire Emblem reps were included with the additions of Lucina and Robin and Little Mac had been upgraded from Assist Trophy to a fully playable character. Even that cherry-chasing dot muncher, Pac-Man showed up to throw hands in Smash 4. For the all of the new characters that were added, unfortunately, some were given the axe. The Ice Climbers were hard to get working properly on the 3DS, so the duo was admitted from Smash 4 altogether. Snake was also cut because Konami ran off to frolic in mobile and pachinko land and were overall being a very scummy company. Wolf was also deleted, making one less Star Fox rep. Still, it was difficult to be too bummed about character cuts when the total roaster was made up of 58 characters including Ryu of Street Fighter fame, Final Fantasy VII's Cloud and Bayonetta, a character people claimed was far too sexy for Smash, never mind the fact that Bayonetta 2 was a Wii U exclusive that Nintendo published. Even Metwo and Roy came back as DLC.

Smash 4 was faster than Brawl, but not lightening fast like Melee, a game some say was too fast. All stages all supported an omega form, which was great for competitive players and onlookers that were sick of seeing the same handful of stages from Melee and Brawl. This was also the first game in the series to receive patch updates making the meta game shift even further. Unfortunately patch updates would cease near the end of the Wii U's short life span and even with the numerous nerfs she'd gotten, Bayonetta was still too much for many players to handle, making her nearly a universally hated character across the Smash community.

The Wii U version of Smash 4 was the first to allow up to eight players to battle all at once. If you thought four players was chaotic, the frenzy is even greater when eight players and duking it out. Only certain stages were playable on eight player Smash and some stages such as the Great Cave Offensive and Palutina's Temple were made with this mode in mind.

Despite the console version of the game being on a console that was lagging far behind the PS4 and Xbox One, Smash 4 was still a best selling title and helped launch the careers of several YouTubers and bring others a bigger spotlight. Alphara, IntroSpecktive and Keef Crew are just a few of the content creators on YouTube that got exposure or even greater exposure by making Smash 4 content. With the fifth game in the series having dropped recently, I imagine these creators and more are only going to keep growing.

The Ultimate Smash Experience  

The Switch version of Smash was nowhere to be seen in 2017. Looking back at the incredible year Nintendo had with their new system, that's probably a good thing because the Switch saw so many heavy hitters that year that a new Smash game coming out the same year as titles like Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild would have been overkill. Especially when you consider what the next and current Smash title has slammed down on the table.

Nintendo threw us a bread crumb of the Smash game that was to come during the March 2018 Nintendo Direct. This had many questioning whether the game would be a new game or a port since Nintendo had been porting Wii U games over to the Switch.

You've heard of phrases like "And the fandom rejoiced" or "And the crowed goes wild!" Those phrases and all others like them are understatements. When we were given more information on the coming Smash game during E3 2018, fans went ballistic. You nee only search YouTube to fine dozens of reactions of people losing their minds over the tagline of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: EVERYONE IS HERE! Every single character that has appeared in a Smash game. Pichu, Young Link, the Ice Climbers. Wolf.  Every. Single. One of them. Is in Ultimate. Several new brawlers have joined the party as well including Inkling, Isabelle, Simon and Richter Belmont and the long awaited King K. Rool. The base game for Ultimate has over 70 characters, making the previous game's roster seem tiny in comparison. Five more characters are scheduled as DLC with the first character divulged to be Persona 5's Joker. The remaining four character's is anybody's guess.

Ultimate also brings back tons of fan favorite stages with the option for battlefield and omega forms and the ability to turn hazards off. Without taking the two aforementioned features into account that's over 100 stages. The game does a marvelous job catering to both competitive and casual Smash fans. It runs faster than both Brawl and Smash 4 but not insanely fast like Melee. With a wealth of characters, tons of stages and plenty of options for customization, Ultimate truly does live up to it's name.

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So here we are, twenty years after Super Smash Bros. was unleashed upon the world. The game that originally began life as a low budget, Nintendo-characters only game has since exploded into a mega sized crossover brawler that is a celebration of video games as a whole. Whenever a game in this series is released, it is treated like a huge, huge event.  Having a character featured in Smash be it as a playable character, or an Assist Trophy is a quite an honor. At the risk of making my age known, it feels a bit strange to know that I was there for the whole ride. At the same time, I'm happy that Super Smash Bros. was a series I've been able to come into from the beginning and see it evolve to the point that it has. It certainly has been an interesting 20 years for Smash.

Masahiro Sakurai and his team always put in so much effort with these games and while I can't speak for everyone, I truly am greatful for everything they've given us for the past 20 years. May we continue Smashing for another two decades and beyond.

EVERYONE IS DEAD

"EVERYONE IS HERE!" These are the words that kicked off the hype train for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate during Nintendo's E3 showing in June of 2018. Every single character that had been playable in the the Super Smash Bros. series prior to this game would be playable in Ultimate. Needless to say, this news was met with thunderous applause. Whether you had a favorite or a main from Melee, Brawl or Smash Wii U, every single character would be present and to throw down in what is shaping up to be the biggest crossover in the history of video games.

During the closing of the Smash Ultimate presentation, a character fans had been desiring for a long time was finally being added to the roster, Samus Aran's, arch nemesis. Ridley. The winged nightmare made his debut by killing Mega Man and Mario. Sure, the beast was probably just showing off and taunting Samus by offing her crew, but the following Nintendo Direct, which was Smash Ultimate focused had Luigi get taken out by Death from Castlevania. The same direct ended with King K. Rool offing King Dedede. Fans had come to the realization that with each Smash Direct, a character would be killing. With the final Smash Ultimate Direct scheduled for November 1st, fans were left to speculate who would die in this last Direct. Sakurai had an answer for us: everyone.

November's final Direct ended with one heck of a bang. We saw the entire roster, cliff side, about to wage the mother of all battles against an army of Master Hands. Beams of light assault our heroes and while the bravely try to fight against these unbelievably fast beams, it quickly becomes apparent that they are locked into a losing battle. When such heroes as Link and Samus are bested (quite hastily, I might add) many of the heroes try to escape. Alas, it is hopeless. Sonic is vaporized trying to help save a fleeing Pikachu only for the cute little rodent to meet the very same fate. Falco, swift of a pilot that he is, is quickly overtaken in when flying away in his Arwing. For some reason, Snake thought he would be safe if he hid in his cardboard box, but his vaporization proved to be one of the most amusing. We don't see how every single character was taken out (I shudder to think of how my dog waifu Isabelle was taken out) but we are shown how a good chunk of the cast got eliminated. It was pretty much a no holds bared beat down for our heroes (and villains). They did not have a freaking chance. EVERYONE IS DEAD.

Well, almost everyone.

The Galeem Light (what disposed of our heroes and Villains) was chasing Kirby, but thankfully he wasn't fleeing on foot, but on this Warp Star and he managed to escape. Now anyone that knows Sakurai can understand why Kirby, out of a cast that huge got away. The little pink blob is his baby and after everything he's done for Smash Ultimate, I have no problem with him showing favoritism towards his creation. Besides, somebody had to get away so everyone else could be saved.

It turns out killing everybody was Sakurai's way for introducing us to the game's adventure/story mode, World of Light. Starting out alone, it will be up to Kirby to reunite everyone so they fight back against this mysterious foe. I kinda feel sad for Kirby. All of his friends were killed and he's got to venture out into this big world. But then I remember that Kirby once went on a rampage because someone took his cake. This time, someone took his friends. So yeah, mysterious foe is gonna get it.

Killing off (almost) the entire cast? Now that is how you get someone excited to play adventure/story mode! I really liked Subspace Emissary in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, both the the many fights and the character interactions during cut scenes. We don't know if Ultimate will have as many cut scenes for the adventure mode as Brawl did but I really hope it does. Sakurai didn't do an adventure mode for Smash Wii U because the cut scenes for Brawl were uploaded to YouTube, but Brawl released ten years ago so perhaps he feels differently now. Even if World of Light doesn't have a wealth of cut scenes, the world we'll be traveling looks positively massive and there will be bosses to fight as well as a skill tree for us to upgrade our characters. It's pretty cool to see Sakurai do such an ambitious story mode again and I cannot wait to play World of Light.

Piranha Plants (and Other Things)

Pfffffftttt PA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! Oh man. Sakurai, Sakurai, Sakurai. You are one of the greatest video game developers on this Earth. No, you are are one of the greatest people, walking this Earth. You and your very talented team work so hard on each new Super Smash Bros. game. For Ultimate, we have over 100 stages and over 70 characters to choose from. You've given fans characters they've wanted for years like Simon Belmont and Ridley. Annnnnnd you're also giving us Piranha Plant.

When you stop to consider that Piranha Plant, a basic enemy from the Super Mario series got in Smash over Waluigi, it's pretty freaking hilarious. Piranha Plant got into Smash Ultimate over that one character you desperately wanted. Salt is definitely in the air in the Smash community and I cannot help giggling like a school girl.

Like a lot of people, I was surprised to see Piranha Plant be revealed as a playable character. I stared back at my phone and said "WHAT?!" Sure, some people probably anticipated Ken being Ryu's Eco Fighter and an Alohan Pokemon rep. But Piranha Plant? That is something that nobody saw coming. Piranha Plant's inclusion in Ultimate is the definition of left field.

People wanted Geno and Banjo-Kazooie. They got a weed. You hear people across the Smash community screaming "NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS!!!" And yeah, on one did ask for  Piranha Plant. As much as the plant's inclusion makes me chuckle, the thing is yet another Smash reminder that Sakurai cannot please everyone.

Let's say we did get the character's mentioned above. Somewhere, someone would still be unhappy. I'm not saying to just accepting every single thing you are given. But when you've got a game like Ultimate, a game that is positively dripping at the seems with characters and content and people are still having a hissy fit because X character isn't in the game, well, those people really do seem like petty, entitled mofos.

Piranha Plant is a character I never knew I wanted until I saw it dodging attacks, shooting spikey balls and reaching across the stage to chomp fools. Real talk, Piranha Plant looks like mad, mad fun to play as and play as it I shall, no matter where it sits on the tier list.

As for non potted plant related things, I found it funny that Sakurai took several seconds out of the direct to blink and ponder if he'll ever get a break. I honestly hope he is sleeping well considering everything he does.

That killer cut scene where the whole crew is about to face off against an army of Master Hands before everything goes horribly wrong and everyone, save Kirby, gets vaporized? Man, that was awesome! Also awesome was that sweet vocal rendition of the main theme. That was about as unexpected as our sharp toothed plant newcomer.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a month away and my excitement for the game grows by the day. I cannot wait to collect Spirits and familiarize myself with the new characters and stages. I've been playing the Smash on the Wii U and 3DS to help pass the time and I'm doing my best not to rely on rolling so much. I don't plan to be a competitive player but since rolling is going to be far more punishable in Ultimate, I'd like to break a bad habit. December 7th seems so close and yet so far.

Let's Discuss Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 8-8-2018 Direct

OMG! OMG! OMG! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I apologize for sounding like a incoherent idiot but I think anyone that saw the Direct for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate can understand my overflowing excitement. I've avoided articles and videos that talked about leaks so everything that was revealed in the Smash Direct was news to me. And man, what juicy, delicious news it was!

This Smash Direct kicked off with a bang. A beautiful reveal trailer of Simon Belmont, a character I honestly did  not see coming. Well, they did let Snake out to play once again so maybe I should have seen the possibility of Simon coming to Smash. He is a character fans have wanted for a long time. His character model for this game is looking so clean! I love is barbarian look that is clearly based off the first Castlevania game.

I would have been fine with just Simon but it turns out he isn't the only Belmont showing up. Richter is also cracking that whip and unlike Simon, Ricther is looking very anime-like. I find that perfectly fitting since the first game he stared in, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, had an anime like art style for cut scenes. I can easily see myself switching back and forth between Simon and Richter as I am so down with the whole concept of echo fighters.

Of course the stage for the two Castlevania reps has to be Dracula's Castle. And as far as dark, spooky places go, it looks awesome. I'm pretty sure I spotted Kid Dracula's silhouette when they were showing off bosses that would appear throughout the stage. Not only is Drac's crib looking like a fun place to throw hands, but the selection of music from that stage alone is looking superb. Just 34 tracks for one stage alone! If I have a nitpick is would be that I did not spot New Messiah among the list of tracks but when guest Smasher gets 34 tracks on his stages, it really is hard to pout. Maybe Daddy Sakurai will include some more songs in updates? Whether that happens or not, I am stoked for these two and will be purchasing both of their amiibos the day they drop.

Speaking of music, holy crap, there is SO MUCH of it for Ultimate. I'm stoked for returning songs (I really missed Molgera in 3DS/Wii U Smash) but what I've heard of the remixes has me salivating for more. We are finally getting an Opening Stage remix from Mega Man X that I have always wanted and that new Gangplank Galleon remix with the trumpets sounds like fire. I'm all for another Kraid's Lair remix and the one for Ultimate has those violins going IN! I am probably going to spend hours in My Music.

I love Samus but now that I've seen Dark Samus, I may never use vanilla Samus again. The idel animation Dark Samus has just looks soooooo cool. Like, standing is for lesser beings. All of the animations for her movements are enough to make me want to use her  over Samus full time.

I am loving the options and customization Ultimate is going to let us use. Saved rules,  Meter based Final Smashes, not as strong as Smash Balls but still a very welcome addition. I like to the competitive side will allow Final Smash meters but they've played without them for so long that they just might keep them off. The option to turn stage hazards off is another great feature. I do love me some chaotic stages, but some stages overdo the chaos so I know more than a few of you are happy about this one.

King K. Rool. That King Dedede troll was hilarious and then it followed up by the king people wanted to see slapping the crap out of Dedede. King K. Rool is finally in Smash. To be honest, I wasn't one of the players that wanted him in. As much as I like the Donkey Kong Country titles, he wasn't someone I'd vote for in the ballot for Smash 4. That being said, after seeing his reveal trailer, he does look hype. I'm liking that he's got the boxing gloves and his pirate look from Donkey Kong Country 2. He looks like he'll be a lot of fun to use.

We've got a little less than four months until Super Smash Bros. Ultimate releases and we still haven't seen everything this game has to offer. There's that blurred out green mode that has sent people speculating and more characters will more than likely be revealed before the game drops. The hype train is only gaining more and more speed from here.

Favorite Tunes #230: Ultimate Smashing

Originally, I had a different set of songs planned for this week's Favorite Tunes but Super Smash Bros. Ultimate got me hyped, so this is a Smash inspired set of music. Not every track is from Smash, though. I'm hoping some of these picks make it in the game.

Main Theme - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NS)

While the Smash games are usually dominated by tunes from other games as well as remixes and arrangements, one of the few new pieces of music are the excellent Main Themes. I thought Brawl had the best Main theme of the four Smash games released thus far, but with the coming of Ultimate, well, this Main Theme is giving it some serious competition. Prepare yourself for that choir chiming in at the 2:18 mark. 

Rip Entry - Splatoon 2 (NS)

It was pretty much a given that the Inklings would be making it into Smash. I mean, what, with Splatoon being insanely popular. I'm probably the odd man out on this, but I love Moray Towers and I'm happy to see it being the stage to represent our favorite squid kids. I cannot wait to see the music tracks and juicy Splatoon and Splatoon 2 remixes we'll get. Rip Entry better be one of those songs.

Chemical Plant Act 2 - Sonic Mania (PS4, NS, XBO, PC)

Some critics *coughGameSpotcough* sure were quick to label Sonic Mania the greatest Sonic Game ever after only a few play throughs. It is an outstanding game and I love it, but I wouldn't go that far. With Sonic returning to Smash a third time, I'm hoping we get some Sonic Mania tunes or even a few remixes. Speaking of which, Act 2's Chemical Plant is lit,

Saria's Song - Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN)

To the Melee player, this is the greatest Smash game ever. To everyone else, it is highly overrated and insanely unbalanced, with the majority of the cast not even being tournament viable. I can't say the Melee community hasn't had a negative impact on my perception of the game, but I still cheerish the many hours I sunk into this game and for me, it is still my favorite GameCube title. I'm glad this stage is returning in Ultimate.

Cut Man Stage - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Wii U)

Mega Man was my main in 3DS/Wii U Smash so I am very pleased that he is returning for Ultimate. He got a healthy dose remixes in the last Smash game. The same cannot be said for Cloud and Sonic. No doubt most if not all of the Wii U Mega Man Smash arrangements will return for Ultimate and hopeful some new ones as well.

Torkdrift Battle - Super Mario Odyssey (NS)

New Donk City is a stage for Ultimate. We already know Jump Up, Superstar is going to be one of the tunes for said stage. Other music I'm looking forward to hearing while seeing characters into the blast zone are Fossil Falls, Steam Gardens, Honeyloon Ridge (Caves) and one of the coolest fight themes in the whole game, Torkdrift Battle. Make it happy, Sakurai!

Favorite Tunes Database

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Let the Excitement Begin

I can just picture Masahiro Sakurai sitting in the development room with his team at a table, sipping his beverage of choice, shortly followed up by saying, "For this Super Smash Bros., we're going to bring everyone," before taking a drink. A team member questions "What do you mean?" Sakurai places his cup down on the table, smiles back smugly and replies, "EVERYONE."

OK, so it probably didn't go down like that, but a part of me likes to think it did.

We all have those games that we look forward to, games that stir excitement. However, some games garner much more excitement than others. For myself and I greatly suspect for a lot of others, Super Smash Bros. is one of those games that get people seriously jazzed with anticipation. Although when it comes to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, I don't think the word excitement even does justice to just how stoked people are for this game.

"Everyone is here!" Three simple words. Yet to many players, they hold so much meaning. Over the course of four games and nearly twenty years, we've all found favorite characters or mains that we love to play as. Sadly, we've seen some of those same characters dropped. As a huge fan of the Ice Climbers, I was super disappointed to not see them return for 3DS/Wii U Smash. The loss of Solid Snake stung for a lot of people and Wolf mains saw the number of Star Fox reps cut down to two. I had originally planned to do a feature of characters I wanted for the Switch version of Smash, including both new characters and those that I'd like to see return. Nintendo's E3 deep dive of Ultimate gives me little reason to even go on with said feature. All the characters I wanted to see return are coming back. Seeing reactions of people losing it when Snake appeared made it seem like we were back in 2006 when the character was revealed at the end of Brawl's trailer. Currently the roster consists of 65 characters. I'd like to see more, but if 65 is all we get, I really can't complain.

As someone that has always preferred Daisy to Peach, I am so happy to see her make it as an echo fighter in Ultimate. I will definitely be maining Inkling as I love Splatoon, It sucks that Waluigi isn't a playable character but at least he's still in as an Assist Trophy. I know many Waluigi fans aren't content with that, but getting some kind of representation in Smash is quite the honor. I'm excited to see my boy Bomberman make it as an Assist Trophy for this game! At high percentages, he looks like he could be series trouble if he isn't KO'd before those bombs go off.

And the title of "Ultimate" for this game is spot on. With so many characters, so many stages and three different stage options, new techniques, this is looking like it is going to be the ultimate Super Smash Bros. game. The only other title they could have gone with to top Ultimate is Everyone is Here! I mean, have those three words have never sounded so good. I want to play the old stages, the new stages, play with the new characters. the old characters, collect a ton of trophies, hear the glorious new remixes and oh so much more. Like so many of you, I cannot wait to get my grubby hands on this game. My hype thruststers have been activated to overdrive levels.

Songs to Smash By Part 1

Before Super Smash Bros. released on the 3DS and Wii U, I did a recurring feature on the blog where I talked about songs I'd like to see in those games. I've chosen to resurrect that feature. Nintendo releases a Super Smash Bros. title every console generation and rumors are all over the place about a new Smash entry or a port of the Wii U title for the Switch. Whenever and wherever the new Smash title hits, these are tracks I'd like to get my Smash on to.

For Kirby Stages

Kirby got some nice arrangements in 3DS and Wii U Smash, but some of the best songs from Return to Dream Land were shockingly left out. I mean, how you you not include battle ready beats like Under My Control and C-R-O-W-N-E-D? That's just not right. Kirby: Planet Robbot has some outstanding original music and I can only hope that Lovely Yellow Va-Va-Vrooms, Dried -up Sea and White Office March make the game.

For Pac-Man

The cherry-chasing-dot-muncher not only served as a representative of his own series, but Bandai Namco games as a whole. I was quite pleased with his selection of music in Smash 4 but I'd love to see more games get represented. Ridge Racer's original Ridge Racer theme is so bouncy and cheerful that it would fight right at home in a Pac-Man stage. Over the Highway from Ridge Racer Revolution is another high energy track and Pac-Man could sure use a track like Maximum Zone if only for it being so unexpected. Klonoa definitely needs some love and if only one track from the first game makes it, it would have to be the excellent The Windmill Song. I would turn that sucker all the way up in My Music. Tekken beats are always hot and with seven main games and a few spin off titles, there's a lot to choose from. I adore Tekken 2's PlayStation soundtrack and Morning Field is just gorgeous. To give Waka Waka another adrenaline filled track , Tekken Tag Tournament 2's Nina can't be beat. I'm really hoping Pac-Man returns for another round of Smash.

For Mega Man

The Blue Bomber was treated rather well in Smash, especially in terms of music. If one theme from the Game Boy is in need of more appreciation it has got to be the Final Battle theme from Mega Man IV. That is GB rock at its finest. Dr. Wily Stage Boss from Mega Man 7 has always been one of my absolute favorite boss themes from the entire Mega Man franchise and I would love to launch opponents off the stage to it. Breaking away from the Classic series, if any music from the X games gets included, we've gotta go with the Opening Stage from Mega Man X as well as Armored Armadillo Stage. Show me a gamer that wouldn't want to have listen to Blaze Heatnix Stage from Mega Man X6 while playing Smash and I'll show you a liar. Blazing Internet from Mega Man: Network Transmission is grade A smashing material. Like Pac-Man, I so want the Blue Bomber to show up for the next Smash game.

For Donkey Kong Stages

Jungle Japes is a fantastic Donkey Kong Country song. Having said that, there were way too many remixes of it in Smash Wii U. I mean, there are tons of other themes to choose from like Fear Factory from the original Donkey Kong Country. Angry Aztec from Donkey Kong 64 would be one of my most frequently heard songs if it were included in a Smash. And what about the awesome soundtrack from Diddy Kong Racing? The fact that tracks like Ancient Lake or Pirate Lagoon or really any music from that much loved game has not been included is just criminal. Lest we not forget the amazing music from Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, which had some excellent ambitent music and jungle themes, but also some killer rock and metal tracks. After seeing the full song lists for both Donkey Kong stages in Smash, I was very disappointed that Pompy, the Presumptions and Bashmaster, the Unbreakable were left out. This needs to be fixed for the new Smash.

Favorite Tunes #169: End of the Journey

Man. 2016 is already over? Its been some ride, filled with some really great as well as truly disappointing games. I'm looking forward to what 2017 has to offer. Not just in terms of gameplay but soundtracks as well. Enjoy this last 2016 edition of Favorite Tunes.

Staff Roll 2 - Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold (PS)

The Gold version of Alpha 2 features Cammy based off her X-Men vs. Street Fighter version as well as arranged music and a few theme themes. Between Gold's three different staff roll jams, it can be tough to pick out a favorite. Staff Roll 2 is super smooth.

The Credits Concerto - Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

Fun fact: I actually finished Donkey Kong Country for the first time around New Year's Eve in 1994. It was strangely calming to get an ending where the game lists all of the enemies and bosses as the go across the screen in DK's home. Probably because the last few worlds was the stuff of nightmares in terms of difficulty.

Reprise (Credits) - Shovel Knight (Multi)

Look, the good things to say about Shovel Knight have already been said and all of that stuff is 100% true. Go buy Shovel Knight. This game was more than deserving of a physical release and I was glad to see that happen. Jake Kaufman and Manami Matsume's work on the music of Shovel Knight soundtrack is nothing short of freaking brilliant.

Staff Roll - Final Fantasy VII (PS, PC)

I've often said that Final Fantasy VII's music isn't Nobuo Uematsu's best work. But I still think it is a solid score. The game's beautiful Main Theme is easily one of best of any Final Fantasy game. I didn't mind the many times it was arranged throughout the game, and it was wonderful to hear it one final time arranged with the classic Final Fantasy series theme.

Deep Drive - Rage Racer (PS)

Wildly different from the first two Ridge Racer titles, Rage Racer let you upgrade your car with cash won from races. The shift in tone was not just one from a gameplay perspective, but the visuals took on a more realistic (for the time, anyway) look. Of course Rage Racer was still an arcade style racer. even tough it was approaching things a bit differently this time around. The soundtrack still consists of electronica with some jazz and rock.

Credits (Super Smash Bros.) - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

I thought we'd end things on a lively note. I ended up missing a lot of tracks from Super Smash Bros. Brawl due to not playing on certain stages often and not finding all of the music CDs. A good portion of the Brawl remixes came back in Smash for Wii U, so I've been playing catch up on what I missed, like this arranged credits theme to the original Super Smash Bros., which I gotta say, is better than the original.

Favorite Tunes Database