Impressions of a Hero

Did you have fun trying to get Hero from the eShop only to fail time and again because the servers were getting destroyed? Well, chump, I'd like to say I feel your pain but I don't, because I was working when Hero went live. I've also got the Fighter Pass so I just download the fighters via update as they become available. Sucks to be you. In all seriousness,

My excitement for Hero grew as I saw Daddy Sakurai demonstrating what the character could do. His forward Smash, while slow, is insanely powerful and being a player that loves to spam Smash attacks, I've already gotten so much fun out of sending fools into the blast zone with it.

Can we talk about Hero's Down B? We're gonna talk about Hero's Down B. This brings up a random menu of four out of 32 spells. My favorites are Bounce, the reflector that stays activated for a good while and is the only character that can move with the ability. Snooze, which can put opponents to sleep in mid-air, which is going to be all kinds of shenanigans for gimping someone's recovery. Kamikaze is also gonna grind some people's gears, especially in free-for-alls. 2 or more opponents in the lead and they happen to be in the red? Blow blow 'em up and take the lead! Zoom is a spell that probably shouldn't be legal for anything since it lets you recovery from anywhere on the stage. I can already see someone at a tournament flipping a table when Hero returns to the stage with 138% from a Zoom spell to win the game.

Hero's crazy RNG is going to really upset Ultimate's competitive scene. I can already hear people crying out for him to be nerfed. This is a character that can get random critical hits, has the possibility of Thwack killing you at 0% or getting a free Super Mushroom to land big damage. And he is crazy fun to use. I've only played several games with him and he's one of my favorite new additions to Ultimate. Could Hero be banned? Possibly. Meta Knight was banned from Brawl for how crazy busted he was. As broken as Bayonetta was from Smash 4, I'm surprised she didn't get banned as it would have been the easy solution but I also believe player should learn match ups before demanding nerfs. Whether Hero gets to stay or go in competitive Smash, time or salty tears will decide.

The Hero is a mighty fine addition to Ultimate's beefy roster and I'm looking forward to getting better with him. Welp, I'm off to learn more of those insane spells. Happy Smashing.

Favorite Tunes #269: Summer Madnesss

I've been away for a while. The blog went on hiatus because I've moved back to my home state. We just got the internet up and running yesterday and I'm happy to resume blogging. Give yourself a cookie if you can guess the band behind this week's subtitle.

Hotel Delfino - Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)

Not my favorite Super Mario game by a long shot. Sunshine suffers from some of the very same problems people love to slam the early 3D Sonic titles for: glitches, lousy voice acting and just plain bad game design in numerous instances. Be that as it may, I still wouldn't label Sunshine a bad game. I love the tropical setting and the soundtrack is just perfect for anyone craving some sounds of summer.

On the Open Seas - Super Adventure Island II (SNES)

Though I've only played the first SNES entry and thus and more familiar with the former's soundtrack, from my understanding, Super Adventure Island II was the better game. Though when it comes to the music, I'd have to give the nod to the first game. Still, the music from the second entry is serviceable.

Green Hill Zone Act 2 - Sonic Mania (PS4, NS, XBO, PC)

Yes, yes, we're all tired of Green Hill Zone. Sonic Team has overexposed the heck out of the very first area in the original Sonic the Hedgehog but band it, that music is still the bee's knee. Tee Lopes did an outstanding job remixing the old Sonic jams and I'm looking forward to hearing his new material in Team Sonic Racing.

Welcome to Crocodile Isle - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)

Often viewed as the pinnacle of the SNES DKC trilogy and to that I say, well, you'll get no argument from me. On top of introducing Dixie, arguably the greatest blonde in all of platformers, DKC2 improved upon the original in every aspect. David Wise was the only composer to return to score the music for this 1995 hit and he freaking nailed it.

To the South - Goof Troop (SNES)

One of my favorite cartoons to watch in the afternoon when I was a lad, I was thrilled when I found out that Goof and Max were coming to the SNES. Capcom rarely turned in a licensed dud in those days and Goof Troop did not disappoint. No doubt even more gamers are more away of this game thanks to the Game Grumps and for that, they have my thanks.

Launch Octopus Stage - Mega Man X (SNES)

If (for some strange reason) you haven't played Mega Man X, grab the Mega Man X Legacy Collection ASAP. The game is a heavy contender for the greatest Mega Man game, yes, even topping 2 and 3. When I was working on this Favorite Tunes, I realized that Launch Octopus' sea/aquatic level fits the summer them perfectly.

Favorite Tunes Database