Melee and Brawl upped the ante even more, and even though I wasn't in middle school with my friends anymore, I found a great time beating up Nintendo (and 3rd party) mascots. Nothing brought me more joy than connecting with the "Falcon Punch" and watching my enemy explode.
With the hype building around this new Smash Bros I figured I would talk about some things that I am really looking forward to, and things that leave me wondering.
+ It's coming out soon and I can take it on the go
I'm a pretty impatient person, so believe me, I am getting more than a little antsy to get my hands on this, especially since the game is already out in Japan. The demo (due out this friday for the general public) will certainly help, but needless to say, I am ready for the real deal. Also a big bonus that I can take this with me, so when I take the occasional road trip, if I'm just waiting in line for a midnight release, or I'm just lounging on the couch and tired of looking at a TV or computer screen all day, it's awful convenient to pull out my 3DS XL and fight.
- Does the small screen end up hurting the game?
With so much action going on at any given moment, will I be able to follow it all and know what's happening, or will I end up just mashing buttons and hope things work out my way? Having a 3DS XL should certainly help this issue, but we will see. Also, I can tell you after an extended Mario Kart 7 session, my hands start to cramp a bit, will this be the case with Smash? Something to think about.
+ Even with all the action, it still (reportedly) runs at 60 frames per second
I say it time and time again, 60 frames per second is a big deal. This is a game that NEEDS 60 for sure. This is a game about fast, chaotic action, and 60 frames gives that feel.
- Will the absence of a 2nd analog stick hinder the controls?
This may be a really nit-picky type worry, but I know this applies to me. I have played a LOT of Melee and I am currently revisiting a lot of Brawl in preparation for the new one. I played Melee with the Wavebird controller with the C-Stick and am playing Brawl with the Classic Controller Pro which has 2 analog sticks. A flick of the stick in any direction performs a quick charge attack which used at the right time can K.O. an opponent. I use that probably way more than I should but I like having that quick attack. The 3DS doesn't have that right stick (at least not until the "new" one comes out), so how much will that bother me? Will it mess up my timing? Again, might not be a HUGE worry, but one that I think about.
+ The Roster is incredible
The series has always been great at fan service and this is no different here. The highlights:
Mega Man (Finally!)
Little Mac (Will be my main, I can feel)
Pac-Man (WHAT? AWESOME!)
Wii Fit Trainer (absolutely)
Duck Hunt Dog (Does he have a name? Who cares? THE FREAKING DOG!!!)
- The Roster is incredible...ish
Ok, so with almost 50 characters in the game, there are bound to be ones that players won't like. Though my problem is this: the roster is becoming more and more about games like Pokèmon and Fire Emblem. While those are good franchises and deserve to have SOME representation, I feel it's starting to get out of hand. Also, why is Shulk in this game? You probably just thought "Who?" and that's the reason for my initial question. (He's from Xenoblade Chronicles by the way). I guess I would have liked to have seen more representation from the Donkey Kong series, maybe some obscure Mario characters, hell, what about the Excitebike racer? How about some other fighters from Punch-Out? I know you need to have the "new age Nintendo" with the "old age Nintendo" and maybe it's just me being 29, but I would have liked to have seen a little more old school.
+ The level choices are awesome AND have an "Omega" version
The choices for the levels such as the Mega Man themed level, the Spirit Tracks level, the Tomodachi Life level, the Nintendogs level, these are all awesome choices. What's even better is the inclusion of the "Omega Versions" of each level, which relegate the selected level into one flat playing field. Lending itself towards the competitive scene, but also taking away gimmicks that have prevented players like me from liking certain levels. For example: I hate scrolling levels, whether it's the Mushroom Kingdom scrolling to the right, or the Donkey Kong waterfall scrolling up, I hate fighting the level while I'm fighting the other characters, so taking all that away as an option is a great choice, leaving us to (at least partially) experience all the levels. Also, there are 3DS and Wii U specific levels so I know not to expect a few of these levels when the console version hits.
- The reported online lag
From all the reports early on, it sounds like online play can be a drag due to extensive lag. I suppose this can be just because it's still a fresh release and Nintendo still hasn't fully figured out how online works, but I can't help but be a little worried since the online play is going to be a MAIN mode people play. Here's hoping Nintendo figures it out before we in the States get our copies.
- The names
"For 3DS" and "For Wii U" are terrible names for your game. C'mon
+ To reiterate, it's almost out
As in 2 weeks from Friday. I'm excited and worried, but mostly excited.
No comments:
Post a Comment