by Cloud3514
The easiest way to describe the two matches I played of Super Smash Bros Wii U is to say that it is Super Smash Bros., which is exactly as it should be.
Its has the colorful characters and stages, the special moves and the tone of a Smash Bros. title and it controls like a Smash Bros. title.
I got my hands on two new characters, Megaman and Greninja. Megaman takes his entire moveset from a variety of Megaman games, with his Megabuster being his standard attack and side Smash Attack. His attacks, as far as I can tell, act like they do in their home games, with the Super Arm grab picking up other characters and holding them over Megaman’s head, just like how he holds blocks over his head in the original Megaman game and the Leaf Shield blocking incoming attacks that hit the leaves and removing the leaves they hit. He appears to be most at home fighting at a range, and a fully charged Megabuster is a devastatingly powerful attack.
It can take some time getting used to trying to avoid close range attacks with Megaman, but he is an incredibly fun character. He is right at home in Smash Bros. and seems to be a wonderful contrast to other characters. Even other characters with ranged attacks and weapons tend to still need to mix it up in close combat, while Megaman can even hit opponents with Smash Attacks from the other side of the stage.
Greninja, on the other hand, appears to be a hit and runner. He is extremely fast with quick attacks, but is very light and can be knocked out of the stage easily. With a mix of ranged and melee attacks, he defintely feels like he is meant to defend himself by avoiding damage while attacking when he has an opening. As I am terrible with hit and runners, I was unable to get a good feel for Greninja.
One of the stages I played is based on New Super Mario Bros. U and is a constantly changing stage that is surprisingly fun to play on. Sometimes the stage gets flooded, other times there are enemies on the ground that need to be avoided.
Visually, the game is stunning. It runs at 60 FPS with no slowdown. The characters are diverse and colorful and manage to fit together, despite the diverse art styles. The stages are without a doubt more detailed than they’ve ever been.
The demo used Pro Controllers, but obviously the Wii U gamepad and GameCube controller will also be compatible, with the GameCube controller using the recently announced controller adapter. The Nintendo representative I spoke with also confirmed Wii Remote support and it can probably be presumed that the Classic Controller will also be compatible.
The Pro Controller controls are identical to the Classic Controller controls, as expected and it can probably be assumed that the GamePad is the same way and all of the returning control schemes will be as they were in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is set for this winter and Super Smash Bros. for 3DS is set for October 3rd this year. Both games were demoed at select Best Buy locations yesterday and will be demoed again this Saturday. Here at The Bacon, we’re pysched to play a full version! Keep your eyes on us as we cover more Smash Bros. in the near future!
