Fatmanonice
Banned via Warnings
Early last Friday, I got up early to get ready to head out of state to go to my grandfather’s funeral. The night before I had stayed up all night playing the original Star Fox on my old SNES and getting up was a bit of chore that morning. I made myself a cup of coffee and sat down at my parent’s laptop (mine was at home) and went through my usual morning online routine. Check Facebook. Check Wunderground. Check my Yahoo e-mail. Check my school/work e-mail. Check Gonintendo and/or Youtube if I have time. Another site that I have recently added to my morning routine is Smashbros.com or Miiverse for the SSB4 updates. The daily updates have been a nice addition to my routine of getting ready for my day ahead. Some breakfast, a cup of coffee, and a quirky picture. Now as an adult who works full time, it’s a nice alternative to staying up late like I usually did with the Brawl updates as a teen and it adds a little joy to my day even if my schedule practically guarantees that it’ll be as tedious as all get out. While the updates before had been mildly enjoyable, I was met with a pleasant surprise that morning.
Barely awake, I saw an unexpected sight. The screen in front of me had the “Challenger Approaching” text that had been the source of borderline seizure like fanboy reactions back in the pre-Brawl days. “Who could it be,” I thought, suddenly feeling a jolt stronger and faster than the coffee could have given me. I quickly scrolled down to be greeted by a familiar face, an old friend I might argue. In front of me was the one and only Captain Olimar, the last new starting character revealed for Brawl now at the front of the reveal line for SSB4. “Olimar’s back,” I said smiling as I went through each of his pictures individually, chuckling upon noticing the new addition of a whistle on his helmet (how he whistled with a helmet on always perplexed me). It wasn’t a new character but it was a welcoming sight nevertheless. I then got up from the kitchen table to greet my mother. She asked how I was feeling, noticing my obvious glow. “Great,” I simply replied and then proceeded to kiss her on the forehead for the first time in 15 years. Olimar was back and, needless to say, I was very happy about it.
Now, you may ask why I was so happy about Olimar’s reveal. Olimar wasn’t my main in Brawl (Mario was). He’s not even one of my favorite video game characters and Pikmin’s not my favorite Nintendo franchise. He was a character I wanted in Brawl but far behind the likes of other characters like King Dedede, Geno, and Megaman. Despite this, I still find him important enough that my reaction was warranted. It was a homecoming of sorts and I’m glad I was able to welcome the brave captain on his arrival. Some of you here might be too young to remember but before 9/11 at American airports it was common for friends and family to come to the terminal to welcome back people after long trips. I remember doing this a number of times as a kid when my dad would come back from out of state or even out of the country job training and my family would greet him enthusiastically. Perhaps this incident doesn’t have near the amount of emotional depth as those memories but I will admit that it is similar. Olimar came home and many of us here are still waiting for a number of characters to come home too.
I feel that part of my reaction was caused by some of the fond memories I have with the Pikmin games. I remember my freshman year of high school when I went over to a sleep over at one of my friends' houses. He had recently gotten a Gamecube with Pikmin and his dad had purchased as absolutely massive 82 inch big screen TV that took up an entire wall of their basement. Back then I liked to do speed runs that I called “Midnight Runs” for the entertainment of my friends. They’d give me a relatively short game and then, starting at exactly midnight, I’d try to beat it 100% before the sun completely rose. I wasn’t allowed to pause the game or take breaks so they usually involved 6-7 hours of unwavering attention in the face of tiredness. I had recently done Luigi’s Mansion and, after beating the original Pikmin twice already at my own pace, I was confident that I could do this. I took up my friend’s challenge and the game began. When it was over, it was about 6:47 in the morning when the sun would have completely risen at about 7. I was pleased with my success but completely exhausted. My friends had passed out one by one until it was just me sitting in the glow of the abnormally huge TV, trying desperately not to nod off. The credits soon began to roll and, with a smile of satisfaction on my face, I leaned back, controller still in my hands, and passed out on the floor only to wake up at around 3 that afternoon.
To me, Olimar is an incarnation of that memory. It’s a good memory because it was time spent with friends during a time in my life where I was largely a shut in and a reflection of my video game skills. I feel that for many of us here we have special memories tied to the various characters whom make their way back or patiently wait for their introduction into Smash. Sometimes we have special memories tied to them like that make us happy to see them come back or arrive. Christmas mornings, birthdays, console launches, or just good times with good people, great characters, and unforgettable games. Sometimes we have special memories tied to them simply because of Smash. Even if we were strangers to their franchises, we still laughed with friends as we played the games whether it was late night free for alls in someone’s basement or large scale tournaments with hundreds of entrants. Sometimes they’re just fond memories of a wish being fulfilled. King Dedede’s reveal had me sitting and listening to his theme on loop for over an hour to celebrate. He was someone I had always wanted in the series and to see him finally get in meant a lot to me and I imagine a lot of you here had similar reactions to different characters.
For me, character reveals, whether they are veterans or newcomers, represent a kind of homecoming that you often don’t get with a lot of video games. Smash Bros is widely considered to be a prestigious franchise and for a character to make the cut means that they have proven themselves and are ultimately immortalized because of it. I feel that we all want our favorite characters to earn this reward and, in a sense, we feel proud when they do and let down when they don’t. We become ecstatic when they’re revealed and feel apprehension when they’re not shown right away, even if their return is practically guaranteed. It’s something that fuels our speculation and keeps us coming back here day after day until the games launch and even after. It’s a franchise that allows us to celebrate all things Nintendo and the memories we have tied to their long history of timeless adventures. Olimar was the first of the veteran reveals and there are still many more to come. As the reveals come out you can bet that I’ll be waiting at the terminal for each and every single one to simply say, “Welcome Home.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
So I've decided that every character deserves to be recognized when they enter the fray so I'll commemorate their return or arrival to SSB4 below with the date they were revealed:
Veterans:
Mario- June 11th, 2013
Donkey Kong- June 11, 2013
Link- June 11th, 2013
Samus- June 11th, 2013
Kirby- June 11th, 2013
Fox- June 11th, 2013
Pikachu- June 11th, 2013
Bowser- June 11th, 2013
Pit- June 11th, 2013
Olimar- July 12th, 2013
Luigi- August 7th, 2013
Peach- September 12th, 2013
Toon Link- September 26th, 2013
Sonic- October 1st, 2013
Marth- November 7th, 2013
Zelda- December 26th, 2013
King Dedede- January 10th, 2014
Lucario- January 31st, 2014
Diddy Kong- February 21st, 2014
Zero Suit Samus- April 8th, 2014
Sheik- April 8th, 2014
Yoshi- April 8th, 2014
Charizard- April 8th, 2014
Ike- May 23rd, 2014
Captain Falcon- July 14th, 2014
Metaknight- August 13th, 2014
Wario- September 13th, 2014
Ness- September 13th, 2014
Ganondorf- September 13th, 2014
Falco- September 13th, 2014
Dr. Mario- September 13th, 2014
Jigglypuff- September 13th, 2014
Mr. Game and Watch- September 13th, 2014
ROB- September 13th, 2014
Mewtwo- October 24th, 2014
Lucas - April 1st, 2015
Roy - June 14th, 2015
Newcomers:
Villager- June 11th, 2013
Megaman- June 11th, 2013
Wii Fit Trainer- June 11th, 2013
Rosalina- December 18th, 2013
Little Mac- February 13th, 2014
Greninja- April 8th, 2014
Mii Fighters- June 11th, 2014
Palutena- June 11th, 2014
Pac-Man- June 11th, 2014
Lucina- July 14th, 2014
Robin- July 14th, 2014
Shulk- August 29th, 2014
The Koopalings-September 13th, 2014
Duck Hunt- September 13th, 2014
Dark Pit- September 13th, 2014
Ryu - June 14th, 2015
Cloud, November 12th, 2015
Corrin, December 15th, 2015
Bayonetta, December 15th 2015
Barely awake, I saw an unexpected sight. The screen in front of me had the “Challenger Approaching” text that had been the source of borderline seizure like fanboy reactions back in the pre-Brawl days. “Who could it be,” I thought, suddenly feeling a jolt stronger and faster than the coffee could have given me. I quickly scrolled down to be greeted by a familiar face, an old friend I might argue. In front of me was the one and only Captain Olimar, the last new starting character revealed for Brawl now at the front of the reveal line for SSB4. “Olimar’s back,” I said smiling as I went through each of his pictures individually, chuckling upon noticing the new addition of a whistle on his helmet (how he whistled with a helmet on always perplexed me). It wasn’t a new character but it was a welcoming sight nevertheless. I then got up from the kitchen table to greet my mother. She asked how I was feeling, noticing my obvious glow. “Great,” I simply replied and then proceeded to kiss her on the forehead for the first time in 15 years. Olimar was back and, needless to say, I was very happy about it.
Now, you may ask why I was so happy about Olimar’s reveal. Olimar wasn’t my main in Brawl (Mario was). He’s not even one of my favorite video game characters and Pikmin’s not my favorite Nintendo franchise. He was a character I wanted in Brawl but far behind the likes of other characters like King Dedede, Geno, and Megaman. Despite this, I still find him important enough that my reaction was warranted. It was a homecoming of sorts and I’m glad I was able to welcome the brave captain on his arrival. Some of you here might be too young to remember but before 9/11 at American airports it was common for friends and family to come to the terminal to welcome back people after long trips. I remember doing this a number of times as a kid when my dad would come back from out of state or even out of the country job training and my family would greet him enthusiastically. Perhaps this incident doesn’t have near the amount of emotional depth as those memories but I will admit that it is similar. Olimar came home and many of us here are still waiting for a number of characters to come home too.
I feel that part of my reaction was caused by some of the fond memories I have with the Pikmin games. I remember my freshman year of high school when I went over to a sleep over at one of my friends' houses. He had recently gotten a Gamecube with Pikmin and his dad had purchased as absolutely massive 82 inch big screen TV that took up an entire wall of their basement. Back then I liked to do speed runs that I called “Midnight Runs” for the entertainment of my friends. They’d give me a relatively short game and then, starting at exactly midnight, I’d try to beat it 100% before the sun completely rose. I wasn’t allowed to pause the game or take breaks so they usually involved 6-7 hours of unwavering attention in the face of tiredness. I had recently done Luigi’s Mansion and, after beating the original Pikmin twice already at my own pace, I was confident that I could do this. I took up my friend’s challenge and the game began. When it was over, it was about 6:47 in the morning when the sun would have completely risen at about 7. I was pleased with my success but completely exhausted. My friends had passed out one by one until it was just me sitting in the glow of the abnormally huge TV, trying desperately not to nod off. The credits soon began to roll and, with a smile of satisfaction on my face, I leaned back, controller still in my hands, and passed out on the floor only to wake up at around 3 that afternoon.
To me, Olimar is an incarnation of that memory. It’s a good memory because it was time spent with friends during a time in my life where I was largely a shut in and a reflection of my video game skills. I feel that for many of us here we have special memories tied to the various characters whom make their way back or patiently wait for their introduction into Smash. Sometimes we have special memories tied to them like that make us happy to see them come back or arrive. Christmas mornings, birthdays, console launches, or just good times with good people, great characters, and unforgettable games. Sometimes we have special memories tied to them simply because of Smash. Even if we were strangers to their franchises, we still laughed with friends as we played the games whether it was late night free for alls in someone’s basement or large scale tournaments with hundreds of entrants. Sometimes they’re just fond memories of a wish being fulfilled. King Dedede’s reveal had me sitting and listening to his theme on loop for over an hour to celebrate. He was someone I had always wanted in the series and to see him finally get in meant a lot to me and I imagine a lot of you here had similar reactions to different characters.
For me, character reveals, whether they are veterans or newcomers, represent a kind of homecoming that you often don’t get with a lot of video games. Smash Bros is widely considered to be a prestigious franchise and for a character to make the cut means that they have proven themselves and are ultimately immortalized because of it. I feel that we all want our favorite characters to earn this reward and, in a sense, we feel proud when they do and let down when they don’t. We become ecstatic when they’re revealed and feel apprehension when they’re not shown right away, even if their return is practically guaranteed. It’s something that fuels our speculation and keeps us coming back here day after day until the games launch and even after. It’s a franchise that allows us to celebrate all things Nintendo and the memories we have tied to their long history of timeless adventures. Olimar was the first of the veteran reveals and there are still many more to come. As the reveals come out you can bet that I’ll be waiting at the terminal for each and every single one to simply say, “Welcome Home.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
So I've decided that every character deserves to be recognized when they enter the fray so I'll commemorate their return or arrival to SSB4 below with the date they were revealed:
Veterans:
Mario- June 11th, 2013Donkey Kong- June 11, 2013Link- June 11th, 2013Samus- June 11th, 2013Kirby- June 11th, 2013Fox- June 11th, 2013Pikachu- June 11th, 2013 Bowser- June 11th, 2013Pit- June 11th, 2013Olimar- July 12th, 2013Luigi- August 7th, 2013 Peach- September 12th, 2013Toon Link- September 26th, 2013Sonic- October 1st, 2013Marth- November 7th, 2013Zelda- December 26th, 2013King Dedede- January 10th, 2014Lucario- January 31st, 2014 Diddy Kong- February 21st, 2014Zero Suit Samus- April 8th, 2014Sheik- April 8th, 2014Yoshi- April 8th, 2014Charizard- April 8th, 2014Ike- May 23rd, 2014Captain Falcon- July 14th, 2014Metaknight- August 13th, 2014Wario- September 13th, 2014 Ness- September 13th, 2014Ganondorf- September 13th, 2014Falco- September 13th, 2014 Dr. Mario- September 13th, 2014Jigglypuff- September 13th, 2014 Mr. Game and Watch- September 13th, 2014ROB- September 13th, 2014 Mewtwo- October 24th, 2014 Lucas - April 1st, 2015 Roy - June 14th, 2015Newcomers:
Villager- June 11th, 2013Megaman- June 11th, 2013Wii Fit Trainer- June 11th, 2013Rosalina- December 18th, 2013 Little Mac- February 13th, 2014 Greninja- April 8th, 2014 Mii Fighters- June 11th, 2014Palutena- June 11th, 2014Pac-Man- June 11th, 2014Lucina- July 14th, 2014Robin- July 14th, 2014
The Koopalings-September 13th, 2014Duck Hunt- September 13th, 2014Dark Pit- September 13th, 2014Ryu - June 14th, 2015 Cloud, November 12th, 2015 Corrin, December 15th, 2015 Bayonetta, December 15th 2015
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