Little Mac Satisfaction: 100%
Let's start with the context of his reveal and his reveal trailer. It's the day after the launch of Tropical Freeze, and it seems like Sakurai is about to reveal Dixie Kong... which would be a major blow to my most wanted character. Worse still, it looks like I'll have to sit through the majority of a 40 minute stream just to see what Smash footage they'll show. I'm hype filled out of my mind, but a small part of me is filled with dread.
And seeing this guy cleared up all of the dread inside of me!
The first trailer begins to roll, and the Smash logo appears. WOAH. From the first few notes of music, I can recognize the song and the character shadowboxing in silhouette. It's Little Mac, one of my top ten characters! YES! The trailer came a lot quicker and hit a lot harder than I was expecting or even hoping for. As for the trailer itself, it was the best trailer we've seen so far--Mega Man's was the only trailer in its league. There was no messing around like with Rosalina or the Trainer's trailer--it hit quick and it hit hard. The awesome comic book-like visuals, the intense music, and Doc Louis' pumping narration combined for a one-two-three punch of pure epic; the fact that the trailer didn't pull any punches and showcased Mac's Final Smash, his extraordinary speed, and a new power meter only served to help make the trailer even better. Parts like Sandbag, the chocolate bar, and Samus' height joke were the icing on a cake that already had icing. To put it frankly, I doubt even an amazing trailer featuring both K. Rool and Ridley in all their glory would be able to top this one; Mac's trailer was raw hype bottled into a video, and it perfectly captured the character, his series, and what he brings to the table.
This trailer packs a harder punch than Mac... and that's saying something!
Now, a trailer can look amazing, but gameplay is everything when it comes to being satisfied with a character. Satisfaction is pretty much derived by how closely a character plays as to how they should play, and how a character should play is determined by their games. In Little Mac's case, that's facing impossible odds and powering through them with strategy, endurance and agility. He’s all about analyzing the opponent, waiting for an opening, then punishing in lightning fast combos. Yet he takes a lot more punishment than most—many of his enemies are capable of blows far beyond normal humans and sometimes Mac must take damage when he makes a wrong prediction. Little Mac is a determined character who rolls with the punches and dishes them out tenfold. Punch-Out may not be a true fighting game, but its star exemplifies the best of fighting principles.
This game is all about fighting and plays like a fighter... even if it is a puzzle game in disguise.
Does Little Mac in Smash reflect this.
Simple answer: YES. Your opponent is using their greater range and projectiles to outmaneuver you? Wait until they goof up, dash in there with that insane speed, and knock the croissants out of them with a lightning fast combo. If you need to, take that hit, grit your teeth, and land that KO blow. Little Mac isn’t about complex tactics or pointless aerial footsies—he’s just a straightforward scrapper with a chip on his shoulder. Heck, even the concept of him in Smash is perfect—his opponents may not all be towering behemoths like they are in his own series, but they are world-famous video game stars with weapons and a clear overdog status. This is something that I had never really thought about before watching the trailer, but the scene at the end with the chocolate bar made it clear to me—Mac really fits in Super Smash Bros.
Opponent left himself open? Punish him, Mac-baby!
Part of me had always feared that Little Mac may turn into a rather bland, Marth-like character; this is pretty much what kept him towards the bottom half of my top ten most wanted for this game. I definitely wasn’t one of the “but all he can do is punch” people, but I had always preferred the characters at the very top of my want list mostly because there was little fear of them being bland. This trailer proved me utterly wrong; while Mac may not be as interesting as Rosalina, Villager, or Mega Man, he’s still one of the more interesting characters on the Smash roster, and he does a great job representing his series. Speaking of representing his series, it seems like he’s bringing a fair amount of stuff with him, as his stage is now on both systems (YEEEEEES!) and they took the care of bringing the Doc in for his trailer. I had feared that we wouldn’t be getting much from his series—I sort of expected him to be like a R.O.B. or Game and Watch in terms of greater representation. Now, we’re guaranteed Punch-Out music and stages on both versions, at the very least.
That stage? On the 3DS? YEEEEEEEEEES!
For a more specific analysis of the character, I like the looks of his speed and combo ability. I can’t say he’ll be top tier or anything like that, but he certainly looks usable. Personally, I enjoy characters who have a degree of speed to them, and he has it to spare. Additionally, his KO Punch is neat; I’m not nearly as taken in by it or worried by it as some other people seem to be, but I do think it’s cool how it makes sound effects and all. The final thing I want to talk about is his armor and rushing ability—it’s definitely great. We’ve seen four newcomers so far who either have some form of projectile or remote controlled decoy; Little Mac is sort of the antithesis or the counter to this, and I like the diversity. I think it will be fun seeing him duel Rosalina; can her Lumas keep this rush-down player in check, or is she bound to be outmaneuvered and pummeled?
Little Mac does not care about your Lumas!
Now, the question remains: will he be my main? I don’t think so. Although rush style characters are my second favorite type, I do prefer projectile users above all and Mega Man and even Villager are good examples of characters I want to try; Little Mac is probably the third character I’ll try to use just from the pool of newcomers that have been revealed so far. It’s okay that I won’t main him because he’s still a great character, and I’ll enjoy using him from time to time.
Still terrified of dying a horrible death if I don't main this guy.
One other thing: a good friend and I used to play Punch-Out a lot when we were younger, and he always loved the game perhaps even more than I did. He enjoys Smash, too, and though he isn’t all into the newest speculation, he does always ask me about what new stuff gets revealed (I suspect he has no idea exactly how involved in the Smash community I am, but he does know I keep in touch with all of the daily pictures and stuff). I can’t wait for the next time we hang out so that I can show him this trailer. Seriously, I just might tape a reaction video for you all because it will be pretty darned good.
Finally, for the sake of Rate Their Chances, how does he impact the chances of other characters? He… really doesn’t. Little Mac was pretty heavily expected, and he has made his way onto every (or maybe all but one) prediction roster I’ve made for this game. There was a slot pretty much set aside for him, and he rose up to claim it. That… really doesn’t affect anyone else that much.
Mac baby! Doc Louis doesn't encourage punching the ref!
...anyone except the DK situation. Dixie Kong can be used to promote Tropical Freeze; K. Rool can't. K. Rool can be used to hype Smash; Dixie can't do the job quite as well. The longer we are from Tropical Freeze's launch and the closer we are to Smash's launch, the more likelihood K. Rool steals from that pesky little monkey.
Step one... hurt Dixie's chances. Step two... enter the ring to box with Little Mac!
I suppose you could make the case that it shows he’s listening to the hardcore Western audience and that his inclusion boosts the chances of others such as Ridley and Isaac, but I don’t see this as being the case. One could just as easily make the argument that Little Mac is the character chosen to appease the Western audience, rendering those two pointless. Personally, I just think their odds remain the same.
You still could go either way, my old friend.
You could say that it does hurt the chances of Retro characters, and I feel that it may to a very limited degree. Mac’s trailer was kind of “Retro” in its vibe, and he could count as reviving a character. I’d still say the chance for a true Retro is pretty high.
I still think you're a bit overrated, but Mac ain't the reason why.
…fine, fine, fine! I’ll talk about the leaky three. In all honest, I’ve always placed a 50% chance of it being real; it certainly isn’t impossible to predict the Wii Fit Trainer, but getting her and the Villager right is pretty impressive. I think the other characters not revealed are some of the obvious choices, anyway; I expect to see both Pac-Man and Miis later on, and getting Little Mac doesn’t really change that. I suppose I can now boost my odds of that happening from 70% to 75%, but I really don’t think seeing the fourth character from the Salromano Leak changes much because he and the others should have been expected, anyway.
I'm not much more likely because I was always likely!
I gave Little Mac a 70% on both Day 12 (early July) and Day 81 (early November?). Both times, I cited the plethora of things in his favor and noted how he was easily in the top five most likely newcomers. I was too conservative, but I feel my conservatism is justified: I refuse to go along with the crowd and give someone a 90%+ when we’re rating something as difficult to predict as Smash newcomers and there are more solid characters than roster slots. Remember back when Krystal and Ridley both had 80% or higher on the Brawl RTC? I made some mistakes back then, and I refuse to make them here.
Yeah, not quite a shoo-in for Brawl, eh?
Anyway, I think that’s enough of a reaction. You guys will be pleased to hear that my word count for this post is actually over even two thousand words… which, according to my calculations, should hold the record for the thread’s longest post. Just remember, the Groosenator will not be defeated on his own thread!
That is not a promise... it is a fact of life! I am perfect in every way!
Oh, and sorry if I sounded a bit passionate in this, especially at the beginning. I did wait until after a good night’s sleep to start writing, but the excitement never wore off. I bet this even sounded like a Johnknight post. Seriously, though, this reveal just hyped me through the roof, and I was probably already the most hyped person on these entire boards.
DAY OVER
RETURN OF GROOSE
