The Week in Review Issue #28

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

The Week in Review Edition #28
7/21- 7/25

Banner by @ Venus of the Desert Bloom

Staff
Writers:
@ Venus of the Desert Bloom
@ TumblrFamous
@---
@Opossum
@Mario_and_Sonic_Guy
@Frostwraith
@ Pazzo.
@BigAxle
@Vegito2727

Editor:
@Aerodrome


I would like to say a big and huge thank you to:

@ TumblrFamous and @ Pazzo. for writing the daily articles this week
@BigAxle for helping out organize the WiR!
@ TumblrFamous for agreeing to an interview!
@ TumblrFamous for the great Zelda analysis!
@ Pazzo. for Sakurai's Diary
To my staff members who help out to make the WiR great!
To all the readers who support us!

Previous Issues
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To view the previous issues
Issue #1
Issue #2
Issue #3
Issue #4
Issue #5
Issue #6
Issue #7
Issue #8
Issue #9
Issue #10
Issue #11
Issue #12
Issue #13
Issue #13 Direct
Issue #14
Issue #15
Issue #16
Issue #17
Issue #18
Issue #19
Issue #20
Issue #21
Issue #22
E3 in Review
Issue #23
Issue #24
Issue #25
Issue #26
Issue #27
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Want to help or contribute?
[collapse=Rules and Other Infos]This is the first edition of "The Week in Review". The Week in Review will be a series of articles I have made throughout the week concerning the Pic of Day through using posts, threads, and MiiVerse to pool information and opinions about Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS . However, the articles are not only limited to my own observation but to those of the larger Smash 4 community. Users are encouraged to submit articles and observations as well as opinions concerning the pictures that were updated throughout the week. I will explain how you can contribute later.

So what can you expect from this thread? On Friday, I will update the thread with a new article which will contain the Pic of the Day, other relevant images, information, I will also be pulling out interesting and thought provoking posts that have popped up throughout the week on the various threads such as the Wii U Discussion thread, 3DS Discussion Thread, MiiVerse Photo Thread, Roster Discussion Thread, character support threads as well as the Super Smash Bros, Wii U/3DS Backroom thus linking them altogether. In addition, I will also be adding up any information that Sakurai has revealed outside of the website/MiiVerse such as interviews and news articles.

I will open the thread on the weekend for people to talk about how the week went and comment on the articles. However, I will be closing the thread on Monday in order to prevent premature discussion about the weeks updates. I will be operating on Japanese Standard Time since both myself and Sakurai (OMG both of us in the same sentence?!?!?!) live on JST. View the JST Page in order to fully understand how time works.

Additionally, while this thread will focus on solely the Pic of the Day, I will sometimes allow pieces to be written about Smashboards, the Smash Community, MiiVerse, or Sakurai information. Additionally, once we have more information regarding the nature of the character, I will allow a user to write up an in-depth analysis of a character, veteran or newcomer. So come show your stuff!

Why is this thread needed?

We do have various discussion threads pertaining to various aspects of Smash. However, this is less of a discussion thread and more like a newsletter. I intend to present the facts and portray an unbiased review of the week. It will also serve as a hub to collect information, pictures, and articles that have been released in a weekly format thus allowing users to review the past weeks for better understanding how to predict future updates or to comb through information in an effective manner. It will also serve as a place to users to present their information, opinions, and observations in a semi-academical format. More information is listed below. If you see an interesting, funny, thought-provoking, or ridiculous post either on the SWF or on MiiVerse, PM me about it and I will include it! If you want me to remove you from a certain Tag, PM me and I will take you off.

Also, I wanted to use this space to allow users to be creative and constructive in speculating Smash in a more journalistic manner. I will not edit any posts except if they are inappropriate, bypass the censor, hateful in nature, or irrelevant.

How can I help?

You can contribute to this thread in many ways.
1) You can serve as a guest writer. This is done by contacting me via PM and apply to be a guest writer for the current week. I am able to allow or refuse the guest writer based on past credentials and reputation within the Smash 4 community so please keep that in mind.

After approval, I can either give you a piece to write OR you can choose one yourself. It should be focused on a particular Pic of the Day. Please promptly let me know which one you intend to. If I do not hear from you within a day, I will not accept an article. The article itself should be professionally written with little to no grammar or spelling mistakes. Any sources should be cited with a link to direct readers. While I understand some updates may be hard to write for, please write at least two paragraphs for each update. Unless it is an update of Luigi's nose but I am sure someone can find some Freudian psycho-analysis about that update. Please refer to the first edition post about how to write an article (though I am pretty sure many journalist/lit majors can do a much better job than I can lol).

2) You can help me gather posts that are excellent or at least interesting in nature. PM me any posts concerning a particular update and I will then add it to the articles. I frequent the above mentioned threads on a daily basis but I obviously miss things so I am heavily dependent on everyone getting me those great and thought-provoking posts. I want this thread to showcase what the brilliant minds in the Smash 4 community can do!

3) While you can discuss past and future weeks, please refrain from dissecting or analyzing the previous/future weeks and save that for the current week.

4) Could someone be a dear and make a banner for this thread. It's not urgent but a banner would be grand.[/collapse]

Table of Contents

Spoiler

1.1 Day #1: NOSFERATU!!!!
2.1 Day #2: The Great Space Coaster
3.1 Day #3: Wily Castle by Night, Wily Castle by Day
4.1 Day #4: Tomodachi's Mansion
5.1 Day #5: What's on the Menu for Today?
6.1 Week Overview
7.1 Interview of Week: @ TumblrFamous
8.1 Zelda Veteran Analysis
9.1 Tomodachi Life Stage Analysis
10.1 Top 10 Stages
11.1 We Want YOU to Vote! Results
12.1 Sakurai's Diary
13.1 Help Wanted

NOSFERATU!!!!
7.21.14
Day #1: Monday
Writer: @ Venus of the Desert Bloom

Robin yet again graced the PotD with one of his unique special attacks: Nosferatu. Sakurai had this to say about this technique:

"Pic of the day. Robin's Nosferatu is the first ability in the Smash Bros. series that recovers your damage as it gives damage to others. The attack becomes even stronger if you strike from behind! Robin doesn't actually use this ability in the original game, but we added that element to make the character unique. Who knows--the ideas we use in this game may contribute to the original series."

And indeed, Nosferatu had nothing to do with Robin in the Fire Emblem canon. Noseferatu is commonly a Dark or Light Magic attack that has traditional drained opponents of HP will healing the caster thus damaging and healing at the same time.

Here is the Awakening description of the spell:

Usable only by Dark Mages and Sorcerers, recovers HP equal to half the damage dealt to enemy.

http://fireemblem.wikia.com/wiki/Nosferatu

And indeed this how the attack functions in Super Smash Bros but it is unknown to what extent it can absorb health and deal damage but it is likely that will be on par with Fire Emblem standards and modified for Super Smash Bros. Of course, Robin is unable to do this spell in Awakening but, as Sakurai said, some characters may be able to perform attacks or techniques that were not attributed in their home games in order to make them unique and fun. And this is especially the case with Robin as integrating him with both sword and magic certainly sets him apart from sword wielders like Marth, Link, Lucina, and Ike.

Here are what some have to say about this PotD:

Come on now ...I'm already maining, like, 7 characters. Don't add to it D:

@silvR1995

Nosferatu seems like a good way to help Robin slowly turn the tides of battle. I don't know much about Fire Emblem and the tomes, but if it's rechargeable I guess it'll prevent Robin from abusing to it.

@NekuShikazu

I'm not complaining (because I like dark moves) and I haven't played Fire Emblem. But don't Fire Emblems have a bazillion different moves they can pick from? Why even consider using something they normally don't use for a special attack?

I'm still hoping for Alt special attacks for Robin where you can essentially make a moveset out of all the elements they've shown. I don't think it'll happen though.

@Keeshu

Robin can use Nosferatu in FE:A if he turns into a Dark Mage.

@L9999

I hate how Sakurai overemphasizes/makes top tier franchises that are less popular (Starfox/FE) and top characters from top franchises seem to always be sub-par (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc.)

@camzaman

Also, there were many jokes to be had in the News section concerning a certain square pants wearing sponge and a vampire:

I know people made that Nosferatu joke before me but Im still gonna do it.

[/quote]
@Mega Bidoof

For those who don't know the original Nosferatu, it is the title of a German Ex@ressionist Vampire Horror Film aptly titled "Nosferatu".

Things Confirmed for Monday:
1. Robin is able to perform Noseferatu which deals damage while healing Robin.
2. The attack is stronger when performed behind the opponent.



The Great Space Coaster
7.22.14
Day #2: Tuesday
Writer: @ TumblrFamous

Nice. Every Smash fan is feeling this sense of awe, this sense of immaculateness. When we looked at this picture today, everyone's jaw dropped. We have never been more of a community. Yes, the incredible Great Fox is making it's way into battle!!... as a stage!

"Pic of the day. Here's the Great Fox from Star Fox: Assault. I wonder what missions it will conduct. It'll probably have fighters running around on top of it without the pilot's consent."

-Masahiro Sakurai

First off, we need to just talk about the stage. Wow. Just wow. It is an incredible stage from an aesthetic point of view. The details on the light, the stars, and the planets make it look like a beautiful stage to play on. I will not be surprised to see players get caught up in the beauty of this stage, and forget they're actually fighting.

In every game, we have seen a Star Fox stage based on the Great Fox, Star Fox's mobile headquarters. Being such a well-known part of the franchise, it makes perfect sense to have it as a stage to fight on. In the original game, Fox's home stage was called Sector Z, which had the Great Fox flying through the Sector Z galaxy. In Melee, Fox and Falco had two stages: Corneria and Venom. Corneria was more or less the same as the original but with some notable differences. For one, the location (obviously). The ship in Melee is smaller and Arwings fly around, blasting characters. It is much more dynamic than the original. Venom is the Great Fox spun 90 degrees, and you fight on the ship's four wings. In Brawl, Corneria returns as a stage, as well as a new stage called Lylat Cruise. This is rather different as it takes place on the ship known as the Pleiades.

Star Fox stages through the ages.

So what about this stage? Well, according to Sakurai's caption, you will fight on top of the ship. Okay, that's predictable. And it will be like any Star Fox stage, cruising around a planet/galaxy/outer space. But will you fight on it a la Corneria or a la Venom? Will you be directly on top of the ship or will you be on the wings? There has been some speculation as to how you fight on it. I for one believe that you will fight on the wings, like Venom in Melee. But many people discussed the possibilities of the stage.

Doesn't seem clear whether this will be more like Venom or Corneria. I prefer the latter, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

@Nixon_Corral

Lot of fans hated Venom as a stage, I'm going to bet it'll be exactly like Corneria/Sector Z from 64/Melee (Corneria's stage replaced Sector Z from SSB64).

@VioletSmashfan

I wonder if it will be oriented like Corneria or like Venom. My first thought was the latter.

Maybe we can get a two-in-one if the Great Fox somehow changes directions; like dropping the fighters off onto some auxiliary ship while the Great Fox rotates in the background and returns.

@Wanderer from Roseyard

The stage looks beautiful.

But how does it work?

Regardless, that's Fichina in the background. Think he'll planet hop?

And as Sakurai said, this stage is inspired by Star Fox Assault, the game where many fans tie Krystal into. Many fans speculated that this could be some kind of hint. Granted, most were exaggerating Sakurai's wording a little too much, or read too deep into things, but there was a lot of Krystal talk today. But will we see her? That has been the question most of today!

Is this Krystal's time to shine?

Well. FOR ME this picture confirmed Krystal. It's the very FIRST Assault "stuff" that we have ever seen on a Smash Bros game. And remember the caption of the pic "I wonder what missions it will conduct", that's pretty clear that this will be a dynamic stage with the Great Fox going through different planets and stuff.

And about Krystal being in one of those arwings, remember that in Brawl when Falco wasn't in the star fox stage he was on the arwing. Same happened to fox.

@BlindFox

Things are looking up for the beloved Staff-Wielding Star Fox Member. In fact, it is wonderful to finally see Star Fox get some love with a stage in SSB4.

I'll be rooting for Krystal from the side lines guys!

P.S. If I have not already, I would like to support Krystal for SSB4.

@Oracle_Summon

Why are people saying Assault= Krystal? Her first appearance was in Adventures and she's not the only character in Assault. Also Krystal barely did ANYTHING in both of those games.

While I do believe that we're going to get a 4th character the choice is fair game between the Star Fox and the Star Wolf members. Hell I would be hyped if Sakurai did something crazy like sizing down N64 Andross and making him the 4th and final SF rep since canon sizes don't matter in Smash. He's important, has move set potential, a limbless character, and the big bad of the series.

@Afrodude

Either way, it was great to see Star Fox finally get some love. The franchise has been kinda pushed to the back burner, for the series itself and for Smash. But Sakurai let everyone scream gleefully over this beautiful stage.

I'm glad we finally got a stage and Star Fox no less. Now, let's see some Donkey Kong, Yoshi, and 3DS Metroid love!

@ Venus of the Desert Bloom

I was thinking it's about time we get a stage reveal.
not to mention the more star fox love, the better.

@Protom​

Can't have a Smash Bros game without the Great Fox as a stage.

Awesome looking stage.

@Kikwi-Kiwi

Also worth noting is the banners for Robin, Lucina, and Captain Falcon are already down after being up on the site for a week. As we know, many characters have out the "banner theory" to shame, but it is still something to keep a watchful eye on.

Things Confirmed for Tuesday:
1. A new Star Fox stage inspired by Assault confirmed for Smash Bros. for Wii U
2. Heavily implied that fighters will battle on top of the Great Fox, akin to previous Smash games


Wily Castle by Night, Wily Castle by Day
7.23.14
Day #3: Wednesday
Writer: @ Venus of the Desert Bloom

​

With the Pac-Man franchise receiving a stage that is different per version, this left many wondering what would be the Mega Man 3DS stage. Confirmed today that Wily Castle would not only appear on the Wii U but on the 3DS as well! Sakurai had this to say:

Pic of the day. In general, there are completely different stages in the 3DS and Wii U version, but we made Wily Castle and the special boxing ring available for both versions! We didn't forget the Yellow Devil either. There may be some small differences in the stages, such as the 3DS stage appearing to be during daylight hours.

It is now confirmed that while both versions will feature different stages, four of them will be cross-platform though with a few added visual differences. Battlefield has the most notable differences:

The 3DS version

The Wii U version
​

However, the Boxing Ring and Final Destination appear very similar to each other in terms of design. The only differences being graphical differences between the two versions. However, it is confirmed that Wily Castle will appear during the night time on the Wii U and in the day time on the 3DS.

Here is Wily Castle on the Wii U​

After combing through both my Mega Man memories as well as countless images on Google, there aren't many images showcasing Wily Castle in the day time as the castle is usually depicted being attacked by Mega Man at night. However, this could potentially be a day light shot of the castle.

Mega Man 5​

For further references, here is a shot of Wily Castle in the Mega Man canon:

For those unfamiliar with Mega Man, the lines are paths and the skull 'n' crossbones are levels.​

It is interesting to note that Pac-Man is confirmed to have stages that differ from each other on each version. Pac-Maze is confirmed to appear on the 3DS and Pac-Land is confirmed to appear on the Wii U. With Sonic's Windy Hill Zone confirmed for the Wii U, could this potentially mean that Windy Hill Zone will appear again on the 3DS or will Sakurai use a different level to represent the Sonic franchise on the 3DS? What do you think?

Here are what some people had to say:

it's not going to be any less banned on 3ds hehehe #banned

@Krynxe

It's funny because the actual Wily Stage in Mega Man 2 took place during daytime.

@SchAlternate

Since we now have confirmation that Wily's Castle is in both versions of the game, this means Windy Hill (from Sonic Lost World) will also be on the 3DS (since it was also playable on the 3DS version as well).

@VioletSmashfan

...no Wily Star?

@asia_catdog_blue

This was easily my least favorite stage in the demo. its too cramped to have this obnoxious bulbous distracting monster take up HALF the stage... not that it would be a better idea on a big stage, whatever.

@Pyrogamer

Stage bosses finally confirmed for 3DS? YEAA-dammit. Yellow Devil... Anyway, we still don't know if The Dark Lord is fightable, nor Viridi, right? And I kind of hope Twin Rova fuses together for a stage boss on Gerudo Valley. I know we played the demo, but Nabbit goes to show the stages weren't complete.

@Reality_Ciak

I wonder which songs they will choose for this stage on the 3ds version as Sakurai mentioned that the Wii U version will have multiple songs while the 3ds version will have 1-2 songs per stage.

@The One Who Wrote This

Things Confirmed for Wednesday:

1. Wily Castle is also available on the 3DS.
2. The Yellow Devil will appear on it.
3. It will appear during the daytime.


Tomodachi's Mansion
7.24.14​

Day #4: Thursday
Writer: MaskO’Gears
​

As predicted, Thursday brought us another stage pic… this time more info on an previously shown stage, Tomodachi Apartments.

Pic of the day. This is the Tomodachi Life stage that's exclusive to the 3DS version! The front walls of the apartments disappear so you can see the area within when a fighter overlaps with the room. The rooms are randomly placed and selected from among several types. Planting an X Bomb behind a wall might be an effective tactic.

Shown first for the March 14th pic of the day, Tomodachi Life, a life-sim game, will have its own representation in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS by means of a stage.

Most of he various rooms that appear in the stage actually appear in the original game as optional rooms for your Miis to live in. There are a wide and varied selection of rooms, so the ones shown here are only a small selection of what's possible. As of today's pic of the day, the rooms confirmed so far are;

-Country-
Seen in the upper left, this room is inspired by a rustic country home, as the name suggests.

-Beach-
The room in the upper right, the Beach room brings its own sand, sun, and even ocean to the Mii's living space.

-Scandinavian-
A simple dwelling found in the middle left, the Scandinavian is a sleek, humble option for the Miis.

-Ring-
Probably the most fitting of all the six chosen rooms, the Ring is located at the bottom right.

-Cartoon-
Most likely located at the bottom left, the Cartoon room features bright colors and no straight lines. Shown in the second pic.

-Hobby-
A room for those who never get bored, the Hobby room was first shown in the March 17th PoTD. Most likely located on the middle left.

As stated by Sakurai, the Tomodachi Life stage will have a mechanic not unlike the Luigi’s Mansion Stage from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. As characters enter the various rooms, the wall obstructing the view of the room will disappear.

Before…

And after.

Sakurai also included a second picture:

You might run into a Mii living in the room! The Mii characters are taken from the data in your 3DS system, so you could find your friends living in the apartments.

As expected, the Miis from your personal 3DS system will appear as you play on this stage. This opens up many interesting possibilities for screenshots, and a nice extra touch to the stage.

Here’s what fans had to say about this ‘friendly’ update:

Great, I can have sakurai walk into the room and watch me fight.

@nessokman

Finally! I've been wanting to know how this stage plays for ages now and I'm happy with what they are doing I guessed they would do something like this when I saw the blue lining

@4cast

Kinda like Brawl's Luigi's Mansion. Neat.

@Ryu Myuutsu

: This isn't what it looks like!

@Afrodude

And if your Mii's out fighting, Alfonzo lives in your Mii's living room!

Alfonzo: Leave it to me!

\
@BigShad

Excellent. Now we just wait for our Virtual Boy hazard/stage boss.

@IsmaR

With one day left in the ‘Week of Stages’...

Things Confirmed for Thursday:
1. The Tomodachi Life stage will feature a Luigi’s Mansion like Mechanic; rooms are revealed as players enter them.
2. The Miis from the player’s 3DS will appear as the Miis living in the rooms.


What's on the Menu for Today?
7.25.14
Day #5: Friday
Writer: @ TumblrFamous

Today we got a rather interesting reveal. While many people wanted a veteran reveal, or some indication towards Comic-Con this weekend, we didn't get either of those. What we did get was the menu screen for the 3DS! Here's what Sakurai had to say:

"Pic of the day. For the first time ever, I present to you…the main menu for the 3DS version!! The icons are even animated. The design concept may look similar if you've played other games I've worked on. But we had a hard time making this one because…"

-Masahiro Sakurai

"The bottom screen displays pictures matching each mode! This was quite a task for the UI (User Interface) designers, but they made it happen. Kudos to them! You can tap the screen to look up additional info like how to play--complete with diagrams."

-Masahiro Sakurai

Yes, the menu has finally been revealed? So let's break it down. The big red button says "Smash" which is obviously the core gameplay, the actual matches. The slimmer green button is "Smash Run", the new single-player game we have for the 3DS. The orange round button is "Online". These will show to be Online Matches, For Fun and For Glory, and Global Smash Power.

"Games and More" seems to be various miscellaneous modes, such as the new Trophy Rush. It could also include videos you've recorded and saved and the trophies you get. Also notice in that box, the icon has a wrench with it. This could also be where you configure your settings in the Options Menu and look at possible records. The "Challenge" button could possibly be like the challenges in Brawl, or other challenge modes like Classic Mode, or Event Matches. At the bottom left you see a Streetpass option and a Wii U option (possible connectivity?).

That's just the top screen. On the bottom screen, each mode will have pictures that will give you additional information. This will be info like your high score, how to play, and different things unique to that one mode. The UI designers had a bit of trouble to make the bottom screen, but they prevailed. Also, a little tidbit: Sakurai's wife is actually a UI designer for the games.

As for the design, well, it's pretty much the same as some of Sakruai's other games. However, this version was agreed by many to be a bit clunkier and shoved together.

Kid Icarus: Uprising and Brawl Menus, looking similar to the 3DS version menu

Many people had mixed reactions, and had many things to speculate on for today's picture.

Today's picture is the 3DS version's menu... Surprising.

And it looks like Brawl and KIU, as expected from a game by Sakurai.

It does seem organized differently from Melee and Brawl. There's the lack of clear single player and multiplayer options.

I guess the Smash section ought to have the local multiplayer modes in addition to single player modes like Classic or Training. The "Games & more" section has me curious, but I guess it must have the trophies and mini-games shown on the E3 3DS trailer. Maybe modes like Home-Run Contest or Target Smash will be here as well. The options menu and sound test should be here as well.

@Frostwraith

I'm actually not a huge fan of this UI. It does indeed look a little messy, and way too similar to Brawl. I know it's just the menu but... it's the first thing you see after PRESS START and it's a little underwhelming to be honest. Smash Run doesn't deserve it's own spot either, it should be alongside Classic and All Star mode. Also, I don't like the text.

Just my opinion though, and I can't really comment until I see it on the 3DS because it really makes a HUGE difference.

@Radical Beam

I woke up randomly last night to check on the update and I didn't come here afterwards because I figured people would be complaining about this. Surprisingly, most people seem to be perfectly okay with it. Smashboards, you surprise me sometimes. The expected character reveal didn't pan out but it's probably 2 1/2 weeks until the next Direct anyways so we probably won't have to wait long.

@Fatmanonice

The menu is kinda odd. Not that anyone cares about them

I guess single-player modes are inside the "Smash" option.

@FalKoopa

Looking at the comments, everyone's predictions are all scrambled all over the place. For now, we have to wait and see more of this screen to come up with some conclusive evidence.

Things Confirmed for Friday
1. The 3DS Menu will feature buttons of: Smash, Smash Run, Challenges, Online, Games & More, Streetpass, and Wii U.
2. The bottom screen will feature additional info on each mode.


Overview:
Monday showcased Robin's Special Move, Nosferatu. It has a backstab-like effect, draining damage at a higher rate from the front. Tuesday teased us at a new Star Fox stage, opting to take the Great Fox to space again; but is it Sector Z, or something new? Wednesday confirmed another stage on 3DS, being a daytime version of the Wii U's Wily Castle. Yellow Devil appears in both versions! Thursday finally revealed the Tomodachi Life stage hinted so long ago for 3DS! It acts similarly to Luigi's Mansion in Brawl. Friday revealed the new menu screen, showing the impressive detail the User Interface has this time around looking similar to Kid Icarus: Uprising's. Smash Run is it's own mode, along with Smash, a Wii U feature, and the new Challenge, Streetpass and Games & More modes (which appears to contain Options, hinted by the Wrench.

THANKS FOR READING!!!​

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Week in Review Interview of the Week

@ TumblrFamous ​

TumblrFamous is a writer here on the Week in Review as well as a notable member. Joining in 2013, TumblrFamous quickly became recognized as someone who could hold his own debate and demonstrated his knowledge of both Nintendo and Super Smash Bros. He has demonstrated a talented writing ability in both outside and inside the Week in Review; becoming one of its more active writers. So I hope you enjoy this weeks edition of the Interview of the Week!

1) How long have you been a member on Smashboards and why did you join?

I became a member on June 13th, 2013, a day after E3 2013. I've always been a huge fan of the series, and after watching @pizzadudemanguy and his videos, I decided to look up forums for Smash. And I saw Smashboards, and here I am!

2) What is your favorite part of Smashboards? What is your least favorite part?

The cliche, universal answer: the people. The people are the best and worst part of Smashboards. While I've really enjoyed certain respected people on here, I want to eradicate pretty much everyone else. So much self-righteousness and hostility.

3) Will you be getting Super Smash Bros. for Wii U or 3DS?

I only have a 3DS! Thank God my dad is a Zelda fan, because he might buy a Wii U. That means Smash for me.

4) Who are your Mains in 64/Melee/Brawl? Who do you plan to main in Smash 4?

I didn't play much of 64, but I usually used Pikachu and Captain Falcon. In Melee, I used Peach as a main, also using Zelda and Ness. In Brawl, I used a lot. Lucas, Toon Link, Zero Suit Samus, R.O.B., and all the others previous mains I used.

As for Wii U/3DS, geez. There's so many. I usually like using newcomers, and I am in love with all of them. I'll probably use Palutena, Rosalina, and Shulk if he's in.

5) Who is your most wanted newcomer for Smash 4? More than one answer is ok.

Shulk!!!!!!!!! I would love to see Shulk in the game. I'd also like to see Toon Zelda or Tetra. Hmm... I always wanted to see Bowser Jr. And of course, there's Mewtwo. I'm also a pretty big fan of Dixie, Chorus Kids, and Duck Hunt Dog.

6) What stages would you like to see included in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS? Past stages included?

I'd love to see Fountain of Dreams and Fourside again. As for new stages, I really want to see something new from Wind Waker. Probably Dragon Roost Island. Oh! How about Bionis' Leg and Sunset Shore?

7) What would you like to see improved or expanded from Super Smash Bros. Brawl?

I really want to see better balancing. Balancing out all the characters would be my top priority. I would also like to see a better Stage Builder and Stage Selection (I didn't really like Brawl's - too many dynamic stages). Also, are no customizing moves an improvement?

8) What is your best/favorite Smash Bros. moment/memory?

I played 64 after Melee and Brawl, so I'll give my best memory from those two installments, as well as right now my favorite moment for this game.

Melee: Unlocking Mewtwo. I played my a$$ off in that game, and I had all the characters but Mewtwo and Game&Watch for so long. One day, minding my own business, playing with my pretty Princess Peach (I was still young, btw. Had no idea Mewtwo was in), and I found him. I got SO excited and quickly unlocked him, and played him for a long time.

Brawl: When the game first got out, I gravitated towards the Subspace Emissary (God knows why). I got to the point in it where you control Lucas. I absolutely loved playing as him. I beat the SSE (using Lucas in the Great Maze), and went into classic mode and annihilated everyone with him. Best moment hands down was finding that little kid.

Wii U/3DS: So far, my favorite memory is a three-way tie. Toon Link and Palutena's reveals were great, and they're up in that threesome, but my favorite memory was Rosalina's reveal. It was during school! And I couldn't watch it, I sit in the front for God's sake! So the bell for Break rang and I quickly scurried to my locker, and I took out my phone and got on the Smash Bros. site. The pic wasn't loading, but the scrolling thing below it was. And I saw "A New Challenger Team, Rosalina and Luma" and I was like "whaaaaaaaaaaa".

9)Do you feel you have improved as both a writer and a Smash Bros. fan after joining the writing staff on the Week in Review?

I've always written before. Writing comes as a second nature to me. I love being thorough and concise, but also add creativity. I mean, I write slam poetry avidly and share it with hundreds of people at my school. As for a fan, I'm learning a lot more about Smash and Nintendo than I ever have, so I have to say yes!

10) What kind of Super Smash Bros. 4 PotD is your favorite? Least favorite? Do you have any particular PotD that you really enjoyed?

My favorite Smash PotD is seeing: a new stage, new costume, or a character reveal. I especially love seeing the WARNING! CHALLENGER APPROACHING! screen before the Pic loads. My least favorite is actually not filler. I like seeing cutesy, funny stuff like that. What I HATE is seeing stuff that is clearly explainable by just watching it in video. My least favorite was that one pic of the Beam Sword and Fire Bar. Like, really Sakurai? Did you have to waste a day on explaining this? However, I absolutely loved Toon Link's reveal on the site. Best PotD by far.

11) Where did your username come from? What is your avatar of?

...I'm not famous on Tumblr. I'm sorry everyone. I only have a couple hundred followers. But I am a huge Tumblr nerd, I'm on it quite often, and I thought, hmm, what username would be really campy, pretentious, and just screams "sassy"? So I chose "TumblrFamous".

As for my avatar, I always change it whenever I'm supporting a character. Like, right now, I'm supporting Lucas's return, so he was my avatar for a while. I've had Shulk, Sheik, Palutena, etc. I also had a Lucina one for a little while after her reveal. But I do see this lovely picture of Link groaning and I just had to use it as my avatar.

12) Besides Smashboards, what other websites do you find yourself at?

....*looks at username*

I'm usually on Tumblr, YouTube, or Netflix. I also go on Tubeplus to watch shows that aren't on Netflix.

13) Please tell us a little more about yourself!

*INSERT LIFE STORY HERE*

Um.... I'm a reality TV show junkie. I love Big Brother, the Amazing Race, and especially Survivor. It's been my dream to go on Survivor, as I like the social politics and strategy of the game. I'm a huge Zelda and Kingdom Hearts fan (played every game!).

I am also a speaker at my school for social justices. Being gay and having depression and anxiety, I decided I want to spend my time speaking about the importance of social awareness, and being accepting and caring instead of having pre-conceived notions of prejudice in your daily life. I am a strong advocate for the equality and social rights of people in the minority, whether it be for race, gender, sexual preference, mental health, anything. People may view me as open-minded, but social rights is the only thing I will not budge on.

-------

Thank you TumblrFamous for agreeing to an interview!​

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Princess of Destiny -- Zelda Veteran Analysis
Writer: @ TumblrFamous

Introduction

Here we are again, and this time with a very special veteran. The regal Princess of Hyrule and the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom, Zelda joins the battle!! Zelda was revealed on December 26th, 2014, the day after Christmas. She was the 20th fighter revealed for the game. This marks Princess Zelda's third playable appearance in the Smash Bros. series.

Zelda is known for being the title character of the famous Nintendo franchise, The Legend of Zelda. Wise and elegant, Zelda is constantly being threatened by demonic forces attempting to take over Hyrule. She finds herself to be captured by Ganondorf numerous times so he can wield the full power of the Triforce and rule the land. However, her psychic abilities, and distinction as a sage have helped her overcome the Demon King, with the help of Link, of course.

That was a little overview of our favorite princess, so let's just dive right in!

Appearance

Zelda's appearance looks very good. When Link was revealed in the first trailer at E3 2013, he bore a resemblance to his Twilight Princess incarnation, yet with overall more vibrant colors and general aesthetic updates. Many people assumed that this would mean Zelda would get the same work done on her, and they were correct. She is generally based on her Twilight Princess design, yet with more color and facial expressions (the same with most characters).

Zelda's Smash Appearances: Melee, Brawl, and Wii U/3DS


Moveset

Zelda's moveset has changed in a few ways. But her overall gameplay has essentially stayed the same. She still retains most of her normal and special attacks, still able to possess magical strikes and the Great Fairy powers from OoT. Let's see what our Princess has in store for us this time!

Standard Attacks

Neutral- Zelda flashes magical energy from her outstretched hand. It does three little attacks of light, causing knockback on the third hit.

Dash- Zelda dashes forward with both of her hands out. In this game it does a little ring instead of a static sound.

Forward Tilt- Zelda slashes the foe with magical energy.

Up Tilt- Zelda produces a wave of energy above her with her hand.

Down Tilt- When kneeling, Zelda kicks out in front of her, causing vertical knockback.

Zelda's Jab and Forward Tilt

Smash Attacks

Side Smash- Blasts an orb of light energy in front of her.

Up Smash- Waves her hand around, producing large amounts of light energy.

Down Smash- Kicks her legs in a fast, sweeping motion.

Zelda's Forward Smash

Aerial Moves

Neutral Air- Zelda swipes around herself, producing light that attacks other players.

Back Air and Forward Air- Zelda's signature Lightning Kicks are hard to pull off, but feel great when it lands perfectly. A devestating kick!

Up Air- Zelda shoots an explosion above her with her hand.

Down Air- Zelda kicks downward with her heel.

Special Moves

Neutral B: Nayru's Love- Produces a protective barrier around herself. Could be use to attack a character rapidly or block projectiles.

Side B: Din's Fire- Zelda projects a fireball across the stage. Releasing the B Button will cause the fireball to explode with a wide damage radius.

Up B: Farore's Wind- Zelda teleports. This can move in 8 directions. In this game, producing the wind and appearing can be used as a combo.

Down B: Phantom Slash- Replacing Sheik, the Phantom Slash is an offensive/defensive tool that Zelda uses. The Phantom slashes opponents, but can act as a barrier. Be careful, as it can be pocketed or reflected back at you!

Final Smash: Light Arrow- Zelda fires a single shot from her bow. The Light Arrow pierces through enemies for devastating knockback.

Changes

Zelda has received many changes. Her biggest change by far is her Down B. Sheik is no longer connected to Zelda, and is her own fighter. Now, Zelda utilizes a Phantom. For other changes to her moves, Din's Fire received a buff. It now has a powerful sweetspot at the core of the explosion. Other moves that have received buffs are Forward Tilt, Up Smash, Neutral Air, and Nayru's Love.

She was nerfed a bit, though. Her Up Tilt is weaker, but it can be used for combos. However, Zelda's Up Tilt was pretty powerful when used correctly, so seeing it not do as much damage or knockback is disheartening.

Moveset Video

In Competitive Play

In a post by the E3 Smash Bros. Tournament winner CT Zero, he shared his thoughts on the characters playable. He said that Zelda's moveset lacked strength, range, and speed. This could be bad for us Zelda fans, but hopefully Sakurai will see this and do the necessary improvements to Zelda's character. I mean, we don't want her bad three games in a row, now.

Pallet Swaps/Alternate Outfits?

So far we have four confirmed pallets for Zelda: her regular clothing, red clothing, blue clothing, and the OoT-esque blonde and violet outfit. What else can we see? Well, we may get another dark Zelda, with the white hair and black gown. We will most likely see a green outfit from her, as well as a Hilda outfit. As for alternates, I feel as if we may see an alternate outfit for her SS incarnation. However, he could just as easily make it a pallet swap, as he did for Link.

Regular Zelda outfit and three additional Zelda pallet swaps, confirmed for Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U.

In Conclusion

It was no surprise to see the Princess return. She is an important and historic Nintendo character. Hopefully, she'll get buffed up a bit more, as the review by CT Zero does not sound promising. But with that, it's time to say goodbye to Princess Zelda. We'll see you all next time with the next veteran analysis.

!THANKS FOR READING!

​

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Stage Analysis
Tomodachi Life
By: @ Venus of the Desert Bloom

​

The Mii's certainly have been through a lot over the years. The first showed their prowess in bowling and baseball, ability to hang-glide, conducting an orchestra, racing with the best of Super Mario Bros. universe, and now you can make your Mii's live a life. Grabbing a page from The Sims, Tomodachi Life allows players to play as their Mii's as they build and furnish apartments, make friends, fall in love, and even make a Mii baby! There are two games within the franchise: the first one was Tomodachi Collection; released for the Nintendo DS on June 18, 2009 and Tomodachi Life, released on the Nintendo 3DS on April 18, 2013. However, Tomodachi Life is the first of the franchise released outside of Japan and thus opening the West to the game. In fact, the director of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3D3 Masahiro Sakurai posted an image of 3DS screenshot concerning a stage in Tomodachi Life back on March 14th:

Pic of the day. Looks like someone's enjoying the bachelor life in this pad.

So what is Tomodachi Life?​

This image confused many Smash fans as they were unfamiliar with it (and half of them if not most of them were expected a Yoshi reveal). It wasn't until some time later in the day that people recognized it as a stage in Tomodachi Life. Within time, the general consensus that this was in fact a Tomodachi Life stage.

Finally, almost a month later, Nintendo aired the Tomodachi Life Direct. This was truly the first look Westerners had at the game and franchise as a whole.

The Tomodachi Life Direct is noted for its humor and really odd situations - something that was well-received by fans worldwide. Tomodachi Life allows players to experience the Mii life. They can purchase apartments and furnish it, cusotmize appearances, and form relationships. By putting more Mii's or inviting friends, you can populate your Mii island. The game also has various mini With the website launch, Tomodachi Life finally came to America. So what does this unique, quirky, slice of life game mean for Super Smash Bros. for 3DS?

New Tenant: Tomodachi Life

Confirmed exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS version is the "Tomodachi Life" stage. As mentioned before, Sakurai teased fans with a screenshot with a very vague comment. However, this past week, Sakurai revealed a little more about "Tomodachi Life".

Shown in the above picture

Sakurai confirmed that the "Tomodachi Life" stage will have three different levels that consists of two rooms per floor. Each room will be randomized and will have several types for players to see. In "Tomodachi Life", the player can install "Interiors" which are themed rooms into their apartments. We will go into that a little bit later.

Here is what Sakurai had to say about this new stage:

Pic of the day. This is the Tomodachi Life stage that's exclusive to the 3DS version! The front walls of the apartments disappear so you can see the area within when a fighter overlaps with the room. The rooms are randomly placed and selected from among several types. Planting an X Bomb behind a wall might be an effective tactic.

The walls are confirmed to vanish when a player enters into the room. This is much like the Super Smash Bros. Brawl stage "Luigi's Mansion".

This begs the question: Will a Luigi's Mansion 2 appear and will it feature a similar gimmick? Given that Luigi's Mansion 2 was for the Nintendo 3DS, it is very likely that it will appear again but some think with a new gimmick such as the castles switching between themes. Now, back to "Tomodachi Life"...

Sakurai also confirmed further details about the stage on July 24th's PotD:

You might run into a Mii living in the room! The Mii characters are taken from the data in your 3DS system, so you could find your friends living in the apartments.

Much like in Tomodachi Life, Mii's can come in and watch the fights instead of participating in them. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS really has a lot of Mii representation!

The Interior Shop​

In Tomodachi Life, players can cuztomize their apartments by including Interiors. Here is an excerpt from the Tomodachi Life Wikia:

An Interior is an item that can be applied to rooms in Tomodachi Collection and Tomodachi Life. There are various interiors where the Miis can live in the apartment. Each room is degsigned to fit anyone's needs based on the player's preference on what they want for their islanders. Miis can be given new Interiors and can be changed whenever the player wants to. There are 102 total types of designs, including several that cannot be purchased, but must be given when a Mii levels up.For players in the UK, the prices of the interiors are the same as the US dollar prices.

The "Tomodachi Life" stage features up to six interiors total with 5 of them visible in the above 2 pictures:

Country

Ring

Scandinavian

Cartoon

However, I was unable to find one for the Beach like resort in the right room on the 3rd story. However, it could be a different version of the "Tropical Resort" interior:

Also, the first PotD that featured the "Tomodachi Life" stage featured the "Hobby Interior":

​

So in fact, we know of 7 Interiors thus far but there are sure to be others available. I compiled a list of potential Interiors that players can see while playing on the stage:

Gothic

Japanese Garden

Library

Golden

Fast Food

Disco

Street

What Interiors do you think will be included? For a full list, please check out the link below!
http://tomodachi.wikia.com/wiki/Interior

Let us know my posting after the Week in Review.

Static Background?
​

Confirmed to appear in the background of "Tomodachi Life" is the Amusement Park.

The Amusement Park

This area of the island allows Miis to ride roller coasters, play games, see magic shows, and even go on romantic dates. It is obviously an important part of the game so it appearing in the background is obious. However, is it possible that, much like the rooms in the apartment, the background location will change per round as well? In Tomodachi Life, there are other important locations such as:

The Campground

The Port


The Cafe


Mii News

Mii News
​

As Sakurai mentioned, Miis will pop into the apartments though it isn't confirmed to what extent they will interact with the players. Will we see the same antics as these?

It would be pretty fun to see Miis appear in the apartments; employing the Tomodachi Life brand humor. While not extremely likely, it woyldn't be impossible for Miis to try and interact with the players or even other Miis in the apartment. Judging from the two PotD images, the Miis that are visible seem to be standing or looking around the room indicating they can at least move around freely but it is still unknown if they will enter and exit rooms or change floors.

Concert Hall​

It has been confirmed during the Super Smash Bros. Direct in April that the 3DS version will have two songs that can be chosen to play.

Here are a list of tracks I feel could fit with "Tomodachi Life

Mii Apartments

Level Up!

Transform!

Night Theme

Mii Maker

Livin' the Dream

Tomodachi Quest: Battle Mode

Compatibility Tester

Rap Battle

Operation Robodachi

Tournament Legality
​

The legality of stages have certainly been questioned with Final Destination versions of stages However, this new feature has been received well in some circle while others are less enthusiastic about it. Some feel it is not an accurate towards how competitive smashers feel about it. However, contrary to popular belief, I do think this stage actually had ledges instead of walkable blast lines. If you look at the side of the stage, especially to the right, the green portion of the stage actually appears as part of the background instead of the actually stage. There isn't a clear surface and the tree and fence are at a higher elevation. In my opinion, it does not look like the right of the stage has a identifiable surface which leads me to conclude that the stage actually has ledges.

Life Goes On...​

"Tomodachi Life" confused many at first due to fans being unaware of the Tomodachi Life franchise. This due in part because of the first game not being released in the West. However, shortly after showcasing the PotD that first showed the stage - a Nintendo Direct showcasing Tomodachi Life. However, with this newest information, we have some general knowledge of how this stage works. And with any speculation period, it is fun to guess what this stage could have in store for players - whether it be from there being different types of rooms taken from the game, Miis interactivity between each other on the stage. or static backgrounds showcasing the island of friends. It is good to see this stage in a little bit more light and, hopefully, people aren't still angry for Yoshi not being revealed so many months ago.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Week in Review Top 10 Stages
@ Venus of the Desert Bloom ​

Stages have always been something I have been deeply interested in. For me, the stages hype me up just as much as characters and I always look forward to checking out the stages. I remember prior to Melee, I saw a screenshot of the Legend of Zelda stage "Temple". I was immediately drawn to it - not because of its size but because of the detail. The stage "Great Bay" further pleased me due to being a huge Majora's Mask fan though I always felt Clock Town would had been a better stage. Stages such as "Big Blue" showed me just how crazy yet fun a stage like this could be or some fearsome a stage like "Brinstar Depths" could be. Growing up on Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Killer Instinct, King of Fighters, Clay Fighters, World Heroes, and Fatal Fury - the stages always drew me in. I still have a folder of a drawings I did of Street Fighter III (before the game ever came out) and I always paid special attention to the stages. One that I particularly remember was a stage set in a pizza shop called "Alexander's". I "scripted" my drawing so that the pizza chef would react surprised after a huge combo or would throw up the pizza at the ends match.

However, the stage was always the background to me and, save for Moral Kombat, something that rarely interacted with the fight. That is until I picked up Super Smash Bros. 64. Being a fan of Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, F-Zero, Star Fox, Metroid, and many others - stages to me contain a gold mine of franchise references. While a character may represent a franchise, the stage represents the heart of the franchise in my opinion. Stages such as "Smashville", "Onett", and the "Pokemon Stadiums" all portray the series correctly - whether it be cameos of other character, hazards found in the source game, or just the general atmosphere of that franchise.

One particular stage I absolutely love was "Frigate Orpheon" in Brawl. Being a huge Metroid Prime fan, this stage made me extremely giddy as it was an awesome part of the first installment and it really captured the feeling of Metroid Prime. Plus, it was one of the first Metroid stages to not use fire or lava. And while I don't always agree with the stage selections, such as using "Gerudo Valley" instead of "Ganon's Castle". However, overall, I am pretty excited for the stages for both versions.

Which leads me into the next part in how I applaud how both versions have different stages. While two "Wily Castle"s don't sit well with me, I have learned to accept that and I am still clinging onto hope that there will be a side-scrolling stage based off one of the more infamous Mega Man levels (Needle Man? Gemini Man? Metal Man? Ice Man? Toad Man?)

However, it will be very interesting to see how franchises such as Pikmin, Wii Fit, or potentially Xenoblade will be represented on the 3DS or if at all? It could be that franchises without any handheld games (or vice versa) will not have a stage on the opposite system. But that is for an entirely different topic and one that is not suited for what I am about to go into.

Earlier last week, I went over to the Stage Discussion thread and asked them the following question: what are your top 10 most wanted stages? I ask to rate the stages from 1 (most wanted) to 10 (least most wanted) and to include the home franchise. While I didn't mention it earlier, I corrected myself in saying that veteran stages were also allowed.

In retrospect, I could have asked for two separate top 10 lists for both Wii U and the 3DS versions but I did not. Some of who did respond did indicate which system they would like to see the stage on.

How I went about with my calculations

As I did not indicate "You can only vote for stages on this list", it was an open ballot type approach. I accepted most stages though any stages that I deemed ridiculous (i.e. 4th party or non-Nintendo), I threw out. Thankfully, I didn't have to throw out any of them.

As I looked through the "Top 10 Lists", I chose mostly which stages are mentioned multiple times. However, I always weighed my own opinion and chose stages that I felt would be interesting in the game. That being said, while this is a "Top 10 list" of stages I compiled from the Stage Discussion thread, it is also stages that the WiR felt were interesting. Now, let's go into the "Top 10 Stage List"!

Top 10 Stage List

10
Fourside

The veteran stage from Melee is a fan favorite due to its atmosphere, fun music, nostalgia, and interesting level design. Fourside was the second stage from the Earthbound series and really caught players attention. Plus, it was fun to play as Giant Donkey Kong on this stage. While the 3DS version could support the stage, it would look absolutely amazing on HD. Due to the fact the game was on a console version as well the stage was on Melee, it isn't a stretch to suggest that it could appear on the Wii U version.​

9
Grima's Back

Grima is the main antagonist of Fire Emblem: Awakening. Basically, it is a Fell Dragon with immense power. I tried to take over a country but was defeated and weakened by Naga, a Divine Dragon and the exalt of Ylisse. He entered into a long slumber and a cult formed around him which tried to awaken him. Without going into too much spoilers, he becomes the main enemy and is fought by Chrom and the Avatar aka Robin on top of his back. This stage could honestly work for either version and could feature a gimmick where Grima tries to knock players off his back. There could also potentially be some enemies that can attack the players as they fight. Finally, Grima himself could make his appearance and "possess" one of the playable characters and wrestles away the control from the player. Overall, it would be a less traditional Fire Emblem stage that would do well on the 3DS.​

8
Guar Plains

Gaur Plains is one of the main and most impressive locations from the game Xenoblade. Boasting a diverse ecosystem and characterized by its trademark overhanging out-croppings, Gaur Plains is a stage that would look brilliant on the Wii U in HD, However, it's appearance is heavily depdedent if the hero of Xenoblade "Shulk" is a playable character (not wholly dependent but heavily). As the world of Xenoblade incorporates various monsters and creatures, it would make sense for this stage to incorporate them as well. Enemies such as Light Wisps, Voliffs, Mount Tortas, Spear Tirkin, or even a more powerful enemy, Metal Face. Xenoblade also utilizes a weather system so the stage could be doused by large amounts of rainfall thus causing flooding. The stage offers a wide variety of options that, if utilizes right, could make for a great stage,

7
City Escape

Hailing from Sonic Adventure 2 for the Dreamcast, City Escape is a high-paced adrenaline inducing stage that incorporates fast acrobatics and military units trying to take the target down. G.U.N. helicopters fly overhead trying to shoot the target down. While the target in the game is Sonic, the target could potentially be anyone on the stage. The stage itself could be a high-speed traveling stage that starts from point A to point B. It follows a path down through the city, dodging between buildings and pedestrians at break neck speeds while trying to shake off G.U.N. military personnel. The Sonic franchise has traditional used a stage that doesn't travel and only offers a certain segment of the source material (Windy Hill Zone for example). Cit Escape could showcase all that the Sonic franchise has to offer. And if Sakurai isn't sure about including a stage that first appeared on a Dreamcast; he could include source material from the Nintendo platform Sonic games.
​

6
Nintendo Land

Nintendo Land was one of the launch titles for the Wii U. It was designed much like an amusement park where players can participate in various attractions ranging from single player to four players or more. Some of these attractions include Balloon Trip Breeze, The Legend of Zelda Battle Quest, Metroid Blast, Takamaru's Ninja Castle, and more. While obviously for the Wii U, it could potentially be included on the 3DS as well. While the main stage could be in the center of the square, various attractions could be incorporated either through traveling or transformations like Mushroom Kingdom U. This stage was highly speculated when it was first released and was a top pick for a while.​

5
Blossom City

Blossom City was a complete surprise for me that people wanted this stage yet it makes pretty good sense considering we have some of the Wonderful 101 as trophies or even assist trophies. While most likely not playable, it is possible that Blossom City could potentially be a new stage. Obviously suited best for the Wii U, Blossom City has vast amount of potential ranging from evil enemies attacking the stage to the Wonderful 101 swooping in the save the day. There are also a wide variety of locales to choose from. The stage could even draw inspiration from the first stage of the game where the platform is the runaway train that ultimately crashes past a barricade to the university pictured above...only to be saved by Wonder Red. This stage has wonderful amounts of potential.

4
Venus Lighthouse

The Venus Lighthouse is one of the main locations for the franchise Golden Sun and an important locale for the character Issac. As with Shulk, the appearance on the Venus Lighthouse is heavily dependent if Issac becomes a playable character and/or if there is confirmed Golden Sun content. The stage could easily be translated into either the Wii U or 3DS. However, considering that the game debut on a handheld console, it is likely that it would appear on the 3DS version. Looking at the above picture shows just how the stage would look with three separate platforms. It could function without any hazards but, to draw inspiration from the source material, it is possible that the Fusion Dragon could appear to cause damage onto the stage. Regardless which choice is taken, this stage would 100% represent the Golden Sun franchise.​

3
Sunset Shore

Easily one of the more recognizable levels from Donkey Kong Country Returns. The stage features a predominately black silhouette design. Much of the foreground and the characters appear as darkened silhouettes while the background is a lovely tropical sunset. More importantly is that, as seen above, various clothing articles still retain their color but lose much of their detailed features. What could this mean? It means that when players play on this stage, the character appears as a silhouette while a certain article of clothing is visible. Examples could include Mario's red cap, Link's green cap, Greninja's pink tongue, Little Mac's green boxing gloves, Pikachu's red cheeks, Bowser's horns, and many others. It would certainly be an interesting and visually amazing stage that could work in many ways as a stationary stage or a side-scrolling stage. Giving how the stage was on the Wii, it make snese for it to be a Wii U stage.​

2
Gangplank galleon

1
Bowser's Castle

Thank you everyone for participating in compiling all of these stages! While I don't think this is the best representation of what stages are popular among Smashboards fans, I do feel this provides a good look into what stages people would like to see. Listed below are those that made submissions to the "Top 10 Stages". Some of these submissions are great additions!

1. Clock Town (Legend of Zelda)
2. Sunset Shore (Donkey Kong)
3. Yoshi's Island Underground (Yoshi)
4. Mole Cavern (Donkey Kong)
5. Bright Savannah (Donkey Kong)
6. Golden Temple (Donkey Kong)
7. Windmill Hills (Donkey Kong)
8. Venus Lighthouse (Golden Sun)
9. Dinosaur Planet (Star Fox)
10. Outer Wall (Cave Story)

1. Gangplank Galleon (Donkey Kong Country)
2. The Courtroom (Phoenix Wright)
3. Glittertown (Wario Land: Shake Dimension)
4. Battle Theater (Paper Mario)
5. Shibuya (The World Ends With You)
6. Gate Colosseum (Pokemon Battle Revolution)
7. Pullblox Park (Pullblox)
8. Chemical Plant (Sonic the Hedgehog 2)
9. Luigi's Mansion (Luigi's Mansion 2)
10. No More Heroes Motel (No More Heroes)

Only ten? That's a hard one.

1. Gangplank Galleon (Donkey Kong)
2. Bowser's Castle (Super Mario Bros.)
3. N's Castle (Pokémon)
4. Jungle Hijinx Returns/Golden Temple (Donkey Kong)
5. Krazoa Palace/Sauria (Star Fox)
6. Battle Theater (Paper Mario)
7. Corneria City (Star Fox)
8. Wilderness (Cubivore)
9. Venus Lighthouse (Golden Sun)
10. Aeropolis (F-Zero)

1. Title Screen (Mario Paint)
2. Magicant (Mother 1+ 2)
3. Moonside (Mother 2)
4. Great Mila Tree (Fire Emblem: Awakening)
5. Streets of Daein (Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn)
6. Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart 8)
7. Milky Way Wishes - Marx Battle (Kirby Super Star)
8. Mt. Dedede (Kirby)
9. Water Temple (Legend of Zelda)
10. Hyrule Castle HD (Legend of Zelda/Super Smash Bros 64)

1. Gaur Plains (Xenoblade)
2. Sunset Shore (DK)
3. Dragon Roost Island (LoZ: Wind Waker)
4. Mushroom Kingdom II (Mario: Melee)
5. Bowser's Castle (Mario)
6. Fountain of Dreams (Kirby:Melee)
7. Poke Floats 2 (Pokemon)
8. Fourside (Earthbound:Melee)
9. Termina Bay (LoZ:Melee)
10. Spear Pillar (Pokemon:Brawl)

Ok then:

1) Dreamland (Kirby)
2) Gravityman's Domain (Megaman)
3) The Special Stage (Sonic)
4) Tower of Salvation (Tales of Symphonia) - Not happening.
5) Barudo Island (Doshin the Giant)
6) Metal Cavern (Mario)
7) Penguin Pool (Wii Fit)
8) Underworld Gate (F-Zero)
9) Starship Mario (Mario)
10) Zoness Base (Starfox)

Endless Ocean (Endless Ocean)
Raphael's Planetoid (Yoshi's Island)
Tselinoyarsk (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
Roivas Mansion/Ehn'gha (Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem)
Magicant (Mother/EarthBound)
Remix (Rhythm Heaven/Rhythm Heaven Fever)
Stage (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)
Planet Wisp (Sonic Colors)
N's Castle (Pokemon Black & White)
Demise's Battlefield (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)

So, I'll do it, but the only reasons I don't care about stages that much is that they are usually the same pattern: they represent with great details just fine every time.

10 Any WarioWare stage, but with better silliness in the mini games. I felt improvement was needed despite the concept being interesting.

9 Bowser's castle: I know how it's popular and usually higher, but my reason is quite obvious: I'm biased on another choice. Still, it's true that you have good stuff to do here, but I just want that they at least captivate the intense feeling of it.

8 Luigi's mansion that is actually so random to sound scary? I mean ghost, but acting at random interval for surprise effect. I mean you could play with the silence and sounds to achieve this, but in a fight, it's like me disturbing you while you're about to win or sort of. Just seems silly again.

7 Any mother stage. Really, anything that is new. The locations in the game are very diversve that even though there was 3 stages since ssb64, there's so much to do here. Also, please...I want sanctuary guardians as music SO MUCH. If you know me, I think you know why.

6 Distortion world (yeah I got that from smash flash). Giratina doesn't have to be there since the world itself has illogical physics which means a good potential of "WTH???" moments. I don't know like changing the flow erratically, platform having weird patterns as they move, stuff like that. Also, I want the Giratina battle music.

5 Another retro stages 8 bit style. Seems quite weird, but even considering the number of [appealing] (that's opinion) retro and 8 bit stages, I still think you can go a lot further. I don't know about you, but just the idea of my character getting knocked out because an 8 bit enemy sounds very fun. So far, the best stage that had a similar feel for me was flatzone from ssbm, but I think they can do way better to get this feel.

4 A stage representing a whole console period. Speaking of silliness, I would like a stage representing a whole console and it could mean to literally play on or neat it. Flatzone was quite close, but I want to to represent the whole generation with more games. In that regard, fighting on a Gamecube would be the best imo.

3 Any stages with any boss hazards is mostly my favourites. I don't know why i have a so big love for hazard (nah, Ridley is playable ), but I would just love the stage for that. I think it's because it feels like you're on that location, but I'm not the type of guy that like simple stages even though battlefield in melee and final destination had very good background.

2 Any pokemon stage where any protagonists would be hazards has trainer. You'll find this weird, but since the trainer is [most likely] cut, I dreamt of a Pokemon stages of sort of a stadium where the trainers that were protagonist in the series, would be the hazard from outside. It's like an idea I had where the pokemons not included in balls could have a chance here with more uniwue attack like stats changes. It sounds very silly, but that would be kind of expected from me.

So, I came with those up as I posted and I learned that I hope for an awesome stage that is unlikely (number 2 btw).

But, this one was a lock for a very obvious reason...

1 The theatre from Paper Mario: The Thousand-year Door: it should've been been clear from the beginning, but seriously, the stage alone is crazy while just being a flat walk off stage. You basically fight there every time at this place in the original game and what makes it the most interesting is the audience. Because they would actually react depending on how the fight is going which could affect the fight itself like throwing harming or healing items, making one act like a cloaking device or they could regroup themselves to throws rocks on you. You could make them cheers by taunting , but even then, the stage also has hazards itself. Everything from getting a projector in your head making you dizzy to enemies entrance to finally change the background and location altering the gimmicks and possibly, having boss like Rash Hawk as hazard!!! Can you still get that I'm still talking about a flat walk off stage DESPITE disliking this layout? And finally, who wouldn't want ANY TTYD music? I'm just going to leave with this:

That's it! I realised that I may actually care for 2 stages, but the first is far on the top.

1.- Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart 8)
2.- Sunset Shores (DKC Returns)
3.- Planet Wisp (Sonic Colors)
4.- Bowser Land (Super Mario 3D World)
5.- Aurum Island (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
6.- Blossom City (Wonderful 101)
7.- Phaaze (Metroid Prime Corruption)
8.- Grima's Back (Fire Emblem Awakening)
9.- The Rolling Western (Dillon's Rolling Western)
10.- Waluigi Pinball (Mario Kart DS/7)

For the Wii U version:

1.- Space Pirate Homeworld (Metroid Prime 3: Corruption)
2.- Bowser's Castle (Mario Kart 8)
3.- Gangplank Galleon (Donkey Kong Country)
4.- Forsaken Fortress (The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker)
5.- City Escape (Sonic Adventure 2/Sonic Generations)
6.- City Trial (Kirby Air Ride)
7.- Maridia (Super Metroid)
8.- Ratl Ruins (Wario Land: Shake It!)
9.- Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 64/Mario Kart 8)
10.- Blossom City (The Wonderful 101)

For the Wii U version:

1.- Grima's Back (Fire Emblem Awakening)
2.- City Escape (Sonic Adventure 2/Sonic Generations)
3.- Gangplank Galleon (Donkey Kong Country)
4.- Any Xenoblade stage
5.- Tetris stage
6.- Kirby fighters stage
7.- Blossom City (The Wonderful 101)
8.- Shy Guy Falls (Mario Kart 64)
9.- Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 64/Mario Kart 8)
10.-Waluigi Pinball (Mario Kart DS/7)

that was really hard tbh.

I just hope the 3DS doesn't get all the good exclusive stages like they have os far.
Anyway a top 10 list? This is a wishlist right, not an expectation list

10. Gangplank Galleon (Donkey Kong Country 2)
9. Bomb-omb battlefield (SM64)
8. The Mountaintop with the Giant Egg (Zelda: Link's Awakening XD)
7. Original Elite Four with Saffron City-esque stage hazard from the trainers
6. Saffron City (pokemon)
5. Castle Daein with Ashnard/Black Knight stage hazards (Fire Emblem Path of Radiance)
4. Bowser's Castle (Mario)
3. Water Temple (Zelda)
2. Venus Lighthouse (Golden Sun)
1. Sernes Forest (Fire Emblem Path of Radiance

1. Nintendo Land. (Nintendo Land.)
2. Bowser's Castle. (Super Mario Bros.)
3. City Escape. ( Sonic the Hedgehog.)
4. Poke Floats 2. (Pokemon.)
5. Rainbow Road for Wii U. (Super Mario.)
6. Saturn Valley. (Earthbound.)
7. Mine cart Madness. (Donkey Kong.)
8. Formidable Oak. (Pikmin.)
9. Hyrule Castle. (The Legend of Zelda / Super Smash Bros.)
10. Fourside. (Earthbound)

I think we can expect a new new Sector Z/Corneria with that version of the Great Fox. Looks awesome.

My top ten wanted stages?

1. Venus Lighthouse (Golden Sun)
2. Gaur Plane (Xenoblade)
3. Bowser's Castle (Super Mario Bros.)
4. Forbidden Fortress (The Legend of Zelda)
5. Minecart Madness (Donkey Kong)
6. Casino Night Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog)
7. Bramble Blast (Donkey Kong)
8. Zinger Hive (Donkey Kong)
9. Airship (Super Mario Bros.)
10. Gangplank Galleon (Donkey Kong)

Seriously. There's a lot of untapped potential in Donkey Kong Country stages.

Battle Theater (Paper Mario))
Bowser's Castle (Super Mario World)
Gangplank Galleon (Donkey Kong Country)
Magicant (Earthbound)
Waru Waru Plaza (Wii U)
Nintendo Land
Tetris
The Hospital from Trauma Center
Nintendo Love Hotel
That pretty sunset level from DKC:R

Again, thank you for your submissions, everyone! Check back again for the next Top 10!​

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

We Want YOU to Vote! Results!​

@ Venus of the Desert Bloom

How Satisfied are You with the Characters Introduced on the July 14th Reveal Trailer?

​

Last week, we had a triple release with Robin, Lucina, and Captain Falcon. Three extremely unexpected characters; especially when everyone thought that the Chorus Men or Shulk would be shown. The two newcomers are notable because they did ot appear in the Gematsu/Sal leak which many feel this discredited. We polled readers on how satisfied they were with the reveal. While many were very satisfied, some were indifferent on the reveal while others weren't exactly happy with the characters shown. Regardless, it was a pretty good trailer by any standrads. To refresh yourself, take a look at this video:

Here are how the votes stacked up:

1. Extremely Satisfied
   38 vote(s)
   64.4%
2. Moderately Satisfied
   6 vote(s)
   10.2%
3. Satisfied
   11 vote(s)
   18.6%
4. Unsatisfied
   0 vote(s)
   0.0%
5. Moderately Unsatisfied
   0 vote(s)
   0.0%
6. Meh
   4 vote(s)
   6.8%
7. Extremely Unsatisfied
   0 vote(s)
   0.0%

An overwhelming amount of users voted for the first option in which they were "Extremely Satisfied" showing that more than half of those who voted enjoyed the trailer. Eleven votes were cast for "Satisfied" which I would put closer to the average. This potentially indicates that many Fire Emblem and F-Zero fans were extremely satisfied but a smaller majority thought the trailer was good but didn't have any strong feelings. A smaller majority voted for moderately satisfied. 4 votes went to "Meh" which shows some indifference towards the trailer. These votes could be attributed to Chrom fans or fans of the Gematsu leak characters. Finally, no one voted for the unsatisfied options.

We Want YOU to Vote!

Do you think we will see other cloned characters such as Lucina in the roster? (not counting semi/lugified)
​

With the Lucina reveal, we got our first clone reveal. This was something that many thought would be absent in future games due to clones being generally disliked. Some were even outright angry with Sakurai; calling him a liar for including a clone when he said he wouldn't. While Lucina does bare a few differences from Marth, he retains much of his move set and a lot of his stats albeit the strength of her sword resides in the full blade as opposed to the tip like Marth. How do you think this spell for other clone characters? Will we see anymore in the roster or will Lucina be the only one? Let us know what you think by commenting below!​

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

While working late into the night, a mysterious manuscript turned up on my desk just labeled...

"*laughs*"

Digging through its contents, I was amazed at the treasure trophy I have stumbled upon. I quickly translated a random entry into English and held onto it until today. Thus, I present to you, Smashboardians.....

Sakurai's Diary ​

7.25.14

Super Smash Bros. for 3DS is nearly complete. I'm very excited. In fact, I'm counting the days until release so I can finally get a good night's sleep for once. I'm taking a full day off, then going right back to work so I can finish the Wii U version.

Recently, I've taken time to appreciate the finer things of life, like Main Menu design. In fact, the Main Menu of the 3DS version of Smash Bros. was the subject of today's pic of the day. Speaking of Pics of the day, my translator tells me that the comments that I get on most of the stuff I post are horrendous. Once again, I'm happy I don't know English.

Every once in a while, I still get a big kick out of the Robin reveal trailer. Chrom never even had a chance in my mind, so rubbing that in the faces of his adoring fans brings me great satisfaction. I even made it better by paying off the director of Xenoblade to retweet my post so all the Shulk fans would get their hopes up.

What would life be without my wonderful personality? *Here a troll face was drawn.*

The translating process takes around one week, as Sakurai apparently writes in a coded Swahili, which has to be translated to Japanese, then English. Until next time readers!

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Misc Information/Requests
The WiR is a huge commitment for me. I typically spend anywhere from an hour to 5 hours of my day making sure the WiR is as good as it can be. But I do have a job that I constantly have to prepare and study for as long as taking online classes myself and studying Japanese to further my career. Not to mention I have a social life, a wife, and commitments that conflicts with the WiR.

Therefore, I depend A LOT on outside help. If you would like to help write a WiR, please contact me via Private Message and we can work out the details. If you have any idea or would like to contribute something different, I am open to ideas. For example, the veteran analysis was entirely @APC99’s idea. I could also use some help in finding quotes, watching threads, and proofreading. If you see some interesting posts that you think may help me in writing the WiR, simply quote it in a Private Message or quote/tag me in your post on that thread. That way, I am sure to read it and within its context.

Secondly, I want to open to three Requests I have for people. If you are interested in helping out, please put "____________ Submission" so I know what you are applying for.


Little Mac Newcomer Analysis

Are you planning on maining Mac? Was he one of your most wanted characters? Or are you interested in writing about him? I am looking for a capable writer to help cover the Little Mac analysis.

If you want to write up a analysis on Little Mac, hit me up on PM.​

Link

Link Veteran Analysis

Are you a Link main and want to try your hand at writing an analysis? Contact me and we can work out the details!

Potential Character Analysis: Ridley

Are you an avid supporter of Ridley! Show your knowledge of the space dragon by writing up an analysis of how Ridley would be incorporated into Smash! Everything from move sets, stats, game play, and more! Contact me for more details!

Stage Analysis

Are you interested in writing about stages? Feel free to contact me and apply to write about a Stage Analysis!

Here is a list that you can choose from!​

1. Tomodachi Collection

​

2. Garden of Hope

Let me know if you are able to write an analysis for either one of these stages!​

 

[dimensionsword64]

Oh. Whoops. I forgot to do the top ten stages.

I voted 'Yes, but only a few clones'. I can see Dark Pit being added as a clone (even though I would much prefer him to be an original character), and possibly a few others.

 

[Substitution]

I believe there will be a few clones.
Mostly because I hope for Pichu and Dr. Mario to be in. Because biases.

 

[Smashoperatingbuddy123]

Hey you guys did not mention the green hill stage being a returning stage too the 3ds version.

But besides that you guys do a amazing job as usual

 

[Hokori]

Nice articles guys!

Especially enjoyed the interview, Tomodachi Life write-up, and the diary

Keep up the good work!

 

[Pazzo.]

Great work! Loved the interview, poll results, and the Zelda analysis.

I voted for Lucina only. I think the fact that she was a last-minute addition speaks volumes about what Sakurai prioritizes for characters.

 

[Pyra]

I picked the "yes, but only a few" option. Only because it's the safest option, to me. If there ends up being a few, then I'm right, and if it's just Lucina only, then it's a happy wrong.

I doubt there will be a lot, though!

 

[TumblrFamous]

Great job, everyone! And thanks for interviewing ne!

I voted only Lucina, with the same reasoning as Mask.

 

[Hokori]

I originally was going to choose the option for only a few clones, but picked Lucina as the only clone instead after excluding possible semi-clones. I also share Mask's reasoning. The details Sakurai left regarding Lucina also leads me to believe that she'll be the only clone character.