Hard Corwen
Smash Cadet
...from my friend (from america) who lives in japan!
This is his opinion on the game. Nothing most of you wont already know but still an enjoyable read.
If you don't care about the main review at least check out what he's reviewed for the characters he's played thus far.
SMASH!!
Today I was able to pick up a copy of Smash and NiGHTS came in the mail! Plus it came with a little collectible figurine of chibi NiGHTS! Woo! So much excitement! It's way too late because I've been up playing Smash, so here are some impressions of mine from my initial session. Anyone avoiding spoilerage should not look below the cut. Anyone who doesn't care about smash should probably also just stay away. You've been warned.
The Subspace Emissary IS the game. And it is VERY substantial! The traditional version of playing up a ladder of rounds with a couple of side-things in between [ex: targets] is gone as far as I can tell. Or I somehow just.. didn't notice that mode. I think if you just want traditional brawling, you go into it round-by-round, selecting computer foes of whatever level of difficulty you want and whatever stage you want to play. Everyone's target breaking game thing is available in a separate break-the-targets menu. It's all basically been ripped apart and laid out buffet style. It's liberating.
Now then, back to the Subspace Emissary. It seems like it shoouulld take about 10 hours to complete on normal mode. There are 5 modes, 2 being easier and 2 harder than normal. There's a big ol' story played out through cutscenes within and between levels. Each level of the SE is shown on a world map of sorts and once you complete a level, you can go back and play whichever ones you want. If you die partway through [lose all your lives; dif levels have dif stocks], you can continue, but on the map it shows that the area's still wonky. I.E. 'get your *** back here and do it right, yo.' I estimate that the SE is supposed to take about 10 hours on normal mode. I think so because I've been able to complete about 10% per hour, and now I'm at about 5 hours and 47ish %. Each level has stuff happening to different characters, so sometimes you choose between two or more, or you have no choice, or sometimes you decide "start with him, when he dies, go with her, then that one." Etc.
It's a lot of fun! It's mainly a big sidescrolling game all classic-styled with bosses and the occasional traditional fight thrown in. Good times!
Now, as for characters, here's what I've gleaned thus far:
Zelda/Shiek:
- The most noticeable difference is that transformation takes WAAY longer now. By my estimates (counting out loud), it takes somewhere around 3-4 seconds. I think in mellee it took like 1? It's a very significant difference, which I guess balances it out more for playing against the people who switch between Z/S frequently.
- Zelda's fire [Din's Fire?] is a bit more controllable. At least, the fireball is bigger and it doesn't accelerate as quickly as before. Improved, I think. Otherwise, she's basically the same.
- Sheik's chain miiiight be a bit longer, and it's definitely quicker. Probably more useful.
- Shiek's needles no longer require holding down B to charge. Just tap B and she starts rackin em up. Press B to throw them mid-way through charging, or just wait and she'll go back to her normal stance once she's done charging. No need to roll away to keep them charged. Sweet!
Marth: He's not so **** long-range! Hoorah! Still good though, definitely not nerfed. I think. Not that I really played him in melee.
Ike: He is a POWERHOUSE. He's slow and tanky. Pretty fun to play, I thought.
Link: I feeel like he was tweaked a bit, but I can't quite determine how. Possibly his up-B isn't as strong by default, but now you can charge it. So, I'm not sure how it compares fully-charged. The boomerang turns into a tornado right before it comes back, and pulls enemies toward you very slightly. Bombs and arrows haven't changed. Maybe he's a bit heavier? I think he's pretty similar, but I'd let a Link player tell you.
Lucario: Now I understand why there's no Mewtwo. They made him not suck and called him Lucario. =\ I think they should have kept it as Mewtwo, but what can you do, right? Improved Mewtwo, there you go. Exact same energy ball charge. I still haven't figured out what his down-b does. His forward-b is a kind of grabby punchy thing. He's pretty cool, objectively. But Mewtwo....... >.>; So, no confusion or deflect-thing, but it still feels similar, and he's all with the purple glowy energy stuff.
Zero Suit Samus: Very cool, fun to play. I dunno what else to say lol.
Pit: Heavier than you'd expect! His jumps are not great. Like a heavy kirby. But his up-b will take you pretty high. It doesn't attack though. He's pretty cool, I think I like him, but I don't think I'll end up playing him often.
Meta-Knight: I find him difficult to play. He's interesting. I've used him quite a bit now in the SE. I.. enjoy him, but it takes effort. Not my cup of tea, but I look forward to taking on a skilled Meta-Knight player. : D
Diddy: I like him much more than I thought I would! That is to say, a lot! He's got a lot of quick sort of rapid-fire attacks. His up-b is pretty disappointing at times, but all in all, he's a fun character! I may end up breaking him out from time to time.
Olimar: :
ukes, poops self, cries, falls asleep::
Lucas: I definitely like him! Possibly more than Ness, but I need to play them both more before I'll really know. I haven't really played Ness much yet in Brawl. though I have unlocked him. Basically, don't judge a book by its cover; he looks very similar to Ness, and even his moves look similar to Ness's, but he's quite different. He's got a long-distance grab, no rapid-fire-down-kick-thing, a similar-looking forward-a, but less powerful. And...
- PK Freeze is difficult to land, but not as difficult as PK Flash was in melee. I think I'm getting the hang of it though.
- His PK Thunder is a stark contrast to Ness's. The difference is explained on the Brawl site.
- His up-a is very slow but very powerful. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but when you pull it off, it's very satisfying.
Ness: Pretty similar. I think pulling off his PK Flash might be a biiit simpler. It might be slightly easier to line up letting it loose [not charging anymore] with landing on someone, which was nigh impossible in melee. Still fairly powerful I think, but not incredibly so.
Snake: He's also pretty interesting. He's fun; I find him to be pretty unique. I'm sorry, but I'm not really sure what to say about him. You've just gotta experience it yourself. lol. Sorry America! =P
Pokemon Trainer: I'm a big fan. You've got your light, heavy and very heavy characters all rolled up into one. They've all got interesting, slightly unique moves, and it's a good time! Hoorah.
Pikachu: Maybe pretty much the same?
Captain Falcon: Pretty much the same? I think it takes a BIT less time for him to pull off his falcon punch. And maybe he moves a biiiit slower overall? Or maybe I'm just incredibly tired. If he is slower, it's in a good way. You've got more control I think. A little bit. Maybe.
Back to Olimar: Oh you wanted more information? Sorry, I've got none. He makes my brain wobble. Maybe I'll try him some more and write again later.
For other characters I haven't written about, either I haven't played as them yet [ex: Wario], I haven't unlocked them yet [ex: Sonic] or I never played them enough on melee to actually know what would be different here [ex: fox]. I guess if you've got specific Qs, lemme know and I'll check it out for you!
As a general improvement, it seems that everyone has a decent down-attack from the air, if not a full-on down-spike. And it looks like everyone can wall-jump too.
Okay yeah. any questions? :3
This is his opinion on the game. Nothing most of you wont already know but still an enjoyable read.
If you don't care about the main review at least check out what he's reviewed for the characters he's played thus far.
SMASH!!
Today I was able to pick up a copy of Smash and NiGHTS came in the mail! Plus it came with a little collectible figurine of chibi NiGHTS! Woo! So much excitement! It's way too late because I've been up playing Smash, so here are some impressions of mine from my initial session. Anyone avoiding spoilerage should not look below the cut. Anyone who doesn't care about smash should probably also just stay away. You've been warned.
The Subspace Emissary IS the game. And it is VERY substantial! The traditional version of playing up a ladder of rounds with a couple of side-things in between [ex: targets] is gone as far as I can tell. Or I somehow just.. didn't notice that mode. I think if you just want traditional brawling, you go into it round-by-round, selecting computer foes of whatever level of difficulty you want and whatever stage you want to play. Everyone's target breaking game thing is available in a separate break-the-targets menu. It's all basically been ripped apart and laid out buffet style. It's liberating.
Now then, back to the Subspace Emissary. It seems like it shoouulld take about 10 hours to complete on normal mode. There are 5 modes, 2 being easier and 2 harder than normal. There's a big ol' story played out through cutscenes within and between levels. Each level of the SE is shown on a world map of sorts and once you complete a level, you can go back and play whichever ones you want. If you die partway through [lose all your lives; dif levels have dif stocks], you can continue, but on the map it shows that the area's still wonky. I.E. 'get your *** back here and do it right, yo.' I estimate that the SE is supposed to take about 10 hours on normal mode. I think so because I've been able to complete about 10% per hour, and now I'm at about 5 hours and 47ish %. Each level has stuff happening to different characters, so sometimes you choose between two or more, or you have no choice, or sometimes you decide "start with him, when he dies, go with her, then that one." Etc.
It's a lot of fun! It's mainly a big sidescrolling game all classic-styled with bosses and the occasional traditional fight thrown in. Good times!
Now, as for characters, here's what I've gleaned thus far:
Zelda/Shiek:
- The most noticeable difference is that transformation takes WAAY longer now. By my estimates (counting out loud), it takes somewhere around 3-4 seconds. I think in mellee it took like 1? It's a very significant difference, which I guess balances it out more for playing against the people who switch between Z/S frequently.
- Zelda's fire [Din's Fire?] is a bit more controllable. At least, the fireball is bigger and it doesn't accelerate as quickly as before. Improved, I think. Otherwise, she's basically the same.
- Sheik's chain miiiight be a bit longer, and it's definitely quicker. Probably more useful.
- Shiek's needles no longer require holding down B to charge. Just tap B and she starts rackin em up. Press B to throw them mid-way through charging, or just wait and she'll go back to her normal stance once she's done charging. No need to roll away to keep them charged. Sweet!
Marth: He's not so **** long-range! Hoorah! Still good though, definitely not nerfed. I think. Not that I really played him in melee.
Ike: He is a POWERHOUSE. He's slow and tanky. Pretty fun to play, I thought.
Link: I feeel like he was tweaked a bit, but I can't quite determine how. Possibly his up-B isn't as strong by default, but now you can charge it. So, I'm not sure how it compares fully-charged. The boomerang turns into a tornado right before it comes back, and pulls enemies toward you very slightly. Bombs and arrows haven't changed. Maybe he's a bit heavier? I think he's pretty similar, but I'd let a Link player tell you.
Lucario: Now I understand why there's no Mewtwo. They made him not suck and called him Lucario. =\ I think they should have kept it as Mewtwo, but what can you do, right? Improved Mewtwo, there you go. Exact same energy ball charge. I still haven't figured out what his down-b does. His forward-b is a kind of grabby punchy thing. He's pretty cool, objectively. But Mewtwo....... >.>; So, no confusion or deflect-thing, but it still feels similar, and he's all with the purple glowy energy stuff.
Zero Suit Samus: Very cool, fun to play. I dunno what else to say lol.
Pit: Heavier than you'd expect! His jumps are not great. Like a heavy kirby. But his up-b will take you pretty high. It doesn't attack though. He's pretty cool, I think I like him, but I don't think I'll end up playing him often.
Meta-Knight: I find him difficult to play. He's interesting. I've used him quite a bit now in the SE. I.. enjoy him, but it takes effort. Not my cup of tea, but I look forward to taking on a skilled Meta-Knight player. : D
Diddy: I like him much more than I thought I would! That is to say, a lot! He's got a lot of quick sort of rapid-fire attacks. His up-b is pretty disappointing at times, but all in all, he's a fun character! I may end up breaking him out from time to time.
Olimar: :
ukes, poops self, cries, falls asleep::Lucas: I definitely like him! Possibly more than Ness, but I need to play them both more before I'll really know. I haven't really played Ness much yet in Brawl. though I have unlocked him. Basically, don't judge a book by its cover; he looks very similar to Ness, and even his moves look similar to Ness's, but he's quite different. He's got a long-distance grab, no rapid-fire-down-kick-thing, a similar-looking forward-a, but less powerful. And...
- PK Freeze is difficult to land, but not as difficult as PK Flash was in melee. I think I'm getting the hang of it though.
- His PK Thunder is a stark contrast to Ness's. The difference is explained on the Brawl site.
- His up-a is very slow but very powerful. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but when you pull it off, it's very satisfying.
Ness: Pretty similar. I think pulling off his PK Flash might be a biiit simpler. It might be slightly easier to line up letting it loose [not charging anymore] with landing on someone, which was nigh impossible in melee. Still fairly powerful I think, but not incredibly so.
Snake: He's also pretty interesting. He's fun; I find him to be pretty unique. I'm sorry, but I'm not really sure what to say about him. You've just gotta experience it yourself. lol. Sorry America! =P
Pokemon Trainer: I'm a big fan. You've got your light, heavy and very heavy characters all rolled up into one. They've all got interesting, slightly unique moves, and it's a good time! Hoorah.
Pikachu: Maybe pretty much the same?
Captain Falcon: Pretty much the same? I think it takes a BIT less time for him to pull off his falcon punch. And maybe he moves a biiiit slower overall? Or maybe I'm just incredibly tired. If he is slower, it's in a good way. You've got more control I think. A little bit. Maybe.
Back to Olimar: Oh you wanted more information? Sorry, I've got none. He makes my brain wobble. Maybe I'll try him some more and write again later.
For other characters I haven't written about, either I haven't played as them yet [ex: Wario], I haven't unlocked them yet [ex: Sonic] or I never played them enough on melee to actually know what would be different here [ex: fox]. I guess if you've got specific Qs, lemme know and I'll check it out for you!
As a general improvement, it seems that everyone has a decent down-attack from the air, if not a full-on down-spike. And it looks like everyone can wall-jump too.
Okay yeah. any questions? :3