M.K
Level 55
I got Brawl at the midnight release last night, and played it until 4 AM! You can't even imagine how much fun I had with this game, it's THAT good. Ok let's get started:
General Gameplay Thoughts
At first I was getting prepared to experience some Root Beer Floatiness and completely lag-less moves. I was pleasantly taken aback when I played my first match. This game isn't as floaty as you think, and some moves still have that apparent lag. That being said, I absolutely LOVE the greater hit-stun feature included within some moves. It makes characters, such as Pikachu, VERY fun to play as, and it actually FEELS like you smacked them around. All the menus look crisp and clean, but after a fair few matches, I toggled the Music UP and the Sound Effects DOWN, because the TERRIFIC soundtrack sometimes get's drowned out.
Character Impressions and Discoveries
Mario- Mario is basically the same to me. The tornado now acts like a multi-hit (stronger) aerial. FLUDD is not as useless as people say, and can save you/push you away from a crowd.
Luigi- I would say Luigi was different enough that I can't seem to play as him as I did in Melee. His FAir got the nerf mallet, and the Explosive Green Missle isn't as flashy or powerful.
Peach- Argh, the most annoying thing about Peach is the fact that when you go into the "float", you don't go UP. You twirl in the same place and start. That's annoying to me. Peach Bomb hearts don't make up for it.
Bowser- Well, from what I can tell, he is really the same to me. When you use Whirling Fortress in the air and land on the ground, you sort of...bounce O_o.
DK- The same to me, Down B might be a little better.
Diddy Kong- I liked Diddy Kong ALOT! His Neutral A Combo is useful, and his Up Smash is a multi-hit wonder. Rocketbarrel Boost has the potential to be one of the best recoveries in the game if you charge it.
Kirby- BETTER! His moves have more "oomph" and his new Running A is WAY more useful than that stupid fire...thing.
Meta-Knight- The lack of a Kill move really hurts him, and made me shy away. He is VERY good at racking up damage, but what good is that if you can't get a kill? Most kills are from the items he wields.
King Dedede- Waddle Dees/Doos/Gordos are useful for crowding up a space. YOU CAN ALSO THROW ITEMS WHEN YOU USE SIDE B. I've seen capsules and beams swords thrown.
Pikachu- Much. Much. Better. As I said, the new hit-stun makes Pikachu a Pika-Powerhouse. ALL Physical Electric attacks provide some sort of stunning.
Lucario- Great. Just...VERY good. DAir is useful and EASY to aim, due to Lucario stopping in mid-air. Double Team gives a good sense of accomplishment and is USEFUL. Still haven't found a use for Force Palm...
Pit- GREAT. I love Pit, his aerial attacks are awesome multi-hitters. Angel Ring is the best way to control a group of foes, it's superb. AMAZING recovery, you can't die unless you fall asleep during Brawl -.-
Samus- I mained Samus in Melee, and I can't seem to use her. She feels alot more clunky and awkward. Screw Attack is a trapper.
Zero Suit Samus- Whip is sometimes unreliable, but otherwise, she is a solid character with FEW powerhouse moves. Her strengths lie in agility, recovery, and grabs.
Squirtle- For a water-type, this little ninja turtle is good in the air. His ground game, however, is a little lacking. See FLUDD for Water Gun impressions.
Ivysaur- Quadruped is the new Top Tier. I love his DAir UpSmash, and Neutral A Combo. Bullet Seed is phenomenal, can rack up 40%+ Damage.
Charizard- My least favorite of the three. He has some good aerials, but can't really set them up very well due to his low jumping and size.
Lucas- Powerful Up Smash. Insane. Down Smash can get you into trouble if you forget what it does, it muti-hits, but not one right after the other. PK Thunder is easy to control, as is PK Freeze, but Freeze is awkward and unreliable.
Ness- Seems about the same to me. I don't see the potential....but the home run bat got the nerf mallet. Yo-yo's are a little better, and PK Flash looks pretty...but....
Ike- Strong, oh so strong. I came across Giant Ike on Castle Siege during an Intense Classic run through. Oh so hard. Everything requires time.
Olimar- Can absolutely destroy you out of nowhere. You can run around for dozens of seconds and not realize that two or three Pikmin are ****** you with their head doodads. They are hard to see. That being said, it require a TECHNICAL user and someone who is an EXPERT.
Wario- Eh. What can I say. Moves are...lacking. The CPU ALWAYS knows when to use the Wario Waft, and it's a killer in the right circumstances.
Stage Impressions
Battlefield/Final Destination- Same, nothing could change.
Yoshi's Island- Fun! Support Ghost doesn't interfere too much!
Pokemon Stadium 2- The field changes are alot more "interactive" than last time, but that doesn't mean it isn't REALLY fun.
Lylat Cruise- Good, I guess. If there is too much action, it might end up blending in with the beautiful background.
Mario Circuit- My favorite stage. The layout is well-designed, and the anticipation of the karts makes for a wonderful battle.
Delfino Plaza- The pit stops are so different from each other, and it makes a refreshing scene every time.
Castle Siege- The only thing I don't really like is how small it seems on the first level. Other than that, the transitions are a fun place to even the battlefield.
WarioWare- DONT MOVE. Yeah, like that's gonna happen! The "reward" system is flawed, sometimes you can be the only person who gets an O and still get nothing.
Pictochat- Insane to play on. Totally unpredictable, you'll find yourself going through platforms that weren't even there a second ago.
Battleship Halberd- It's pretty standard until you get on tha Halberd, than it's a wacky funfest of lasers, clampers, and cannonballs...oh my.
Stage Builder Stages- LOL, you want to play on better stages? Freaking build your own, it's great. I haven't even unlocked the new sets yet and it's fun to me!
General Gameplay Thoughts
At first I was getting prepared to experience some Root Beer Floatiness and completely lag-less moves. I was pleasantly taken aback when I played my first match. This game isn't as floaty as you think, and some moves still have that apparent lag. That being said, I absolutely LOVE the greater hit-stun feature included within some moves. It makes characters, such as Pikachu, VERY fun to play as, and it actually FEELS like you smacked them around. All the menus look crisp and clean, but after a fair few matches, I toggled the Music UP and the Sound Effects DOWN, because the TERRIFIC soundtrack sometimes get's drowned out.
Character Impressions and Discoveries
Mario- Mario is basically the same to me. The tornado now acts like a multi-hit (stronger) aerial. FLUDD is not as useless as people say, and can save you/push you away from a crowd.
Luigi- I would say Luigi was different enough that I can't seem to play as him as I did in Melee. His FAir got the nerf mallet, and the Explosive Green Missle isn't as flashy or powerful.
Peach- Argh, the most annoying thing about Peach is the fact that when you go into the "float", you don't go UP. You twirl in the same place and start. That's annoying to me. Peach Bomb hearts don't make up for it.
Bowser- Well, from what I can tell, he is really the same to me. When you use Whirling Fortress in the air and land on the ground, you sort of...bounce O_o.
DK- The same to me, Down B might be a little better.
Diddy Kong- I liked Diddy Kong ALOT! His Neutral A Combo is useful, and his Up Smash is a multi-hit wonder. Rocketbarrel Boost has the potential to be one of the best recoveries in the game if you charge it.
Kirby- BETTER! His moves have more "oomph" and his new Running A is WAY more useful than that stupid fire...thing.
Meta-Knight- The lack of a Kill move really hurts him, and made me shy away. He is VERY good at racking up damage, but what good is that if you can't get a kill? Most kills are from the items he wields.
King Dedede- Waddle Dees/Doos/Gordos are useful for crowding up a space. YOU CAN ALSO THROW ITEMS WHEN YOU USE SIDE B. I've seen capsules and beams swords thrown.
Pikachu- Much. Much. Better. As I said, the new hit-stun makes Pikachu a Pika-Powerhouse. ALL Physical Electric attacks provide some sort of stunning.
Lucario- Great. Just...VERY good. DAir is useful and EASY to aim, due to Lucario stopping in mid-air. Double Team gives a good sense of accomplishment and is USEFUL. Still haven't found a use for Force Palm...
Pit- GREAT. I love Pit, his aerial attacks are awesome multi-hitters. Angel Ring is the best way to control a group of foes, it's superb. AMAZING recovery, you can't die unless you fall asleep during Brawl -.-
Samus- I mained Samus in Melee, and I can't seem to use her. She feels alot more clunky and awkward. Screw Attack is a trapper.
Zero Suit Samus- Whip is sometimes unreliable, but otherwise, she is a solid character with FEW powerhouse moves. Her strengths lie in agility, recovery, and grabs.
Squirtle- For a water-type, this little ninja turtle is good in the air. His ground game, however, is a little lacking. See FLUDD for Water Gun impressions.
Ivysaur- Quadruped is the new Top Tier. I love his DAir UpSmash, and Neutral A Combo. Bullet Seed is phenomenal, can rack up 40%+ Damage.
Charizard- My least favorite of the three. He has some good aerials, but can't really set them up very well due to his low jumping and size.
Lucas- Powerful Up Smash. Insane. Down Smash can get you into trouble if you forget what it does, it muti-hits, but not one right after the other. PK Thunder is easy to control, as is PK Freeze, but Freeze is awkward and unreliable.
Ness- Seems about the same to me. I don't see the potential....but the home run bat got the nerf mallet. Yo-yo's are a little better, and PK Flash looks pretty...but....
Ike- Strong, oh so strong. I came across Giant Ike on Castle Siege during an Intense Classic run through. Oh so hard. Everything requires time.
Olimar- Can absolutely destroy you out of nowhere. You can run around for dozens of seconds and not realize that two or three Pikmin are ****** you with their head doodads. They are hard to see. That being said, it require a TECHNICAL user and someone who is an EXPERT.
Wario- Eh. What can I say. Moves are...lacking. The CPU ALWAYS knows when to use the Wario Waft, and it's a killer in the right circumstances.
Stage Impressions
Battlefield/Final Destination- Same, nothing could change.
Yoshi's Island- Fun! Support Ghost doesn't interfere too much!
Pokemon Stadium 2- The field changes are alot more "interactive" than last time, but that doesn't mean it isn't REALLY fun.
Lylat Cruise- Good, I guess. If there is too much action, it might end up blending in with the beautiful background.
Mario Circuit- My favorite stage. The layout is well-designed, and the anticipation of the karts makes for a wonderful battle.
Delfino Plaza- The pit stops are so different from each other, and it makes a refreshing scene every time.
Castle Siege- The only thing I don't really like is how small it seems on the first level. Other than that, the transitions are a fun place to even the battlefield.
WarioWare- DONT MOVE. Yeah, like that's gonna happen! The "reward" system is flawed, sometimes you can be the only person who gets an O and still get nothing.
Pictochat- Insane to play on. Totally unpredictable, you'll find yourself going through platforms that weren't even there a second ago.
Battleship Halberd- It's pretty standard until you get on tha Halberd, than it's a wacky funfest of lasers, clampers, and cannonballs...oh my.
Stage Builder Stages- LOL, you want to play on better stages? Freaking build your own, it's great. I haven't even unlocked the new sets yet and it's fun to me!
