Over 14 hours with Smash 4. Here's what I learned.

[Amazing Ampharos]

Is Marth's Shield Breaker move the same stabbing motion from Brawl, the overhead vertical slash from Melee or something completely new?

It's the Brawl animation but just... better. The core idea though is definitely still a sword thrust, not a slash.

 

[MattTheGameFreak]

Did you get the chance to try out the new edge hogging mechanic? If so, could you tell me your thoughts on it? Also, what are your thoughts on the game's aerial landing lag, and the grab follow-ups?

Regarding the post' findings, I'm really happy to hear about how spiking now works over the stage. Although the previous system in regards to this did work decently well, the new system seems to be a lot better. Overall with moves that break shields easily, super armor options, and the new spiking system, Smash Bros. 4 seems like it will get a bit more advanced with which move is best to use...

Do you think Smash 4 will be as friendly as Brawl? Personally it doesn't sound like it will be at higher levels of play...

 

[Clint Jaguar]

It's the Brawl animation but just... better. The core idea though is definitely still a sword thrust, not a slash.

That's disappointing but if it really is better, I might get used to it. Marth's shield breaker in Brawl felt so nerfed in comparison to Melee's and was much harder to use effectively.

 

[S_B]

Thanks for writing this up!

Finally, some super armor for Bowser!

 

[victinivcreate1]

Did you get the chance to try out the new edge hogging mechanic? If so, could you tell me your thoughts on it? Also, what are your thoughts on the game's aerial landing lag, and the grab follow-ups?

Regarding the post' findings, I'm really happy to hear about how spiking now works over the stage. Although the previous system in regards to this did work decently well, the new system seems to be a lot better. Overall with moves that break shields easily, super armor options, and the new spiking system, Smash Bros. 4 seems like it will get a bit more advanced with which move is best to use...

Do you think Smash 4 will be as friendly as Brawl? Personally it doesn't sound like it will be at higher levels of play...

My opinion of the game is that its identical to Brawl physics, but characters can run a lot faster and jump a bit higher. I mean look:
Greninja
Sheik
Marth
Samus
Bowser
ZSS
Fox
Heck even Mario

All of these characters are super fast in terms of dash. But the game physics are definitely not new. The character´s higher dash (along with the fact that most Brawl players and many Melee, PM and 64 players only dash) gives the illusion of the game being faster. But if you were experimenting like me and not dashing all day, you´d know the difference. The game is barely faster paced than Brawl. If Brawl is a 0, 6 is 64, PM is a 9 and Melee is a 10, I´d say 3 is Smash 4.

 

[MattTheGameFreak]

I like that it's decently close to Brawl physics. I grew to become a huge fan of how Brawl handled, much more-so than Melee. I do like how Melee handled though, but getting my friends to go back to it after Brawl is nigh impossible. They do not like the merciless, extremely fast paced game-play in comparison to Brawl, and at a casual level, in my opinion, Melee doesn't outright seem to have as many options. In other words, Melee physics at a casual level is not as fun to play.

What do you mean by, "If Brawl is a 0, 6 is 64...."?

Do you like the game?

My opinion of the game is that its identical to Brawl physics, but characters can run a lot faster and jump a bit higher. I mean look:
Greninja
Sheik
Marth
Samus
Bowser
ZSS
Fox
Heck even Mario

All of these characters are super fast in terms of dash. But the game physics are definitely not new. The character´s higher dash (along with the fact that most Brawl players and many Melee, PM and 64 players only dash) gives the illusion of the game being faster. But if you were experimenting like me and not dashing all day, you´d know the difference. The game is barely faster paced than Brawl. If Brawl is a 0, 6 is 64, PM is a 9 and Melee is a 10, I´d say 3 is Smash 4.

 

[Tenchi Boom]

I like that it's decently close to Brawl physics. I grew to become a huge fan of how Brawl handled, much more-so than Melee. I do like how Melee handled though, but getting my friends to go back to it after Brawl is nigh impossible. ?

Same here. I used to be really good at Melee, but since I got Brawl and got good at that, if I go back to Melee now I can't even play it. It's just wierd how that sort of happens like that.

 

[Pazzo.]

Very interesting read. With a few more tweaks (Here' looking to you landing lag) this could be a very exciting game.!

 

[Salmon]

How was the general speed of the game? How quick did inputs register between moves? Man, I am kicking myself for not going to AUS Comic-Con since I live here...

 

[DakotaBonez]

Good info! I kinda hope your theory about percentage to knockback is true.
Like maybe 10-25% have the same knockback and 26-50% have the same knockback and 51-99 and 100+. Would make it easier to know where an opponent is gonna go flying.

Did ya catch any pics or vids?

 

[Aninymouse]

I played Zelda and was unfortunately pretty disappointed with her. Her smashes are all nerfed in regards to damage and knock back. Thakfully her up air seems to be much stronger this time around. I'm gonna give her the benefit of the doubt and say she needs more 1v1 time to be relearned, but I'm worried about her current state.

Good. I'm not the only one who noticed her Up Air is much better in Smash 4. I love the smoke effect on it, too. It even looks devastating.

 

[Venks]

Did you get the chance to try out the new edge hogging mechanic? If so, could you tell me your thoughts on it? Also, what are your thoughts on the game's aerial landing lag, and the grab follow-ups?

Regarding the post' findings, I'm really happy to hear about how spiking now works over the stage. Although the previous system in regards to this did work decently well, the new system seems to be a lot better. Overall with moves that break shields easily, super armor options, and the new spiking system, Smash Bros. 4 seems like it will get a bit more advanced with which move is best to use...

Do you think Smash 4 will be as friendly as Brawl? Personally it doesn't sound like it will be at higher levels of play...

I never really grabbed the edge by jumping off the stage alongside someone else's grab. My timing is not that good. Though I did trump a few grabs as I was recovering and it knocked them to the side. Honestly this happened really rarely so I don't really understand the mechanic much myself.
The big thing for me was that people can't continually regrab the edge for invincibility. After the first grab the next grab is still vulnerable. This puts an end to planking and gives the player a bit more an advantage on respawn since they now have a higher chance of taking advantage of their temporary invincibility. Though if its a good player they can still avoid you without relying on the edge invincibility. I like this change a lot.

Smash 4 is very easy to pick up and play like all of the Smash games. New players still have trouble understanding how to recover, but its still easy to learn. I saw a six year old kid play a FFA with Bowser and beat three adults. He didn't really know what he was doing, but would grab and forward tilt a lot. Even got a few KOs with super armored up smashes. He was seriously just pressing buttons and didn't know how to play. So yeah this game looks great at a casual level.

We'll see how the competition grows for this game. Only time will tell. Mew2King, Zero, and HungryBox will definitely be playing.

Same here. I used to be really good at Melee, but since I got Brawl and got good at that, if I go back to Melee now I can't even play it. It's just wierd how that sort of happens like that.

I spent all day yesterday playing 64, Melee, Brawl, and PM. I can't tell you how sad I am that none of those games have Little Mac playable. But yeah I'm pretty bad at Melee, but enjoy playing it none the less. And I'd say I'm at least average in 64 and PM cus I know a few combos in each game. I try to play different characters for each game so that I don't mix up my inputs.

How was the general speed of the game? How quick did inputs register between moves? Man, I am kicking myself for not going to AUS Comic-Con since I live here...

The game felt very fast. No where near Melee, but definitely faster than Brawl. Inputs feel very quick and you can que inputs during the animations of other attacks like you can in Brawl. Nothing too surprising here.

Good info! I kinda hope your theory about percentage to knockback is true.
Like maybe 10-25% have the same knockback and 26-50% have the same knockback and 51-99 and 100+. Would make it easier to know where an opponent is gonna go flying.

Did ya catch any pics or vids?

The margins are definitely not that big. But the impact between 95% and 100% is much bigger than it was in Brawl. I personally didn't capture footage due to not having my own camera. Some other people there did, but nothing of true value was captured.
I have no idea who recorded this video, but oddly enough I'm in it as the Green Little Mac.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QGcTTbqGQU

Good. I'm not the only one who noticed her Up Air is much better in Smash 4. I love the smoke effect on it, too. It even looks devastating.

I'm glad she got a buff somewhere. I'm really hoping they continue to buff her before release. She wasn't my main in Brawl, but I always had a lot of fun playing as her despite her many flaws.

 

[4cast]

Is Marth's Shield Breaker move the same stabbing motion from Brawl, the overhead vertical slash from Melee or something completely new?

Same as Brawl but with more Power

 

[Venks]

Same as Brawl but with more Power

Yeah pretty much this. It honestly looks pretty useful this time around. Breaking shields seems to be an actual thing in Smash 4.

 

[4cast]

Also Prayers have been answered Yoshi can Jump out of his shield...Prayers Have Been Answered

 

[S_B]

Yeah pretty much this. It honestly looks pretty useful this time around. Breaking shields seems to be an actual thing in Smash 4.

Loving this fact like crazy.

It always seemed silly that there was very little concern of risk when it came to shielding. It previous SSBs, it always just seemed like "Oh your shield will become small enough then you'll get hit, thus saving you from the stun afterwards."

 

[SuperMii3D]

Also Prayers have been answered Yoshi can Jump out of his shield...Prayers Have Been Answered

Sweet gezuz and praise the lawd, for my Melee main has more maneuvering now. Did anyone play as Rosalina, because I honestly want to try her, but from what I heard, she is lacking in power.

 

[4cast]

Sweet gezuz and praise the lawd, for my Melee main has more maneuvering now. Did anyone play as Rosalina, because I honestly want to try her, but from what I heard, she is lacking in power.

Rosaluma has the Power of Zelda Floutiness of Between Jiggs and Fox and a great recovery But her power increases dramtically if paired with Luma Properly

 

[Lautsuu~]

Your thoughts on Marth? I've been hearing people say he's been nerfed like crazy. Fox too.

 

[SuperMii3D]

Rosaluma has the Power of Zelda Floutiness of Between Jiggs and Fox and a great recovery But her power increases dramtically if paired with Luma Properly

Thank you. I needed this.

 

[ChikoLad]

Sweet gezuz and praise the lawd, for my Melee main has more maneuvering now. Did anyone play as Rosalina, because I honestly want to try her, but from what I heard, she is lacking in power.

From what I've heard from others, Rosalina & Luma attacking the same person simultaneously results in near Ganondorf levels of damage output. Which is pretty amazing since Rosalina and her attacks are not actually that slow (not particularly fast, she seems average in that regard).

 

[SuperMii3D]

From what I've heard from others, Rosalina & Luma attacking the same person simultaneously results in near Ganondorf levels of damage output. Which is pretty amazing since Rosalina and her attacks are not actually that slow (not particularly fast, she seems average in that regard).

Thats great. I thought Rosalina was pretty cool in Super Mario Galaxy, and a great addition in Super Mario 3D World, so Im definitely looking forward to using her in Smash Bros.

 

[4cast]

Your thoughts on Marth? I've been hearing people say he's been nerfed like crazy. Fox too.

Slower Heavier More Laggy Smash's for a better air game and you can't double hop Fair anymore so yeah Marth is pretty nerfed same goes with Fox
EDIT: Oh and Dancing Blade sucks also now

 

[Lautsuu~]

Slower Heavier More Laggy Smash's for a better air game and you can't double hop Fair anymore so yeah Marth is pretty nerfed same goes with Fox
EDIT: Oh and Dancing Blade sucks also now

I had a mini-panic attack just now.

 

[Venks]

Sweet gezuz and praise the lawd, for my Melee main has more maneuvering now. Did anyone play as Rosalina, because I honestly want to try her, but from what I heard, she is lacking in power.

She was really hard to get any real grasp on due to the chaotic nature of the matches I played. A friend of mine was having a much better time with her and was able to get KOs with just Luma. Impressive stuff. I'd like to see people learn her combos like we saw in her reveal trailer. But yeah she looks strong, just not easy to play Day -82.

Your thoughts on Marth? I've been hearing people say he's been nerfed like crazy. Fox too.

Marth is still good, but not as strong as he was before. He still has some of the best range in the game despite all the claims otherwise. He's not exactly wielding a dagger. Marth can still do some combos in this game, but he's not as powerful with short hops.
Fox is pretty much the same story. His blaster is pretty laggy and his up smash doesn't KO too fast. But he's still really fast over all, has amazing tilts, and has a buffed recovery with his side B.

It seems like Sakurai is attempting to make the game more balanced by bringing down some of the stronger characters and buffing the weaker characters. Zero Suit Samus and Pit look really strong and Zelda looks way too weak, but overall I'm liking the balance thus far. No one is the New Meta Knight in this game.
We'll have to wait and see if anything new gets discovered and yeah the game is still in development. Anything could change.

 

[Rich Homie Quan]

Thank you so much for sharing we really appreciate it man.

 

[PadWarrior]

She was really hard to get any real grasp on due to the chaotic nature of the matches I played. A friend of mine was having a much better time with her and was able to get KOs with just Luma. Impressive stuff. I'd like to see people learn her combos like we saw in her reveal trailer. But yeah she looks strong, just not easy to play Day -82.




Marth is still good, but not as strong as he was before. He still has some of the best range in the game despite all the claims otherwise. He's not exactly wielding a dagger. Marth can still do some combos in this game, but he's not as powerful with short hops.
Fox is pretty much the same story. His blaster is pretty laggy and his up smash doesn't KO too fast. But he's still really fast over all, has amazing tilts, and has a buffed recovery with his side B.

It seems like Sakurai is attempting to make the game more balanced by bringing down some of the stronger characters and buffing the weaker characters. Zero Suit Samus and Pit look really strong and Zelda looks way too weak, but overall I'm liking the balance thus far. No one is the New Meta Knight in this game.
We'll have to wait and see if anything new gets discovered and yeah the game is still in development. Anything could change.

What's your opinion on Mario and Bowser?

 

[SuperMii3D]

What's your opinion on Mario and Bowser?

I absolutely second this.

 

[kazrisk]

I absolutely second this.

I'm super curious about Mario's FLUDD alternatives and how people will use those. People already do cool things with the normal FLUDD but with the custom moves it'll be cool to see a move that a lot of others completely ignore.

And I want to see how Bowser performs now that they've evolved him and made him upright and faster.

 

[Venks]

What's your opinion on Mario and Bowser?

I absolutely second this.

I didn't play much Mario. He seems mostly the same just faster. He's one of the few characters with apparent combos and seems much better then he did in Brawl. His Fireball is still really good to follow behind and makes for easy punishes if they try to block it with shield. It's cool that he has nearly no landing lag on most of his moves.

Bowser is too awesome in this game. I really enjoyed him in Brawl, but he was one of the worst characters. Thankfully all heavy weights in this game are faster and deal even further knock back. Bowser is much faster and is actually rather good in the air and the ground. His side smash comes out faster in this game and can KO mid-screen uncharged at 50% and above on middle weight characters.
Bowser can wreck shields with either his down special or side smash so players have to be a bit more careful about what they choose to block. Bowser has more range with his nAir and bAir, both are great improvements. The bAir comes out really fast and is a great move for KOing around 100% in the air. It still has a lot of landing lag, but its speed and KO potential make up for it.

And we shouldn't forget that Bowser has a spike now in his dAir. Because spiking causes ground bounces on aerial opponents now this is a huge buff for Bowser.

I'm super curious about Mario's FLUDD alternatives and how people will use those. People already do cool things with the normal FLUDD but with the custom moves it'll be cool to see a move that a lot of others completely ignore.

And I want to see how Bowser performs now that they've evolved him and made him upright and faster.

The FLUDD still seems the same as it was in Brawl. No idea about the custom moves though as we didn't have access to any of them unfortunately.

 

[PadWarrior]

I didn't play much Mario. He seems mostly the same just faster. He's one of the few characters with apparent combos and seems much better then he did in Brawl. His Fireball is still really good to follow behind and makes for easy punishes if they try to block it with shield. It's cool that he has nearly no landing lag on most of his moves.

Bowser is too awesome in this game. I really enjoyed him in Brawl, but he was one of the worst characters. Thankfully all heavy weights in this game are faster and deal even further knock back. Bowser is much faster and is actually rather good in the air and the ground. His side smash comes out faster in this game and can KO mid-screen uncharged at 50% and above on middle weight characters.
Bowser can wreck shields with either his down special or side smash so players have to be a bit more careful about what they choose to block. Bowser has more range with his nAir and bAir, both are great improvements. The bAir comes out really fast and is a great move for KOing around 100% in the air. It still has a lot of landing lag, but its speed and KO potential make up for it.

And we shouldn't forget that Bowser has a spike now in his dAir. Because spiking causes ground bounces on aerial opponents now this is a huge buff for Bowser.



The FLUDD still seems the same as it was in Brawl. No idea about the custom moves though as we didn't have access to any of them unfortunately.

Awesome info, thanks!

 

[SuperMii3D]

I didn't play much Mario. He seems mostly the same just faster. He's one of the few characters with apparent combos and seems much better then he did in Brawl. His Fireball is still really good to follow behind and makes for easy punishes if they try to block it with shield. It's cool that he has nearly no landing lag on most of his moves.

Bowser is too awesome in this game. I really enjoyed him in Brawl, but he was one of the worst characters. Thankfully all heavy weights in this game are faster and deal even further knock back. Bowser is much faster and is actually rather good in the air and the ground. His side smash comes out faster in this game and can KO mid-screen uncharged at 50% and above on middle weight characters.
Bowser can wreck shields with either his down special or side smash so players have to be a bit more careful about what they choose to block. Bowser has more range with his nAir and bAir, both are great improvements. The bAir comes out really fast and is a great move for KOing around 100% in the air. It still has a lot of landing lag, but its speed and KO potential make up for it.

And we shouldn't forget that Bowser has a spike now in his dAir. Because spiking causes ground bounces on aerial opponents now this is a huge buff for Bowser.



The FLUDD still seems the same as it was in Brawl. No idea about the custom moves though as we didn't have access to any of them unfortunately.

Thanks, I appreciate the information.

 

[TerminalMontage]

Interesting reads, thanks Venks!

 

[Xavier :D]

Thats great. I thought Rosalina was pretty cool in Super Mario Galaxy, and a great addition in Super Mario 3D World, so Im definitely looking forward to using her in Smash Bros.

YESSSSS. Another reason for Rosalina to be my potential main!! Also, thanks for the read. Super informative.