NisforSmash
Smash Journeyman
- Joined
- May 28, 2013
- Messages
- 433
I've been following Smash 4 closely and after reading so many mixed opinions, first impressions and predictions i just wanted to post my $0.02. Before i do i have to give you a little background and context as to how and why i am thinking the way i am.
So for me I've always seen Smash games as a reflection of Nintendo, past and present. In the actual game you plays as Nintendo's most iconic, and historically relevant characters with representation of each of the series' in various ways. This is a reflection of Nintendo's past. It shows the "key players" who helped build and shape the big Npire that we know and love today. (This is where my username came from. Nintendo is for Smash with Smash being a reflection of everything great and successful about Nintendo packaged in one game)
The direction director Masahiro Sakurai takes the game in is a reflection of the present. It usually expresses the same vision and ideals that were conceived along with whatever console the game is featured on. Examples of this are present with every iteration of smash actually. The 64 was a huge step forward for gaming during it's time being the first affordable 3D home console. Smash 64 was a huge step forward in terms of living room multiplayer experiences and multiplayer fighting games. The gamecube took the ideas of the 64 and absolutely sprinted with them. A huge step up visually and interactively as the console provided hours upon hours of living room gaming fun like never before. Melee doesn't need an introduction nor does it need me to explain why it goes right along with this but I'll just say that it is one of the most incredible multiplayer experiences you can have if you understand the depths of the 0's and 1's written into that miniDVD. The wii took a step in a different direction. It didn't "abandon the hardcore fanbase" as some would claim but rather did it's best to appeal to people who didn't play games very much. It appealed to those who had a hard time approaching video games and that is why the wii was successful and did well despite those who might say it failed. Brawl is the exact same. Sure it's not exactly what melee fans were looking for or wanted, but it wasn't trying to appeal to them. Brawl was as Mr. Sakurai intended it to be, a (forgive me for using this term) party game. I won't rustle any more jimmies than i have to but really i think Brawl is best enjoyed when you play it without a care in the world as a party game where melee is best enjoyed when you play to win competitively.
So that leaves us with Smash 4. What direction is it going in? What's Sakurai's plan for it? Well i think we can get some guidance here if we ask what is the direction of the WiiU? The WiiU seems to me like it's going back to the days of the SNES releasing after the NES. It's an upgrade from the previous console and will provide quality entertainment on both fronts, those who game regularly and don't. So what about Smash? I'd say it's going to be great competitively and casually.
Smash 4 looks to me exactly how sakurai put it. Faster than Brawl but slower than melee. It actually looks like it's going to be more like 64 than any of the games. Some subtle hints have shown that it's trying to be a more of a direct sequel to smash 64. The game having the various transitions into the winning screen has only ever been done in smash 64. The music at the winning screen if i recall correctly is the smash 64 character select screen. The video played at the Smash 4 developer direct was a remix of smash 64. Perhaps we should stop comparing Smash 4 to melee, brawl and pm and instead compare it to the game it's originating from: Smash 64.
In terms of how the meta will develop I'm just speculating here but I can see a lot of tomahawking, and emphasis on spacing, zoning, projectile camping, and ledge cancelling. Once we actually figure out what combos and what doesn't i feel the game will have very explosive 0-death combos like 64 did at top level play. Because the ground speed has been increased and movement options are limited with dashdancing and aerial canceling a no go this time around, i think we can expect the neutral to play out slowly like brawl with momentum shifts being sudden like in 64 if they do happen. A lot of the moves look very polar; either they have high knockback and hitstun or low knockback and hitstun. Stale moves look a lot less potent than they used to be so i think people will have to be genuinely smarter about when they use certain attacks.
I'm not expecting smash 4 to be incredible but I'm also not expecting it to be bad. I'm just thinking that at first it will be a different experience that soon enough everyone will be able to enjoy. What are your thoughts?
So for me I've always seen Smash games as a reflection of Nintendo, past and present. In the actual game you plays as Nintendo's most iconic, and historically relevant characters with representation of each of the series' in various ways. This is a reflection of Nintendo's past. It shows the "key players" who helped build and shape the big Npire that we know and love today. (This is where my username came from. Nintendo is for Smash with Smash being a reflection of everything great and successful about Nintendo packaged in one game)
The direction director Masahiro Sakurai takes the game in is a reflection of the present. It usually expresses the same vision and ideals that were conceived along with whatever console the game is featured on. Examples of this are present with every iteration of smash actually. The 64 was a huge step forward for gaming during it's time being the first affordable 3D home console. Smash 64 was a huge step forward in terms of living room multiplayer experiences and multiplayer fighting games. The gamecube took the ideas of the 64 and absolutely sprinted with them. A huge step up visually and interactively as the console provided hours upon hours of living room gaming fun like never before. Melee doesn't need an introduction nor does it need me to explain why it goes right along with this but I'll just say that it is one of the most incredible multiplayer experiences you can have if you understand the depths of the 0's and 1's written into that miniDVD. The wii took a step in a different direction. It didn't "abandon the hardcore fanbase" as some would claim but rather did it's best to appeal to people who didn't play games very much. It appealed to those who had a hard time approaching video games and that is why the wii was successful and did well despite those who might say it failed. Brawl is the exact same. Sure it's not exactly what melee fans were looking for or wanted, but it wasn't trying to appeal to them. Brawl was as Mr. Sakurai intended it to be, a (forgive me for using this term) party game. I won't rustle any more jimmies than i have to but really i think Brawl is best enjoyed when you play it without a care in the world as a party game where melee is best enjoyed when you play to win competitively.
So that leaves us with Smash 4. What direction is it going in? What's Sakurai's plan for it? Well i think we can get some guidance here if we ask what is the direction of the WiiU? The WiiU seems to me like it's going back to the days of the SNES releasing after the NES. It's an upgrade from the previous console and will provide quality entertainment on both fronts, those who game regularly and don't. So what about Smash? I'd say it's going to be great competitively and casually.
Smash 4 looks to me exactly how sakurai put it. Faster than Brawl but slower than melee. It actually looks like it's going to be more like 64 than any of the games. Some subtle hints have shown that it's trying to be a more of a direct sequel to smash 64. The game having the various transitions into the winning screen has only ever been done in smash 64. The music at the winning screen if i recall correctly is the smash 64 character select screen. The video played at the Smash 4 developer direct was a remix of smash 64. Perhaps we should stop comparing Smash 4 to melee, brawl and pm and instead compare it to the game it's originating from: Smash 64.
In terms of how the meta will develop I'm just speculating here but I can see a lot of tomahawking, and emphasis on spacing, zoning, projectile camping, and ledge cancelling. Once we actually figure out what combos and what doesn't i feel the game will have very explosive 0-death combos like 64 did at top level play. Because the ground speed has been increased and movement options are limited with dashdancing and aerial canceling a no go this time around, i think we can expect the neutral to play out slowly like brawl with momentum shifts being sudden like in 64 if they do happen. A lot of the moves look very polar; either they have high knockback and hitstun or low knockback and hitstun. Stale moves look a lot less potent than they used to be so i think people will have to be genuinely smarter about when they use certain attacks.
I'm not expecting smash 4 to be incredible but I'm also not expecting it to be bad. I'm just thinking that at first it will be a different experience that soon enough everyone will be able to enjoy. What are your thoughts?
Last edited:
