The removal of "Star K.O.'s"

[DJ Arcatek]

As we're all aware by now in every iteration of smash, if a character is launched up in Smash, they will careen off screen in the background and turn into a star or hit the foreground and get KO'd. In all the trailers/gameplay we've seen thus far, we haven't had any glimpses of that yet and was simply the normal blast effect you get when you get sent off to the sides or down below. I fully acknowledge the fact that they probably just haven't gotten around to adding in that particular mechanic yet, but who knows? Maybe Sakurai wants to change things up.


My question is, if Star K.O.'s WERE to be removed, would you welcome it or be against the idea altogether?

 

[Substitution]

There is the possibility that it hasn't been put in yet.

 

[Komenja]

I really don't mind. Sure it was humorous in the games it was present in, but it's not going to utterly ruin my enjoyment of Smash 4. The impact of the final blow and huge blast-effect when they cross the stage border is satisfaction enough for me.

 

[Curious Villager]

Little Mac looks star K.O.'d here to me. Or screen K.O'd....

I think they just haven't finished or gotten around to implementing the background star K.O. yet or something....

 

[splat]

It probably just wasn't put in yet, Brawl had the same in the Nintendo World trailer in 2006 (at 0:15):

 

[Renji64]

The game isn't finished but it will most likely be in.

 

[Big-Cat]

I'd welcome it as it would give vertical and horizontal KOs the same impact.

@ Curious Villager
Right below Mac, you can see the tree from the stage. I think this is him in a tumbling animation, not a screen KO.

@ splat
Interesting, though we all know this game changed directions at one point in development, so it's hard to tell. I highly doubt the mechanic was not implemented at the time. They imported a lot of code from Melee after all.

And that Brawl trailer's content is so drastically different from every Smash 4 trailer. That Brawl trailer focused more on fanservice more than anything else while Brawl has laced all of its dense gameplay trailers with fanservice.We actually have gameplay stuff to talk about this time.

 

[Curious Villager]

@ Curious Villager
Right below Mac, you can see the tree from the stage. I think this is him in a tumbling animation, not a screen KO.

That's a pretty odd way to tumble then as he looks more like he just hit a screen or something in that screenshot to me.

 

[Admiral Pit]

It's probably not in yet mostly because no voices completely yet. If it was gone, it'd take me a while to get used to it, as Star KOs add to the funny.

See D3's Star KO voice.

 

[splat]

@ Big-Cat
If they indeed copy a lot of code from Melee to Brawl, they might've jusy disabled the Star K.O.'s for the sake of tempo in the trailer: a Star K.O. takes a couple of seconds, which you don't want in a trailer - yet you want to show that the character is knocked out.

The same could be true for the SSB4 trailers.

 

[D-idara]

As we're all aware by now in every iteration of smash, if a character is launched up in Smash, they will careen off screen in the background and turn into a star or hit the foreground and get KO'd. In all the trailers/gameplay we've seen thus far, we haven't had any glimpses of that yet and was simply the normal blast effect you get when you get sent off to the sides or down below. I fully acknowledge the fact that they probably just haven't gotten around to adding in that particular mechanic yet, but who knows? Maybe Sakurai wants to change things up.


My question is, if Star K.O.'s WERE to be removed, would you welcome it or be against the idea altogether?

I love star KOs...they remind of me of Team Rocket in the Pokemon series...also, there's nothing as satisfying as launching Mario upwards and hearing his signature "UWAA-A-A-A!"

 

[Snakeyes]

I'd be completely against it. Star KOs are great; they're satisfying, funny and give you some extra time to showboat while the opponent respawns.

 

[Big-Cat]

@ Big-Cat
If they indeed copy a lot of code from Melee to Brawl, they might've jusy disabled the Star K.O.'s for the sake of tempo in the trailer: a Star K.O. takes a couple of seconds, which you don't want in a trailer - yet you want to show that the character is knocked out.

The same could be true for the SSB4 trailers.

I would hope not as I feel that's misleading.

That being said, I'm not opposed to star KOs staying. I just wish they wouldn't disable it in the trailer. Same thing possibly for Little Mac's power meter. Regardless, these trailers are better than Brawl's.

 

[splat]

@ Big-Cat
It's not like there's no 'misleading' stuff in the trailer anyway. The powering up of the K.O.-bar is sped up, as seems the part with the vertical K.O. on the "you're no air fighter" to be. I think it's not that misleading in a trailer generated to create hype, where you want a fair bit of tempo.

 

[Big-Cat]

But there are ways to make the trailer show without speeding it up. Show progressive scenes with the meter being built up instead of zooming on it.

 

[Sobreviviente]

...wasnt a luma star-koed in rossy's trailer?

 

[ryuu seika]

You can't cut star KOs in the first 3D Smash. They're the most 3D orientated feature the game has.

 

[DaDavid]

First of all I doubt they're gone in any way since it's early on and they probably just want to avoid the time that showing them takes in a trailer.

However, I would be fine with them being gone in something like the Punch Out!! Arena, since it's indoors and it really doesn't make much sense for them to get star KO'd in the first place if you ask me. Screen KO should never leave us though, I love it too much.

 

[Superyoshiom]

I still hope we get that type of KO where the character hits the screen, that was awesome.

 

[stan423321]

I still hope we get that type of KO where the character hits the screen, that was awesome.

Well yeah, but regarding this one, they could switch the criteria from random to speed based ones.

 

[mygamecube]

Before Brawl released, footage and trailers showed KO blasts instead of Star K.O.s when characters were launched upward.

I have a feeling it's the same way in this game, they just haven't gotten around to adding it into the game. I suppose it's one of the last few things they implement.

 

[Fandangox]

I still hope we get that type of KO where the character hits the screen, that was awesome.

 

[JediLink]

You know, if Star KO's were removed that would have one benefit. You know those moments when you're both down to your last stock, and you Star KO the other player only to fall to your death before the KO finishes, thus losing the match? Those moments suck.

 

[stan423321]

You know, if Star KO's were removed that would have one benefit. You know those moments when you're both down to your last stock, and you Star KO someone only to fall to your death before the KO finishes, thus losing the match? Those moments suck.

On the other hand, if you could recover, and this wasn't last stock of you or your opponent, the opponent would end up in a better position to edgeguard.

 

[Hong]

To answer the OP:

It would be a welcome change. The characters who benefit most from star KOs are those who have to charge up their moves. Well I say, design the game so you have more methods and incentive to charge in combat. With the fact it has been confirmed that Samus' Charge Shot is already powered up, I would say the framework is in place.

Also I just feel like posting this image again so people have to see it again while they scroll down the page:

 

[Reila]

I would be extremely disappointed if they removed star K.Os.

It is just too funny hearing Pikachu say "bigaa biiigaaaa" when it is knocked out.

 

[MrPanic]

Yeah, this just seems like something that is implemented later. I think they'll put that in when they finalize all the camera movement and stages so they then can set it all at ones.

 

[andalsoandy]

You can't cut star KOs in the first 3D Smash. They're the most 3D orientated feature the game has.

 

[Arcadenik]

You know... I always wonder what causes a character to be blasted away or turned into a star when they go offscreen above... is it all random or is there a specific set of conditions that needs to be met to determine whether it is gonna be blasting off or turning into a star?

 

[BlitznBurst]

If Star KOs are back I hope the point where it counts as a "KO" is when the character touches the edge and not after they've disappeared. I've lost a few matches because of a star KO, and while it isn't that common it is ****ing annoying

 

[HylianHeroBigBoss]

I doubt they are gone, we just havent seen any footage slow enough to show one of the characters flying off in that way.

 

[DonkaFjord]

The only reason for them getting cut would be problems with the 3ds because that might hurt your eyes to have something randomly close up appear on your screen (Even more so if the camera on the 3ds version gives a more close up view and the bottom camera a more zoomed out map like view.) The other reason is Megaman has a special KO animation with his explosion. Neither of those seem to be too big of an issue to cut them completely so I bet they are in just not shown. (Or maybe there is some new mechanic or something that we don't know of yet that might interfere with it.)

 

[Overtaken]

I just hated when I got robbed of a KO at the end of a timed match or game mode because the star KO animation takes so much longer. (We only play stock now, like all self-serious smash players.)

 

[Wanderer from Roseyard]

I love the star KOs, but I hope that this time around, the KO is counted before the animation even begins. It's frustrating when you send someone off the ceiling, but then you get speed-KO'd by something innocuous while your foe is still in their star KO animation.

 

[Pazzo.]

Going to sound like a broken record here: The game isn't finished.

 

[Rockaphin]

I love the star KOs, but I hope that this time around, the KO is counted before the animation even begins. It's frustrating when you send someone off the ceiling, but then you get speed-KO'd by something innocuous while your foe is still in their star KO animation.

^this

 

[domriver]

I would be upset! I enjoy the STAR K.O 's as well. I enjoy hearing those screams! Does anyone know the difference of getting a STAR K.O or Hit the Screen K.O? I mean does anyone know how to achieve this or its just random?

 

[SchAlternate]

You know, if Star KO's were removed that would have one benefit. You know those moments when you're both down to your last stock, and you Star KO the other player only to fall to your death before the KO finishes, thus losing the match? Those moments suck.

They could get around that with the kill counting once your victim hitting the upper blastline, rather than when it goes "PING!".

The match would still end after the ping, even if you died right before that.

 

[DonkaFjord]

I would be upset! I enjoy the STAR K.O 's as well. I enjoy hearing those screams! Does anyone know the difference of getting a STAR K.O or Hit the Screen K.O? I mean does anyone know how to achieve this or its just random?

I believe it is random.

 

[Ryan.]

I hope they are not removed. I would feel weird if they were when I KO'd someone upwards.