I've noticed a sort of thrend in this forum and in many other forums as well. The trend seems to be "Smash Bros. Brawl is getting 'slowed down' a little, so now it's not going to be good". People are complaining that, just because Nooby McNewguy can't Wavedash or hold his own against certain players, that doesn't mean the game should be changed in any way. They complain that the "slower aerial battles" are going to make the game too much like a DBZ fighter, and that it would ruin the unique aspect that Smash Bros. has.
I'd like to say that looking at the gameplay changes like this is starting to show that the Smash community is a bunch of elitist hypocrites.
The game is going to be slowed down to allow more players to play it. Why don't you people think this is a good idea? By not letting new members join the community, you'll slowly start killing it. Video games thrive on new players joining the fray constantly. If the game is slightly tweaked to remove Wavedashing, a glitch that shouldn't exist (even if the programmers noticed it and left it in, it doesn't mean they saw the full ramifications of leaving it there), then fine, so be it. I can't Wavedash around my group of friends because none of them can do it; they don't bother to practice it, and refuse to play against me if I actively use it, and as such, I find no need to practice it either. So Wavedashing gets removed? Good. Explain to me why it should be left it.
The new aerial battle system doesn't sound at all like it's being made to sound like. I fairly certain just having more interesting aerial battles will make the game more fun, and I sure didn't see it as a bad thing when watching Pit and MetaKnight do it in the trailer. What's your problem with this change? It honestly sounds like it might matches more fun, and it gives a whole new area for characters to excel/fail in, creating a new way to determine the tiers. Explain to me why this is a bad thing.
I remember during the initial preparation for this game, that everyone was complaining about Melee turning into "just another fighter". One such argument: If they added Supers into it, that's a bad thing. Well, they sure as heck added Supers to it, didn't they? And they did a fine job at it too, by making it 'optional' for all you 'pros' who don't like fighting with items and only play on certain levels. This is where your hypocrisy comes in: If you don't want this game to be just like any other fighter, why are you trying so hard to make it like one? You remove items. Why? Because they take away from the skill required to play? No, you take them out because they're "random" and it makes the game "unfair". Bull. Items make the game more frantic, and add the chaos factor that regular fighters don't have. You play only on a small selection of levels, and you ALWAYS get rid of the moving levels, such as Poke Floats. Why? Because they're "random" and it's makes the game "unfair". Bull. The moving levels make the game more fun by making the players have to concentrate on more than just their opponent, something that regular fighters don't have.
By cutting certain levels and removing items, you completely destroy certain characters' only good qualities. You can bet that Mewtwo would be a better character if items were allowed, because the moment he picked up a Paper Fan his opponent would be afraid to put up his shield. Pichu is Bottom Tier because you removed the only thing that gave him an advantage: items. Because PokeFloats and Big Blue are turned off, it's impossible for, say, Kirby to gain an advantage by using the environment as a weapon. By turning off the "unfair" levels and items, you make this game exactly like all the other fighters out there, only lo and behold, you have to do your own combos. But in removing levels and items, you also remove several combo opportunities.
Also, you claim that by changing the gameplay and certain characters, that people will have to learn the game all over again. Guess what? Did you play the original Smash Bros.? THen, did you play Melee? Well, answer me this: Didn't you have to relearn certain aspects of the game? yes? Good, then stop complaining. If they don't change anything going into Brawl, they're basically making Smash Bros. Melee 2, and that's not a good thing. You see, because then, Smash Bros. would become like other fighters, because all that's chaning is a few new characters, some new levels, and improved graphics and combos. By changing the gameplay slightly, they create a completely new experience. That's wherein you'll find fun: a new gaming experience for everyone, pro or newb. So you have to relearn Sheik because they toned her down? Good, maybe you'll find someone else you like. So Wavedashing got removed? Good, now everyone's on the same basic skill level, and taking advantage of a glitch won't make the difference between a pro and a newb: it will be actual skill with their character of choice.
So honestly, I'd like an intelligent discussion with this. Someone tell me the bad part about Sakurai-san's changes, in response to my own points. What's wrong with changing the game?
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