Event - E3 Invitational 2014 Week in Review: E3 in Review

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

E3 in Review

Authors: @ Venus of the Desert Bloom
@---
@TumblrFamous
@MaskO'Gears
@BigAxle
@Vegito2727​

E3 (aka Entertainment Expo) is a large event dedicated to showcasing the best of the video gaming industry. The big video gaming giants Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft as well companies such as Ubisoft, Activision, Namco, and others will be showing off thier wares. Both Sony and Microsoft have presentations planned and will be unveiling several hot titles such as Uncharted 4, Halo 5, Killer Instinct Season2, and many others. However, Nintendo has a more digital concept in mind to give to their fans. Earlier last month, Nintendo announced their E3 events. They are as followed:

Digital Event

Treehouse Live @ E3

Smash Bros. Invitational​

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Smashbros SmashFest

Round Table Discussion

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Speculation has been buzzing around these events with many Smash Bros. fans feeling that this E3 will be defined by Super Smash Bros. and that it's success at E3 2014 will be the factor if the expo is a success or a failure. Obviously, Nintendo is trying their very best to promote Super Smash Bros. for wii U and 3DS and is making these two titles the focus of their E3 presentations. Several of these events have garenered a large amount of interest and The "Week in Review" E3 in Review wants to go into each of these events and report them in detail to the readers/

Nintendo Digitial Event​

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The Week in Review wants to capture the entirety of Super Smash Bros. but first we want to focus on the Digital Event and the games that were shown. There were a variety of games shown and in the Digital Event.

The Games​

The E3 Digital Event showed us a large amount of new games. Compiled here are a list of games that the Nintendo Digital Event showed us and some informtion on them.

Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS​

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NFC Figurines aka Amiibo​

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Yoshi's Wooly World​

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Captain Toad:​

Treasure Tracker​

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The Legend of Zelda Wii U​

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Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Saphire​

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Bayonette 2​

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Hyrule Warriors​

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Kirby and the Rainbow Curse​

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Xenoblade Chronicles X​

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Mario Maker​

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Splatoon​

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While some of these games such as Bayonette 2, Hyrule Warriors, Legend of Zelda Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. was expected to be featured in the Nintendo Digital Evebt, games such as Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Mario Maker, and Splatoon were all welcomed surprises.

Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS Digital Event

Super Smash Bros. for wii U and 3DS recieved a large amount of attention during the Digital Event with a lot of new information being featured. The Week in Review has compiled a list of information ranging from game play features to new stages to veter and newcomers that were shown only in the Digital Event and not the Invitational and the Smashfest.

The Release Dates
@Vegito2727

Nearing the end of the presentation, Sakurai showed us the release dates for the 3DS version and a better release window for the Wii U version. The 3DS version, unfortunately , has been delayed until October 3rd 2014. As for Japan, however, they will get the 3DS version September 13th, three weeks before the US, Europe and Australia get it. The release date for the AU is October 4th.

3DS Features
@ Venus of the Desert Bloom

The 3DS is confirmed to have many features aside from Smash Run. It is unknown what these features are as Sakurai did not explain them in depth but here is some speculation for what they could be:

A type of lottery
An adventure mode
some sort of battle mode not involving the characters
Tips and move details
Character rankings
Master Hand
and many more that is hard to truly figure out

It is not a stretch to say that the 3DS version will be full of exclusive content that is not found on the Wii U version.

For other confirmed content such as Miis and Palutena, please visit their articles below!

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Anyone Can Fight!!

Author: @ Venus of the Desert Bloom ​

Ther first newcomer confirmed on E3 2014 was the highly controevrsial and highly debated customizable avatars, Mii! These characters were first unveiled with the release of the Wii. They starred in various Mii centered games such as Wii Sports, Wii Resort, Wii Music, Wii Play, Nintendo Land, and even appeared playable in Mario Paty and Mario Kart games. They also play an important part for the 3DS; appearing in agmes such as "Tomodachi Life" and "Find Mii" which both have stages on the 3DS versions.

Many felt the Mii's were sure to make their appearance yet were not welcoming that thought. Many felt the customizable feature of the Mii would clash of the overall feeling of Smash and would tarnish its reputation (not to mention that now celebrties and other characters have a chance of appearing). However, Miis are obviously an important part of Nintendo history and have contributed much to Nintendo.

Many did feel that the Mii would be rather bland and borrow various attacks from other characters or have Mii-inspired attacks. With the Mii reveal, Sakurai and his team showed us that the Mii is actually very unique. The Mii is confirmed to have three types of classes:

The Brawler
​

The Mii Brawler is a more up front melee specialist that delivers powerful punches and kicks to the opponents. Much like the Mii Swordfighter and Mii Gunner, the Mii Brawler has access to three sets of special moves that are customizable.

Brawlers fight empty-handed, and prefer to be up close and personal. Mii Brawlers are fast and powerful.

Taken from the SSBWiki, here are some confirmed/speculated moves that the Mii Brawler has:

Normal Moves

• Neutral Attack - Two punches followed by a rapid jab ending with a kick.
• An uppercut similar to Mario's up tilt.
• Brawlers have a chargeable forward punch as an attack, possibly a forward smash.
• A flip kick similar to Fox's up smash.
• Punching in front and kicking to the back at the same time, possibly a down smash.

Special Moves
In Super Smash Bros. 4, characters' special moves can be swapped out for different variants. However, unlike the other characters, Brawlers and other types of Mii Fighters can choose from three completely different special moves for each slot, (similar to Palutena). Out of the three types of Mii Fighters, only those for the Brawlers have been shown off so far. The following are the Mii Brawlers' special moves:

• Neutral Special 1: Shot Put: Tosses a black sphere resembling a cannonball into the air.
• Neutral Special 2: An uppercut that slightly resembles Little Mac's when he lands his OHKO.
• Neutral Special 3: Dashing forwards with their foot caught on fire, extended as if it's about to kick someone.
• Side Special 1: Onslaught: Charges forward with their knee and fist out, similar to Captain Falcon's Knee Smash.
• Side Special 2: Extends both legs in front of them, charging forward to deliver a kick while caught on fire.
• Side Special 3: Performs a mid-air split while doing a downward punch with both fists.
• Up Special 1: Soaring Axe Kick: Performs a straight kick that slightly resembles an axe kick.
• Up Special 2: Performs a roundhouse kick.
• Up Special 3: Jumps upwards and performs an uppercut.
• Down Special 1: Head-On Assault: Falls downwards at a high speed, head aimed at the ground. This move can bury opponents.
• Down Special 2: Performs a kick similar to Sonic's down-aerial, a purple aura surrounding them.
• Down Special 3: Extends their foot forwards and delivers a number of rapid kicks in front of them, similar to Fox's standard tilt.

http://www.ssbwiki.com/Mii_Brawler_(SSB4)

The Swordfighter

The Mii Swotrdfighter is more precise and agike; able to deliver powerful and controlled sword strikes that carve deep into the opponent.

Swordfighters are weapon masters. They stay cool and calm as they chase down opponents.

Here are some speculated/confirmed attacks for the Mii Swordfighter:

• They have a counter-attack move

• They can throw a chakram.

• They have a throw identical to Ike's down throw.

The Gunner

The Gunner is a projectile and explosion expert that can deliver powerful missile and blast attacks from his or her arm cannon.

Gunners are armed with mysterious arm-cannons. They have lots of different projectiles that can be fired from long range.

Here is a set of confirmed/speculated attacks:

• Shooting many shots upwards while in the air, possibly acting as an up air.

• Creating an explosion on the ground similar to Samus' down tilt.

• The Mii Gunner's Final Smash involves summoning two orbiting devices that fire off lasers in tandem with their arm cannon.

• A close ranged attack that will move an enemy to the opposite side the gunner was facing, similar to Ganondorf's down smash in Brawl.

• A headbutt after a grab. Possibly a forward throw

• Shooting a small shot that explodes on impact.

• They can also shoot multiple shots that are much slower and easier to dodge.

• All sorts of potential special attacks including a missile, a grenade that drops after being shot, and a charge shot similar to Samus's neutral special.

All three play very differently with the Brawler focusing on physical, melee attacks, the Swordfighter focusing on quick sword attacks, and the Gunner focusing more on explosives and projectiles. It is unknown how the player can choose which class to pick but it can be assumed that when the player uploads his or her Mii into Smash Bros., they can choose which class they want to be.

4th...5th...6th Party?!​

If playing as youtself is not enough, the idea that really anyone can be included into Smash now exists. This means that the following characters could be fighting against your favorite Nintendo all stars!

Hulk Hogan


King Leonidas


Dilbert


Cameron Diaz


C3PO


http://www.miicharacters.com/

The prospect of having virtually any character in your Super Smash Bros. game is appealing to some while others are disgusted by this. A fair share of Mii Hate threads and articles have popped up around the internet. Still, they are important to Nintendo history and Sakurai did try to make them unique and as exciting as possible.

Outfits​

It also confirmed that Mii's are unable to be played online "With Anyone" and only "With Friends". This may curb the random Hitlers, **** heads, and other inappropriate Mii's from appearing in your game....unless it is a friend of yours.

Mii's can also play dress up by wearibng a number of outfits. Down below you can view some of these outfits that they can wear. Some examples include futuristic, wild west, classical, adventurer, biker, pirate, football, etc. Below are three of the outfits. It also appears hats and other accessories will be available. It is unklnown if this will be expanded to the Mii Maker or just limited to Smash Bros.

Screenshots and Video​

Interestingly enough, the Mii Fighters never had an official artwork or a trailer put up onto the main website yet they do have a section for them. Here is thier Digital Event Trailer as well as the images included into their main website page:

In Conclusion​

The Mii's have made thier appearance in Smash Bros. and has been recieved fairly well those many are not happy due to what they may bring to Smash Bros. Those whi dislike the Mii bring up how many characters, people, or things niot affiliated to Nintendo can technically figth against the best of Nintendo. Howeever, this does bring an unrivaled standard of customization to the game and allows Smash fans to fight against the likes of Link and Mario.

To discuss about the Mii Fighter including the Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter, and Mii Gunner, please vist the Mii Fighter Sub-Category!
http://smashboards.com/forums/mii-fighter.481/​

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Palutena Alights!
Newcomer Analysis: Palutena
Writer: @TumblrFamous

Here she is! The ruler of Angel Land! The protector of humanity! The heavenly Goddess of Light has joined the fray! Yes, Palutena will be appearing as a playable character in Super Bash Sisters! ....I mean, Super Smash Bros. Sorry.

Revealed at the end of the Nintendo Digital Event, Palutena is the eighth newcomer announced for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and the 32nd fighter overall. Palutena has always been one of the most popular and well-known Nintendo characters, and deemed one of the most likely to join the fray this time around.



Palutena made her first appearance in the original Kid Icarus, as the ruler of Angel Land. She was kidnapped by Medusa, which required Pit to rescue her. In Kid Icarus: Uprising, she became more of an ally than the traditional "Damsel-in-Distress". She aids him in battle, and is actually a boss he must fight, while being possessed by the Chaos Kin, of course. After evolving into an ally for Pit, a decent fighter, and a popular character, she was just what Smash needed.

But of course, despite how much she was wanted and expected, Sakurai, director of Smash, still toyed with us. Showcasing so much Kid Icarus content in the game, everyone figured she was in. Pit's Final Smash was even changed, from Palutena's Army to the Three Sacred Treasures. And who could forget the Smash Bros. Direct scare, where Sakurai showed off a trophy of Pseudo-Palutena? By that time, she was deemed as the most likely newcomer to join.

As everyone remembers, months ago there were a set of leaks that showcased Palutena on the 3DS version. Closer examination upon confirmation clearly shows that these screenshots were fake all along.

Appearance

Palutena's Official Smash Bros. Design (Top) and Kid Icarus: Uprising Design (Bottom)

Generally, Palutena's design in this game certainly resembles and draws from her appearance in Kid Icarus: Uprising, as most people assumed. It's actually pretty interesting: her Smash design is just a polished, HD version of her KI:U design. Everything looks pretty identical. Her trademark green hair, shield, staff, and gown are all spot-on. Overall, almost all fans expected her design to resemble her Uprising design, so it was not a surprise to see it. Otherwise, she looks very good. As with every other character, she looks excellent in HD, and will certainly be a popular character in terms of general aesthetic.

Kirby's "Palutena Hat"

Moveset and Gameplay

Defining Palutena's moveset is rather difficult. As confirmed on the Smash Website, Palutena (alongside the Mii Fighters) does not have simple alterations to her special moves. Instead, she has 12 completely unique special moves to choose from. So let me quickly go over all of her moves first, and we'll see what we can work with. (REMINDER: ALL SPECULATION)​

• Her Smashes appear to be her conjuring wings. She either smacks her wings forward or downward. It is yet unknown what he Up Smash will be, but based on this pattern, it will most likely be her smacking her wings upward.
• Her Forward Tilt has her swing her staff away from her, spinning in a circle and returning back to her.
• Jab Combo appears to be her striking the opponent with her staff, jabbing it forward and blasting them with light.
• She can trap a player with her psychic powers through her Grab. Her Back-Throw appears to be her flinging the opponent behind her while she does a 180 Degree kick.
• Her Dash Attack involves her bashing the opponent with her shield.
• Her Neutral Aerial is her spinning her staff in front of her in a circle, striking enemies multiple times.
• Palutena shoots a beam of blue light onto the stage, stopping an opponent in their tracks. Possibly a special or up tilt.
• Heavenly Light: Palutena conjures a large field of light around her. All opponents in the field will take rapid damage with no knockback. Likely a Down or Neutral Special.
• Explosive Flame: Shoots an orb of fire away from her. Possible Neutral or Side Special.

  

  Explosive Flame in Action​
  ​
• Warp: Palutena warps away from her current location. Likely Up Special.
• Rocket Jump: Palutena charges and blasts off above, hitting enemies around her with fire. Likely Up Special.
• Reflect: Produces a barrier that reflects projectiles. Most likely Down Special.
• Auto Reticle: Palutena targets an opponent and shoots them with small beams of light. Side or Neutral Special.
• Jump Glide: Typical levitation, flying into the air. Up Special.
• Counter: Typical Counter. Down Special.
• Super Speed: Dashes forward, striking everyone in her path upward. Likely Side Special.
• Angelic Missile: Blasts forward in the air, hitting an opponent in a fiery blast. Likely Side Special.
• Celestial Fireworks: Throws fire into the air, hitting opponents. Likely Neutral or Down Special.
• Light Weight: Dashes forward while running, appears to be in order to avoid enemy attacks. Possible Side or Down Special.
• Final Smash: Black Hole and Mega Laser Combo. Palutena traps opponents in a black hole, then annihilates them with a deadly laser.
  
  

  

  

  
  Palutena's Final Smash in Action!​

• Taunts: Palutena has three taunts. She hits the ground lightly with her staff twice, raises her wings up to the sky, and for her final one, Palutena has the staff float in midair while she flicks her hair, shining.​
  
  
  
  
  All three of her presumed-to-be taunts

Based on my predictions, here is what I can see be her possible movesets:
Neutral: Heavenly Light, Auto Reticle, Celestial Fireworks
Up: Warp, Rocket Jump, Jump Glide
Side: Explosive Flame, Angelic Missile, Super Speed
Down: Reflect, Lightweight, Counter

Again, this is all speculation. So if you'd like to see her moveset, please feel free to check out her trailer below!

Phosphora and Dark Pit

A few months ago, we got confirmation of Phosphora appearing in Smash as a trophy. Cool, right? Everyone loved that flirty temptress. However, we get this screenshot on Palutena's page on the Smash Website. Here we have Phosphora. I guess Sakurai wasn't specific. It's very likely, almost 100% sure that Phosphora will appear as an Assist Trophy in this game.

We also have another Kid Icarus: Uprising character that's stirring up quite a bit of controversy: Dark Pit. As most of you know, Dark Pit was seen at the end of Palutena's trailer, apparently "crashing her party". What does this mean? Is it a hint towards him being playable? A boss? An Assist Trophy? We already have Magnus and Phosphora, apparently. Will he still be an alternate skin for Pit? I don't know, but many people are thinking he's very likely now, as he is now in the running for a spot on the roster.​

Fan Reactions

Like I said, MANY people wanted Palutena. The supporters of her, deemed the "Army of Light" (which I am apart of) have kept their spirits high for the Goddess's return. Let's see their reactions to this great reveal.

@Glaciacott

@hinata2000100

@Rebellious Treecko

@ThatWasPeachy

@Ryan.

@Fatmanonice

@PurpleSpaceDragon

@Admiral Pit

@Chris Baker


If you want to join the celebration, please check out Palutena's Subforum!
http://smashboards.com/forums/palutena.480/​

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Wakka Wakka!
Newcomer Analysis: Pac-Man

Writer: BigAxle​

During the E3 Smash 3DS Roundtable, a special newcomer was announced. Fan-favorite and highly anticipated Namco icon Pac-Man joined with a crazy moveset as well! Pac-Man is the 3rd Third Party character confirmed for Super Smash Bros for 3DS/Wii U and the 9th Newcomer announced in total.

Here’s a quick synopsis for Pac-Man from Wikipedia and a small history lesson:

Pac-Man is the protagonist fictional character of the franchise of the same name by Namco, who was first introduced in the arcade game Pac-Man in 1980. Ever since, the character has appeared in more than 30 officially licensed game spin-offs,as well as in numerous unauthorized clones and bootlegs,spawned a variety of Pac-Man merchandise with his image, as well as atelevision series. Pac-Man became a worldwide social phenomenon and Namco's mascot.

Pac-Man, originally known as Puck-Man in Japan (He now is Pac-Man worldwide after Pac-Man proved to be a more proper and more popular name) is the mascot of Namco, created by Toru Iwatani (who designed Pac-Man akin to a pizza with a quarter of it cut out). He, like Mr. Game & Watch, predates Mario and Donkey Kong by a year, making the two the oldest competitors by age. Midway Games would go on to create unofficial sequels to the arcade hit, such as Ms. Pac-Man (which eventually became an official game). Nowadays, Namco makes all sequels, remakes and holds the rights to the Pac. He has starred on multiple TV shows and hit games in his 30+ year history.

Pac-Man has gone through a variety of designs throughout his history. In the next section, his appearance in Smash will be discussed.

Appearance:​

Pac-Man’s form normally in-game (top) and his “3D Sprite” form (bottom)

In Super Smash Bros for 3DS and Wii U, Pac-Man appears in his Pac-Man World design (in Japan, this was his original design) but for some attacks, he will revert to his iconic sprite-based form in 3D. Sakurai noted that he wanted to use the most iconic versions of Pac-Man for Smash instead of the most recent one which yields a mixed reception (seen in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, which is a modified version of the Pac-Party version that now has teeth.)

In order, left to right: Pac’s original design in Japan, his Pac-Man International design in 1980, his World design, his Pac-Party incarnation and his Ghostly Adventures incarnation (note that this incarnation is nearly identical to his Party design but features different shoes and teeth).

Kirby after swallowing Pac-Man and getting his ability.

Though Pac-Man’s appearance is something classic, what’s even greater is his moveset so far.

Moves and Gameplay:​

Pac’s moveset summons a variety of items to assist him in battle, such as classic Namco sprites and characters to weird objects and Pac-Dots!

Here’s a quick run-down of some of his moves so far:
-Standard Jab Combo: A triple hit attack.
-Dash Attack: Pac-Man transforms into his 3D Sprite form and damages opponents in a quick charge.
-Attacks that summon Pinky, Blinky, Clyde and Inky. These appear to be his Smash attacks.
-Forward Air is a swift kick.
-Down Air is a multi-hit kick, similar to Yoshi.
-An attack that summons a fire hydrant that shoots water that knocks opponents away. It can be kicked to damage others.

Fire Hydrant in action.

-Forward tilt is a kick that has Pac face the screen.
-Up air has Pac kick upwards in the air, like Fox’s Up Smash.
-Back air is a backwards boot smash.
-A move that summons a Power Pellet, and has Pac transform to his 3D Sprite form to eat it. Appears to be a recovery move, and appears that this can be aimed. On the ground, it appears that it can be aimed twice, akin to Quick Attack.

The Power Pellet Move in the air.

-A move that summons a small bar that Pac can bounce on 3 times before it breaks.
-A move that seems to utilize an enemy capture ship from Galaga. In the trailer, it captures Villager while Pac shoots a beam identical to the enemy ship.
-A move that cycles through a variety of sprites. Due to the large variety of these, it can be one of the customizable elements at work. Each appears to have a different effect. Some examples include a Heart, a fruit from the arcade Pac-Man, a chaser ship that homes in on the opponent, the titular Galaga Ship, Pooka from Dig Dug, Rat Police, an enemy space craft, and the like.
-Pac Man’s Final Smash turns him into a giant version of the classic sprite (in circular form) and he can chase down enemies for maximum carnage.

Pac’s deadly final Smash, along with a bonus clip of his 3D Sprite form.

Pac has a charm to his character and a unique moveset to boot. He’ll be, for sure, one of the more unique newcomers out there!

Community Responses:​

The response to Pac-Man has been largely positive, from his moveset to Sakurai’s choice of Pac-World Pac-Man. Here’s a snippet of some reactions:

PAC FANS REJOICE!

@The Real Gamer

Historic day in gaming (J)

@Mang@Tortle

Nintendo sure does want me to die out of excitement.

@Thegamerguy131

I'm blown away by how surprisingly good this character looks. If I actually believed any of the old leaks, I wouldn't have expected that they would be able to make such a diverse and appropriate moveset for him.

@hotdogturtle

This is so perfect. History has been made. 4 titans of video games all playable and together in one title for the first time. This is an amazing feat. I'm thrilled with the approach they took with Pac-Man too. Just like Megaman, they handled it so tactfully and charmingly.

@Camalange

...The Pac is baaaack~! Ghosts chomping at his feet Pac's our hero Pac just can't be beat, yeaaaaah~!

@Reoyoshi8

Want to discuss about Pac-Man? Go to the Pac-Man subforum!
http://smashboards.com/forums/pac-man.482/
​

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Super Smash Bros Invitational

Authors: @ Venus of the Desert Bloom ​

Invitational Overview​

Announced earlier last month, the Super Snmash Bros. Invitational is an E3-Only event where sixteen pro players were invited to E3 to participate a non-competetive tournament. When first announced, not much was know about the Invitational except for the basics but in weeks leading up to the Invitational, more information was released such as the rules and those participating. The video blow was released in late May and contained the rules, players, and announcers:

We will be getting into the meat of the Invitational and the results later but first I want to focus on the contestants:

The Players​

• Lilian "milktea" Chen
• Hugo "HugS" Gonzalez
• Ken "LiquidKen" Hoang
• Daniel "LiquidKDJ" Jung
• Neha "Lilo" Chhetri
• Hendrick "DJNintendo" Pilar
• Kris "Toph" Aldenderfer
• Sam "PeachyHime" McNaughton
• Juan "Crs.Hungrybox" DeBeidma
• Kevin "PewPewU" Toy
• Kevin "EG PPMD" Nanney
• [Dakota "TheRapture" Lasky
• Cristin "Crismas" DeSaro
• McCain "MacD" LaVelle
• Masaya "VGBC | aMSa" Chikamoto
• Gonzalo "CT ZeRo" Barrios

All come from a variety of backgrounds and even countries with aMSa coming from Japan and ZeRo coming from Chile. The rest of the players are from America. The vast majority of them are notable Melee players with varying skill levels while others also participated in Brawl/P:M tournaments. Due to the rules being that the multiple players are unable to be picked, amny were unable to playa s thier mains in Melee or Brawl thus possibly handicapping some of the players. As I said before, I will be covering the actual Invitational later.

The Announcers​

Covering the event and tournament are three notable and popular commentators.

• D'Ron "D1" Maingrette
• Wynton "Prog" Smith
• Bobby "Scar" Scarnewman

Prog is one of the largest names in the Smash Competetive scene and is notable for his pitreach and dedication to not only Super Smash Bros. to the the fighting game genre. Both D1 and Prog are notable Melee commentators and players but remain at a semi-professional level. Scar is a both a commentator and a top professional specializing in Captain Falcon. Prior to the event, many were excited to see the commentary between these three giants in the Smash competetive scene.

The Host

Geoff Keighley​

Geoff Keighley is confirmed as the host of the Invitational and will be directing its events. Geoff is a notable writer, journalist, and host within the video gaming industry. Some of his more famous works has been GameTrailersTV and G4tv.com. He has also contributed for Kotaku, Electric Playground, and Gamefly. He is also the executive producer of Game Awards. In the past, he has help with the E3 Press Confrences for companies such as Electronic Arts and Sony.

Many were happy to see his inclusion as the Host but others aren't exactly sure what to xpect from him.

The Rules​

The tournament doesn't follow standard competetive tournament rules in that this seems to be more casual based; especially with the inclusion of items and a character draw prior to the match. The rules are as follows:

• Before the tournament begins, the players will choose characters in random order. Characters may not be chosen by multiple players, and players cannot switch characters at any time.

• Each match will have 4 players. Matches will have 4 stock with a 5-minute timer. The top 2 players in terms of score advance; if there is a tie between 2 and 3, the number of KOs is the tiebreaker, and a further tie is broken by fan vote.

• The final match will take place on Battlefield, and have a timer of 8 minutes, as an explicit homage to the competitive Smash community.

• Items will be on medium for round 1, low for rounds 2 and 3, and off for the final.

• Stages are to be revealed at the tournament. (This will include Mushroom Kingdom U)

Playable Characters​

As mentioned before, the players will choose characters in random order, multiple selections are not allowed, and players have to keep that character throoughout the tournament. This has recieved nuetral to negative responses; especially given the fact that players who are allowed to pick last may end up picking a character they generally dislike or unfamiliar with. In particular, Little Mac and Greninja seems to top choices for some of the players.

Here are a list of characters players can choose from:


Mario


Rosalina


Bowser


Donkey Kong


Link


Zelda


Samus


Zero Suit Samus


Kirby


Fox


Pikachu


Greninja


Marth


Pit


Olimar


Little Mac


Villager


Wii Fit Trainer


Sonic


Mega Man

http://www.ssbwiki.com/Super_Smash_Bros._Invitational

It is notable that the following are unavailable:

Charizard (revealed alongside Greninja; reason unknown)
Sheik (potentiall due to be recently revealed)
Yoshi (potentially due to be recently revealed)
Lucario (possibly due to being a locked character)
Luigi (possibly due to being a locked character)
Toon Link (possibly due to being a locked character)
Peach (reason unknown)
King Dedede (reason unknown)
Diddy Kong (reason unknown)
Ike (possibly due to being recently revealed)

It is notable that all of the confirmed newcomers are playable but there has been no mention of characters that may appear during the Nintendo Digital Event prior to the Invitational.

The Invitational Play by Play

The Invitational started at 4 pm Pacific Time to much hype and excitement. Shortly after starting the players were brought in and the rules were read. In particular, the rules for the Grand Finale which was 1v1 without items was well recieved. The players were then introduced and announced which characters they will play as:

• Lilan"milktea"Chen
• Hugo"HugS"Gonzalez
• Ken"LiquidKen"Hoang
• Daniel"LiquidKDJ"Jung
• Neha"Lilo"Chhetri
• Hendrick"DJNintendo"Pilar
• Kris"Toph"Aldenderfer
• Sam"PeachyHime"McNaughton
• Juan"Crs. Hungrybox"Debiedma
• Kevin"PewPewU"Toy
• Kevin"EG PPMD"Nanney
• Dakota"TheRapture"Lasky
• Cristin"Crismas"DesSaro
• McCain"MacD"LaVelle
• Masaya"aMSa"Chikamoto
• Gonzalo"CT ZeRo"Barrios

Sadly, it was announced that Samus and Donkey Kong would not appear in the Invitational due to balancing and technical issues. Shortly after the introductions, Sakurai made his appearance!

Sakurai tells the audience that him and his team are working hard to perfect the game and that is is happy to have the support of all of the fans. He mentions that this is game is 15 years in the making. And with that the tournament was underway.

To make it more easier for readers to read about this portion, I will be breaking it down into matches:

1. Players: MacD (Greninja), aMSa (Olimar), Crismas (Zelda), and Rapture (Little Mac)
Stage: Mushroom Kingdom U
Notes: Icicles falls fromt he ceiling.
Kamek appears and transforms the stage.
aMSa performs a Final Smash with Olimar "End of the Day"
MacD whiffs with Greninja's Final Smash "Trap Door"
Goes into Sudden Death with MacD and aMSa
Winner: aMSa (Olimar)
Fan Pick: MacD (Greninja)

2. Players: DJNintendo (Bowser), CT ZeRo (Zero Suit Samus), KoreanDJ (Rosalina and Luma), and PPMD (Fox)
Stage: Skyloft
Notes: Quick deaths under a minute
ZeRo gets the Final Smash and perform Zero Suit Samus' new Final Smash: Gunship.
A combination of the Blue Shell and Arceus causes some kills
ZeRo was able to obtain every Final Smash.
Winner: Ct ZeRo
Fan Pick: PPMD (Fox)

3. Players: PewPewU (Mario), Lilo (Wiii Fit Trainer), Toph (Pit), Ken (Marth)
Stage: Coliseum
Notes: Wii bFit Trainer peforms her Final Smash: Wii Fit
Pit performs his Final Smash: Sacred Treasures
Back Shield is used and is the X Bomb and Steel Diver
Dillon and Moltres appeared.
Sudden Death between Lilo and PewPewU
Winner: PewPewU
Fan Pick: Ken (Marth)

4. Players: PeachyHime (Villager), Milktea (Pikachu), Hungrybox (Kirby), and Hugs (Mega Man)
Stage: Town and City
Notes: Kirby performs his Final Smash: Ultra Sword
Cuckoo!
Dedenne appeared
Villager got the Smash Ball and di his Final Smash.
Kirby appears to be unchanged from Brawl
Both Arceus and Shadow appeared
Piakchu squeezes out a Volt Tackle
Winner: HungryBox
Fan Pick: Hugs (Mega Man)

5. Fan Match
Players: McD (Greninja), PPMD (Fox), Ken (Marth), and Hugs (Mega Man)
Stage: City and Town
Notes: Timed Match
Marth performs his Final Smash "Critical Strike"
Fox performed his Landmaster Final Smash
Winner: PPMD (Fox)

6. Media "Rumble" Match
Players: I have no idea...
Stage: Wily Castle
Notes: Greninja, Link, Little Mac, and Mario
No stocks
No score counter
Winner: Greninja

7. Players: aMSa (Olimar), Rapture (Little Mac), CT ZeRo (Zero Suit Samus), and KoreanDJ (Rosalina and Luma)
Stage: Pilot Wings
Notes: Strange eye blasdter item
Little mac KO move
Rosalina's Final Smash but rather easy to avoid
Pong Assist Trophy appeared
Winner: CT ZeRo (Zero Suit Samus)
Fan Pick: KoreanDJ (Rosalina and Luma)

8. Players: PewPewU (Mario), Lio (Wii Fit Trainer), HungryBox (Kirby), and PeachyHime (Villager)
Stage: Wily Castle
Notes:
A lot of Yellow Devil
Winner: Hungrybox (Kirby)
Fan Pick: PewPewU (Mario)

9. Fan Match
Players: PPMD (Fox), Hugs (Mega Man), KoreanDJ (Rosalina and Luma), and PewPewU (Mario)
Stage: Boxing Ring
Notes: No stock
No score counter
Winner:
Fan Pick:

10. Fan Favorite Finals
Players: PPMD (Fox), Hugs (Mega Man)
Stage:
Notes: No stock
No score counter
Winner:
Fan Pick:

11. Finals
Players: CT ZeRo (Zero Suit Samus), aMSa (Olimar), Lilo (Wii Fit Trainer), Hungrybox (Kirby)
Stage: Boxing Ring
Notes: Low items
4 sotck
5 minutes
Winner: CT ZeRo (Zero Suit Samus)

12. Grand Finale
Players: HungryBox (Kirby) and CT ZeRo (Zero Suit Samus)
Stage: Battlefield
Notes: No items
4 stocks
8 minutes
Great play overall from both players
Defensive play by CT ZeRo
Sudden Death
Winner: CT ZeRo

The Results

Due to the Invitational, we got our first real look at the gameplay for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The 16 players performed well despite not having any prior experience with the Wii U version nor some of the characters they chose. What we saw was a contrasting type of abilities and play styles that had to be adapted from Brawl and Melee. Even though some of the contestants did not win, they entered into the annals of Smash history just by contending in the event.

CT ZeRo winning this event not only makes him the first winner of an E3 Smash tournament but the first winner of a Super Smash Bros. 4 tournament. Regardless if you agreed with how he played or not, he did very well and his skill shown in how well he played Zero Suit Samus.

In Conclusion
As mentioned before, this tournament will go down as the first E3 Smash tournament and hopefully it won't be the last. We got to see gameplay footage streamed live and hopefully, taking the constructive criticism and opinions from those who played; Sakurai will be able to create a Smash game that every type of player will enjoy. This certainly appears to be the case as Nintendo started this event in hopes of allowing players and viewers a chance to see the recent developement of this game, a reach out to the competetive community, and to hold us over until the release. I feel this tournament was a success no matter how you look at it and, with hope, the gameplay, characters, and mechanics will be fine-tunned and represent a game that all types of players can pick up and enjoy.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Tree House Live @ E3

Authors: @ Venus of the Desert Bloom ​

Confirmed to be at E3 2014 is the Treehouse Live @E3. The Treehouse is a development division under Nintendo of America. Though the name is often used to refer solely to the localization department, "Treehouse" englobes the localization team, audio-visual department, product management and quality assurance work. http://www.mariowiki.com/Treehouse
The Treehouse also handles much of the English translations as well as other languages such as Spanish, French, and Portugese.

If you are unsure to what the Treehouse exactly is; please read this article by Kotaku:
http://kotaku.com/inside-the-treehouse-the-people-who-help-make-nintendo-1301809672

According to pre-E3 information, Nintendo will be showcasing Treehouse projects to the showroom. According tot e official site,

Fans will be getting an unprecedented look at all the E3 games Nintendo has to offer. Instead of reading a short tweet or catching a gameplay trailer, fans can watch live as members of the Treehouse give in-depth gameplay demos of new and previously unannounced titles. There will also be special guest appearances from developers who will provide in-depth game commentary, including an appearance by Shigeru Miyamoto on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 10th.

Keep your browser open to Twitch.tv/Nintendo beginning June 10th to make sure you don’t miss a minute of Nintendo Treehouse: Live @ E3, and follow @NintendoAmerica on Twitter for announcements about special guests, programming schedules and live updates.

http://e3.nintendo.com/#2014/treehouse

The Games​

Here is a list of some of the games that were playable at The Treehouse Live @ E3

Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS

Splatoon

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Mario Maker

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Hyrule Warriors

Giant Robot and Tower Guard

​

Most of these games with the exception being the last two were shown during the Nintendo Digital Event. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS also showcased the Smash Run feature that allowed players to try out.

In Conclusion

It was great to get a hands on look on the news games that are rolling out by Nintendo as well as see people who are dedicated to the gaming craft playing these games and telling us about them. The appearance of many of Nintendo's bigwigs such as Sakurai and Miyamoto was greatly received by much of attendees. Overall, these new games look great and show a bright future for Nintendo.​

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

saved for later

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Round Table Q and A
Authors: @ Venus of the Desert Bloom ​

Q&A Highlights​

Here are some highlights taken from the Q and A which explains some new information; especially concerning Pac-Man, Mr. Game and Watch, Mii customization, and more.

• PACMAN CONFIRMED
• Game and Watch Confirmed
• We have some RPG elements.
• You can select amongst 3 moves for each special attack slot
• Mario has a fireball, a fast fireball, and a fire orb. not usable in For Glory
• Characters can equip items that increase attack, defense and speed. but there are checks and balances
• Equipment also modifies characters by adjusting their balance.
• you can carry customized characters through Wii U and 3DS
• Make a character quicker but then they are weaker
• You can change clothing if your mii! Each fighter type has its own wardrobe to select from.
• And Sakurai is joking about fan requests..... I wonder what this will lead too. I also hope smashboards holds. It can barely contain the hype
• Mii Fighters cannot be used in With Anyone mode online. can be used With Friends.
• Smash Run is designed to help collect items/upgrades. These can be transferred to the Wii U game
• FO stands for Figure Player. Users do not control them.
• figurines show up as FP (figure player) and are computer controlled. they can level up to 50. will learn your tendencies. better than level 9 cpus
• FP are basically better computer players. can also be used as tag team players in matches
• Sakurai is shifting to discuss smash run. The field is random.
• Sakurai is picking Donkey Kong for Smash Run. he is playing it.
• You pick up powers that you can use in battle via the touch screen.
• There is a Jetpack Item.(I do not know if this is something new or the pilotwings item)
• Warp lets you jump to a different area of the map in smash run.

Here are some of the questions asked during the Q and A

Q: why would you want to release the different versions far apart?

A: Biggest reason is debug process. it is a really big game. They need several hundred testers and splitting the release gives them more time to space it out.

The debug teamis large and cannot handle both games in parallel, and they want to give both games their full concentration

Q: Why are character tansformations removed?

A: The developers want people to focus on single characters more deeply

Q: Any plans for the competitive scene moving forward?

A: Sakurai is not involved in tourney planning. He was impressed with the enthusiasm for this game at today's tourney. He wants to support the scene by making more games like these

Q. Asking about the balancing of the game

A. Sakurai says it is hard to balance the game. Discussing the process of balancing. he basically did it all by himself in Melee

Concern over balance after brawl's problems. it gets very technical. Sakurai was responsible for the changes from N64 to Melee. He had to use a broader grading system with help from staff when working on Brawl. The process became tricky due to biases in the graders' playing style. For the new games they have 12 graders, but there could still be balance anomolies. And when creating a game, the developers cannot just appeal to traditional fanbases. They need to reach out to new gamers, and cater to many target users. Sakurai points out some chars are better suited for 2 vs 4 player and with or without items. Sakurai considers smash a party game.

Q: Your games have a stylish menu design. What is your philosophy on menu design?

A. Sakurai loves menus. he writes a column for Famitsu and wrote all about it already there. He makes the important menu items big. doesn't need to be words but need to be easily understood. He also stresses to read said articles

Q/A???
A competitive Smash player is trying to challenge Sakurai to see if he can win and help balance the game. Sakurai asked "have you ever made a game?"

Q: When did they decide to include Greninja?

A: All of the characters to consider were on our internal roster from the beginning of development. We had a slot for a new Pokemon reserved, but did not way for X and Y. We decided to use Greninja well before X/Y came out, based on early reference drawings.

Q: Online was broken in Brawl. How ensuring online experience will be good this time?

A: With brawl the players could set up everything, with freedom. But we learned that some folks team up or play differently, making it difficult for all to enjoy. There is a reporting system. As far as technical connection issues, we're still working on it. They use async communication in Mario Kart and other games to improve this, but that doesn't work well for fighting games. So there is cascading failure, especially for four players. That is why they ask people to have the best communication system available (eg a LAN adapter)

And here are the Final Closing Statements

• Showed footage of Smash Invitational
• Sakurai enjoyed watching the tourney and was nervous that it might crash
• He predicted that Zero Suit Samus would win
• He is also going back to Japan tomorrow to continue to work on Smash
• Sakurai thanks everyone for coming

To view this, please visit the Roundtable Q and A thread by @Lozjam

http://smashboards.com/threads/smash-q-and-a-developer-roundtable.357833/

In addition, while photography and vdieo was prohibited, one brave soul took some audio of the meeting.

The fan reaction to Pac-Man was pretty fun to listen to.

In Conclusion
​

The Round Table Q and A was the first place that confirmed both Mr. Game and Watch as well as Pac-Man instead of being included in the Digital Event alongside the Mii Fighters and Palutena. Sakurai also confirmed a number of content as well as explained his reasoning for cerrtain aspects of the game. Sadly, questions pertaining to Ridley or other unconfirmed characters, certain stages, game play and mechanics, Amiibo, release dates weren't raised which is strange considering they are hot topics of discussion.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

E3 in Review Impressions

Author: Venus of the Desert Bloom
What was your inmpressions on E3 and Smash 4?
Let your voice be known!

How do you feel Smash 4 was represented at E3? Was it everything you expected? Did it leave you greatly dissapointed? How did you like the reveal for Mii Fighters, Pac-Man, and Palutena? Were they a surprise for you or were you expecting them?

Finally, if you were able to try out the Demo: what are your thoughts of it? What were some good things you liked bout it? What were some bad things about it? Let us know by posting below!​

 

[xLemmy_KoopaX]

I'm so hyped for this game. The E3 was great! Nintendos presentation was the best IMO. I like the new characters, the Invitational was amazing, and the oter announced games were great too. I'm very satisfied. Very nice.

Also, after watching that Hyrule Warriors trailer... does the great fairy really have round breasts? WOW. How unusual.

 

[dimensionsword64]

The Smash stuff definitely got me excited, but I was more hyped for Splatoon and Mario Maker. At first, I didn't like the Miis but after they showed how unique they were, I liked them. Palutena barely got any reaction out of me, since I basically already knew she was confirmed. Pac-Man definitely excited me with his uniqueness and retroness.