What's your opinion of the Melee 14 OUTSIDE of Smash? (Part 2)

[Zinith]

It isn't really so much that I find his recovery bad, more that I've never been good at getting to grips with nonstandard recoveries, i.e. characters whose Up B doesn't just send them upwards. I think I remember Yoshi's Up B now giving him a slight vertical boost in the air in Smash 4, which is nice. But I appreciate your passion for the character. I think it's nice when people have something they're really, unwaveringly passionate about.

But yeah, tether grabs feel weird... that's the one thing about Young Link I'm not looking forward to, haha.

Yes, his Up B does grant him a slight boost now, and it doesn't render Yoshi helpless (in fact, he's the only veteran in Smash 4 where none of his specials render him helpless) although horizontal distance he had in Brawl is reduced. Anyways, this is kinda off-topic...

 

[Opossum]

Spoiler: Marth

Okay, so this might be a weird opinion, but I'll say it now: Marth is a tragically underrated character. Also Shadow Dragon is an underrated game. I've seen a lot of people dismiss Marth as just a generic RPG hero, and I would disagree. I actually think Shadow Dragon tells a really compelling story for Marth, particularly with the added Prologue chapters. You see an innocent young Marth have his kingdom suddenly ripped away from him, and the game actually explores his reactions to it and feelings about it. One of my very favourite lines in all of Fire Emblem is this:

""Surely"? Why do words of such conviction smack so much of uncertainty when spoken? Not surely, Jagen. Assuredly. Gra will pay for their acts. Today, though, allow me to wallow in this pain, to feel every awful twist of it. I never want to forget."

Marth actively WANTS to explore his own pain and sense of loss, so that he will never forget it, and so he will always hold those feelings all the closer to his heart when it comes time to take up arms and reclaim his home, his life. That, in my opinion, is a very interesting way of writing a character's response to losing their entire livelihood, especially when it's all they've really known until then. Now, I'm gonna skip ahead to the liberation of Altea. There's plenty I could talk about up until then, like how Marth is surprisingly witty and likeable, but I just want to point out another important bit of his character. Slight spoiler warning ahead (though Shadow Dragon's story is basic enough that I doubt it's a big deal):

Spoiler

Marth finally returns home, hoping to be welcomed back to some small fragment of his old life, only to find that his mother has been slain and his sister taken hostage. Understandably grief-stricken by this, he's tempted to just sit and wallow in his grief. But he can't, because he just liberated his kingdom. The game outright says this is the happiest day of his subjects' lives, and he addresses them grace and dignity, smiling and waving at them all. Yet, well...

"The great commander’s last victory of the day was commanding his tears not to flow."

Daaaamn. What a guy. What a champion. Held up by Shadow Dragon's surprisingly fantastic writing, Marth looks all the more like an actually complex and interesting hero. It's great stuff.

Suffice to say, I truly think Marth is much more interesting than a lot of people say he is, and is way more than just your typical RPG hero. If you've never played Shadow Dragon because you were put off by all the criticism it gets, I honestly recommend giving it a try. The gameplay may feel archaic and poorly balanced, and to be fair, it kind of is, but the writing's a real treat. And if you have played it before and didn't like it, try it again. Really pay close attention to the game's writing. The way the words flow, the way the world is built up and the way Marth is written. I'll admit that virtually every character aside from Marth, Minverva, Camus and Nyna are very bland and underutilised, but those four are really well done imo.

Unfortunately, I think Marth is a lot less interesting in New Mystery of the Emblem due to Kris upstaging him. Not to mention Marth's overly strong trust and affection for Kris, because Kris was the writers' pet. But I'd really rather not talk about NMotE's writing. It has great gameplay, for sure! But the writing is... a lot less great.

So, anyway, after that spiel, what do I think of him in Smash? Well... I like him. It might be surprising to hear after all the praise I had for him as a character, but as a fighter in Smash, I've never felt particularly strongly about him. I like him, sure, but I've never got into his playstyle. Maybe I'll check him out again in Ultimate, see if my feelings change. Especially now he has English voice acting! I'm a longtime fan of Yuri Lowenthall so I'm looking forward to how he plays Marth in Smash.

Wow, that got more analytic than I intended it to, especially Marth! And I don't see that changing for the Brawl set, considering I like a whole lot of characters there and it includes my absolute favourite Smash character. But I think I'll take a break before I do them!

Literally agree with everything you said here (though I'd say Caeda and Merric are well written as well, especially if we're only taking Shadow Dragon into account). Marth's great.

 

[ThoughtfulWanderer]

Spoiler: Peach

Don't love her, nor hate her. She fills her role but doesn't really have much else to offer in the most important games. In spin-offs like Strikers and SPP, she's allowed to stand out a little at least. I wish we could get some hint of personality to her and her kingdom like wisdom as a ruler or bubbliness as a representative and voice of her people.

Spoiler: Bowser

Honestly, my opinion of him depends on the game. He's not really good as a stereotypical villain like as seen in most games. I like him best when he takes on more of a starring role; cutting people off and asserting both his dominance and "coolness", throwing tantrums, being a family man, etc. That's a Bowser that's funny and animated, and the Koopa King that I like.

Spoiler: Ice Climbers

They only really exist in a game that's not aged well and frustrating to control, but I can at least appreciate their designs and the bond they're said to have created with one another. It's the best part about them and it's why I really want a series revival that has them exploring 3D environments and interacting with fellow eskimos. Bonus note to Sakurai, bring back Nana's ability to act during Popo's grab!

Spoiler: Sheik

I usually adore ninja characters, but Sheik doesn't do a whole lot for me. Maybe it's the fact that we've only seen her in one game and she's not really a Sheikah as she's just Zelda. Either way, her design is still nice and I appreciate that a character like this has an affinity for an instrument like a harp. That's not something you expect.

Spoiler: Zelda

Like Bowser, my opinion depends on the game since there's so many incarnations. I do like the ones where Zelda is more involved and willing to step into action, but in context of our current LTTP/ALBW incarnation, I do like her design and the bubbly personality she has is cute at least. She's more passive though, unfortunately.

Spoiler: Dr. Mario

The only reason I like Doc is because of Smash. He's literally just Mario in a new get-up otherwise. The puzzle games are alright, at least.

Spoiler: Pichu

Freaking adorable. That's all that needs to be said.

Spoiler: Falco

Favorite Star Fox member by far. I love all the snarky and dry remarks he gives, and he's got the coolest design of the team too.

Spoiler: Marth

I never played any of the Archanean games, but his personality seems to suffer from the same trope of one-dimensional heroism from what I've seen. I understand it's an old NES story and he's supposed to act like this as a prince and later, a king. He just comes off as so basic in all of his appearances. I can't feel much behind his interactions with Caeda or his recounts of struggle at war.

Spoiler: Young Link

While he's just another Link, I do have a soft spot for his design and the duology he comes from. Even if I think OoT is overrated, I still really like it and MM.

Spoiler: Ganondorf

One of the best Nintendo villains. I like how he's attached to an entire race of people who so rarely have males born into, and they have a very defined culture behind them. It really shows that he earned their respect with how cunning and threatening he always seems.

Spoiler: Mewtwo

I appreciate the sympathetic Pokemon a lot and how you can get a lot of internal emotion out of them. Mewtwo, Mimikyu, Cubone, etc. Most Pokemon don't get very deep backstories aside from a few lines in the Pokedex, so Mewtwo's disdain for humans sticks out to me. He's also a fun

Spoiler: Roy

I don't feel it's fair to judge his character too positively or negatively since the fan translations seem to never pack a lot of nuance into their dialogue. He seems bland now, but I'm expecting a Binding Blade remake to come out and we can get some real character out of him like we got for Alm and Celica. It's pretty easy to give him character flaws and development since he's a 15 year old who gets thrown into war. Until then, I'll just say that I love his design and how his affinity for fire adds a lot of flair to his attacks. My soft spot for him stems from his Smash portrayal, but you'd better believe that I'll be hyped to see his game remade.

Spoiler: Mr. Game & Watch

I always find simplistic characters like stick/LCD figures to be super charming, His games are simple but it makes G&W stand out with a certain quirkiness to him. I'm glad to have him in Smash.

 

[MacDaddyNook]

Peach tends to be my "lucky" character in Mario Party, so I pick her fairly often in hopes of good fortune on the board.


Bowser is a pretty fun villain, he's kinda dumb, but that's what I like about him.


Never really cared for their game, so outside of Smash, I really don't think of them.


Shiek is ok, I guess. Never really liked her and am sick of seeing her in tournament videos.


Don't really think of Zelda either. She's fine, but a bit forgettable despite being the name of the series.


It's just Mario in a lab coat, nothing to see here.


It's cute, but like most Gen 2 Pokemon, I really don't pay it much mind.


Kinda of a jerk, but he's grown on me over the years. I personally prefer the Assault voice for him.


Another character who has really grown on me. "Merf" is pretty good in my book.


I forget he exists, which is a shame since Majora's Mask is my second favorite in the series.


Ganon's ok, I prefer the version with the beard though.


Overrated, thy name is Mewtwo. It's good in battle, but as far as Pokemon go, there are many many more I like over it.


Roy's ok. I like his dad and Hector better though.


I like him, he's kinda funny in an oddball sort of way.

 

[Frizz]

- Personally, I prefer Fox.
- Marth in Melee is what introduced me to the Fire Emblem series, so I owe him and Sakurai for his inclusion. I played FE11 and FE12, so I'm familiar with his character, but I never finished the both of them, so I'm not THAT familiar. He seems like one of the nicest lords in the FE series, if not the absolute nicest. Similar to Yoshi and later Lucario and Robin, I was also obsessed with him. Probably because he has blue hair, had a sword, and was anime-like.
- Never played OoT. Not much to say.
- Never played Dr. Mario game, but I do like where it's coming from.
- I like how each Zelda reincarnation has her own personality and traits. The only one I'm familiar with his Minish Cap, and she was one of the most friendliest Zelda reincarnations, aside from Skyward Sword and maybe Breath of the Wild.
- I've fought Bowser a couple of times, both in main series Mario games, and side series like Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi, and his Paper Mario persona is my favorite out of the bunch. It's a shame what they did to his character in Sticker Star. I haven't played that atrocious game myself due to them removing all of the charm from the first two Paper Mario games, but I heard they didn't give him a single line in the game. Not one! And his lines in Paper Mario 64 and The Thousand Year Door were so good, too! It's a shame.
- Like Pikachu and Jigglypuff, cuteness doesn't really have an effect on me. I think I might have seen the twin Pichus movie that Pichu starred in, but I don't remember much.
- Mewtwo's a really interesting character. Probably the best choice for representing Gen 1 other than Pikachu and Charizard. He gets props for having a good backstory.
- I never really fought Ganon or Ganondorf before since Minish Cap didn't have him as a final boss, so I can't say much about him. He seems like a good villain though.
- Although I never really played one of his games before, I can appreciate his character design. I'm a big fan of cartoons, so his cartoonish figure and animations really appeal to me.
- I never played the Ice Climbers on the NES before, so I don't have much to say. I do think they should get at least one more game though.
- I prefer her Paper Mario persona over her Super Mario Bros. persona. Although they both play the damsel-in-distress role in Paper Mario 64, TTYD, Sticker Star, and I assume Color Splash, Paper Peach has much more of a character and personality than her regular persona. But I would say her Mario & Luigi persona has tons of character and personality too. Having dialogue helps.
- I played FE6, and the farthest I ever got was Chapter 3. Roy sucks as a unit and a lord. Apparently he gets better once he gets the Binding Blade and a promotion. I don't know much of his character either.
- The only games Young Link appeared in was a bit of OoT and Majora's Mask. I didn't play either, but what I said about Link would still apply to Young Link; I prefer Toon Link and 2D Zelda over regular Link and maybe 3D Zelda.

 

[zeonie888]

865/10 The first time I saw him I didn't feel much for him but as time went on and he showed off many sides and that hooked me! Easily one of my favorite character of all time!
6/10 She's decent
7/10 I like him despite his attitude
8/10 He's cool
0/10 I didn't play any fire emblem games
4/10 He doesn't do much for me despite his game being fun
6/10 She's alright
1/10 Didn't do much to appeal to me
8/10 Such a great villan
0/10 Same as Marth
0/10 I didn't play Ice Climber
6.75/10 He's cute
6/10 He's decent
5/10 Meh