Smash Advent Calendar - Day 31 FINALE - Reggie

New Years Eve marks Day 31, the end of the Smash Advent Calendar. No-one is more suitable to round off the month with than the man, the myth, the legend - Reggie Fils-Aime. He joined Nintendo in December 2003 and is currently the President of Nintendo of America. He appeared on stage during E3 2004 and the rest, as they say, is history. He quickly became the star of Nintendo with his zany antics and unforgettable quotes, so I think it's time that he had a chance to shine as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4.

"My name is Reggie. I'm about kickin' ass, I'm about takin' names, and we're about making games". Now, Reggie won't be heading any game making during his time on the Smash Bros. roster, but he'll be kicking ass all over the place. Given his tall, burly build, I imagine Reggie to be a slower but immensely powerful character. He would have a fairly long range as he would be have a typical humanoid figure like Ganondorf and Captain Falco, so he would be more than able to  keep enemies at bay.

For his standard attacks, I think Reggie would look best throwing around heavy brawling attacks. Standard A, A, A combos would be consecutive punches that end with a powerful, slower blow like Ike. Forward tilt would be a spinning backhand punch, thus extending his reach further. Up tilt would be a tremendous headbutt, making use of his blocky and magnificent skull, and would be a good counter to enemies approaching from above. Down tilt would be a solid crouching kick - again, good range. His running attacks would simply be a shoulder barge, and would have a good smash factor. Grabs would have a decent range, with up, forward and down throws good for starting juggles and his back throw able to KO enemies at good percentages.

Reggie would play a mean game of smash attacks with his heavy frame, and enemies would have to be very careful around him. Forward smash would be a mighty punch in which he would take a staggered step forward during the animation, to highlight the effort exerted in the move and to add a little range to it. Down smash would be a spinning lariat, Zangief style. This would be a fast move but only around half the knockback of his forward smash. Up smash would be a two hit helicopter kick in which he kicks above his head - the second hit would hold most of the power, sending opponents flying upwards with great force. All of these powerful moves will give Reggie a great feeling to players, as all his attacks will give a great feeling of impact.

He'd have to wear his microphone, of course.

Mr. Fils-Aime would have a good list of aerial attacks at his disposal. These attacks would allow him to chase and juggle well, making use of his long limbs. Forward+A would be a terrific spike in the form of a forward punch, similar to Mario's own attack of the same input. Neutral+A would be a medium damage, medium knockback flying kick that lingers for a few seconds, stronger during its first 10 frames and reducing in power after that. Down+A would be a series of kicks that deals great damage but little knockback. Up+A would be an attack that sees him kick with both feet upwards and cause incredible knockback, and on hit would send Reggie straight downwards with intense momentum, leaving him grounded quickly and able to position himself on the ground.

Reggie would have some fairly intense special moves. I imagine him to be an excellent wrestler, so I think he'd suit having a few grapples. Neutral+B would be a grab with slightly better range than his normal grab and it'd have a unique animation - it would be a body slam with the enemy that the player would maintain some control over, much like Bowser's Side+B, and like Bowser's attack the enemy would be able to try and fight back against this control. It would mean Reggie could drag enemies to positions that the player would benefit from or set up kamikaze moves, whilst offering modest damage and knockback at the same time. Whilst still on the wrestling theme, Reggie's Side+B would see him charge a fair distance, and on hit would see him perform a small piledriver on the enemy that would leave them in the stuck-in-the-ground state for a time relative to their percentage.

For his Down+B, I envision some Nintendo references coming in. Reggie would pull out a random Nintendo console that he has represented; Gamecubes, Wiis, WiiUs, DSes and 3DSes could all be thrown at opponents, each offering slightly different knockback and damage to keep opponents guessing. This would give Reggie some keep-away options that he'll need as a heavyweight. His Up+B would follow the Nintendo references, being a controller attack. On the ground, Reggie would perform multiple attacks with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment like an actual nunchuk - the attack would have some good reach and surround Reggie, protecting him from attacks at all angles, but would have a second or two cooldown afterwards. When done in the air, Reggie would whip the wire of a Gamecube controller upwards and would receive a small "pop" in momentum upwards, and the wire would latch on to edges.

Reggie knows that fans want him in the game, and he actually talked about his moves briefly, stating that his Final Smash would be named after one of his most famous quotes - "my body is ready" would become the "My Body Is Ready Slam"! I see this move beginning with Reggie charging forward at great speed with his rm extended to perform a clothesline. All opponents hit by the move will be stunned and would then be caught in an animation. The camera would zoom into a notepad that Reggie is writing on, showing that Reggie has written the names of everyone caught by the move. Reggie would then appear above each of these people one by one and slam them off of the stage. He'd pop a thumbs up and the match would continue.

In an ideal world, Reggie would have no weaknesses, but in the interests of balance, he has to have a few. His jumps would be fairly low due to his weight class, so when he's sent flying, he'd have some trouble getting back and this would have to be done quickly because of his high gravity. His ledge grab special would give him more chance at recovering but it would be pretty predictable. Obviously, he'd also have some issues with speed. He'd be fairly slow on the ground and similar in the air, and his attacks would have some initial lag with vulnerable points afterwards.

At the end of the day, Reggie has to appear in Smash 4. He deserves it. He revamped Nintendo's image and had his part to play in the companies dominance over such a wide market over the last ten years. Not only that, but he's loved by the internet, being famous for his amazing quotes and strange ways of phrasing things. He's being requested to appear in the game by fans all over the world, currently reaching 49,000 signatures on a petition to get him included in the game. Can all of those people be wrong?

Thank you all so much for reading these articles over the past month, it's been very entertaining talking about a series of games I love every day. I hope my character analyses and concepts for new players have been entertaining to read. I'll be taking a little break, but watch out for similar projects in the future.  Big thanks to the SSB Wiki that has provided detailed move data and the Smash Boards for having a spirited and imaginative community - go and support them!

Smash Advent Calendar - Day 30 - Fox

Day 30 is the ever popular Fox, of the "Star Fox" series. This guy is incredibly popular, appearing in every Smash Bros. game so far and being played by tons of top competitive players in each game, particularly Melee. Every game has seen him change appearance drastically as he starred in new games but it seems like his softer, rounder look has stuck for good as he looks almost identical to his Brawl form now.

Fox is quite an original character in terms of his playstyle. Before Smash Bros, he had never really stepped out of his ship in any playable role, bar an unlockable transport mode in the multiplayer mode in "Lylat Wars". Because of this, much of his moveset is completely original. He is incredibly fast, for one, and fights like a true martial arts expert with his normal attacks, throwing out flips, trips and kicks all over the place.

His special moves are varied; Side+B and Up+B are quite strange, one being an instantaneous ninja-style attack and the other being a flying kick engulfed in flames. It's hard to see where these came from but they're just part of Fox by this point. His other specials make a little more sense, Neutral+B being a laser blaster and Down+B sees him flick out a reflective shield - both attacks look very futuristic so suit Fox well. In fact, all of these moves seem to really suit the character well, demonstrating Sakurai's ability to formulate original movesets with only a vague base.

This train had no chance in a race against Fox.

Fox started well in his Smash Bros career, being one of the strongest contenders in the N64 original. His speed was well matched with strong attacks across the board and fast aerial attacks that can be Z-Cancelled to great effect. These contribute to an aerial game unrivaled when SHFF'd - that's "short hop fast fall". This carried over to Melee in a big way, with new techniques developing such as "waveshining". This essentially allowed Fox to Use his Down+B to perform a very quick attack, wavedash out of it and follow up into a combo. This technique is common is high level play and played a good part in making Fox as good as he is.

In Brawl, Fox lost out a fair bit. Given that Brawl is a slower and floatier game engine overall, a lot of Fox's raw and intimidating speed and extreme gravity faded away. Still, he retained a decent speed compared to a fair amount of the cast and his aerials were still quick and packed a punch. His blaster was also just as lethal in Brawl as it was in Melee, sacrificing stopping power for a terrific amount of its per second. His smashes also stayed fairly strong, in particular his up smash which comes out without much delay. Obviously, he lost advanced techniques in the game transition, but I find that they were fairly broken anyway - a controversial opinion but I like games to play as designed, not mutated through glitches.

Fox does have some flaws. Though helpful is some situations, his heavy gravity leaves him incredibly susceptible to combos and juggles, and when large chains and KO combos are involved, Fox ends up at a loss. He can't stop approaching enemies with his projectile and he has to rely on a few attacks to KO in Brawl, making him a bit predictable.

Overall, I think Fox is one of the most loved characters in Smash Bros. history and it's easy to see why that is. He is a fun and interesting character with a lot of personality to him. So much of Melee's rich and interesting gameplay mechanics were discovered or made use of through Fox and that has secured him a place in many gamers hearts.

What do you think of Fox? Prefer his obscene mechanics in Melee? Or the solid gameplay with no gimmicks in Brawl? Let me know in the comments below or over on the facebook page.

Smash Advent Calendar - Day 29 - Marth

Marth is the star of Day 29 and this man made his Smash debut on the Gamecube in Melee, and has been a fan favourite ever since. Initially, Marth and his counterpart Roy were to be left out of Western releases of Smash Bros. as their game of origin, "Fire Emblem", had never seen release in America or Europe at the time. However, the characters made it through and this alone saw interest for a Western release for the game skyrocket. Now, "Fire Emblem" is an iconic Nintendo franchise, and so it is no surprise Marth is returning to Smash 4.

I think aesthetically, Marth is a wonderful character. He's very simple in design, a typical handsome and elegant swordsman with a slight Japanese anime flair to him. He moves with a grace that suits him well, attacks appear fluid and lightning fast, further enhanced in Brawl with additional air trails that exude from his sword. It looks like his look is updated in Smash 4, with a new set of armour and a slightly more cutesy face - much like Pit's changes from Brawl. I think these changes are refreshing and interesting, and I can't wait to see if there are any other visual changes to him in action.

Marth is one of the most solid competitors in both Brawl and Melee and thus needs relatively few changes. He possesses great speed, a high fall speed and incredible reach and so is often on top of matchups. Though he lacks a projectile, his long sword still allows him to approach opponents. This is augmented with the fact that his sword is at its most powerful at its tip, meaning that enemies being approached by Marth have a great pressure put upon them.

Damn, he's fabulous.

In Melee, Marth had a few tricks that he lacked in the sequel. or one, his Neutral+B has a much better range and its hitbox extends above him, making it much more versatile and a great counter to enemies that approach him. Also, compared to Brawl, the tip of his sword was much easier to hit with, meaning he racked up damage well. Adversely, though the sweetspot at the end of is sword is smaller in Brawl, the damage is higher on it. With many changes of a similar vein, it's hard to tell whether he got better or worse overall.

Marth also has an excellent grab game, particularly in Melee where the engine allowed them to be utilized fully. Most of his throws don't send the enemy far but disorientate the opponent, making devastating combos and tech chases possible and very effective. These grab games call for players to have to use great skill in order to KO opponents so the balance comes from a lack of grab that sends opponents flying to a certain KO like Mario's back throw.

Marth is not without weakness. He is a light character, certainly more so than his co-stars Roy and Ike. This means that fairly strong attacks will send Marth hurtling off of stages at lower percentages than normal. In addition, he lacks a reliable recovery move; Up+B sends Marth upwards with a strike of his sword that keeps opponents at bay but is fairly weak and the move lacks much horizontal gain. It's also very predictable despite its speed, so opponents can edgeguard him pretty easily.

Overall though, I think that Marth is a great character, perhaps with slightly more good points than bad. I think much of his place on the tier list is more to do with characters low down having a lac of tools to deal with faster opponents more than Marth being overpowered in himself, but he could maybe do with a touch down in the power department to ensure his range isn't off kilter. But all in all, I imagine Marth will continue to be a very popular character and I eagerly await to see what players do with him.

What do you think of Marth? A fun, fast fighter? Or too light and fluffy? Let me know below or on the facebook page.

Smash Advent Calendar - Day 28 - Mr. Game and Watch

Day 28 focuses on Mr. Game and Watch, one of the oldest characters in any Smash Bros. roster.He first appeared in 1980 and starred in a series of portable games of which he takes much of his moveset. Because he comes from the classic era of gaming and has had no reboot since, he took on his simple appearance and lack of animation becoming one of the most unique characters in the history of the series.

I think it was safe to say that no-one saw his guy coming in his Smash Bros. debut on the Gamecube. I remember being very surprised when this character's silhouette challenged me when I was a kid first playing the game and was even more surprised when the silhouette was essentially what the character was. I loved his bizarre moveset and odd movements - and the fact that each step was matched with an old-timey "bleep" just made the character perfect to me.

The great thing about Mr. Game and Watch is that he is pure reference, through and through. Every one of his attacks is either directly from or heavily inspired by one of the old "Game and Watch" games available throughout the 80s, from frying pan attacks to alarm bell taunts. He's a lone celebration of an entire era of Nintendo, and that is to be admired.

An iconic taunt.

Unfortunately, his appearance was not enough to make him a strong character in Melee. Mr. Game and Watch suffered horribly from being slow, light and floaty - he felt almost weightless and that carried through to his moves which often felt that they lacked much impact. He has a hard time approaching due to his low speed and because of his slowness he is incredibly predictable. Not only this, but almost all of his aerial attacks couldn't take advantage of L-Cancelling, though this is irrelevant to newer games without this feature.

In Brawl, Mr. Game and Watch received some buffs.and jumped a fair few places up the tier list to become a competent competitor. His speed was buffed and his smash attacks became a little more potent. He also gained "bucket braking", which involved him using an uncharged Down+B to cancel all his momentum, making him able to recover from moves that a character of his stature shouldn't recover from. Now, glitch or not, I think this concept should stick with Game and Watch - it isn't overpowered and makes him much more viable, not to mention it being a little tricky to master so isn't a guaranteed pass from KOs.

One thing I never know what to make of is his Side+B. This sees Game and Watch use a short ranged hammer to produce 1 of 9 effects from self-damage to instant KOs. I appreciate that it's a quirky little idea but I think it gives too much to chance.

Ultimately, I think Mr. Game and Watch deserves a chance to shine again in Smash 4. Outside of minor buffs, I think he's ripe to charge straight into the roster and stand a good chance among the ever increasing cast of characters in the newest game. His Side+B is random, yes, but he's unique, charming and simple whilst representing a side of Nintendo seldom remembered, so I think he's earned his place.

What do you think of Mr. Game and Watch? Unique and fun? Or pointless and stupid? Let me know below or on the facebook page.

Smash Advent Calendar - Day 27 - Ike

Day 27 is Ike from the "Fire Emblem" series of games. Debuting in Brawl, many believe Ike to have replaced Roy from Smash Bros. Melee as the second "Fire Emblem" representative but was very warmly received.

Though Roy didn't make the cut in Brawl and Ike instead represented a more powerful type of "Fire Emblem" character, it is impossible to call him a clone. In fact, only his Down+B counterattack is the same as one of Roy's moves and this stems from a universal counter feature in the game of origin; its general effectiveness and aid in giving Ike options meant that a counter Down+B was the only logical choice.

Ike possesses some of the greatest power in the game. In fact, many thought Ike to be a broken character during Brawl's early days as a tick reaction to just how easy it was to KO opponents at much lower health than the average of the rest of the cast. Of course, this was quickly laid to rest once Ike's disadvantage began to surface, and that disadvantage was his overwhelming sluggishness.

Ike has no time for weak swordsmen.

Despite being a ruthless brawler, Ike requires a great deal of strategy to play - his sluggishness means that smash attacks have to be carefully planned and considered to ensure contact either destroys opponents or creates an acceptable gap on block. On one hand, an opponents as low as 70% can be knocked straight from the arena on a clean hit bu the other hand has to deal with extraordinary risk on an easily predictable move. What I would suggest is a slight increase in speed and a slight decrease in power so that one factor doesn't weigh the other down too much.

Ike does have some reliable features without too much negative impact. Many aerial attacks are solid, offering good juggling options and potential to secure KOs on wounded opponents. His Up+A lingers for some time, giving it a longer active hitbox but increasing predictability; his Down+A is a very powerful albeit sluggish attack that has spike potential at its pinnacle; forward and neutral attacks in mid-air are finely balanced between speed and power and are great for chasing opponents with.

I find Ike's specials to be particularly good and sets him apart from Roy, and therefore Marth, considerably. Neutral+B has Ike charge a terrific attack which results in him being surrounded in a burst of flame that can destroy opponents with a good charge. Side+B is again chargeable but sees Ike charge across stages ending with a mighty slash. The attack deals solid damage and surprising knockback, so can be good to catch unaware opponents with. Up+B is very unique; Ike throws his spinning sword to a great vertical height which can hurt opponents above him before he jumps upwards to catch it, ending by slamming down with great speed and force. It's a damaging move that can stop clueless opponents from edgeguarding and has general offensive uses too, but comes with a risk if used as a recovery if the attack misses.

Overall, I think with some minor tweaks, Ike could be a really good contender in Smash 4. He needs to be just a little faster to be viable, as currently his predictability is not a good balance for the raw strength he possesses. His standard three hit A combo is godlike, but when a player has to rely on this to build damage and score KOs in q uick way, it becomes both stale and easy to see coming. But, I must say I appreciate the way Ike moves and plays, being a great opposite side of the swordplay spectrum when compared to Marth.

What do you think of Ike? Juicy to play as? Or a poor replacement for Roy? Let me know below or over on the facebook page.

Smash Advent Calendar - Day 26 - Little Mac

Day 26 is Boxing Day and that can only mean one thing: Little Mac join the fight! This guy is very popular in the west, starring in the NES "Punch Out!" game wit Mike Tyson and going on to star in the SNES sequel and the recent Wii sequel as well. Mac is a small guy with a lot of heart, fighting up the ladder against super heavyweights like King Hippo and always comes out on top, and he would be perfect for the Smash bros. roster!

His attacks would have to be fairly original as he has barely any named moves in his games. However, boxing is a great fighting sport and can easily serve as inspiration for the character, so a moveset would be easy to dream up. I imagine Little Mac to be a fast character with some powerful attacks as in "Punch Out!", but to balance him out I could see him being extremely light, flying far and having predictable recovery options. Again, this would be true to his origins, wherein he would suffer badly after only a few received punches.

For his standard attacks and tilts, Little Mac would make use of his speed. Standard A attacks would be punches much like Mario's, with the third shit being a slightly slower but stronger punch, and this could combo from the previous two. Side tilts would be a slower but longer range outstretched punch similar to Bowser, down tilt would be a low punch that would have edgeguarding uses and up tilts would be a quick spiraling uppercut that would be useful to start juggles with.

Smash attacks would all be slower but powerful attacks with some KO potential at medium percentages. They would mostly all be directional punches with the exception of his down smash. I think a unique attribute that Little Mac could use would be a down smash with short reach like a solar plexus strike of Ryu fame that would stun opponents like Zero Suit Samus does with her down smash. This could allow Little Mac to establish great combos and KO setups whilst not being overpowered due to short range and longer recovery than other smashes.

Aerial moves would be effective punch moves, with back attacks being slower but with good KO potential, Forward+A and Neutral+A being fast but effective, Down+A being a meteor where Mac smashes both fists down and Up+A would be a three punch combo with the last hit blasting opponents skywards. These attacks would allow Mac to be an effective juggler and his light frame would make chasing down enemies for a KO a breeze.

Giga Bowser move over, Giga Mac is here!

Special moves are a bit more tricky to think about. Neutral+B would be a short step followed by a very fast series of punches. This would hook multiple opponents in and a full hit would do great damage and end the combo with a punch that knocks opponents a decent distance. Obviously this is balanced with the high risk factor as he would not be able to stop the move mid-animation. Up+B would be his signature "Star Uppercut" taken straight from the "Punch Out!" games and would function as a vertical recovery move much like Luigi's Up+B, but with a tiny bit more horizontal distance. I also envision a critical sweetspot at the beginning of the attack, making it a viable smash option.


Side+B would be chargeable, and on release would see Little Mac fly forwards and deliver a terrific strike in a move similar to Ike's own Side+B in Brawl. This would allow Mac to cover some good distance both on the ground and in the air, and if the move were to have a hit of super-armour in its duration then approaching would be possible with him as well, something many brawlers lack in the Smash Bros. series. Final Smash is easy; Giga Mac was a state that Mac could reach in the recent Wii game in multiplayer battles and would be great to see as a Final Smash form, making all his attacks much more powerful and he would gain super armour like Giga Bowser in Brawl.

Ultimately, I think Little Mac's chances of making it to Smash Bros. are fairly high, as he was an assist in Brawl and is currently heavily rumoured to achieve playable status this time around. Currently, we are lacking in characters with true fighting experience and boxing has had no representation thus far, making Mac a perfect fit.

What do you guys think of Little Mac? Perfect for the game? Ever even played "Punch Out!"? Leave a comment about him or his potential moveset below or on the facebook page.

Smash Advent Calendar - Day 25 - Toon Link

Day 25 - It's Christmas! Because of this, just a small article today on Toon Link, who debuted on the Gamecube in "Wind Waker" and has starred in several games since, including a HD re-release of his origins on WiiU. Because of this, he's confirmed to return to the Smash Bros. roster in the new game after his unexpected appearance in Brawl a few years ago.

Toon Link replaces Young Link from Melee and is a very solid character, appearing in tournaments with a fair frequency. He is better than standard Link in almost every way. He is faster, has better attacks and can keep away opponents with less trouble than his counterpart. Not that Toon Link is just a clone - many attacks are quite different, often using hard sword attacks in the air and his up smash is just one mighty swing.

Toon Link has some really great attributes. His projectiles are amazing and keep opponents at bay with ease. They stop approach and allow Toonie to approach in equal part. He lacks strong KO options, especially on the ground, but his unique aerial moves allow him to juggle and chase up for a KO. His Down+A in the air is also great, diving straight downwards with the tip of the sword aimed straight down. This move pings aerial enemies straight downwards with great force and grounded opponents get flung across the stage.

It's amazing to see someone hold their own in a cute contest with these critters!

As a side note, I prefer the look of Toon Link. He has personality oozing from him without a word said - the way he cutely plod along, his big expressive eyes and the way he gets dizzy after a fully charged Up+B build so much character for the little guy, it's almost impossible not to fall in love with the character.

Hopefully, Toon Link will continue to grow apart from standard Link in Smash 4 to reduce similarity across the roster. It would be nice to see some new special moves and more unique smash and tilt attacks to go with his vastly different aerials.

What do you think of Toon Link? Disappointed to see semi-clones return? Or excited to see this charming little guy back? Comment below or over on the facebook page!