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.