Post by Shrikeswind on Mar 13, 2008 18:15:38 GMT -5
So, I got Brawl Sunday at midnight and have hardly stopped playing it since I got to my Wii. Let me say it is fun. I love it. Here's how it rolls.
Melee is very much a wide-spread game. Though a fast-paced game, Melee isn't exactly active in that you spend alot of the time out of the way and not in a fight, making certain moves easier to pull off than people let on. For example, while Ness has an awkward B attack in PK Flash, it is possible to get the boom in there. What's this to do with Brawl, now? Well, Brawl is much more intense and has a much more focused feel to it. While you could easily split groups up in Melee, in Brawl, you start to split them and they seem to magnetically recombine. The easiest possible way I can say it is that Brawl is a very suitable name for this game.
Some of you may be familiar with Mario's new Down-Special, FLUDD. This move is practically useless in this game. Like Squirtle's Water Gun, FLUDD is a charging move that deals knockback only, no damage. Mario, while still about average as far as his attacks go, is lower on the scale now due to FLUDD. The reason? Unlike Squirtle's Water Gun, Mario's FLUDD takes time to charge, and at full charge? None too effective. Plus, unlike Tornado, Mario can't recover with FLUDD, and Tornado (his Down-Aerial) doesn't let you do it either, removing some of his aerial agility. In a nutshell, FLUDD nerfed Mario.
That said, a couple of other characters are nerfed on their stats alone. DK, who remained practically unchanged from Melee, is worse in Brawl than he is in Melee due to the heavier focus on keeping together. DK is quoted as having problems in large crowds in Melee, which was generally true, but you could still hold your own in a real rumble as the great ape. In Brawl, you'd better damn well have an escape route worked out, or DK's a goner.
Land-speed is a very important aspect of this game. Lighter, faster characters like Sonic, Pit, and Charizard are easier to get along with than heavier, slower characters like Bowser, Dedede, and Ike. There are exceptions, Snake, a slower character, is a good slow character, and (at least in my experience,) Meta Knight's kinda hard to pull off in spite of his speed. Those who were used to heavyweights in Melee (like me) will have a far harder time with them in Brawl and may end up switching sides (like me.)
Sonic. No word better describes him. His insane speed is amazingly useful. Low though his traction may be, he can outrun every other character in the game, making the best way to hit him a trap. He can't always stop in time to avoid such heavyweights as Bowser or DK preparing a Smash attack, but that in no way makes him less of a character. His Smash attacks are really weak, but every attack comes equipped with a back-up combo. Spin Charge (his Down-Special) is a useless attack in its own right, but don't let that bother you. When transitioned smoothly into a Spin Dash (his Side-Special,) he doesn't jump at the beginning, making it easier to hit grounded enemies, the disadvantage to his Spin Dash. This is actually very useful in his own stage, Green Hill Zone, if you're on either side and start a Spin Dash, you'll go over half the dip, missing anyone there. Spring Jump is also a very effective recovery, but in its own right, it doesn't do damage (the spring does hurt if in the air, but it falls down.) Sonic does NOT enter helpless mode after doing this, however, and can still use A attacks after the jump. However, all B attacks are gone from his arsenal until he lands. Finally, Super Sonic is a very hard attack to control due to the ridiculously high speeds, but if you keep to the ground and move slightly towards the stage while zipping by, it's easier to control. Also, by pulling back on the control stick, you can bring the yellow hedgehog to a complete and utter stop while you wait for your enemies. Though it likely is possible to dodge, this Final is perhaps the best there is due to how insanely hard to dodge it actually is.
Link's Gale Boomerang isn't too useful. Though it does damage and drags enemies to Link, it's very hard to get it right, so you'll probably feel like the Bow is the more appropriate weapon. It charges faster, that's for sure.
Lucas is a wimp. I hate him. Now I've said that, let's talk about the little nerd behind his back. PK Thunder is easy to use, it has a faster turn than Ness' did in Melee. PK Freeze is almost...no, strike that, totally useless. Only an idiot would get hit by that attack. Though easier to pull off, it's practically uncontrollable, and like PK Flash, it takes time to cancel out. Use PK Fire against distant enemies, especially since the explosive force sends enemies flying farther. I have yet to use PK Magnet. Starstorm, though hard to dodge, is a generally annoying Final, since alot of luck is involved in the stars. You can easily hit, but anyone who's ever won the boss fight with King K. Rool in DKC will have an easy time dodging the attacks (though harder than K. Rool's Kannons in that you don't know where they'll be coming from next.)
I have NO clue what kind of idiot would hit the Banana Peel. Diddy's most useless attack must be that. Also, like before, I hate his Up-Special, the Rocketbarrel Boost, but I'm now quite partial to his Side-Special, Monkey Flip. If you're in trouble, you can always cancel it, it turns into a basic kick. Peanut Popgun is hard to pull off. It's not a rapid-fire attack as I thought it would be, by holding the button, Diddy aims the gun, release, and he fires, hold too long, and it blows up on him (though a fiery explosion, it doesn't actually hurt him, merely stuns him.)
Just a note. While Olimar needs to use his Side-Special to throw the Pikmin, Kirby with Olimar's hat does not, he just yanks and throws.
Stage Builder isn't what I thought it'd be. A point of annoyance is that, at least with the parts I have, I can't build a grounded stage, meaning that a layout like Bowser's Fortress will NOT happen (even allowing for leeway with the Axe and replacing the lava with spikes, the closest thing to it.) That said, it's still useful. I made myself a stage called Shrikeswind Dojo. It has a spike pit guarded by falling blocks. Computers don't know how to get back to land as it is, and even with my escape route, they still get stuck in there when the platforms respawn. However, if a person gets stuck in there, they can easily (though painfully) maneuver to safety with the escape route. Don't tell my sister.
Snake only has one taunt, assigned to all buttons, the Box. However, it's possible to hear codec conversations with taunting in Shadow Moses Island. It's much easier if you're using the Nunchuck, since you can hit both 1 and 2 (which may be assigned taunts) at the same time. On the GCN controller, it's much harder due to the fact that the D-Pad is the only spot to assign taunts to, making it impossible to hit the required buttons for it. I also find that you get the best results by being in the exact center of the stage (so far, I haven't tried it on the upper platform) and if you've been level with your target at a distance that amounts to from the center to the middle of the platforms supported by the watchtowers. And yes, you can continue fighting while a codec conversation is going on, however, if you get knocked out (I tested this myself in Training Mode against DK, I commited suicide before Otacon finished,) the conversation ends with a worried cry from the other side (imagine, if you will, talking to a friend on the phone, then suddenly hearing a gunshot on their line and they stop talking abruptly, and you'll know how they finish conversations.) Snake makes some pretty funny comments (try it on Peach, for example) on the codec, so if you're in a straight fight with a friend on Shadow Moses, don't let him KO you while you're running the codec. For common courtesy, I'd say do the same.)
Subspace Emissary. You will play it. There's no "I may, but it's no priority." It's priority. For that matter, it's top priority. To say, I finished it (94%, actually, some things were missed) in about 11 hours.
So, the impression I get? This is a great game all around. I recommend it.
Melee is very much a wide-spread game. Though a fast-paced game, Melee isn't exactly active in that you spend alot of the time out of the way and not in a fight, making certain moves easier to pull off than people let on. For example, while Ness has an awkward B attack in PK Flash, it is possible to get the boom in there. What's this to do with Brawl, now? Well, Brawl is much more intense and has a much more focused feel to it. While you could easily split groups up in Melee, in Brawl, you start to split them and they seem to magnetically recombine. The easiest possible way I can say it is that Brawl is a very suitable name for this game.
Some of you may be familiar with Mario's new Down-Special, FLUDD. This move is practically useless in this game. Like Squirtle's Water Gun, FLUDD is a charging move that deals knockback only, no damage. Mario, while still about average as far as his attacks go, is lower on the scale now due to FLUDD. The reason? Unlike Squirtle's Water Gun, Mario's FLUDD takes time to charge, and at full charge? None too effective. Plus, unlike Tornado, Mario can't recover with FLUDD, and Tornado (his Down-Aerial) doesn't let you do it either, removing some of his aerial agility. In a nutshell, FLUDD nerfed Mario.
That said, a couple of other characters are nerfed on their stats alone. DK, who remained practically unchanged from Melee, is worse in Brawl than he is in Melee due to the heavier focus on keeping together. DK is quoted as having problems in large crowds in Melee, which was generally true, but you could still hold your own in a real rumble as the great ape. In Brawl, you'd better damn well have an escape route worked out, or DK's a goner.
Land-speed is a very important aspect of this game. Lighter, faster characters like Sonic, Pit, and Charizard are easier to get along with than heavier, slower characters like Bowser, Dedede, and Ike. There are exceptions, Snake, a slower character, is a good slow character, and (at least in my experience,) Meta Knight's kinda hard to pull off in spite of his speed. Those who were used to heavyweights in Melee (like me) will have a far harder time with them in Brawl and may end up switching sides (like me.)
Sonic. No word better describes him. His insane speed is amazingly useful. Low though his traction may be, he can outrun every other character in the game, making the best way to hit him a trap. He can't always stop in time to avoid such heavyweights as Bowser or DK preparing a Smash attack, but that in no way makes him less of a character. His Smash attacks are really weak, but every attack comes equipped with a back-up combo. Spin Charge (his Down-Special) is a useless attack in its own right, but don't let that bother you. When transitioned smoothly into a Spin Dash (his Side-Special,) he doesn't jump at the beginning, making it easier to hit grounded enemies, the disadvantage to his Spin Dash. This is actually very useful in his own stage, Green Hill Zone, if you're on either side and start a Spin Dash, you'll go over half the dip, missing anyone there. Spring Jump is also a very effective recovery, but in its own right, it doesn't do damage (the spring does hurt if in the air, but it falls down.) Sonic does NOT enter helpless mode after doing this, however, and can still use A attacks after the jump. However, all B attacks are gone from his arsenal until he lands. Finally, Super Sonic is a very hard attack to control due to the ridiculously high speeds, but if you keep to the ground and move slightly towards the stage while zipping by, it's easier to control. Also, by pulling back on the control stick, you can bring the yellow hedgehog to a complete and utter stop while you wait for your enemies. Though it likely is possible to dodge, this Final is perhaps the best there is due to how insanely hard to dodge it actually is.
Link's Gale Boomerang isn't too useful. Though it does damage and drags enemies to Link, it's very hard to get it right, so you'll probably feel like the Bow is the more appropriate weapon. It charges faster, that's for sure.
Lucas is a wimp. I hate him. Now I've said that, let's talk about the little nerd behind his back. PK Thunder is easy to use, it has a faster turn than Ness' did in Melee. PK Freeze is almost...no, strike that, totally useless. Only an idiot would get hit by that attack. Though easier to pull off, it's practically uncontrollable, and like PK Flash, it takes time to cancel out. Use PK Fire against distant enemies, especially since the explosive force sends enemies flying farther. I have yet to use PK Magnet. Starstorm, though hard to dodge, is a generally annoying Final, since alot of luck is involved in the stars. You can easily hit, but anyone who's ever won the boss fight with King K. Rool in DKC will have an easy time dodging the attacks (though harder than K. Rool's Kannons in that you don't know where they'll be coming from next.)
I have NO clue what kind of idiot would hit the Banana Peel. Diddy's most useless attack must be that. Also, like before, I hate his Up-Special, the Rocketbarrel Boost, but I'm now quite partial to his Side-Special, Monkey Flip. If you're in trouble, you can always cancel it, it turns into a basic kick. Peanut Popgun is hard to pull off. It's not a rapid-fire attack as I thought it would be, by holding the button, Diddy aims the gun, release, and he fires, hold too long, and it blows up on him (though a fiery explosion, it doesn't actually hurt him, merely stuns him.)
Just a note. While Olimar needs to use his Side-Special to throw the Pikmin, Kirby with Olimar's hat does not, he just yanks and throws.
Stage Builder isn't what I thought it'd be. A point of annoyance is that, at least with the parts I have, I can't build a grounded stage, meaning that a layout like Bowser's Fortress will NOT happen (even allowing for leeway with the Axe and replacing the lava with spikes, the closest thing to it.) That said, it's still useful. I made myself a stage called Shrikeswind Dojo. It has a spike pit guarded by falling blocks. Computers don't know how to get back to land as it is, and even with my escape route, they still get stuck in there when the platforms respawn. However, if a person gets stuck in there, they can easily (though painfully) maneuver to safety with the escape route. Don't tell my sister.
Snake only has one taunt, assigned to all buttons, the Box. However, it's possible to hear codec conversations with taunting in Shadow Moses Island. It's much easier if you're using the Nunchuck, since you can hit both 1 and 2 (which may be assigned taunts) at the same time. On the GCN controller, it's much harder due to the fact that the D-Pad is the only spot to assign taunts to, making it impossible to hit the required buttons for it. I also find that you get the best results by being in the exact center of the stage (so far, I haven't tried it on the upper platform) and if you've been level with your target at a distance that amounts to from the center to the middle of the platforms supported by the watchtowers. And yes, you can continue fighting while a codec conversation is going on, however, if you get knocked out (I tested this myself in Training Mode against DK, I commited suicide before Otacon finished,) the conversation ends with a worried cry from the other side (imagine, if you will, talking to a friend on the phone, then suddenly hearing a gunshot on their line and they stop talking abruptly, and you'll know how they finish conversations.) Snake makes some pretty funny comments (try it on Peach, for example) on the codec, so if you're in a straight fight with a friend on Shadow Moses, don't let him KO you while you're running the codec. For common courtesy, I'd say do the same.)
Subspace Emissary. You will play it. There's no "I may, but it's no priority." It's priority. For that matter, it's top priority. To say, I finished it (94%, actually, some things were missed) in about 11 hours.
So, the impression I get? This is a great game all around. I recommend it.
