First Demo Impressions after a weekend!:
- The controls are weird......at first. I found it very easy to adjust to how the game controls on a 3DS, when it was my biggest concern when it was first announced. Side Smashes might be an issue to some, but it's not too difficult once you get the hang of it. Although mapping Grab to the L Button is NOT comfortable. I advise changing it to either X or Y when the final game comes out.
- This game looks absolutely gorgeous! Watching YouTube videos DEFINITELY does not bring out how the game looks AT ALL. Play it on or watch it from an actual 3DS and the game looks absolutely beautiful. The 60fps is definitely a sight to see on such a small device and, yes, Sakurai was right during the Direct, the framerate stays the same even when you have the 3D on, which is a GODSEND for a fighting game. The only graphical flaw was assist trophies and Pokeball Pokemon, who run at 30fps rather than 60, and it REALLY shows. Their animations look so choppy and not very well-done in comparison to how the actual fighters move so smoothly. It's not something to turn one off from the game, but its still rather jarring.
Onto Characters:
- Mario: Its safe to say he got better from Brawl. His Up Tilt is devastating on low percentages and it can easily be followed up by a good side smash. FLUDD is still useless and its still a stupid idea to make his down special.
At least we have Dr. Mario....- Link: OH MY GOD, LINK! If there was an award for "Most Improved Character So Far", Link would win that in a heartbeat! My god, what a stark contrast to how horrendous he was in Brawl! He's still kinda slow, but he MORE than makes up for that in raw power and the amount of KO moves he has. His grab is certainly more useful thanks to being reverted to the Smash 64 version that goes straight forward instead of flailing down, making grabs and tether recoveries MUCH easier! Then there's his dash attack. Dear lord, his new dash attack! It is just SO good when you get it right and it is Link's BEST killing move by far! Easily my main in this demo!
- Pikachu: He feels......different. I don't know whether to say he's better or worse, but he's definitely changed. His attacks have some more umph to them but some got a bit weaker. He feels a bit faster than in Brawl, although some moves could do without the extra frames of recovery time. But Pikachu is impressing me so far.
- Killa-er, Villager: Villager is one of those "Difficult, but Awesome" characters. He is SO hard to use at first and I can never get this character down. However, I do see a lot of potential in him, especially with that Pocket move of his.
- Mega Man: Although I said Link is my main so far, I spent the most amount of time with Mega Man. I was really excited to see him in the game and well.........he's certainly unique. His movements are more awkward than other characters, though that is entirely the point since they were going for that 8-bit style. Mega Man's Neutral Smash is the weirdest in the game in that it's the only projectile neutral smash, what with using his peashooters. Also, I'm gonna flat-out say it, Mega Man's specials SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! They SUCK! They don't do much in terms of damage, knockback, ANYTHING! The only useful move he has is Rush Coil, which is a fantastic recovery move, but that's it. Where Mega Man REALLY shines is his Smash Attacks and Tilts. His Side Smash is a little tricky to land, but once you land that Charge Shot, it is nothing but great times with that thing! His Mega Upper Up Tilt is a really good Shoryuken move, but it leaves you open for a while. His Up Smash is amazing too. His dash attack is also incredible, although I cannot believe we live in a world where Metal Blades are useless and yet Top Spin is one of Mega Man's best attacks. Um.... priorities, much?
Overall, I am loving the game! October 3rd and November 21st CANNOT come soon enough. I'm gonna be posting my friend code here for anybody that wants to play online multiplayer with me at Launch Weekend.
