Though I don't anticipate an upcoming video game with the excitement and frustration that I used to in my younger years (though I was just a more excitable, frustrated person altogether back then), it's hard to name exactly one game that I've been anticipating as much as Smash Bros Brawl.
Now only an enticing sixteen days away, I celebrate each passing day by knowing it'll bring me closer to Nintendo's dirty little secret (that the rest of the non-European world have been playing with for half a year now). Perhaps it's this prolonged wait leaving a bitter taste in my mouth, or a lack of updates about every little detail via the main site, but this obsession of mine has died down drastically over the last few months. Tonight I have nothing better to do (besides tons of legal paperwork and an essay), so let's observe some wee little Smash-related thoughts!
1. There certainly are a lot of contenders for the elusive title of 'Tony's main'. Though only three have ever held this title (Pikachu in the original, Bowser in Melee for the first couple days, and Falco the incumbent since May 31st '02), the ever-increasing roster appears to hold a few new possibilities... Though I'll probably determine my main within the first week, here are the nominees!
1. Falco ~ Tried and true, Falco won me over by being a kickass Nintendo character (like Bowser) who translated into a kickass Smash Bros fighter (unlike Bowser). I've become quite good with him, but how will the new modifications sway my decision?
2. Sonic ~ How can I not be tempted? My childhood hero finally has his shot at Mario. He looks like a blast, but I'm not a big fan of his specials - they all seem a bit samey to me.
3. Pokemon Trainer ~ Definitely a distant third; the concept of playable Squirtle and Charizard is absolutely wonderful (you all know about my history with the latter), but the concept of PLAYABLE IVYSAUR is just a gift from heaven. Cycling through the three will probably put me off, but I'll try it out. Who knows, I might be able to master it... or even Pokemon Master it! (Hahaha... lamebuttons)
4. Pikachu ~ Pika's got the outside track on this one; definitely looking on the inside, as t'wer, the way an NFC team with a losing record still has a shot at the playoffs late in the year (because outside of the east, the NFC sucks). He hasn't got much of a chance at all, though he did enjoy a stint as my alternate in Melee, to the point where he still has the third most KOs of any character (behind only my Falco and Luke's Fox); if this were a matter of the alternates, Pikachu likely ranks up top to retain the position.
5. Bowser ~ They've beefed him up some... I've become too accustomed to the speedy characters, so things look grim for him to make an unexpected comeback. He may just have to settle for holding onto his unflattering role as alternate alternate, but he's a bit of a long shot even for that.
2. The new roster additions must be pretty good; of my main Smash comrades (Luke, Matt and Dom), all of us may have new mains - Luke from Fox to Wolf, Matt from Kirby to MetaKnight and Dom from Link to Diddy Kong. Like Falco's competition, we'll see if any of those decisions stick...
3. Anyone who considers Smash Bros a sport should be shot. If there's one thing worse than jocks who are arrogant about their sporting ability, it'd be nerds who are arrogant about their sporting ability. Fortunately, it'll never gain worldwide recognition as a sport, but unfortunately, I'm still yet to convince ESPN that poker and hot dog eating contests aren't sports, either.
4. I wanna record my matches! :)
5. I wanna record matches longer than three minutes. :(
6. I wanna cast 'Magic Missile'. :o
7. That last point was such a wonderful example of what an Internet-obsessed geek I am, though I am happy to say that the DVD of Shakespeare's Shorts has re-affirmed my belief that I am in fact a tank. It was the most fantabulous thing since this classic Articulate exchange;
Atcho: (giving a clue to the answer) "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."
Me: "Oh. Casablanca!"
Atcho: "Correct!"
Hilarious how in that instance, two wrongs did in actual fact make a right. (This point has had nothing to do with Smash Bros. Though I do suspect Captain Falcon might play a few rounds of Articulate on occasion.)
8. Smashboards question: How many characters can they possibly fit in this game?
Respectable Opinion: posted by DragoKnight (that's me you stooges) on March 28th, 2007 at 1:41 AM.
I can see 40 being a pretty logical number, though it'll probably be more like in the ballpark, rather than 40 on the nose. Maybe... 37. Yeah, that's a nice number.
Final Answer: Counting Pokemon Trainer as one character, Zelda/Sheik as two and Samus/Zero Suit Samus as two... 37. OH SNAP.