Welcome back to Video Game Round-Up! I am not late this month! Yay! I thought I had mostly played games I had played before, but after a quick count, that turned out to not be true. I played a lot more Switch games this month because we went on holiday for almost two weeks, which meant more short games, or games that can be played in small snatches of time. I also read a lot of comics at the end of the year, which meant less video game playing in general. Still, I played a decent amount. Here we go!
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch) - I beat the Adventure Mode and unlocked every character! Yay! Also, I decided that instead of just giving you a list of all the characters I’ve unlocked, I’d instead give you a bit of history for each character, which will double as a history of Nintendo specifically, and video games generally. But I’ll put it at the end of this Round-Up so that those of you who aren’t interested can just skip. But yes, not only did I beat the Adventure Mode, I beat it to 100%, which makes me very happy because I love 100%-ing things :D
Gris (Switch) - This game is so beautiful. It’s a great puzzle platformer (and a bit of a Metroidvania, maybe?) with a great story, but really, I am here for how friggin’ beautiful it is. I’m sure you saw the few screenshots I put up back in December (because I know you all follow everything I do), and I’m sure you agree with me. It might be the most beautiful game I’ve ever played.
Read Dead Online (PS4) - I wasn’t gonna play any Red Dead Online because I hate other people and rarely want to interact with anyone outside of the girl, but I ended up doing the introductory missions anyway. I mean, it’s fine, I guess, if that’s your thing. I thought I would give this a chance because it was in a western setting, but nope. There seems to be an interesting story there, but Hell is still other people, and that is more obviously the case in online gaming. Also, microtransactions suck, and every online game has them. Frankly, I’d rather just play through the single-player RDR2 campaign again, and put my philosophizing cowboy hat back on.
Omensight (PS4) - I did a review for this game on Geek Culture, so go read that, but Omensight is a lite role-playing game that is billed as an “action murder mystery”, and that piqued my interest immediately. There’s also a Groundhog Day mechanic, which is awesome. It’s a short game, but I haven’t finished it yet. But soon!
Marvel’s Spider-Man DLC: Silver Linings (PS4) - The last bit of DLC (maybe? there is something Fantastic Four-related coming, so... hope?) for this amazing game. I enjoyed it thoroughly (except for the Screwball missions; God, I hate that character), and I really wish for more DLC, or Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 as soon as freakin’ possible. They have set up so much in this game for the future, and apparently this is the first part of the MGU, like Iron Man was the first part of the MCU, so yeah, I want the next thing right now.
Also, there was a tribute to Stan Lee in the credits, and I cried a bit.
Gorogoa (Switch) - This is a very short art-based puzzle game that I finished in like an hour on the flight to Hong Kong. You have to manipulate the art by zooming in and out, moving left and right, up and down within the art, moving the art around a board with four spaces, and looking in books, items, etc. It’s hard to explain, but it’s super great to play. Except for Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, I haven’t played such a satisfying puzzle game in a long time.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Switch) - Speaking of which, I did a couple more puzzle boxes in this game. The boxes I played were the ones where Captain Toad has to find three of his colleagues and lead them safely to the star, and a few with Toadette who has to run away from a mummy who follows her around. They’re harder than the usual boxes, especially when bosses are involved. I think I still have four or five boxes left.
Picross S (Switch) - And rounding out my puzzle games this month, this is basically sudoku, but with shading boxes instead of numbers. When you complete a puzzle, it becomes an image of some random, regular thing. It’s challenging, but never hard enough that it becomes frustrating. I basically use it to relax a bit when I don’t want to deal with punching or shooting things. I love it, and I’ll get the sequel when I finish all the puzzles in this one (I still have about half the puzzles left).
New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) - Thanks to the portability of the Switch, I have been ignoring my poor 3DS, which is a problem because I have three games that I am in the middle of (this one, Metroid: Samus Returns, and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages), and like three others that I haven’t started (all Zelda games, I just realized). So, while on holiday, I played some levels in NSMB2. I forgot how much of a focus on grabbing coins this game has, but it’s still quite fun, as all Mario platformers are. I need to finish this and not get distracted by Switch games...
Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (Switch) - Oh. Whoops.
Another Mario platformer that was originally on the WiiU (and I actually beat it there), but now it’s on the Switch with more stuff! The most amazing thing is that you can play as Toadette for an easier difficulty (or Nabbit for the easiest difficulty), and Toadette can grab a crown to turn into Peachette, a mini version of Princess Peach! When this was first announced, some dude decided it would be cool if Bowser grabbed this crown too, and created the Internet sensation known as Bowsette (which then birthed further spliced characters like Boosette, Chompette, and Prince Peacher). Nintendo, however, decreed Bowsette non-canon with such finality, it feels like they murdered the fan character.
But the game is great, and I love playing as Toadette/Peachette. Also, the Super Luigi U levels (which I never played on the WiiU) are really hard!
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) - I finally have this game! I’ve loved the Mario Kart series since the N64 (I’ve never played the original SNES game, but various tracks from that game have shown up in most of the subsequent games that it feels like I have played it). This is also an update of the WiiU game of the same name (but without the Deluxe), but I didn’t play that one. I’ve only played the 50cc Mushroom and Flower Cups on the Switch, but it’s still the same awesome gameplay as always, and I’m constantly trying to get those blue sparks. I do miss the ability to have two characters on one car, which only appeared on Mario Kart: Double Dash (GC).
Into the Breach (Switch) - Holy shit, this game is so hard! It’s a turn-based tactics game in which you pilot different kinds of mechs on a small map against alien bug invaders (that remind me a lot of various Starship Troopers movie bugs). Besides the mech health, you also have to keep track of the grid health (which powers your mechs) by protecting various buildings on the maps from the alien bugs. The regular difficulty was so hard, I could not make it off the first island. There’s a neat little mechanic in which one of your pilots can travel back in time with their EXP and skills intact when you fail so that you have a bit of a leg up when you have to start over from the beginning. But only one pilot, and that is never enough. So, I am now playing on easy, and have made it further along (though I still can’t beat it because it’s still hard). I am not ashamed of this, and you shouldn’t be either.
And that’s it for this month! I didn’t play as many games as I have in previous months, and I think that has a lot to do with me trying to read more again, and then going on holiday, and also being busier at work. This is likely to continue, especially as we have found another hilarious Korean variety show to watch (I Live Alone, in case you’re wondering). I will likely put up a couple posts before next month’s scheduled Round-Up (my Top Ten Games of 2018 list, and my Most Anticipated Games of 2019 list), just for funsies. I will leave you with a brief history of every fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for your perusal. See you later!
Still here? Great! Here are some (very) truncated histories of the many fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, in the order of when I unlocked them.
Starting Fighters:
Mario - The first of Nintendo’s trinity (the Father), Mario has been in like a billion games. He’s a plumber, and he saves kingdoms. Occasionally, he also fights monkeys and gorillas, races karts, and plays various sports.
Donkey Kong - Not the original Donkey Kong from the original arcade game, but his grandson from the Donkey Kong Country games starting on the SNES. He wears a tie, and nothing else.
Link - The second of Nintendo’s trinity (the Son), Link has also been in a lot of games, but far less than Mario. He also saves kingdoms, but he’s not a plumber. Also, there have been multiple versions of him throughout time.
Samus Aran - The third of Nintendo’s trinity (the Holy Ghost), Samus has been in far less games than either Mario or Link, but she’s been in what is probably the best game of all time in Super Metroid (SNES), so there’s that. Also, her armor and her spaceship are amazing.
Yoshi - First appearing in Super Mario World (SNES) as Mario’s ride, his full name is, still remarkably, T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas. Beyond appearing in various Mario games, he’s also appeared in his own games, including the amazing Yoshi’s Woolly World (WiiU).
Kirby - He is a pink blob that swallows things and takes their powers. It’s really weird. I’ve never played a proper Kirby game (somehow), but I know there are tons of them. Also, he is my main in SSBU because I love his ability to jump like 8 times in the air. It saves me from dying as often as I should.
Fox McCloud - Star of the Star Fox series, he is an anthropomorphic fox pilot who flies spaceships around stars. A star fox, if you will. His original game on the SNES is probably his best, though I haven’t played Star Fox Zero (WiiU). He has a team of pilots who hang out and tell him to do a barrel roll fairly often.
Pikachu - A rat with electrical powers, basically. The star of the Pokemon juggernaut (video games, comics, animation, toys, card games, films, plush toys, etc.). In games, it first appeared in Pokemon Red and Blue (GB). It will soon be a detective voiced by Deadpool because that’s the world we live in (I sound dismissive, but Detective Pikachu is seriously the only Pokemon-related thing I have ever been excited about).
Previously Unlocked Fighters:
King K. Rool - This crocodile man is the main antagonist in the Donkey Kong Country games. He leads the Kremlings, and occasionally throws his crown as a weapon, which seems like a bad idea on the one hand because what if you lose it, but also an amazing idea on the other hand because can you imagine how awesome it would be if like Queen Elizabeth threw her crown at Piers Morgan and knocked him off the level?
Sheik - A disguise for Princess Zelda that she first uses in Ocarina of Time (N64/3DS). She teaches Link some songs for the ocarina, and only reveals herself at the end of the game. Sheik is a lot more hands-on than Zelda ever has been (though not as hands-on as Tetra, another Zelda iteration, but Tetra isn’t a playable character in SSBU for some reason), so I like Sheik more than I like Zelda (until Breath of the Wild (Switch), anyway), which doesn’t actually make any sense since they are the same person.
Sonic the Hedgehog - The first non-Nintendo character I unlocked, Sonic is the star of multiple games bearing his name. Let me tell you how weird it is to have Sonic in a Nintendo game: in the late 80s and early 90s, SEGA and Nintendo were at each other’s throats as the two biggest video game hardware companies. They smacked each other around in Japan, and they smacked each other around in the US, and they even smacked each other around in Europe and South America. But ultimately, Nintendo won as they’re still making hardware and SEGA isn’t (also, SEGA characters show up in Nintendo games, but Nintendo characters don’t show up in SEGA games). This wasn’t all to do with Nintendo, as Sony has some hardware you may have heard of that helped kill SEGA. That said, SEGA did win in South America, as the Sega Genesis is still being produced, and new games are being made for it in Brazil because it is beloved there for some reason. Also, Sonic Mania (PS4/Switch) is an amazing game and totally feels like the original Sonic games.
Bowser - The main antagonist in Mario games from the very beginning. He is a large dinosaur turtle who breathes fire and likes to kidnap princesses. Well, one particular princess over and over. Like Mario, he also races karts and plays various sports.
The Inkling Kid - From the Splatoon series of games in which cephalopod children fight each other with paint weapons. It looks like a pretty amazing game, but I am unlikely to ever play it because I hate other people. But they speak a really fun gibberish, and they have a song which lyrics include, “You’re a kid now, you’re a squid now,” and that is amazing. You can play as various male and female versions.
Lucario - This is the first of many Pokemon in this game that I know nothing about. It’s blue and has psychic abilities. It might also be a ninja, but I’m not 100% sure about that. Its first video game appearance was in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl (DS), though it first appeared in the film Pokemon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
Jigglypuff - This Pokemon I recognize, and I love its song. In this game, it is another pink blob that can jump a lot, and I have occasionally used it in the game. It first appeared in Pokemon Red and Blue (GB).
Dr. Mario - Not content to be only one character, Mario returns as a doctor. However, instead of prescribing you medicine, Dr Mario prefers to chuck it directly at your head. Dr Mario originally appeared in a Tetris-like puzzle game of the same name on the NES and Game Boy.
The Wii Fit Trainer - The avatar from Wii Fit (Wii), the game that made everyone exercise while playing video games. She smacks you in the face with footballs and somehow kicks your ass with yoga (but not Dhalsim’s brand of yoga; like real yoga).
Princess Peach - aka Princess Toadstool, she is the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom (then why isn’t she a Queen?) who often gets kidnapped by Bowser. Besides being playable in various sports and kart games, Peach was first playable in the US version of Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES) aka Super Mario USA (Famicom) aka a reskinned Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (Famicom CD), and she was the best character in that game thanks to her floating ability, which she retains in Smash.
Marth - This is the first of many Fire Emblem characters in this game that I know nothing about. He has a sword. He was the hero of the original Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and and the Blade of Light (Famicom), which was much later remade in the west as Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (DS). He is also the hero of Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (Super Famicom).
The Mii Swordfighter - Basically, a Mii that fights with a sword. You can create your own version of this with your face (or other people’s faces) in various costumes that you can buy in the store (with virtual currency that you get by playing the game, as opposed to buying with real currency). The concept of a Mii first appeared on the Wii, and has appeared in one way or another on every Nintendo console and handheld since then.
The Mii Gunner - Another Mii fighter, this time with a gun. I made one that looked like me, but in Samus’ armor because my love of Samus cannot be restrained.
The Villager - The playable character from the Animal Crossing series, the Villager can be male or female. I’ve never played an Animal Crossing game, but I know they are much loved.
Pac-Man - The second non-Nintendo character I unlocked, this version of Pac-Man has arms and legs (you know, so he can punch and kick), and looks more like the version from side-scrolling platformer Pac-Land (Arcade) instead of just a yellow circle with a mouth from the original arcade game (though he can turn into that).
Solid Snake - The third non-Nintendo character I unlocked, he is from the excellent Metal Gear series that started on the MSX2/Famicom/NES, though the outfit he wears here is from Metal Gear Solid (PS1). Because Hideo Kojima, the creator and main creative force behind this series, is a madman, Solid Snake was playable in less than half of the 10 mainline Metal Gear games. He was playable in Metal Gear (NES), Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX2), Metal Gear Solid (PS1), and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3). He was not the playable character in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2), Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (PSP), Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (PSP), and Metal Gear Solid V (both Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain) (PS4). He was also playable in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2), but only for like 10 minutes, so that hardly counts.
Mega Man - aka Rockman, this is the original Mega Man from the original series, as opposed to X or Zero or Volnutt or .EXE. Mega Man 2 (NES) is the best Mega Man game of all time, and I will brook no disagreement.
The Ice Climbers - The two Ice Climbers come from Ice Climber (NES). There has never been a sequel, though the game has been re-released a couple of times. You play as both Ice Climbers, Nana and Popo, at the same time, which is... weird.
Captain Falcon - He is from the F-Zero racing game series. His car is called the Blue Falcon, and he has a clone named Blood Falcon. I wonder if he ever confuses the two because their names are so similar?
Fighters Unlocked This Month:
Captain Olimar - He is from Pikmin, a series of games in which a human-like character crashlands on an alien planet and enslaves the local plant-based population to build him various things, including a new spaceship. Okay, “enslave” might be a harsh word, but dang it if that’s not totally what it looks like! Olimar uses the same plant aliens to help him fight.
Duck Hunt - This is actually two characters in one: the duck you are supposed to shoot and the dog that laughs at you when you can’t, both from the original Duck Hunt (NES), which required a light gun to play. I’m not sure why they’re working together since the dog jumps into the tall grass so that the ducks fly out so I can shoot them. Also, why are they called Duck Hunt and not like Dog and Duck? This is a weird character all around.
Pichu - Another of the many Pokemon in this game that I know nothing about. It looks like a baby Pikachu, and its name makes me think it lies somewhere on the Pikachu evolutionary line (probably the precursor). It first appeared in Pokemon Gold and Silver (GBC).
Falco - Fox’s jerkiest partner in the Star Fox series. In saying that, I’ve realized that someone at Nintendo isn’t a big fan of birds in general. Falco is jerk, Revali in Breath of the Wild (Switch) is a jerk, Captain Falcon (who is not a bird, but is named after one) hasn’t had a game in his main series since 2004, and I have to hunt ducks in Duck Hunt (NES). Also, none of the bird-type Pokemon are playable characters in this game. So yeah, bird hatred is alive and well at Nintendo (if you’ve been following the #birdwar in my house, you know I am A-OK with this).
Lucas - He is the protagonist of Mother 3 (GBA). His inclusion in this game is a bit weird because Mother 3 has never been released outside of Japan. I know nothing about this character beyond the fact that he has psychic abilities.
Ryu - The fourth non-Nintendo character I unlocked, he is one of two Street Fighter characters that have been in every single Street Fighter game, including the first one (which is terrible). He is a Japanese master of Ansatsuken, a fictional martial art from the Street Fighter universe. Fun fact, Ryu uses a lot of the same moves in Smash that he does in Street Fighter, including the hadouken.
Ike - Another of the many Fire Emblem characters in this game that I know nothing about. He also has a sword. He also has a less fantasy name. He is the hero of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GC) and one of the heroes in the direct sequel Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii).
Pit - The hero of the Kid Icarus series, his design is a mix of Eros/Cupid of Greek/Roman mythology, and angels from Christian mythology. He was also one of the stars of the Captain N: The Game Master series, which is where I know him from since I’ve never played any of the Kid Icarus games (though he was named Kid Icarus there instead of Pit). Speaking of which, why isn’t Captain N in this game? Why hasn’t there been a Captain N video game? That would be awesome! Take the Adventure Mode in this game, make it a proper RPG, and that could be Captain N: The Video Game! Give us a character creator so we can make ourselves Captain N (because Captain N was just a normal dude playing video games who was then sucked into Videoland), and this game would be amazing! Somebody get me Miyamoto-san’s phone number!
Mr Game & Watch - Game & Watch were a series of handheld electronic video games from the 80s designed by visionary Gunpei Yokoi. While these games technically featured different characters in different scenarios, thanks to the not-great graphics possible on LCD screens, they all look pretty similar, so Nintendo decided to canonize it as the same character who did all these different things. In Smash, he moves and fights like he was still on an LCD screen, which is awesome.
Ness - The hero of EarthBound (SNES) aka Mother 2 (Super Famicom), he also has psychic powers and his dad is a telephone? I never played EarthBound as a kid, but it’s on the SNES Mini, so I’ll probably get around to it eventually. The whole Mother series is supposed to be really weird and has a very strong cult following.
Simon Belmont - The hero of six mainline Castlevania games, including the first one on the NES. His weapon of choice is a whip for some reason. Fun fact: I have never played any Castlevania game ever, but I did play the Castlevania love letter/copy Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Switch) and didn’t enjoy it very much.
Little Mac - The hero of the Punch-Out!! series, of which I’ve only played the two versions on the NES: Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! and Punch-Out!! Regardless of the version, however, I could never defeat the final boxer, Mike Tyson/Mr. Dream, but I could get to him consistently.
Isabelle - She is a beloved character who first appeared in Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS). She is a super cute and adorable anthropomorphic dog, but again, I’ve never played Animal Crossing, so this is my first time encountering her.
Zero Suit Samus - This is the same Samus Aran from above, but this time wearing the Zero Suit that was introduced in Metroid: Zero Mission (GBA), a remake of the original Metroid (NES) (however, it was first called the Zero Suit in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)). In the Zero Suit, Samus is a lot more agile than when she’s in her bulky armor, but the trade-off is that her defense is lower. I personally prefer Samus in the armor, but the Zero Suit has its adherents.
King Dedede - The main antagonist in the Kirby series, but since I’ve never played any Kirby games, I know very little about him. I know he’s a fat penguin with a huge hammer, and he’s only a king because he calls himself the King of Dream Land (more bird hate?).
Diddy Kong - Donkey Kong’s nephew wannabe (apparently) from the Donkey Kong Country series. He wears a baseball cap and t-shirt. Also, he is a monkey while Donkey Kong is an ape, which is weird.
Pokemon Trainer - So, while the Pokemon Trainer (who can be male or female, and the male looks a lot like Ash) is technically the playable character, like in the main Pokemon games, only his Pokemon fight. They can switch between Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard, even during an ongoing battle. But yeah, the Pokemon Trainer is like three characters in one, and none of them are the Trainer themselves.
Shulk - The fifth non-Nintendo character I unlocked, he is the hero of Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii). He has a sword that looks a lot like Tidus’ from Final Fantasy X (PS2), but red instead of blue. Also, because of his name, I thought he would be a lot greener. He is not at all green.
Toon Link - The same character from earlier in this list, but now cel-shaded. The first time this version of Link showed up was The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC), which had such a different art style from every Zelda game before it, fans were originally angry. Then it turned out the game was amazing, and those fans all looked like morons.
Wario - The antithesis of Mario, this farting, garlic-loving antihero first appeared as an outright villain in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (GB), but quickly transitioned into a protagonist in the next game in the series, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (GB), kickstarting the Wario Land series, and eventually starring in the truly bizarre WarioWare series, each one featuring a bunch of ridiculous minigames.
Ridley - One of the main antagonists of the Metroid series, starting in first NES game. In fact, he’s been in all but three Metroid games. In the fiction of the game, Ridley is the leader of a band of space pirates, and is responsible for orphaning Samus. Even though she has killed him multiple times, Ridley is always resurrected thanks to space pirate technology and his own regenerative powers.
Roy - Another of the many Fire Emblem characters in this game that I know nothing about. He ALSO has a sword AND a less fantasy name. He is the hero of Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade (GBA).
R.O.B. - This guy is based off the toy of the same name that you could make work with two games: Gyromite (NES), which I played with my brother and not a robot, and Stack-Up (NES), a game I didn’t even know existed. R.O.B. (which stands for Robotic Operating Buddy) was designed to make the NES feel more like a toy so that retailers wouldn’t be put off by another video game system so soon after the video game crash of 1983. They needn’t have bothered, as the NES took off, and poor R.O.B. didn’t.
Richter Belmont - The hero of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (Super CD-Rom^2) aka Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES), he is a descendant of Simon. For some reason, only Belmonts fight Dracula.
Meta Knight - An antihero in the Kirby series, he first appeared in Kirby’s Adventure (NES), but was only named two years later in Tetris-like Kirby’s Avalanche (SNES). Meta Knight has been both friend and foe to Kirby, depending on the circumstances in each game he’s appeared in. He kind of looks like Kirby, but in a suit of armor. Perhaps they are the same species of weird pink blob?
Princess Daisy - She is the ruler of Sarasaland (again, why is she a Princess instead of a Queen?) who Mario had to save in Super Mario Land (GB). Since then, Daisy has mostly appeared in various Mario sports, kart, and party games. She has been rumored to be in a romantic relationship with Luigi, but really only by fans who I guess feel bad that Luigi’s always looked down on in favor of his brother?
Lucina - Another of the many Fire Emblem characters in this game that I know nothing about. She also has a sword, but her name is pretty fantasy. She is one of the heroes in Fire Emblem: Awakening (GBA).
Bayonetta - The sixth non-Nintendo character I unlocked, she is the star of Bayonetta (PS3), Bayonetta 2 (WiiU), and the upcoming Bayonetta 3 (Switch). She is an Umbra Witch who has four guns, two of which reside in her boots, and manipulates time. She also uses her hair to make her outfit. I am not making any of that up.
Bowser Jr. - Bowser’s son, he first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine (GC), long after the rest of his siblings, aka the Koopalings, first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES). Bowser Jr. looks more like his dad than any of his other siblings, but the seven Koopalings act as Bowser Jr.’s seven alternate costumes, which is awesome.
Robin - Another of the many Fire Emblem characters in this game that I know nothing about. This character is actually one of the heroes from Fire Emblem: Awakening (GBA), but can be renamed to whatever the player chooses. “Robin” is simply the default name. This character can also be either male or female, depending on player choice, and this is reflected in Smash by making half the alternate costumes male and half female.
Incineroar - Another of the many Pokemon in this game that I know nothing about. This one is huge and is a pro wrestler. Its moveset includes clotheslines, spinning lariats, and body slams. It first appeared in Pokemon Sun and Moon (3DS).
Cloud Strife - The seventh non-Nintendo character I unlocked, he is the main playable character of Final Fantasy VII (PS1) aka the greatest Final Fantasy game of all time. He has ridiculous spiky hair, and an enormous sword that can’t actually be carried by normal people. He lives in Midgar and occasionally rides a pretty sweet motorcycle. Smash lets you choose between his original FFVII outfit, or his outfit from the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children film.
Dark Pit - He is an evil clone of Pit’s who appeared in Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS). He was created by Medusa and a magic mirror, and became a representation of Pit’s repressed negative feelings. He eventually becomes a good guy, though, and helps Pit out of a couple of pickles.
Corrin - Another of the many Fire Emblem characters in this game that I know nothing about. This character is the hero from Fire Emblem: Fates (3DS), but, like Robin, can be renamed to whatever the player chooses, and be made either male or female, depending on player choice. This is again reflected in Smash by making half the alternate costumes male and half female.
Chrom - The last of the many Fire Emblem characters in this game that I know nothing about. Surprise, surprise, he has a sword. This character is one of the heroes from Fire Emblem: Awakening (GBA).
Princess Zelda - The daughter of the King of Hyrule (so actually a princess), she has appeared in all but three The Legend of Zelda games. She started out as a typical damsel in distress in The Legend of Zelda (NES), but has slowly become a lot more active in the series, either by taking other guises (the previously mentioned Sheik and Tetra), by being a sage or goddess, or just by finally being her badass self in Breath of the Wild (Switch). Yeah, I didn’t really like Zelda until BotW, when I fell in love with her, and I really wish this Smash had her outfit from that game.
Ganondorf - Not to be confused with the regular, demonic Ganon (who first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda (NES)), this humanoid iteration of the character first appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64/3DS). He was a Gerudo king who swears allegiance to the king of Hyrule, but plans on betraying him. He looks pretty sweet as Ganondorf and not like a blue pig, which is what he’d looked like up to this point.
Young Link - The third playable Link in this game, this version first appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64/3DS). You switch back and forth between Young Link and Adult Link in that game as you travel back and forth through time. Young Link would be the only playable character in the following game, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (N64/3DS), which also features time travel, but only within a 3-day span.
Greninja - Another of the many Pokemon in this game that I know nothing about. This one is definitely a ninja because it’s right there in the name. Also, it’s a frog. It’s a frog ninja. That’s awesome. It first appeared in Pokemon X and Y (3DS).
Rosalina & Luma - She is the Watcher of the Cosmos who first appeared in the amazing Super Mario Galaxy (Wii), the best 3D Mario game (fight me). She is also the adoptive mother of all the Lumas, little teardrop-shaped Kirby-likes. I love her design, especially her hair and dress. I use her most often in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) because she has a super rad motorcycle outfit when she rides a motorcycle.
Ken Masters - The eighth and last non-Nintendo character I unlocked, he is Ryu’s best friend and rival in the Street Fighter series, and the other character who has appeared in every Street Fighter game. He is an American master of Ansatsuken, and is now married and has a daughter.
Mii Brawler - The last Mii fighter, this one fights with its fists. Again, you can make your own version so that it looks like you or someone you know. Or Bruce Lee.
Wolf O’Donnell - An antihero in the Star Fox series, this anthropomorphic wolf first appeared in Star Fox 64 (N64), though he was originally slated to appear in the cancelled Star Fox 2, which was finally released on the SNES Mini. Wolf also has a team, much like Fox. Also, Wolf has an Irish-sounding surname, while Fox has a Scottish-sounding surname. What’s up with that?
Luigi - Mario’s taller, thinner, and greener brother, he’s been around as long as Mario has, which is really a punch in the gut when you realize just how overlooked he’s been in the history of Mario games (I mean, they’re called “Mario” games, not “Luigi” games). That said, Luigi does have his own series, starting with Luigi’s Mansion (GC/3DS). The third game in the series will be coming out for the Switch this year.
Mewtwo - The last of the many Pokemon in this game that I know nothing about. It’s a cat-type Pokemon that is somehow related to the Meowth character from the cartoon I used to watch on Saturday mornings. It first appeared in Pokemon Red and Blue (GB).
Palutena - She is the Goddess of Light and the ruler of Skyworld in the Kid Icarus series. In the first game, she is also the damsel in distress Pit has to save from Medusa, who at least is also a goddess in this world. In Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS), however, Palutena becomes a much bigger presence and directs Pit to do various things in the game, and she never gets kidnapped. Fun fact: Palutena is actually the eponymous character in the Japanese title of the series (like Zelda for The Legend of Zelda series), which is directly translated as Light Mythology: Mirror of Palutena.
Dark Samus - Actually a Metroid, and the main antagonist of the Metroid Prime series. The Metroid is the final boss in Metroid Prime (GC), where it morphs into Dark Samus after its defeat by stealing Samus’ Phazon Suit. In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (GC), Samus fights Dark Samus many times before defeating it at the end of the game. Finally, in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii), Dark Samus goes all out and tries to destroy the entire Galactic Federation before Samus finally puts it down for good.
And we’re done! Did you read all that? Thanks for that! Also, wow! That was 74 character entries that you just read through! There will be at least six more DLC fighters coming, only two of which are currently known. When they drop, I will tell you all about them too :) Also, I know that, technically, both Mega Man and the Belmonts are not Nintendo characters (they belong to Capcom and Konami, respectively), but they are so intrinsically linked to Nintendo’s early days, I couldn’t cut them out. I mean, both Mega Man and Simon Belmont were regulars on Captain N (I mean, sort of; Mega Man was green instead of blue, for some reason, and Simon Belmont was a foppish narcissist, so...).
See you later!
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