An ode to Super Smash Bros. before Ultimate’s latest DLC fighter

Shortly after Nintendo’s big direct presentation on September 23, I felt pretty sad.

Not because the Direct itself was poor, on the contrary, I found it excellent and packed with all kinds of exciting announcements. Rather, I’m getting surprisingly excited by the news we’ve all been waiting for: the reveal of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate wrestler, who will officially arrive on October 5 “Mr. Sakurai Presents ”. There, Latest Director Masahiro Sakurai will show us the fighter’s move set and release date, as well as the latest batch of Mii fighter outfits.

And, after nearly three years of support for the game, that will be the end Latest presentation. Naturally, that is provoked a lot of speculation. Who will be the last fighter? People are deeply caught up in all of that, and that’s understandable. I can get it too. But I’m less interested in the identity of the final character and more in the meaning behind him.

That’s because it won’t just mark the end of new content in Latest – is basically a swan song for Smash. based on what we know. It is expected that Latest will be the last of Sakurai Smash, and the game’s title clearly points to it being the culmination of everything he and his teams have done with the series thus far. It’s been an incredible journey of almost 23 years, seemingly ending on October 5.

“Of course, the fanbase has had its share of toxicity issues, but, and I’m speaking purely personal here, the ‘Smash hype’ cycle has been a great source of joy.”

And that’s what hit me a lot. I have been playing Smash for more than half my life, and during that time, it represented the quintessential social experience for me.

Yes it was Confused fight in the house of my best childhood friend, Quarrel with my cousins ​​during my summer trip to Florida, Smash 4 on game nights with my coworkers at Future Shop and Best Buy or, more recently, Latest with my current group of friends, Smash it has been a big part of my life. Hell, one of the last things I did with friends just days before the start of the pandemic was a bunch of late-night activities. Latest matches in our hotel room in Montreal, which gives the game even more of that “those were the good old days” quality.

In many of these cases, he played with friends or family whom he rarely saw because they were in other cities or even countries. As an only child with a single mother, that time I spend with others is particularly dear to me, and one of the biggest common threads connecting many of those memories is Smash. The easy-to-learn and playful nature of the series meant that everyone from my friend who introduced me to Final Fantasy my older cousins ​​who are not gamers could join in for fun.

And that’s exactly what it means to play the games. Over the years, the experience surrounding the series has been equally shocking. During the last day there has been a renewed discussion about the fact that trailers are, at the end of the day, just marketing. While that’s true, it doesn’t mean that good things can’t come out of them yet. SmashAll in all, it’s the perfect example of that for me. Of course, the fan base has your fair share of toxicity and entitlement issues, but, and I’m speaking purely personal here, the cycle of “Smash hype ”has been a great source of joy.

I clearly remember being freaked out between classes at Ryerson University by the revelation that Cloud Strife, the hero of my all-time favorite game, Final Fantasy VII – came to Crush 4. My friends and I cheered the fall of the microphone “They are all here! ” moment in Latestthe E3 trailer, knowing that the characters, settings, and music we love so much would continue. And then the character reveals, like Person 5‘s Joker and of course FFVIISephiroth, it just made us lose our minds. If it was our own spit, our favorite content creators live-streaming character reveals or Nintendo Store customer reactions, the energy that surrounds the new Smash the content is contagious. It’s the absolute community experience – millions of people around the world share pure, unadulterated joy, even for just a few minutes.

And those feelings of warmth extend to Sakurai himself. The legendary Japanese developer has always been highly respected for his work ethic, modesty and humor, what has given Smash a totally unique environment. I can’t think of many other game creators who have millions of fans showing up, apparently just hear them talk. That’s because Sakurai deep reverence for the industry generally not just Nintendo games, it is displayed in full screen during each stream.

The way it delves into the history of each series and sheds light on its creators is endearing – you really can. feel his enthusiasm in every word. And while I usually don’t even like watching others play, the parts where Sakurai demonstrates the new character with live commentary are so pure and enjoyable. And make this all even healthier, Sakurai, as you accept an award for Latest being the best-selling fighting game of all time, he has said that Latest it was a particularly personal “mission” since it was the last one entrusted to him by his late friend and former Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata.

“… The franchise itself unites the entire industry.”

And what Sakurai and his teams have accomplished with Smash It really can’t be understated – it represents the best in the video game industry. Yes, it is exclusive to a Nintendo platform, but the way it breaks down barriers like console warriors to celebrate the medium as a whole is spectacular. In my original 2018 review of LatestI called the game “a fantastic love letter for all video games”, and that has only become more true since then. Showing off a roster with Nintendo icons like Mario, Link, Pikachu, and Donkey Kong would be good enough, but Smash has happened to include so Many beloved characters in all games.

Among the likes of Street FighterRyu or Mega Man (Capcom); Final FantasyCloud and Sephiroth and Dragon questHero of Square Enix; Tekken‘s Kazuya (Bandai Namco), CastlevaniaRichter (Konami); and Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega), there are a staggering number of iconic franchises and publishers represented on Latest.

In fact, even characters that are owned and / or associated with other platforms, such as Final Fantasy‘s Cloud and Metal gearSnake (primarily known for his PlayStation games), and Microsoft-owned Steve (Minecraft) and Banjo-Kazooie have appeared up to Smash. And if that wasn’t enough Smash shows some love for many more franchises beyond his list, be it Mii fighter costumes for FallVault Boy The devil can cryDante and made in Canada Cuphead, music of people like Wii Sports and the Wonderful 101 o Support trophies based on Rayman, Bomberman or Shovel Knight.

That’s not to mention other talented creators who have collaborated on the series, particularly with new pieces or remixes of such composers What Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy), Yoko shimomura (kingdom hearts), Keiichi okabe (Nier), Yuzo koshiro (Streets of rage), Motoi Sakuraba (Dark souls) and Toby Fox (Under the story). They didn’t have to go the extra mile to recruit such legendary artists (often just for DLC), but the fact that they did makes the whole thing feel even more special. In an industry that often pennies and pennies to consumers with monetization, SmashBonus content feels meaningful and lovingly crafted.

Think of it this way: new Smash Revelations may bring fans together, but the franchise itself brings the entire industry together. And who knows what kind of crazy partnerships we’ll see on October 5. I couldn’t begin to guess who the final character will be, although I hope it’s someone who does. Really break internet, like auraMaster Chief or kingdom hearts‘Sora. But ultimately, it doesn’t really matter who is in that last spot. We will be with almost 100 characters When all is said and done, that’s nothing short of mind-blowing. And beyond that Smash Bros. It has given players, particularly me, a lot of enjoyment over the years.

Now, Smash it’s not about to end suddenly, of course. Latest It will obviously remain playable for years to come, while the series is too big of a revenue stream for Nintendo to let it rest entirely. But, as Sakurai says, there’s no way a future game will be that great. How can it be? A game of this caliber, of this scope, with so many companies and their outstanding properties, is unprecedented. We will surely never get a Smash so again. And while that makes me a bit confused, it’s okay too. A new and rebooted version of the series will be good, especially if it leaves Sakurai open to move on to something new and exciting. His last noSmash the game was splendid in 2012 Kid Icarus uprising, and, lest you forget, he is the creator of a little unknown character named Kirby. There is a lot of potential for other creative endeavors. before it inevitably retires.

For now though, I’m going to celebrate the work of Sakurai and her teams, not just Latest, but Smash series as a whole. Whatever happens, October 5 has been the ride of a lifetime, and I’m happy to have been a part of it.

Image Credit: Nintendo


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