This review is the second part of my Smash 4 retrospective. If you haven't read my previous Smash 3DS review, or need a refresher, I highly suggest reading it once more!
EDIT: I FORGOT TO SAY THIS, BUT STAGE BUILDER IS MID. I NEED THIS FOR A JOKE IN THE ULTIMATE REVIEW, BEAR WITH ME.
This is the only Smash Brothers game that I had practically no experience with prior to this review saga. I WONDER WHY!
So. I already loved Smash 4 on 3DS. And pretty much the same for Wii U. Although definitely to a lesser degree. Like I said, I had pretty much no experience with Wii U prior, and the only reason I'm reviewing it now is for the sake of completeness. And the verdict? I loved it! Of course, many people find the Wii U version superior to the 3DS version in many ways, but the core gameplay is the same across the board, and hell, even most of the DLC is shared between versions. Honestly, the fact that DLC was even on the 3DS to begin with was pretty cool! But sadly, Pirate Ship fans got shafted, rest in peace. But other than the core content, Wii U is… REALLY strange. Is it better than Smash 3DS for the sole reason of offering better controls, or worse due to the worse content overall than in the 3DS version? Who knows? Because I sure as hell don't!
Like I said, the core gameplay is… practically identical, which is a good thing, because Smash 3DS already played pretty well! Granted, it's not perfect. Untechables can be really annoying, the removal of air dodging still kinda sucks,and rage is rage, but other than that, it played almost perfectly. The physics weren't as floaty as Brawl, and the game is a hell of a lot more balanced. Most characters were at least somewhat viable, and even the worse ones were able to make decent showings at a high level. This is definitely helped by the ability to patch games on 3DS and Wii U, leading to a vastly shifting metagame. One day, Bowser and Donkey Kong would be shitty low-tiers, and the next, they'd be god's gift to the Earth. Overall, Smash 4 really hit the nail on the head when it came to just being a fun game in general. It still felt a bit sluggish (especially in a post-Ultimate world), but it had a great core, and rewarded skillful play greatly, as opposed to Brawl's oppressive and unsatisfactory gameplay. Where the 4 duology differs is in terms of it's additional content. Smash 3DS had a great lineup of content. Smash Run is amazing, Classic Mode is a great twist on the tried-and-true formula, and the game was still filled with a fuckton of content, in spite of the smaller form factor. But oftentimes, the Wii U version is seen as superior to the 3DS version, primarily for its better controller accessibility, HD form factor, and generally the same overall content as Smash 3DS. Seems pretty damning, right?
Well… it's truly complicated.
First of all, "same overall content" is a biiiiit of a stretch. Sure, the roster holds parity; no character from one version is exclusive to it. But even some of the core gameplay can be different. For one, the stage lineup. Aside from the DLC stages, very few are shared between the versions, and almost all of them have alterations of some sort. Battlefield and Final Destination all look vastly different than on the Wii U version (beyond a simple graphical upgrade), Gaur Plains has a larger layout, and Wily Castle can have vastly different platforms on the side. And even similarly-named modes can be vastly different. For example, Classic Mode is bad now!
It's just so… over complicated and confusing now. For zero reason either. Now, instead of going along a pre-set path, it's HEAVILY dependent on RNG and randomized opponents, which really takes lots of the fun out of Classic Mode. You're on this one board, in which you fight rounds of opponents back to back, and each round increases in complexity… and it's just kinda pointless. Furthermore, that whole "custom difficulty" element of Classic Mode is all but gone now. Sure, you have the better rewards for harder CPUs, but it's not really made clear to the player that it's harder because of that. And also, you have this "rival" who appears on the same board as you, and they get stronger… and also there's this big-ass trophy which is an "intruder", which just intercepts your otherwise GUARANTEED round pick… why????? Just give me the 3DS Classic Mode, this is trash. At least there's one redeeming quality in all of this. Master Core gets a new form, the MASTER FORTRESS. A decent platforming romp, but uhhhhhh yeah, this mode sucks otherwise! Well, what about All-Star Mode? It's… in reverse… okay??? Event Matches are back again, that's… neat. Special Smash is also here… the same as Brawl. Special Orders is- WAIT.
Special Orders is a pretty interesting side mode, in which you can either take orders from Master Hand or Crazy Hand. Master Hand tasks you to complete 1 of 3 random missions, which vary in reward, while Crazy Hand requires you to complete as many as you can before time runs out and you have to face a boss, with small heals in between. Can you tell which one is better? Yeah, Crazy Orders is where it's at, and really should've been the Classic Mode for this game. It's way more strategic and fun, waaaaaaay more than whatever that Tournament crap was. It offers some decent ways to shake up and strategize your gameplay, with each task having varying levels of difficulty. But one good mode doesn't necessarily make a superior version. What about the BIG mode each version had? Smash 3DS had this big, multiplayer bash that was an absolute joy to whip out whenever anyone had the game around, but in contrast…
Smash Tour. It's… what???? I didn't have "Smash Bros Mario Party" on the docket, but here we are? And it certainly plays how I'd expect it to… as mediocre as you can think. Also, why is this on the main menu???? Maybe I'll try to explain it later, but I don't think it's very fun to play with CPUs… as if this is a multiplayer game. Might be worth a Parsec night with the OOMFs, but we'll see, I guess. But uhhhhhhh yeah this mode kinda booty.
Funny how we’re… ROLLING ONES? Uhhhhhh, yeah. I don't got much else to say here, because yes, I think the Wii U version… kinda blows in respects to the 3DS version. The modes of the Wii U version are just kinda subpar, and don't hold up very well compared to the 3DS version, which had some amazing side modes. Now… with that being said… I still think it's an amazing game. Multiplayer is as fun as ever, the controls are fluid as fuck, and by god, the music may even solo Brawl’s. But Smash 4’s, more specifically, Smash Wii U’s crucial flaw is its really bad side modes. I feel that this has really hampered opinions on Smash 4, to be honest. Most people don't want to play Smash Bros on some glorified sandwich, and even Nintendo touted the Wii U version as THE one version to get, when in fact, it was kind of the opposite way around. This leaves Smash 4 as the underdog of the series, as many people dropped it in favor of Ultimate. And who can blame them?
But… There is one thing that makes Smash 4 easily one of the best Smash Bros games in my opinion. One that found its identity, due to one shining element, which made it an unforgettable romp through the years.
This little story kicks off on June 10th. Nintendo, for the first time in history, hosts a Smash tournament. Already, people are slightly skeptical, but the event proceeds, and then suddenly, top players from all sorts of Smash games come out on stage. Melee, Brawl, even a Project M player, PeachyHime. Admittedly, I'm not too familiar with her myself, but hey! That's still cool as FUCK. Aaaaand then the tournament. It wasn't very standout, other than the fact that it was NINTENDO-RAN. But this left people with SOME hope that Smash 4 would have a decent competitive run.
God, if I could relive those days.
Smash 4 is one of those games where you just had to be there. And yes, I am rating this game 5 Stars mostly because of the competitive scene. Don't @ me. (Joke, I still love this game LMAO) It's very evident of what it was like to be a Nintendo fan back in the Wii U days. We knew things weren't going great. We were all looking forward to what Nintendo had in store next. And yet, we fell in love with these games anyways. When it comes to Smash 4, I'd argue it's the most competitively iconic game in the series, tying Melee with the amount of crazy shit that went down. It was one of the few times where I felt Nintendo really listened to the fans with every passing update. It truly felt as if Nintendo were spectating every tournament, nerfing what the community wished on a dime. Even the most dogass characters got some love, like Marth. God, FUCK Nintendo for nerfing this character in Ultimate. Mid-tier heros popped out of literally nowhere all the time (love u Glutonny, Sinji, Maister, all of you). The community was a rag-tag group, and places like Xanadu really helped the Smash 4 scene to grow. Even when it felt like the Smash scene was slowly dwindling, with every tournament, it kept going and growing stronger. Buuuuuuut… there was one thing that would be a tournament threat. DLC was a new thing for the Smash series. It was something pretty much everyone wanted since the Brawl days. What if they just added more characters to this already enormous character roster? Well, here we are! In addition to finally allowing patches to be implemented, Smash 4 would be the first game in the series to implement DLC characters. While it wasn't necessarily a given, it was still a decent possibility, and yep, it happened, alright. I already shared some of my thoughts regarding Smash 4’s DLC in a list I made a while back, but I'll reiterate some of my thoughts here. So, STARTING WITH…
"Mewtwo Strikes Back!"
Fuck Nintendo for nerfing this character.
Mewtwo was definitely a rough start to this DLC train. People were claiming, “Ohhhhh, Nintendo is selling previous characters as DLC rather than including them in the base game! How scummy…” Now, some fighting games COMPLETELY rely on that. It was definitely a weird thing, but whatever, this was… goddamn, 10 YEARS ago???? Either way, Mewtwo, my Smash 4 co-main alongside Mario. He's a fundamentally solid character, who's pretty good, too. He's a glass cannon, being able to dish out damage, but gets deleted pretty easily. However, he can keep opponents at bay with his disjointed attacks. They also improved his special attacks, with Shadow Ball becoming an insane neutral game tool, Disable gaining solid range, and Confuse becoming a solid combo tool. In addition, his mobility has been improved greatly, with him even having comparable air drift to Jigglypuff. Add on some very respectable KO power, and you have a very solid top-tier character! Don't got much else to say, other than he’s a fun character. Mewtwo gets a thumbs up!
VERDICT: 9/10
"PK FIRE!"
I'll be 100% honest. I have never gave a flying FUCK about Earthbound in Smash Bros. It deserves it's place, the games are good, but FUCK ME. I have never really liked playing these 2. They're just so… uninteresting to me. Aaaaand, by extension, that includes Lucas, as he’s… a semi-clone of Lucas. God, this had ALWAYS pissed me off about Lucas. Come on, Mother 3 and Earthbound are 2 completely different games! They're practically 2 entire franchises! …whatever... It's not like anyone in the west COULD KNOW THAT TO BEGIN WITH. But, I digress. I dunno about Lucas as DLC, though. He's so similar to Ness that I struggle to even comprehend why he's DLC to begin with. Not a bad character for sure, or hell, worse than Ness even, but MAN, what a bland character. Smash 6 needs a full-on rework of this guy, even if he's less of a clone nowadays.
VERDICT: 4/10
"Don't forget about me!"
Gotta be honest, never cared about Roy too much, either; in fact, I echo most of my sentients from there. He's a clone of Marth (except he actually plays pretty differently due to his sweetspots), with his best tools being on his hilt rather than the tipper of Marth. He's a little more fun to play than Lucas because Rage is fucking BROKEN, but he really lacks that combo game that makes his Ultimate incarnation so much fun. In other words, he's Palutena before Ultimate made her actually GOOD. (Funnily enough, they're both in the same tier in Smash 4, and in Ultimate, too!) Don't worry, Roy! You'll be a top tier in the next game, and Marth will be a mid-tier.
VERDICT: 5/10
"I'M LOOKING FOR A CHALLENGE!"
Now here's something actually creative and original! The first FGC character in Smash Bros! I have never really been a big Street Fighter nut. I'm familiar with some of it (mostly from Mega Man X, funnily enough), but I've never got into one. All I know is that Street Fighter 4 is peak and has Poison. But if Ryu plays anything like this in Street Fighter, I'm sold.
…Oh.
Well, at the very least, Ryu is SO fucking fun in this game. He's a very combo-oriented character, just like his home series, and kills very well, but just like Street Fighter, his neutral game is very committal, but when he gets in, those combos turn the tides and fast. And lets not forget the ICONIC Shoryuken, which remains one of the strongest kill options in the game. It's fast, it hits hard, especially when sweetspotted, and by god, why are there TEN MILLION KILL CONFIRMS INTO IT. It's AMAZING. I also really love Focus Attack, as it's a great reversal tool. And guess what? They gave him the INPUTS! Yes, every one of his attacks have inputs which makes each one stronger. Just like Light/Heavy attacks in Street Fighter! This character is awesome, man. I love everything they did with him! And while he's a truly difficult character to master, he’s loads of fun to play as. Furthermore, he’s one of the FGC characters I actually LIKE playing as in this series!
VERDICT: 9/10
"Never thought I'd see the day…"
Good for Cloud, because LIMITS are meant to be broken! Hahahahahahahaha, it's not that funny.
But… yeah. Cloud is a menace in this game and I fucking love it. RIP N-Air, it was a legendary move. Imagine Sephiroth in SSBU except he matches his canonical power in-game, and you have Smash 4 Cloud. He sports some insane range and disjoints, and has some SERIOUS kill power, leading to a turn your brain off character. Buy this DLC and you get PGRd damn near automatically. Also, fucking Limit Break, which makes Cloud’s kill power even STRONGER. AAAAAND it has no time limit. Aaaaaand it makes you faster. Aaaaaaaaaaaand he’s top tier. Going into Ultimate, due to him being DLC in Smash 4, he was nerfed largely, with Limit and his glorious N-Air being gutted. Aaaaaaaaaand then Sparg0 came along and made him top-tier again. You can't stop this fucking guy, I swear!
But yea, Cloud is fun and ate babies on For Glory.
VERDICT: 10/10
"Branch of Fate - Choose your Path"
> KILL MYSELF
"LET'S DO THIS!"
No fucking words for this absolutely dumbass inclusion. Unspeakable words of pure, unadulterated hatred.
If you didn't know… I fucking LOATHE Corrin. Corrin is amongst my most hated Smash Bros. characters, and if there's one character I'd cut from the Smash roster, it is undoubtedly Corrin. Aaaaaand why? …it's funny. BUT ALSO, I fucking hate Corrin, and any corny-ass motherfucker who plays this character. Except for Memoats. And SHADIC. And MkLeo. And that one guy at my local. It's not JUST because Corrin is yet another Fire Emblem character either. I really think Fire Emblem has gotten a bad rap in the Smash series, even though in Smash 4, there were definitely too many Fire Emblem characters. But FUCKING CORRIN. Jesus. Christ. God.
Corrin hails from the Fire Emblem Fates games, AKA, some of the worst fucking Fire Emblem games. I'm not a huge Fire Emblem nut, I go outside sometimes. I've played the GBA one just named Fire Emblem (idk why), Fire Emblem Awakening, which was fantastic, and Fire Emblem Fates, which can suck off the massive fucking titties that Camilla sports. More importantly, Fire Emblem Fates sucks, SOLELY because of Corrin. It is the only issue with Fire Emblem Fates, and if anyone tells you otherwise, they are fucking lying. Corrin supports gay conversion therapy, he doesn't do shit, and he can't pull shit. Not even the most mediocre 2-star in Fire Emblem Heroes, the Travis Touchdown of Fire Emblem. Now… I said HE. Because SHE Corrin is a bit less of a menace. Unlike MCorrin, FCorrin actually doesn't support gay conversion therapy, and she can pull. But… she's still CORRIN. And Corrin is BOOOOORING. I cannot put into words how much I hate Corrin as a concept, much less an ideal. My hate for Corrin is nearly inextricably tied to my soul, as one of the banes of my existence.
Corrin him/herself… it's really fucking boring LMAO. I have no words for this bare-footed bitch of a character. Even their reveal trailer is aggressively unimpressive as Fates as a game. It's just like the intro to Fire Emblem Fates except it's not!!!!! How exciting!!!! And the option for Corrin to join Smash just appears like a fucking PowerPoint. Wowwwwwwww. Impressive. Aaaaaand Corrin herself is just… fucking boring. And no, I don't care if she's high tier or not. The only thing she has going for her is funny F-smash, funny range, and funny Side-B the character! She's a fundamental, easy to pick up and play swordie in a game FILLED with them. Marth, Lucina, Meta Knight, Ike, Cloud, Mii Swordfighter and the Pits. Because we REALLY needed the funny dragon girl in Smash to promote this 5/10 game. All in all, I dislike Corrin vehemently. Not only as a character, but in Smash, too. She's just so boring to me, almost like Fates!
Corrin "chooses to Smash"? Hahahahaha, okay. I'll choose to bash my fucking skull into the nearby wall. Fuck this character, fuck you if you play this character, and fuck Fire Emblem FATES! Borderline 0/10, if it existed on this site. THIS is the reason why people hate Smash 4.
VERDICT: 1/10
"Oh, another angel? Must have missed one. You've been naughty, haven't you?"
BAYONETTA!!!!!! Ohhhhhh boy. Bayonetta is a lot of things. The best character in Smash 4? Check. Probably the least expected Smash Bros DLC pick? Kinda? I meaaaaan… Bayonetta was a good game, right? Snake was in Brawl… But Bayonetta is… Bayonetta. Y'know. Just look at the cover art for Bayonetta 2! She just lets that ass hang out in the open like that? Well, ESRB standards be damned, Bayonetta herself is QUITE the infamous character. Because she was… uh… pretty good. But… as a huge fan of Bayonetta… I absolutely LOVE her design. She has a large amount of tools at her disposal, not unlike the Bayonetta series, with a high focus on combo potential. It's basically like if Bayonetta was up and ported to Smash 4… and for better, and for the worse. She's a difficult character to learn, with devastating rewards for her mastery. Buuuuuuuut, those results are outright oppressive. Especially considering Witch Time, the best counter in the game, BAR NONE. 5 seconds of unadulterated, pure terror for your opponent to do anything they want with your body, like: UP SMASH, DOWN AIR, F SMASH, DOWN SMASH, FOOTSTOOL, etc. And her ladder combos are ABSURD, killing off the top at 50% and EARLIER. Her kit is absurd, with the neutral game being difficult to fight against with her, and one whiff means GGs. Buuuut, at the same time, it's oddly faithful, which I love about it. And even if she's poorly balanced, we got a cool character out of it in Ultimate. And, even if she terrorized tournaments… oddly enough, I still think tournaments were going strong. Bayonetta didn't kill the game alone. A lot of people seem to blame it on Bayonetta, but the Nintendo Switch was out, and Ultimate was on the horizon. But the worst part about Bayonetta is that this is the lasting image of Smash 4, when she was only a small part of a sinking ship. Smash 4 died, simply because the new game came out. Just like Brawl. Just like Tekken 7. Hell, just like basically any fighting game in existence. But does that make any of these games bad? That there's not a lot of reason to go back to it?
In my opinion, no.
This may be the most nostalgia blind review I've ever done, but fuck it. I love Smash 4. It's the most experimental, wacky game in the franchise, but I don't care. It's one of the defining games in post-Melee Smash Bros. It has some of the best character rosters of the series. It introduced some of my favorite fighters in the series to date. The music is AMAZING. The combo game is BEAUTIFUL. It's the game that has helped shape my life into the person that I am today. The stories told over simple friendly matches, the lives shaped over this one game, and the damn near perfect mixture of Melee and Brawl makes this easily one of the best Smash Bros games in my eyes. Yes, Ultimate is UNAMBIGUOUSLY better. But 4 is my true favorite out of all of them. Love this game to bits. There's very little reason to go back to it nowadays, I'll be the first to admit, but it didn't take many wrong steps at all. And hell, even if you hate Smash 4, we can all admit one thing. Ultimate is basically just a Smash 4 in a perfect world. If the worst thing I can say about Smash 4 is that Ultimate is just better than it, I think 4 is an amazing game! I still love playing it, even if I don't whip it out as much today. Bayonetta may be annoying, and Rage is still fucking stupid, but the gameplay is too fun for me to care. Sayonara, Smash 4. It's been a difficult, painful ride, but it was for sure, a fun one.
Aaaaaand now, it's time for the next game in this series that I'll be reviewing! Once again, yet another big review, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I'm back to the review grind. Join the Discord, get Blaster Master Zero III to 1k plays, and I'll see you soon!
