Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Ridley Me This)

Bloody Smash Bros. I swear to God...

So I fired up the game last night.  I got my wires crossed and thought that Min Min was out yesterday: she wasn’t, I found that out quickly, but I thought I’d get some practice in before she dropped.  Dust out the cobwebs and that.  So I played some 1v1s with the CPU, both set to random.  Level 7, then 8, then 9...  I found myself repeatedly drubbing them just because I could use items better.  I thought I’d turn off items for my final match before bed to level the playing field, and started a game.

Pokémon Trainer vs. Inkling.

And holy Christ the CPU is really good with Inkling - or maybe I’m just really bad at facing her?  She’s fast and adept both on the ground and in the air.  Not much in the way of mid-range options, but that wasn’t a problem because I was playing Squirtle.  I’m bobbins with Squirtle.  It’s small and fast and has no range as well, so it require reaction speed to use: something I have none of, and the CPU has in spades.  She steamrollered me - or rather, Paint Rollered me.

I could have switched to Charizard, or indeed anybody else - but noooooooo, I had to prove to myself that I could convincingly win with chuffing Squirtle. Cue bout after bout of me getting buried and sloshed off the edge while tiny turtle eyes looked pathetically out at me from where they’d been rolled into the deck.  It took about ten tries to get that win to a point where I was satisfied it had been due to my own skill and not a lucky Smash attack - at which point I thought I’d take my revenge with my ‘main’, Lucas.  Inkling immediately thrashed me in the first bout and the cycle started up again.  Even when I was done, much later than intended, I was stressed out and amped up.

That’s why I look like death this morning.  Bloody Smash Bros. I swear to God.  Anyway, anyone tried Min Min yet?

I've been resisting buying any DLC characters until I finish the Classic mode for everyone in the base game, but Min Min is EXTREMELY tempting . . .
How much is one character? Would it be dumb to buy her instead of just getting this pass?

OH MY GOD I JUST REALISED THIS MEANS A MIN-MIN AMIIBO

I'm gonna have to buy three; one to go on my Amiibo shelf, one to shove down my pants and one to stick up my arse

£5.40 I think? Plus the price of the amiibi and surgery costs.

Playing Smash with some other forumites tonight, feel free to give us a shout over Twitter if you want to join. Nobody's amiibo is getting shoved up anybody's arses.

Balladeer wrote:

And holy Christ the CPU is really good with Inkling - or maybe I’m just really bad at facing her?  

As far as I know, it's not you. There are some characters that the CPU is much better with for some reason, especially on rank 9. I've fought one rank 9 where it wasn't too taxing but others where I'm sweating a bucket full.

Buskalilly wrote:

I've been resisting buying any DLC characters until I finish the Classic mode for everyone in the base game, but Min Min is EXTREMELY tempting . . .
How much is one character? Would it be dumb to buy her instead of just getting this pass?

Nah, I've bought all mine separate (Joker, Banjo, Terry & now Min Min) as the way I see it the saving you make from having the pass is so small not to mention there are big gaps between when each new fighter actually releases you can easily make that money back.

Plus I won't feel like I'll be lumbered with a fighter I have zero interest in.

I bought the character passes because I can't imagine having Smash Bros without every available character, but that's just me being particular!

I'd love to join in on an online GNamer Smash Bros session (for the first time!) but I can't this evening. But one day I'll be there and you can tear me apart because I'm not actually very good.

Also, Min Min is pretty fun, but will take some getting used to! I suppose that's a good thing though, she feels very distinctive.

Rum wrote:

Also, Min Min is pretty fun, but will take some getting used to! I suppose that's a good thing though, she feels very distinctive.

I felt like this after doing the ARMS spirit dlc fights but after I had a decent go of her classic mode I realised she's actually really great for teaching you the fundamentals of Smash particularly positioning and knowing when to use your forward/back airs & even how to ledge guard etc.

Min Min looks dam great and the first character that's really made me take notice of SMASH basically since launch, that I'm tempted to possibly pick it up.

I've found Minners a bit slow and awkward for my liking.  I can see how she'd be okay against heavier characters (although the Max Brass spirit battle whipped me several times), but can't help but feel she'd be all but useless against anyone with a good projectile game... or Inkling.

Duke of Ted wrote:

As far as I know, it's not you. There are some characters that the CPU is much better with for some reason, especially on rank 9. I've fought one rank 9 where it wasn't too taxing but others where I'm sweating a bucket full.

Good.  I remember that back in Mêlée the CPU was perversely good with Luigi, but haven't noticed (= haven't played stupid amounts of the game) since.  If anybody else has problems facing Inkling specifically let me know!

The_Jaster wrote:

Buskalilly wrote:

I've been resisting buying any DLC characters until I finish the Classic mode for everyone in the base game, but Min Min is EXTREMELY tempting . . .
How much is one character? Would it be dumb to buy her instead of just getting this pass?

Nah, I've bought all mine separate (Joker, Banjo, Terry & now Min Min) as the way I see it the saving you make from having the pass is so small not to mention there are big gaps between when each new fighter actually releases you can easily make that money back.

Plus I won't feel like I'll be lumbered with a fighter I have zero interest in.

I've done this with Min Min.  I don't like the Season Pass idea in principle, and the only one I've got thus far has been the MK8 one (worth it); and my Smash pickiness means that this wouldn't be the game I'd take a punt on anyway.

I'm a little surprised that Buska hasn't beaten all of the Classics yet though. Guess it hasn't grabbed him/you as much as Mario Kart?

It isn't quite as easy to squeeze in any old anywhere as a Mario Kart lap. Mario Kart is a minimum commitment of two or three minute; a classic is at least ten or fifteen.
I'm also not quite as fond of smash. No rush though; I'll get to them all in good time.

I'm actually really loving playing as Min Min now! It's particularly satisfying when you punch something from a distance that explodes and injures other players but can't reach you (various bomb items, fake Smash balls, Dr Wily's monster's eye...).

Punching balls and Wilys is what it's all about.

Her dragon arm is so much fun and even the CPU seems to get tricked by the ridiculous range it has.

The_Jaster wrote:

I realised she's actually really great for teaching you the fundamentals of Smash particularly positioning and knowing when to use your forward/back airs & even how to ledge guard etc.

I really like Min Min, but I've got to disagree with this take - nobody else in the cast can edgeguard from the middle of the stage and you can throw out aerials with little chance of being punished considering the range she has. I'd argue someone like Marth is better at teaching fundamentals considering his relatively simple moveset and the fact he has the whole "deal more damage with the tip of your sword" aspect which seems designed to reward players who figure out spacing and such.

But yeah, Minners - good fun! I've not found much use for the boomerang arm yet beyond slightly annoying your opponent, but that dragon arm is a beast. I shudder thinking about trying to recover against that. It took a bit of getting used to not having a suite of special moves like the other characters, but it's yet again another character where it feels like you're playing their core game but in Smash. Props again to Sakurai and his team.

I think for me it's the fact she doesn't have the standard special moves so your primary focus is trying to take advantage of your normal moves, sure her range makes this easier but that's why I think it's better for teaching as you can see what the enemy is doing from a safe distance. This is purely personal though & I get it might not work for everyone as for other fighters I often get bogged down with the idea of "oh this fighter has great smash attacks" or "this one has great specials" and neglect their other moves but with Min Min I don't have to worry about any of that.

Yeah, it wouldn't personally work for me as she's SO different from the rest of the cast. You're playing a keep away game for the most part as you don't want to let your opponent get close. I definitely feel you with the getting obsessed with certain parts of a character's movesets though - I really shouldn't use smash attacks as much as I do with Ganondorf, but goddamn, that forward smash...

Yup it certainly is one of the most satisfying smash attacks, oh if you can pull yersel away from FFXIV we should jump on for some Smash games either tonight or tomorrow.

Tonight is a no go, but tomorrow could work depending on what time. If it's later at night, like half 9/10 I could manage it!

Half 9 the morra is sound for me.

I'll join in too!

Just gave the trailer a watch and while he doesn't look bad it's a hard one to be excited about.

They look really quite special as a character. By this point it's tradition for Sakurai to pull off something really interesting with everyone he turns his hand to, but it looks like the Minecraft fellas are going to have mining and crafting mechanics (hey, I see what they did there!) including making ruddy great structures in the middle of the course. That's a gamechanger! Also, Minecraft is stupid big and there's no way that's not getting some kids interested who might not have been interested in Smash before.

Don't get me wrong, I have no interest in actually buying Alex et al.; but I do think what Sakurai's chums seem to have done with them is more interesting than most of the third-party characters (Crash, Dante, Rayman) I've seen mentioned could ever accomplish.