During today's Smash Bros-centric Nintendo Direct, Sakurai gave the viewers a lot of news to digest and hold on to, until more announcements later that we'll presumably be hearing at E3.
Wii U/3DS General Info
To kick things off, Sakurai announced when the 3DS and Wii U versions will be released, being the Summer and Winter seasons respectively.
After talking about the release dates of both versions of the game, Sakurai then went on to talk about the specific options and modes of both games, as well as some of the technical aspects. This was a bit surprising since we don't usually hear about stuff like that during Nintendo Directs, but it was nice nonetheless.
The 3DS version of the game will be running at 60 FPS (frames per second), and will feature 3D gameplay, just like most (if not all) games released on the system. He also took the time to mention that the Pokemon and assist trophies will be moving at 30 FPS. Unfortunately, we didn't hear anything about the Wii U version's frame rate, although it's safe to assume we will closer to the release date.
Sakurai then shared that both versions will feature the same characters and different stages, but they will also share some of them. Those that are featured in both versions will be designed to play differently as opposed to being the exact same.
He then mentioned there will also be a "My Music" section in Smash 4 that will allow the player to not only listen to unlocked tracks in the game itself, but as well as tracks from previous games in the Smash series!
He wrapped the segment up by saying that there would be Wii U/3DS connectivity features for those who own both versions, but said that he'd hold off on that for just a bit longer.
Stages
After talking about the differences between the Wii U and 3DS versions, he then listed off a few of the stages that we've previously heard of, as well as a few new ones, for both the Wii U version (Mario Galaxy, Windy Hill, and so on), as well as the 3DS version (Spirit Train, Rainbow Road, Find Mii, Jungle Japes, Prism Tower, among others).
The main new concept that he introduced though, was stage bosses. Sakurai told the audience that Yellow Devil seen in the previous trailer was one of the many "stage bosses" in the game, that would appear during random moments in certain stages (the shown example being Yellow Devil in Wiley's Castle), and would act as more threatening stage hazards to the players. He explained that once a player defeated him, the Yellow Devil would explode and inflict massive damage upon everyone except for the player that managed to land the final hit on him. Whether this will be the case with all stage bosses or not was not mentioned.
Sakurai ended off though with a special surprise, showing a silhouette of Ridley, which we now know will be featured as a stage boss!
Sakurai also mentioned something completely new to the series, when it comes to the stage "Final Destination". Instead of having only one look and musical track for the stage like in every previous Smash Bros. game, this time almost every stage will have a "Final Destination version", with that stage's look and it's own unique music for that version!
Multiplayer
Sakurai didn't hold back on the information for the multiplayer features in both versions of the game either!
He started off by telling us that the Wii U version would (as expected) feature online multiplayer, as well as local. Players are now given the option to choose between to play against friends, or anyone online, being matched up by the system based on player rankings, or as Sakurai called it, "Global Smash Power".
Global Smash Power is a new concept being introduced that won't necessarily act as a leaderboard system, but instead will show off how many players you are ranked above online. So instead of aiming to be #1, players will now want to aim to have a higher number, since that means that they are ranked above more people than before.
Sakurai also mentioned that there will be two new online multiplayer modes (not available when playing with friends): "For Fun" and "For Glory".
"For Fun" mode features random stage selection (every stage except for Final Destination being available), all items being available to the players, and only the amount of times you win being recorded.
"For Glory" mode features only Final Destination (one of the many versions) as a playable stage, no battles, and both your wins and losses being recorded in your stats.
He also went into multiplayer mode, and how actions would be taken against those who would start matches but not actually play, target only one person in the match, self-destruct repeatedly, drop out of stages frequently, and report players without reason. He mentioned that these players would be banned for ruining the game for others, but didn't go into too much detail about how they would be caught. Regardless, it's nice to see that more action is now being taken against people ruining the game for others!
Sakurai then went on to show off not only a few newcomers, but also some returning characters and what he's done to modify these characters as well! The easiest one to spot was Yoshi, who was just announced during the Direct earlier today. Sakurai specifically mentioned that Yoshi is getting a treatment similar to that of Bowser's, since he no longer has an arched back, but is more straight, giving him more power against his opponents.
We also got the confirmed return of Zero-Suit Samus, Zelda/Sheik, and their modified and enhanced moves as well such as Samus' improved final smash, and Zelda's new ability to now send Phantoms to attack opponents. He also showed off new moves for characters such as Kirby, Dedede, Lucario, Olimar, and Pit, as well as the newcomers being Rosalina, Megaman, Villager, and Little Mac.
The direct then finished off with Sakurai talking about Smash Run, a new feature available in only the 3DS version of the game where you can play with three other players in a dungeon, collecting items to level up your characters' stats, and then battling it out to prove who is the best Smash player of the group! Sakurai stressed though that this feature was only for the 3DS version, and wouldn't be featured in the Wii U version. It is worth noting that this mode is almost identical to the City Trial mode in Kirby's Air Ride, another game developed by Sakurai.
But that wasn't all Sakurai ended with! He managed to sneak in a surprise trailer showing off two (somewhat) new characters that would be playable in Smash 4: Charizard and Greninja from Pokemon X & Y!
This was one heck of an intake for Smash 4 fans and we can't wait to see what's in store for us in the future when the games release on both Wii U and 3DS.
The entire Direct can be viewed below.
For more news on Super Smash Bros. 4 for Wii U and 3DS, keep up to date with the Nintendo Alliance!
Fighters & Smash Run
Sakurai then went on to show off not only a few newcomers, but also some returning characters and what he's done to modify these characters as well! The easiest one to spot was Yoshi, who was just announced during the Direct earlier today. Sakurai specifically mentioned that Yoshi is getting a treatment similar to that of Bowser's, since he no longer has an arched back, but is more straight, giving him more power against his opponents.
We also got the confirmed return of Zero-Suit Samus, Zelda/Sheik, and their modified and enhanced moves as well such as Samus' improved final smash, and Zelda's new ability to now send Phantoms to attack opponents. He also showed off new moves for characters such as Kirby, Dedede, Lucario, Olimar, and Pit, as well as the newcomers being Rosalina, Megaman, Villager, and Little Mac.
The direct then finished off with Sakurai talking about Smash Run, a new feature available in only the 3DS version of the game where you can play with three other players in a dungeon, collecting items to level up your characters' stats, and then battling it out to prove who is the best Smash player of the group! Sakurai stressed though that this feature was only for the 3DS version, and wouldn't be featured in the Wii U version. It is worth noting that this mode is almost identical to the City Trial mode in Kirby's Air Ride, another game developed by Sakurai.
But that wasn't all Sakurai ended with! He managed to sneak in a surprise trailer showing off two (somewhat) new characters that would be playable in Smash 4: Charizard and Greninja from Pokemon X & Y!
This was one heck of an intake for Smash 4 fans and we can't wait to see what's in store for us in the future when the games release on both Wii U and 3DS.
The entire Direct can be viewed below.
For more news on Super Smash Bros. 4 for Wii U and 3DS, keep up to date with the Nintendo Alliance!
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