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It’s Time for More Competitive Stages! Scott's Thoughts: 27 Days to Smash Ultimate

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In Super Smash Bros. 64, there was only one tournament legal stage: Dream Land.

Thankfully, in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the count rose to 5 or 6, depending on the ruleset.

The community couldn’t agree on stages with Brawl, but those who tried to take the game seriously had roughly 10 stages that could be counted as tournament legal, and 31 others that were usually banned.

Smash 4 brought a record-breaking 55 stages to the select-screen after DLC, but only a depressing 5 were given the thumbs-up by tournament organizers (TOs).
Lots of competitions even banned the Omega versions of stages because some had walls that certain characters could cling to, or jump off!

When a community limits stage selection in an attempt to keep gameplay 100% pure, the following aspects are also limited: music selection, aesthetic variety, strategy, and challenge.
Those aren’t aspects of Smash Bros. I want to lose!

I honestly think limiting the stage selection shortens the lifespan of a game. It can be pretty boring watching players get into a match in Smash 4: rock-paper-scissors, ban Lylat, strike a few stages, and end up at Smashville. The player who loses will switch to a character who kills off the top and take his or her opponent to Town & City, where the upper blast-zone is small. It can be very predictable.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate introduces a welcome feature: A toggle for turning off stage hazards! This will prevent terraforming stages like Pokemon Stadium from moving, shut off boss encounters and other NPC interference, and more.

Now, this is a Sakurai-developed feature, so it won’t always work exactly how an eSports player would design it, and there’s already talk of ignoring the toggle and keeping the stage pool small. Some TOs are reluctant to have a bigger selection of stages available, because it makes our made-up stage striking process take longer.

Forget our process! Embrace the toggle!* Let’s inject some variety into the scene and let players learn how to adapt. This will help the competitive scene take off, and thrive for years to come.

*Note: The hazards-off toggle may make some stages worse, like Smashville where the floating platform doesn’t move at all and stays still in the middle. The moving platform wasn’t a problem, so I believe the toggle will NOT be appropriate for some stages, but WILL allow others into tournament rotation. Selective stage-hazards for the win.

Where do you stand? Tell me in the comments.

Let’s Talk about the Waluigi in the Room Scott's Thoughts: 28 Days to Smash Ultimate

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You could say that the fanbase is “mildly upset” to “PASSIONATELY AND VEHEMENTLY ENRAGED” that Waluigi has not been announced as a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate character yet.

Case in point…

Daddy Sakurai has spoken. So, do we need to tone it down a little bit with requesting Waluigi? Yes… and no.

  • ✅ DO express your excitement about Nintendo, Super Smash Bros., and your favorite characters.
  • ✅ DO talk about your character wishes with other fans and on social media.
  • ✅ DO hold on to hope. Ridley was requested for 15 years before being added as a playable fighter.
  • ❌ DON’T @ Nintendo employees about your wants. That crosses a bit of a boundary and really doesn’t accomplish anything.
  • ❌ DON’T (and I know this hurts you to read) expect Waluigi soon. As evidenced by Ridley, fans CAN impact the course of a game series, but the precedent shown is that it takes over a decade. Waluigi’s groundswell of support is relatively new, and I say that as a Nintendo fandom veteran. If not this time, maybe next?
  • ❌ DON’T let disappointment ruin your enjoyment. The Super Smash Bros. series has always offered hundreds of hours of fun, even back in the day when the roster capped out at 12 characters. One omission should not occupy your mind to the point where you cannot enjoy all 75 other characters!

So, are you one of the purple mustachioed villain’s diehard supporters? Or could you not care less if he made it onto the roster? I’m curious—comment below!

How Smash Will Change my Gaming Habits Scott's Thoughts: 29 Days to Smash Ultimate

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You know that a game is a big deal when you start planning your schedule around its launch…

  • How many days am I going to take off work?
  • What’s the earliest possible time I can purchase this game? Does the eShop update at the stroke of midnight? Should I drive to another timezone?
  • Should I say goodbye to my family just in case I can’t turn the game off?

Those are the kind of considerations I have to make when preparing for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to come out on December 7th!

I’ll talk more about my specific plans for launch day as it comes closer, but today I’m reflecting on my normal gaming habits, and how the release of a monumental title like Smash might affect them.

  1. Indies, hop in the back-burner. And I apologize for this one, because I love supporting independent games… Simeon and I usually take turns working through the latest eShop indie adventure during our breaks at work, but we’re absolutely going to convert that time into Smash sparring! Sure, we might look a little dorky with our screen on the table and a mess of wires draped everywhere in some crazy workaround to use GameCube controllers in tabletop mode, but who cares? And yeah, our coworkers might look up from their phones to cast disparaging looks at Simeon each time he cries out in agony when I secure victory after victory, but they’ll have to deal with it.
  2. Fortnite, it’s been great, but I’ll see you later. Fortnite captivated me with its ingenious design, compelling gameplay loop, and constant stream of content additions. It’s been the absolute best game to unwind with on a daily basis, whether I’m feeling competitive and want to go for that Victory Royale, or if I want to take it easier and knock out a few challenges. It passed up my Breath of the Wild hour-count, then doubled it(!), firmly securing the position of my most-played Switch game. And that’s not a position that Smash Ultimate is going to allow Fortnite to keep. I’m just getting to the point of being a bit Fortnite’d out (even though I know they’re going to try and pull me back in with new weapons and modes), so I’m ready for something fresh and exciting! I want to master a few characters, climb the online ladder, and dive really deep into SSBU.
  3. Also goodbye sleep. I’ve been pretty good about not taking my Switch into the bedroom, but let’s be honest; that’s not gonna last. Not until every character and stage is unlocked, at least!

Yep, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is poised to wreck my gaming life (and perhaps a bit of my personal life too). What about you? Do you see any gaming habits changing? Leave a reply!

The Game that Mastered the Hype Cycle Scott's Thoughts: 30 Days to Smash Ultimate

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The Super Smash Bros. series has completely mastered the hype cycle.

I haven’t seen another game whip up fans into as much of a frenzy, and it can be done with a simple glimpse of a logo, a single sound effect, or another cue that tells fans “More Smash Bros. is on the way. Buckle up.” (We discussed this more in the Art of Video Game Trailers Podcast.)

Excitement is at an all time high for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which is why I’m kicking off this blog series: 30 Days to Smash Ultimate! Every day between now and December 7th when the game launches, I’ll be posting a new “Scott’s Thoughts” blog post. You’ll be able to read the whole series here.

One of my favorite things to do is watch a Smash Direct, then go to YouTube and find a Nintendo store crowd reaction clip. Smash fans are packed like sardines in front of a big screen, waiting with baited breath for new announcements. As soon as a sliver of a new character appears on screen, they jump up and down, flailing their arms like their favorite sports team just won.

And in a sense—they did! I’ve been at Smash tournaments where competitors and spectators alike say “these are my sports.” Whether you’re rooting for Zero to win Evo, or cheering on Nintendo as they regain ground in the console wars, every Super Smash Bros. announcement feels like a victory for your home team.

Nintendo Switch owners were treated to quite the surprise in March, while watching a regular quarterly Nintendo Direct. That’s when a Splatoon 2 announcement ended and the Inklings retook center stage for the shocking reveal of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, unveiled for the first time, and coming out in 2018 no less!

Ever since, we’ve been getting drip-fed information from Sakurai and his development team, with the occasional flood of information that accompanies each character reveal!

Better yet, the hype cycle doesn’t come to a screeching halt on launch day, because this Ultimate entry in the series will continue development through February of 2020! We can look forward to seeing that mysterious Smash orb logo alight into flames in many Nintendo Directs over the next 16 months. And you can bet that the Nintendo NY crowd will be there to jump up and down, and express how we are all feeling!

Where is your hype meter sitting at? Let me know in the comments!

The Fortnite Bundle That Makes NO Sense

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Epic Games is releasing Fortnite on Nintendo Switch… PHYSICALLY! For $30. As if having a custom console bundle with Nintendo for the holidays was not enough, they feel the need to get on even more store shelves. This one doesn’t quite add up, especially for the consumer!

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Hollow Knight – Don’t Miss this Platformer

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Hollow Knight is a beautifully atmospheric, yet incredibly challenging platformer. It debuted on Switch a few months ago, but it’s still charming any player brave enough to pick it up. Simeon and Scott take the game for a spin and give their impressions!

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Scott’s Most Anticipated 2018 Games

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There are only a few months left in the year, but all the best games are coming out in October! Scott ranks his top 5 most anticipated Nintendo Switch games for the remainder of 2018.

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Another Nintendo Direct?! 😱

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Nintendo revealed several 2018 games, as well as made announcements for 2019! Animal Crossing? Luigi’s Mansion? Who would have made those predictions?!

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

How to Beat the Mega Man 11 Demo

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Scott’s not the BEST Mega Man player, but he’s not the worst either! In this video, follow along as he tackles the Block Man stage from Mega Man 11, launching October 2018.

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Flipping Death Review (Switch)

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Flipping Death is a very funny game developed by Zoink and published on Nintendo Switch. It looks like a platformer or side-scrolling adventure, but you should think of it more like a point-and-click puzzle game. It’s definitely story-driven; whether you’re watching cutscenes, hearing a recap during loading screens, or experiencing characters bantering back-and-forth during gameplay, the story is always advancing and the world is being built. It starts with the sudden demise of Penny Doewood, who enters the afterlife and is promptly put on substitute reaper duty for Death himself, who wants to take a vacation to the moon. You may have already gathered that Flipping Death is quite the quirky title, and it’s very charming and entertaining as a result.

The entire game is voice-acted, and skillfully so. This is a bonus that might come unexpected to the average fan of Nintendo games. The writing is top-notch, and Flipping Death’s greatest boast is its impeccable humor and timing. Simeon and I have never laughed out loud so much from a video game! You may be tempted to feel impatient as you can read the captions in half the time it takes the voice actors to deliver their lines, but the wait is worth it.

Another plus in the presentation department are the graphics. Zoink chose a really unique art style, which is memorable and looks beautiful on the Switch. One thing I didn’t like as much was the music—sure it fit the game, but there were so few compositions that the soundtrack grew repetitive. Something else to watch out for are the long loading screens in Flipping Death. A narrator will meander through a funny recap of the previous chapter, which makes it bearable, but you’ll want to try to finish one of the game’s eight chapters in a single sitting so you don’t have to endure the same loading screen a second time.

The gameplay is unique, in that you can gather souls as currency and spend them to possess bodies of the living, who inhabit a mirror version of the world. It’s always interesting to try out all the different characters, find out what their move is, and use them to solve puzzles or just fling them around. There’s a great variety of characters who become “playable” in this way, each with their own special twists and inner-dialogue.

Sadly, controls are sub-optimal. Sometimes, Flipping Death doesn’t feel like it was made with the Switch in mind; using Death’s scythe to teleport was a good mechanic idea, but never feels quite natural as you have to use the right stick at the same time as face-buttons and trigger buttons. Some things aren’t consistent between characters (like holding a button to jump). However, It’s nice that the developers included some touch-screen functionality, which makes using the wide map easier.

The Missions and challenges provide a great variety of things to do. There are also plenty of side-quests in each chapter to keep completionists busy. If you get stuck, there’s a hint system readily available which shows you what needs to happen, but not always how. It’s a good balance of negating frustration without making things too easy.

Flipping Death is an appropriate length, which throws a lot of different ideas at you, but doesn’t get redundant or overstay its welcome. For a second play-through, it may be fun to come back to after several years, but hearing the jokes for the first time is the main reason to play. You could also beat the main story, then go back just to clean up sidequests which can be pretty entertaining, especially when you’re tasked with possessing an undead lama and spitting on everyone.

Overall, this game really is funny. Not just during story segments either, but the way characters move, interact, and the things you can do with them. I did experience a bug that made me lose all progress while reviewing the game. Thankfully it was in chapter 1, and the devs were aware and already working on it. This game is one of a kind, and is enjoyable for the story and humor alone. Considering everything, Two Button Crew scores Flipping Death a 7.25 out of 10.

TumbleSeed Vs. Mode (Simeon’s Fear Game!)

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Simeon absolutely REFUSED to play TumbleSeed vs. mode with Scott… until the Patrons voted it into the Live Show! And what do you know, it actually ended up being a lot closer than he thought…

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Hands-on with King of Cards & Shovel Knight Showdown!

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Some big expansions are coming to Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove! Namely, the King of Cards campaign (with card game bonus mode) and Shovel Knight Showdown. The latter is a Smash Bros. like party fighter where you pick from the large cast of Shovel Knight characters and battle it out for gems and K.O.s. It’s a great time, so enjoy the footage and our impressions!

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Hands-on with Smash Bros. Ultimate!

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Simeon and Scott are back from PAX West 2018, where they got to go hands on with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! Impressions of the new and returning characters are here. We also got off-screen footage of the game running, so enjoy this exclusive first look!

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Thimbleweed Park Review

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A few years ago, Gary Winnick and Ron Gilbert wanted to make a spiritual successor to their hit adventure game Maniac Mansion. While many independent developers (and a few bigger studios as well) made their own homages to the point-and-click genre, the prodigal sons had returned to bequeath us with Thimbleweed Park, a love letter to LucasArts games of yore straight from the proverbial source. Initially released in 2017, this tongue-in-cheek hit now finds its way to the Nintendo Switch, perhaps one of the best platforms to play it on.

Set in the distant past (er, 1987), Thimbleweed Park begins with a murder. A body is found in the river of the small Podunk town and two FBI agents are sent to investigate. What follows is a multi-faceted story that takes our protagonists from one end of town to the other in search of clues in a plot that is both funny in a deadpan way and a genuflection of the likes of Twin Peaks or the X-Files. It’s told from multiple points of view, everywhere from a foul-mouthed disrespectful clown to the ghost of an owner of the local pillow factory. The story weaves its way through flashbacks and back in a satisfying manner, bringing plenty of context to what’s truly going on. A nice dash of fourth wall breaking humor and reverent in-jokes round out the package nicely.

Thimbleweed Park stays true to its roots not only in presentation, but in game mechanics as well. If you’ve ever played an adventure game you know the drill: investigate your surroundings, talk to people to infer some clues and use items you’ve picked up to solve puzzles. Rinse, wash, repeat. The game gives you a plethora of ways to maneuver Agents Reyes and Ray and crew that all feel well-suited to the way you want to handle it. Whether with a pro controller or using the touch screen, picking and choosing verbs, inventory or just moving to new locations feel natural. The game also offers both a casual and hard mode, with the differentiator being how many steps it may take to solve a puzzle. Considering there isn’t really a lose state in Thimbleweed Park, it’s worth noting you’ll miss out on a bit of content going with the former option.

For everything Thimbleweed Park has going for it, it does still fall into the trap of being a bit obtuse for its own good, as adventure games are wont to do. For the most part solutions to problems are sensible, it’s just a matter of finding the right item in the right place, which usually requires you to fumble your cursor around each screen until you come upon the magical McGuffin that’ll set the wheels of the game back in motion. Mileage may vary depending on the player and their skill at seeking and finding objects, but you will occasionally get hung up and your patience may wear thin.

Gilbert and Winnick have most definitely channeled their past selves to make Thimbleweed Park the proper descendant Maniac Mansion they’ve been wanting to make. If you’re a fan of SCUMM adventure games, wry humor, plumbers dressed as pigeons and plenty of irreverence we can’t recommend this game enough. If you’re new to the genre and can count on two hands how many times you’ve pointed and clicked in a game…well, we’d recommend Thimbleweed Park as well! It’s intuitive to play, it doesn’t intentionally obfuscate the player and did we mention there’s a couple of plumbers dressed like pigeons? Who doesn’t like pigeons!?

This review comes courtesy of Crew member Matt Mason, @ObtainPotion on Twitter.