Chapter 2
Overview of Characters
Now that the basics are out of the way, let's look at the characters a bit more.
Smash Bros. offers a wide variety of characters with many special moves and abilities. Sheik does not have a lot of power, but offers lightning-fast combo attacks at much higher speeds that balances out the larger foes. The rough-and-rugged Bowser has slow but highly powerful attacks, making each attack strong enough to deliver a blow but making it nearly impossible to perform combos. Characters like Donkey Kong aren't quite as good at jumping very high, but DK's weight keeps him from flying off the screen so easily. Others like Kirby can float around the stage with no trouble at all and reach tall places, but a high-flying Kirby is vulnerable to being hit in mid-air and flying off of the screen.
Bowser may not be fast, but he packs quite the claw!
Each type of character has strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to excel in one way and fall short in another. No character, no matter how cheap they may seem, is too overpowered. However, every character has the capacity to overcome their weaknesses enough to make a solid player. In my years of tournaments, I've seen people master hand-to-hand combat with Samus, strength with Kirby, and even some very accurate special attacks with Ness. These are difficult feats, but anything is possible when mastering a character. Some have spent years perfecting the right combos and in-the-air strategies, while others master the art of evasion. We will get into mastering all of the techniques over the next few days.
Mind you, each of these categories can be argued based on how long a Brawl gamer has had with each. For all intents and purposes, we'll use these classifications as reference for this feature.
Can you keep up with a Speedster?
Speedsters were touched on very briefly, so let's look at them further. They are the ones without a lot of attack power, but become great combo artists. Examples of these include Fox, Sheik, and Meta Knight. Each character is fast enough to pull off endless combinations, but not strong enough to hit enemies off of the stage until after a great number of successful attacks. These characters are great at close combat, so the best way to master them is to use regular attacks as close to the enemy as possible. When close-range attacks are mastered, Speedsters will find themselves mastering the art of evasion.
If you played Kirby's Adventure, you know this hammer. Ouch!
Powerhitters are beefed-up bad guys looking to deal some damage. These are ideal for players looking to finish off opponents with less attacks, but have slow enough special attacks that it's easy for a Speedster to knock some sense into them when they miss. Timing is everything for a Powerhitter. Examples of these are Bowser, Donkey Kong, and King Dedede. These characters are great damage dealers, but are prone to being heavily damaged themselves if not careful. Luckily, Powerhitters tend to be heavy and can withstand many more attacks.
How can you not love a living plush doll?
Lightweights are similar to Speedsters, but can't run as quickly. Instead, they can perform limited flight motions or landings. Examples of these are Kirby and Lucas. While not all of them can fly, their special attacks can maneuver them around unlike any other character. These characters are great to get out of a tight spot and have some crazy special moves, but can fly off the screen pretty easily.
You may be average, Mario, but you're not weak!
Average Joes are your typical jack of all trades, with examples like Mario and Peach. These characters have an equal balance between attacks, giving no real advantages or disadvantages. Ideal for the beginner, these players have a little bit of everything to learn the necessities as well as a few other tricks. Players can master these characters, and it takes a lot less time to do so.
Not the fastest characters, but these blades hurt!
Hack-N-Slashers are your weapons players, dealing the most damage out of a long melee weapon with an arsenal of other nifty items. Examples are Ike, Link, and Pit. These characters can hit close-range enemies without getting too close. While some have charge up attacks, others have long-range projectiles that take off enough damage for the opponent to become irritated. The trick of a Hack-N-Slasher is to utilize their primary weapon without missing too often. The regular weapon attacks don't leave too much room for fault, but a special attack has a second or two of vulnerability. Players will find themselves wanting to finish their regular attack combos off with a special attack, rarely ever the other way around. An inexperienced Hack-N-Slasher will use every special attack and open themselves up for a lot of punishment.
Even from the skies, Pikachu can launch projectiles!
Rangers are your long-ranged players. Examples of these are Samus and Pikachu. While Rangers can fight, their advantage comes from being far away from battle. Missiles, electric bolts, or anything involving special attacks will keep the players away. Rangers tend to love a good four-player melee for one very good reason: it's easy to kill a group of people from a distance when they're killing each other. Rangers tend to have wicked Final Smash attacks that blast players from across the screen, but are otherwise vulnerable when the masses catch on and eliminate the long-ranged nuisance.
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >
