personal-Brawl-impressions
Brawl stuff today! Also, remember to check out our [complete Great Encounters set scan gallery] and the previous news story for more information on the set, including the theme deck lists!
Personal Impressions with Brawl – Yesterday, I had the opportunity to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl for a while, and I wanted to post what I thought of the playable Pokemon characters. Since the game was new, Jigglypuff and Lucario had not been unlocked yet, so I only used Pikachu and Pokemon Trainer. I am going to play again tomorrow, and I am going to ask if I can have a couple of rounds where I just use Poke Balls so I can record all of the Pokemon that are in Brawl and what they do.
Pikachu seemed to be worse than it was in Melee. It was a little slower (noticeable to people who use him a lot), and its Down+B Thunder attack did not seem as powerful (the lightning even looks “weaker”). When I used it in Melee, it pushed people away at 0% much further than in Brawl. The lightning also came down much faster, so when jumping off something toward the ground, the lightning would stop you in midair much more often. This was a little disappointing to me, since I often like to jump around using Agility and then land on someone with Thunder (but I couldn’t since it would stop me more). Other than this, Pikachu seemed unaltered. We only saw his Final Smash once (I was not using him or playing in the round when it happened), and it looked extremely powerful, albeit a little hard to control. Still seemed pretty good in comparison to Sonic’s.
Pokemon Trainer is just… awesome. Since I only used him for four or five rounds, I didn’t get to learn all of the controls for the attacks, so it was a little hard to just jump in and use the Pokemon. It takes only a few seconds to switch Pokemon, and after two minutes, they physically start to get tired, so you can only ideally use them for that time until they rest. Charizard was extremely powerful, slow, and heavy, but his attacks, like Rock Smash, did great damage. He can also jump three times and glide, so it was pretty easy to get him around the stages. Ivysaur was pretty average, and a little hard to control – when I died, it was usually because of Ivysaur. I really did not get to use him that much, but from other people who used him when we were playing (like my brother), he seemed pretty average. Squirtle has an awesome attack (Waterfall?) that lets you get back on to the stage after falling off, and he is easy to use. I would usually start with Charizard, then move on to Squirtle, then Ivysaur, and other people followed the same strategy. In our last round, I was lucky to get the Smash Ball, and all of the Pokemon came out at once and fired their attacks – out of all of the smashes that we saw, it was definitely the strongest one, and inescapable.
I know my explanations are a little shallow, but I will definitely play more in the week and try to learn more about each of the Pokemon characters. I am looking forward to using Lucario and recording all of the Pokemon that can be released from Poke Balls!
Snake Communications and Pokemon Explanations – Bangiras has spent a load of time translating video communications to Snake that explain what Pokemon are and some general concepts. You can view the translations below and the videos to the right. Some of them explanations “refresh” some general concepts regarding Pokemon that have not been explained in the show or games in a while, such as the strategic bond between a Pokemon Trainer and his Pokemon.
Pikachu Explanation – jump to 4:43 in video
| “Oh, how cute!” “What is? You mean that yellow guy?” “That’s Pikachu. It’s a universally popular Pokemon. It appears cute, but you have to be careful. In the sacs in its cheeks, it stores a large amount of electricity.” It can obviously torture you over and over with electrical attacks.” “As long as he doesn’t do it too often, it’s probably better than Ocelot’s torture.” “By the way, Snake?” “What?” “If you can, I’d like you to catch Pikachu for me…is that too much?” “Give me a break. I’m not a Pokemon Trainer.” “Hmm….aw.” |
Jigglypuff Explanation – jump to 4:12 in video
| “The big eyeball is walking…” “That’s Jigglypuff.” “Jigglypuff? Don’t say it’s a dessert.” (Note: Jigglypuff’s Japanese name is “Purin,” a pun on “pudding.”) “Jigglypuff is a Balloon Pokemon. Since its innards are air, it’s light, but the power of its “Rest” is tremendous.” “Rest..? It isn’t a normal sleep is it?” “At the very instant it goes to sleep, there’s an incredible energy reaction at the center of its body.” “If you eat it, you’ll probably be instantly Koed.” “It’s spirited while asleep? Completely hopeless.” “The world is big. Especially this ‘brawl’.” |
Lucario Explanation – jump to 4:19 in video
| “You’re fighting Lucario? Snake.” “Mei Ling, what is the purple flame coming out of the guy’s hand?” “That’s ‘wave’.” (Note: In Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, “wave” was translated as “aura.”) “‘Wave’?” “Something like lifeforce. Lucario controls its own wave, and that’s what is shining with power. “Lucario increases its wave when it takes damage, becoming stronger.” “So, don’t let your guard down saying, ‘Since I did a lot of damage to it…’.” “You’re saying, ‘A cornered rat is dangerous’? … What a nuisance.” “Oh? Even Snake uses proverbs occasionally. How surprising.” “It’s thanks to you.” “When you come back, I’ll teach you plenty of Chinese proverbs.” |
Pokemon Trainer Explanation – jump to 5:00 in video
| “The one instructing the Pokemon from the background, he’s a Pokemon Trainer?” “That Pokemon Trainer is carrying Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard.” “They’re powerful Pokemon that represent the Water, Grass, and Fire type respectively.” “He prepares them to fight, then watches on. A good position, isn’t it.” “You could say that. When the Pokemon fight, it’s on the Pokemon Trainer’s orders.” “On the battlefield, a soldier who manages field strategy and evaluates the progress of war is indespensible.” “If they maintain a good combination together, their power is probably multiplied.” “That’s why we also work well together. Don’t you think, Snake?” “…All right, thanks for your help.” |