Thursday, October 23, 2014

SDR Character Preview #8: Pikachu

Pikachu, the iconic and ever popular mouse Pokémon everyone loves. What? You don't like Pikachu? That's nonsense, you don't have a choice!

You really don't, you know that right?

 The final hitbox on Down Smash is actually very slightly larger.
As you might've noticed (or not), there aren't many radical changes to Pikachu. His shield is a little larger and his wavedash is longer, but for the most part he plays similar to his Melee counterpart with slightly stronger ground attacks. 

Oh! His grab range isn't abysmal anymore, which is sure to bring smiles to Pikachu players everywhere.

There are three changes I would like to cover. These probably have the largest effect on Pikachu's gameplan in SD Remix. Would you like to watch the changes on video?

 
Dash Attack has a new animation!
Experienced players will recognize that this is one of Pikachu's item-throwing animations. Pikachu slides further with this animation compared to his original Dash Attack, meaning you can close distances a little easier. The attack properties are still very much the same, but the cooldown of the move is drastically decreased.

Pikachu's Forward Aerial is very different now. Use it to juggle foes and combo into finishers. It's a very low-lag move, so try to find lots of uses for it.


The attack stabilizes the foe much better than it did in Melee.

 Shortly after the move ends, you can follow-up immediately. 
Try Neutral Air for instance!

Finally, Pikachu received some minor adjustments to his Down Aerial that Pikachu veterans will be sure to adore. Down Aerial has faster start-up, and a lower launch angle. If you haven't been using it already for edgeguarding, it's never too late to start!
The hardest part is positioning the interception! 

Trading blows is an unavoidable risk of battle...

But often there only emerges one winner... 

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

SDR Character Preview #7: Bowser

The heaviest of heavyweights and the (ever temporary) king of Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser returns with an old look but a new car smell. He'll drive like one, that's for sure.

So what's different about SD Remix Bowser? Better air mobility, much better jump start-up, stronger attacks, bigger throw range, and a stronger recovery are just some of the main improvements. That's it? Pretty much. For opponents and Bowser players alike, Bowser will feel familiar to Ganondorf, but with his own little twist to the power character archetype.

This looks unpleasant.

Bowser's Up Smash attack is now very disjointed and can effectively poke through platforms. The move damages shields and packs a lot of power behind it should it hit. Floaty characters beware!

Oh? What's this then?!

As Bowser plops back to the ground from his Up Smash, these two hitboxes on his legs will launch opponents into the air for a potential combo or worse. It will only land on grounded opponents so the opportunity that it occurs is quite rare. Knowing is half the battle though, right?

I'm not even sure what's going on, myself.

SD Remix Bowser has a new Down Aerial. It is a Meteor Smash that sends his foes to the dark, fiery depths of Hazy Maze Cave. Regardless, it hurts and you don't want to be anywhere near it!

We've replaced a falling anvil with Bowser to see if there is a discernible effect on Yoshi's reaction. Negative. But you, the player, certainly want to know how the move works, so here's an image of the hitboxes.

This is how the dinosaurs became extinct, supposedly.

Special Moves

<Standard Special Move: Fire Breath>
 
Bowser's Fire Breath has a 'Flame Cancel' where you can negate the initial start-up animation if you fall onto the ground during the start of Fire Breath, which is nothing new to Melee veterans. However...

Another surprise? How dirty.

Bowser's Fire Breath now has an ending 'bite' hitbox that launches opponents upward. Luckily you can crouch cancel it in most cases, but Fire Breath's cooldown frames are low now, so watch out.

<Side Special Move: Koopa Klaw>

Here's the Koopa Klaw Side Special move. The range on the move is quite formidable, but you don't have to worry about being caught unless you're within the range of the purple hitbox spheres.

Should you find yourself in such a situation, I recommend preemptively DI-ing away from Bowser. This way the forward throw won't combo into this:

This is Bowser's Up Aerial. It KO's very reliably.

DI-ing away means Bowser cannot reliably combo from his forward Koopa Klaw throw and should the Bowser back throw, you won't lose a stock on terrible DI either.

Be careful everyone, or you too may end up in Bowser's grimy hands!

<Down Special Move: Bowser Bomb>
This does something dumb, doesn't it?

 Maybe, maybe not. The final hit has more KO potential, but the real secret sauce is the ground version of Bowser Bomb. Bowser Bomb's ground start-up has an initial hitbox as Bowser rises that pulls the opponent into the falling hit. Pretty interesting, no?

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

SDR Character Preview #6: Ganondorf




Ah Ganondorf. The King of Evil, the Prince of Gerudo, or however you address him, is back ready to punish those who oppose his reign. You don’t want to mess with him either, he’s a big deal!

 
 At first brush, you might not even be able to tell that Ganondorf has changed. He certainly has improved his grab range, and his run speed and jump start-up better prepare him for the speed demons that dominant the battlefield. But wait, there’s more (that you can watch in a video instead)

What’s that strange green flash on him?!

During Ganondorf’s Dash Attack, his body flashes green for a brief moment. He’s completely invincible (think Star Man invincibility) during that time, meaning projectiles and attacks beware! The duration isn’t much though, so it’s on the Ganondorf player to make sure he times his counter correctly or he risks a hurtin'!

Wait…is that his Up Tilt?!

His Up Tilt is now a slowed down version of his Gerudo Dragon Side Special. It combos from his Down Throw, serves as a juggle move at mid percentages, and becomes a KO move when the percentages increase. It’s a little awkward, but quite useful once you get the hang of it!

Special Moves

<Side Special Move: Gerudo Dragon>

His Gerudo Dragon Side Special, when it connects properly, no longer puts him into a free fall state. You do lose your second jump, but you can cancel into a Dark Dive Up Special. It’s not particularly helpful, but you know every bit counts in a pinch!

 Link, I commend you for making it this far…

HOWEVER…!

I won’t give in so easily!

It sure is tough being king.

Trust me, Ganondorf puts himself in a lot of tight situations. They never quite make that clear in the job descriptions for villains, you know?

<Down Special Move: Wizard's Foot>

Ganondorf’s Wizard’s Foot has less landing lag on the air version, so get creative with some set-ups to relaunch opponents! Or just use it as a confusing way to land on stage safely. I certainly won’t judge your character either way! Promise.

 Using this on an opponent’s shield might constitute as bullying…