The Salt, the Cheese, and the Tiers: On Super Smash Bros. -The Concept and Falsity of Tiers

I remember being at a Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament awhile back. Before the actual matches began, there was friendlies being done. I was utilizing Mario and holding my own against two others. One onlooker told his friends something along the tines of, "You guys are letting a Mario survive all this?" That statement always bothered me, but I knew it was a joke since Mario is typically not known as one of the better characters in that particular game. This is the concept of "tiers," which in a nutshell states who the best characters in a game are and the worst. But what makes a character better than another? This concept is especially popular with the latest installment in the Smash series, but is it a really true concept and something that should be followed?

In video games, often there's such a thing has characters having unfair advantages. In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 for example some characters literally have far inferior heath bars and nothing backing them up. Krillin for example has so little health in comparison to Goku it gives the latter an extremely unfair advantage. It's games like this when the disadvantage is so obvious that one simply has no reason to play characters like Krillin or Yajirobe, even if the player likes them a lot. This type of stuff doesn't exist in Super Smash Bros. Yet, many will say that there's such a thing as bad characters in the game. Sheik at the moment is known as the best character. So, a much lower tier character such as Dr. Mario should have no shot against her. As evidenced here, this is simply not the case...

Some might say that a single battle isn't enough to gauge this type of thing, since "flukes" can happen according to many. Well, let's pit Pac-Man, whom has never been known to be a fantastic character, against someone whom is constantly being put up in the tier list: Zero Suit Samus, in 3 battles back-to-back.

My opponent obviously knew what he was doing, but my Pac-Man was just simply better here. Stuff like this tell me that that people really think too much about tier lists and the like. Players abandon their characters to play as top tiers just because many claim they're the best. Isn't that just a little disappointing? Let's say for example you've been playing with Samus throughout all the games. And when the new one comes out, you're still playing as her. You enjoy her moveset, and find yourself mastering all the different things she can achieve. You've even beaten quite a few Sheiks, according to many the best character in the game. Then someone comes along and tells you Samus is actually the worst character in the game. You're great with her, but because you find out that most agree she's the worst, you abandon her. Sound fishy? That's because it is.

Let's take two characters: Pac-Man and Sheik. They have vastly different movesets and can achieve quite a bit. On their own however, they can't do anything. They are immobile; they need a person controlling them. All characters are equal in that sense. Then we grab two people. An expert Pac-Man will almost always beat a rookie Shiek, and vice versa. What if you pit two people whom know their characters pretty well? I was listening to the narration for EVO, and one of the broadcasters made the statement of this match-up as "unwinnable for Pac-Man." As we can see, this is simply not the case...

A person can train their character to beat anyone. For example, just a few days I managed to beat the word champion of the game, ZeRo, in a match on tourney mode.

Many will be quick to point out that he wasn't using Sheik, his main, rather he was using Little Mac. Would the battle have gone differently? Let's hypothetically say it would have. That wouldn't be because Sheik is inherently a better character than Little Mac. Rather, it'd be because ZeRo has mastered Sheik so well that it's just supremely difficult to overcome him.

There is such a thing as bad match-ups. Mega Man against Rosalina is a fight in the latter's favor due to her being able to absorb whatever Mega shoots at her. This doesn't make her a better character than Mega Man, she just has the advantage. A classic example is the original Pokemon anime. Near the finale before Advanced started, Ash had his Charaizard battle Blastoise. Both Pokemon are equals; they are the final form of their species and both trainers have been on similar journeys with them. But Blastoise has the edge due to being a water type. Does this mean he is better than Charizard? Not at all. Then in a surprise turn of events, Charizard takes the win, showing that even having the advantage doesn't guarantee a win.

Sheik, Rosalina, and Zero Samus are great characters, but I believe every character in the game has the capability of being the best. Unlike many other fighting games, there isn't an obvious unbalance here. And when an anomaly seemingly appears, Nintendo has been quick to fix it. (Meta Knight being much less over-powered, Robin becoming slightly faster, etc.) If you find yourself doing well with say Duck Hunt and like the way he plays, don't feel like you should switch just because many say your character is more on the average side.

Of course, if you find yourself liking Sheik's moveset for example, by all means grab the character. The problem is that people give up on their mains just because many say certain characters are superior. Then there's this illusion that losing to certain characters means the player isn't quite that good. If say Luigi lost to Mewtwo, many would question Luigi's player skills, no matter how impressive Mewtwo looked, simply because Mewtwo is known as one of the worst characters in the game. This kind of thinking hurts the competitive landscape as less and less diversity is seen since everybody is flocking to characters people claim are the best. Then the other characters aren't taken seriously when in actuality they can be equally impressive.

Here's a saying to remember, "Tier power is all in the head. It's really all about the person playing the character, building a connection, learning their moveset, and being creative. Every character has the potential to be the best. You just have to make them the best."

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Review

There are very few fighting game series as more critically acclaimed than Super Smash Bros. The 3DS version released a few months ago. While it was definitely awesome to be able to play Smash on the go, the Wii U version is the one fans truly awaited for; the small console was just a holdover. (Indeed, now that the Wii U version has been out virtually no one is talking about the 3DS.) Perfect gameplay makes the latest installment perhaps the best yet. I say perhaps because there are quite a few things Brawl and Melee did better. No Adventure Mode and poor number of new stages hurt this game. The multi-player mode however is by far the most fun anyone can have. If you have at least two other people to play with, and with items on, it's endless amount of hours of fantastic fun.

The core thing about Super Smash is the frantic, on-the-go strategy, item-grabbing gameplay. The Wii U version is pretty much perfect in this category. The gameplay isn't quite as fast as Melee, but definitely slightly quicker than Brawl, finding a nice balance between the two. The items are at their best; from whacking people with the Ore Club to trying desperately to gain another life with the Rally-X Flag, playing with items and with friends will create unforgettable battles and laughs. What the game does not shine in is its questionable new modes...

In the 3DS version of the game, there's "Smash Run" which is pretty mediocre after you've played it a couple of times. Thankfully, that was a 3DS exclusive. Sadly, the Wii U's mode is even worse in the form of "Smash Tour." After playing it once you will never want to play it again. The goal was to make this installment in the franchise more party-like and happy I suppose, but that aspect failed miserably. "The Subspace Emissary" from Brawl was an excellent change of pace for fighting games because they usually don't offer cutscene-driven story modes. It upped the bar, and few games since have raised it. Unfortunately, this game is one of them. Adding to the disappointment is the inclusion of a couple of new modes: "Master Orders" and "Crazy Orders." These modes, like Smash Tour, don't serve much of a purpose once you play them at least once. "Boring" would be the word to describe these new inclusions.

The Wii U version has the same characters as the 3DS one, so same positives and negatives apply. New additions like Pac-Man and Rosalina are excellent, but with however questionable decisions like adding Dark Pit (could have been a palette swap of Pit, same with Marth and Lucina) and not another Metroid character. (Interesting how we get Dark Pit but not Dark Samus who has been the antagonist of two games.) The stage selection is a pretty disappointing factor. There's nothing wrong with the new ones, most of them are quite excellent. (Except Mario Galaxy, which is immensely disappointing.) The problem is that there's almost as much old ones as new ones. Some have called this game "Super Smash Bros. Brawl 2.0," and that title is definitely justifiable in this category.

While the game has a lot less lag issues online, it's still present, which is a great shame. We shouldn't be seeing this on a modern console in 2014. Perhaps the greatest and also most disappointing aspect of the game is the challenges. Like Brawl, Challenge Mode will challenge even the most seasoned of veteran players. The disappointing part is the reward: it's just in-game cash. By the time you actually complete all challenges, there isn't much else to buy! It should have rewarded the player with a new character or at least a stage, but no all it gives you is pretty much useless $. Knowing that ahead of time destroys all motivation to complete them all.

Do not let the past few paragraphs deceive you; Super Smash Bros. is one awesome game. The gameplay is pretty much perfect. Playing with friends and items will result in some of the most unforgettable gaming times. Online for the most part is also great and the player will spend many hours over the course of the year on it. It is however disappointing that the game adds more party-like features while eliminating Adventure Mode. I don't think there's any Smash player who would rather have all these new mediocre modes over it. The stage selection is almost half old ones, which is a big disappointment. But overall the latest installment in Super Smash Bros. is another incredibly fun game that delivers a basically flawless gameplay experience.

4/5

Super Mario 3D World Review

Super Mario 3D World could be called the first big 'all-star' for the Wii U. Sure, there was New Super Mario Bros. U, but the console was going to need a bigger punch and reason for people to want to spend the $300. This game is one of those reasons. It's the first Mario platformer since 3D Land. (And the first home theater console one since Galaxy 2.) These have always been 'my games.' One of my fondest gaming memories was playing through Super Mario Sunshine, a rather underrated game today. Then in 2007 Galaxy changed the playing field and delivered arguably the greatest Mario experience of all time. Somehow after the company exceeded their efforts with the Galaxy sequel, delivering a perfect gaming time. It wouldn't be until a year later when the small console, the 3DS, saw 3D Land, a very fun and perhaps the best game for the system. So how does 3D World compare to these greats? Well, it does fall into some of the pits the New Super Mario Bros. U fell in, and that's on rehashing too many things from the previous game. It's still however a very fun play and a must-have for any Wii U owner.

The story follows Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad as they journey to rescue the Sprixie Princesses from Bowser's clutches. That's pretty much it. After a brief opening cutscene explaining the motivation behind all of this, we're thrown into the World Map. Mario has never been known for its deep and complex stories, but this is definitely disappointing. Here we have an opportunity to explore a new race within the Mushroom Kingdom world, but the story doesn't bother to use any writing. In fact, Bowser is given no lines whatsoever, he's just a roaring beast. It's extremely disappointing when you think about it, the first Galaxy had great writing and even some darkness to the story. Not here. Nintendo shouldn't be afraid to add actual writing and danger to the series. Galaxy took a step in the right direction in this regard, but everything afterward has gone backward.

The gameplay doesn't disappoint and even adds something new to the table: 4 player co-op. We've seen this in the New Super Mario Bros. series, but this is the first time in a 3D game. One of the biggest things in this game is the new power-up, 'Cat-form.' It's a bit strange in principle. I mean cats? Where did that come from? As much as I despise Mario being reduced to a cutesy thing saying "meow," in game the power is really cool and useful to use. Beyond that, gameplay remains relatively the same as 3D Land, which isn't a bad thing. The graphics look quite colorful and very impressive, some of the worlds looked absolutely fantastic. I was in awe when going down a raft and seeing glorious HD water splash around. If this is any indication, the Wii U has a promising future when it comes to graphics.

Sadly some of the soundtrack is lifted from 3D Land, which is very disappointing. Each and every Mario game should have its own full original soundtrack, not rehash themes from each other. The exclusive themes are definitely decent and what you'd expect from a Mario platformer. It's not as memorable as the Galaxies, but good enough. The amount of worlds is definitely solid, not to mention there's three secret ones to go through. The replay value is astounding, you'll be collecting 380 Green Stars and 80 stamps. If you're not one to find this type of thing tedious, you'll be playing this game for a long time. The actual worlds are good and even have some uniqueness. The train levels come to mind with the very cool new Blockstepper enemies.

The boss fights are solid, though not half as memorable as the ones featured in the Galaxies. The first Bowser battle is pretty unique, since you have to fight him while he drives his car that looks suspiciously like Wario's car from Mario Kart: Double Dash. It's just disappointing though when you compare it to the opera-filled and epic Bowser fights from the Galaxies. The final battle is pretty lackluster since it's more of an escape than actual fight. Sure, it was intense, but with no real payoff. It lacks greatly in comparison to the final battle from New Super Mario Bros. U. After you beat the game, World Star becomes available which after conquering it you unlock Rosalina. (It's a shame she couldn't be in the actual story.)

Overall, 3D World is definitely another fun Mario platformer. The story sadly lacks the heart of the first Galaxy and is definitely tailored to young kids than the fans who have been playing these games since square one. The gameplay is naturally great and doesn't get old. (What does get old however is collecting the stamps.) The journey to the final castle isn't a short or overly long one, it's just right. So, while not coming close to the greatness of the Galaxies or Sunshine, it's a worthy sequel even if it rehashes too many things from 3D Land.

4/5