The internet gave a collective “Woooo” in their best Ric Flair voice yesterday as Nintendo finally lifted the lid on the Namco Bandai co-developed Smash Bros. title set to release next year. They further cheered at the inclusion of the Blue Bomber himself, Mega Man, as the latest third-party character to be introduced into the frantic fray. But Nintendo hasn’t finished playing their hand yet, and while the reveal trailer announced both Mega Man and Animal Crossing’s “Villager” to the fun, yet another character has also made her E3 Smash Bros. debut: The Wii Fit Trainer. Yeah, you heard that right. Take a look:
I’ve gotta admit, as silly as I assumed this would turn out when I first heard about it, the Wii Fit Trainer fits in surprisingly well amongst roster veterans. Her fighting style looks both balanced and an absolute spectacle to watch. That suped-up finishing move of hers where she launches out duplicates of herself in various Yoga poses looks pretty devastating as well. Whether or not the Final Smash from Brawl is being included remains to be seen; but characters seem to have powerful screen-wiping abilities like the one I just mentioned.
This brings the confirmed roster count up to 11 so far: Combining franchise staples Mario, Zelda, Pikachu, Samus, Bowser, Kirby and Star Fox, with recent newcomer Pit joining alongside the above-mentioned newcomers Mega Man, Wii Fit Trainer, and Animal Crossing Villager. Hopefully, we’ll get at least a few more third-party characters to surprise and liven up the experience alongside first-time introductions of dormant Nintendo classics. It’s almost guaranteed the likes of Donkey Kong, Peach, and Yoshi will be joining the roster soon, but I’m hoping we get a few left-field choices as well. I mean, it’s high time Birdo faced off against Yoshi, isn’t it? What about Waluigi? But most importantly, after Link, Young Link, and Toon Link, when are we finally going to get everyone’s favorite Link? No, not Dark Link, I’m talking CD-i Link, baby. Make it happen, Nintendo!
The currently untitled Super Smash Bros. is scheduled for a 2014 release, likely next holiday season, and is coming to both the Wii U and the 3DS; with a unique hand-drawn/cel-shaded sort of aesthetic for the portable version. No word on the cross-play functionality that was hinted at either, but stay tuned for more details as they develop.
How pumped are you folks to get your hands on the latest Super Smash Bros.? Which characters, first-party or otherwise, are you absolutely wishing find their way onto the complete roster? Conversely, which character from Brawl‘s bloated roster would you like seen taken off in favor of someone new? I’m genuinely curious to read what you guys come up with, so keep things interesting in the comments section. If you’d like to keep up with all our E3 coverage, make sure you like IGXPro on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or give us the ‘ol +1 on Google+. If you can’t get enough of my shenanigans, (who could blame you?) you can check me out @GamingsNirvana, or add +VinnyParisi to your circles.
Chris Hernandez
I’d love to see Oni Link (AKA fierce deity Link) make an appearance.