WHAT A DAY!!! Not only did I have my graduation party today, but it was packed to the brim with Nintendo going-ons! As expected, I only managed to get small tastes of them today, but it's all incredible nonetheless.
First up, Smash DLC! Despite the massive character leak yesterday, there were quite a few surprises in today's direct, not the least of which was stage DLC! One of them (Hyrule Castle 64) was actually chosen for my wishlist in the Smash DLC column, so as you can expect I'm quite happy about that. While Mushroom Kingdom 64 didn't make the cut, I can't be upset at more Super Mario 64 representation in the form of Peach's Castle 64! I'm really curious as to what their respective song lists will be...
...and sizes. Dream Land 64 is rather fun to have back (and I can't get enough of the new Ice Cream Island arrangement!), but the reduced size feels more than a little off. I know it's gone through some minor graphical renovations since we've last seen it, but I wish they'd put more effort into properly accommodating their sizes in relation to those of the fighters. Oh well.
And the characters! As you might expect, Lucas was the first one I tried. What's so heartwarming to witness is he now sports a winning smile. To pay tribute to Mother 3's somber tone, Brawl fitted him with something of a permanent, apathetic frown. True as that was to the source material, I can't help but be won over by this look. It's as if he's finally put his tragic past behind him, ready to live out the rest of his youth and engage life to the fullest. If you ask me, he's even starting to look rather confident of himself!
Also, Roy's returned! Truth be told, I've never cared for the idea of bringing this Fire Emblem protagonist back, but Sakurai worked his moveset magic to once again change my mind. Blending the designs from his original Binding Blade appearance and the Awakening cameo has made him look totally badass (seriously, it and the Melee model are night and day!). I guess after the magic Sakurai and co. conducted on Bowser Jr. (or should I say the Koopalings?) and his Junior Clown Kart, I guess it shouldn't surprise me that they made me a Roy fan once again. Heck, they could probably make me a Daisy fan, if they wanted to.
And RYU! It's funny how his Street Fighter moveset was basically the inspiration for Mario's, and yet the advanced button commands and whatnot render him totally unique! What's funny is that Sakurai once commented on the idea of bringing fighting game characters into the realm of Smash, stating they wouldn't be an ideal fit since they couldn't bring much new to the fold. Naturally, this is why Mega Man initially took the spot of Capcom rep over Ryu, but the way they've finally included him is pretty mindblowing when you think about it. Sure, by himself, Ryu doesn't introduce much to Smash,, but his natural Street Fighter controls render him unique by default! Quite impressive, and I can't wait to learn him further.
Now I suddenly want to play the 3DS port of Super Street Fighter IV again. AUGH! Maybe it's time I sat down with the PS3 version and finally learn those pesky controls...
Also, yeah, the Nintendo World Championship...I DIDN'T GET TO WATCH IT! *sob* The party was still going on during the first hour or so, and as I wanted to play the Smash DLC (AND THE GAME FEATURED BELOW), I only caught glimpses of the Mario Kart 8 tournament and Reggie's hilariously bad Smash showing. You'd think he's never played the series before! Regardless, I also did see Super Mario Maker, and it was glorious. I fully await its display as this year's E3 (and since I skipped over it in my last E3 review, you can definitely expect its inclusion for this year's article!)
But oh yes, by far the most exciting moment of the day was...
The original Mother is coming to Wii U's Virtual Console under the title EarthBound Beginnings!!! YEEEEEHAWWWWWW!!!!!
Those who've been following me on Nintendojo might remember I suggested a Mother trilogy pack during this weekend's roundtable for outlandish E3 ideas. I can't believe my idea, though not in the exact way I envisioned it, ended up partly coming true! If by some slim chance this means Mother 3 will be coming stateside...no, I should be belaying such thoughts, but now that the impossible's already happened...!
As a dedicated member of the EarthBound/Mother fandom since 2002, I'm beyond overwhelmed, in disbelief, and excited to finally have one of the two missing pieces of my favorite video game series finally come stateside (with the original, unreleased localization no less!). Watching Shigesato Itoi's message above welled up some tears in my eyes.
Gotta say, though, I don't think I'll ever get used to Mother being rebranded as EarthBound Beginnings. I know they had to, and I'm already way too accustomed to the original EarthBound title for Mother 2, but the reverse is true for both Mother and Mother 3. The thought of Mother 3 alone being titled as anything else is just...bizarre.
Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself! In any case, Mother is here, and it is good. Remember to always believe in the morning sun, cause you never know when the next miracle's around the corner!
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So...yeah, that's the first of the "news" updates I talked about back in April. They're intended to be really quick updates (or indecipherable fanboy ramblings, as you'll likely see on Tuesday after Nintendo's conference), but today was an exception since so much happened. They'll probably only be this length maybe whenever a Direct hits,
Oh, and no Biweekly Music Wednesday! this week since it's not only E3 time, but I plan on wrapping up both my Smash DLC column AND my Kirby: Squeak Squad review by the end of the week, so stay tuned!
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