Mewtwo is coming next year, eight player battles at Wii U launch
Did you happen to watch the October 23 Nintendo Direct? If not, the short story is that Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will have a whole lot more content than Super Smash Bros. for 3DS. New modes, way more stages, a ton of new music--but the biggest news? Mewtwo will return as DLC, and multiplayer matches can include up to eight players! Crazy, huh?
Mewtwo is still a ways off, as the developers are prepping him for both the Wii U and 3DS version, with plans to release the psychic Pokemon in spring 2015. But he'll only be available to people that own both versions of the game, so he sounds like a rather expensive bit of downloadable content. As for the eight-player battles, they're offline-only and made to take advantage of the extra space that HD TVs provide the Smash series. If you want to know the dozens of other, smaller additions to the Wii U version, click on the above link to the Direct, or get the game for yourself November 21 in North America and December 5 in Europe. In the meantime, why not familiarize yourself with the ever-expanding roster?
Confirmed fighters
After two years of waiting, Nintendo revealed Super Smash Bros. for Wii and 3DS at E3 2013, and the trailer didn't disappoint. Two dozen fighters have already been confirmed for both versions of the game, including five brand new characters. Obviously we'll keep updating this the moment a new fighter is confirmed for the game, so don't you worry about that! Let's start with the newest character to be added...
Mewtwo
First appeared: Pokemon Red/Blue (1998)
Smash Bros. fans have been missing this legendary Pokemon ever since it was left out of Brawl. Mewtwo is the very powerful psychic Pokemon that endeared himself to the Pokemon community when he starred in the first ever Pokemon film before winding up in Melee. Though similar to Lucario, Mewtwo is unique enough that numerous smashing bros had hoped to see him again, and they'll finally get their wish in spring 2015.
And it's well past time for him to make a comeback. According to folks that pulled apart the Smash Bros. source code, Mewtwo was planned to appear in Brawl, and it looked like he had been overlooked again due to time constraints. The developers are taking their time to get this cybernetically enhanced fighter into the game, but I'll take waiting six months if it means I can play as the legendary Pokemon in HD.
Duck Hunt's Dog
Dogs are incredibly lovable, but this has to be the most hated canine in all of gaming history. And that's because pretty much anyone with an NES encountered this smug dog in the free copy of Duck Hunt that came with the system. The fun, simple light gun game is a cute distraction in-between endless sessions of Super Mario Bros., but shooting at ducks gets serious whenever you miss one, as your pooch companion will rise out of the grass and laugh at your mistake. The anger-inducing mutt hasn't made many other appearances in the last three decades, but he and his mallard friends are making a returnin Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U. And this time they'll be working as a team. With this badass comeback, could a Duck Hunt reboot be far behind?
Dark Pit
First appeared: Kid Icarus: Uprising (2012)
Dark Pit may have got his start as a favored alt costume for Pit in Brawl, but he ascended to full character status in Uprising, the previous game directed by Masahiro Sakurai. Dark Pit (or Pittoo as he's called by Palutena) is the magically cloned darker half of the wholesome Pit, out to cause chaos and trouble for the whole Kid Icarus clan. Now that Pittoo is a separate character from Pit on the roster, just how different will he play?
R.O.B.
First appeared: Stack-Up (1985)
In 1985, the games market in the US was virtually barren, and Nintendo's plan to introduce the NES to America meant masquerading a console as a toy by bundling it with R.O.B. The friendly, super-'80s machine responded in the real world to inputs in games like Stack-Up and Gyromite, making for a cute gimmick that would soon be eclipsed by the massive popularity of Super Mario Bros. R.O.B. fell to the wayside after that, but has appeared over the last decade as a fun tribute character popping up in multiple Nintendo titles, including Smash Bros. with Brawl. Though some doubted his appearance, the dangerous droid is back once again in this next iteration, bringing his gyro attacks to 3DS and Wii U.
Dr. Mario
First appeared: Dr. Mario (1990)
Just what the doctor ordered! After appearing in Melee and then getting snubbed in Brawl, Dr. Mario is back to beat the viruses right off his opponents. Mario received his medical doctorate to star in the puzzle spin-off of the same name, tossing endless supply of pills at a cold, which any doctor will tell you is how to cure the flu. With lab coat and stethoscope at the ready, the doc is back to administer some tough love to his patients, but how different will play be from Mario given Sakurai's dislike for clones? Did Sakurai make an exception for this fan favorite?
Ness
First appeared: Mother 2 (1994) / Earthbound (1995)
Gamers in the West may never see Mother 3 get localized, but the franchise's biggest name is still a part of the Smash Bros. series. The baseball bat-wielding American boy is back to knock you off screen with his unique mix of magic and home run swings. Smash fans have loved him since they met him in the N64 original, so they can rest easy knowing he's back. Though how do the diehards feel that Mother 3's Lucas seems to be missing this time around?
Jigglypuff
First appeared: Pokemon Red/Blue (1998)
The puffy Fairy-type Pokemon was a real shock to players of the original N64 Smash Bros., but today the seemingly joke character is a series standby. His absence would definitely be noticable. Good thing fans won't have to miss the sleep inducing, graffiti enthusiast on Wii U/3DS, as he'll be around, bashing characters all across every stage while singing the melodic "Jigglypuff" song. Just don't get too close when he starts crooning, because then you'll be unconscious as Jigglypuff sends you flying right off the screen.
Falco Lombardi
First appeared: Star Fox (1993)
Firmly of the opinion that he's much better than Fox McCloud, Falco is the hotshot member of the Star Fox flight squad. And Falco is just as cocky when he's out of the Arwing, as he's proven in previous Smash Bros. appearances. Given Sakurai's talk of no more clone characters, some may have been concerned Falco would skip Wii U/3DS, but he's here in all his pompous glory. I guess I should be thankful. But will he be a top tier character this time just as he is in Melee?
