Looks like the leaks are true. During a special Smash-themed Nintendo Direct, series creator Masahiro Sakurai confirmed the inclusion of Street Fighter's Ryu and Fire Emblem's Roy to the roster, and announced that they are available, well, right now for Wii U and 3DS.
Ryu is unlike any fighter you've seen yet, as the developers have tried to condense his six-button move set down to two. He'll still have access to light, medium, and heavy attacks - but in Super Smash Bros., the attack you perform is determined by how long you hold the button down. Ryu is built for combos, and can chain attacks with ease.
He's even got his signature moves, like his Shoryuken uppercut, Hurricane Kick, and Hadouken fireball. In Smash Bros., you can either input them with the standard Smash D-pad and B button combinations, or you can use the actual input commands (quarter-circle-forward punch!) from Street Fighter and do even more damage. He's even got two Final Smashes - a first for the series.
Along with Ryu, his classic Street Fighter stage Suzaku Castle is also coming to Smash Bros., bundled with the fighter. Both the stage and Ryu are out now for $5.99 for either Wii U or 3DS, or $6.99 as a bundle.
Not to be outdone, Fire Emblem's Roy is also coming to Super Smash Bros. today. He's got a flaming sword and a final smash attack that looks like it's ripped right out of the strategy RPG, complete with rapidly depleting health bar. He's a swordfighter specializing in up-close combat, and he's more powerful than he was in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Roy, along with the previously announced Lucas (of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mother 3 fame) will be hitting the eShop today as well for $3.99 each on either Wii U or 3DS, or $4.99 for both systems.
OK, deep breath, because there's still more. New stages and costumes are also launching today. Hyrule Castle, Peach's Castle, and Kirby's Dreamland are all seeing a return to Smash after last appearing on the N64, and will be available for $1.99 each on either Wii U or 3DS, or for $2.99 for both systems. The Miiverse stage is also available today, which will display messages to cheer you on pulled from each character's newly-created Miiverse community. The Miiverse stage is free to all players, and will only be available on the Wii U.
A whole bunch of Mii Fighter costumes will also be made available too, like Megaman.exe, Zero, the Inkling Boy and Girl, Jacky Bryant and Akira Yuki from Virtua Fighter, Isabelle from Animal Crossing (who you wear like a suit - blech) and even Heihachi from Tekken. Each costume retails for $.75 each on Wii U or 3DS, or for $1.15 for both systems. Or bundle up and grab all of the costumes for $6 on either Wii U or 3DS, or $9.20 for both systems.
All of the above is out today, right now on both the Wii U and 3DS systems. If you're looking to get everything in one handy bundle, you can snag all of this content for $21.96 on Wii U or 3DS, and $29.16 for both systems.
Rounding out the array of Super Smash Bros. features announced today, the game will also receive Tourney Mode on Wii U in August. This will feature community tourneys allowing players to compete for points within a certain amount of time, as well as regular tourneys, which will be special events that only happen on specific dates. YouTube replays will also be coming to Wii U at a later date, which will let players record and upload videos to YouTube through their Google account. Both of these updates will be free to all players.
For more announcements, hop over to our hub for all the E3 2015 coverage.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate villain Minecraft Steve is the star of the "best Smash clip of all time," as genius player makes a literal Trojan Horse to destroy an unsuspecting opponent
Masahiro Sakurai says Super Smash Bros "might have died out" if not for late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata: "There's no doubt that he influenced me in many ways"
