Super Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS: Little Mac, Mega Man, and Villager All Added as Characters; Edge-Grabbing to Become More Difficult [VIDEO]
The famed Nintendo fighting game franchise Super Smash Bros. is receiving a bit of a face lift in 2014. Three new characters are being added to the mix, as well as an overhaul to the always-pesky edge-grabbing technique.
Little Mac attacks opponents by unleashing a flurry of punches and his signature move, just like in Punch-Out, is a super strong uppercut that leaves him temporarily vulnerable should you miss. Mega Man and the Villager from Animal Crossing are the two other new characters who will join the series following the latest release.
The new Super Smash Bros. game for Wii U and 3DS will be launched in 2014, but more exact dates and information are unknown, although cross-platform play between the two systems and whether both games had to be purchased separately or if there was connectivity between the two is still not known. The 3DS version has a more cell-shaded style, while the Wii U version style was closer to that of Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the original Wii.
Players who hate the edge-grabbing technique, whether it is a strategic toolkit or simply cheap move, might hearten to hear that edge-grabbing will be made more difficult in the new Super Smash Bros. game for Wii U and 3DS, removing a major factor in current competitive play that will likely result in a shakeup for the metagame.
Director Masahiro Sakurai announced on Miiverse that the "edge-grabbing" or "edge-hogging" technique from the former Super Smash Bros. games has been overhauled for the upcoming Super Smash Bros. game for Wii U and 3DS. "There are many changes being made to attack and defense options for grabbing edges," he said.
Edge-grabbing has been part of the series franchise since the first one released for the Nintendo 64, although it became more of a tactical consequence in Melee and Brawl. Early reports from the Wii U and 3DS version say that air time and accumulated damage will determine your period of invincibility while hanging on an edge and grab controls will no longer be affected by whether you have above or below 100 percent damage.