Final Smashes in Smash 3DS / Wii U

[nocturnal YL]

Well, this is mostly a rant. Let's see what do we have:

Character	Brawl	3DS / Wii U
Villager	--	Dream House
Mario	Mario Finale	Mario Finale
Link	Triforce Slash	Triforce Slash
Samus	Zero Laser	Zero Laser
Kirby	Cook	Ultra Sword
Fox	Landmaster	Landmaster
Pit	Palutena's Army	Three Sacred Treasures
Donkey Kong	Konga Beat	Konga Beat
Pikachu	Volt Tackle	Volt Tackle
Bowser	Giga Bowser	Giga Bowser
Mega Man	--	(Mega Man Legends)
Wii Fit Trainer	--	Wii Fit
Pikmin & Olimar	End of Day	End of Day
Luigi	Negative Zone	(Poltergust 5000)
Peach	Peach Blossom
Toon Link	Triforce Slash	Triforce Slash
Sonic	Super Sonic	Super Sonic
Marth	Critical Hit	Critical Hit
Rosalina & Luma	--	Power Star
Zelda	Arrow of Light	Arrow of Light
King Dedede	Waddle Dee Army
Lucario	Aura Storm	Mega Lucario
Little Mac	--	Giga Mac
Diddy Kong	Rocketbarrel Barrage
Zero Suit Samus	Power Suit Samus	(Gunship)
Sheik	Arrow of Light	Arrow of Light
Yoshi	Super Dragon	Super Dragon
Charizard	(Triple Finish)	Mega Charizard X
Greninja	--	Night Slash
Ike	Great Aether
Mii Brawler	--
Mii Swordfighter	--
Mii Gunner	--	(Triple Laser)
Palutena	--	(Black Hole/Mega Laser)
Pac-Man	--

(Names taken from Smashpedia)

The blanks indicate moves we don't know yet, and green text indicates moves I'll talk (mostly rant) about. And come on, people, the games have been demonstrated for two days. No one caught Toon Link or Luigi's Final Smash in action!?

Now let's take a look at these moves...

Mario's Mario Finale
What does Mario have to do with this, other than the fact that he shoots fire? Worse, this move is weak and easily avoidable. It's a total downgrade of Wii Fit. Just why must Nintendo's Number 1 get a move this weak and unmemorable?

Link's Triforce Slash
Same issue as Mario's in terms of not being Link-y. Link has to do with the Triforce and uses a sword? Hmm, okay?

Samus's "Zero" Laser
Nothing wrong with this move returning, but it needs a better name.

Fox's Landmaster
Not a problem... yet. If other Star Fox characters show up, they had better use something else. Especially Falco.

Olimar's End of Day
...We have the Hocotate bomb already.

Sheik's Arrow of Light
If they want to separate Zelda and Sheik, should they not get different Final Smashes too?


I know Smash always has that problem of sticking too much to the past, but I think Final Smash is the one area where this doesn't sit well with me. Those are the characters' signature moves, so should they not get something more distinctive and personal?

[Shrikeswind]

I return to your rants the following.

Mario Finale is probably about the best thing they have for Mario. How many big, flashy kill moves do you think Mario has ever had? And more to the point, how many of those weren't already implemented into the series when Brawl was out? And at the least, this move has precedent, not just in terms of "He throws fireballs" but also in terms of similar abilities: Very few of Mario's moves reference his RPG appearances, and this is one of those few. Stand-out is Super Mario RPG's Ultra Flame, though the Fire Flowers in Paper Mario also come to mind.

Similarly, Link doesn't really have a Final Smash-y move in his own games. I mean, I guess the Medallions from Link to the Past? But the Triforce Slash is a very flashy version of his finisher against Ocarina of Time's Ganon. Hardly something to knock.

As far as Zelda and Sheik using the Arrow of Light, this is one attack where it doesn't matter that much. Zelda and Sheik are very distinct characters in terms of play style. It's not like Fox and Falco where most of their moves are basically the same. That they share a Final is silly, but not outright nonsensical.

Lastly, Final Smashes most certainly are not their signature moves. They're either finishers, desperation moves, or transformations for most characters in original context. Not everyone has a move like this, which is why, often, these moves end up seeming so unfitting for the character.

[nocturnal YL]

I guess thatmakes sense, although I think Mario Finale is not really a reference to Mario RPG, unlike some of Peach and Bowser's standard attacks.


Looks like Luigi's FS is even easier to avoid (fixed position, single direction, almost a downgrade from ROB's). Unless something will happen if he actually catches someone in the attack, but I doubt it.

[kirbychu]

Didn't they confirm Lucario's Final Smash is Mega Lucario now? Or did I dream that?

[nocturnal YL]

Jun 12, 2014 10:17:44 GMT -5 kirbychu said:

Didn't they confirm Lucario's Final Smash is Mega Lucario now? Or did I dream that?

It's an oversight in my part. I'll edit the post.

And don't get me wrong, even with lots of oversight and unoptimal stuff, Smash Bros. generally does a good job in showcasing the best of the fighters.

[nocturnal YL]

From the Treehouse show: Luigi will vacuum opponents in, damage them and send them flying, not unlike a stronger version of Zero Suit Samus's Brawl FS.