If you can round up enough people to do 8-player Smash matches regularly (or, y'know, enough amiibo to duke it out) you've probably gotten pretty tired of the limited map selection by now. How does, oh, 15 more stages to cover with high-speed havoc sound? Good! Now all you have to do to get them is start up the game and download its new 1.0.2 update.
The free patch introduces 8-player versions of nine regular stages - Mario Circuit (X), Luigi's Mansion, Pyrosphere, Norfair, Lylat Cruise, Pokemon Stadium 2, Animal Crossing Town and City, Animal Crossing Smashville, and Wii Fit studio - and six of the Final Destination variety - Mario Galaxy, Mario Circuit (X), Kirby: The Great Cave Offensive, Lylat Cruise, Pokemon Stadium 2, and Animal Crossing Town and City. You still can't duke it out with seven friends on all the maps, but this update gives you significantly more options in the meantime. Kinda cool, right? Well how about you click on for everything else we know about Smash Bros. DLC.
Nintendo has ample plans to support Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS with downloadable content, but only one piece will come at a price. The company has confirmed that Mewtwo, who will appear as a free download in spring of next year for those who register both versions of the game, will also be sold on his own further down the line.
No other planned downloadables will cost you a dime - well, a dime beyond what you already spent on buying one or both games. Note that Nintendo specified planned DLC there. If folks line up to buy Mewtwo, the company may well decide to follow him up with paid characters, stages, modes, and who knows what else.\
The DLC isn't just limited to Pokemon, because there's at least one stage that will be coming post-release. That's the Miiverse stage for the Wii U version of Smash. It's a simple looking level in the style of Battlefield, only it adds in the interactivity of the Miiverse as real life posts from users fly by in the background.
In case you aren't familiar with the fun of crazy Miiverse posts, this stage will expose you to it. Depending on what fighter you choose, actual user submitted drawings of the character will be pulled straight off of Miiverse and appear in the background as a way to cheer on players. No concrete timing has been set for when this will be out, but the sooner the better. I need to see "Why can't Samus crawl?" fly by during a fight.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U has some new level creation tools that take advantage of the touchscreen interface in clever ways, but at launch you'll only be able to share them with your friends offline. The same is true for the custom versions of fighters that you build via alternate, unlockable attacks. But you'll eventually be able to share them once a post-release download goes live.
No specific timing has been set for it yet, but following the Wii U's launch, the developers will wrap up work on enabling sharing of custom stages and characters. No word yet on if any of this online sharing is headed to 3DS--my gut feeling is it won't. The Wii U version will also be updated to allow players to share replay footage online as well, so you'll eventually be able to show the world just how well you've mastered Link's down attack.
Smash Bros. long term appeal owes a lot to the series' popularity in the hardcore fighting game community. Tournaments for Smash are hosted all the time for every version of the game, and that will likely continue on the Wii U version. But what if you don't have the space to host up to 64 players to decide who's the best at Smash? Don't worry, the DLC is on the way.
Though not ready at launch, a free download to Smash Bros. Wii U will allow players to create tournaments that can host up to 64 players into one massively bracketed battle royale. You can join with friends or with strangers, the rules look to be as customizable as they are in the game's other battle modes, and you can check out saved replays after it's all over. Too bad this doesn't come with the full game, but hopefully they'll have this update out before EVO 2015. I need to sharpen my skills before then.
Mewtwo's inclusion isn't just great news for Melee fans, it's also a game changer for the franchise. If this legendary pocket monster can make a return, what's to stop any of the other previously cut characters from appearing in the next round of updates?
Read on for a list of the other characters that have been cut from previous Smash games that hopefully will come back again in the next round of DLC. Of course, in the interest of fairness, also included are the sober possibilities on if they'll actually be reborn as DLC or stay locked away in your memories.
First appeared: Ice Climber (1985)
Before Smash Bros. Melee, none but the most hardcore of Nintendo fans had heard of the NES game Ice Climber. But when this daring duo premiered in Melee, they became favorites for anyone that could keep track of the two characters moving around the screen at once. Popo and Nana even became big on the competitive Smash scene after a grab exploit was discovered, but now those fans will have to find someone new for tourneys. These two frozen friends have been left out of the newest Smash game, which might be the most shocking omission of all.
Chance they'll be in DLC: Some fans are currently so upset that they would certainly pay to add Ice Climbers after the fact, but there's the unfortunate fact that game director Masahiro Sakurai said that the two had been cut because the twin characters were too taxing on the 3DS's CPU. Then again, there's a New 3DS on the horizon that just happens to have way more processing power. Could the two be return as DLC that won't be available to owners of the original 3DS?
First appeared: Mother 3 (2006)
The main character in the sequel to Earthbound, Lucas was a big deal when he first appeared in Brawl. In fact, his inclusion got more than a few fans to believe that Nintendo might finally bring Mother 3 over to the West. While that didn't happen (and probably never will), Lucas gained some notoriety in the Smash community, though he wasn't especially unique when compared to Ness. Given their similarities, Smash Bros. is sticking with the classics and limiting Mother's representation to Ness.
Chance he'll be in DLC: Like Wolf, there's potential that Lucas could just end up being relegated to a special alt skin for Ness in later DLC, or maybe just in the Wii U version of the game. It is worth noting that Ness could've had an alternate skin of Lucas and doesn't, perhaps showing that the devs have plans for his future. Otherwise, I think Sakurai will just stick with the more famous of the two now that Mother 3's expiration date has passed.
First appeared: Pokemon Gold/Silver (2000)
Do you like Pikachu, but wish he was even smaller and cuter? That's the concept behind Pichu, the earliest form of Pikachu that joined the Pokemon series in the second generation. The pocket monster hopped on to Melee's roster at the height of his popularity, and he plays like a faster, weaker version of Pikachu. After that time in the limelight, Pichu is relegated to a mere statue in Brawl. If you were hoping that Pichu would reclaim his playable status, you can give up on that right now.
Chance he'll be in DLC: Probably not. There doesn't seem to be all that much interest in the fan community to see him make a comeback. And his diminutive size might render the character virtually invisible on a 3DS screen, so best to leave him out, otherwise the little rodent might get lost in the mix. Pikachu's alt costume goggles will work as a nice consolation prize.
First appeared:Pokemon Red/Blue (1998)
Many Pokemaniacs wanted to see Ash Ketchum appear in Smash, and they got the next best thing with the inclusion of the Pokemon Trainer in Brawl. Based on Red from the first generation of Pokemon, this guy just stood in the background summoning Charizard, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur, the three original starters. Charizard now appears as his own character, but as the orange fire-breather soaks up the spotlight, he left behind his old friends on his way to the big time. Some friend...
Chance he'll be in DLC: This one doesn't seem feasible. Charizard on his own meaning bringing back the Trainer that can also summon a Charizard seems repetitive. Squirtle and Bulbasaur could be redone as solo characters just as they did for Charizard, but that seems like a big task. And then there's Sakurai previous mention that transforming characters don't work on 3DS, so that pretty much seals the deal on that.
First appeared: Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade (2002)
Along with Marth, Roy is the character that introduced everyone outside of Japan to the Fire Emblem franchise. Handling his Sword of Seals, Roy had just starred in his own game when Melee came out. He has since become more obscure while Marth has arguably become the most famous Fire Emblem alum there is. Roy is played so similar to Marth that it wasn't a big shock that Roy isn't in Brawl, and his shutout continues.
Chance he'll be in DLC: Not as his own character. Roy is yesterday's Fire Emblem news, so I'd bet he's at the end of the line behind about a dozen Fire Emblem: Awakening characters that deserve a shot at joining the fight. Fans will just have to make due with the alt colors of Marth, Ike, and Lucina.
First appeared: Metal Gear (1987)
Back at E3 2006, Solid Snake shocked the gaming world by appearing in the reveal trailer for Smash Bros. Brawl. Snake is Smash's first ever guest character, opening the door for Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man to join in the fun. That history is why it's so sad to not see Snake getting to keep on smashing on Wii U and 3DS. The soldier for hire seemingly won't be sneaking his way into this melee.
Chance he'll be in DLC: In my opinion, that's a big, fat NO. Getting a third party character as big as Snake in the game takes a lot of corporate maneuvering, and if Nintendo hasn't done it yet, I doubt they'll do it after the fact. Additionally, Snake is going through a real flux right now with a new voice and increasingly dark stories in Metal Gear Solid 5, so his M-rated stylings would stand out all the more. this time. As fun as it may be to imagine, he probably won't be pulling a knife on Pikachu any time soon.
First appeared: Star Fox 64 (1997)
Falco is Fox McCloud's on-team rival, but Fox's nemesis is none other than Wolf, the leader of the diabolical Star Wolf team. Wolf is heavier and more feral than Fox, and his move set reflects that. Wolf's design is clearly based on Fox and Falco, but he pulls off harsher moves, and has a more grim attitude on life. Despite those differences, it would seem that Sakurai views the character as too similar to the other Star Fox characters, because Wolf is MIA.
Chance he'll be in DLC: It's highly unlikely Wolf will be back as a fully playable character. With Fox and Falco, a third guy with vaguely similar moves feels pretty redundant (as long as you're not Mario). If Nintendo starts selling character skins and costumes as DLC, perhaps Wolf could function as one for Fox, but other than that, I think Star Wolf won't give us a flyby this time around.
That's all the DLC for Smash we currently know about, but will Nintendo actually stop there? Will other classic characters follow Mewtwo onto 3DS and Wii U? Will some retro stages return as paid content? And what do you hope to see? Tell me all about it in the content!
