Volume 4 Issue 1 First Quarter 2008 Super ... - Hardcore Gamer

SMASHBALLS & * FINAL SMASHES [CONT.]
If someone other than you gets the Smash Ball, you can knock it out of them if
you’re quick enough by just hitting them a couple of times. Also, if you manage
to KO them while they’re still in Final Smash Mode, then they’ve lost that chance
to use that Final Smash forever.
The best thing to do, overall, is to know how each and every Final Smash works.
A lot of them require correct positioning before activation in order to be effective.
Some can also be dodged, or own over. Therefore, don’t ever give your opponent
the opportunity to KO you with a perfectly-placed Final Smash! A wasted
Final Smash amounts to nothing more than wasted time, and vulnerability once
the technique wears off.
LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS
This concept has always been in Smash Bros. to some extent, but never before has it been so
pronounced and prevalent. The Law of Diminishing Returns reads thusly:
“If thou hath not have the skills nor the chops to use more than one move, then thy game shall
deign to make that move less and less useful with each repeated use until thou wisest up.”
Gone are spamming Smash attacks with the C-Stick, or using the same special move over and
over again (with a couple of exceptions; Sonic, for example, thrives on using repeated move
executions). Try to abuse any move, and over time, it will decrease in both innate strength and launching power. So when that “bread-and-butter”
move you’ve got suddenly starts failing you, now you know why.
TRIP-AND-FALL
Probably the least welcome new “feature” in Brawl at the moment. No one’s sure what triggers this, no one’s sure how to turn it off, but roughly 1% of the
time, characters will comically trip and fall when they attempt to move in some fashion. This, of course, leaves them vulnerable for a second, and throws off
just about anyone’s groove. Fortunately, in the oaty chaos of your standard Smash match, opponents won’t be able to take advantage of this very often, but
watch out for this nonetheless.
WALL JUMPING
Walls are everywhere in Brawl, so it’s
great that now characters can jump
onto them, stick for a second or two,
and then leap back off. It’s great
for maneuverability, and faking out
opponents.
30_COVER FEATURE_ SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 4_ISSUE 1_FERVOROUS CLUSTERSNOGGIN’