Dojo update: Smash Ball 101
19
Smash Balls are going to be a white-hot commodity when we all finally start brawling next year, and little wonder: getting your hands on one will allow you to pull off your respective character's Final Smash, a number of which we've already covered.
But it's not just a matter of walking over the Ball to trigger its powers. First, you all have to beat the absolute snot out of it, with the player who lands the blow that breaks the Smash Ball getting to keep it. Once it's in your hands, a simple press of the B button will unleash your devastating Final Smash, though as Sakurai-san points out in today's update, it's all a matter of timing if you want to create the most destruction possible.
You're advised not to hang around too much, though. In the period between picking up the Smash Ball and launching a Final Smash (when the player enters "Final Smash standby mode"), opponents can still swipe the Ball from your dastardly clutches, meaning some strategic thinking is required.
We're also told about the Pity Final Smash, where a player who is losing badly respawns from a KO in the aforementioned standby mode. Lastly, if you'd rather not use Final Smash moves at all (though goodness knows why you wouldn't want to), you can simply turn Smash Balls off in the options.
Reader Comments (19)
Posted: Dec 5th 2007 3:29PM Trmn8r said
I'm beginning to wonder if they will bring back all the characters from Melee. A couple months ago they would announce a new or veteran character every week. now for the past month they have announce virtually nothing. If they are gonna bring back the old characters they need like twenty more weeks. Are they just going to show them all at once? IDC if they get rid of retarded pichu and young link and mr game & watch cuz those were retarded! But bring the rest please.
Posted: Dec 5th 2007 3:31PM (Unverified) said
They won't bring back everything, but that's not the reason for the lack of information. The fact is that the delay is forcing Sakurai to stretch all of the content that is not unlockable. I'm pretty sure that you will see a ton of characters after the game comes out.
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Posted: Dec 5th 2007 3:21PM (Unverified) said
That's what I love about Sakurai's options... why would you WANT to be able to turn them off but you totally can! He presents you with such an array of choices and options that this game is going to be so endless in its variation! I really respect what he is doing in that regard alone because it is something that can't possibly take as much time as making level after level but once you add up all the options you are presented with it is completely mind-boggling and SOOOO worth the development time in terms of sheer added replay value.
Posted: Dec 5th 2007 4:00PM (Unverified) said
Game & Watch useless?! Obviously you've never experienced the pure pleasure of shouting "Sausage time!" while raining down deadly and delicious breakfast meat on your foes.
Classic stuff. I really pissed people off with him. I will miss him since he won't be returning.
Classic stuff. I really pissed people off with him. I will miss him since he won't be returning.
Posted: Dec 5th 2007 4:06PM Gun Barrier said
The Dojo also posted a song. Its called X i think.
Posted: Dec 5th 2007 4:11PM hvnlysoldr said
The greatest part is the song is from Totaka's first game. Where in the game will it be in SSBB? And can we play Totaka's Song ad infitum in My Music?
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Posted: Dec 5th 2007 4:17PM (Unverified) said
You might want to turn off Smash Balls at a tournament for the same reason you'd turn off the hammers: it's stupid. I agree the final smashes are awesome looking and will be devastating and exciting, but sometimes you want to just duke it out with no items.
Posted: Dec 5th 2007 4:49PM Fullmetal Salchemist said
And if you're at my house "sometimes" means "every time." We fight it out with skill, not luck-based items.
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Posted: Dec 5th 2007 5:17PM WiNGSPANTT from TopTierTacticsco said
I think the pity smash is a dumb idea and should be a separate item. Since you can fumble the smash ball, i could see them being kept in tourneys (since it's not just an auto win button, and could get turned on you). But if turning SBalls on means turning pity balls on, no dice.
Posted: Dec 5th 2007 5:27PM (Unverified) said
While it is true that the best players dont use items, the Smash ball is no ordinary item. i mean just think about it. It adds a whole new element to gameplay....SUPERS! its abot time too. Can you just picture a 4or5 smash combo follow by a super? It'll be great. and if such things can be done, why wouldn't they allow them in tornys? I think the smah ball is great...just like i thought the ability to charge smashs improved Melee over SB64. Smah balls will improve Brawl over melee.
Posted: Dec 5th 2007 7:30PM quiggy said
How can people not like items in Smash? Whenever I fight friends, the battle to get the more powerful items is always what rules the match. Take that away and the game is fairly stale, just attacks and dodges. Items add more excitement and more reason to beat the crap out of people.
Posted: Dec 5th 2007 8:36PM blahblah55 said
I'm not sure why people are so against Items in Smash Bros... that's like taking away Mushrooms in Super Mario, taking away Hearts in Zelda, taking away bananas in Donkey Kong, taking away cakes in Kirby, taking away Vulneraries in Fire Emblem!!!
... it's part of the friggin' fun. Why the heck would you want Smash to be a serious fighting game???
That's like saying Super Mario should be a serious drama/action adventure that's rated M for Mature...
...which would be more funny than anything else, really.
As for the Pity Smash Ball: Why not? Is it because you're afraid that your sucky friend might actually beat you by luck?
Luck exists in everything, deal with it. If you're unlucky, then live through it, instead of whining like an emo.
... it's part of the friggin' fun. Why the heck would you want Smash to be a serious fighting game???
That's like saying Super Mario should be a serious drama/action adventure that's rated M for Mature...
...which would be more funny than anything else, really.
As for the Pity Smash Ball: Why not? Is it because you're afraid that your sucky friend might actually beat you by luck?
Luck exists in everything, deal with it. If you're unlucky, then live through it, instead of whining like an emo.
Posted: Dec 5th 2007 9:18PM (Unverified) said
"Why the heck would you want Smash to be a serious fighting game???"
like it or not it is a serious fighting game. I mean iteams are fun for alittle while when the game is first out....but then they grow stale and you start to learn how do avoid them and your friends no longer use them so they just get in the way. the pros dont use items and nether do i. But to eatch his own
(by the way i do consider myself to be at pro level)
like it or not it is a serious fighting game. I mean iteams are fun for alittle while when the game is first out....but then they grow stale and you start to learn how do avoid them and your friends no longer use them so they just get in the way. the pros dont use items and nether do i. But to eatch his own
(by the way i do consider myself to be at pro level)
Posted: Dec 6th 2007 1:50AM blahblah55 said
Last time I checked, a fighting game that has less than six special attacks and extremely limited counters and no specified aiming system with very little storyline- was not a serious fighting game.
Super Smash may be fun to take seriously, but it's obvious it wasn't meant to be a pro-level fighting game.
Sure there are heavy pros in the game, but that doesn't make the game a "only best for pro-players"... that's why the items are there in the first place: To give an edge.
Sure, you can dodge them and catch them, but there's always that chance you screwed up. And you "pro-players" hate to admit it when you had a run-in with bad-luck.
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Super Smash may be fun to take seriously, but it's obvious it wasn't meant to be a pro-level fighting game.
Sure there are heavy pros in the game, but that doesn't make the game a "only best for pro-players"... that's why the items are there in the first place: To give an edge.
Sure, you can dodge them and catch them, but there's always that chance you screwed up. And you "pro-players" hate to admit it when you had a run-in with bad-luck.
Posted: Dec 5th 2007 10:12PM (Unverified) said
damn....having your balls stolen by a pikachu would suck.
Posted: Dec 5th 2007 10:45PM Shadow31 said
Okay, to qualm people's whining... we still know so little about the options, don't assume turning smash balls on turns on pity smashes. I wouldn't put it past Sakurai to add the option to pick at which point a person can get a pity smash, let alone if they can.
And why the freak would you turn off final smashes? Smash Bros is about chaos, and what better form of chaos then devastating attacks? Is it cheap? Not really, it will take some skill to learn how to claim, keep, and pull off final smashes with the maximum efficiency. I'm hoping you can adjust the rarity of them... I would love to make them very common and see the chaos ensue!!!
And why the freak would you turn off final smashes? Smash Bros is about chaos, and what better form of chaos then devastating attacks? Is it cheap? Not really, it will take some skill to learn how to claim, keep, and pull off final smashes with the maximum efficiency. I'm hoping you can adjust the rarity of them... I would love to make them very common and see the chaos ensue!!!
Posted: Dec 6th 2007 3:32PM (Unverified) said
@ Shadow and Soshikitai...I didnt mean to sound stuck up...but what i said was ture...I bet i could beat anyone, anywere, who needs to depend on items.
"Last time I checked, a fighting game that has less than six special attacks and extremely limited counters and no specified aiming system with very little storyline- was not a serious fighting game."
bye your standareds streetfighter2 isn't a seriours fighting game, after all most characters only had 2-3 special attacks..as a matter of fact the only games that fit into your description are 3-d fighters. So i wouldn't go that far.
All I'm trying to say is that the Smash ball is the one item that might be accepted in Smash tornys..and that were i make some money so thats what i care about.
"Last time I checked, a fighting game that has less than six special attacks and extremely limited counters and no specified aiming system with very little storyline- was not a serious fighting game."
bye your standareds streetfighter2 isn't a seriours fighting game, after all most characters only had 2-3 special attacks..as a matter of fact the only games that fit into your description are 3-d fighters. So i wouldn't go that far.
All I'm trying to say is that the Smash ball is the one item that might be accepted in Smash tornys..and that were i make some money so thats what i care about.
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