Awesome / Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U

"Attention all Koopalings, this is a message from your prince! Friends... Let's bring them Hell."

Moment pages are Spoilers Off, so all spoilers were removed. Proceed with caution. Also meta moments are off-limits in moment pages.

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Pre-release

• After years of waiting- a fan requested favorite finally joins the roster... Heading for the Wii U and 3DS release, is none other than: Mega MAN!!! In his original form, packing all kinds of heat.
  • It's one of the best intro videos. In the beginning, he silhouetted to the point that you can't tell who he is at first...till the helmet appears. He then starts beating up the other characters, but takes quite a lot of damage. Then he gets serious. Mario has an "OH CRAP" look as he matrix dodges the Metal Blades and Link gets a similar one before having an mix between, "Holy shit" and "What the hell just happened?"
  • Not to mention the background music being remixes of Mega Man 2's legendary title theme and Wily Castle music.
  • Special mention to the finisher from Mega Man's Heroic Second Wind sequence (set to the aforementioned Wily's Castle theme) where Mega Man slams both of his Arm Cannons into the ground before sending Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, and Kirby flying with Flame Blast.
  • The crowd reaction at E3 when Rock appeared on the screen was unanimous: the masses roared their approval.
  • Just watch his trailer here. It's awesomeness objectified.
  • YouTube "Super Smash Bros. 4 Mega Man reaction" (or like variant). Pick a movie. Unless the audio feed is desynchronized, everyone's reaction is more or less as follows:
    Challenger approaching!
    "Huh."
    (Reaction Shot, silhouette shot)
    "..."
    (helmet)
    (ORGY OF FANDOMNESS)
• Sakurai himself gets one for implementing the Wii Fit Trainer. He specifically wanted an Unexpected Character, and boy did he succeed. Then for the Trainer herself, she oneshots Kirby, Link, and Mario at the same time in her debut trailer.
• Sonic the Hedgehog has been confirmed to be returning. Know what this means? Mario, Sonic, and Mega Man, three of the most well-known platforming icons, are all going to be starring in the same game.
  • His introductory video, while maybe not as WOW-tastic as either MegaMan's or his own for Brawl, does a good job with keeping the suspense in its first moments as the other two did. We see Mario and Mega Man fighting in Battlefield... only to get hit by Sonic's downward A aerial attack. Cue the main theme from Sonic Heroes kicking in as we see Sonic kicking ass, while also revealing that his home stage in the Wii U version of the game is none other than Windy Hill Zone.
• Little Mac's reveal trailer, showing him in an Training Montage with a beautiful art style much like a comic book (It seems someone on the dev team is a big fan of Jojos Bizarre Adventure; the art is very similar to the Jojo anime). And when Samus mocks him for his height, well... Say hello to the Star Punch. It says a lot when you make skip-rope look awesome.
• Rosalina's reveal trailer is just made of all kinds of awesome. First off, the lovingly rendered Rainbow Road appears in the trailer, because why the hell not? The karts are racing, when Kirby suddenly blows right past them on his Warp Star, showing just how much Kirby deserves to be a DLC in Mario Kart 8. But then the trailer pans over to one of the star gates that Mario uses in the Galaxy games and a beam of light powers through it. It cuts Kirby off and sends him crashing to the Rainbow Road, but then a smaller comet breaks off from the big one...and a Luma comes down to make sure they didn't hurt Kirby. The racers finally catch up and stop as the Luma turns and runs back....to Rosalina. Disney, take notes here, Nintendo manages to make sparkly princess eyes look badass. Then, after the trailer goes through the customary clips of the new character, we're treated to Kirby and the Luma dancing together. Because obviously this trailer hadn't been awesome enough already.
• The April 8th, 2014 Smash Bros Direct.
  • First off, you thought one Mega Man was enough? His Final Smash will have five. X, Volnutt, .EXE, and Geo all appear to fire a unified Charge Shot with the original.
  • Villager's Final Smash involves asking Tom Nook to make a house to encase the opponent....and then it explodes!
  • Online play has changed for the better. Remember when you had to play in Final Destination? Every stage has a Final Destination mode, breaking up the monotony of the same stage over and over. Plus there are two modes now: For Fun and For Glory, with For Fun being items-on, no-Final-Destination, wins-only recorded, and For Glory being items-off, only-Final-Destination, wins-and-losses recorded.
  • Assist Trophies. Dark Samus, Midna, Chain Chomp and Elec Man are coming in! Oh and Pong, apparently.
    • Speaking of Assist, remember Starfy, the most puniest of them all from the last game?? Well it appears◊ he's being buffed for this outing of Smash Bros!
  • Items include Bombchus and Firebars!
    • The press kit album reveals even more fan-favourites and returnees, such as Super Leaf, Blue Shell, Beehive from Animal Crossing, Drill Arm...
  • Afraid Zero Suit Samus and Sheik got lost in the shuffle? Nope! They're separate characters! Meaning one form won't overshadow the other!
  • Poké-balls come in two flavor: regular and Master Ball. Master Ball will have all sorts of legendaries from Victini, Kyurem to Arceus itself.
  • And last, returning and newcomer characters. The setting is a desolate desert and it rains Pokéballs, showing the various mons coming in. Then Pikachu is on a cliffside watching, when Charizard appears. Then after a humongous fight with many of the veterans, who appears but Greninja, a Gen VI Pokémon. Oh and Charizard is packing heat with Mega Evolution X.
    • During this reveal, an individual one goes to Mario. While the rest of the smashers fighting Charizard used ranged attacks, Mario decided to show some serious balls and just take the overgrown salamander on mano y mano.
    • Mario and Charizard are a moment away from colliding into a fiery explosion, when a giant water shuriken cuts them off. Cut to Greninja standing epically on a tree branch. Then after some cool ninja posing, he blasts off into the sky. By the way, if it weren't for Greninja, Mario could've been burnt REAL bad, so by breaking the clash, he kinda saved Mario's life.
  • It's a subtle one, but in the first shot of the Smash Run reveal, the first enemies seen are Kremlings. You know, those guys DK hasn't fought in years. Maybe Sakurai has plans for their leader...
    • Bad news: K. Rool's just a downloadable Mii costume. Good news: he actually does make it into the next game.
    • It's even more awesome that Kremlings and Tikis fight alongside each other.
  • Bowser and Yoshi have been shown walking far more upright than they have in earlier games. This is especially good for Bowser, who now has a badass running animation as opposed to... whatever he was doing in Brawl and Melee.
• E3 2014, and we have an anime cutscene of Link and Pit fighting against one another. Just as Link is about to blow Pit away with the Gale Boomerang, a barrier emerges. Palutena descends from the sky. Pit is confused... until Palutena uses her magic to send Pit flying. Then she says...
  Palutena: "Oh, I'm not here to save you, Pit..."
  Palutena Alights!
  Palutena: "I'm here for a little... uh, Divine Intervention."
  • Also, you gotta give points to Link; even after Palutena revealed her place in the battlefield, Link doesn't back down, he openly accepts the goddess' challenge.
  • This is also the first time Link has been animated without being an out-of-character goofball.
  • In her trailer, Palutena uses her Lightweight power to move faster than Sonic, the fastest thing alive. She's not quite that quick in-game, but still.
  • And at the end of her trailer, Dark Pit's little cameo. Especially since he technically CAME from Smash in the first place. That, and foreshadowing he's a playable character alongside Pit and Palutena.
    • With how great the trailer looked, it's no wonder fans want a full-on Super Smash Bros. anime.
  • More E3 goodness with the Mii Fighters. How do you promote them? Well, how about making Iwata and Reggie fight each other?
    • This is either the most awesomely stupid thing ever or the most ridiculously bad-ass thing ever.
    • Reggie's body really was ready...
• Pac-Man has joined the battle! This also means that Mario, Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man will be playable together in the same game.
  • How was Pac-Man "officially" inducted into Smash Bros., that fateful roundtable? By taking Mario, Sonic and Mega Man down at the same time while helmed by Sakurai himself, ending about as gloriously as you might expect.
• Sakurai revealed this particular curveball. Yes, that is a Rayman trophy, revealed entirely casually like it's no big deal. Third Party characters will now be represented as trophies.
• Sakurai threw another curveball with the July 2014 character reveal trailer. Everyone thought that Chrom from Fire Emblem: Awakening was a shoo-in, and he even showed up in the trailer. However, two characters from Awakening were unveiled: Robin and Lucina. Made even more surprising in that Chrom is part of a Final Smash instead of a playable character.
  • You can also play as a female Robin as well.
  • Captain Falcon in the same trailer deserves a mention. It's implied that he single-handedly took down Chrom and was handing Lucina her rear until Robin showed up. Even then, it appears that he was able to fight pretty evenly with him.
    • He got a lot more fanfare than some other returning characters, really. While other veterans were reintroduced with some screenshots, Captain Falcon got an animated trailer in which he beats up one of the newcomers. The SSB team seems well aware of Falcon's status as an internet legend.
    • Even the way he fights Lucina deserves note. He's a hand-to-hand fighter taking on a swordswoman. However, he controls the flow of the fight regardless, throwing off Lucina by nearly hitting her head, and when she tries to stab at him, he casually parries the blade with his hand, knocks her off-balance by kicking her sword hand, and would have finished her off with a Falcon Punch had Robin not interrupted. That build of his certainly is not just for show, his reputation as a Badass Normal bounty hunter in his own series seems a lot more believable with those kinds of martial arts.
  • Even if Chrom isn't playable, his fans can at least look forward to seeing him in Robin's Final Smash!
  Chrom: I suppose I'll get my chance... another day...
  No, you'll get it today.

  Additionally, he makes a cameo at Palutena's Temple in one of Pit's conversations.
  • Robin's introduction deserves mention. He starts by pulling a Big Damn Heroes moment, blasting Captain Falcon out of the way right as he's about to KO Lucina. The screen pans up to show him floating in the air, hooded and smirking, as he snaps his tome shut. He lands on the ground between them, lowers his hood, and pulls out his Levin Sword, crackling with electricity, as he calmly proclaims that he's going to turn things around right now.
• Shulk's accomplishments during his reveal trailer involve blasting an unsuspecting Bowser away with a well-timed Back Slash, and preventing his psychic vision of Link and Marth doing the same to him by fighting them both off singlehandedly!
  • The Stinger.You can feel the awesome radiating as Shulk prepares to fight Metal Face.
  "Fancy meeting you here, Monado Boy!"
• Of all things, the inclusion of Duck Hunt Duo! Now, we finally have the chance to beat the living shit out of that bloody mutt!
  • Meanwhile, if he's Rescued from the Scrappy Heap for you, he manages to be a hilarious Troll character, with no fewer than four references to his signature laugh: his intro, a taunt, a victory animation, and in classic pixelated form from the side lines when he traps you in the gun duel of his Final Smash.
  • The fact that they managed to save one of the oldest and most infamous Scrappies in gaming from the Scrappy heap.
  • His trailer has him being challenged by Nintendo's classics, namely Mario, DK, Bowser, Samus, Link and Pit. You can really feel the tension created.
• Bowser Junior's trailer shows a lot of awesomeness.
  • It's even similar to the Mega Man trailer, where Mega Man unexpectedly attacks a group of fighters in a canyon setting. Unlike them, where Mega Man has to call his extra arsenal upon realizing his regular moves aren't enough, Bowser Junior calls in the Koopalings even while he has the advantage.
    • He also gets credit for pretty much manhandling Mario. Yes, he beats the crap out of the guy who kicks his butt AND his father's on a regular basis. To elaborate: He shoots a cannonball at him and then uses a freaking wrecking ball that Mario almost gets crushed by. When Mario runs in to charge Bowser Jr, his Clown Car reveals two huge spinning drills, which he uses to bust Mario's shields open and send him flying. He then gets run over by the Clown Car and is sent rebounding off the face of the mountain. And to top it all off, he recovers only to look up in horror at the seven Kooplings joining Bowser Jr.
    • It's incredible in itself that all 8 of them are playable. They share the same character slot and play exactly the same, but they have their own personalities in the win screens.
    • Special mention must go to the part when Junior drills Mario's shield. Point A: This is the first time the game's shields are done out of gameplay and it's gorgeous, faithfully shrinking down to the point that it doesn't even cover Mario completely before it breaks. Point B: Even when it didn't cover Mario completely, Junior went out of his way to keep drilling on the shield until Mario gets shield jumped like Jigglypuff.
  • Even Mario gets one in that trailer, as he stands to fight his enemy's son alone. His "This is personal" face is epic.

Post-release

• The "Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 50-Fact Extravaganza" stream that aired on October 23, 2014 actually went up to 54. The last one confirmed that Mewtwo will be back as Downloadable Content for both titles in Spring 2015! It was narrated by the actual in-game announcer, with ham levels better heard than described.
  TIME FOR A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
  • Then in the April 2015 Direct, we finally get Mewtwo's trailer, and it is making up for lost time like a beast, throwing out all its old moves like a powerhouse, set to the awesome Victory Road theme. The opening shot just exudes Mewtwo's sheer power.
  • Mewtwo's official artwork◊ is in the exact same pose as its Melee◊ artwork◊. Sakurai knows how much the older fanbase thinks that he outright hates them, so this was a move on his part to tell them, "I'm doing this for you guys above all else because you've loved my work so much for so long." Doubles as a Heartwarming Moment.
• 5 PLAYER SMASH! ... 6 PLAYER SMASH! ... and while we're at it: 8 PLAYER SMASH!
  • Even more awesome was how Sakurai's "Pic of the Day" was like the day after. Who was shown? All eight fighters from the original Smash Brothers on Battlefield. It's been this far since the first game.
  • The second picture? All of the introduced newcomers (other than Lucina and Bowser Jr, who are an unlockable and 3DS unlockable respectively) on Big Battlefield.
  • Thanks to 8-Player Smash, we are able to have Mario, Link, Pikachu, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Sonic, Ryu, and Cloud not only in the same game, but on-screen at the same time. This is bound to go down as a great achievement in video game history.
• Lucas is back. Repeat, Lucas is back! This is awesome for two reasons. One, Lucas is back, and two this means other DLC characters may come back as well! We may see characters like Wolf come back! No longer the timid, cowardly boy, he pulls a Big Damn Heroes and saves Ness after Ness had been getting thrashed by various fighters, truly bringing his character full circle from Brawl.
• But it all paled in comparison to the E3 announcement (which, admittedly had been leaked over the weekend). While Roy was a first-partier and a veteran of past Smash Bros. games, the mood of Nintendo's announcement can be summarized in six words: HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!!! RYU. Furthermore, at the very end, Sakurai casually announced that not only Lucas and the day's promised content, but Roy, Ryu, several brand-new costumes, a returning stage (Dream Land from the first game) and two new stages (Miiverse for the Wii U version and Suzaku Castle, the latter adding over a dozen new songs to the game) would all be available immediately.
• Was there a third-party character you wanted in the game, but wasn't included? Fret not, for they may be available as a DLC costume for Mii Fighters. As such, it's possible to include other characters that didn't make the cut for the regular roster, such as Proto Man, X, Zero, MegaMan.EXE, Akira Yuki, Jacky Bryant, and Heihachi Mishima. This also goes for first-party characters such as Dunban and Isabelle.
  • And as of July 31st, that list got bigger, including costumes of King K. Rool, Chrom, the Black Knight, the Flying Man, and even Lloyd Irving!
  • September 30th gives us costumes based on Toad, Viridi, and Monster Hunter. What's more, you get business suits to make Mii Fighters of company staff such as Shigeru Miyamoto, Reggie Fils-Aimé, and even Masahiro Sakurai himself!
  • December 16th brings us...a Chocobo hat with no costume asides, but it also gives us a Geno costume! After all these years of people joking about Geno being owned by Square Enix, it's finally being noticed. And all it took was Cloud getting in the game.
  • Finally, February 2016 is giving us costumes based on Ashley, Tails, Knuckles, Takamaru, and even Gil!
• On the November 12, 2015 Nintendo Direct, the first one after Iwata's death, Nintendo knew it was time to drop yet another major bombshell.
  • CLOUD STORMS INTO BATTLE!
    • Cloud had appeared as a guest character in a few Nintendo games, Final Fantasy VII was never released on a Nintendo console at that time. Despite that, and being known now as a huge emo, his trailer was filled with moments that come straight from the game. From the opening song used at the start instead of the standard opener for SSB character trailers, the battle transition perfectly mimicking the original, both the original and Advent Children costumes (with matching swords), pulling Omnislash from the film, and that little nod to Cloud's seasickness when he's dizzy on the King of Red Lions. It felt like as much of a love letter as all of the other trailers have been, and for a game that has never appeared on a Nintendo system. That is awesome, and that is love for the art.
• At the beginning of the final Smash Direct, Corrin, the protagonist of of Fire Emblem Fates was announced as the sixth DLC character. Despite a Vocal Minority groaning at having another FE character in the roster, the sheer audacity of his reveal trailer turned most of the viewer's opinions around. It also helps that his moveset is vastly unlike any of the previous Fire Emblem characters', revolving around Corrin's Manakete powers, giving one last breath of fresh air from the series after Robin. And speaking of Robin, like him/her, Corrin also comes in both male and female flavors.
• The nature of the Smash Ballot was finally revealed, being a There Can Be Only One deal. So who was the big winner? Three words: BAYONETTA GETS WICKED! According to the game's final announcement video, Bayonetta was one of the top five most requested characters in America and the number one choice in Europe, therefore making her the most requested (and negotiable) character in the entire ballot. Congratulations, PlatinumGames!
  • Eiji Funahashi at Platinum Games, clearly very excited by Bayonetta's inclusion for Smash Bros, creates this newcomer illustration, the final one revealed for Smash 4, and rightfully so. It includes a third of the game's enormous roster in loving detail with tons of clever little touches all over the place.
  • Bayonetta's inclusion is just further proof that Nintendo's brawler series is a love letter to video games—they could have come up with any number of excuses not to include her, legitimate excuses, and not have to deal with the trouble of her being walking, talking innuendo being ported to a game that is decidedly more kid-friendly. And yes, while they definitely tone her down from her home series, not only do they bring her into the game, her trailer is as much a love letter as any other so far. This may be the crowning moment for Smash 4—nobody but nobody believed it would actually happen. Even the people voting for her and hoping for her didn't think it was possible to make her work within Smash Bros, but Nintendo rose to the challenge.
  • Something else to think about. When the Fighter Ballot was announced, many developers started rallying their fans to vote for their characters to be voted in. Hideki Kamiya on the other hand, had been getting so many requests to get Bayonetta in Smash ever since the game's announcement that he had to block and reprimand millions of people. Despite this, Bayonetta still won convincingly. Now that is a dedicated fanbase.
• So the ballot ended on October 6th, 2015 ^note  It was supposed to be the 3rd, but for some reason, it was extended to the 6th., and Bayonetta was announced as the winner of the ballot on December 15th, 2015. In other words, Sakurai somehow managed to get a character to be at least presentable^note Given that he had to release Bayonetta and Corrin about 2 months after on February 3rd, 2016. in just about 2 months time. Now that is very impressive. Especially considering his tendinitis in his arm.

Gameplay and Mechanics

• With new fighters comes new Final Smashes! And a few veterans get new Final Smashes as well!
  • Ultra Sword: Kirby uses the titular Super Ability to cleave his opponents, before his sword grows bigger for one final blow.
  • Poltergust 5000: Luigi dons his handy vacuum and sucks any fighters (and items) within his vicinity before shooting them into the sky. It can also shoot out certain items as well.
  • Doctor Finale: Dr. Mario launches two streams of large Megavitamins that knock his opponents backwards, similar to the Mario Finale.
  • Psystrike: Mewtwo Mega Evolves into Mega Mewtwo Y and throws a sphere of dark energy. If opponents are caught, they are frozen in place before being struck by a psychic attack.
  • Critical Hit: Roy spins the Binding Blade before sweeping it downwards. Aside from that, this version of the Final Smash functions similarly to Marth and Lucina's, but with an added fire effect.
  • Three Sacred Treasures: Pit equips the Mirror Shield, Arrow of Light, and Wings of Pegasus before launching a barrage of attacks that cover the entire playing field.
  • Gunship: Zero Suit Samus goes into her gunship and fires a laser that can trail her opponents.
  • Mega Charizard X: Charizard Mega Evolves and proceeds to launch fireballs and ram into opponents at high speeds.
  • Dedede Burst: King Dedede inhales his opponents near him and proceeds to pummel them with a trio of hammer strikes before hurling a giant bomb at them.
  • Mega Lucario: Lucario Mega Evolves, increasing all of his stats, in a way similar to Wario-Man. "MAX AURA!"
  • Super Diffusion Beam: R.O.B. transforms into a laser cannon and shoots a deadly beam that can trap his opponents. Said beam then splits into four angled ones. R.O.B. then fires one final burst that launches his victims.
  • Dream Home: Villager hires the Nooks to build a house that traps their foes. The house then proceeds to explode (not before we get to hear the Debt Paid jingle!) with the opponents inside!
  • Mega Legends: Mega Man launches a Black Hole Bomb at his opponents. Should one get caught, Mega Man summons Mega Man X, Mega Man Volnutt, MegaMan.EXE, and Geo Stelar to launch a combination laser attack. Ultimate adds Proto Man and Bass to the Final Smash.
  • Wii Fit: Wii Fit Trainer forms a yoga pose and launches a bevy of yoga silhouettes to attack opponents.
  • Power Star: Rosalina summons a giant Power Star that launches several smaller stars before exploding.
  • Giga Mac: Little Mac transforms into his more monstrous state from the multiplayer mode of the Wii's Punch-Out!! and gains improved attack power.
  • Secret Ninja Attack: Greninja uses Mat Block on his foes before doing a series of slashes in front of the full moon before spiking his opponents.
  • Omega Blitz: Mii Brawler uppercuts his opponents before punching and kicking them repeatedly in-air, culminating in a trio of spin-kicks.
  • Final Edge: Mii Swordsfighter launches a wave of shock waves in the direction they desire.
  • Full Blast: Mii Gunner launches a giant beam that can be controlled up or down, pushing back opponents caught in it.
  • Black Hole Laser: Palutena draws opponents into a Black Hole, before firing a Mega Laser to those in it.
  • Dark Pit Staff: Dark Pit launches a wave of energy from his staff with hit opponents being seen in Bullet Time, similar to the Light Arrow.
  • Super Pac-Man: Pac-Man eats a Power Pellet and Super Pellet, then transforms into a large version of his 2D sprite. Pac-Man can then move around the screen horizontally, vertically, left or right and chomp at his opponents. As an added bonus, those knocked back can be seen with the ghost eyes that appear whenever Pac-Man eats a ghost in his own game!
  • Pair Up: Robin calls forth Chrom, and any opponent he hits will be caught in a wave of attacks by the two before they simultaneously spike their opponent.
  • Chain Attack: Shulk calls Dunban and Riki, and attack their opponent before Shulk performs one last blow. Fiora would join in on the fun in Ultimate.
  • Shadow Mario Paint: Bowser Jr. transforms into Shadow Mario and paints a big "X" that covers the screen. Opponents take damage by touching the "X". Eventually, the "X" detonates. This is the only Final Smash that enemies are unable to avoid damage from, as the "X" covers the screen right away.
  • NES Zapper Posse: Duck Hunt calls in a flock of ducks that spirit their opponents away to a showdown between the cowboys of Wild Gunman and gangsters of Hogan's Alley... with them caught in the crossfire! All while the Duck Hunt Dog laughs at their misfortune.
  • Shinku Hadoken & Shin Shoryuken: Ryu's Final Smash is unique in that it has two different forms. If any opponents are far away from him, Ryu launches a huge Hadoken at them. However, if an opponent is within his range, Ryu unleashes a three hit combo ending with a lethal Shoryuken. If there's an orange backdrop behind Ryu, that means the moved KO'd his opponents—just like in his own series!
  • Omnislash: Cloud attacks with his Buster Sword, catching his opponents within. He then does a series of rapid slashes before slamming his opponent into the ground so intensely that it causes an explosion!
  • Torrential Roar: Corrin transforms into his/her dragon form, transporting his/her opponents into a mountainous area, then launching a huge whirlpool at them that sends them flying!
  • Infernal Climax: Bayonetta enters Witch Time, giving her a limited amount of time to rack up damage to her opponents to fill the Climax Gauge. If enough damage is done and the opponent gets hit with a knockback attack, Bayo summons Gomorrah, who devours her opponents! And if any victim has 100+% damage, it's an instant KO!
• The old red biplane from Pilotwings and the new seaplane from Wii Sports Resort in flight together is pretty epic. It represents two generations of Nintendo in one place!
• Master Hand's introduction when he's fought solo. Giving Someone the Pointer Finger never looked so badass.
• What better way to kick off the fight against Master Hand and Crazy Hand than with a brofist◊?
• For the longest time, Smash fans have wondered an ongoing mystery of the series: just what is the "body" of Master Hand and Crazy Hand? Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS delivers in a truly fantastic and menacing final boss, and it does not disappoint.
  • The introduction of the boss itself. Crazy Hand explodes, and Master Hand is ripped apart from within to create a giant shadow monster. Master Core has three to five separate forms, depending on difficulty, making for a very challenging boss. These five forms include a creature that throws the stage around, a giant scorpion, five black swords, a doppelganger of the player and a Womb Level.
• After years and years of musical cameos, Ninten and his game finally get some proper representation as an installment in the MOTHER series with a stage based off of Maria's Magicant and a cameo in the background.
• Take a look at the Intensity scale before beginning Classic Mode for the 3DS version. The top screen features Mario (regardless of the character you chose) going up against a spectral creature that changes its shape depending on the level of intensity (from a scale of 0.0 to 9.0). The higher the intensity, the more monstrous, fierce, and larger it becomes. This is where Mario's reaction to the creature comes in.
  • At an Intensity of 0.0 to 5.9, it goes from Mario not being too concern about the creature to taking a battle stance, as he becomes more wary of it. He is visibly frightened from 5.9 to 6.8, but despite still being scared at 6.9, he stands strong. From 7.0 onward, he becomes more and more determined to take on the challenge, as 9.0 shows him leaping at this hideous monstrosity, knowing now that it's all or nothing.
  • The background from 0.0 to 7.9 goes from a tiny fort, to a large fortress, to a series of increasingly larger fortresses. For 8.0 and beyond, it ditches those for an otherworldly mess of floating squares with a tiny ledge for Mario to stand on, and by 9.0, the ledge is gone. Meanwhile, the treasures become increasingly vast, becoming an ever-flowing river of gold at 9.0.
  • For every .5 change in difficulty, a little chime plays which increases in pitch the higher you go... until 8.0, where every .1 change results in a loud foreboding "DUN!" sound.
• The backgrounds of the Intensity scale from the Wii U version's classic mode is no slouch either. Starting from 0.0, as the Intensity increases, the player is lowered into an underground pit, with coins piling up in the background as the monster grows in size and determination. Starting at 4.0, flames begin to swell from the background. By 9.0, the monster has become an Eldritch Abomination, flames and dark energy abounding as coins and treasure flow like water.
• Master Core gains a Wii U-exclusive form: Master Fortress. It's an ENTIRE adventure stage as a BOSS!
  • To explain this a little better, Master Fortress is a Wii U-only form that appears on 8.0 difficulty and higher. It appears once you beat Master Shadow, and contains versions of various Smash Run enemies created out of the Swarm. The goal is to destroy the 4 'hearts' within the Fortress, which isn't easy because there's acidic Danger Zones all over the place. The new, creepy music playing during the first half of the battle doesn't help. However, after the second heart is destroyed, the player is thrown outside of the Fortress. The music changes to a triumphant version of the main theme and the player can see that huge chunks of Master Fortress are now missing. You can hear Master Fortress's heartbeat throughout the fight, and it speeds up with every heart you destroy. That's right, the Eldritch Abomination controlling Master Hand, and possibly the entire Smash universe, is afraid of you!
• The intro for the Wii U version is pretty awesome. It may be panned for simply using gameplay footage combined with the newcomer trailers, but it's still awesome to see all of the iconic video game mascots together accompanied by the epic Smash Bros. 4 theme (the Battlefield mix). The first part of the intro music is taken from the beginning SSB4 announcement trailer, watching both in comparison really shows how far the game has come since its announcement. Towards the end of the intro, the three third-party characters are shown, letting people know that this Smash Bros. experience combines Mario with three other of video game history's most famous mascots.
• Some of the titles on the Boxing Ring stage are just plain cool. Special mention goes to:
  • Master of Two Dimensions (Mr. Game & Watch)
  • The Last of His Kind/Robotic Obliteration Buddy (R.O.B.)
  • The Yellow Bane of Ghosts (Pac-Man)
  • Bowser's known as "King of the Koopas," in both the USA and European version. What is he known as in the Japanese version? "Great Demon King of the Turtle Tribe"!
  • Really, a lot of the Japanese names are bizarre and somewhat beautiful. For example, Yoshi is known as "Glutton of Yo'ster Isle", Bowser Jr. is known as "The Versatile Chariot", Kirby is known as "Pink Demon", Villager is known as "Preacher of the Slow Life", Shulk is known as "Power Hidden Within Gentleness", and Sheik is known as "Whirlwind that Dances in the Darkness."
• Really, just the fact that the level 9 CPUs have improved as much as they have over the years. They've gotten good enough to defeat competitive smash players. That's Jtails, a competitive smash player who defeated Mew2King, losing to a level 9 CPU.

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