LogFAQs > #967449718

Otacon - Metal Gear Solid 4

I... THINK this is Otacon's only playable appearance if you count piloting the Mk II and Mk III? Like they didn't add him to MGO or anything. Otacon's pretty the most consistent "soap opera" character in all of Metal Gear, somehow always having a new personal crisis to overcome that his previous character development left him totally unequipped to handle. From making cool weapons for others because he loves mecha to contributing to world safety on his own terms to accepting that he contributes to others' lives emotionally and going out of his way to help them to finally becoming a person who can stand up without someone else's support and instead choose to support others, the dude goes from a fractured idea of a person into someone who's actually whole. And I find that really neat, Otacon's always one of the more memorable vocal performances in the series with his naive enthusiasm always giving way to tremendous vulnerability. Makes him very easy to root for in a Charlie Brown kind of way, and every time the football gets pulled away from him (see: any time he cares about a woman), you know it's coming, but you feel bad every time.

Sora - Kingdom Hearts II

Theres a really careful balance to be had between Soras various appearances. Kingdom Hearts is probably the most freeform of Soras appearances, but thats mostly due to less focused combat that only suggests the intensity of future brawls. Kingdom Hearts III feels really good in its best moments, but theres a lot of automation, especially with the Magic Kingdom Specials thrown directly into the combat, which always feel obtrusive in a way Duck Flare doesnt quite reach. KHII was the gold standard for the decade and change it took for KH3 to come out, and I still think it is. Its still a very unga bunga, hit X until you hit triangle and heal or dodge as you wait for Donalds MP to refill, but its got a really nice flow to it. New forms naturally lead into one another to change up the gameplay through the progression of the game, bosses are filled with gimmicks that require use of various spells or other features that would be otherwise lost in a pure aggro playthrough, and Soras defensive options are opened up neatly as bosses get harder and necessitate their use. Its just really well considered pacing through and through, with a fantastic reward at the end with the data fights to really flex. With that said, I havent played anything of KH3 after its initial release, so if that changes things thats good!

Best Smash Appearance: Ultimate - Yeah the Peter Pan vibes are really strong with this one. You can REALLY tell how much DLC shine Sora got, the way he animates and flips around, heck the way he gets the RHYTHM of Kingdom Hearts combat right with exaggerated hitstun, is insane. Getting the feel of zipping around with reaction commands in just Soras base movement was clearly a priority, and while I dont like playing around with it that much, the attention to detail in pure feel is insane. Hes got a lot of moves that truly feel unique to him, his down air especially having this fantastic sense of gravity that makes it so much more enjoyable to use than other stall and fall moves. This is probably as strong of a solo Sora moveset as one could ask for, with all the bells and whistles attached but it feels really weird for Mr. My Friends Are My Power to not have any friends. I know Donald and Goofy are impossibilities, but their presence is GREATLY missed in Soras kit, and even in spite of them, no reference to Riku or Kairi, even just in signature keyblade attacks from one or the other, feels like something is missing to me. I think Sora is about as good as he could possibly be given the legal limitations that were obviously put on the character. But it aint Kingdom Hearts without friendship in my face, and while I like whats here plenty, theres a lot of what could have been. Plus Im not a fan of the wacky counter. B+

Also as an aside, Sora has the worst Classic Mode. Like, of any Smash game, of any route,, period. That Mr. Game & Watch fight is just miserable.

Captain Falcon - EVERYTHING BUT BRAWL

https://youtu.be/VtfymGyrxkQ

Here is a 30 minute video I made on why Captain Falcon is so good, how everything he does builds to this identity of pushing yourself to the most extreme limit possible. It has Waluigi hitting a Peoples Elbow on Proto Man, Kamen Rider, and Captain Falcon ending terrorism and religion through racing in it, so I think its a good video. Please like and subscribe and ring the bell or whatever, idk, WWE claimed it so I don't get ad revenue from this one anymore. I just love the video.

But the tl;dw version is that Captain Falcon is absolutely pitch-perfect at encapsulating everything that F-Zero is about. Falcon in F-Zero is a very balanced pilot, one able to handle most tracks with an easy enough learning curve that players will both be able to stay competitive in the race and not fall off the track and die too often. However, because of his merely average boost, hes also not a racer that will often pull out in front and dominate the competition, making him a daredevil that constantly ensures close races where hell likely have just enough left in the tank to clench out a win. In Smash Bros, he combines the language of superheroes from both east and west - taking look inspiration from Tim Burtons Batman and Judge Dredd and moveset inspiration from tokusatsu - and mixes it in with the momentum of F-Zero to create a character that embodies all the series is about. Everything from his slow turn speed to insane dash game represents the feel of controlling a car, every move he does a flash or representation of the boost as he bursts forward, and the Falcon Punch being the show-stopping centerpiece that is always impractical, always stupid, but has the ol pro wrestling razzle dazzle on it. Falcon is a character that should be incredibly lame, and some players do tend to play him lame, but he has all of the tools to make you WANT to go for hype. And all this on a character with no gimmicks or frills other than hit you really hard and fast; no disjoints, no projectiles, no stage control. Falcon ensures that he gets a fair fight with everyone on the cast, and when you beat someone with Falcon, there is absolutely no doubt that they were outplayed. Falcon is so inherently good at showing off all of the fun things about Smash Bros gameplay while simultaneously being cool race car man that the series would not be the same without him. Captain Falcon is undoubtedly bigger than F-Zero, and in a sense, Captain Falcon IS Smash Bros. Any of his appearances fall under this category and could be his best (except Brawl, Brawl Falcon is mid at best), but I do love the dynamism he brings to Melee as the best of its high-risk, high-reward powerhouses. Falcon is designed to be a crowd pleaser. And he does it flawlessly no matter what game hes in. S