On the Download: Super Smash Bros. Mewtwo Impressions

In recent years, Nintendo has gotten more comfortable with creating and selling downloadable content for their games.  From weekly DLC packs to haggling NPCs to buy new content for a cheaper price, Nintendo has tested multiple approaches to tackling DLC in an effort to determine what model their fan base finds acceptable.  Tests found in games like Fire Emblem Awakening, Pikmin 3 and Rusty's Real Deal Baseball have all led Nintendo to adopting the best practices for their major franchises, in particular, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, and Mario Kart 8.  Since there isn't enough room to cover impressions for both games in this one articles, the Super Smash Bros. DLC will be covered in this article with impressions of the Mario Kart 8 DLC coming next week.

The most anticipated aspect of any Super Smash Bros. is the final roster.  Everybody wildly speculates what iconic Nintendo characters will return for the next entry, what new characters will join the ranks and what third-party characters will interrupt the proceedings.  Out of all the characters people were craving to see in the newest Smash Bros., a large group of vocal fans got behind the return of one psychic Pokemon—Mewtwo.  While Mewtwo did not make it into the initial release of Super Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS, Nintendo heard the fan outcry and you can add him to the popular fighting game on Tuesday, April 28th at the price of four dollars for one version or five dollars for both.

Fortunately, those who registered both versions of Super Smash Bros. on Club Nintendo received Mewtwo for free last Wednesday.  That includes yours truly.  As it has been a long time since I last played Melee, I can't delve into the minute differences between Mewtwo's Melee move set and the updated move set.  The only noticeable difference is Mewtwo's Final Smash, the Psystrike, which sees him mega evolve into Mega Mewtwo Y to blow opponents away with a huge ball of psychic energy.  After playing through multiple matches (on and offline), Classic and All Star modes with Mewtwo, I found this psychic powerhouse to play similar to his Melee iteration.  Due to his floaty movement and weak standard attacks, Mewtwo is meant for seasoned Smash Bros. players that are attuned with charging Smash attacks and playing on the defensive.  In particular, Mewtwo's side and down B moves are only useful for deflecting projectiles or setting opponents up for Mewtwo's smash attacks as they don't have any real offensive use.  Once I got accustomed to Mewtwo's strengths and weaknesses, I found him to be a great new addition to the roster.

For the Super Smash Bros.'s DLC fighters, it comes down to how you personally enjoy the characters available.  Unless you want to get the full roster, it is easy to pick and choose which fighters you want to buy.  At four to five dollars a piece, the DLC offers a great amount of value for the asking price especially when compared the Mii Fighter costume DLC also available.

Launch Station: Mario Kart 8

Not everything has to be saving princesses and stomping giant turtles for the world's most famous plumber.  From time to time, Nintendo's mascot is not afraid to pick up a baseball bat, hit the tennis court, play a few rounds of golf or dance all over the Mushroom Kingdom.  Before Mario did everything and anything under the sun, his first foray outside the confines of the platforming genre came in the form of Super Mario Kart for the SNES.  That little kart racer sparked a global phenomenon that has become a staple of every Nintendo system as a new Mario Kart game only comes once in a system's lifetime, be it a console or a portable.  Such a limited release schedule makes the release of a brand new Mario Kart feel like a huge event.  Mario Kart 8, the latest in this long-running series, is among the most anticipated titles for the Wii U and the wait for this huge game is just about over.

Mario Kart 8 looks to flip Nintendo's kart racing franchise on its head literally.  The newest addition to the Mario Kart formula is anti-gravity sections a la F-Zero.  At specified areas of the track, the wheels on the kart will turn sideways in order to engage anti-gravity mode which allows karts to travel on surfaces parallel or perpendicular to the regular track.  During anti-gravity sections, racers can bump into each other or special bumpers to receive a spin boost.  Careful timing and chaining of these spin boosts can be the difference between victory and defeat in the more difficult races.  These anti-gravity sections can be found on most of Mario Kart 8's tracks including some of the sixteen classic tracks which have received some tweaks to take advantage of the new mechanics.  Apart from the new anti-gravity mechanic, much of Mario Kart 8's improvements come in the form of online multiplayer.  Mario Kart 8's online multiplayer supports up to twelve people at a time, friends and random people across the globe, totally customizable rule sets and voice chat in the lobbies.  On top of those features, players can set up tournaments that can be put on a schedule, download ghost data from friends and expert Mario Kart players including the developers themselves, earn Miiverse stamps by beating developer times and share their online exploits through Mario Kart TV.  In particular, Mario Kart TV allows players to share, edit and view replay data from races.  Players can take some initiative in creating some cool looking clips to share on Miiverse and even upload to Youtube.  Aside from all the additions to the gameplay and online multiplayer, Mario Kart 8 introduces new characters such as the Koopalings and Pink Gold Peach and new items like the racer and item chomping Piranha Plant and the shockwave-inducing Super Horn.

There is no doubt that Mario Kart 8 will be packed to the brim with content for players to indulge in.   The more Nintendo shows this new kart racer, the more this writer cannot wait to gather some friends together to create some brand new Mario Kart memories.  Also I look forward to diving into the online multiplayer in order to see where my Mario Kart skills rank on the world stage.  For those looking to pick up Mario Kart 8, Nintendo is offering a special bonus for registering the game on Club Nintendo before the end of July.  Register Mario Kart 8 and get a digital copy of New Super Bros. U, Pikmin 3, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD or Wii Party U for free.  An excellent bonus that even counts when registering the Mario Kart 8 Wii U bundle on Club Nintendo.  With all these great incentives, it is better time than ever to pick up a Wii U so do not hesitate.  See you on the track.

On the Download: Club Nintendo Rewards

If you buy a lot of Nintendo games, you have probably noticed a little slip of paper that tells you to register your games for exclusive rewards.  This rewards program is called Club Nintendo.  It is a place for Nintendo fans to register their games and fill out surveys in order to collect coins that they can use to order special items such as t-shirts, trading cards, posters and other specialty items.

Last month, Nintendo added a new bunch of rewards that Club Nintendo members could use their coins on. Those rewards were actual games.  Not retail games, but downloadable games for the Nintendo Wii or 3DS.  These new rewards sparked a lot of interest from Club Nintendo fans such as myself.  Personally, I only used my coins on ordering the Game & Watch Collection games for the DS.  Now I have a reason to finish all my outstanding surveys in order to earn enough coins to get a free downloadable game for my Wii or 3DS.  Each month Nintendo selects four games across their downloadable services that Club Nintendo members can use coins to get a code that they can use to download said game for free.  For December, Nintendo put up Super Mario Kart, 3D Classics: Xevious, Fluidity and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again.  For January, Nintendo has just put up The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Kirby's Dream Land, Dr. Mario Express and Dr. Mario Online RX.  These games range from 100 to 150 coins to get and will only be up until January 31st as Nintendo will switch them out four new games.  If you own a 3DS or a Wii, these rewards are great deals that you should not miss.  So hop onto your computer and head to club.nintendo.com and start earning some coins and getting some free games.