New Nintendo Direct -- It's going to be a real SMASH hit!!!

A brand-new Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS oriented Nintendo Direct presentation will be streamed from the official website on Tuesday, April 8th, 2014 at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (3:00 p.m. Pacific Time). It will be available 23:00 UK time.

Nintendo Direct Video Link Featured Here

In addition to this important update, I have posted my personal top twelve desired fighters list for the new Super Smash Bros. IV game.

(Please note: Recovery moves HAVE to be kept in mind when picking characters. B+↑ not only has to fit the character, do some damage, and propel them upwards, but it's best if it is thought of as something from the character's universe.)

1. Viewtiful Joe (Nintendo Gamecube, Viewtiful Joe 1 and 2, Wii, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom) - Henshin A Go-Go Baby!!!
   
2. Krystal (Nintendo Gamecube, Star Fox Adventures, Star Fox Assault, etc.) - My only stipulation is that she keep her staff for combat. Other than that, Nintendo could use the more modern costumes/outfits that she's worn in the Star Fox series and I wouldn't mind.
   
3. Geno (Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Mario RPG)
   
4. Lucina (Nintendo 3DS, Fire Emblem: Awakening) - More strong, independent female fighters are desperately needed in the series and I for one, think Lucina would fit the bill nicely.
   
5. Gaius (Fire Emblem: Awakening) Gaius was a thief in Fire Emblem: Awakening with a sweet tooth like no other. He's got a great personality and I for one, would really like to have him playable as a character. At the very least, he should be an assist trophy.
   
6. Owain (Fire Emblem: Awakening) I really liked this character. When I was reading his speeches about his legendary sword hand, I got really pumped up and I wanted to make sure he joined my team in the game. Unfortunately, that never came to pass as no matter how many times I tried, he'd always die in the end. Still an awesome wielder of the "legendary" blade Mystletainn.
   
7. Magnus (Kid Icarus: Uprising) - He's got a big sword, he's pretty much a mercenary with a mouth (No, not like Deadpool), but I figure this recommendation will most certainly satisfy those Cloud (Final Fantasy) fanboys.
   
8. Amazon Pandora (Kid Icarus: Uprising) -  She's a stunningly gorgeous fighter, and she's got *drumroll* A SWORD!!! 
   
9. Mii Avatar - Would be sort of neat to see yourself in Smash Bros. I'm a bit concerned over some of the Miis created though (a lot of those created have inappropriate faces and you can download quite a few of them online) but if the movesets are customize-able, that would only further my desire for a Mii character option. I could visualize a B+↑ move being somehow related to Pilotwings: Resort in some manner, most likely a jetpack or something.
10. Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles) - Although I've never been given the opportunity to play Xenoblade Chronicles, this blonde haired, blue eyed hero has a pretty killer looking sword. I happen to really like swords. I also like RPGs. BAM! He's made my list.
    
11. Fawful (Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga): He was a brilliantly hilarious villain and I would constantly taunt people saying "I have...FURY!"
    
12. Prince Fluff (Wii, Kirby’s Epic Yarn) - It would be nice to have a yarn looking character in Super Smash Bros. because you get to pummel string. Plus, it might get people more used to the idea of Yarn Yoshi coming out soon.
    

Honorable mentions:

1. Hades (Kid Icarus: Uprising) - He's a fun villain character because of the dialogue in the game. However, due to his standing (being a deity of sorts and his gargantuan size) he does not make my list. Palutena in Super Smash Bros. Brawl was part of Pit's Final Smash, Palutena's Army where he calls to the goddess Palutena for her army of Centurions. She was a large image in the background. If Sakurai intends to keep that attack the same for this new game, it would set precedent for her not to appear AND for Hades to be larger than life. I suppose he could be shrunk to the same height as the other fighters (like how Olimar from Pikmin was heightened to be relatively average to that of the other fighters but even so, it's way beyond what Ridley sized shrinking would be). In hindsight though, Palutena was normal sized in-game when you fought against her with the parasitic Chaos Kin so it's not too difficult to imagine a similar situation...
2. Zoroark and/or Mewtwo (Pokemon) - With Lucario and Pikachu returning, these two fighters would be a nice fit (I'm still dreaming of a Lucario vs. Mewtwo battle). With Zoroark in particular, it's a new pseudo-legendary Pokemon and would have the ability to look like other player characters. That could add an element of surprise. Maybe utilize their movesets perhaps?
3. Groose (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword) - He was a jerk in the beginning, but ends up a pretty solid hero in the end of the game, but as to his moveset I wouldn't have a clue as to what his B+↑ would be, so he makes my honorable mention list.
4. Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic The Hedgehog 3) - He's got SPIKES on his huge knuckles. If he's not a "brawler" I don't know what is. Just don't put in the new version of him in Smash Bros. that makes him look like a buffed out Hulk or Crunch Bandicoot. I would love to glide with him (because his dreadlocks help him do so in previous games) and it would be interesting to see if some sort of digging move could be incorporated into his skill set because he's a treasure hunter.
5. Isaac (Golden Sun) - He was an assist trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and if Little Mac went from that to a playable character, I don't see why Isaac can't make the cut either. Once, again, this is another character from a game & franchise I've never played before, but I would be more than happy to welcome him to the roster.

Kickstarter Finale!!!

Hey folks!!! How're you doing? Check this out, although the Mighty No.9 and Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero Kickstarter funding periods have ended, you can STILL donate and get the rewards for doing so!!! You'll have to have a PayPal account (which is relatively simple and easy to sign up for). Mighty No. 9 has surpassed my expectations and managed to meet ALL of its stretch goals. They raised a combined total of $4,031,550!!! Mighty No.9 is expected to be released sometime around April 2015.

Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero on the other hand needs your help. Although it has managed to meet four of its nine stretch goals, the fifth one is inching towards completion.

If successful, the WayForward team would be able to allow players to go through the main story as one of three additional characters, Rottytops, Bolo, and Skye!!!

As of this blog post, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero has earned $816,529. WayForward needs another $83,471 to meet this goal. So, tell your friends and neighbors that are gamers that they can still contribute!!! The game will be available on multiple platforms (Wii U, PS3, PS4, VITA & VITA TV, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Steam (Windows PC)) and will be available sometime in October of 2014. Spread the word any way that you can!!! You can find the link to their main website (with PayPal options) here.

You Go (Genie) Girl!!!

Hey folks!!! How've you been? Busy? Yep, me too (as evident by me not posting in quite some time...sorry, everyone!!! I'll get into a routine...eventually). So, first things first, hats off to the amazing folks at WayForward. Their team has managed to get their current project, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero fully funded!!! Congratulations!!!

This image has been borrowed from Shantae: Half-Genie Hero's Kickstarter campaign. Check it out!!!

For those of you that don't know, a Kickstarter fund was set up for the pint-sized genie girl's new game in the franchise. You can continue to donate to make their stretch goals here. As of this blog post, they have 10,275 backers and $408,741 pledged of their $400,000 goal with 10 days left.

They have a really cool ninja outfit and another one that resembles that which the protagonist of Mighty Switch Force, Patricia Wagon, wears!!!

This is just one of the many stretch goals that the WayForward team is trying to reach. It's add-ons like these that bring a nice polish to a finished title. How about lending them a hand, hmm?

Shantae's current design looks adorable and although I've never had the pleasure of playing ANY of her previous titles, I DO intend to make a contribution to WayForward's efforts however small. I support WayForward particularly due to the heavy influence of Jake Kaufman's musical compositions. Some of his work is available with a "name your own price" tag on www.bandcamp.com (which I HIGHLY recommend you take a look at and contribute towards).