SOUND BYTES: Super Mario 3D World Soundtrack

Quick task for you: think of your favourite moment from a film. Maybe it's an epic chase, a first kiss, or a climactic stand-off. Now imagine it without any music in the background. No soundtrack, just two blokes fighting, or a couple playing tonsil tennis.

Not so grand is it? Well, you didn't need my lame and frankly smart-arsed metaphor to know how rubbish any kind of visual media can be without background music. I feel the same, and I believe that soundtracks to video games can be a vital component: get the music wrong and you lose a lot of what makes a game really engaging.

So with that in mind, let me introduce Sound Bytes, a new feature where I review a game's soundtrack, with a focus on my favourite pieces. I only own a few game soundtracks at the moment, so I’m going to start with our newest arrival: Super Mario 3D World!

After months of saving up his Club Nintendo points, my husband finally earned enough points to redeem for this soundtrack CD - coincidentally, the game that earned him the final points push was in fact Super Mario 3D World, which I bought at a Game Stores event.

3D World, a somewhat spiritual sequel to 3D Land on the DS, plants Mario and his extended blended family in the middle of Bowser’s latest scheme: acquire some fairies. Quite what he’s going to do with them we are not sure. Maybe he’s planning to make them into a collection of bijou toilet brushes for the many bathrooms in his castle. Anyway, Mario and Co decide that this is quite rightly unacceptable behaviour, and give chase.

Since Mario has such a whopping legacy, it’s going to be fun listening through the soundtrack to see where I recognise bits and pieces from, and I may even find a few reworked originals.

The soundtrack comes as a double CD with 77 tracks, so in order not to kill you with boredom, I’ve picked a couple of my favourites. Here-a we go!

DISC ONE: TRACK 04 - UNDERGROUND THEME

The Underground Theme in any Mario game is usually the first thing I like to take a close listen to. Because it’s such a simple and iconic melody, it recurs in nearly every Mario game with a slight twist. Overground level themes in Mario tend to be laid-back, peppy and poppy, especially in the first world where everything is new and exciting. Under the ground, and truly in Bowser’s domain, Mario is never sure what to expect...

This arrangement is slightly more urgent and exploratory - if we imagine the theme of the track represents creeping around an unfamiliar area late at night, treading carefully, the familiar ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum bass line now has a little synthesized call-and-response after it, almost as if something in the darkness is chattering back at you as you move through the level. It’s more eerie and less percussive and bouncy than previous versions, giving it a slightly more ‘dangerous’ feel.

TRACK 25 - FORT FIRE BROS.

This has got to be my favourite track on this album. It’s so urgent and exciting! The melody is almost similar to the Desert themes, which always use ‘exotic’ instruments like the flute, but with the dramatic violins and the bouncy beat, it’s also got a rushing, high-stress factor to it, which is appropriate for a level featuring plenty of heat and lava.

TRACK 26 - BOWSER’S HIGHWAY SHOWDOWN

Woah, Bowser has a muscle car! I’d love to see his licence photo; I bet it’s embarrassing.

"Ugh. At least I'm not Dennis Hopper."

If anyone in the Mario series was going to have a kick-ass electric guitar on his track, it would have to be Bowser. He’s Nintendo’s rock-and-roll bad boy. His theme for this game, which is a collection of minor key notes with a slight ‘circus’ flavour, features heavily here, and you’ll get used to hearing it crop up. You could imagine Bowser listening to this as he screeches down the Mushroom Kingdom highway, shades on, possibly with a reluctant Peach tied up in the front seat. Woah, that took a dark turn.

Boss music always has to be high-octane, since boss battles aren’t your average level. The pressure’s on: the clock is ticking, and Mario has to take out Bowser’s pimped ride with its own bomb projectiles while avoiding common obstacles and Bowser’s gross fire breath, so the frantic drum beats and the crunching, pounding rock guitar urges you on.

TRACK 28 - DOUBLE CHERRY PASS

One of the newest power-ups in the game is the Double Cherry. Don’t get confused, this isn’t Pac-man. Eating (I presume that’s what he does with power-ups) a Double Cherry will create you a duplicate that runs alongside your player character, jumping when you jump and so forth, and helping you to access hidden platforms and negotiate tight squeezes. Now, of the new power-ups, I found this to be the most rushed, afterthought-y one: the Cat Bell is superb. Two Marios (or is it Maria?) is confusing and awkward.

Then I heard this music, and it almost redeemed the whole concept. This has got to be the catchiest ditty on the album, and I often find myself humming it absent-mindedly. Since it crops up in a fun, easy-going Overworld level, it’s catchy and melodic and quite light-hearted; there’s no peril here, just cheery cherry fun time.

On a technical term, there’s a lot of repetition and ‘couplets’ in the melody - listen to it and see where the notes repeat themselves in patterns of twos, just like Mario and his clone.

DISC TWO: TRACK 09 - HANDS-ON HALL

Like Mario’s jumpsuit adapts to match his environment, Mario music is always well-tailored to fit the levels. Hands-on Hall is modelled on a Japanese dojo where martial artists study, and the use of authentic Japanese instruments such as the shakuhachi (the flute you can hear) and the shamisen (a type of long-necked guitar famously played by Geisha) gives authenticity to the piece, and teamed with a punchy horn section they make this level’s music exciting and upbeat.

TRACK 25 - PLESSIE

Plessie is a new character: a Plesiosaur with an incredibly hard-wearing belly who is more than happy to let Mario hitch a ride with him (or her? I mean, it wears a cute little Ascot, but so did Freddie from Scooby-Doo...)

Man, woman, or Plesiosaur? Experts still cannot tell.

Have you ever heard the sound effect played in a show or film when a chubby character raps on their big belly? It’s usually a bongo or bass drum, which sounds deep, big and bouncy. Since Plessie is a big, lumbering beastie with a big round gut, the simple bongo outline to this tune suits him/her/it, while the flutes sound playful and optimistic. This is a good example of a character’s theme really sounding like them - you can picture Plessie wandering through the jungle, maybe on a lunch date with Yoshi.

TRACK 22 - WORLD EIGHT

Ha ha ha! Suck it up, Plumber! You’re in Bowser’s world now!

Bowser appears to have built himself a huge, blazing, tacky theme park in his own honour. And what would you expect to hear playing in the background but a big, tacky, flashy version of his theme from the game.

This is larger-than-life theme park music to suit Bowser’s image - similar to the Underground Theme, there’s a hum-worthy, repetitive motif, and the funky bass line evokes a disco theme that suits the environment. I bet Mario hates this kind of music.

I hear he prefers crunk.

TRACK 33 - RAINBOW RUN

This is a good example of a fun arrangement - it’s the original and arguably the most recognisable theme of the series! While the music from the rest of the game uses a ‘big band’ feel with many different live instruments, this track features a lot more synthesised beats and bleeps to evoke an ‘old-school’ sound.

TRACK 39 - SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD THEME

Saxophones have been prominent in this soundtrack, and the theme of the game features one playing the catchy melody that appears throughout the game. This is a triumphant, catchy theme that’s a little similar to the theme of a previous Mario series: Super Mario 64, which was remixed recently to appear in a Super Mario Galaxy 2 level.

This bouncy theme fits in with the ‘playful’, light and bright theme of the whole game. Everywhere there are bright colours, from the rainbow of Sprixies (yes, that’s what they’re called) to the searing lights of Bowser’s ego trip theme park. It hasn’t got the epic, grandiose feel of Super Mario Galaxy, and it’s more pop-rock focused than previous Mario games.

I really enjoyed the variety of this soundtrack, especially the tracks listed above, without which I feel the music might have lacked originality - the re-arrangement of Bowser’s theme and new tracks such as Hands-On Hall and Fort Fire Bros kept the soundtrack new and exciting. The great thing about the variety of Mario music is that old favourites are always being re-arranged, but sometimes it’s nice to hear something brand spanking new. It’s not quite as good as I felt the soundtrack to Super Mario Galaxy was: and I’ll be reviewing that soon, so I’ll wait until then to explain why.

So there we have it - to quickly summarise, a fun, bouncy collection of tracks from an equally fun game. Now let’s get mee-owt of here!

...I’ll get my coat.

SMASH BROS: Who's The Next Brawler?

With the addition of each chapter in the Super Smash Bros saga, there’s the tingle of excitement fans feel as the character roster is announced.

It’s like an Advent calendar of AWESOME.

And as with any massive cross-franchise ensemble, there is always speculation as to who the newest addition could be. So without further ado, I'll be adding my own guesses.

(Embarrassing editorial side-note: I drafted this article months ago, lost it, then found it hidden in my Blogger drafts. I wanted to keep it as unchanged as possible, so I've just added updates where necessary.)

So happy, despite his struggle with pill-related jaundice.

PACMAN

From PACMAN series, developed by Namco/Midway

Why it Could Happen

Pacman is one of the most popular icons of retro gaming, and older than most of the current Smash Bros. roster! As far as third-party characters go, he’d be a fairly sensible addition: although his recent games haven’t been particularly popular, he’d be recognised by older and younger gamers alike. Also, he might bring along his ghostly foes for a laugh.

Why it Should Happen

Recent Pacman games haven’t been much cop, and maybe introducing him into the Smash Bros franchise would boost his popularity - it's worked before (cough cough Kid Icarus). It’d be fun to see him up alongside other veterans such as Mario and Sonic, and maybe it’ll pique the interest of younger gamers.

Why it Won’t Happen

Despite having mysteriously grown arms and legs in recent incarnations, Pacman doesn’t really have the range to keep up with other characters – he basically chases/is chased by ghosts and eats pellets, and that’s kind of the end to his abilities. He has no weapon and no special power besides eating things, and we already have variants of that in Yoshi and Kirby.

UPDATE: HE'S IN! Pacman joins the brawl, bringing with him his spectral pals and his favourite fruit and pellet snacks. His moves involve munching a line of dots, whipping out a fire hydrant, and chucking his lunch around like an angry toddler. This moveset reminds me a little of Mr Game and Watch, who brought out a lot of his own props to use as attacks. Whether you like that kind of attack will be up to you. Me, I'm excited!!

If I had free-floating limbs, I would...not get a great deal done.

RAYMAN

From RAYMAN series, developed by UBISOFT

Why it Could Happen

A long long time ago in a country far, far away (alright, France), Rayman was sitting idle in his own franchise, which had been over-run by ridiculous, screaming rabbits. And then Ubisoft remembered he existed, and Rayman Origins happened, and it was awesome. Now that Rayman is no longer sidelined in his own games, he would be an excellent addition!

Why it Should Happen

Rayman has a huge fan base, and is a unique character full of fun and attitude. With his unattached limbs he could have a variety of close- and long-range attacks, and he could use his hair to glide back to the stage after being knocked. He can also launch Lums from his gloves in some games, which could be used as a projectile attack. Maybe his Final Smash would release Teensies or Murfy onto the stage, creating havoc!

Why it Won’t Happen

Rayman would certainly be an exciting and plausible choice, but I’m personally not sure how happy Ubisoft would be about his inclusion. After finally getting the franchise back on track, one wonders if they would be happy handing him over to Nintendo. Also, with his lack of weaponry, he could end up being a little too similar to some other fighters.

UPDATE! He was announced as a collectible Trophy, and at this stage, nothing more has been said about a possible inclusion.

All girls love a bad guy.

WRECK-IT RALPH

From the movie Wreck-it Ralph

Also appeared in Sonic and All-Stars Racing: Transformed

Why it Could Happen

Wreck-it Ralph was Disney’s love-letter to gaming, set in a video arcade where characters could flit back and forth between games (with consequences) and as a result of his popularity Ralph was included as a racer in the recent instalment of Sonic and All-Stars Racing, making him already a crossover character. He seemed pretty tight with Bowser in his film, so maybe he could ask him to join Smash Bros for old time's sake?

Why it Should Happen

Ralph is a lovable Bad Guy (but he’s not a bad guy) with huge fists that can do considerable damage, and the ability to wreck things just by touching them. Wreck-it Ralph 2 is being written as I type this, with Mario confirmed to make an appearance, and Ralph’s inclusion in Smash Bros could be used as a teaser to whet fans’ appetites. He would be a heavy, slow bruiser of a character, similar to Bowser and Ganondorf, and could maybe whip out a cart to mow down opponents similar to Wario’s motorcycle.

Why it Won’t Happen

As cool as the idea is, I’m pretty sure it’d be a bit of a headache to get clearance from Disney, not to mention the expense of finding a voice actor or re-hiring John C. Reilly, particularly if they’re midway through working on a sequel. And like Pacman, Ralph might become a one-note character, simply because I can’t think what else he’d do besides smash things. Although that’s the objective of a beat-em-up game, he needs a fun and unique twist, and given the plot of the film (which I don’t want to spoil here) it made arguably more sense to put him into Sonic and All-Stars Racing than in Smash Bros.

"Does my sword look big in this?"

CLOUD STRIFE

From FINAL FANTASY VII, developed and published by SquareSoft

Why it Could Happen

SquareSoft's (formerly Square Enix) Final Fantasy series is still going strong, and the seventh instalment became the most popular, enough to warrant a film set after the events of the game. Cloud, the hero (if you like), is one of the most recognisable characters from the franchise, and would realistically be the obvious choice if a Final Fantasy character was to be considered for Smash Bros.

Why it Should Happen

…I don’t think it should. Please don’t kill me. I know some of you know where I live.

It shouldn’t happen because it would be too much. The style of Final Fantasy is too different to most of the other games included in the roster, and I think his inclusion would overshadow the rest of the characters. And how would you ‘tone down’ the strength of his attacks in order to get him to fit in with the other characters? Admittedly, the inclusion of Fire Emblem characters Marth, Roy and Ike negates at least part of my argument, but I don’t see him fitting in as well as they did. Fans of Final Fantasy might be unimpressed by a reduced moveset, or by the fact that he has to share the spotlight this time.

Why it Won’t Happen

For reasons stated above (and I’m too busy currently nailing 2x4s across my windows and doors to repeat myself).

Pictured: The Riddler's upper-class cousin.

PROFESSOR LAYTON

From the PROFESSOR LAYTON series, developed by Level-5, published by Nintendo

Why it Could Happen

The Good Professor’s games have become one of the most popular DS series, with a movie, spin-off games and a crossover with Ace Attorney following the games. The games were published by Nintendo, so inclusion could be likely.

Why it Should Happen

Layton would be an…interesting addition to the games, at least. He’s not exactly afraid of combat, and is shown to be accomplished at fencing. Maybe rather than getting physical, he could use some kind of puzzle as his mode of attack, which would be quite an interesting angle.

Why it Won’t Happen

I think my proposed idea of puzzle-fighting would give any design team a massive headache (even one as great as the Smash Bros’ team). The whole concept of fighting negates the entire point of Professor Layton, and I really don’t see him engaging in fisticuffs. It’s just not befitting a gentleman of his stature.

That's the smug grin of someone who never got locked out of his flat after a 3am bender.

SORA

From KINGDOM HEARTS series, developed by Square Enix

Why it Could Happen

A collaboration between Disney and Square Enix, Kingdom Hearts has turned thousands of players old and young on to RPGs, much like its ‘big brother’ Final Fantasy. To me at least, Sora seems a bit more youngun-friendly (maybe because he hangs around Donald Duck and Goofy a lot of the time).

Why it Should Happen

Sora has the USP that a lot of other characters on this list are missing. He has a unique weapon (the Keyblade), as well as being a magic user, and although he would likely use mostly melee attacks like Link or Ike, he might be able to cast spells like Zelda. He could also be quite a high jumper, maybe even with the Glide feature that he learns late in his own game as a recovery move. He could possibly swap between a few Keyblades, and he would definitely have a cool Final Smash.

Why it Won’t Happen

Again, it’s the Disney issue – and what’s more, if Kingdom Hearts 3 does well, there’s a chance Sora might be tipped for the ever-popular Disney Infinity. Possibly. Even if he was added to Smash Bros as a standalone character, there would have to be absolutely no mention of any other aspect of the games, which wouldn’t really get people interested in where he came from.

Jack Sparrow who?

VYSE DYNE

From SKIES OF ARCADIA, developed by Overworks, published by Sega

Why it Could Happen

Skies of Arcadia is a little-known but much loved dungeon-tastic RPG which was released on the Dreamcast in 2000 and re-released with more content a few years later on the Gamecube. Vyse, the main character, pilots an airborne pirate ship, wields twin cutlasses and uses elemental magic. Thanks to his game’s cult status, he’s popped up in Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed, enjoyed a cameo in Valkyria Chronicles, and the games got a nod in Phantasy Star Online 2.

Why it Should Happen

Along with the cameos, and copies of the game highly sought after, Vyse’s popularity is clearly soaring, so why shouldn’t he be included in Smash Bros? Fans have been clamouring for more Vyse and the gang for years. And he is a pretty cool character – a lot of fun could be had with his twin cutlasses, as he uses one for defence and one for attack, and there might be a chance to integrate magic. The Skies of Arcadia stage in Sonic and All-Stars was a big hit, so I’d imagine a similar one in Smash Bros would go down a treat.

Why it Won’t Happen

Looking at the rest of this list, Vyse is possibly the most likely candidate: like Captain Olimar from Pikmin, his game was a popular Gamecube title and he’s due a comeback. It’s difficult to say if he’d fit in with the other characters, and he might fall into the trap along with fellow RPG characters Sora and Cloud.

Wow, those are some nice buns - I mean guns. Nice weaponry. Buttocks. Sorry.

BAYONETTA

From the BAYONETTA games, developed by Platinum Games, published by Sega

Why it Could Happen

Guys, this list is a sausage fest. And so is Smash Bros – kind of, if you count the Pokemon as genderless (which I don't). Bayonetta would add a bit more feisty femme power to the series, and she’s got a unique look. Plus, like Samus, she’s not another Princess, but an ass-kicking action girl.

Why it Should Happen

Bayonetta’s so different to the other female fighters in this game, choosing several guns as well as an acrobatic fighting style. She would be a popular choice with both male and female players, whereas Peach and Zelda tend to end up as ‘joke’ character choices for the boys that I play Brawl with. Bayonetta 2 turned out to be a WiiU exclusive, so her addition would be a natural progression.

Why it Won’t Happen

All stupid boob jokes aside, sadly I think she’s a touch too sexy. Absolutely nothing wrong with that by the way, but Smash Bros has a much broader demographic than Bayonetta’s older audience. Also, Bayonetta was featured in Anarchy Reigns, a Madworld-esque beat-em-up, so she’s probably not likely to be put into another one. 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

BOMBERMAN (Bomberman)

Fits in with the art style and character roster, but too limited. There are already myriad bombs in the item arsenal for Smash Bros, robbing him of the very trait that makes him unique.

SIMON BELMONT (Castlevania)

While Simon could have a fun range of attacks and weapons, and although he isn’t the frontman of the Castlevania franchise any more, the series is still going. However, he’s someone that newer gamers wouldn’t recognise, and may suffer from Bayonetta’s problem of being a little too ‘adult’ for the series.

KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA (Sonic Series)

Since Sonic Boom has everyone talking, it might be the right time to introduce Knuckles into Smash Bros, flaunting the redesign that got everyone talking (he now looks uncannily like a Quarterback).

However with the recent addition of Little Mac, anything that might have made Knuckles stand out is already taken. While team-mate Sonic got the nod again this time, Knuckles might find it a bit harder to muscle in.  

AMATERASU (Okami)

Amaterasu would be a fun addition: an animal character who isn't a Pokemon makes a nice change. But a fighting game doesn't really lend itself to the unique brush stroke commands of Okami – unless Amaterasu was controlled by swiping the Wiimote like a brush, or ‘painting’ onto the screen of the WiiU or 3DS. While that sounds awesome, it wouldn’t be particularly quick to master. Also, Ammy was recently featured in Marvel vs Capcom 3. Shame.

AND MY REALLY HOT TIP IS…

MII

From Nintendo MiiVerse

Why it Might Well Happen

In the recent April Direct for Smash Bros, customisable characters were mentioned, and who is more customisable than your own Mii? And haven’t you always wanted to smack Bowser for pinching Princess Peach, or maybe whap Mario for letting it happen so often? Everyone’s Mii is changeable and entirely different from user to user.

UPDATE! Turns out I was right, and the Mii character has been added to the roster, along with a customisable set of moves: choose from Mii Brawler, Mii Gunner and Mii Swordfighter. So you finally can give Bowser what's coming to him.

All images sourced from wikipedia.org except Wreck-it Ralph (wreckitralph.wikia.com), Vyse (skiesofarcadia.wikia.com) - if I've used your image without your permission, please contact me ASAP and I'll rectify it.

SMASH BROS: THE FIGHTERS SO FAR...

Smash Bros is back! Are you as excited as I am? (The answer's no, it's just not possible.)

With just months before the release of Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS, and with the April Direct fresh in our minds, I've put together a comparative guide to the Veteran fighters.

Everyone’s got their favourites and not-so-beloved, and it’s even trickier to pick a fighter in this stage while the full roster is still being announced bit-by-bit. 

This post will be the first in a few SSB-themed blogs. I've decided to go in-depth with the movesets of each character (in this case, comparing them to their Brawl Special movesets, which I've detailed in the pictures). Check below to find out what's new with your favourite character, and keep watching this space for the latest updates!

MARIO

FINAL SMASH: Mario Finale - Mario shoots fire across the screen, knocking the players backwards. 

Well, obviously there was no way that Mario wasn't going to be in this game. It looks like he's retained the majority of his moveset, with no changes to his special moves. Since his original design won't change much apart from a few tweaks, we're left to wonder what his palette swaps will look like. Last time we got white overalls (Fire flower Mario), maybe a nod to his more recent power-ups?

LINK

FINAL SMASH: Triforce Slash - A Triforce appears and dazzles anyone near to Link. He then slashes fiercely at nearby foes.

Link is back with (forseeably) no changes to his Brawl moveset. He does however boast a sleeker, smoother design that ties in with the new bold, bright look of SSB4, and also the most recent game in the Zelda franchise, Skyward Sword. We've yet to see if his Final Smash will remain the same too. In Brawl he shared Triforce Slash with Toon Link: maybe this time they'll have unique Final Smashes.

LUIGI

Final Smash: Negative Zone - Luigi chants and dances as the Zone stretches in a circle around him. Foes trapped in the Zone may get stuck taunting, slow down, fall asleep or other odd effects.

Honouring the Year of Luigi, the lean green one was among the first announcements for SSB4. From official screenshots, it looks like Luigi will be bringing his trusty Poltergust 5000 from the Luigi's Mansion series. And it looks like his new Final Smash!!

From IGN. Luigi appears glowing as he whips out the Poltergust. Smash Time!!

I'm kind of sad for the loss of Negative Zone: it was a deliciously odd Final Smash, which complements Luigi's character nicely. However, it makes sense that he's using his Poltergust now. I'm quite excited to see whether it'll be a direct attack or if it'll have range like Negative Zone.

DONKEY KONG

FINAL SMASH: Konga Beat - DK grabs some bongos and beats on down. If the player presses the attack button in time to the rhythm, the resulting shockwave batters opponents.

DK is back and looking about as dapper as a massive ape in a red tie ever could. He's looking particularly furry this time! Looks like he's kept his moveset in exchange for a sweet new look.

KING DEDEDE

FINAL SMASH: Waddle Dee Army - Waddle Dees rain down on play while Dedede dances, jolly fellow that he is. 

The King is back, long live the King! Not content with flinging Dees and Doos around (the sort of behaviour that would get you arrested if you did it in public), he will now fling a spiky Gordo, which will deal a lot more damage than before. Looks like mostly his moveset will remain the same. He looks a little cuter now with the new colour scheme, but that's unlikely to make him any less threatening.

KIRBY

FINAL SMASH: Cook Kirby - Kirby draws in nearby opponents and pops them into a huge cooking pot! The broth boils and sends them flying upward, while various items are scattered around the stage in the aftermath.

 Kirby looks seriously BRIGHT PINK. Maybe somebody paid him a compliment, and he's blushing. He retains his moveset with a rumoured change to his Down Special move, apparently he might change into random items as opposed to just a big heavy stone. And there is talk of a new Final Smash too, possibly something involving his recent fabricated adventures? (Pardon the pun)

SONIC

FINAL SMASH: Super Sonic - Sonic summons the Chaos Emeralds, turning him into Super Sonic. He dashes around the stage knocking enemies left, right and centre.

Sonic, as usual, looks pretty pleased with himself as opposed to his moody Brawl incarnation. Not sure if any of his moves have changed - there's evidence of his homing attack in a screenshot, and also a shot of him grinning while running which is possibly a taunt. He's recently been spotted in Sonic: Lost World so it remains to see whether we'll get a new stage or possibly a new move inspired by Lost World, or maybe even Sonic Colours.

YOSHI

FINAL SMASH: Super Dragon - Yoshi transforms into Dragon Yoshi, growing wings and flying around the stage shooting fireballs.

According to the April Direct, Yoshi returns with a slight change of stature - he will now stand upright, rather than like a regular dinosaur with a bent back. Now, I've frankly no idea what to do with that information. Does it mean we'll see a new set of moves?

MARTH

FINAL SMASH: Critical Hit - Marth raises his sword into the air, before delivering a powerful strike. One of the fastest and most powerful smashes in the game, it can deliver up to 60% damage.

Marth seems to have aged a little since Brawl (accordingly) including a costume update and a haircut. There is a lot more change to the little details in his costume, which ties in with the newest Fire Emblem games. Sakurai has confirmed a more impressive, stronger Shield Breaker move, in the hope that players will use it to its full potential. There hasn't been any other word yet on his moveset, or whether comrades Roy or Ike will be joining him.

BOWSER

FINAL SMASH: Giga Bowser - Bowser turns into Giga Bowser, filling half the stage. He can still take damage and doesn't gain any new attacks, he's just massive.

Bruiser Bowser suits the new colour scheme: he looks a little more fiery and appears to have had a slight tweak to how he appears in his home series, looking meaner and tougher. Although still a heavy character, he appears to be a little faster this time around. I always used to feel like I was controlling him through a vat of syrup: attacks seemed sticky and slow. He also doesn't seem as hunched over, and he's even seen delivering a kick during gameplay footage one of the trailers. I'm hoping we see an improvement to Bowser's speed - I know that's a big ask from a giant turtle, but he's got to be able to stand toe-to-toe with the nimbler characters. And please, no more breakdancing.

LUCARIO

FINAL SMASH: Aura Storm - Lucario flies to the top of the stage and beams down with his Aura. The more damage Lucario has taken, the stronger the attack will be.

Ack. Lucario's back. Why is Lucario back? (Sorry. I hoped against hope that he'd have been replaced by a different Pokemon. I know he has the advanced attack power thing, but how about bringing in a different Pokemon with a unique ability?)

Sorry. At least I don't have to speculate as much on this one. Lucario proved popular and potentially deadly, with his Aura power growing the more damage he takes, and he will now deal more damage. However, footage from the Direct showed that he may now be more difficult to control as a result. 

Also, he's been showing off a new Mega Evolution. It's not yet clear how or what will trigger a Mega Evolution: whether it'll only be on certain stages, or if it'll have something to do with a Final Smash. But Lucario's Aura powers while in his Mega Evolution will henceforth do the maximum amount of damage.

(Seriously though. I'll even take Magikarp at this point.)

PIKACHU

FINAL SMASH: Volt Tackle - Pikachu becomes a ball of electricity and whizzes around the stage. The player can control him and pressing the Special button causes a jolt of electricity. Pikachu does take damage.

Pika! Doesn't Pikachu look brighter than his Brawl counterpart? 

Pika has a new Down Special, Meteor Smash: similar to Thunder, a bolt hits Pikachu's enemy and he wallops them on the way down. Here's a screenshot taken from the April 3rd daily update of the Smash Bros site:

From the Smash Bros site/IGN.com. As you can see, Pikachu delivers a shock to Bowser before unleashing Meteor Storm.

DIDDY KONG

FINAL SMASH: Rocketbarrel Barrage - Diddy flies around the stage, shooting players with his peanut popgun.

DK's cute little pal is back. Aww, isn't he sweet, all wearing clothes and stuff. He thinks he's people.

In one of the WiiU screenshots, he appears to be stretching out. Looks like he's delivering a really stretched double punch of some sort, whether that's his Double Slap attack or something a little different: have a look, see what you think!

No word yet on his Final Smash - I enjoyed Rocketbarrel Barrage, and it was easier to control than Sonic's Final Smash, so I hope it stays. Allegedly you can now hit his barrels and they will come off. Diddy's peanut popgun is a bit more powerful now, and able to break shields.

PRINCESS PEACH

FINAL SMASH: Peach Blossom - Peach dances gracefully as hearts and doodles of her fill the screen and peaches rain down. Enemies near to Peach take up to 40% damage. The peaches can be eaten to replenish health.

Well excuuuuse me, Princess! There's been a bit of a flap after Sakurai tweeted a close-up picture of Mario and Peach holding hands, with a ring placed on her finger. Maybe she'll finally let him have a piece of that cake. 

As well as a more relaxed pose and  Peach is shown in one of the screenshots breaking out her signature Peach Bomber, bumping a surprised Fox with her hip. But she's also seen in another picture swiping at Pit in mid-air with her crown! She now incorporates stylish ribbons into her up-smash attack, which is quite a nice touch. Her Final Smash was a bit of a joke though, wasn't it? Peach deserves something a bit more kick-ass, and I hope for something different. In this picture from IGN she appears to be casting a rainbow. Maybe this'll be a super new Smash.

From IGN Super Smash Bros Wiki.

FOX

FINAL SMASH: Landmaster - Fox leaps upwards offscreen, damaging anything in his path. The Landmaster appears in his place, damaging stage and foes with its cannon or simply by running them over.

Fox is the only confirmed fighter from the Lylat Wars/Starfox series, and he has yet to be joined by his comrades (if any). 

It looks like Fox's dash attack will have a longer reach. Good luck to anyone who found it difficult to pull this off without falling off a ledge! Otherwise, Fox's moveset will be staying mostly the same. He will be able to jump out of his hexagonal shield, so it's great for ledge guarding. 

TOON LINK

FINAL SMASH: Triforce Slash, same as Link's. Sigh.

Toon Link marks another point of contention in our household. My husband claims he has a totally different feel to Adult Link (Grown Link, Big Link, XXX Link or whatever you want to call him), whereas I don't really see the point of him. He's basically a clone of Link. Having said that, I do enjoy his kooky, cartoonish design as opposed to Adult Link's realistic proportions.

My opinion aside, he's had a slight cosmetic change in his moveset, but I don't think there's anything major.

PIKMIN AND OLIMAR

FINAL SMASH: End of Day - Olimar jumps into the SS Dolphin, drawing in any nearby foes, rockets off-screen only to come smashing back down again. He really aught to replace that ship for a newer model.

Excitingly, Olimar seems to be one of the players with the most changes. He was almost embarrassingly weak in Brawl, and even more so without his Pikmin.

Now, Olimar can only have three Pikmin at any time in his party. Also, the Pikmin will be plucked in this order: Red, Yellow, Blue. Once these are lost, he will pluck a White, followed by a Purple, then back to Red.

His recovery move, where he flings his party Pikmin out like a chain, will have to go! And in its place, we are treated to an appearance from the Winged Pikmin who can carry him to safety - however the flight path and height will be determined by the number of Pikmin in his team, so that chunky Purple might be a hinderance...

CHARIZARD

FINAL SMASH: Triple Finish (with Ivysaur and Squirtle, he unleashes Hyper Beam)

I've put Charizard with the Veterans because he is technically a returning hero. But I'm equally excited to be talking about his new moves as a separate playable character.

With no Red running alongside him, Charizard gets free rein. Since he had to share the spotlight (grumble, grumble) with Greninja, his moveset has been kept pretty hush-hush. He will be getting a Mega Evolution, but like with Lucario, it remains to see how that will play out. 

PIT

FINAL SMASH: Palutena's Army - Centurions ram into the players, causing damage and knocking them flying.

As one of the most popular characters, thanks to his varied moveset of projectiles and amazing recovery moves, it's no surprise that Pit's back for the next instalment. 

He boasts a new, cooler-looking Final Smash: Three Sacred Treasures, which looks like an incredibly powerful and exciting Smash. Pit shoots with his bow while shots rain down on foes from a number of directions, dealing massive damage!

However, he has lost the Glide ability in favour of a more direct, fast version of Power of Flight as a recovery. In his trailer, Pit travels diagonally at a decent towards a ledge. No idea how easy it'll be to control in contrast to Glide - it looks a lot more accurate.

SAMUS and ZERO SUIT SAMUS

FINAL SMASH: Pulse Laser - Samus shoots a huge plasma ray out of her arm cannon. In Zero Suit's case, she just pops her suit back on.

One of the biggest character announcements at the Direct was that there will be no more character transformations, which affects Samus in particular. No more will she be wasting a Smash Ball just to put her clothes back on.

Now a separate playable character, Zero Suit Samus has had a little costume update, and she has a new addition. Yes, I know it's typical for women to go on about shoes, but look at them. If jet boots look like that in the future then sign me up, I don't care if I'm in my fifties by the time they're invented. In her trailer, Samus looks a lot speedier and more agile, boasting a few new kicks and a new recovery move. She has a particularly graceful upside-down spinning kick that reminds me a little of Chun-Li of Street Fighter fame.

SHEIK AND ZELDA

FINAL SMASH: Light Arrow - Both Sheik and Zelda draw a large arrow while any fighter in her sights will flinch. The Light Arrow can travel through walls, and will likely KO any character it hits.

Since Zelda won't be using her Down Special to turn into Sheik, she now has another move - Phantom Slash, which summons a Phantom to defend her or attack a foe. It can however be deflected and turned against her. No sign of any other changes to her moveset, but I like the variability of this.

As for Sheik, her (er, his?) new side special is Burst Grenade, where Sheik tosses a grenade onto the field. Her new Down Special, instead of turning her back into Zelda, is a wide-reaching acrobatic kick known as the Bouncing Fish. She looks as quick and agile as ever.

Keep your eyes peeled for my next update, where I'll introduce the new fighters (I have quite a lot to say about them), and keep watching the Smash Bros website for further announcements. There are still seven slots to fill in the character roster. Watch this space!

NOTE: All screenshots taken from the official Smash Bros website/IGN Smash Bros Wiki.