ORAS Competitive Analysis: Vileplume

Official Ken Sugimori artwork

Introduction

Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have been out for some time now, and while I haven't had enough time yet to fully beat the game, I figured I would start a competitive analysis series similar to the fashion in which I've been reviewing SSB4 characters. To start off I'll go with Vileplume, who is the final form of Oddish. In ORAS, Gamefreak took the opportunity to update a lot of Pokemons' movesets, making them learn stronger moves sooner and sometimes even adding new moves. Vileplume originally caught my interest because it's base evolution Oddish was one of the lucky Pokemon to gain a new move; it now learns Moonblast at level 43. Even though it is not a Fairy-type, Oddish has always been associated with the moon according to its Pokedex entries (and it already learns the other 'moon' move Moonlight at level 33), so this was a welcome change that is actually pretty cool and goes along with the established lore of the games.

"Awakened by moonlight, it roams actively at night. In the day it stays quietly underground." - Original Gold Pokedex Entry

"During the day, it stays in the cold underground to avoid the sun. It grows by bathing in moonlight." - Original Crystal Pokedex Entry

Stat Breakdown

Image from Smogon

As you can see from the picture, the only thing really holding Vileplume back is it's Speed, which at base 50 is not going to be outrunning anything half-decent. Thankfully this can somewhat be made up for with it's first ability, Chlorophyll, which doubles Vileplume's Speed in the sun (making it a solid base 100). However this is purely situational and requires some form of set-up (Drought Ninetails comes to mind) so it is not totally reliable. Apart from Speed Vileplume has pretty solid stats, the strongest being Special Attack at a respectable base 110, which is good for us because we're building ours to be a Special Sweeper.

Nature: Bold (-Attack, +Defense)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Effort Values: 252 Sp. Attack, 252 HP//or//252 Speed

The above are the stats my in-game Vileplume has. For the nature I would recommend anything beneficial which in Vileplume's case is anything that lowers the Attack and raises something else. The one I captured was Bold so that makes it a little more bulky on the Defense side, can't go wrong with that. I was originally searching for a Hidden Ability Oddish so my Vileplume would evolve to have Effect Spore as it's ability, but I got tired of grinding and moved on. So instead it has Chlorophyll as its ability which is alright for the time being. As far as EV's go, when I get around to it I am definitely going to max out Special Attack, and then either HP or Speed. I haven't decided yet whether I want him to be a little bit faster or a little bit bulkier.

Moveset

• Giga Drain
• Sleep Powder
• Sludge Bomb
• Moonblast

With this spread, Vileplume takes advantage of both its STABs as a powerful special attacker. The Grass-type Giga Drain provides super effective coverage against Water/Ground/Rock and comes with a bonus of extra healing. Sleep Powder allows Vileplume to threaten opponents with the possibility of sleep-status, which is always good to have. Playing competitively sleep clause mandates that only one Pokemon may be inflicted with sleep but that's still one incapacitated opponent Pokemon so it can be a big help. Sludge Bomb is a powerful Poison-type attack that comes with a nice 30% chance to inflict poison-status, and it provides super effective coverage against Fairy/Grass. Finally there's Moonblast, which rounds out the set by providing super effective coverage against Dark/Dragon/Fighting, which is a great and unique advantage that Vileplume has over other similar Grass or Grass/Poison types thanks to ORAS.

Conclusion

Altogether Vileplume boasts super effective coverage against 8 different types, and has solid stats to back it up. With the addition of Moonblast to its movepool Vileplume became more versatile and well-rounded, able to take on a larger variety of Pokemon than it could before. Vileplume is weak to Fire/Flying/Ice/Psychic so it really does not appreciate taking hits of any of those types. Be sure to have a Pokemon on your team that complements Vileplume and is able to cover its weaknesses. In-game I am testing out a Hidden Ability Ninetails as a complementary partner.

Music Appreciation Post: Minecraft (Subwoofer Lullaby, Wet Hands)

I love Minecraft. It's the rare kind of game where you can literally spend hours accomplishing nothing and yet still feel like you're having a good time. However this post isn't about how great the game is, it's about how great the music is. The many long hours I spent exploring/building all over the vast overworld are what led me to notice the beautifully composed soundtrack, by German artist C418. The music is very relaxing while at the same time intriguing, most of the tracks start out soft (with an emphasis on piano) but other sounds are mixed in for mysterious effect. The two I've linked to above are my favorites so far, Subwoofer Lullaby and Wet Hands, respectively.

In all the artist did a great job of creating an atmosphere of wonder for the game. The official soundtrack, dubbed Minecraft - Volume Alpha is available for purchase, but more importantly it is available for free on Spotify! I made this discovery recently and have been listening to the album while I do my homework; I find that it makes great background music to work to. Now if only I had more time for Minecraft and less time for homework! If only. ;)

Zelda Fan Art: Appreciation Post Pt.2

Here's some more unique, somewhat "realistic" interpretations of Link from artist Rachel Morris. I really like these because they show a different perspective of familiar places/things that can be experienced in Zelda games. There's a certain "wow-factor" conveyed by the first image of Link staring down into the pool of lava far below him (fire temple, perhaps?). I also really like the touch of realism in Link's expressions in the next two images (standing next to an ice-block puzzle, crouched down in front of a small chest). It's great because it's just something most of us wouldn't think of while playing the actual game; it's cold in those ice dungeons, Link must be freezing in those shorts!

Check out the rest of her Gallery.

SSB4 Character Analysis: King Dedede

Image from Smash Wiki

Introduction

The next character analysis is for a character who I've only recently started to take a look at. The King has been around since Brawl but I had never really given him a chance until one day I was goofing around and decided to pick him on a whim. Dedede is a unique fighter, he's heavy, which means he has some hard-hitting attacks, but unlike traditional heavies his recovery is a bit better (he can fly!). I'll go over some of what I think are some of his better/more reliable moves, based on my experience with him so far.

Notable 'A' moves

Side Smash - Has a short wind-up but is a reliable killing move. If it doesn't end up killing it will do a significant amount damage and knockback (especially if you can manage to charge it for a few seconds). Great to rely on in the beginning, but be careful it doesn't become a crutch, as it is easy to read.

Up Air - Dedede twirls his hammer overhead for a multi-hit attack. In general The King's air-game is pretty solid. This move in particular is one of my favorites as it deals a good amount of damage, and if the opponent is at a higher percent is a capable killing move. The cherry on top is that if you can keep this move connected on the opponent for the entire duration (ie they don't dodge out/get away) the final hit will spike, sending them flying.

Side Tilt - I find myself using this move a lot as I'm trying to pressure/continue a string on the opponent. It's essentially a slightly weaker version of his Up Air, Dedede twirls his hammer out in front of him for a multi-hit attack. There is no real spike/killing potential in this one, but it is great for racking up damage and spacing the opponent. The one thing about this move though is there is a certain range to it that you need to memorize, otherwise you might find yourself whiffing at times.

Other noteworthy moves: Neutral A Combo, Dash Attack - I try to mix in the Neutral A Combo whenever I can, it's good for a little extra damage and if you chain it long enough the end will have some slight knockback, which is always useful. The Dash Attack is good for approaches and can also potentially kill at higher percents, although for experienced players it is easily predicted and punished so it's best not to rely on this one too much.

Notable 'B' moves

Side B - The King pulls a "Gordo" (spiky ball with eyes, from the Kirby games) out of his pocket and knocks it towards the opponent with his hammer. Let me just say, I love this move, and I'm guilty of using it way more than I probably should. Has great knockback, can be a potential killing move, and is excellent for exerting pressure or "edge-guarding." The trick to this move is that it bounces along the ground, so you have to kind of "set it up" or aim it for it to connect. My favorite thing to do is to launch these at opponents from mid-air, as it's harder to tell where they are going to land, and it's just great for mind games in general. As far as edge-guarding goes, if you manage to hit the opponent while they're trying to recover it will spike them away from the stage, and it's also good at blocking/pressuring out the recovery ledge grab.

Neutral B - King Dedede inhales the enemy into his mouth, trapping them inside before he spits them back out. This move is stronger in group battles, rather than traditional 1v1 battles, but it still has it's merits. Unlike Kirby's Inhale Neutral B Dedede does not let him copy abilities, but it does shoot the opponent farther and does a bit more damage. Can be fun for gimping characters with terrible recovery (read: Little Mac) by inhaling them and then jumping off the ledge before spitting them back out. Because Dedede has above-average recovery, and the opponent does not, Dedede usually recovers while the opponent falls to their death. Kind of cheap, but funny nonetheless.

Other noteworthy moves: Up B - This move is somewhat strange because it has a very rigid and at times unforgiving, animation. Dedede jumps up and gains great vertical distance, but you can barely move at all horizontally once you are locked into the animation. I've killed myself using this more times than I can count, it definitely takes some getting used to. Together with his extra fly-jumps, this makes for some decent overall recovery. The hitbox on this move can kill but as I said this move can feel wonky and hard to aim at times so I try not to rely on it.

Conclusion

I'm definitely not as good with The King as I am with some of my other characters, but that's mostly because I haven't had as much time to mess around with him. Online the match-ups have been hit or miss, I either get a solid win or lose pretty spectacularly, so the verdict is still out on just how good King Dedede really is. For now I'll keep playing and trying to come up with new strategies to improve my game.

Music Appreciation Post: Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire Surf Theme

In honor of Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire being released tomorrow, I wanted to post one of the most memorable tracks from the original games. This is the surfing theme, which you hear a lot in game (as the Hoenn region is literally covered ~70% by water) and after reading a few reviews from those who got the game early, to the dismay of many (too much water!!) that much hasn't changed. This theme, along with the endless Tentacool wild encounters (don't forget the repel!) is something anyone who has played these games before is more than familiar with.

Overall, the entire soundtrack is great (and can be found here), so I can't wait to hear the updated/remixed tracks. And alongside the updated 3D graphics, I'm sure it will create a total package that is just as exotic and mesmerizing as the original games were so many years ago.

Diablo 3: Barbarian Cold Leapquake

This build is something I've been having a lot of fun with lately. In the past, Fire Leapquake was the clear cut winner due to raw damage alone, but with some recent buffs the cold variant of the barbarian's earthquake skill is much more viable than it was before. I love playing this build because it offers great crowd control; everything is pretty much constantly frozen. Plus, it's really fun hopping around the map dropping earthquakes all over the place. While the damage output is not as high as fire, I would argue that it almost evens out because the cold variant offers more survivability and control over mobs.

This build revolves around a few key items. The most important being the Might of the Earth set and the Legendary boots Lut Socks. These items have great synergy together, as MoTE leaves a free earthquake every time you land from using Leap, and Lut Socks give you a total of 3 Leaps before the cooldown starts.

The Gear:

As you can see from the first picture, I am wearing the full MoTE set + Lut Socks. I opted not to wear a Ring of Royal Grandeur so that I can use a rare ring that gives me better stats (CC/CD/CDR/Socket). If you have a good royal ring you may want to consider Leoric's Crown for some extra CDR, or Frostburn gloves for more cold damage/utility.

Cooldown Reduction is king for this build, so the more you have the better. About 30% I'd say is the bare minimum, while upwards of 50% would be ideal with a perfect gear setup. I've got it on my gloves, shoulders, helm (socketed diamond), one of my rings, and my weapon. Now I've got a couple of different gear pieces that I swap in and out to try and find what is most optimal, but I usually hover around ~40% CDR. The more you have the faster you can Leap all over the place.

The rest of the gear is up for debate. Just try to stack cold damage and elite damage wherever possible, and try to get sockets in your rings/amulet so you can use legendary gems. The great thing about this build is that it only requires a few key items, so you are free to mix and match with different sets and legendary items (especially if using a royal ring) to try and find what works best for you/with what you have.

The Skills:

I'm using a pretty standard setup here. You definitely need Earthquake - Chilling Earth, as that is the centerpiece of this build. Which rune you choose for Leap depends on if you want to be more offensive or defensive, I'm using Call of Arreat because it synergies with my Strongarm Bracers, but if you're having trouble surviving I would recommend switching to one of the more defense-oriented runes. War Cry - Impunity is pretty much always on my skill bar, as it provides extra resistances and armor, while also serving as a backup fury generator. Plus if you're playing in groups it helps out your teammates as well. Battle Rage and Wrath of the Berserker are purely included for extra damage. Call of the Ancients are included to help with single target damage (tough elites and rift guardians).

As far as passive skills go I'm using Ruthless because that helps a lot on the larger monsters with large health pools. Berserker Rage is great because you are pretty much constantly at full fury (thanks to War Cry + Leap), so you can maintain the damage bonus fairly easily. Boon of Bul-Kathos is great because it lets me use nearly all of my skills more often, it lowers the cooldowns on Earthquake, WotB, and CotA by a substantial amount. And finally Rampage, because it is great in that it provides a survivability and damage boost by increasing your Strength by a percentage for each enemy killed, stacking up to 25 times.

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That's pretty much all I have to say on this build! Give it a try if you haven't already. I promise it's a lot of fun.

Majora's Mask remake for 3DS: Coming Spring 2015

Official box art

Fans of Zelda rejoice!!! A few days ago, Nintendo announced via Nintendo Direct that they have been working on a remake for The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, which was originally released on the Nintendo 64 way back in the Fall of 2000. In a subsequent post on Miiverse, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma revealed that they have in fact been working on this port since the release of the Ocarina of Time 3DS remake which was released back in June 2011. In his post Aonuma states:

"...although we’ve been working on the game for quite some time, we didn't want to say it was being developed until we were at a point where we could proudly say that this is not going to be just another remake and that it's going to be worth your time."

It feels good to finally have confirmation that one of the greatest Zelda titles ever is going to be given a second life via a remake. Although it would have most certainly been "worth my time" no matter what, it's exciting to see that the developers are putting some extra work into rehashing the game, and it will be interesting to see just what they really mean by that when the final product is here. The projected release date is Spring 2015.

If you're finding it difficult to contain your overwhelming excitement (like me) the game is already up for pre-order on Amazon. The page has a listed release date of December 2014, but that has already been confirmed as a place-holder so don't get your hopes up too high. ;)

For those who would like to see the reveal trailer (and some gameplay footage!), here is a video clip that edited the section out of the full Nintendo Direct presentation:

SSB4 Character Analysis: Wii Fit Trainer

Image from Smash Wiki

The Wii Fit Trainer is a newcomer to the latest installment of Smash Bros. When I first saw the debut for this character, I'll admit I was completely unimpressed. I specifically remember thinking, "What is this, a joke?" as I just could not at the time take the concept of the character seriously. I don't know how but I've done a complete 180 since then as I now really enjoy playing as the WFT. To me it's kind of a joke character, it started out that way at least. After some time spent seriously playing the character though I just have to say, once you get used to the rather unique moveset and wonky hitboxes that come along with it this character can be a lot of fun.

You can play the WFT as male or female. Here are all of the color swaps.

A moves:

• Neutral A combo-- Three hits, the third being able to ground (trap) the opponent for a short time.
• Dash Attack-- WFT dashes forward and crouches down to deliver a hit. Doesn't do a lot of damage or knockback, but can be a good approach.
• Side Smash-- WFT lunges forward with arms extended to both sides. This move will hit in front and back so it can be used to punish dodging opponents. The hitbox on this move seems small at times (at least to me) so make sure you are close to the opponent or it might whiff.
• Up Smash-- WFT brings its arms up in a "tree pose" to hit directly overhead. This move is kind of disappointing. The hitbox is so small that it pretty much always misses, so I just generally don't use it.
• Down Smash-- WFT crouches down to the ground and extends an arm forward and a leg backward. This move is another that hits on both sides. Has a somewhat long range so is also good for punishing dodges, and the crouch can also help you dodge moves because it is low to the ground.

B moves:

• Neutral B-- The "sun salutation." This move is great, its your basic charge-and-store projectile (think Samus). This thing is a pretty big when fully charged, and can be tricky to dodge. Solid move that can also be a killing move at higher percents.
• Side B-- WFT punts a soccer ball with his head, and it flies to the side. A nice spam-projectile, but nothing major. I use this to rack up damage sometimes. It doesn't do much damage or knockback, but its kind of funny when you hit someone with one from far away because they are pretty tricky to aim so they nearly always miss.
• Up B-- WFT starts "hula-hooping" and rises vertically to recover. You have to mash B while you use this to reach the full height of the move, other wise you'll fall short. Literally does not damage or knockback, only use this move to recover.
• Down B-- This one is called "Deep Breathing." It can be tricky because you have to hold it in and then release it at the right time in order for it to take effect. It is a small power-up to all of WFT's moves. Proper usage of this move is critical to being a good WFT.

And there you have a basic rundown of the Wii Fit Trainer. I am still working on improving my game with him, but so far I seem to be doing pretty good with him 1v1 in random online match-ups. I've played a lot of good matches with him and my conclusion is that I think a good WFT can just catch people off-guard at times, as it's not something your really see a lot of online. If you're a good player you can really give people a run for their money.

Music Appreciation Post: Rogue Theme

This is the Rogue Encampment (Starting town, Act 1) theme from Diablo 2. This song has a lot of nostalgia for me as I used to play this game a lot way back in middle/high school. The music from this game, together with the "dark" graphics create the perfect atmosphere for adventure, looting, and monster-slaying. Which is great because that is what Diablo is all about, and I can honestly say the composers did an excellent job enhancing/crafting the feel of this game through the soundtrack that they made. I always find myself going back and looking up this song, as a lot of time was spent in the Rogue Encampment (even in end-game) so it is the one I remember the most. I still go back and play this game from time to time, as that's how much I really love this game. If you have some time the full soundtrack is worth a listen, and if you have even more time I suggest you try out Diablo 2, especially if you haven't before!

Zelda Fan Art: Appreciation Post

 

I really like these because they are an up-close perspective of Navi (who is Link's fairy companion in Ocarina of Time, for those who don't know). The artist is Rachel Morris. There are a lot of other great Zelda pictures in the album, among other things. It is definitely worth taking a look through.

In honor of Halloween, some video game related horror.

If any of you have played/remember the original Pokemon Red and Blue, you will surely remember Lavender Town. The town's sad, cold color palette and creepy, unsettling music do a fantastic job of setting a dreadful tone. I still remember finally emerging from the maze of Rock Tunnel into Lavender Town and instantly getting an uneasy feeling from the carefully crafted atmosphere. I mean after all, it is the town where Pokemon went to die and get buried. The dialogue from the various citizens only does more to reinforce that creepy feeling the developers had crafted so excellently for this place.

So in honor of Halloween, I'd like to present for your reading pleasure a horror story written about Lavender Town. I suggest listening to the Lavender Town music in the background while you read, as it makes the whole experience much creepier.

During the first few days of the release of Pokemon Red and Green in Japan, back in February 27, 1996, a peak of deaths appeared in the age group of 10-15. 

The children were usually found dead through suicide, usually by hanging or jumping from heights. However, some were more odd. A few cases recorded children who had began sawing off their limbs, others sticking their faces inside the oven, and chocked themselves on their own fist, shoving their own arms down their throat. 

The few children who were saved before killing themselves showed sporadic behavior. When asked why they were going to hurt themselves they only answered in chaotic screams and scratched at their own eyes. When showed what seemed to be the connection to this attitude, the gameboy, they had no response, but when combined with either Pokemon Red or Green, the screams would continue, and they would do their best to leave the room it was located in. 

This confirmed the authorities suspicion that the games, somehow, had a connection to these children and the deaths. It was a strange case, because many children who had the same games did not show this behavior, but only a few. The police had no choice but to pursue this, since they had no other leads.
Collecting all the cartridges these children had purchased, they kept them sealed away as strong evidence to look over later. They decided the first thing to do was to talk to the programmers themselves. The first person they met was the director of the original games, Satoshi Tajiri. When told about the deaths surrounding his games, he seemed slightly uneasy, but admitted nothing. He lead them to the main programmers of the game, the people responsible for the actual content. 

The detectives met Takenori Oota, one of the main programmers of the game. Unlike Satoshi, he did not seem uneasy, but very kept. Explaining that it was impossible to use something like a game to cause such deaths, and also bringing up the point that not all the children were affected, he brushed it off as some kind of odd coincidence or mass hysteria. It seemed like he was hiding something, but he wasn’t giving way. Finally, he did say something interesting. 

Takenori had heard a rumor going around that the music for Lavender Town, one of the locations in the game, had caused some children to go ill. It was only a rumor, and had no real definite back up, but it was still something to look into. 

He directed the detectives to Junichi Masuda, the music composer of the series. Masuda had also heard of these rumors, but again said they had no evidence that his music was the cause. Even to prove a point he played the exact song from the game completely through with no effects to anyone, the detectives nor Masuda himself, feeling anything different or odd. Although they still had their suspicions of Masuda and the music of Lavender town, it seemed they had reached another dead end. 

Going back to the cartridges they had seized from the homes of the children, they decided to take a slightly more direct look at the games. They knew that it was these games that gave the children the ill effects, so they took extreme caution. Popping in the cartridge and turning the console on, the game screen booted. The title screen appeared, and the option to continue or create a new game appeared.
When they chose to continue the game, stats of that game appeared. They saw the names of the children who had played, usually “Red” or another simple name. However, the interesting thing was the time played and the number of Pokemon they owned. On every game, the time was very low, and all of them had only a single Pokemon in their inventory. They came to the stunning reality that it could not have been the music from Lavender town that had caused such ill effects in the children, since it was impossible to reach that part of the game in such small amount of time and with only one Pokemon in their inventory. This brought them to the conclusion that something early on in the game had to be the cause. 

If it wasn’t the music, nor the title screen, it had to be something within the first few minutes of the game itself. They had no choice but to turn off the game now and go back to the programmers. Asking for a list of all the programmers from Takenori, they found, surprisingly, that one of the programmers had committed suicide shortly after the game was released. His name was Chiro Miura, a very obscure programmer who had provided very little for the game. Even more interestingly, he had requested his name did not appear in the credits of the game, and so it was not. 

Looking over the evidence found at Chiro’s apartment, they found many notes written in bold marker. Most of it was crumbled, or marked out, making it very difficult to read. They few words they could find in the mess was “Do not enter”., “Watch out” and “COME FOLLOW ME” in bold. The detectives were unsure what these meant, but knew they had to have a connection. Further searching, they discovered Chiro was good friends with one of the map designers, Kohji Nisino, and this was probably the only reason Chiro had given a part in making the game. 

Kohji Nisino, since the release of the game, had locked himself in his apartment, barely leaving in the dark of night to fetch anything he might need. He told his friends and family he was mourning for his dear friend Chiro, but they didn’t believe this, since Nisino had locked himself up the day the game was put in stores, a few days before Chiro had killed himself. 

It was troubling, but the authorities finally persuaded Nisnino to sit down and speak with them. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days, dark rings under his eyes. He stunk, his nails had grown black and his hair was greasy, sticking to his forehead and neck. He spoke in stutters and murmurs, but at least he had something to say. 

When asked if he knew anything about the children who had died after exposure of the game and if it had any connection to the game, he answered them seemingly carefully, choosing his words thoughtfully before answering. He told them that his friend Chiro had an interesting idea with the game, something he had wanted to try since he heard the project was starting. Nisino himself knew Takenori, the director and main programmer, for a long time, so he could easily get a mediocre programmer in on the project with a little persuasion. It seemed Chiro had convinced Nisino to get him in on the project, and it had worked.
The detectives knew they were on to something. This unknown obscure programmer, Chiro, had to have something to do with it, something… They asked what Chiro’s idea was, why he wanted so badly to have a part in making this children’s game. Nisino told them that Chiro never told him much about it, other than a few details every now and then. He wanted to insert a special Pokemon in the game, one completely different from all the others. It would serve as an extra, a kind of out of place thrill for the player. It wasn’t, however, Missing No. It couldn’t be. With the gameplay time recorded on the cartridges, it was impossible for the children to have time to meet that Pokemon. 

Nisino, throughout the entire conversation, seemed to break down even more with every question. The detectives pushed him more and more, searching through his mind for any and every scrap of knowledge this man had no game and Chiro… and Chiro’s intentions… 

It was when they asked about the notes found in Chiro’s home that he snapped. From under the couch Nisino was sitting on he whipped out a pistol, pointing it straight at the police while backing away a few steps. Then, just as quickly, he brought the pistol to his face. 

“Don’t follow me…” muttered Nisino as he stuck the pistol in his mouth and pulled the trigger. It was too quick for the police to react. It was done. Nisino had killed himself, repeating slightly differently what was written on one of Chiro’s papers… 

It seemed all leads had finally died. The team who had created this original game were splitting up, becoming harder to find. It was as if they were keeping a secret. When the police finally managed to talk with anyone who had parts in the game, even the obscure character designers or monster designers, it seemed they had nothing of interest to say. Most of them didn’t even know Chiro, and the few who did only seen him once or twice working on the game itself. Throughout all of this the only confirmation they had was that Chiro was indeed the one who had worked on the very early parts of the game. 

It had been a couple of months after the original children suicides and the death rate had dropped dramatically. It seemed that the game was no longer giving any ill effects to any children. The call back of the games that was planned was canceled, since it seemed the game was no longer harming any children. They had began to think that maybe Takenori was right and it was all just a very odd coincidence or mass hysteria… Until they received the letter. 

It was given to one of the detectives himself, quite directly out on the street. It was a woman who gave him the note, a very frail, thin, sick looking thing. She gave him the letter quickly, telling him it was something he needed to see, and without waiting for a response or another word, she disappeared into the crowd. The detective brought it to his office, and calling the others in, he brought it out and read it aloud.
It was a letter written by Chiro himself, but it wasn’t one found at his apartment. They had throughly searched and cleared out the place, so wherever this letter had come from, it wasn’t kept at his home. It was signed to be given to Nisino. It started off quite formal, a hello, how are you, regards to the family, and such. After one or two of these normal paragraphs, they reached a section that requested Nisino to get him into the game team, to get him a programming position in Pokemon Red and Green. 

As the letter continued, the handwriting seemed to grow more jittery. He talked about a glorious idea he had, a way to program something unseen in any game before. He said it would certainly revolutionize not only the gaming industry, but everyone. He went on to say that it was a very simple procedure to program this idea into the game. He did not even have to add any foreign programming, but could use what was already given in the game itself. This would, the detectives agreed, make it impossible to notice any obscurities in the programming itself. It was a perfect way to hide whatever this was. 

The letter ended abruptly. There was no goodbye, no say hi to the family, no write back, or thank you. Nothing like that. It was just his name, written hard in the letter where the paper almost broke through. It was only his name. “Chiro Miura.” 

This was the nail in the coffin for the detectives. They had no more suspicion about the cause. Chiro had programmed something into the early parts of the game, something maddening. To further increase this streak of success, they discovered that the programming team had worked in pairs, even Chiro himself. He had worked with another programmer, Sousuke Tamada. 

If anyone knew what the secret in this game was, Sousuke Tamada would be the man. This was their final hope of unraveling this mystery once and for all. 

They learned Sousuke had provided a lot of programming to the game, and seemed to be an average, good guy and worker. They were easily allowed into his home, a fair place, and they entered his living room where they sat. Sousuke did not sit, however. He stood by the window of the second story floor, looking out onto the busy street. He was smiling a little. 

There is no direct witnesses to the events that followed. The only thing from this conversation that remained was found on a voice recorder sitting on the table in front of the two detectives assigned to talk to Sousuke. What follows is the unedited recording: 

“Sousuke Tamada, what part did you have in the games Pokemon Red and Green?” asked the first detective. 

“I was a programmer.” His voice was light, friendly, almost too friendly. “That’s all.” 

“Am I right in knowing that the programmers working on the game worked in teams?” asked the detective.
One could hear the voice of feet moving on the floor slightly. “You would be right,” said Sousuke after a moment of silence. 

“And your partner, his name was--” The detective was quickly cut off by Sousuke eerie voice. 

“Chiro Miura… That was his name. Chiro Miura.” 

Another silence. It seemed the detectives were a little uneasy about this man. “Could you tell us if Muira ever acted strange at all? Any particular behaviors you observed while working with him at all?” 

Sousuke answered them. “I don’t know him that well, really. We didn’t meet up frequently, only every once in a while to trade data, or when the entire group was called up for a meeting… That’s the only times I really ever saw him. He acted normal, as far as I could tell. He was a short man, and I think this affected his consciousness.. He acted weaker than any other man I met. He was willing to do a lot of work to gain recognition, this I do know. I think…” 

Silence. “Yes?” asked the detective, pushing for him to continue. “You think what?” 

“I think he was a very weak man. I think he wanted to prove himself regardless of this point… I think he wanted to make himself known for something special, something that would make people forget about the way he looked and pay attention to the powerful mind that lay inside his skull.. Unfortunately for him, however.. heheh.. He didn’t have much of a mind to back up that reasoning.” 

“Why do you say that?” asked the second detective. 

“Well it’s the simple truth,” answered Sousuke quickly. His feet could be heard moving across the tiled floor. “He was nothing special, even if he wanted to believe so. You can’t become greatness, even if you believe it. It’s impossible… Somehow, I think Chiro knew this himself, somewhere deep in there, he knew it.” 

The detectives were silent again, not sure how to steer the conversation. After a moment, they continued. “Can you tell us what Chiro’s part of the game was? What did he work on exactly?” 

Sousuke answered more quickly than before. “Nothing… I mean, nothing important. He worked on some obscure parts of the beginning of the game.” A pause, then a little more information. “It was Oak’s part to be exact. He worked on some of Oak’s parts… When he’s seen first, you see..” 

“What else?” pushed the police. They could hear it in Sousuke’s voice. He knew something. “We know you know about the children and the deaths. We know it was Chiro who did it. He programmed something in the game.” 

“What are you implying?” asked Sousuke. It sounded like he was trying to maintain his voice. 

“We’re implying that since your his partner, if you’re hiding something from us then you could just as much be responsible for those children’s deaths as Chiro is himself!” 

“You can’t prove anything!” Sousuke shouted. 

“Tell us what Chiro did to the game!” they shouted back. 

“WHAT I TOLD HIM TO.” 

Silence. Complete silence. 

“You want to know, huh?” asked Sousuke finally, breaking the eerie silence, but replacing it with his voice. “You want to know what is this all about? Chiro was an idiot. He’d do anything for a bit of attention, anything at all. He couldn’t program worth a shit either. The one thing he could do, however, was be manipulated. You could tell him what to do, and he’d do it. He wouldn’t even question it, he’d do it. Just to hear that ‘thank you’ when you received the finish product, that was his reasons. That’s all he wanted.” 

Two clicks from the detective’s guns could heard. 

“I could control his flawlessly. He’s a lot like Takenori… Of course none of you knew this, but I was the one who brought up the idea of the game, the idea of the entire operation. I just told the fellow what to do, and he followed me without doubt. He knows nothing, just like Chiro.” 

A sound of a window opening could be heard, follow by the detectives. 

“Don’t move or we’ll shoot!” 

“Let me tell you about a mechanic in the game,” continued Sousuke. His voice was more rushed, but it still held that slyness. “Consider it a hint, alright? If you walk around in grassy areas enough a Pokemon will appear, and you’ll have the chance to go into battle with it. It’s a necessary part of the game overall, you see?” 

“Step away from the window! We won’t warn you again!” 

“At the start of the game you have to walk into the grassy area before Oak appears and you receive your first Pokemon, understand me? Under normal circumstances, it was programmed that even though you’re in a grassy area, no Pokemon will spawn… I made it different. I manipulated that Chiro, told him what to put in the program, gave him all the instructions on how to do it, and he did it flawlessly. It’s rare, but it can happen.. Stepping into that grass, one can spawn…” 

“Sousuke, we don’t want to shoot!” 

“Shoot me?” asked Souske, laughing at the same time. “Shoot ME? You’re as dumb as Chiro was! Once he found out the truth, he had to end it! It was his fault after all! He shot himself because of it! If you’re so determined to finish that case of yours, if you want to know, play the damn game for yourself! Roll the wheel, and who knows? Maybe you’ll learn the secret for yourself!” 

A shot could be heard, loud enough to distort the audio. Sounds of screaming, murmuring could be heard. The table the recorder was on crashed. Ear shattering distortions. Silence. Then laughing. Sousuke was laughing, and then words. “Come follow me… Come follow me…” And then nothing. 

The recorder continued to record until the tape ran out. There was nothing else on it. The police arrived on the scene quickly, and to their horror they discovered Sousuke and the two detectives dead. They had all been shot, but not after struggling. The detectives had been shot multiple times, at least ten each, before dying after being shot in between their eyes. Sousuke himself had clearly died of two shots to his chest, straight through the heart. 

This game was causing a massacre. At least a hundred children were dead. Nisino, the unexpecting friend, dead. Chiro, the manipulated toy, dead. The two detectives, dead. And now, even the creator, the cause of this atrocity, Sousuke, dead. This game was stretching far over it’s original intentions. It was killing anyone and everyone who got involved. 

The lead detective had decided to put this case away. He man who committed the crime was dead, so there was no longer any reason to continue the case. All evidence, all the cartridges, all the notes, all the letters, they were locked away, kept in the darkness where they belonged. There were talks about the entire thing, small conversations every now and then, but over the years even these began to fade away. Eventually, the case was only a memory in the minds of those who experienced it first hand. 

Ten years passed. February 27, 2006 was the date. The lead detective, the man who locked away the original evidence ten years previous, was reminded of the awful event that occurred. Although he was no longer in the force, he still had access to files and was helped when he could. The reminder of the event caused him to look back, to open the sealed container that held all the evidence collected. 

He read through the letters and the notes. He remembered the woman who had appeared to him on the street that one day and handed him that letter that lead to the change of the entire case. He wondered who she was, and where she had come from. Perhaps she was Chiro’s mother… or maybe Sousuke’s. It was far too late to pursue any of this. Far too late.. 

Sealing the container again, he saw a second one directly behind it. Pulling it out, he read the note on top of it. “Evidence #2104A” He opened it up, and looked inside. Filling the container were exactly 104 Pokemon Red and Green cartridges, each one in perfect condition, untouched since the day they had last checked them ten years ago. 

He reached in and pulled one out, Pokemon Red. He hadn’t seen one in a long time. He didn’t know what he thought next, but he reached in his desk and pulled out an old Gameboy. He received it a long time ago, but it still worked. It was his son’s, but he had died a few years ago. His wife was gone too. That was then though. Popping in the cartridge in the back of the Gameboy he turned on the system. 

The title screen. Then the option to continue or start a new game. “Tanaka.” That was the child’s name, the one who played it first. He was probably dead, along with all the others. He pressed New Game, and started a new game. It was normal, average. He walked around, talked to his mother, went outside. He started walking towards the grass. 

In his head, he could still hear Sousuke’s words. Even though he was not there, even though he had never seen the man in his life, he could still see him, hear him. “Come follow me.” 

He was getting closer and closer, only a step or two away. 

“Roll the wheel, and who knows? Maybe you’ll learn the secret for yourself!” 

He entered the grass. The screen did nothing at first. Nothing at all. It just sat there, and so did the detective, completely frozen, as if time had stopped just for them. The screen went black. and then lit up again, the iconic green background with black text appearing. 

The lead detectives weary eyes grew wide. He couldn’t help but read out what was there in front of him.
“Come follow me, come follow me, come follow me. I miss you dad, I miss you my husband, I miss you so much.” 

Tears formed in his eyes, falling down his cheeks. Screens and screens of text appeared and he rapidly clicked the A button to continue it. It was his wife and his child. They were speaking to him, calling to him, crying with him. They wanted to see him, they loved him, he loved them. 

“I love you too,” muttered the man in a hoarse, scratching voice. 

“Come follow me, become new again. We want to see you and hold you, and be with you forever and ever and ever and ever.” 

“AND EVER AND EVER…” 

“Don’t stay away. You can see us too.. We miss you.. Come follow me. We love yo--” 

A black screen. The detectives eyes grew wide, his jaw dropping. The screen lit back up, and Oak was leading him out of the grass. “Come follow me,” said Oak. 

“NO!” shouted the man, dropping the game onto the floor. He quickly fell forward, reaching for it, bringing the screen back to his face. “Bring them back, bring them back to me!” The game continued on as usual, not responding to the detective at all. “My wife, my child, listen to me! Bring them back to me, I said!” 

Voices… He heard voices, hundreds of voices. He turned around from his seat, looking behind him, and standing in his small room were children, many children. Some had no eyes, some had rings around their throats, some were burned all across their body. They were screaming, reaching towards him. 

“Bring back my mommy, bring back my daddy, bring back my pet!” they all screamed out, reaching for the game, their mouths agape with horror and pain. “I don’t want them to go away, bring them back to me, bring them back to me!” 

“No!” shouted the detective. “It’s mine! My family is here, don’t touch it!” Horror was across his face. 

“Come follow me…” said a voice. The lead detective looked over, and in the corner of his room, next to an old desk, was Sousuke. He stood in the corner, tall, handsome, clean. A smile was on his face, stretching across his face. “Come follow me…” 

The lead detective jumped up, stepping back, trying to force away the children crawling towards him, reaching out for the game held tightly within his hands. “Wh-what’s going on here!? What’s going on!? Where is my family!?” 

Sousuke smiled generously. “I’ll show you. I’ll help you get away from them, you see? Just follow me.” Sousuke reached down, and opened a drawer on the old desk. The lead detective, pushing through the crowd of children, trying to get away, looked inside. 

Siting there, covered with dust, was his old gun from when he was on the force. He had not used that gun in many years and had put it away, not wanting to remember the things he had to do with it. But right now he didn’t see it as something that caused pain or that killed. It was shining, it was light. It was something that could set him free. 

“Just follow me,” said Sousuke, picking up the gun and putting it in the lead detectives hand. He formed his hand to hold the gun, then brought it up to his temple. “Just pull the trigger. That’s all.” 

The lead detective turned around. The children were crawling at him, grabbing his legs and pulling at him. They reached for the game. He turned back towards Sousuke, and smiled. 

“My family… I’ll follow you.” He pulled the trigger. Bang. His brains spread the wall as he fell to the ground, dead. 

It was a few days before the body was discovered. It lay on the floor, blood everywhere. In one hand held an empty gun, and in the other was a classic Gameboy with Pokemon Red on the back. The battery had long died, and only an empty, black screen was left. 

This was the final murder that the remaining authorities would allow. The last detective who was ever a part of this case personally carried all 104 cartridges away, and burned them all, making sure not a single one survived. There would taunt no more. 

However, this is not the end of the story. The code was said to have survived, and was even passed on to other language versions of the games. If you have an old Pokemon game, you can place the cartridge in the back of the classic Gameboy, turn on the system, and roll the wheel who knows? Maybe you’ll learn the secret for yourself.

(Disclaimer: Obviously none of this is true. This is a made up story that circulates around on the Internet.) 

Mario Kart 64: Rainbow Road Trick

I came across this .gif today of a Wario player successfully jumping the gap on Rainbow Road in Mario Kart 64. If any of you are familiar with this game, you know that Nintendo likes to sneak in shortcuts on many of the different tracks. However out of all of them this one is probably the most difficult to actually pull off. On paper it seems fairly simple, you do a quick hop near the beginning of the track over the fence, and try to steer yourself towards the track floating on the other side of the abyss. If you do manage to make it, you have just pretty much guaranteed your victory, as Rainbow Road is one of the longest tracks in the game, and this shortcut lets you skip almost the whole track and puts you near the end of the first lap.

Beware though, as it is much, much harder to pull off than it looks. I usually try it every time my friends and I are playing, though much to my dismay (and their enjoyment) I never make it. The bitter irony of this whole trick is if you miss, it takes forever to be put back onto the stage, so you have pretty much guaranteed yourself last place instead of the comfortable first place lead you were hoping for.

Pokemon Trading Card Game coming to 3DS Virtual Console

First I just want to start off by saying I freaking love this game. If I had some way of counting exactly how many times I've replayed games this one would certainly be near the top of the list. The Pokemon Trading Card Game originally came out in 1998 in Japan and 2000 in the US for the GameBoy Color. It is a video game adaptation of the original Pokemon Trading Card Game, which was still immensely popular at the time. While I myself never quite got into the craze of the physical collectible card game, I was very much so into this video game. One of the reasons I loved it so much is that at its core it is a fairly simple game; you go around to different places and duel people with Pokemon cards. Each time you win, you receive more cards as a prize, thus allowing you to further build and customize your decks. And I also loved the music. I can hear the dueling theme in my head right now as I'm typing this, even though it has been so long (which just goes to show how much I played this game back in the day).

There was a sequel to this game, Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR! however unfortunately it was never released outside of Japan. There is a fan translation, if you are computer savvy enough to figure out how to get it to work. I plan on taking a crack at it as soon as I have some free time, as I would really love a chance to be able to play the sequel to one of my favorite games of all time.

Pokemon Trading Card Game will be available on the 3DS Virtual Console on November 13 for only $6 USD. Absolutely worth it if you ask me, I'll be getting it for sure.

Music Appreciation Post: Majora's Theme

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm still holding out for a Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask remake, similar to the fashion in which Nintendo remade Ocarina of Time for the 3DS (see The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D). I was thinking about this earlier when I got to thinking of how good the music is in Zelda games. Each and every one of them has some absolutely fantastic orchestral arrangements (thanks to composer Koji Kondo), which I find myself looking up on YouTube on a consistent basis. In order to highlight in particular Majora's Mask, and its rather dark and mysterious nature, I've linked above to Majora's Theme. This song does a great job of portraying the kind of vibe Majora's Mask gives off while you are playing through the story. If you've never had the pleasure of playing this game before, I highly recommend you give it a try as it is one of the greatest and most unique video games of all time. It is available for purchase through the Virtual Console if you own a Nintendo Wii or Wii U, is included on The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition (along with a myriad of other Zelda titles) for the Nintendo Gamecube, or if you happen to be a computer-savvy individual you can easily download and emulate it on your home computer for free (read: not advocating piracy here just listing the options).

Thanks for reading! Give this song a listen, and give this game a try, you won't regret it!!

SSB4 Character Analysis: Pac-man

Image from the Smash Wiki

For my next Smash Bros. character analysis, I've chosen to highlight one of my favorite newcomers, Pac-Man. I'll admit I was a bit surprised when I first learned of his appearance in the latest game, and at the time I was unimpressed. After playing the game though I've come to find that he is fact a lot of fun to play as, and he happens to be one of few characters I keep finding myself coming back to. Pac-Man has a lot of unique moves, but I feel he is easy to get a feel for and with just a short amount of practice you can be on your way to becoming a solid Pac-Man player.

A moves:

• Neutral A- Your basic jab-jab-kick combo. Nothing too crazy here, but has some decent range and can be good for just racking up damage.
• Running A- This move has Pac-Man transform into his "waka-waka" form (think of the old arcade game) and charge forward a short distance. Has multiple hits and is a solid approach as I've found the last hit will still sometimes catch opponents that are trying to roll-dodge away.
• Side Smash- Pac throws out a ghost in whichever direction (left/right) you are facing. Has great range and can kill at higher percents. Otherwise just good for some horizontal knockback. 
• Up Smash- Pac throws a ghost up above his head. The hitbox for this may seem kind of small, but it can guard against approaches directly overhead. If you use it close enough (literally touching) to the opponent while they are on the ground it will hit twice while knocking them up.
• Down Smash- Pac throws out ghosts on either side of him, covering both sides. This move has great range and is a great way to punish roll dodges or just general approaches from your opponent, especially if you are not sure which side of you they are gunning for.

B moves:

• Neutral B- This move has Pac-Man cycle throw various items that each have a slightly different effect when thrown. Great for playing mind-games with people, and also serves as a handy projectile. Note there is a short cool-down on this, so you can't just sit there and spam projectiles.
• Side B- This is probably one of the most versatile moves in the game. Pac-Man throws out a line of dots and will transform into his "waka-waka" form and rush after them. The line of dots can be altered or "aimed" by your control stick as he is throwing them out, so you can guide where you want this move to end up. Great for off-stage recovery, approaching the opponent, and is a solid killing move at higher percents.
• Up B- A solid recovery move. This move has Pac-Man spawn a trampoline beneath him that he can then bounce off of 3 times, each time having him go higher. It covers a surprising amount of distance, and combined with his side B Pac-Man has pretty solid recovery all around.
• Down B- In this move Pac-Man throws down a fire hydrant beneath him. The hydrant will then shoot out bursts of water on either side of it, which does no damage but will push back any players caught in its trajectory. Can be useful for edge-guarding and more mind-games with opponents, but really my favorite part about this move is throwing it down onto the opponent's head while in the air above them. It doesn't do a whole lot of damage but I just think it's hilarious because it always seems to catch people off-guard.

Image from the Smash Wiki

Thanks for reading! If you've got the game make sure to give Pac-Man a try. I was surprised at how much I ended up liking him.

Pokemon Gen 3 Remakes are coming!

For those of you that remember the original Ruby and Sapphire (dubbed generation 3 in fan-language, as they were the third set of Pokemon games after Red/Blue and Gold/Silver), there are official 3DS remakes of both versions coming to North America on November 21st, 2014. It's hard to believe that it has been over 10 years since the originals came out for the GameBoy Advance, but apparently it has as they came out way back in 2003. I don't remember much from that time but what I do remember is my eyes and hands being firmly glued to a copy of Sapphire for a long time, as I tend to replay Pokemon games ad infinitum. While this is still about a month away, a lot of information about these games has been leaking online in the past several weeks, which has been making me crazy as more and more things (like new mega-evolutions) get revealed. 

The original Ruby and Sapphire were a big change for the Pokemon universe, as they took they game series in a further, deeper, more intricate direction than before (which can be mostly attributed to hardware limitations, not a fault of the developers, as the Gens 1&2 were on the older GameBoy/GameBoy Color). Two of the biggest new features these games brought were the introduction of abilities and natures for Pokemon, which added a whole new layer of complex gameplay to the video games. Some other fun new features introduced in the games were secret bases, double battles, and Pokemon contests.

I'm a big sucker for remakes of my favorite games, and because the remakes of Gen 2 for the DS were thoroughly satisfying (Heart Gold/Soul Silver) I've decided I'm going to give these a chance as well. I plan on pre-ordering Alpha Sapphire here soon, as Sapphire was the version that I originally had for the GBA. If you want to learn more about Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire before they are released, I would suggest checking out this page.

SSB4 Character Analysis: Yoshi

Image from the Smash Wiki

Yoshi is back in SSB4 and he is better than ever! This adorable green dinosaur has always been one of my favorites, and while he may have been a bit under-powered in Brawl (or maybe just under-appreciated) this time around he is definitely a force to be reckoned with. He has received some substantial buffs to many of his moves, which I am going to give a quick run-down of below:

A moves:

• Neutral A: Two hits. Not that great on its own but good for leading into another attack or just generally racking up damage.
• Dash attack: Probably my most favorite of all the improvements Yoshi has received in this game. This move has Yoshi rush forward with his foot extended for a lunging kick. It has a deceptively long hitbox, which is great because I've found it consistently catches people off-guard. It can also easily be chained into other moves, and even into itself.
• Up smash: One of his stronger smashes, Yoshi charges and performs a sweeping kick in an arc above his head. A good finishing move, or just hard-hitting move in general.
• Side smash: Yoshi charges and releases a powerful headbutt to his side. About equal with the Up smash in terms of damage dealt, and is also a good finishing move. This move can be good for getting an opponent off the edge, as it sends them flying to the side.
• Down smash: Yoshi charges and then sweeps his tail along the ground on both sides, always starting with the left. This move does not have as much knockback and is generally just not as good as his other two smashes, but I have found it to be useful still because no one is ever expecting it. Good for catching people off guard at times, although not the best as its hitbox is low to the ground and it has a longer animation that leaves you vulnerable if you miss.

• Neutral A (Aerial): A non-directional A in the air has Yoshi extend his foot a very short distance for a single kick. This move has a very small hitbox so it can hard to land, although it does stay active for a little longer than most moves so it can still hit if you use it a little too early, as it may still be active as you keep moving.
• Up A (Aerial): One of Yoshi's best aerial attacks, he flips around and spikes his tail upwards. It has a fast animation and can be chained easily into itself and other moves, and can also be a reliable killing move.
• Side A (Aerial): This move has Yoshi briefly wind up for an aerial headbutt. If you manage to land this while your opponent is off-stage, it will be one of the most satisfying kills you can get with Yoshi, as it will meteor-smash the opponent downwards to his death with no chance of recovery. Very solid move, can be tricky to master the timing though.
• Side Back A (Aerial): This is the backwards facing aerial variation from the regular Side A. This is a multi-hit move that is one of Yoshi's strongest, and the last hit has a sweet-spot so if you manage to connect it at a higher percent it can be a potential killing move. Very solid and a staple of Yoshi's air game along with the Up A (Aerial).
• Down A (Aerial): Yoshi's signature flutter-kick, this multi-hit move is for the master of the short-hop, although it can still be used otherwise. It is somewhat difficult to maintain as while Yoshi is performing the attack he will drift to the side and off of the opponent, which can cause some of the remaining hits to miss. This move can be difficult to execute and control, but is a good move once mastered.

B moves:

• Neutral Special: Yoshi captures the player with his tongue and pops them back out encapsulated in an egg. A classic move, although it is easily broken out of. It can be a potential set up for a smash attack or some edge-guarding antics. Any player worth his salt however knows to avoid a Yoshi sitting on the edge of the stage, as it is quite obviously a trap to encapsulate them in an egg and have them fall to their death. Hilarious if you can pull it off, though otherwise unreliable.
• Up Special: If any of you have played Yoshi in a Smash game before, you know that he does not get a traditional recovery move relegated to his Up B like most of the other characters. Using this move does provide a very short vertical hop when used in the air, but for the most part recovery with Yoshi is mostly reliant on his double flutter-jump. His Up B has him hurl eggs outwards towards the opponent, the trajectory of which can be altered with the control stick. This move is great for racking up damage, and is just an all around great projectile move if you can learn to master the control stick micro-management that comes with the skillful usage of this move. A good Yoshi player will be able to consistently troll you with eggs from a safe distance.
• Side Special: This move has Yoshi encase himself in a large egg and plow back and forth across the ground for a short time. A great move for approaching opponents who are farther away or pressuring campy projectile type players. Beware though because Yoshi is not completely safe in this state, he can be countered/interrupted by many other character's moves so this is not always the best approach, but it can be very useful still.
• Down Special: A ground-pound style smash towards the ground. This move is a great punisher for opponents who try to come at you from below in the air or who are charging up a smash on the ground but have whiffed the timing. Can be a solid killing move, and even if you miss there are two stars that burst out of the ground on either side of Yoshi when he hits the ground, so it will not be a total loss.