Though the biggest Super Smash Bros.-related news to come out of the first day of E3 was the chain of character confirmations (Miis, Palutena, and Pac-Man), there were a lot of other interesting announcements and details provided by series director Masahiro Sakurai during a conference later in the evening.
To start, Sakurai went into details regarding the new feature of being able to customize each character’s individual moves. Each of the four special moves activated by pressing B on the controller, or B while pressing the joystick up, down or to the side, will have three unique variants to choose from. The example provided was being able to pick between Mario’s standard bouncing fireball, a quicker and straighter fireball, or a slower but more powerful fireball.
Another new way to customize fighters is the Equipment feature, where players can apply up to three items earned through gameplay to a character, which will affect their stats in various ways. Also, while the idea of alternate costumes for every character was not discussed, it was confirmed that Miis will be able to wear various outfits and hats, similar to the recent Tomodachi Life. It was also confirmed that players will be able to share customization and unlock progress across both the Wii U and 3DS games, though how that will work was not discussed.
Sakurai also gave some behind-the-scenes details on character selection for both games. He was initially hesitant to incorporate Miis as playable fighters in the game, due to their more peaceful nature in such titles as Wii Sports, but changed his mind after seeing a massive number of requests for them. When asked about whether the recent popularity of Greninja in Pokemon X & Y led to its inclusion, he revealed that the entire character roster was settled upon right when he started development, so that he and the development team could focus on keeping everyone well-balanced from day one.
Super Smash Bros. is scheduled for release on the 3DS on October 3, with the Wii U version coming later in the year. We will continue to keep you updated on the game as more details are released.