E3 2014 is just around the corner, meaning that the daily Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS images have been going up each weekday for nearly a year. Before we get our news dump on the latest two entries in the Smash series next week, take a look at my personal favorite images from the last year!
10.) Friday, July 12 (Week 5, Image 42)
The reveal of Captain Olimar as a returning fighter came to me as a shock. It wasn’t because I didn’t expect him to return or because I thought he was being replaced, it was because I was not expecting any kind of character reveal for a very long time. Captain Olimar was revealed a month after the game was shown at E3 2013. We really were not getting any major announcements in the weeks prior, so revealing Captain Olimar let fans know that many more announcements would come through the daily pics.
9.) Friday, February 7 (Week 34, Image 169)
Whenever a series gets new representation, especially the Metroid series, you can definitely count me excited. The reveal of the Mother Brain Assist Trophy gave us a sign that there were many more cool Assist Trophies left to be revealed.
8.) Tuesday, August 6 (Week 9, Image 41)
Again, this reveal was made fairly early on, just two months after E3 2013. This image of the Pilotwings stage was simply released without much explanation, allowing fans to run rampant with their thoughts and ideas. It was pretty clear that this was part of a stage, but this was our first stage reveal and that’s what makes it so special.
7.) Monday, January 6 (Week 30, Image 145)
We really didn’t know if trophies were going to return and if they were going to be presented the same way, so the reveal of the Saria trophy gave us that confirmation that they would indeed return. Plus, we are getting new Ocarina of Time trophies. Awesome!
6.) Friday, November 15 (Week 23, Image 114)
A few weeks prior to the reveal of the Super Mario Galaxy stage, Sakurai posted an image of Kirby against a starry background. He teased the glow that outlined Kirby, and fans correctly guessed this was a hint for the Super Mario Galaxy stage. The stage itself is amazing to look at, making this a very memorable Picture of the Day.
5.) Monday, March 31 (Week 42, Image 205)
Getting confirmation that Luigi is getting a new Final Smash gave us one great sigh of relief. His Negative Zone Final Smash from Brawl did not make any sense for his character, so pulling something from the Luigi’s Mansion series was the right move. This also meant that other characters could also get new Final Smashes as well.
4.) Friday, December 6 (Week 26, Image 139)
Majora’s Mask is awesome, so seeing Skull Kid as an Assist Trophy made this Picture of the Day one of the best. I also loved Sakurai’s emphasis on making sure fans knew he was not playable.
3.) Wednesday, December 18 (Week 28, Image 137)
Our first newcomer since the reveal of Megaman, Villager, and Wii Fit Trainer back at E3 2013. Not only was this one of the biggest reveals for the game, it was also the addition of a highly popular character to one of the most popular series found in the game. Rosalina and Luma have a lot of potential, and this image that followed the Nintendo Direct helped make that clear.
2.) Wednesday, May 7 (Week 47, Image 232)
I played the Wonderful 101 and thought it was a fantastic game. Unfortunately, many Nintendo fans have stayed away from the game, some because it’s a new franchise that they are not familiar with. The game was not very popular, and this helped solidify my conclusion that the game would not have any representation in the upcoming Smash Bros. titles. This Picture of the Day gladly proved me wrong. Not only are we getting a very cool trophy of Wonder-Red, we are also getting trophies of some of the other heroes as well! This couldn’t have made me happier!
1.) Wednesday, April 9 (Week 43, Image 212)
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xUWnQu2Grs
Is this cheating? The Smash Bros. Direct that aired two months ago was by far one of the biggest days for any Smash Bros. fan. Nearly 40 minutes of constant Smash Bros. footage and information was dumped on us all, giving us character reveals, new stages, new mode reveals, new items, and a lot more. Not only did we get the video, but we also got over 200 images of the game. So there were images after all!
Some Honorable Mentions: