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SAMUS The mysterious intergalactic bounty hunter who has thrice saved the galaxy from the threat of destruction at the hands of the ruthless Space Pirates and the life-sucking Metroids, Samus Aran wasn't as popular with fans of the original Super Smash Bros as she should've been. People new to the game often had a hard time (1) controlling her somewhat bulky frame, and (2) utilizing her highly-effective attacks, most of which proved to take more of a learning curve than that of the cheaper characters (i.e. Kirby, Link, Pikachu etc.). Gamers found themselves frustrated with her arm cannon's long charge time, her mediocre regular attacks and the fact that she lacked that one REALLY powerful move that would give her an edge with beginners. However, those who chose to stick with Samus found that becoming a master of the Metroid hunter definitely pays off. Once a player became accustomed to her discouraging feel, it would soon be discovered that hidden within Samus was a perfect balance of a long-range fighter and a close-range brawler, giving almost anyone who chose to stick with her a considerable edge over every opponent in the game. In Melee, the designers have chosen not to tweak her considerably in any direction, although her Screw Attack and charge beam have been slightly improved over the original. Let's put it this way - if you're looking for someone you can master in a few minutes and appear to your friends that you've been playing this game for a couple of years, stick with Link. However, if you're a bit more devoted and want someone you can mold from a seemingly ineffective character to a fast, well-balanced frenzy of orange DEATH, Samus is your lady. Samus has an advantage in every area - long-range combat, close quarters combat, speed, agility, stamina and excellent defense & evasion capabilities. The whole entree doesn't come to you on a silver plate, however. It'll take a bit of skill and patience before Samus' performance pays off. CLASSIFICATION: Long Range Regular Attacks Samus thrusts her mighty arm cannon out at the opponent. If charged enough, this move can instantly KO an opponent that has some decent damage done to him/her. Samus doesn't have to charge up for very long to deal an ample supply of damage, however. This is an excellent move for opponents madly charging at you, or also a good finishing touch to a combo. Use it when you're looking for a quick finish, or when your opponent is wide open or off-guard. Samus performs a powerful leg sweep, which is great for clearing out multiple attackers at once. It deals a quantity of damage equal to the forward smash, but not as effective for KOs as it sends your opponent flying vertically rather than directly off the screen. Use this move if you are at close-quarters with an attacker directly behind you, and lack the time critical to turn around and counter-attack. Samus creates a fire arch with her arm cannon, from left to right or vice-versa. This can deal more damage than both the down and forward smash if charged enough and used correctly, but again, won't result in any KOs. Use the up smash for opponents directly overhead or within very close range of you. Special Attacks Charge Beam: Samus' SSB veteran attack. If you tap B, Samus will begin to charge her arm cannon. Tap B again shortly thereafter and Samus will fire a small, lightly-damaging burst of plasma energy that moves slowly and doesn't cover half the screen. This is good only if you're trying to repel an enemy who is blindly rushing you, leaving an opening for evasion or a possible counter-attack. However, if you tap B and allow the cannon to charge up for awhile, you can deliver more potent blasts. The longer Samus charges, the more powerful the blast will be, and the farther it will travel as well. Samus has a max on her charge, though, and once her charge maxes out she will begin to lightly flash, and her cannon will sparkle. The charge will last until you take moderate-to-heavy damage, and while you are fully charged you can resume battle with no altercations to your performance. However, as soon as you tap B you will blast the charge. An excellent strategy is to wait until your opponent is off-guard and surprise him with a plasma- induced trip to Kingdom Come. Also, take note that while Samus is charging, she is vulnerable to attacks. Hence, whenever you are charging Samus, you can press left or right on the analog stick to morph into a ball and travel in the direction you specified. An excellent evasion maneuver. Homing Missile: Quite a bit more powerful than standard uncharged plasma blasts, the homing missile travels farther than a standard blast and also features a mild homing feature than will zero in on enemies who are not in its general path. However, don't expect the missile to follow them to New Jersey - the homing effect is very mild and only works if the opponent is slightly above or below its path. Also, keep in mind that this is a great advantage to Samus, as it permits her to fire projectiles even when she is fully charged - a feature not present in the original Smash Bros. Screw Attack: Possibly Samus' most useful move as well as one of the best moves in the game. When utilized, Samus curls up and spins vertically into the air in an electrical frenzy of power. Anything caught in this storm of pain - including multiple opponents -- will be sucked into it and will receive moderate damage before falling to the ground below. A great maneuver for the following: attacking enemies directly above you, attacking enemies who are preparing a downward air assault (i.e. Kirby's block move or Link's downward slash), quickly moving out of the way of an attack from the side or an air attack (the Screw Attack sends Samus into the air faster than a standard jump), and serving as an effective triple jump when you're in desperate need of getting back on the arena. However, the Screw Attack has its disadvantages as well. First of all, if you choose to attack Kirby or Link (or anyone else with a powerful downward attack) using the SA, be sure you connect with them BEFORE they execute the move. The Screw Attack may be useful for canceling possible assaults, but it will not protect you from power attacks that already had the pre- emptive. Secondly, keep in mind that Samus is vulnerable after performing the Screw Attack (i.e. can't perform attacks), so if you miss your opponent when performing it or another opponent is waiting below, you're wide open. Bomb: Samus's trademark attack - she will morph into a ball and lay a small bomb that rolls along slanted ground and explodes on impact of an enemy (or within a couple of seconds, whichever comes first). Though only lightly damaging, it's an EXCELLENT defense weapon. Example - you're in midair and an enemy is waiting on the ground directly below you. It looks like there's no escape from an inevitable vertical attack, right? Wrong-O. At the peak of your jump, press down and B repeatedly to drop down an air raid of bombs, which will nullify the opponent's chance of attacking you if performed correctly. They also serve as excellent cover weapons - if you drop bombs while traveling in the opposite direction, it makes it extremely difficult for an attacking opponent to follow, which could turn the tables in any battle. Strategies for Samus Swordsmen -Link -Young Link -Marth -Roy You don't want to take swordsmen head-on when you have an array of both air and projectile options. Marth and Roy are both lethal at close- range (just look at those swords!!), but they're easy pickings seeing that they have little defense against long-range combat. A good idea is to keep your distance, barrage them with homing missiles and once their damage is up nice and high, send them a charged plasma kiss when they least expect it. Link is a little trickier seeing that he has bombs for cover, arrows for long range and that formidable spin attack for both ground and air attacking. The best strategy is to coax him into performing an upward spin attack/upward smash attack when you're overhead. Anticipate his actions and butter him with falling bombs. Once he's emaciated, finish the job with an unsuspected power blast. Do the same with Young Link, although close-combat fighting can overpower the little runt just as easily. Speedsters -Fox -Falco -Pikachu -Pichu -Captain Falcon Samus is pretty fast herself, but you'll have to master dodging to truly own these guys. Fox and Falco are masters of eluding projectiles with their short frame and quick feet, so these guys are better confronted at close range. Samus' leg and arm attacks have a better reach than that of Fox/Falco's, so use that to your advantage, and also keep the > + R parry in mind when fighting. Pikachu/Pichu are both masters of teleportation, and also have high defense capabilities against air attacks. Don't attempt an air raid with these guys, but rather, stay on your feet and work on them with a combination of ground sweeps and punch/kick attacks. Be wary that these two are difficult to edge guard against on account of their teleporting skills, so your best bet is to inflict heavy damage on them and KO them with a charge blast or smash attack. As for Falcon, he has some lightning-fast devastating attacks, so he's best confronted with a careful dose of dodging + downward smashes. Use > + R or vice-versa to roll behind the burning speed freak and quickly connect a leg sweep before he has the chance to put you on the defensive. With that said, remember that projectiles are pretty effective against him (just keep your distance!). Close Range -Dr. Mario -Mario -Luigi -Yoshi -Mr. Game & Watch -Ice Climbers Your long-range flexibility can have a tremendous edge against this lot. Charged blasts and homing missiles can keep you in safe-zone for the most part depending on your judgment and accuracy, so stay on the side of the arena opposite your close-range foe and pellet him with your arsenal. If your foe advances on you, use bombs to provide cover and escape to safety. Although Samus is an effective close-quarters combatant, Mario, Luigi and the rest have an advantage as far as strength and combo flexibility. Make it a point to stick with your guns when confronting these fools, and only move in for the kill when the price is right. Long Range -Ness -Samus -Mewtwo As Samus, you can either fight fire with fire here, or attack them head on. Ness' long attacks are for the most part slow, but you also have a curve at close range as he's a relatively weak brawler, so make it a point to frenzy him with A attacks if you fight him at close range (you don't want to give him the opportunity to wield his bat). Mewtwo can be a worthy long-range opponent as his projectile attack is uninterceptable, so it's a good idea to front him with a mixture of down+A attacks and the Screw Attack. As far as Samus, she has everything you have, so form your own tactics here. Lightweights -Kirby -Jigglypuff -Peach -Zelda These are all pinatas against the likes of Samus. Send them up into the soaring skies with a down smash sweep, and then tender them with a Screw Attack. Another fun strategy is to toss them upwards into the air with Z, jump up and deliver them an up + A kick, and follow that up with a Screw Attack (does considerable damage). Or you can just blast them to death. Samus is a general powerhouse to these foes if utilized correctly, and most people will find that lightweights aren't much against Samus' balance. Just be weary of Kirby's downward block attack, which can cancel out any Screw Attack. Also be aware of Jigglypuff's rest move, which is absolutely fatal in certain situations. Heavyweights -Donkey Kong -Bowser -Ganondorf All brawn but no... speed. Samus' quickness and agility will give you the edge here, and pretty much every special move Samus possesses can be used effectively against the lot. Ganondorf has a lethal uppercut which can be suppressed with a healthy dose of air-to-ground bombs. His smash attacks give ample warning and allow time for an opening in which you can deliver an attack of your own. Donkey Kong, though powerful, is extremely slow and can be dispatched with relentless close-range battering. Bowser is slow, bulky and short-range for the most part, so you're safe from this guy if you make good use of your cannon. In general, all take a great deal of damage before they'll begin flying, so have some patience when fighting them. Also, edge guarding is intrinsic with these characters, so make use of run + A attacks when a fighter is climbing from the edge. Also, if one of these sluggish pugilists happen to be drifting toward the edge of the arena, you can kick them to their doom easily by jumping right above them and pressing down + A. This goes for all characters, but especially the heavy-hitters as they seem to be more vulnerable to this maneuver.