Here, as promised, is the eleventh portion (including my review and bonus character) of my in-depth Super Smash Bros. Brawl critique for Rorschach’s contest.

After writing this all out, I realized it is way too long for a single post. I’ll break it down into two characters at a time and release them over the course of the week so you can read who you like at your own leisure.

The following will detail my impressions and thoughts of every character in the second row of the final roster, two at a time. So, if you haven’t finished unlocking the entire roster, or have been living under a fucking rock for a couple months, don’t read any further. There may be a surprise or two mentioned herein. I’ll also offer up one or two suggestions for additional characters that I feel should have made the roster or deserve a spot in the next iteration. Enjoy.

Pokemon Trainer

I loved the first Pokemon game. I am man enough to admit that. I got the red version and my buddy got the blue. We did our damndest to catch all of those fucking pocket monsters, but we weren’t THAT into it. I got stuck in some dungeon I could never make it out of and he bought a new game eventually. Thus our Pokemon craze ended. However, the game went on to sell gajillions of copies and Pokemon is still popular today. The fact they chose the original Pokemon Trainer as a new rep in Brawl made my pants tight.



Pokemon Trainer is possibly the hardest character to critique. He’s essentially three different characters all at once. Clearly, he offers a unique play style AND a great nod to fans, because of it, but he certainly doesn’t make my job any easier. To make it easier for you, I’ll break down how I feel about the three separate Pokemon he uses.

Charizard

Charizard is a bad ass. His Over+B rock headbutt is the single most powerful move in the game IF you manage to get someone in between your head and the rock. Does an instant 45% damage AND has huge knockback. Charizard is my leader in homerun derby because of it.


This move is deadly.

He also has good jump/recovery (although Like Meta Knight I hate gliding) for a heavy. He can breathe fire to deal damage to multiple enemies in a cluster and has good smashes with tail whips and wing flaps (while in air). Overall, Charizard is my favorite of Pokemon Trainer’s arsenal.

Ivysaur

I never liked Ivysaur and all his versions when I played the real Pokemon game, but he’s decent in Brawl. His bevy of vine whips and leaf throws are pretty good. Plus, they’re a fine mix-up from Charizard’s more hand on approach to fighting.

His neutral B seed shooter thing is great for attacking people above you repeatedly and catching them off guard. Makes ‘em think twice about jumping over you.



His A attacks are decent and lean toward his vine use, which is fine, ‘cause they give him arguably the best reach in the game. Plus, the vines help give him a great recovery (Up+B) move that, for a low-jumping quadruped, help him stay on the stage.

Squirtle

Squirtle was my go to guy in the real Pokemon. Unfortunately, like all base level pocket monsters, he’s not very powerful. I understand that’s the point, but it’s still a point to make.



Most of Squirtle’s moves revolve around shooting water which san deflect moves and make people slip, sorta like Mario’s water pack. His Up+B recovery is decently useful and it can push people out of your way if they meet you in midair.

His tail whips are decent enough for A attacks, but he’s really not much of a head on combatant. That doesn’t my personal play style, so I find myself rarely spending a lot of time with him, except for novelty’s sake.

Luckily, all three Pokemon come together for a pretty damn effective Final Smash. I love the little text box that pops up, just like when you attacked in the original game. Nice touch there. Plus, the beam itself is wide reaching and powerful, able to sweep up opponents trying to avoid being swept up and do a lot of damage to those caught directly in its path. Overall, it’s a pretty great FS that fits the character(s) and the series. Don’t know how I’d change it, really.

Pokemon Trainer = Win (Charizard) / Win (Ivysaur) / Fail (Squirtle). Overall = Win. Two thirds of Pokemon Trainer’s arsenal is full of win. I’m just upset Squirtle isn’t more effective, as I loved the little guy when I played the game. If only they made him Blastoise… hmm. If Pokemon Trainer returns I’d love to see these three Pokemon return at different levels OR give us the trainer from another Pokemon game and that series’ three starters leveled differently. Or, make alternate costume have the three be at different levels but with the same (although powered differently) move sets? Simply, keep the character fresh. There is no end to the possibilities here, so don’t stifle our options.

Thanks for reading. Check my blog later for my critique of Ike and Snake!

Or read my review of the game!

Or, if you need to catch up on old critiques try these:

Mario and DK
Link and Samus
Kirby and Fox
Pikachu and Marth
Mr Game & Watch
Luigi and Diddy Kong
Zelda/Sheik and Pit
Meta Knight and Falco

And my bonus characters who should have made the roster:

Mega Man

Thanks for reading!