Today's character is going to be a familiar face for all those "old school" fans out there that grew up playing the Nintendo Entertainment System. He's the main character in a game that was beloved during the 8-bit era. This character really hasn't been seen much (outside of a cameo in a puzzle game) during the modern era of gaming. Who am I talking about? It's the tiny dino with the bubble blast breath:


Bub!

B: Standard Bubble - Bub shoots a bubble from his mouth, enveloping anyone it comes in contact with, then elevating them until they bust out of the bubble, or get carried off of the stage! This bubble behaves the same way it does in his games... it'll come out a short bit (about the reach of the baseball bat), and then go straight up. This move does no damage, but can take anyone that's not paying attention right out of the match!
< or >B: Lightning Bubble - Bub spits out a bubble that has a lightning bolt in it. How does he get it to stay in there like that?!? This bubble behaves the same way that the standard bubble behaves, except that once contact is made with the bubble it does a maximum of 11% electricity damage. If Bub pops this bubble, he won't be shocked, and instead two lightning bolts will fly out horizontally from the point of contact in opposite directions, just like in the game!
^B: Bubble Bounce - Bub pulls out a bubble and uses it to bounce in the air. He can bounce on this bubble a maximum of three times. This move does no damage and Bub's opponents can pop the bobble he's bouncing on, leaving him hi and dry!
vB: Fire Bubble - Bub spits out a bubble that has a ball of fire in it. These dragons have some mixed up internal organs! This bubble behaves the same way that the standard bubble behaves, except that once contact is made with the bubble it bursts, dropping the fire onto the ground below. The fire spreads throughout the entire platform, and if you catch someone in it for the entire duration, it can do a maximum of 45% damage! Chances are good that it'll only do about 8-15% damage though.
Final Smash: Bubble Blast - It's a bubble deluge! Bub summons a wave of bubbles to the screen. The bubbles are randomized between standard bubbles, lightning bubbles, and fire bubbles. This sure can create a bit of chaos! The bubbles do the standard amount of damage.

Bub also has his friend Bob available in the game as a costume change. Just change his color from green to blue. There isn't any difference in the characters other than the color and the name. Maybe some players prefer Bob.... Also, Bub/Bob can only have one bubble of a certain type on screen at a time, so he won't be able to flood the screen with bubbles. That is, other than the Bubble Blast Final Smash!

Bub's Stage:

This stage may bring back memories of your childhood, of days spent playing your Nintendo with your brother or sister. Bubble Bobble is the game, and Bub's stage is the first stage of this game.



It's exactly the same stage! Well, it's zoomed in a bit so your opponents can be smashed off of the left and right sides of the screen. This stage is small, but if it were any bigger it wouldn't exactly be the same, now would it? Also, I added two small pits at the bottom of the stage. A completely closed off stage can feel stifling, and is best only used infrequently!

Hazards: Every so often, little monsters will make their way through the stages. These monsters will hit for a maximum of 8%. Avoid them and they'll just walk to the bottom of the stage and fall off. You can kill them to get them out of the way, or (if you're playing as Bub) capture them in a bubble and send them floating away.

Bub is a character that would really shake up the Smash universe. If he were to be included, we'd finally have another dinosaur for Yoshi to befriend. I don't think that Bub and Bowser would get along though... Bub's use of bubbles really makes his fighting style different... your opponents may be more methodical fighters when Bub's playing. A player that enjoys a more deliberate style of fighting may have a good time with Bub!

Come back tomorrow for more rampant, unfounded speculation as I count down the days until the US release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl!

As always, if you've missed any of the old updates due to the holiday season (or just want to go back and read or discuss about your favorite predictions) then just go here. I'll keep the links current, so you can bookmark the page and check back later for any updates.