Alexander Anderson
Alexander is a lifelong gamer who used to play video games competitively. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology which gives him a unique insight in the world of gaming. You can follow him on twitter
A new Super Smash Bros called Smash 4 was released on the WiiU recently. The game is highly popular at social gathering due to its many characters from all different franchises and for its 8-players capability. Not many video game have Megaman, Mario, Sonic, Pikachu all on the same screen beating the living hell out of each other. The game is also easy to pick up and play for casual gamers. As a result, you’ll probably play this game at one point or another with your friends or with your relatives during Christmas holiday.
Here are 5 quick tips that will give you an edge over all of them.
1. Play with the official GameCube controller
Smash 4 supports a variety of controllers made by Nintendo. Anything from WiiU gamePad to Wii remote to the classic controller will works with this game. However, the best controller for the game by far is the GameCube controller because the buttons are perfectly placed for your fingers to execute moves. Playing the game is awkward with the Wii remote and the gamepad due to the nature their designs. If you don’t have the GameCube controller, the next best controller to play this game on are the classic controller pro or Wii U Pro Controller. You won’t perform as well as you would with the GameCube controller, but it is preferable to playing the game with a Wii remote.
2. Learn short hop fast fall (SHFF)
Learning how to SHFF consistently is enough to win against most beginners. You will be able to do more attacks and you’ll be able to move around quickly with every character in the game. Defensively, you can use fast fall to mix up your evading options in the sky. Instead of being struck in the air getting hit, you can land quickly or slowly and screwing up the timing of your opponent’s attacks.
Short hop occurs when you lightly tap the jump button on the controller. You don’t want to use directional up on the left analog to jump because it is highly inconsistent and it can interfere with your character control. Fast fall is when you press down on the controller at near the peak of your jump. Master short hopping first then master fast fall. Once SHFF becomes muscle memory, you can add in aerial attacks in between SHFF. If you don’t have the game, the best way to practice is to simply try to do it during the game and stopped caring about winning and instead focus on trying to improve. Losing games will be common at first, but once you learn the technique your win-rate will climb and the game will be a lot funnier.
However, If you don’t know how to properly do a recovery off the stage, you should learn that first.
3. Use the C-stick to do aerials
The yellow right analog stick on the GameCube controller is called the C-stick. It’s primary action is to do powerful yet easily punishable moves called “smash attack.” Nevertheless, you can use the C-stick to also do aerials in the air rather than using the A button to attack. This can be hard to do at first but once you learn it you’ll have an advantage over other players who merely the A button to attack. You can perform moves that they can’t do such as moving your character in the air backward via left analog stick yet attacking facing forward with the C-stick. Master this technique with SHFF and you will be better than 90 percent of the players you’ll ever face in your life.
4. Learn spacing and stage control
In Smash 4, the person who is in the middle of the stage always has an advantage. To put it simply, depending on where you and your opponent are positioned on the screen, one of the players has the advantage. From the middle position, your character is less likely to die from a hit and you can kill your opponent easier by forcing him off the stage.
In contrast, when your back is near the edge of the stage you have less options to maneuver your character and killing your opponent from there can be difficult. When your opponent is at the edge, the best strategy is is to zone him out by standing your ground and look for an opening or wait for your opponent to make a mistake. His options are limited because he has nowhere to go.
Imagine that you are boxing in a ring and you have your opponent cornered. If he tries to escape, you punch him and put him back in the corner. It’s the exact same idea. Most smash 4 beginners don’t understand this concept and so they’ll move toward their opponent to do a risky attack that allows their opponent rooms to recover to the middle of the stage.
Spacing is another important concept that a casual player does not know about. When you do an attack with any move, you want to space your move so that it hit your opponent right at the maximum range of your move. By doing so this give you less chances to get counter hit by your opponent. Poor spacing is like trying to fight someone with a sword in a close range when you have a sniper rifle. There is no reason to put yourself at risk when you can snipe from far away. Ideally, the only time you want to close the gap that you have created between yourself and your opponent, is when your opponent is in a vulnerable state.
5. Visit smashboards.com
Can’t figure out how to beat your friend’s annoying character? Want to know which character is good against who? Want to learn advanced techniques? Simply visit smashboards and read up on the optimal combos and strategies. Smashboards is gigantic community of Super Smash Bros. players from around the world and is the #1 forum for smash.
Implement the 5 tips above and you’ll smash everyone in Smash 4 in no time.
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