Beginner Help

[AmishTycoon]

Hello,

I've never played brawl before. Or melee. Or a wii. Or a gamecube. Or even a N64. However, within the next few days I'm planning on purchasing a Wii along with brawl, and need some tips.

Pretty much any help for a rookie like me would help...I plan on playing online and hope to get decent at this game, and don't know what the proper plan of action would be to achieve this. I would think it would be to pick a character, learn the movelist, etc. But am not sure and would love to ask the Brawl experts.

I've never really heard of any of the characters (aside from Mario, Donkey Kong, etc.), and am not sure which character to play, or which style to play.

I am clueless. Please help.

Take Care,

AmishTycoon.

 

[ThatInsaneKid]

First, unlock all the characters. That's kind of a no-brainer. I just played through Subspace, but there are a lot of quick way to unlock all the characters and stages at the same time.

After that, just play matches against friends/sibilings (or comps if the first two aren't available). You should already have a vague idea of who you like and who you don't from playing Subspace, so dabble a little in each and see which one best suits how you tend to play (which could range from aggresive to defensive to anything, really), then go to the character boards to read more about them.

Wow.

I sound like a gay salesman.

 

[Blackbelt]

Play through the subspace emmisary.


And then play through Classic mode many times.


Familiarize yourself with the fighters.


After you have done that, the true training begins.


I wish you luck, young grasshopper.

 

[UltiMario]

Play Meta Knight. You can own all your friends after about 1 day of practice.
lol

Now, to be serious, you should explore the Tatical Discussion and the AT Sticky to ifnd out what your favoirte character CAN do (always check the "Multiples" as well). Then visit the boards of the character of your choice and ask questions and get judgement.

 

[AmishTycoon]

Hello,

Play through the subspace emmisary.


And then play through Classic mode many times.


Familiarize yourself with the fighters.


After you have done that, the true training begins.


I wish you luck, young grasshopper.

Okay, thanks a lot. That's the fourth time i've been called a grasshopper today.

I sound like a gay salesman.

Defiently not gay. If it was gay, i would of already closed the page.



Thanks for all the advice. I will use it.


Take Care,

AmishTycoon

 

[Zap657]

DO A BARREL ROLL!

Really, learn rolling/dodging/shielding, you'll be owning your n00b friends in no time. Then after enough days of practice, pick a character. (and check out ATs when you're ready.)

 

[ndayday]

Don't forget to read the instruction booklet! Honestly though, if you want you could read it, it gives you the basics of the game. Also when you get online, you should spectate a few matches, just to see different playing styles etc. If you don't want to spoil characters don't do it though.

Also you may want to check out the official Brawl site if you haven't already. It has basics as well.

http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/howto/index.html

Good luck!

 

[Noodlehead]

Also when you get online, you should spectate a few matches,

i dont think you should spectate, you should just watch matches on youtube they are way better.
you should also choose captain falcon as main

 

[AmishTycoon]

you should also choose captain falcon as main

Just cause he's a badass?

 

[Zap657]

. Also when you get online, you should spectate a few matches, just to see different playing styles etc

Because we all know how Kirby flying up, using rock, and flying up again is a legitimate and pwnage technique.


Second the Youtube suggestion, but those are usually better when you have an idea which character you will play as... Speaking of which, do you have an idea which character you want to main, or will that all come down to gameplay? (I had picked Olimar as my main months in advance of the game's release )

 

[AmishTycoon]

Hello,

Speaking of which, do you have an idea which character you want to main, or will that all come down to gameplay? (I had picked Olimar as my main months in advance of the game's release )

I completley see your point, althought I'm not quite as sure as you were, I'm relying on personal perference to play a huge part in my decsion.

Take Care,

AmishTycoon

 

[Digimonkey]

learn how to use alot of attacks and not just one over and over. theres somewhere around 22 attacks.

 

[DireklianCliff]

Do as Blackbelt suggested. That's how it's done.

 

[blaaa]

play through subspace learn more about the game once you have all the characters unlocked start playing some matches choose a main and practice alot. playing against CPUs is probably better than playing online because of lag

 

[SkylerOcon]

Seeing as you've never played a Smash Brothers game before, the ideal character to start out with is Mario. He's the all-around character, and very good for newbies.

From there, see who your good with. It may end up as Mario, or it may end up as Kirby. Who knows?

 

[Genghis Krahn]

That's the fourth time i've been called a grasshopper today.

...

Defiently not gay. If it was gay, i would of already closed the page.

...

Haha. This guy cracks me up.

 

[AmishTycoon]

Hello,

I bought a wii and Brawl. Finished Subspace mode thing on hard WITH EASE. And have been messing around in normal brawl with a few characters in perticular. I'd like to start choosing a "main," but I think I should unlock all characters first. :|

Few characters I like :

Olimar - Give some super percentages on my enemies, but have problems knocking them over the edge and making them explode..
Ice Climbers - I have better luck getting kills, but struggle with giving damage and flying back on the edge when i fly off of it. And they're pretty homosexual looking (which is a con).
Pit- Seem to do good with him. He can fly.

Luigi and Rob are some of my best aswell, but didn't bold them because I couldn't think of anything creative.

I'm trying not to just hit buttons, but whenever I do I seem to do just as well or better than when I'm not, which is a big confidence deflater.

I really don't know what I'm expecting as a response to this post. Just thought I'd give y'all an update on my Super Smash Brothers Brawl Status.

Take Care,

AmishTycoon

 

[Fatmanonice]

Which characters haven't you unlocked yet? Anyways, Olimar and the Ice Climbers are pretty technical characters so I wouldn't recommend them for beginners. Pit, however, is fairly easy to pick up but you have to be careful of not becoming too predictible with him (a problem that most beginners have with him as well as other characters like Ike, Marth, Kirby, and Wolf).

 

[AmishTycoon]

Hello,

Haven't unlocked Toon Link, Wolf, or Jigglypuff.

I imagine against any player of decent skill my strategy of hitting A and B over and over and over would be shut down pretty fast. I want to start learning moves so I'm not button mashing, but I'm not sure where to start.

Thanks for the quick response.

Take Care,

AmishTycoon.

 

[Fatmanonice]

To unlock Toon Link, go the SSE and play through the stage where Link first appeared again. A new door will appear about 1/4 through the level. Go in it, he'll appear, and then beat him. If I remember correctly, you can also unlock him by beating Classic mode with Link after completing the SSE.

To unlock Jigglypuff, go to the level called the Swamp (you know, the place where you first meet Falco and fight the giant Diddy) and just go through it as usual. In the section after you beat the giant Diddy, a new door will have appeared. Again, she'll appear and then you fight her to unlock her. You can also unlock her by beating the first 20 events in event mode after beating the SSE.

To unlock Wolf, go to the level that's inside the ruins (the Lucas/Pokemon Trainer stage after you beat Wario). Go to the part where there's the falling platform and the crystal spikes coming out of the wall. Once you reach the bottom, a new door will be there and you can fight Wolf. Another way to unlock Wolf is to beat Boss Battles with Fox.

Regarding improving your skills, I'm willing to help you out if you have Wifi. I'm going to Texas for a week tomorrow but I could tutor you for awhile once I come back. In that time, it would be best just to screw around with the various characters so you have a decent idea of what every character can do. Ease yourself into the game and play against the computer for awhile. Once you become better, playing against anything but lower level computers can be detremental but at this stage, you need to just get a feel for the game.

Once I come back, I can fight you. After our fight, I can give you feedback via this site and offer advice and then we'll go from there. How does that sound?

 

[AmishTycoon]

Hello,

Wow. That sounds awesome.


Yes, I have WiFi, but the only times I've played have been very laggy, but maybe it'll be better when it's just two of us.

I really really appriciate the help that you're giving/going to give me. I look forward to us fighting.

Thanks again.

Take Care,

AmishTycoon

 

[Fatmanonice]

Smash Boards has been down for me for the past two days but I'm finally back to respond to this. When learning a character, these are the basic six things you should do before seriously training with them:

1. Memorize what each of the character's moves are. (For example, if I were to ask what Mario does when you push the B button, you'd be able to tell me.)

2. Memorize the basic things that each move can do. (For example, most up tilts send your opponent up in the air.) This will be extremelly important to know because you'll know things like which moves are best stringed together and which moves are best for KOs.

3. Find out if your character has what I call "special abilities." My definition of this are moves that multiple functions or characteristics about the character that can be helpful. For example, Link and Toon Link's shields can stop some projectiles, Wario, Kirby, and King Dedede can eat certain projectiles, and Lucas and Ness can relect most projectiles with their forward smash attacks.

4. After playing a good number of matches with the character, determine what their major strengths and weaknesses are. Work with the strengths and try to find ways to get around the weaknesses.

5. Using the above info and further experimentation, find out the basics when it comes to which characters your character is good/bad against. It is not only important to know your character but every other character in the game so it could be said that all these steps can be repeated up to 38 more times.

6. Once everything else is done, begin looking into advanced techniques for your character and begin seriously training with them.

 

[Icarus Descent]

No advice here but, you have never had or played a GCN, N64, a Wii, or Smash...and you don't know any of the characters aside of the ones everyone knows. So you don't know the moves for the characters or the button commands to perform each action.

I guess I just can't comprehend all of this because I have it all down right memorized, you have never played Melee or even Smash 64....interesting..

 

[mariofanpm12]

1. Unlock all the characters, which can be done via the Subspace Emissary or by playing many versus matches.

2. Test out all the characters against weaker CPUS (Lv4 or lower)

3. Either Spectate matches online to find new play styles that may fit you, or go to Youtube to see footage ofa certain character you're interested in.

4. Read about and try to master some of the advanced techniques in the game.

5. Play against tougher CPUs (or friends/family)

6.After finding the right character and play style, go to either Character Discussion for the character to find more or check Tcatical Discussion for general info.

Extra Information:

a) During Subspace Emissary as you unlock characters and play as them, you'll get clues as to how well they play in your hands.

b) If you can't settle for characters with disbalnced statistics, like fast but weak characters or strong but slow characters, then try characters like Mario, who are balanced.

c)Playing online can help, but lag may interfere with your matches. Instead, play with closeby people or CPUs whenever possible instead.

d)After acquainting yourself with the game and its mechanics and finding a character who works well for you, try to stick with the character. It can be tough, but remember: all characters take practice and patience to truly master.

e) Control schemes play a big roll in Brawl. Many players use the Gamecube controller, but the Classic Controller and Wii Remote w/ Nunchuk can potentially work well, also. Choose whichever fits you best. If you can't find the right one, go to the Options Mode and cutsomize what buttons do what. It may help.

 

[AmishTycoon]

Hello,

Smash Boards has been down for me aswell.

1. Memorize what each of the character's moves are. (For example, if I were to ask what Mario does when you push the B button, you'd be able to tell me.)

How specific should i memorize them? I've played a lot of Super Smash Brothers Brawl over the past few days...and I generally could tell you what each character does when you hit B and B alone. But if you asked me what Mr. Gay Man Watch does when he does Usmash...I couldn't tell you.

Thanks for the guideline, it'll really come in handy in my quest to become an elite Super Smash Brothers Brawl player.

you don't know any of the characters aside of the ones everyone knows.

Well I wouldn't say I don't know any of them. I've heard of kirby, sonic, zelda and a few others, although it took me a while to figure out that the Link and Zelda are different people.

2. Test out all the characters against weaker CPUS (Lv4 or lower)

Do you suggest learning the basics of each character that way or via practice mode?

Take Care,

AmishTycoon

 

[Fatmanonice]

Hello,

Smash Boards has been down for me aswell.

How specific should i memorize them? I've played a lot of Super Smash Brothers Brawl over the past few days...and I generally could tell you what each character does when you hit B and B alone. But if you asked me what Mr. Gay Man Watch does when he does Usmash...I couldn't tell you.

Thanks for the guideline, it'll really come in handy in my quest to become an elite Super Smash Brothers Brawl player.

The goal of the first step is that if you were to pick any character at random, you'd know how they fight and what their attacks are. You don't have to play as them all that well (like me when it comes to Sonic), you just need to know how they work.

A problem that some beginners have is confusing similar characters with each other (although this was more of a problem with Melee because the "clones" had more similarities). For example, when they pick Luigi, they end up playing him just as they would Mario or Fox with Falco. The problem with this is that every character has their own unique playstyle and they have different ways of winning. For some people, this problem is even worse because they play everyone the exact same way and don't take advantage of each characters unique traits. For example, winning with Wario involves taking full advantage of his aerial mobility and quirky moveset while winning with the Ice Climbers involves taking advantage of the fact that you're technically controlling two characters.

Also, don't expect to become good overnight. It's a very long process and the best professional players usually have been regular tournament goers since the release of the original Smash Bros. By the way, have you decided on which characters you want to main? For you, I wouldn't recommend more than two to start off with and then once you get better, you can add more if you'd like. Once you've decided who you want to main, check out the character boards here and take a good look around. It's a pretty quick way to learn about the characters you play as and learn new things when they're discovered. Another good way to learn about your character is to watch You Tube videos of other people playing smash.

You said you were interested in playing as Pit, right? Here's a video of two Japanese professional players with one of them playing as Pit:

Here you go.

Granted, you're not expected to play like this but this video does give you a good idea about Pit's playstyle and which moves are good to use in certain situations.

One last note, don't forget to practice your shielding, spotdodging, rolling, and grabs. You need more than just attacks to win too and you need to work on both the offensive and defensive aspects of your game.

 

[AmishTycoon]

Hello,

You said you were interested in playing as Pit, right?

Not so much anymore. I'm switching between characters like crazy. Sorry to make you go through the trouble of finding that video.

By the way, have you decided on which characters you want to main? For you, I wouldn't recommend more than two to start off with and then once you get better, you can add more if you'd like.

Still having problems with this. So far Luigi is my best. A lot of the characters that I could imagine myself playing seem to be too difficult. I'm not sure if Luigi is the same way.

There are some characters that I'm not that good with (remember, I suck with all them), that I really want to learn how to play effectivly.

I'm most interesting in learning: Luigi, Bowser and Wario. There are a few others that I'd like to learn(DDD, Diddy, Lucario, DK, Lucas), but I don't want to get carried away. I like the aerial game a lot, and want a decent mix of power and recovery, (I struggle with Luigi's recovery a little bit),but maybe leaning a bit toward the power side.

When playing against computers (Me vs. A level Nine computer is a good match), I tend to give a lot more damage, but not get as many kills. I'm not completley sure if that has to due with the characters that I'm using(I could just walk around doing Fsmash with Ike, and get nearly the same amount), or the fact that I'm not using enough smash attacks.

One last note, don't forget to practice your shielding, spotdodging, rolling, and grabs. You need more than just attacks to win too and you need to work on both the offensive and defensive aspects of your game.

This is probably the biggest problem for me. I suck at shielding. Reeeeaaallly suck. Not sure how to practice this. I'm either not shielding at all, or thinking that I'm not doing it enough and spamming it nonstop.

One more thing, I sort of have problems incorporating a lot of smash attacks into my game...it's probably just me, but don't know if it has something to do with the controller that I'm using. I'm using what came with the box: The Wii Remote and a "Nunchuck." Would buying a gamecube/classic controller be better?

Take Care,

AmishTycoon

 

[Negi-Kun]

Just look at the basics. Play through Subspace, play a bit of single player, and try beating level 1-9 computers in multiplayer. Start with one and go to nine. That's also a great way to find a main, I do that all the time to find the one that fits my preferences. By the way the How to Play video in Brawl doesn't do **** for you so don't bother relying on that.

 

[Ørion]

If you don't want to play through sub-space before you get good (not to say that isn't a good idea, it is), you should choose a character with an easy learning curve to get used to the game. (pit comes to mind). Do some training mode games to familiarize yourself with the controls and how the game functions. Get to the point where you can do any of the tilts, smashes, specials, aerials, and shielding/rolling easily and without thinking about it.

Then, I would go through all the characters until you find about 5 that you really like. Practice with these against siblings, friends, or at last resort computers. A dominant character should emerge.

Now that you have your main, the major part of the practice begins. By this time, you can probably beat any random person who picks up the game, but to beat an experienced player, it takes quite a bit of practice. Learn/find out some combos and advance techniques and gradually incorporate them into your playstyle.


Good luck and welcome to super smash bros.

 

[mariofanpm12]

You could practice in Training Mode, but you may get better off CPUs because they will actually fight you, as opposed to Traing CPUs who, even if set to Attack, won't put up a fight. However, if you want to test the different aspects of your moves, like hitbox(range), knockback, strength, and speed, then Practice Mode could be better.

 

[roy is my boi]

chose roy.. o wait... just choose a char u feel comfortable with ^^

 

[Negi-Kun]

chose roy.. o wait... just choose a char u feel comfortable with ^^

Yes, oh God, YES! Roy is awesome. *Ahem* my profile pic

 

[Zap657]

When playing against computers (Me vs. A level Nine computer is a good match), I tend to give a lot more damage, but not get as many kills. I'm not completley sure if that has to due with the characters that I'm using(I could just walk around doing Fsmash with Ike, and get nearly the same amount), or the fact that I'm not using enough smash attacks.

Lvl 9s don't really help practice against human players, because they punish the slightest amount of attack lag a human wouldn't even notice. As for actually killing people, try to intercept them before they get back to the stage (This may be a little tricky), as long as they don't touch the ground/the ledge, they can't use their double jump again.

This is probably the biggest problem for me. I suck at shielding. Reeeeaaallly suck. Not sure how to practice this. I'm either not shielding at all, or thinking that I'm not doing it enough and spamming it nonstop.

Shielding seems a little tough at first. You need to predict when your foe will try and hit you. A good practice for this is just trying to shield extremely predictable moves. For example, when kirby rises with his up-b, you know he's going to drop back down, try shielding that. Otherwise, try rolling/dodging out of the way (Or even better, behind your opponent), after a while it becomes second nature.

One more thing, I sort of have problems incorporating a lot of smash attacks into my game...it's probably just me, but don't know if it has something to do with the controller that I'm using. I'm using what came with the box: The Wii Remote and a "Nunchuck." Would buying a gamecube/classic controller be better?

That might make it a little more difficult, I would suggest a gamecube or classic controller.

I struggle with Luigi's recovery a little bit

Just a little character specific tip: You can use Luigi's down-b (Or side-B as well) to help recover (You have to keep tapping b), then do up-b. Hope that's helpful.

 

[AmishTycoon]

Hello,

Thanks for the tips, zap. Do you have any preference between Gamecube and Classic Controllers?

Take Care,

AmishTycoon

 

[ArowYoshi]

what i did to get better was actually to fight lvl 1's. once you find a main, fighting lvl 1's lets you figure out when to use your characters attacks and lets you get a hold of dodging easier because lvl 1's attacks are slow. once you know what attack works at certain situations, raise the lvl of the computer till you are at lvl 9, then fight more then one. this theory works pretty fast and soon youll be easily taking out your friends.

 

[mariofanpm12]

If you ask me, I'd say to use a Gamecube controller. The Classis helps win you the casual matches, but once you get competitive, the G-cube controller is probably best.

 

[Rapid_Assassin]

First off start playing random characters until you find one you like. Make sure you learn all of the character's moves, and get a feel for speed and range of certain moves (even slower characters have some fast moves). Once you have the moves down, check out character specific boards for a guide on them. They might have some new tricks to practice with them. Now you can start to develop your own style.

 

[Rex+]

Pick Random. Find someone you like, then develop.
Or, just pick a character meaningful to you (this is how I started using Diddy; DKC2 is the best.), then just enjoy using them, get a feel for their moves, and then learn more.

 

[Fatmanonice]

Hello,



Not so much anymore. I'm switching between characters like crazy. Sorry to make you go through the trouble of finding that video.

It's not problem because I've got a lot of Professional players videos on "speed dial", so to speak.

Still having problems with this. So far Luigi is my best. A lot of the characters that I could imagine myself playing seem to be too difficult. I'm not sure if Luigi is the same way.

There are some characters that I'm not that good with (remember, I suck with all them), that I really want to learn how to play effectivly.

That's what practice is for. Truth be told, most people are only that good with one or two characters and just have others to deal with certain match ups. For example, I have six mains: Wario, Mario, Ness, the Ice Climbers, Fox, and King Dedede. The last three are mainly counters against the higher tier characters like Olimar, Snake, and Metaknight.

I'm most interesting in learning: Luigi, Bowser and Wario. There are a few others that I'd like to learn(DDD, Diddy, Lucario, DK, Lucas), but I don't want to get carried away. I like the aerial game a lot, and want a decent mix of power and recovery, (I struggle with Luigi's recovery a little bit),but maybe leaning a bit toward the power side.

Bowser's recovery sucks while Luigi and Wario have multiple options to get back to the stage. For Luigi, he has the Luigi missle (smash B attack), the Super Punch (up B), and the risng tornado (spamming down B as soon as you do your second jump). Wario has the Bike (smash B) along with the bike jump, the waft (down B), and the corkscrew (up B, which is usually only used when the first two fail for some reason).

When playing against computers (Me vs. A level Nine computer is a good match), I tend to give a lot more damage, but not get as many kills. I'm not completley sure if that has to due with the characters that I'm using(I could just walk around doing Fsmash with Ike, and get nearly the same amount), or the fact that I'm not using enough smash attacks.

It's not really about using smash attacks but trying to build up your opponents' % as fast as possible in order to make it easier to get KOs or trying to place your opponents in situations where you can KO them earlier. (For example, as Mario, throwing Ganondorf off the stage with 50%. As he tries to come back, you use your fair to spike him and then grab the edge to prevent his recovery). As said before, it really has to do with the match up and who you're playing as. If it's Wario vs Sonic and you're the Sonic player, your goal because will definately be to try to end the match as quickly as possible because of how more of an advantage Wario has.

This is probably the biggest problem for me. I suck at shielding. Reeeeaaallly suck. Not sure how to practice this. I'm either not shielding at all, or thinking that I'm not doing it enough and spamming it nonstop.

Go into training mode against any character and just dodge and shield for about 10 minutes. Once you're done, change your opponent to a different character. Once you become comfortable with doing it in battle, begin attacking as well.

One more thing, I sort of have problems incorporating a lot of smash attacks into my game...it's probably just me, but don't know if it has something to do with the controller that I'm using. I'm using what came with the box: The Wii Remote and a "Nunchuck." Would buying a gamecube/classic controller be better?

Most people use the Gamecube Controller set up because the control configurations are virtually unchanged since Melee. The only problem I have with the other controllers is that it makes it obnoxiously hard to do some advanced techniques like boost smashes. Really, if you can adjust to it, more power to you.

Take Care,

AmishTycoon

See above.

 

[Zanoske]

Just cause he's a badass?

Not just because he's badass! because hes manly with his super golden nipples