There's nothing more important...

We all come to points in our lives that demand our full and undivided attentions. These life altering moments can be grand, exciting, painful, or simply intriguing. Regardless of the feelings and emotions they inflict upon us, these life points rip us out of our day to day routines to contemplate the fantastic and the special. Today, I talk of marriage. Specifically, my future marriage to Tara Flynn (not the porn star, sorry guys)...

We started dating over three years ago after a whirlwind adventure of hiking and seduction on Assateague Island. The debate still rages, but I maintain that I was seduced rather than the seducee. You decide, my friends. After a brief stint of separation (anxiety), we 'declared' us to the world shortly there after during a visit of mine to Ithaca, home to Cornell University and my fiancé’s soon-to-be alma mater. The details from this point and today aren't really anyone else's business but ours, BUT after a year and a half or so of dating, we decided it would be prudent to live together to see if we could stand to live together long term. It turns out we can...





Here are two pictures of the happy couple pre-engagement and the wedding of our friends Roger and Zeph. Yes, the one is of us in pirate garb (Want to make something of it?). We are even more adorable in person, let me tell you. So here's to you, Tara. Thanks for wanting to make a life with this geeked out rock'n roller. The next chapter is sure to be an exciting one...

As promised (the top half)...

I really gotta cut these posts down for length. I fear they may become unreadable and I'm tired of doing two-part posts. Starts to set a precedent. But, without further ado, I give you:


The Witteman's Top Ten List of Characters That Should Be In The Next SSB Game (Seriously)...



#5 - Like Mouser, hailing from the second game in a major video game series, it's fan favorite, Tails! Yes, Sonic's sidekick has more than enough chops to make it as a Smash Bros. Much like Luigi is to Mario, Tails shares similarities to Sonic (speed, items, kills enemies the same way...) but also has developed his own unique characteristics (flight [always cool], adept with machines...). Hopefully, for Tail's sake, these unique aspects can distance himself from his progenitor and not make him just a clone of Sonic. Lord knows we don't need another Link/Young Link/Toon Link, Capt. Falcon/Ganondorf, Lucas/Ness, Pichu/Pikachu, Fox/Falco/Wolf (you get the point...). If Tails can only be done as a clone, then perhaps Knuckles would be a better SSB choice. But, seeing as Tails came first, the flying fox gets first crack at the roster...

#4 - After playing (weeks upon weeks) of Super Smash Bros. Melee, Little Mac was one of the first characters I wanted included in the series. Ol' Green Trunks has a lot going for him: He's the main character of a very popular and nostalgic game, his theme music is simple yet powerful, and, while he may seem to have a simple move set (he IS a boxer [punch, punch, and...punch]), he would be a quick and evasive opponent (slipping and dodging attacks, blocking physical attacks without his shield). While Little Mac does make an appearance as an assist trophy in Brawl, it seems like a cop out to my fantasy roster. One can only hope that the new Wii Punch Out will breathe life into the tiny titan and Little Mac will rise in the ranks to Smash Bros. status...

#3 - To be honest, the Battletoads, Rash and Zitz weren't originally on this list, mainly because I forgot their game existed until just recently. Thank God for VNES.com. So, after playing Battletoads again after many years, it dawned on me: these guys are way cool, they've got the moves, mixed in with the right blend of obscurity and nostalgia, and all-in-all, the Toads are very in-theme for Super Smash Bros. Anthropomorphic amphibians in a beat-em-up game equals awesome (always). The only reason imaginable why these guys have been slipped under the radar thus far is plain old obscurity (when last we left the Battletoads, the year was 1994...). But if that's their own reason why, bring them back to us. Battletoads in Super Smash Bros.: Make it happen...

#2 - Oh, Toad. How they have forsaken you. After being the beefy guy in Mario 2 and one of the fastest characters in every Mario Kart, as well as having cameos in many other Mario games, you'd think Nintendo would give the little guy a little more respect. Instead, the decided to put Dr. Mario in Melee and made Toad a weapon for Princess Peach(for shame!). He is the last 'unique' member of the Mario family not to be a Smash Bros. and, even if there is no other reason why, Toad should be in the next SSB installment. The nice thing about him is his flexibility; (as mentioned above) he could be designed as a heavy, strong fighter or a quick but weaker attacker (both of which the Mario family lack). Either way, Toad is (or at least SHOULD be) a shoe-in for the next Super Smash Bros...

And the #1 character deserving of a Smash Bros. position - You know him, you love him, you can't live without him, Capcom's poster boy, Mega Man! There is absolutely no reason why this character isn't a Smash Bros. yet. Everything about Mega Man makes him THE prime candidate for the game: He's got the history, he's got the popularity and is a well respected character, and he's got more unique moves than TEN Smash Bros. Granted, they won't all be doable (sorry, Flash Man...), so we'll have to pick from the cream of the crop (hello, Metal Man, Magnet Man, etc... [to say nothing of Rush, Beat, the Megabuster, etc...]). Beyond Mega Man's versatility, you'd be hard pressed to find any gamer worth his salt who hasn't played, seen, or at least heard of Mega Man in some fashion. It is this notoriety that should make our favorite Master Robot slayer and auto include for the next Super Smash Bros. game...

So there you have it; all 10 of my suggestions for a SSB roster update. There are couple of other characters I could have mentioned, but these were the best. And it's only the best for this blog. However, I can admit I might have missed a good one or two. Who's your best idea for an addition to Super Smash Bros.? I really am curious to see what else might be out there and merely forgotten. Hit me back...

As promised (the bottom half)...

"Mawwiage...Mawwiage is what bwings us togevvah, today..." Truer words have never been spoke. Marriage is a truly excellent concept, both for people and for ideas. It is no secret that I am beginning the early planning steps of a marriage (thanks Tara!), but this post is not necessarily about this kind of festivity. I shall be getting to my own plannings in further posts. No, this one (judging by the title) is more of an idea marriage...

I would be hard pressed to find a geek or nerd who didn't enjoy crossovers in fiction, even on the most superficial of levels. Indeed, the popularity and lucrativeness of crossovers can be seen in movies like Aliens vs Predator and Freddy vs Jason, but also within other genres as well. Comics do it from time to time (almost too often sometimes...), and we gamers get the occasional video game crossover, too. I would argue that one of the best crossover (read: idea marriage) games, across the board, would have to be the Super Smash Bros. series. It's got everything in there: nostalgia value, great gameplay, kick ass graphics, and religious adherence to the characters. And so, in honor of this great marriage of video game ideas, concepts, what have you, I give you:

The Witteman's Top Ten List of Characters That Should Be In The Next SSB Game (Seriously)...



A bit of criteria for this list o' mine: No outside franchise characters (No Marvel, DC, movies, tv, etc...), No characters ORIGINATING from a head to head fighting game (No Street Fighter, Mortal Combat, etc...), and No Final Fantasy Characters (There are just too many to choose from, etc...). Anyways, on to the list...

#10 - Hailing from Mario 2 (and marking the only villain on the list), it's Mouser! Yes, this bomb chucking rodent-in-shades pestered Team Mario back in 1988 and would make an excellent addition to the SSB villain gallery of today. Unlike the other heavy...um...heavies, Mouser is light on his feet and hard to catch, making him a foe to be reckoned with. Plus, King Wart bears too much of a resemblance to Bowser. The only marks against him is that Mouser is a fairly obscure villain (unseen as an actual villain since Mario 2) and his move set is very limited, forcing developers to flesh Mouser out beyond his inception(kind of like how they did with Capt. Falcon, yes?). Despite that, this villainous rat is very in-theme with the Smash Bros. series and would meld quite well with the other characters within...

#9 - What can be said about Toe Jam & Earl? They're pretty weird, that's what. Fortunately for us, they have been a lot of fun, too, and would fit in nicely with the other Smash Bros. characters, albeit in that 'hanging out with your weirdly cool cousin' kind of way. This quirky duo has the potential to expand on a concept used by other characters; the multiple character per player. The player would control either or Toe Jam OR Earl at a time (read: Ice Climbers), BUT a command could switch between the two, opening different move avenues (read: Pokemon Trainer or Zelda/Shiek). Here's the thing, though: Developers would practically have to invent the ENTIRE move set for TWO new characters from scratch and, in truth, the popularity and pure knowledge of Toe Jam & Earl may be too low for execs to give their ok on the idea. Never the less, these two funky aliens deserve a place in the SSB ranks for, if nothing else, their odd coolness that most long time gamers realize...

#8 - Now here's a character (and a franchise) that needs to be returned to its rightful owner. Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden can trace his ancestry all the way back to the NES and has stayed the main character of the series ever since (impressive since he's been ported to Sega then to XBox...). Ryu has quite the bag of tricks (as any good ninja should)to bring to the Super Smash Bros. table (throwing stars, fire circles, shadow helpers, wall climbing/clinging[UNIQUE!]), making him a off-the-bat hard hitter. Plus, Ryu's a friggin' ninja, man! That being said, the man is not perfect. He is a non-cartoon human character (making the feel closer to the 'real', thanks Snake...)who is, more often than not, out for blood (read: a Grim and Gritty dude). Sure, he has fought monsters, but Mario or Kirby never took it to an opponent the way Ryu does. However, that aside, Ryu is still a major contender for a Super Smash seat; more than worthy to meat the other Bros. in combat...

#7 - One of the coolest and quirkiest character concepts is that of Earthworm Jim(If you don't know, look it up, foo!). You don't get much more 3rd party than you do with this guy. With his totally tricked out battle suit (including a blaster), the ability to use his wormy body as a tool, and a myriad of worlds to draw from, EJ's got skills to rival any of the current Smash Bros. There is a question lurking, however: Is there enough interest in the character to include him in a SSB game? It seems he hasn't made much of an appearance since 1999 and any newer games appear to be either cancelled or 'In Production'. Plus, the addition of Jim does push the risk of taking Smash Bros. in a new direction (don't ask me which one), and there are those out there you may not want to take that risk. But when you have a character like Earthworm Jim, a surreal, ridiculous, and downright fun character, it is a risk that is worth taking...

#6 - Another character originating from the NES of yore, Simon Belmont first shined as the protagonist in the original Castlevania and, while the series has branched out from its humble beginnings, I would argue he still the most recognizable hero from the series, if not at least the most nostalgic. Any old school gamer has probably played the early Castlevania games and should remember the HUGE inventory Belmont can acquire. With this in mind, and adding to it the plethora of thematic elements to Simon, his moves should be easy to come up with. Not that Belmont is without his flaws. Much like Ryu Hayabusa, he is 'human'; i.e. not a cartoon like Mario or a fantasy character like Link. Speaking of Link, these two share many similarities (item tossers, ranged attackers, a whip...), which would require Simon to be tweaked so that he wasn't just a cheap, knock-off Link clone. Because when you get down to it, the great vampire slayer from Castlevania is no mans clone...

Next: The Top Half...