Overall this is not a bad game, but I think there are a few key points it really misses on that keep it from being either a good competitor or successor to Melee. Input buffer is a big one. A buffer NEVER feels right or good, no matter how long you spend trying to get used to it. I understand there are some hurdles to get around when making a game like this that's meant to be playedOverall this is not a bad game, but I think there are a few key points it really misses on that keep it from being either a good competitor or successor to Melee. Input buffer is a big one. A buffer NEVER feels right or good, no matter how long you spend trying to get used to it. I understand there are some hurdles to get around when making a game like this that's meant to be played online, but Melee online even with some lag spikes feels far better than the 6 frame buffer in this game.
The characters. While I don't think that direct ports of characters would necessarily benefit the game, I do think that if characters ARE ported over, they should remain faithful to the original(s). Zetterburn... is an example of how not to do this. The character is mostly melee Fox with a pinch of PM Wolf thrown in, but with half the control scheme tossed in a blender and spilled back out onto the ground. Why is the "shine" equivalent neutral B? Why is the projectile side B? Why would you bother essentially copying a character but mixing up the moves? For the sake of originality? Please. The devs think they're being creative I guess but in essence are just giving the snobs that play this game an excuse to shout, "go play Melee if you don't like Rivals." Many of the other characters in this game are also clones or mashups of other Melee favorites (the goat is Mewtwo/Zelda, the sword guy is Marth with a little Roy, etc), with a few other semi-creative originals thrown in. The cast isn't disappointing (aside from Zetterburn), but it doesn't feel exciting either. The fact that they're mostly weird furries is a little... disconcerting, though. Not really my thing.
The single player story and gameplay are completely awful. I have no idea why this was even put into the game. Just don't even bother with it.
I do really enjoy the stage variation in this game as well as the customizability of character colors. There are lots of cool personal touches you can add to the gameplay. Still, though, I can't get over that most of the characters are approaching "furry" territory. Something about that still irks me.
Rivals has more good than bad, but I honestly can't see a reason to play this game over Melee. Everything Rivals does Melee does better, even online.… Expand
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