Author: Lance "Tarnot" Hood

Making proper reads is as important in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as it is in any other fighting game. There are, however, many situations where reads come into play in the Smash series that may not be as readily apparent to players with a background in more traditional titles.

In order to help educate those who may not have as much experience with the way a Smash match plays out, False and Keitaro of Rush Hour Smash have put together a new tutorial focusing on opportunities where reads can come into play.

Many of the most important reads revolve around edge guarding and the options that those dangling from the side of the stage have available to return them safely to solid ground. There are, however, other opportunities where predictions can come into play in the neutral game as well.

As with previous videos from Rush Hour Smash, this footage comes in a quick, informative package complete with excellent editing and a great soundtrack. Give it a watch and see what you can learn.

Want to check out the previous videos from False and Keitaro? Follow these links to check out their videos covering the neutral game and zoning in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Source: Rush Hour Smash via SmashBoards

If you’ve been around the internet for awhile, chances are you’ve seen some content from the Super Best Friends. While they’re perhaps best known for their Let’s Play-style videos, the super group share an intimate love for the fighting game genre that they’ve expressed in various ways over the years. Matt and Woolie, for example, created the informative Fighterpedia series, and the latter established that he knows how to play fighting games when he took a couple of Street Fighter rounds from Mad Catz’ Daigo Umehara on the big stage at Evo 2012.

Yearning for a new outlet for their fighting game affections, the team started recording Friday Night Fisticuffs last April. These videos contain casual sessions for a variety of modern fighting games like Ultra Street Fighter IV’s Omega Mode as well as old-school hits like Bushido Blade and Bloody Roar Primal Fury.

In December, the crew began a second series in the same vein, but with a focus on games that may not have been so well-received as those featured in Fisticuffs, like Final Fight Revenge. They lovingly titled this new series “Saturday Morning Scrublords.”

This week’s Scrublord session includes over an hour of Mortal Kombat Armageddon matches, a game that hit consoles back in 2006 during the genre’s dark age. The title includes nearly every character from the Mortal Kombat universe up to its point of release and features weapons as well as custom fatalities. Check out the video below to witness the hype and the salt, and maybe even learn a thing or two about the history of Mortal Kombat in the process.

Source: The Sw1tcher via Super Best Friends Play, and thanks to Breedo and Meanie for reminding us about this series.

Back before the Wii U got its own version of Super Smash Bros. 4, SBphiloz4 compiled 3DS footage for Piercing Ankles, a collection of kills, conversions, and only the hardest of reads from the princess of Hyrule herself. Today, SBphiloz4 keeps the tradition alive with a second entry to the series, this time with clips coming from the home platform.

Below, you’ll find nearly ten minutes of high-level plays, including perfectly-timed projectile reflections, beautiful stage spikes, and a whole lot more. While Zelda may not get much (or really any) attention when Smash players square off at major tournaments, that doesn’t mean that she’s unusable, especially in the right hands.

Source: SBphiloz4

Animal Crossing Villager brings seriously unique moves to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U from his home series. He can ride a handful of balloons for one of the highest recoveries in the game; he can plant, water, and chop down a tree for devastating finishes; and he can even grab projectiles right out of the air to save for the perfect moment to launch back at their original owners.

Most of these pocketable projectiles are pretty obvious–Mario’s fireball, Link’s bombs, Yoshi’s egg toss–but there are a few, as you’ll see in the video below, that are a little bit surprising.

Take, for example, the Villager ditto. If one manages to plant a tree and give it a couple of solid whacks with their axe, the other can grab the falling tree, store it up, then drop it on the one who planted it for massive knockback and possibly a stock. Villager can also pocket plenty of up specials, like Pac-Man’s trampoline and Sonic’s spring.

The lesson here? Be incredibly mindful of what sorts of things you toss at this Villager!

Source: Master0fHyrule

This fourth entry in Even Matchup Gaming’s Apex 2015 top plays series showcases even more of the best moments from the recent Smash tournament. The video highlights five hype-filled segments, including a Melee Fox ditto between a|Armada and Leffen, a Kirby string from the Nintendo 64 iteration that will blow your mind, and a whole lot more.

And we’ve still got another video left before the team wraps up this series; we haven’t even seen the best stuff yet!

If you missed the previous installments of this hype-showcasing series, follow this link to give them a look.

Source: Even Matchup Gaming via SmashBoards

Smash and Grab, as their name suggests, are best known for their Super Smash Bros. tech videos and tutorials, but the duo is no stranger to Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-. To further exert their presence among games outside of Smash, as well as to offer some intimate details about one of the game’s newcomers, they’ve recently released a Sin Kiske tutorial which you’ll find below.

This video follows the same formula as their previous Guilty Gear offerings. That said, you’ll learn frame data and damage for every one of Sin’s normals and specials as well as some insights into when each of these may be applicable. You’ll also pick up a handful of basic combos to get things rolling.

If you missed Smash and Grab’s other Guilty Gear Xrd character breakdown, which focused on Elphelt, follow this link to check it out.

Source: Smash and Grab

Even though Apex 2015 come to a close over two weeks ago, we keep seeing resurgences of hype surrounding what ended up being the tournament with the largest Super Smash Bros. presence in the history of the series.

Part of keeping the event fresh in our minds can be attributed to the folks at Even Matchup Gaming, who have been putting together some of their favorite hype-filled tidbits from across the tournament. These clips span both singles and doubles and cover Super Smash Bros. Melee as well as Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. They’ve even show a little love for the game that started it all: Super Smash Bros. 64.

They recently uploaded the third video in the series of five, which opens with a kill combo from Boss’ Luigi during a doubles set and moves on to feature players like VGBC|aMSa, a|Armada, and plenty more.

If you didn’t catch the first two, we’ve included them below as well.

Source: Even Matchup Gaming via Smashboards