super smash bros

Zeke’s Top 5: Smash Bros. Characters

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Zeke’s Top 5 – Smash Bros Characters!

At E3 last week, we were greeted with the news of a brand new Smash Bros. game coming out for both the WiiU and the 3DS in 2014. Gamers all over the world are excited for this latest edition of the Nintendo character fighting game. Us here at aniRAGE have fond memories of huddling around the 64, then GameCube, and finally the Wii in order to yell, scream, and hate one another as we played through stage after stage. So to celebrate the occasion, I decided to take a walk down memory lane and recall some of my favorite characters to play as through the years!

Honorable Mention: Kirby!
In the N64 version of the game, my by-fav favorite character to play as was Kirby. He was quick, powerful, and had some devastating smash attacks. Combine that with his ability to fly back from certain doom, and Kirby was a package that spelled disaster for my opponents. Sadly, the Kirby that I knew and loved just hasn’t been the same since Melee came out. He became a lighter character, and thus was more likely to be knocked out of the arena easier than in the N64 version. My days as a suicidal Kirby bomber were numbered, and I just couldn’t find a playstyle with the Puff Cloud to make him a regular character anymore. But I will always remember my first, and favorite, Smash Bros.
Number 5: Captain Falcon
A mainstay since the first game, Captain Falcon was super-fast and super-strong. He had attacks that rivaled some of the heaviest hitters in the game, and his speed was unmatched for many of the games. He took some precise controls to truly master, but if you took the time to do so, he was a major force to be reckoned with. I enjoyed his ability to quickly dash out of harms way, only to run back in with a flying knee. And the sweet sweet fastisfaction of actually landing a Falcon Punch? Simple bliss. He’s not my first go-to character, but he deserves the first spot in my Top 5.

Number 4: Sonic the Hedgehog

My family was a Nintendo family growing up. We had Game Boys and Super Nintendos. Of course, I do still have the game gear I had as a child, but the Sonic games were always the game of choice if I visited a friend with a Genesis. So when Sonic was announced as a character is Super Smash Bros Brawl, I knew I would have to take him for a spin. And wouldn’t you know, he fit my playstyle just right. Dashing in, dealing damage, and dodging attacks. He was unique to the rest of the characters, and my only gripe was that he only appeared in the storymode at the very end. But on my first play through of the game, he dealt the final blow to the end boss, and that was satisfaction enough for me. Final boss, I guess you were just too slow!
Number 3: Luigi

The eternal second-tier Mario Bros is first-tier in my heart. Luigi was so strange. He floated through the air, and his moves never went very far. But if you in close, Luigi packed a mighty punch. His drop kick, jab, and smash attacks were all very powerful. He may not hit often, but when he does he hits very hard. And let’s not forget the Super Luigi Uppercut. The sound it makes when it connects still rings true in my ears. While he may not be the first in everyone’s eyes, he’s certainly the character I love to pick up and SMASH the competition with.


Number 2: Meta Knight

Now, I have to be specific here. It’s not just any Meta Knight that gets my heart all aflutter. It’s the Green alternate outfit. Why you ask? Because to me, he looks like Dr. Doom. And thus, whenever I smash someone off screen, I can yell out “KNEEL BEFORE DOOM!” and feel that much better about myself. I mean, who wouldn’t love to just smash face with Dr. Doom all day long? While Meta Knight is certainly not my best character, as I still haven’t gotten all the tricks of the trade down, I am currently undefeated whenever I pick the Dr. Doom colors. That being said, you probably could still kick my butt if you ever challeneged me. But even if you did, I’d have a hell of a lot of fun doing it. Because nobody beats Dr. Doom. I just let you win!

Number 1: Dr. Mario

The Doctor…is in! And no, this has absolutely nothing to do with my obsession with Doctor Who. I swear! I loved Dr. Mario before he was ever IN Smash Bros, and when he was a character in Melee I played him constantly. I think what makes him my most favorite is the fact that he wasn’t in Brawl, and thus my time with him was limited to Melee. We always want what we can’t have, as they say. Dr. Mario was a little slower than regular Mario, and didn’t have quite the distance with his attacks. But he packed a powerful punch. Plus spamming pills is one of the funnest things you can do in the game. The noise it makes…THE NOISE! Dr. Mario definitely needs to make a come back in Super Smash Bros for WiiU and 3DS. Hell, I’d even pay for a DLC that included him…and that’s not something I say very often! BRING BACK DR. MARIO, NINTENDO! OR ELSE!


Well, there you hvae it. My top 5 Smash Bros character, with an honorable mention. Stay tuned for more great updates here on anirage.com, and keep a look out, soon I’ll compile my list of characters that I’d love to see in this upcoming, and future, Smash Bros installments!

Zeke’s Year in Review – Wrestling (Indy Edition)

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Zeke’s Year in Review – Wrestling (Indy Edition)

In 2011, if you had asked me what “Indy Wrestling” was, I wouldn’t really know what to tell you. I honestly had no interest in it…not even TNA! Ok, TNA can be argued one way or another, but the way they handled the Bobby Roode (Rooooooooooo) situation at Bound for Glory made me just stop even trying on Thursday nights. But that’s besides the point. I was mostly unaware of the entire Indy scene until my good friend, and tag team partner, Jacob (go #SlightlyBlack) introduced me to Evolve and Dragon Gate USA. I was floored by the level of craftsmanship these guys brought to the ring. It was an easy jump in to also pick up Chikara, ROH, and PWG when I could. I didn’t watch as much as I wanted to, but I’m happy to report that I saw just about every Evolve and DGUSA event that went on this year, including getting to see Evolve life when it came here to Jacksonville. So with that being said, let’s move out to the Indy Edition of my Year In Review.

2012 Wrestler of the Year – El Generico.

Jacob is not a very loud, rambunctious man when we sit down to watch wrestling. He typically picks his seat on the couch, leans back it a Cold One, and enjoys. So when El Generico’s theme sit during the Dragon Gate USA “Chuck Taylor Invitational” I knew I’d have to pay attention. Jacob lost his mind. And by lost his mind, he calmly stated “Guys…I’m marking out right now.” His performance in the match was awesome, and he went on to have an amazing series of matches in Evolve/DGUSA alone with Samuray Del Sol (one of my favorite “rookies”), CIMA, Ricochet, Sammi Callihan, and more. I dove into his past work, as well as his work with other companies, and I was floored not only with his in-ring ability, but the sheer over the top nature of his gimmick, that of the “generic luchardor” (when he’s really just a white guy from Canada). His promos were witty, his tweets were hilarious, and the love that he has for the business and his fans is nearly unmatched. El Generico is my Indy Wrestler of the Year…and he more than deserves it.

2012 Tag Team of the Year – The Super Smash Bros

When I first laid eyes upon this tag team, I honestly didn’t expect much. I mean, they were named after a video game, how good could they be? Their first match was decent, but the more I saw of these guys, the more I wanted. They have a great “big power man, smaller agile man” tandem, and their chemistry is incredibly tight. Each match brought out something new and exciting. I found myself cheering for them to when, even when they were against a team of guys that, individually, I liked more. They are currently the PWG tag team champions, and I have a feeling they will be seeing more and more titles before their careers are done. The Super Smash Bros are definitely smashing.

2012 Pay-Per-View/Event of the Year – Chikara King of Trios

Every year, Chikara puts on a multi-team tournament consisting of, what else, trios. Some are well established factions and stables, who are together every year in and year out, like F.I.S.T. (First In Similar Tights), The Colony, and The Spectral Envoy. Others are blasts from the past like Team WWF (The 123 Kid, Aldo Montoya, and Tatanka) or Team Extreme (Tommy Dreamer, Jerry Lynn, and 2 Cold Scorpio). And then you have a team up of solid competitors, like Jigsaw, Quackenbush, and Toyota. These 16 teams compete over 3 days to be crowned the King of Trios! It’s an exciting tournament full of great tag team, singles, elimination, and of course, 3 on 3 matches. Prior winners include The Colony, F.I.S.T., and this years winner: The Spectral Envoy! It was a great event with some fun, exciting matches, for an all around grand time.

2012 Match of the Year – Johnny Gargano vs AR Fox vs Ricochet vs Akira Tozawa (DGUSA)

For over a year now, Johnny Gargano has defend the Open the Freedom Gate Championship in Dragon Gate USA. He’s taken on all comers, against the likes of Masato Yoshino, Chuck Taylor, and the three guys mentioned above. So for their final show of the year, they had a four-way elimination match, pitting the champion Gargano against the three men who the fans had voted his best opponents had been in 2012. And this match delivered! There was some amazing spots, some great counters, and in the end, Gargano managed to overcome an injury that almost took him out of the match at the hands of rival Jon Davis to retain his belt. If you want a match that shows you what the young, fresh competitors of the Indy circuit, as well as some of the best talent Japan has to offer, then this match is a great place to start.

2012 Story of the Year – Kevin Steen vs ROH.

Kevin Steen, sometimes known as Mr. Wrestling, lately has been referred to as Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare. When he rejoined ROH after his defeat against long time rival, and former tag team championship winning partner, El Generico, many thought that Steen had seen the light, and was ready to make amends for his former ways. That feeling didn’t stick around for long, as Steen began to run rampant over the entire ROH locker room, defeating anyone and everyone in his path. He eventually found his way to a match with Davey Richards, and walked away with the ROH World Championship. Since then, not a single person has been able to stop him, as he’s defeated every person thrown in his path. Even Jim Cornette, who at the time was in charge of ROH, wasn’t able to escape being his victim. At the final show of the year, Final Battle 2012: Doomsday, one man had stepped up to end his reign of terror. That man was El Generico. But at the end of the day, despite coming up the victor in the past, Steen was able to silence his eternal rival, and goes into 2013 with the belt firmly around his waist. Is there anybody out there who can stop Steen? From the looks of it, we ain’t seen nothing yet.
And that’s it for my 2012 Year In Review! Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know why! 2012 was a great year for aniRAGE, and we look forward to making 2013 even better! So stay tuned for more right here at anirage.com!