Welcome to Dev Blog number twelve! This time we'll be discussing the gluttonous biker, Wario!
























It's rather sad, actually. Overall ignored during the balancing period of last demo, Wario slipped through the cracks and somehow got away with being a combo-less character, with slow, weak attacks, clumsy aerials, and thus there were no strategical methods available for a Wario main... The philosophy for a decent Wario was simply "do stuff"; even then, Wario wasn't likely to be successful. Now, taking a hint here, and a hint there from Project M's Wario, the neglected distant cousin of our favorite fat plumber is back with a new-found vengeance, a whole arsenal of useful moves, and we pride ourselves in the fact that players will find that nearly every move has a situation where it's useful!




With its pointless charging, low speed, long duration, weird angle of knockback, and lack of upwards momentum, unless Wario had a foe in his way and wasn't afraid of falling offstage or taking a hit after connecting successfully, there was no reason to use side special (Shoulder Bash), in all honesty, ever. We were made aware of this and took the initiative to find a fix that would encompass all of these problems at once.

Lo and behold, we took a huge cue from Project M here - Shoulder Bash has received some much needed improvements in all aspects. First of all, connect with it, and Wario will acknowledge that he's just run someone or something down, and actually stop. This way, when you hit with the attack, even at low percentages, you'll be the one with the advantage - as it should always be, as nobody should ever be punished for hitting someone.

...in fighting games anyway.



Also noticeable, when used in the air, there is a slight delay while Wario prepares to do the physically impossible...
...And then Wario propels himself upwards in a parabolic shape - which should prove to be quite useful when recovering, or trying to attack someone that's ready to meteor smash you!

But make sure it counts - if you miss, you'll find yourself... in an unfavorable situation, to say the least.



But side special isn't the only thing we've changed - not even close.

Please warmly welcome back a couple moves that previously hadn't made it from the transition between Brawl and SSF2!



Chomp, in the first picture, appeared in Brawl (and now returns in SSF2's v0.8) as Wario's neutral special attack - yes, replacing the annoying, glitchy, overpowered Bike attack that the CPU player loved to abuse. With its long grab duration, decent range and its ability to work in the air, you'll find yourselves using this move quite often, just like you did in Brawl. However, the move is a lot more controllable than you'll remember from Brawl - no longer will you have to chew three times or wait a certain time to be able to throw. Simply tap forward or backwards and Wario will spit the foe out instantly, just like in Project M, at the perfect angle for a follow-up attack.



...And in the second picture, if you couldn't tell, that's Wario's forward tilt from Brawl! Slow, but very powerful, was how it worked in Brawl. In SSF2, we've taken creative liberty and sped the attack up a lot - but don't expect it to be any stronger than forward smash!



Next up, up aerial straight from Brawl! Don't be fooled - Wario's not applauding you. This move is fast, extremely powerful, and easily comboed into. If you find yourselves caught by it... you'd better make sure your percentage isn't too high!



Neutral aerial from Brawl was an odd move, to say the least. I'm pleased to announce...
It's still odd in SSF2. The move is a swift, weak hitbox followed by another, even weaker one right afterwards! If you hit with the first only, it's excellent for getting some space between you and your opponent - and if you hit with them both...



The forward aerial animation was revamped - but the move itself should work much like before. Weak, but very easy to combo out of. Look forward to using this attack a lot, I'm sure you'll get some creative combos going, preferably ones involving say... farting?



And last, but definitely not least, down tilt, which you'll notice Wario's always going to combo out of - it's simply not an option, given the time he has to do so!




As you can see, Wario's been changed heavily, especially in the aerial attack department.



...And in addition to all of these changes, Wario now has increased aerial speed and aerial control. So instead of being completely useless, slow, reusing animations, weak, and having no combos like in the last demo, we have paid Wario the utmost attention in hopes that he will flourish with his own unique niche in SSF2's roster. We look forward to seeing what you can do with him!