Livestream: Discussing the music of "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" w/Pikapi Podcast

The latest Smash Bros. game adds new characters and modes, but also plenty of new music. Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins me to talk about this soundtrack:

 

Twin Cities Con 2025: Smash Ultimate Tournament Winner

At this year's Twin Cities Con in Minneapolis, MN, I had the opportunity to interview Caiden "GrizHawk" Stores, the winner of the Super Smash Bros Ultimate tournament. Listen in and find out more about what it was like:

A press pass was provided for this event. 

Report: Twin Cities Con 2025

After visiting the convention for the first time last year, I was excited to go again. Did the event live up to my expectations?

Thursday

Rather than flying from Madison, I took a bus on Jefferson Lines from the UW-Madison campus to downtown Minneapolis (the time is about the same, and it’s much cheaper). Instead of a normal hotel, I stayed in a converted studio apartment a few blocks from the convention center. After picking up my press badge, I ate dinner, and then returned to my room to prepare for the next day.

Friday

This first day of the convention started with me going into the dealer hall and browsing the items for sale. I also noted the locations of the guests I wanted to interview, and attempted to organize those. The first panel I wanted to go to was about the confluence of music scene and cosplay (recall that I sometimes cosplay musicians as Pokémon trainers), however after waiting several minutes past the scheduled start time, a con staffer came in and announced that the presenters had run into a personal emergency and the panel had been cancelled.

One issue I ran into several times over the weekend is that there would be several panels or other events that overlapped. That occurred on Friday afternoon, when a panel featuring Eric Stuart and Dan Green overlapped a panel with Marc Summers, Kirk Fogg, and Dee Bradley Baker, which in turned overlapped a panel of comic book authors (which included Pokémon Baking guide author Jarrett Melendez). Oh, and in the middle of all that there was a panel covering the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: Voyager. In any case, the authors panel was an interesting watch, with them eating chicken (or perhaps its vegetarian equivalent) while talking about the comics they had in front of them.

Saturday

In some ways, this was less busy than Friday, though I did spend a fair bit of time waiting for things to complete. First up was a RWBY panel (featuring Daman Mills, voice of Amethio and Quaxly in Horizions). As is usually the case, I placed myself towards the end of the question line since my question wasn’t about the featured show. Unfortunately, this meant the panel ended before I could ask my question.

After viewing a panel about taking cosplay photos with a phone, I headed over to the board/video gaming area, where I got to listen to guitarist Brian Koening (look forward to an interview with him), and then observe the Smash Ultimate tournament. I checked in periodically to see how the tournament progressing, and interviewed the winner after the tournament ended around 8:30 pm (having started around 4).

Sunday

The first order of business was the combined Nintendo & Pokemon cosplay photoshoot, which included a trio of Eeveelutions, a pair dressed as the Mario Brothers from the 1993 Mario movie, and even a Corbeau costume. I asked that last one about when they started putting their outfit together, and they indicated they had only started within the last week, which was actually impressive given the level of detail.

Following this, Jarrett Melendez had a solo panel where he demonstrated the brownies recipie from his Pokémon baking guide book. Between steps, he would answer questions from the audience, which covered a variety of topics, ranging from what kind of restrictions he was placed under (if there’s a volume 2, do not expect curry croissants), general baking advice, and what kind of materials he gets to work from when designing recepies.

As I had been unable to track down the cosplayers I wanted to interview from the morning photoshoot, I got in line for the Sunday cosplay contest in an attempt to talk to them. Despite the schedule stating that the doors would open at 2:30, we actually didn’t get let in until a few minutes after the 3pm start time. As for the show itself, the Eeveelution group from the photoshoot had made the contest, but seems to have left after not getting picked for an award. I did not see the Corbeau cosplayer anywhere in the crowd.

Other Notes:

-The entrance into the secure area lacked the long snaking queue from last year, in favor of having folks queue inside the dealers’ hall before it opened. 

-Guests seemed confused on the policy/procedure for interviews, despite me indicating who I wanted to interview in my letter of intent.

-The attendees I talked to generally seemed to prefer this year’s event over last year’s.

-The best restaurant I ate at this weekend was definitely “The Brit’s Pub”, which had excellent food and service.

A press pass was provided for this event.

Twin Cities Con 2024-Smash Ultimate Tournament Winner

Luke Thao

The following is an interview with Luke Thao, winner of the Smash Ultimate tournament at Twin Cities Con 2024.

Where are you from, and how did you get into competitive Smash?

Minnesota native-born in Minneapolis and raised in the Twin Cities area! I started competing at convention tournaments when I was in high school. I was always really competitive when it came to gaming, and Smash was one of my favorite games growing up! Back then, I had dreams of being in the FGC (fighting game community), and also I didn't really know what I wanted to do when I became an adult so I invested a lot of time into video games and going to tournaments here in there while in college-but of course we have to make money and survive so now competing is just a hobby for me, and I just started competing again recently after a good four or five year hiatus.

You tend to play as Dr. Mario. What do you like about that character?

I love Doc's move set! I really enjoy his projectile pressure with Megavitamins and how hard he hits with his aggressive looking moves like down-air and back throw. I love being able to express myself with Doc, a very disrespectful and explosive character when he gets going. I also like being the underdog, and he's considered bad and a lot of people don't expect to see him in tournaments.

Any other characters you use?

I used to play Roy and Marth. Both are really strong characters but I just don't enjoy them as much as Doc-and you see them a lot in tourney, so I wanted a character that's different. There was a time when I was having a character crisis and dropped the game for a couple years of its life cycle, but I just picked up again last year because of Doc and wanting a hobby my little brother and I can bond with.

Before the finals, was there a anything that stood out in the tournament?

Actually, before the tournament started, I met a young man named Joseph and he was thinking about competing and new to the scene. He was apprehensive but I told him to give it a shot because he had nothing to lose and could only grow from the experience. Convinced, he finally signed up for the tournament. He reminded me of myself when I was his age (19), it reminded me of the fire I had when I was discovering things. I ran a set with Joseph and practically became his mentor throughout his tournament run, teaching him things about the game and tech, all that fun stuff.

How did the finals go?

Finals was a little rough for me since my opponent (Saint) had a good few matches before me during his losers climb so by comparison I wasn't fully warmed up. He 3-0ed me and made it to winners grands. I was eventually mostly up to speed but I do feel like I wasn't playing at my strongest. Fighting games are so weird because you can be so consistent at times and then sometimes you just hit a mental wall and you legitimately aren't playing well in the moment. That said, I adapted and prevailed in the end, and it's always a treat to be able to fight someone as strong as you.

What else did you do at the convention?

My girlfriend and her sisters have a business (8bit_ichigo) crafting and selling their crochets and art so we were in the exhibitors hall in the artist alley for the weekend! I met a couple of my voice actor heroes like Troy Baker and Josh Keaton and it was a blast overall. I have dreams of being a voice actor one day so being able to meet the people in the industry is a great way for me to do some studying and have fun.

A press pass was provided for this event.

MadEX 2024: Smash Ultimate 1v1 Tournament Winner

Ahmet Kurter

The following is an interview with Ahmet Kurter, winner of the Smash Ultimate 1v1 tournament at MadEX 2024.

Where are you from, and how did you get into competitive Smash?

I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin! I got into competitive smash when Brawl came out because my cousins were obsessed with it, and entered my first tournament in 2014.

You tend to play as a fair number of different characters. Who are some of the more common ones and what do you like about them?

I have used over dozens of characters in my local smash scene. But some of my favorites are Sonic, Aegis (Pyra/Mythra), Joker, Wolf, Dark Pit, and much more! I use most of these characters because I like how they feel to play, or are from my favorite series (Sonic, Persona, and Xenoblade.) Of course, the characters my opponents are playing also tend to influence who I pick in bracket.

What happened in the earlier parts of the tournament?

My bracket run was pretty funny to me, because in winner's semi-finals, I fought Fatalis, who I knew from my local scene, and I knew that would be my hardest matchup for sure. After I won the first set we basically told each other "See you in grands" which was funny, and correct!

Fatalis uses Sheik from the Zelda series. How did that affect your overall strategy?

It affected my strategy a lot, to be honest. I like to rush in a lot, but Sheik is really scary for a lot of different reasons. Her frame data (timing) is so unbelievably fast and has very little cooldown so I often had a lot of trouble figuring out what I could punish. She is also very quick so running from her does not work that well, plus she has a projectile that is very quick and goes very far. Eventually my strategy consisted of me trying to kill Sheik earlier than she could kill me and beat out her hitboxes with bigger and more active moves.

After losing the first game in grand finals [against Fatalis], you switched over to Wolf from the Star Fox games. Why did you choose that?

That was a result of the experience my opponent had-they already fought two of my characters in winners’, specifically Sonic, and Aegis. I won game one there with Sonic, lost game two, then switched to Aegis which allowed me to win game three (with a convincing two-stock). But even after I won that first set it felt very stressful because I felt like I was not hitting him enough, and making a lot of incorrect decisions in advantage.

In the first game of grand finals I started with Aegis, but I lost (he two-stocked me this time), so I decided to try Wolf because I was not feeling comfortable in the matchup. Wolf having a projectile is already a huge change to the pace for the matchup, with Sheik having an incredible projectile in needles I also wanted a strong projectile to bait him into making mistakes when approaching me. Wolf also has very consistent and active hitboxes which allowed me to get combos more consistently than my other characters. The MVP move for the set for me was Wolf's neutral air. I used it a lot to punish his unsafe hits on my shield and to use when he is jumping at me from the ledge, so I could knock him back offstage again to reset the situation.

Technically, your opponent could have switched characters for later matches, but didn't. Did that surprise you?

Nope! Not at all. I have only seen him pick Sheik at locals, so I knew I was only going to fight his Sheik.

What else did you do at MadEX this year?

This was actually my first con, so when I first got there I walked around the whole convention to see everything, met up with my friends, talked with them the whole time, and talked to my GOAT Max Mittleman. For the whole tourney, I rocked Ryuji's codename Skull for my in-game name, so shout-outs to Max Mittleman for indirectly powering me up.

A press pass was provided for this event.

Anime Milwaukee 2024: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Tournament Winner

Joe Muszynski

The following is an interview with Joe Muszynski, winner of the Smash Ultimate tournament at this year’s Anime Milwaukee.

Where are you from, and how did you get into competitive Smash?

I'm actually local-from the Milwaukee area. I got into competitive smash back in 2022, though there wasn't a scene in Milwaukee at the time. due to COVID ruining things, so I started competing online.

How did you eventually start competing locally?

At that time, I was working at a restaurant that had a game room attached to it and I brought the idea of local tournaments up to my boss. He said he knew some people and every month on Sundays, Magik4FGC would hold multiple tournaments that lit a spark in me, as well as others in the Milwaukee Smash community.

"Hero" from Dragon Quest seems to be your favorite character to play as. What do you like about him?

Hero is probably my all-time favorite character in Smash. I love the design behind him because he's designed to simply be fun and silly and I think that matches with me extremely well. It also doesn't hurt that one of my favorite JRPGs of all time is Dragon Quest 11, and the character of him is replicated perfectly into Smash. On top of that, there's the dopamine rush of randomly killing someone at 0% with thwack or catching someone off guard with a snooze or a shield break. He has so much depth to him that it doesn't really feel like anything else in the game-he's definitely a unique character (the only character I think comes close is Shulk because of his Monado Arts). I also love being able to change my stats on the fly.

Other than the finals, is there a match that stood out in the tournament?

One of the other matches I had a lot of fun with was Winners’ finals, when I fought against a Pyra/Mythra. I know a lot of people dislike fighting them due to how versatile they are, but I find them a blast to fight, and I feel like I have a great understanding of how to approach them. The person I was fighting was very skilled, and if I remember correctly that match was relatively even, but I caught them off guard with a snooze, which was the ender of that match.

In the finals, you were facing a player that used the character "Joker" from Persona 5. What's that matchup like?

Fighting Joker can be tricky, because the Joker player can either be extremely aggressive or play super passively until they get Arsene. As such, playing against Joker revolves around trying to match their pace. Since a lot of Hero's moves are slow, you have to make the Joker whiff and punish them when possible. Additionally, with Hero's down-b menu you have to constantly mix up what you're doing with it, because if I'm always throwing out projectiles he's gonna jump over it and punish me that way.

What else did you do at Anime Milwaukee this year?

My girlfriend and I played a lot of the arcade games at AMKE I even hung out a friend and we played some Call of Duty: Zombies and tried out a bunch of games on the GameCube. Besides that, I got to see my girlfriend do her first ever cosplay photoshoot where she dressed up as Chompette. We watched a bit of the cosplay awards which was pretty awesome to see-it honestly made me wish that I had cosplayed this year. Otherwise, we mainly just hung out with friends it was a really good time.

A press pass was provided for this event.

Anime Milwaukee 2023: Smash Ultimate Runner-Up

Christopher Hewitt

The following is an interview with Christopher Hewitt, runner-up of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament at Anime Milwaukee 2023:

Where are you from, and how did you get into competitive Smash?

I’ve been all over the state of Wisconsin, but I’m currently living in Oshkosh. My roots in competitive Smash stem from the Brawl Club that I’d started at my high school back in 2014. All kinds of students would flock to the library to pick up a Wiimote and duke it out with friends. Some of these students were competitive players, and it was through them that I was introduced to the community. I joined the ranks and started playing in tournaments once Smash 4 was released, and I still occasionally compete to this day.

Which characters do you tend to use in Smash Ultimate?

My main is definitely Ridley. He, just kinda “clicks”, y’know? I love his fantastic punish game and oppressive advantage state; combining these two traits means that even the most minor of mistakes can not only deal absurd damage and potentially kill early, but are also difficult to recover from without allowing yet another punish opportunity. On top of that, his strong offstage presence ensures that Ridley is a threat regardless of stage position. He may not be the strongest pick as far as tiers go, but I think it’s important to play someone that feels natural to you. Also, I like that two of his skins turn him into a robot space pirate dragon. Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want to play as a robot space pirate dragon.

Other characters I play tend to cover Ridley’s weaknesses. For example, I play Inkling or Shulk into fighters with strong zoning and projectile games, while I counter aggressive rushdown opponents with Meta Knight or Zero Suit Samus. These picks help shore up matchups I’m not confident taking Ridley into.

What changes have you noticed in the Smash Ultimate metagame over the last year or so?

Over the last year, the second wave of DLC characters have gotten a chance to further develop their own individual metagames. Sephiroth, Pyra and Mythra, Kazuya, and especially Steve have all seen noticeable improvement. I’m quite curious about how much further players can push these fighters, as well as what counterplay will arise from better understanding of their gameplay. Only time will tell.

Any standout matches from earlier in the tournament?

I’m afraid that my memory doesn’t serve me as well as it should as far as the earlier matches are concerned. Had a bit of personal drama going on. I would like, however, to take this time to compliment a few of my opponents I fought along the way. 

Firstly, Matthew, you definitely didn’t deserve to lose the first round, you made me feel like a sandbag with some of those nutty Kazuya combos. If it weren't for Ridley’s range stuffing out approaches, you could have easily taken that set. Kudos.

Secondly, Manny, your Wii Fit Trainer is officially insane. I couldn’t keep up with all the crazy ball setups you were throwing out, and I’m sure all the people you beat would agree. Also, I just want to appreciate all of the janky hitboxes you were taking stocks with. It’s not every day you see Wii Fit Trainer spike someone with a headbutt.

Lastly, Conkerz, I owe you due credit. I’d like to think I’m fairly good at reading people and their next actions, but at no point did I feel this way about your Bowser. Your mix up game is spectacular, and I think it was a major contributor to your victory. Well played, sir.

Speaking of Conkerz, what was it like playing him in the finals?

Getting to finals is a feeling unlike any other. You take a moment to think about how many people you went through and feel immense pride, and then, in that same moment, you recognize that the guy sitting next to you has done the same thing. The realization dawns: You're in for a very tough match, and the entire crowd will be watching you. It’s equal parts nerve-wracking and exhilarating!

Win or lose, the feeling of letting loose on the worthiest opponent the bracket could provide is a euphoria that I wish everyone putting themselves out there and going to tournaments gets to experience at least once. I’m not sure my words could do it justice, to be completely honest.

What was your strategy in that match?

The Ridley vs Bowser matchup is an interesting one, certainly. Allow me to break down the gameplan:

When approaching Bowser, I try to space myself in a way that stays out of range of most of his kit while staying close enough to still land a neutral air or forward tilt. Getting too close to Bowser–or, God forbid, touching his shield–is exceptionally risky; Bowser can easily intercept bad approaches with his up special or take an early stock with his invincible up smash. These scenarios are to be avoided by playing patiently and avoiding unsafe commitments.

Once I get in on Bowser, he’s pretty easy to combo; Bowser’s heavy weight and tall frame make it very easy to rack up damage on him with a down throw or down tilt string. At this time, I switch to a more aggressive playstyle, as Bowser is no longer able to access most of his defensive tools that previously kept me at bay.  Ridley is capable of dealing tons of damage in short order if you can’t shake him off, which is key against Bowser, as the turtle can take quite a beating before going down.

Taking a stock from Bowser usually happens in one of two ways: I either read his next move and respond with a kill move like forward smash or back air at higher percents, or try to gimp his recovery off the side of the stage with my aerials at lower percents. The former method requires a bit of planning, as Ridley’s kill moves tend to be slow or require good positioning to land, while the latter method requires me to get Bowser off the stage first and can be tricky to time. I can also catch Bowser in his shield with a side special and toss him off the screen, but missing leaves me wide open to attack. I have a lot of options, as you can see, but they all have their inherent risks.

That’s a good strategy, but it sounds like putting it into practice is a bit more complicated. What happened?

During the match, especially in the third game, the nerves started kicking in and I began deviating from the gameplan. I started throwing out attacks too aggressively in neutral and not paying as much attention to Bowser’s actions as I should have, ultimately leading to me losing the set to him 2-1. 

In the theoretical rematch, I’d probably try to take a moment to calm the nerves and think more rationally. Losing your head against Bowser is a great way to take home a big ol’ L.

What else did you do at Anime Milwaukee this year?

I spent a good chunk of the convention in the game room, grinding out games of Smash with as many people as I could. Scandalous, I know. I really enjoy playing against new people, learning their ins and outs and testing their mettle. Makes for good practice. I also like to try teaching a thing or two to people who aren’t as familiar with the game in goofy, casual style. I feel this helps people realize that the competitive community isn’t as scary as it may seem from the outset. We don’t bite, I promise.

Outside of game room escapades, I mostly accompanied my girlfriend to the vendor hall as the resident pack mule. As it turns out, not many cosplays are designed with storage in mind, so I don't mind lending a hand. We were both really impressed by the art and items on offer this year, so budgeting everything out was much more difficult than anticipated. I also want to give the drag show a quick shoutout, as it had no right being so ridiculously entertaining. It’s abundantly clear you guys put a lot of effort and love into your craft. Go you.

Anime Milwaukee 2022: Smash Ultimate Winner

Anthony Brooks

The following is an interview with Anthony Brooks, winner of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament at Anime Milwaukee 2022. [The photo on the right was taken from a safe distance.]

Where are you from, and how did you get into competitive Smash?

I was born and raised right here in Milwaukee, and have lived here my whole life. I began playing Super Smash Brothers on the Nintendo 64, and have played every installment since. I think I began playing Smash competitively during the Wii U era, with the addition of the “For Glory” online mode. I would often save replays of my matches to show my friends (to try to impress them). It was also around this time that I began following the high-level Smash scene. Watching those pros play was a big influence for me, and I still enjoy watching them today, as well as playing in the tournament scene myself.

Which characters do you tend to use in Smash Ultimate?

I have a few that I tend to lean towards. I consider Cloud to be my “main”. I started using him on Smash Wii U, the day he came out. Funny enough, at the time, I had no idea who Cloud was, but using him just clicked with me. He’s very versatile, fast moving and packs a punch, especially with his Limit Breaks. I think another reason why I enjoy him is because he has a strong combo game and great matchups. I wound up liking him so much that I started playing Final Fantasy, and now it's become my all-time favorite gaming franchise.  As far as other characters, Ganondorf is my secondary. I also enjoy using Donkey Kong, Sephiroth, and of course, Mario.

What has it been like getting back into in-person tournaments?

I was really happy to be back in person for a Smash Tournament. Sure, playing online in the comfort of your own home is nice, and competing in the online tournaments can be a blast, but nothing beats the rush I feel when coming to an in-person tournament. It’s an absolutely astounding feeling, almost surreal, even electric. There’s this immense sense of excitement, but also a crazy amount of nervousness, all blended together. It also makes me at home, because I'm surrounded by people who are all passionate about Smash, just like me. The crowds, the announcers, going up to the stage, it’s an incredible experience.

Funny enough though, I almost didn't enter this Smash tournament. I was on the fence about it, since I've been in tournaments previously, but I was afraid I might be a bit rusty. I told my wife that there would be a Smash Tournament at Anime Milwaukee, and she goes, “So, you’re going to enter it, right?” That was the moment where I decided I was going to enter for sure, and I'm so glad I did. It was the highlight of my weekend, and a moment I’ll never forget.

This tournament was single elimination and used only single-game matches-did that change your play style?

That was very surprising to my friends and I, since typically Smash Tournaments are usually best two out of three sets, with the winner of the first match being locked to their character, allowing the opponent to possibly counter-pick. The change to single elimination did change my strategy a bit. My original strategy was to go into the first round as my secondary, Ganondorf, to test the waters. If Ganondorf would fail me, I would change to Cloud to hopefully clean up the set. When they announced the change (it was needed so the tournament would finish on time), I turned to my friends nervously, and said, “What do I do?” My good friend, Marques, suggested I stick to Cloud, since he also considers him to be my best character. I wound up doing that for the whole tournament. On the positive side (my friends also agree), I think the single elimination was kind of nice. It kept the flow of the tournament going at a brisk pace, while also making it more intense, since it was only one match per round.

How did the earlier rounds play out?

Early on in the tournament, I told my new friend from work, “You know Sam, it would be nice if I place high in this tournament. I would be satisfied if I went to quarterfinals or semifinals.” To which he replied, “I think what you meant to say was, you're going to win, right?” He then went on to encourage me to have a winner’s mentality, to tell myself that I was going to win this tournament. That gave me a boost of confidence. At that point, it wasn’t about me anymore. I had to win it for me, and all my friends who were cheering me on!

In the tournament itself, the first three rounds went relatively well. Once I got to the quarterfinals, that's when the nerves started kicking in, because I knew that these people would be the best this tournament had to offer. When I wasn't participating in the matches, I would watch the big screens and scope out the competition. I remember thinking “Boy, I hope I don’t get paired against them” on multiple occasions.

In terms of specific matches, if my memory serves me correctly, the quarterfinals was against a very good Roy, the semifinals were against an amazing Snake-there was actually a moment where I had one stock to his two, I also had high damage, and thought, “This is it, I had a good run, but this is the end for me. There’s no way I’m winning now.” 

How did you turn that one around?

I actually ended up taking all three of his stocks with Cloud’s Limit Break, “Finishing Touch.” For the final stock, I got him off the ledge, and he used his up-B to recover to the middle of the stage. As he was coming down, I charged my limit break and obtained limit. I jumped towards him to fake him out, and it worked-he spot dodged, making him vulnerable. I predicted where he would land and landed the winning blow, with one stock left and over 100% damage. Man, that match was a rush!

What were the finals like?

My gosh, the finals were intense. When they called my name for the finals, it was absolutely surreal. My friends and wife were there to cheer me on. Using my preferred controller, the Nintendo Switch Pro, I sat down and fist bumped my opponent, and we began the match. My Cloud vs. his Pyra/Mythra. I wasn’t sure if I would pull through, but then I thought, “My good friend plays Pyra/Mythra a lot. I’ll just pretend like I’m playing against them, or in a match of Elite Smash.” As I expected, my opponent knew his character well (and use both parts effectively), but I was able to keep focused and pull through. When the match was over, and they announced that I was the winner, I threw my hands in the air and faced the crowd. I remember shaking almost uncontrollably, from the excitement and the nerves. I ran up to my friends and threw my arms around them. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

You dressed up as Cape Mario from Super Mario World for the convention. What made you choose that, and what went into that costume?

I chose Mario because it was Super Mario World and Super Mario 64 that got me into gaming when I was young. I also cosplayed as Mario because this year my friends and I did our first group cosplay, as Super Smash Brothers characters of course! Originally, I was just going to buy a generic Mario suit online, and call it a day. But then I thought, “Wouldn't it be cool to buy some authentic overalls, and really build the cosplay instead of just buying a suit?” And that's what I did, I bought some real overalls, some gloves and cape from a party store, and the red undershirt from a secondhand store. I thought to myself, “I have boots and the Mario cap at home. I should be set.” I went home just to realize that I didn’t have a Mario hat, and the con was that week! Thankfully, my little cousin, Owen, had a Mario Odyssey cap I could borrow. I thought, “Well, I’ll be Super Mario from Super Mario World with a cape, with Cappy from Mario Odyssey. Huh, that's kind of a neat combination.” It felt like a fun mashup of two great games, and was a slightly more interesting twist then just going with a normal Mario hat. My only regret is not getting a Mario face mask, or making a mustache that went over my own to complete the look. But overall, I was satisfied with it, and had a lot of fun taking pictures with everyone, especially during the Nintendo photoshoot!

What else did you do at Anime Milwaukee this year?

I had a blast at Anime Milwaukee this year! It was also wonderful because it was my wife’s first AMKE, as well as my friend from work, which made it extra exciting. Friday, we spent most of the day just familiarizing ourselves with the convention, where the panels were, game room, vendor hall, etc. We went to lunch at an awesome restaurant up the street, Build-a-Burger, which is a convention ritual for us. Saturday was a big day, as it was the Smash Tournament, and we attended the Masquerade, where we watched out friend walk across state and take third place in the novice category! We also checked out AMKE Underground Saturday night and spent plenty of time (and money) at the vendor hall. Sunday was very low-key, but still enjoyable. All in all, this may have been my favorite AMKE yet, and I’ve been coming every year since 2014. I already can’t wait for next year!

A press pass was provided for this event.

Anime Milwaukee Website

Anime Milwaukee 2020: Smash Ultimate Tournament

Conkerz

The following is an interview with “Conkerz”, a competitive Smash Bros. player who placed second at a tournament at Anime Milwaukee 2020.

Where are you from, and how did you get into competitive Smash?

I’m from Milwaukee, WI. I've played Smash Bros casually ever since the first game on the Nintendo 64. I started playing competitively in 2013 after a friend of mine introduced me to Project M-a video game Mod of Super Smash Bros Brawl to make the game feel more competition-oriented and more like Melee. Ever since then I started playing Project M and Melee at weekly tournaments hosted by a group named MeleeMilwaukee (now known as Event Horizon Gaming). With the release of Smash Ultimate in 2018, I’ve had a lot of fun learning and competing in the game, as well as implementing my knowledge from the former games to this new one.

What was your reaction when Banjo & Kazooie were announced for Smash?

I was shocked and excited when they initially announced Banjo & Kazooie. As a big fan of Rare games (as you can see with my tag), I thought this was a great addition to the Smash Bros. roster.

What drew you to the character mechanically?

Honestly, when I first played the character, it just felt very smooth and easy to pick up. Banjo has aerials and smash attacks that are fast and extend out, similar to a sword character. Additionally, he has projectiles that give me an advantage when at a distance. The recovery is also great and the grab options are solid.

Despite only being single elimination, this tournament went on for about five hours. Did that start to wear on you?

Yes, this was a long tournament. There were only three setups so it didn’t progress as quickly as I would have liked. I definitely got hungry, so it was great to finally be able to eat after.

In the finals, you fought against a Ganondorf player. What are some things to watch for in that matchup?

Ganondorf is a heavy and slow character so my strategy was to bait out and predict my opponent’s moves. At low percents, I am able to combo the character to higher percents. His attacks are very powerful, though, so it would only take a couple of hits for him to get me into knockout range.

Despite doing quite well in the first game of the match, you decided to switch characters. Why was that?

I actually don't have a specific Main for the game. I play Banjo, Bowser, and Luigi all equally well. This gives me an advantage because then my opponent will have to adapt to my new characters. I knew that the finals match was going to be best three out of five, so it gave me more opportunities to experiment and decide the correct character for the last games of the set. After taking the first game with Banjo, I felt I could have done better overall with Luigi which I (mostly) did, but I ended up losing with him because I was looking for a more stylish kill option (Luigi’s “shoryuken”) instead a safe one. I took a chance because if the move would have landed, it would have given me much more momentum going into the final games of the set.

What would you do differently if you could?

I don't think i would have done anything differently besides play better. Even though I was able to win the first game, my opponent just played better overall in the set.

Any dream characters for the second set of DLC?

Yes, put Conker in the Game! (Laughs)

Editor’s Note: A press pass was provided to Poké Press for this event.

Poke Press @ Anime Milwaukee 2019

Anime Milwaukee was held last weekend, and I was able to get some footage out of the event. First, I had a chance to interview Yokon, the winner of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament. He used Gannondorf to climb his way to the top, and provides some insight into the character:

I also recorded a recap of the event, which you can see here:

A press pass was provided for this event.

Anime Milwaukee Website