Editing Mr. Game & Watch

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{{forfighter|SSBM=y|SSBB=y|SSB4=y|SSBU=y}}

:''"Mr. G" redirects here. For the alter ego, see [[Smasher:Goblin]].''

|name        = Mr. Game & Watch

|image        = [[File:Mr. Game & Watch.png|class=sprite|120px]]

|caption      = [[File:Game&WatchSymbol.svg|50px|class=invert-dark]]<br>In-game sprite of Mr. Game & Watch from ''Game & Watch Gallery 4''.

|firstgame    = ''{{iw|wikipedia|Ball|Game & Watch}}'' (1980) (as a juggler)<br>''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' (2001) (as Mr. Game & Watch)

|lastappearance= ''{{s|supermariowiki|WarioWare: Get It Together!}}'' (2021, cameo)

|console      = Game & Watch (as a juggler)<br>[[Nintendo GameCube]] (as Mr. Game & Watch)

|species      = Sentient Game & Watch sprite

|creator      = {{s|mariowiki|Gunpei Yokoi}}

|artist      = Makoto Kano

==Origin==

The composite Mr. Game & Watch character debuted in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''. While some Game & Watch games starred specific characters, such as [[Mario]]'s appearance in ''{{s|mariowiki|Mario's Cement Factory}}'', a majority simply starred nameless and simply-drawn stick figure-like characters. These characters, due to the LCD display of the Game & Watch, could only move in alternating and preset frames, similar to the numbers on a calculator. Also, the animation frames were monochromatic, simply being black LCD frames against a preset background.

 

In translating this era of gaming to ''Smash'', many of these generic characters' animations and abilities were combined into a new single entity, Mr. Game & Watch. Visually, his standard design most heavily resembles the people in need of rescue from ''Fire'' and the pedestrians from ''Manhole''. In keeping with the limitations of the Game & Watch's software, Mr. Game & Watch is rendered as a two-dimensional character with a choppy and frame-by-frame animation style.

 

Since debuting in ''Melee'', Mr. Game & Watch has made a few appearances in other games. He has a minor speaking role as the host of one of the menus in ''{{s|mariowiki|Game & Watch Gallery 4}}''. He has also made a number of cameos in other Nintendo games, including multiple entries in the [[Wario (universe)|''WarioWare'' series]], ''{{s|mariowiki|Donkey Kong Country Returns}}'', ''{{s|wikipedia|Rhythm Heaven Fever}}'' and ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario Odyssey}}''.

Mr. Game & Watch makes his [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]] debut as the final [[unlockable]] character in ''Melee''. Mr. Game & Watch can be unlocked one of four ways: completing either {{SSBM|Classic Mode}} or [[Adventure Mode]] with all characters on any difficulty and [[stock]] or the [[Target Test]] with all characters, or playing 1000 vs. mode matches.

Mr. Game & Watch fights with a variety of items derived from the Game & Watch series. [[Chef]], his [[neutral special move]], launches sausages at random distances from a pan. At closer distances said pan can be used as a semi-spike. [[Judgment]], his [[side special move]], is a hammer with randomly chosen strength and effects, ranging from weak (1) to strong (9). [[Fire]], his [[up special move]], launches Mr. Game & Watch at a lengthy vertical distance, with the help of a firefighter team; note that this is the only up special attack which gets more distance when a character is big by getting a mushroom.

Lastly, [[Oil Panic]], his [[down special move]], allows him to catch energy based projectiles. Once three projectiles are caught, the contents can be dumped as a flow of oil, causing damage depending on the projectiles caught. This move can be used to cause the [[Kamikaze Glitch]].

Mr. Game & Watch translated well into ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''. However, this proves to become a severe disadvantage. His movement is choppy and sluggish, thus meaning he becomes dependent on [[wavedashing]] and [[dash-dancing]] as his primary method of movement. His moves, primarily his special moves, have very limited uses in competitive play and only two of his [[aerial attack]]s can be [[L-canceling|L-canceled]]. However, the few usable moves he has come equipped with high range and very large [[hitbox]]es, many of which are powerful finishers. Aside from his moves, Mr. Game & Watch's throws are very useful due to the fact they can all be used to chain grab. Mr. Game & Watch's defensive game is arguably his worst property; with an extremely small [[shield]] (which leaves his hands and feet unprotected, even at maximum size) and a very poor [[sidestep]] and [[roll]], he has a very weak defensive game. This, combined with the fact that he is very light, causes him to die at very low percentages. Mr. Game & Watch players must therefore be able to read their opponents ridiculously well in order to simply survive and to have a chance in competitive play. As a result, Mr. Game & Watch is currently ranked in the bottom of the C- tier at 19th out of 26 in the ''Melee'' [[tier list]].

As a playable character, Mr. Game & Watch has three trophies - a normal trophy won beating the {{SSBM|Classic Mode}} with Mr. Game & Watch on any difficulty, and "Smash Red" and "Smash Blue" trophies are acquired by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively.

|image=Mr. Game and Watch Trophy.png

|game=Melee

 

|name=Mr. Game & Watch

|image=Mr. Game and Watch Trophy (Smash).png

|mode=Adventure

|desc=A resident of a totally flat world, Mr. Game & Watch's frame-by-frame movement is distinctive. His image is known far and wide, and respected by gamers everywhere. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, he hurls sausages with his Chef technique. The random strength of his Judgment is determined by the number displayed; food appears on lucky 7.

 

|image=Mr. Game and Watch Trophy (Smash) 2.png

|mode=All Star

|desc=A man of great stature in the world of Nintendo characters, Mr. Game & Watch is a comparatively light fellow and doesn't feature many powerful attacks. When he's in danger of falling, Fire calls out a rescue brigade to send him skyward once more. He can also catch missile weapons with Oil Panic; once he's caught three, he can dump the bucket on his foes.

[[File:Mr. Game & Watch SSBB.jpg|thumb|170px|Mr. Game & Watch, as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''.]]

Mr. Game & Watch returns as an unlockable playable character in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''. He has been heavily buffed, moving up from the bottom tier of ''Melee''  to the mid-high tier in ''Brawl''. Mr. Game & Watch's attacks have been powered up and sped up, and he arguably has the best set of [[smash attack]]s in the game. He has been given a new technique, called [[Bucket Braking]], which lets him negate all [[knockback]] while in midair.

 

 

{{Trophy

|name=Mr. Game & Watch

|image=Mr. Game & Watch - Brawl Trophy.png

|desc=The monochrome hero of the Game & Watch series, a fellow who oozes personality. First appearing in 1980, the series were the original portable game systems. The first games in the series were quite simple, but as time passed, technology evolved. The multiscreen series featured game play on dual screens. As the name states, the games also kept time.

|gamelist={{Trophy games|console1=GB|game1={{iw|mariowiki|Game & Watch Gallery}}}}

}}

{{clrl}}

Mr. Game & Watch is once again an unlockable playable character in ''SSB4''. He was teased before release in a small appearance at the end of {{SSB4|Pac-Man}}'s reveal trailer to illustrate how the two are the oldest characters in ''Smash Bros.'' history (even older than Mario and Donkey Kong); in that cameo, he notably performs his down taunt from ''Brawl'', which was replaced by the release of ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS''.

 

Overall, Mr. Game & Watch was nerfed in the transition to ''Smash 4''. The removal of Bucket Braking was his most notable negative change, as it greatly hinders his endurance (especially horizontally), considering his status as a lightweight character. Several of his moves also have additional [[lag|ending lag]], such as his up tilt, down tilt, and neutral aerial, and some of his moves are weaker finishers, such as his forward aerial. However, his attacks possess high damage output, with some becoming more efficient, including his back aerial's multiple hits linking better, and up smash, which now includes invincibility on startup. His throws have also improved, as they are all now performed much faster, with down throw being especially great at starting combos. However, his nerfs are considerably enough to cause a drop in his tier placement, now ranking 38th out of 54 on the ''Smash 4'' tier list, and he has seen lackluster tournament representation, although his results have been above-average.

|gamelist-pal={{Trophy games|console1=GW|game1=Game & Watch|release1=1980 (JP)}}

 

|image-3ds=MrGame&WatchAltTrophy3DS.png

|image-wiiu=MrGame&WatchAltTrophyWiiU.png

|gamelist-ntsc={{Trophy games|console1=GW|game1=Game & Watch|release1=04/1980}}

|gamelist-pal={{Trophy games|console1=GW|game1=Game & Watch|release1=1980 (JP)}}

==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''==

{{Main|Mr. Game & Watch (SSBU)}}

[[File:Mr. Game & Watch SSBU.png|thumb|180px|Mr. Game & Watch, as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.]]

Mr. Game & Watch is once again an unlockable playable character in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', alongside the entire playable roster of the series. He now changes appearance depending on the game from which the move he is using originates. His moveset has been significantly altered; for instance, he has a new forward aerial in the form of a bomb projectile, and his up air now functions similarly to [[Mega Man]]'s. In addition, his Final Smash, Octopus, now carries and drags opponents offscreen.

Having been regarded as a lower mid-tier character in SSB4 (38th out of 54), Mr. Game & Watch has been significantly buffed in his transition to ''Ultimate''. In a similar fashion to Link, Mr. Game & Watch has undergone a massive overhaul in his moveset that goes beyond changes to aesthetic appearances; a majority of his moves have been altered in range, damage, knockback, lag, or have been completely reworked altogether in their purpose and utility. As a result, Mr. Game & Watch has undergone a plethora of buffs and nerfs in his transition to ''Ultimate'', arguably the most out of any other returning veteran. While these changes have weakened his most powerful tools and set-ups from ''SSB4'', they have also greatly improved several of his more underwhelming moves in his toolkit from the previous game, with the most notable one being [[Fire]], which is now commonly considered the best [[out of shield]] option in the game. Due to these changes, his iteration in ''Ultimate'' is universally agreed to be his best, being ranked 3rd out of 82 on the current tier list and has seen unprecedented results compared to previous iterations of the character due to the likes of [[Smasher:Maister|Maister]] and [[Smasher:Miya (Honshu)|Miya]].

SSBU spirit Mr. Game & Watch.png|689. '''''Mr. Game & Watch'''''

*Conceptually, Mr. Game & Watch is the only 2D playable character in the ''Smash Bros.'' series. However, in the technical sense, he is composed of a 3D model just like all other characters; this model is flattened along one axis to provide the illusion he is 2D. This flattening effect is applied to other characters in 2D stages such as [[Flat Zone]] and [[Pac-Land]]. The 2D illusion is broken somewhat when Mr. Game & Watch becomes [[metal]], is a [[false character]], is covered in {{b|ink|status}}, or if the Z-axis glitch is performed on him, as his body is no longer featureless and appears to be rounded. This can also occur during certain cinematic [[Final Smash|Final Smashes]], such as [[Dede-Rush]], [[Triple Wolf]], or [[Supernova]]. His [[amiibo]] is also 3D, though it more emulates his 2D appearance than using a fully 3D model.

*Mr. Game & Watch is technically the oldest playable character in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, having debuted in April 1980 ([[Pac-Man]] would debut in Japan a month later).

**Although the ''Game & Watch'' was first released in 1980, Mr. Game & Watch didn't conceptually exist until ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''. This has led to some debate over whether or not Mr. Game & Watch should be considered the same entity as the playable characters from the original ''Game & Watch'' handhelds.

***That said, Mr. Game & Watch, as a character in ''Smash Bros.'', is an amalgamation of different ''Game & Watch'' titles, so it's likely that he represents the entire ''Game & Watch'' brand rather than a specific game. This is further supported in ''Ultimate'', where Mr. Game & Watch, for several of his moves, changes his appearance to resemble the character in the game from which the move originated.

*Mr. Game & Watch and [[Falco]] are the only characters who appeared as unlockable in multiple {{uv|Super Smash Bros.}} titles to remain as unlockable in both versions of ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''.

**Counting the two versions separately, they, along with [[Jigglypuff]], are also tied for the most unlockable appearances in the series, with five.

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