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             Super Smash Bros. Melee
        Falco Character FAQ/Guide/Whtever
                   Version 1.5
     By: Matt Massey - [email protected]


-2. VERSION HISTORY -------------------------------------

1/25/2002 - Version 1.0 - 71 KB
- FAQ created.
- Ate a Pizza Hut P'Zone recently. Nice 'n filling.
- To do: Better character/stage strategies, MAYBE add in
combos. And, perhaps, do a little more with the Fox vs.
Falco thing.

1/29/2002 - Version 1.5 - 81 KB
- Reworded some of my psychobabble. Should be an easier
read now. I shouldn't be writing at 4 AM, see.
- Updated most of the strategies, either by clarifying or
adding new stuff.
- Giga Bowser added in section six, just for completion's
sake. I'll add in both hands if it's requested by a lot
of people.
- To do: Just more revisions, perhaps combos if you
people would just SEND THEM IN!! I'm serious, I have no
mail on this FAQ outside of someone requesting to host
this FAQ. I'm sure I have some errors or something, and
perhaps someone'd like to correct them. E-Mail addy is
on the top.

------------------------------------- VERSION HISTORY .-2



-1. LEGAL MUMBO JUMBO -----------------------------------

  This here piece of written work is copyrighted by me,
and as such you're not allowed to reproduce this, in part
or in whole, for profit. If you do, I'll find out and
boot your tush for good measure.

  For those of you that would like to host this on a
site, here's the terms:

  - Please e-mail me first, with a link to your page.
My e-mail addy of the moment is up on the top.
  - Your site may not be one of those "pay to access
all this stuff" site.
  - There must not be any ads or special advertisement
things located on the same piece of .html with the FAQ.
  - This FAQ is to be printed in full without any
modifications (unless you have my permission)


You can currently find these FAQs here:

- GameFAQs.com
- Neoseeker.com

  If you find my FAQ on a site that isn't listed here,
then please let me know.

  This FAQ was made simply for the enjoyment of people
who play Super Smash Bros. Melee for free, and as such
I wish for it to stay that way.

  Falco, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and such are (c) their
respective owners. All rights reserved.


----------------------------------- LEGAL MUMBO JUMBO .-1



0. TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------

-2. Version History
-1. Legal Mumbo Jumbo
0. Table of Contents (here)
1. Whole-Hearted Welcome Message
2. Falco, This Is Your Life! (summary)
3. Push the Button, Falco (moves)
4. Real Time Versus Strategy (vs. mode strats)
5. Stage Fight (arena stuff)
6. Falco vs. Random Franchise 3 (vs. characters)
7. Falco's Birthday Wishlist (items)
8. #1 Furry Pilot vs. Ballerina Rocket (Fox vs. Falco)
9. Odds, Ends, and Penny Rolls (extra stuff & weirdness)
10. Insert a Quarter (Credits)
11. Legal Mumbo Jumbo, Again!

------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS .0



1. WHOLE-HEARTED WELCOME MESSAGE ------------------------

  It's another SSB:M character FAQ. Goody! This one's
made by yet another random schmoe, this one for Falco.
A Falco gameplay FAQ. Yes, there are methods to the guy's
madness. You probably don't have much time to experiment
with the characters to your heart's content. If you are,
then this is for you. If you aren't, then go on and read
through here to see if there's something you might have
missed while playing.
  All in all, the best way to get better is to practice,
practice, practice. Some people need pointers. Instead
of pointing fingers and laughing, direct them here.
  I'm assuming that you're already familiar with the
game's controls, and have unlocked Falco. I will not
provide 1P game, Stadium, nor Event info, so if you want
that kind of stuff, go here:

- BigJoe7x7's Home Run Contest Guide
Found on gamefaqs.com and geekmecca.com, this'll give
you a good idea of how to go about slaughtering the
Sandbag.

- Mario 64 Master's Target Test Guide
All you need to know for breaking the targets and
getting a low enough total time to get all the
Target Test's related trophies. This is also on
gamefaqs.com.

- BBacka's Event Match Guide
Quite in-depth and helpful. Not much more needs to be
said. Gamefaqs.com is where it's at.


  If you need to contact me, here's all you need to
know:

- E-Mail addy: [email protected]
- GameFAQs Boards: Twelve12Percent

  When mailing me, please put "FALCO" in the subject
header. I'm all for suggestions to my flawed strategies
and the like, so mail away. I just don't check my mail
all too often, so be patient if I don't get right back
to you.

  With that out of the way, we're on to tackle the more
finer things in life. Onward!

------------------------ WHOLE-HEARTED WELCOME MESSAGE .1



2. FALCO, THIS IS YOUR LIFE! ----------------------------

  Falco's that fellow pilot of yours with a stick up his
butt in the Star Fox games. He probably still has it in
there, as now he's also joining the fray in Melee 'cause
even he's irritated by himself.

  Let's get this out of the way first: Falco is very
lightweight. He's far from being the lightest, but if you
need an idea of how light... well, Zelda and Peach both
outweigh him. He's tied with Pikachu. This means a really
powerful hit has a good chance of taking you out at 60%
or so if you're already close to the edge.

  He flies pretty far when hit. Ouch. He also has fairly
poor recovery skills. Sure, his first jump is the highest
there is. However, you don't get to use your first jump
in the air. That leaves you with his second and third.
His second jump is pretty mundane stuff. For the third
and final leap, you get to choose between his up+B or
his side+B. The former can be directed but doesn't carry
him very far at all, as where the side+B gakes him a
decent horizontal distance. You do, however, have to add
his insane fall speed. This means that you'll run into
many cases where you'll be way too low to grab the ledge
with his side+B, and will have to try his up+B instead.
It's not THAT bad, but it's far from good.

  I'm done with his glaring downsides. Since Falco is so
tempermental, he's also good at what many consider the
cheaper aspects of Melee.

  They make a pretty big deal about his Blaster (neutral
B), which is actually one of the best edge-guarding tools
in the game since you can just eat most characters'
second jump. They can't deflect it in midair (unless they
have such a move), and that means they'll need a good
thid jump to make it back. Sometimes the CPU will try to
use the midair dodge. When you dodge in the air, that
counts as your third jump. Instant win for you if they
can't make it. This  works best in one-on-ones,
obviously.

  Falco was also blessed with the game's absolute
fastest Meteor Strike; his aerial down+A, that drill
kick. No matter what part of it you hit with, they'll go
down if they're at 70% or so with empty air beneath them.
Here's where balancing comes into play - Falco falls
fast. There's a great chance you'll go down with your foe
if you jumped after them to land the spike, but they'll
be going down first. To Falco, that's pretty much all
that matters.

  In terms of actual moves, Falco's pretty balanced.
One good projectile for being annoying, a VERY reliable
projectile deflection move that can help set up juggles,
a quick dash attack to punch through crowds or escape
trouble, pretty good reach and speed on his normals, two
impressive midair attacks, and nice overall comboability.
Perhaps he's lacking a little in physical strength
(forward smash is his best, and it's not that powerful),
but he's well-equipped for most any situation.

---------------------------- FALCO, THIS IS YOUR LIFE! .2



3. PUSH THE BUTTON, FALCO -------------------------------

  Falco, like the rest of the SSB:M cast, is a man of
many moves and maneuvers. Damage based on the training
mode and Fox at 100% damage.

Neutral A Ground: 3%, 4%, 1% per kick
Fast, decent reach, kinda weak (as to be expected). If
you keep pressing A, you'll go into a multi-kick combo.
If you're up against big opponents and you have a wall
handy, knock 'em into it and just keep them against the
wall.

Side A Ground: 8%
The other Falco FAQ on GameFAQs says it's mediocre. I
have to disagree. A nice roundhouse kick that you can
aim slightly upwards or downwards that doesn't have much
power, but it has a good combination of speed and reach.
You'll probably be using this a lot subconsciously, as
I have. Invaluable against the rangemongers (Marth and
friends), and fairly comboable if you're fast enough.

Up A Ground: 8%
Falco kicks a foot up and his opponents go flying at a
nearly straight angle into the air. Basic combo starter,
and (once again) good speed. If you hit with this again
though, they'll go back up at a somewhat more curved
angle. Just jump after them once you hit, unless they
can't clear your head.

Down A Ground: 13%
A tail sweep. Great crowd control move. Speed, range,
AND power but won't cover your behind. If you're
getting hit silly, just throw this out of nowhere for
some breathing space. Launches opponents upwards at
an angle away from Falco, so you're gonna have to
move in to combo after it. Can kill easily at 130-160%,
so this can work for a finishing blow if they just
REFUSE to die by smashes.

Neutral A Air: 10%
Decent damage aside, I don't use intentionally. Weak
knockback, low range, low priority... well, I guess
if you wanna go for that All Variations bonus, why
not?

Back A Air: 8%
Weaker damage-wise than the aerial neutral A, but
a little more knockback value. You have better to
use.

Front A Air: 7% per kick
Multiple spinkick thing. I guess it's decent for
crowd control or someone after munching on a
Super Shroom, but the next attack is a bit more
preferrable.

Up A Air: 6%, 9%
Fun two-hit juggle attack Fox had (and still has)
from the original SSB. Sadly, the opponent doesn't
go straight back up (they teeter off towards the side),
and it's not all that strong unless they're at a high
damage. Still, one of your two favorite aerial moves
because with a little movement you can go and just do
it over and over.

Down A Air: 12%
FASTEST SPIKE IN THE GAME. This does not do multiple
hits. It does not need to. If the opponent is in the
air and right next to the edge while you happen to
be above them, do this. There is a very good chance
that they'll get spiked into the abyss (the angle of
flight leads slightly away from Falco). While they'll
probably recover at a lower damage number, remember
this; it's awesome.

Dash A: 6%
Surprising speed and priority if you're running at
someone, but this isn't very effective. Weak damage,
and a noticable recovery delay that just doesn't go
well with the low effectiveness. This will knock an
opponent up and a bit away from Falco, which makes it
hard to combo unless the enemy is at a higher %.

Side A Smash: 17% uncharged, 23% max charge
Falco's most powerful smash move, which sends people
away to the side at an angle depending on how close
they are to you. People in your face seem to pop
straight up, those who are barely in range go at about
a 30 degree angle away from you. The startup obviously
rears its ugly head as a means of gameplay balance. What
else would stop you from just using smash attacks all the
time? When charged, this is pretty nasty. Otherwise it's
kind of weak. Near the edge, anybody at 80% or above is
guaranteed to die at full charge. If they don't go splat
and you're not in immediate danger, just take a shot with
your B attack and take credit for the kill. If not, well,
an extra 2-6% damage or so will help for next time.

Upwards A Smash: 14% uncharged, 18% max charge
Falco does a flip kick. Not as strong as the side A
smash, and a whole lot less range. However, it feels a
bit faster. Pathetic damage if it tags anybody behind
you (at least it can...). Don't expect to kill anybody
with this unless they're already up there for damage.
Pretty good to use in combos though, so don't throw it
out of your book.

Downwards A Smash: 16% uncharged, 21% max charge
Actually, this is a contender for Falco's strongest
Smash, but the range is limited as a trade for good
speed and coverage on your front and back. People hit
by this also fly at a directly horizontal angle, so
this isn't bad if you can land it. Now, if you're
Giant Falco against a Tiny Pichu or someone like that,
the Side A Smash will pass over their heads. This is
what you use instead.

B: Falco's Blaster - 1%-3% per shot
Why they make a big deal about this, I don't know. There
are more dramatic differences between Fox and Falco than
this, but it's not like I dislike this move. Oh no.
Slow rate of fire, but infinite reach and it stuns the
opponent. While you could take pot shots at your foe
from the other side of the level, the more productive
use is for edge guarding. If they're not capable of
deflecting or absorbing the laster with a special
move, there's almost no way they'll be able to get
back up onto the battlefield unless their third jump
is good. Obviously, that's a better tactic to use in
one-on-ones than big group fights.

Side B: Falco Phantasm - 7%
After some startup, Falco does a little light-speed
dash across the screen. This startup is quite brief,
matched by noticable recovery delay and very high
vulnerability even when you're in that fast dash.
Yes, I've grabbed Falco and been grabbed by my foes
out of this move, often by accident. As such, I
really can't recommend this as an attack against the
attentive. Since it's so fast, though, it could
make a great escape move in a pinch. As a dramatic
plus, if you hit an enemy in midair with this they'll
drop STRAIGHT DOWN. That's a spike. A nasty spike.
It still might not kill unless at high damage, but
it's something. This also counts as your third jump in
the air, so be extra careful you don't do this over the
edge.

Up B: Fire Bird - 16%
Falco surrounds himself in a fiery thing, then takes
off in the direction specified by how you tilt the
control stick. Compared to Fox's, this is weak. It
doesn't go nearly as far nor does it have any built-in
protection from people already in your face, but
anybody hit with this will go farther than Fox's. It's
still difficult to kill with this, but it gives you
more breathing space. Almost strictly a recovery-only
move unless used in combos.

Down B: Reflector - 8%
Falco (and Fox) are truly great at anti-keep away with
this wonderful toy here. Any projectile attack that
comes in contact with this will not only bounce off of
you harmlessly, but it also strengthens it. In the air,
it also slows down your fall if you want to throw
someone off. No real startup nor recovery delays either,
plus this has extremely good priority if started up in
the company of enemies. In Falco's case, it sends foes
straight up so you can combo them. I'll get into the
full use of this move in a later section. Too bad you
have to call back up the deflector every time
something hits it.


Throws: My opinions of throws changed a bit since the
first version. Falco's down throw is easily his best for
the combo potential, but if there's a group of opponents
coming at you from behind or above... well, that's what
the rest is for.

Grab, A: 1-3% per hit
You knee them. Extra damage is fine by me.

Forward throw: 7%
Mundane. Not much strength here. You just uppercut them
away, and they go flying towards the direction you're
facing. It might kill a lighter character at 100% if
you're near the edge, but don't bother too much with
it.

Backwards throw: 7%
Falco throws his opponent behind him and fires a shot
into the air. This might miss who you're throwing,
but it's helpful if there's someone coming in from above
and behind.

Upwards throw: 7%
Falco throws his foe upwards and shoots them with the
Blaster. Might be the strongest of his throws, but you
have better.

Downwards throw: 5%
The best of Falco's throws. It's weak by itself, but
you can try to immediately follow it up with a Reflector
to get them into the air for free comboing. That's 13%
right there, which is already a good start.


I'm choosing not to highlight any combos for the time
being, as you'll be making a LOT of impromptu ones in
play. I constantly find myself mixing up forward+As,
smashes, and the Fire Bird at random to keep my opponents
in the air and ready for more punishment. Now, if
someone or I find some outstanding combo worth
mentioning, I'll put 'em in the next version.

------------------------------- PUSH THE BUTTON, FALCO .3



4. REAL TIME VERSUS STRATEGY ----------------------------

  Falco is more or less a brawling character, even
though I will be recommending blaster abuse in a lot of
the stages. See, Falco's got pretty good reach and speed
on his normals. Thus, you'll want to get in close and
abuse that. Since Falco is a lightweight, he'll be in
constant danger at that range. That's why you shouldn't
let up if you can help it, otherwise you just might go
flying.

  Falco is blessed with some great juggles to go with
his better normals. His up+A and down+A are both very
good combo starters, and his aerial up+A helps tack on
the damage quickly. If you can land it, the upwards
smash does a good job of starting combos too. At low
damage, chances are you'll be alternating between
his forward+A, up+A, down+A, reflector, and perhaps
the Falco Phantasm (though I don't recommend it).
At higher damages, try using the spike to get people
back on the ground ASAP for more abuse. Falco has both
a nice ground and air game, so capitalize on it.

  Finally, edge guarding. I'll reiterate this left
and right. His blaster is an AWESOME edge guarding tool.
Got an opponent off the side? Tag them with the blaster.
Someone throw one of your opponents off the side? Tag
them with the blaster in hopes of getting credit for
the kill. Try to use it only once; every time you zap
them, they get brought closer to the edge. Ick. If
they're close enough to the ledge, use the side smash to
send them off for good. If someone's already near the
edge and in the air underneath you, try that aerial d+A.
There's a very good chance that they'll get killed.

  Simple, huh? Well, depending on the kind of match,
that strategy just might need some adjsutments.


STOCK BATTLE

  Vulturism is to be expected. If you got hot-blooded
buddies, let them beat on one another a bit before you
jump in and knock them off. If you want to speed up the
process, back off and fire several shots to piss them
off a bit. Once you think you can knock them off, just
jump on in and send them flying with your side smash.
You don't need to get the kills though; just as long
as someone other than you dies, it's all good.

  Now, if it's down to just you and another guy, just
get in there and brawl them to death. If they're more
skilled than you in that regard, play it smart and
safe. Get them to come to you. Capitalize on their
mistakes. Unless they're good with the shield or have
a reflect move, spam the blaster. If they air dodge at
a whim, throw something at them and let them air dodge.
That way, you can easily set up and land an upwards
or side smash before they land provided you're close
enough.

  Play it safe and try to conserve your energy. After
all, Falco's really lightweight and it doesn't take much
to reinforce that idea in your little birdy brain.


TIME BATTLE

  First, check to see what the settings are for SDs.
If it's on 0, everyone's probably gonna cheat their
way out of giving up a point and hurl themselves off a
stage when weak. If it's on -1, feel free to pitch
yourself; you'll lose a point, but it's better than both
losing a point and letting someone get one (that sets
you behind two points!). It's not honorable, but that's
why they made... the -2 setting. If it's on there, just
fight it out regardless.

  Now, you have infinite lives (unless this is a timed
stock battle, ick). What now counts most is if you're
the one given credit for the kill. That means if one
person is struggling to get back on, whip out the blaster
and fire! You need to get the last hit in. If they make
it back, hope that you have the breathing space to land
a side smash. This is much easier as a one-on-one than
in free-for-alls, obviously.

  You might also want to consider actually being a
part of the "stupid" crowd and beat people up the usual
way. You can juggle pretty well as Falco, so use it!
If someone knocks your target off, just hope you can hit
with the blaster as said many times before; you need to
claim the kill! If not, then kick their butt for it. Do
note that Fox, Zelda, Shiek, and Ness are most annoying
at this. If possible, be a human shield to catch all the
knives and laser fire meant to hit your soon-fallen foe.
For Zelda and Ness, just zap 'em with your blaster and
their guided moves will stop.

  If you're playing with friends that are fluent in
Japanese and have the game set to the Japanese language,
*maybe* they'll listen to Falco's taunt. Maybe. (For the
record, it roughly translates to "don't touch my
target/prey!" I don't speak Japanese, that's just
second-hand info)


BONUS BATTLE

  Throw out everything you know beforehand. KOs and
the like still count, but now you're fighting for the
highest score via bonuses. For starters, try not to
repeat the same moves over and over again or else you'll
lose 2000 points from Stale Moves. Doesn't sound like
much, but they add up.

  For Falco, you basically want to stay in the enemy's
face, juggle them a whole lot, and make sure that you
don't continually attack the same enemy unless you're
playing a one-on-one (obviously). Also, don't just jump
on the foes with high damage, as that will weigh against
you too.

  If you want a list of bonuses so you may formulate
a plan for what you'll go after and avoid, check out
DEngel's Bonuses FAQ, which you can find on GameFAQs.
There's not too much else you need to know for this one.


COIN BATTLE

  Kinda like Time Battle, but now you're after the coins
that constantly pop out of opponents shortly after
getting hit. Half of your coins disappear when you're
KO'd, but same goes for the enemy. The winner is the one
with the most coins at the end, and doesn't care how much
they were KO'd.

  For Falco, he doesn't really have too many moves that
cause coins to gush out of opponents like, say, Jiggly's
Rest attack. In this case you might want to focus more
on collecting the coins that came from other peoples'
attacks rather than your own. Your high jump and fast
jumping speed can almost ensure you get them before they
touch the ground, though Falco is not #1 in terms of
running. He's still pretty good at that.

  You might also want to consider playing it safe and
not actively jump into danger due to your light weight.
You'll want to stay close enough so that you can nab
the coins, as sitting back with the blaster is pretty
fruitless for both parties (just coppers for them,
nothing for you).

  If the opportunity for edge guarding comes up
against someone with lots of money, do it! You might
not get their cash, but it's quite fine if they lose
it.


STAMINA MODE

  Good fun. Everyone has 150 HP, kinda like the Master
Hand. So, how do you whittle them down? The point here is
to be the last man standing, so it's okay if you don't
get the "kill."

  If you can, stay out and take pot shots at the start
to loosen them up a little. Once (and if) you feel a bit
more gutsy, try getting in with your ground down+A. It's
probably your most powerful normal move, and it launches
people. Great setup, that down+A. Your forward+A does
fine as well.

  This might have been a slight glitch, but the more
damage one has, the longer they can be held by a grab.
That means that if you grab someone at less than 30 HP,
you can knee them for a while to chip off even more
damage. It's not the fastest way to do it, but it sure is
one of the cheapest.

  There's not really much to it. Since the distance
people fly never changes unless someone's metal, giant,
or tiny, you combo types will love this. One time I
continually bounced Link off the wall until he died;
there was practically nothing he could do about it.


SUPER SUDDEN DEATH

  Falco isn't good in Sudden Death due to a lack of
easy-to-land power hits. Comes as no surprise that he's
not good at the Super version. Your best bet would be
the down+A, or perhaps your Falco Phantasm to set someone
up for a move that WILL kill them. Just don't make a
mistake or you're, uh, dead. Yeah. These won't take long,
so you probably don't need much here.


GIANT/TINY MELEE

  For the former, those who rely on melee strikes will
rule. The latter favors the projectile goers a bit more.
For some reason, Falco's blaster doesn't change sizes
with him unlike the swordsmen's weapons.

  For Giant Melee, your Blaster won't have too hard of
a time zapping any of the goliaths, and Falco's nice
reach helps you out against, say, Mewtwo. That there's
a tiny ball o' fire. The projectiles seem smaller, but
they can still pack a punch. Just remember to fire up
your Deflector. Also note that transportation moves
(your Falco Phantasm and Fire Bird) don't go NEARLY as
far. Past these strange discrepencies in projectile
sizes, the usual applies.

  Tiny Melee turns it all around. It might've been made
with the DBZ people in mind - annoying voices and really
big balls (don't take this out of context please). The
good news is that Falco's Deflector still works in
warding those things, AND the Falco Phantasm goes the
same distance as it would have if Falco were in his
normal size. This basically means he's really good here.
Your only discrepency will be your short, short limbs
versus everyone else's short, short limbs (except for
the swordsmen, who get short swords to capitalize on
your short, short limbs; nothing new there).

  Give them both a try for laughs. Set the language on
Japanese and taunt in Tiny Melee for hours of amusement.


INVISIBLE MELEE

  Slippy insisted that you used his cloaking device.
For most characters, there are a lot of things that give
away your position (not including your name, if you use
it; then it's not Invisible Melee any more!).

  If Falco pulls out the Blaster, it'll be in plain
sight. If he does the Falco Phantasm, you'll be able
to perfectly see where he is and where he went to.
Deflector? Oh yeah. It does take away quite a bit of
anonymity, so this isn't one of his better ones at all.
Everyone does flicker every now and then, but in Falco's
case he tends to lift that veil way too often.

  The only real strategy I could think of is to lure
someone over to you by revealing where you are. Once you
think they're close, let loose with your forward+A or
your down+A. You know, stuff like that.

  I could give you a better strategy if I played this
more. Next time.


SINGLE-BUTTON MODE

  All you get are your A button attacks, and you have
to use the stick to jump. Err, okay.

  Let's see... no blaster, no quick dash, no real
recovery, no conventional item throwing... but your A
moves are pretty good, so you should do just fine in that
regard.

  In Falco's case, your best moves are still the
forward+A and down+A. Due to no throws and special moves,
your up+A can act as your main launcher if you please. It
sets up your aerial down+A very nicely.

  While you have no chance against the likes of Yoshi or
maybe even Peach here, Falco should be able to hold his
own until someone decides to smash him off. Then you're
probably dead for sure. Kind of like SSB64 Link, I guess.


LIGHTNING/SLO-MO MELEE

  Tried stuff out for size? How about passage of time?
Double the speed, or slow it to a crawl?

  On the faster path, the speedier people get faster
and the slower guys seem like their weaknesses are
eradicated until they get assaulted by the faster
buggers. Falco would be a "speedier" person. Just watch
his fall speed. If you're not paying attention you'll
fall faster than your reflexes would notice. Not good.
Mashing buttons is to be expected, as would be abuse of
smaller moves. Liberal abuse of the Falco Phantasm yields
results, and your blaster almost becomes rapid-fire.
Once everyone adjusts to the speed increase, play it like
normal.

  The slower path is kinda... dull, but Matrix-esque.
If you're into that, good for you. I'm not. The slow
become slower and the fast become just as slow. It's
easier to react to things, but it seems more difficult
to dodge due to the slower speeds characters do stuff.
Since projectiles probably won't be used, stick to
brawling it out. Your deflector is still quite fast, so
if you're close enough you can fire it up for a launch
and a free 8 points of damage (non-refundable). Stick to
your quicker, weaker attacks and use your down+A to
finish people off once they're at high damage.

  Just wait 'till the next game, if there is going to
be one. I bet they'll find a way to make things totally
unplayable. Heh, 8x speed. I fear.


TEAMWORK

  Falco doesn't like playing as a teammate. He's not
too bad at that though. If you have friendly fire on
in addition to having a friend that's excellent at
catching, use your Deflector to rig up any thrown item
you like, especially Mr. Saturns. Hoo boy. Things get
messy when you have a souped-up Saturn ready to go.

I listed some fun teamwork things you can do.

- Coin battles. Position a friend behind the enemy.
Whip out the blaster. Fire. Your friend will be ready
to catch the two or three copper coins that fly out.
Not very economical, but it's something.
- Two Falcos can have some fun. One uses the Deflector
to send someone up, the other can use his down+A to
send them back down. Now, the victim will move to the
left or right a little between volleys, but with
practice this is a pretty good combo here.
- Two Falcos again. Blaster spam. Try this on the last
remaining guy for hours of annoyance.

I'll post up more if you guys can come up with some fun
teamwork combos. I'm not too imaginative in that
category.

---------------------------- REAL TIME VERSUS STRATEGY .4



5. STAGE FIGHT ------------------------------------------

Ah, yes. Stage-specific strategies. They're listed in
alphabetic order, starting with the Battlefield and
ending with Yoshi's Story.

BATTLEFIELD
Kinda small stage with three platforms arranged in a
triangle above the main platform. In Falco's case, that
means you get to constantly swoop up and down on your
friends and foes alike. If you can do star KOs, that'd
probably be for the best since the side boundaries are
lenient. It's all about your skill here, so just hop
to it and do your best.

BIG BLUE
You've got the jumps to dance between F-Zero machines.
You've got a decently powerful side smash. And, once you
get really good, the Falco Phantasm makes for a stylish
way of getting places. Aside from the constant threat
of hitting the track and not making it back on, it's a
good level for you. Since the track threat is trouble
for anybody, try sticking towards the middle, leaning
a bit to the left. This way you have both breathing
room and the ability to maximize the potential of your
side smash.

BRINSTAR
You can break the floor apart, and there's acid. Since
you have the game's fastest spike, you can abuse this by
sending aerial opponents into the drink. Past that,
the map is pretty standard fare. The boundaries on
both the sides and the ceiling are very lenient, so
you'll really need to build up damage before you can
kill off someone.

BRINSTAR DEPTHS
Falco's good first jump is a serious help here. There's
not a lot of places you can hang on for dear life to,
so a good jump is key to winning. If someone is camping
out at the bottom while waiting for you to follow, just
wait for Kraid to spin the stage 'till it's easier to
get to them. Up near the top, try abusing your down+A,
aerial up+A, and upwards smash to send people into the
distance (the KO ceiling is pretty low). Not much of a
problem for you.

CORNERIA
Obvious problem? Very few opportunities to pop up and
strike people with your up+A, even less to spike them.
Uneven ground also makes blaster abuse difficult.
Despite being one of his home stages, this one just
doesn't suit Falco very well. It's not that bad though;
you can bounce people off the fin with your down+A or
smashes or what have you for some fun rebounding KO
action. Thus, try to keep the fights there unless
you're not too confident with the current situation.

DREAM LAND N64
Seems a little larger than last time. You should know
the drill by now. Even ground and the platform
arrangement is very good for Falco's antics, even
though you can't stand from one of the side platforms
and Falco Phantasm to the other without jumping towards
it first. Feel free to treat this like a more spacious
Battlefield. Whispy Woods' blowing doesn't really
affect much at all.

FINAL DESTINATION
Big ol' flat ground. No platforms to jump up to and
use your up+A on. There isn't much to say, except to
abuse your side and/or downward smashes. The vertical
KO ceiling seems pretty lenient anyway. It's all skill,
until someone loses an eye. Or something.

FLAT ZONE
It's way easy to get knocked out of here because the
boundaries are so small. Then you have the tools. Fun.
Abuse side smashes, and keep to the center as much as
humanly possible. You can also conceivably juggle people
above you off the screen easily too if they're at a
high enough percent, so experiment with that idea while
avoiding the tools (more annoying than you'd think),
and you should make it out of here the victor.

FOUNTAIN OF DREAMS
Simple level with... uh... ascending and descending
platforms. Oh wow. Well, they can help or hinder
depending on what you're trying to do. Even ground helps
to keep your comboing act running smoothly. Not much
else to say here, 'cept it looks neat.

FOURSIDE
Falco can wall jump. That means if you get knocked
down a pit that rests between two buildings, just jump
back and forth to get back up. On the same token, you
can pretty much abuse the aerial down+A freely if you're
above those gaps, so it's one of Falco's best. This
place is quite spacious, but not very even (makes it
difficult to edge guard with the blaster sometimes).
The only real places to pop up and strike with your
aerial up and A include the wooden platform to the left
end, and the UFOs.

GREAT BAY
First thing you should know. You know those little
platforms underneath the main one? You can freely use
your side B to easily transport yourself between them
when things just aren't looking good. That easily gives
you a mobility advantage over most other characters
here, so Falco likes this level. It's also easy to
knock people off the left side, which complements his
powerful side smash (but that also applies to you!).
Past that it's a real close-quarters fighting map for
you. Be prepared to jump off the turtle when he
prepares to submerge, and by all means try not to use
your third jump to land on top of it. Sometimes he
just sinks without warning; you can imagine how grumpy
Falco will be when he gets all wet after missing the
boat.

GREEN GREENS
I'm not sure if I like it or not. However, you can be
really nasty by staying on one side and shooting the
stack of blocks with the intent of setting off one of
the bombs should that tickle your fancy. As that
suggests, try to take the fights off to the sidelines
so you can (hopefully) dispose of the enemy easily.
Not much else can be said.

ICICLE MOUNTAIN
Since Falco has the highest single jump in the game,
I guess you can say that this is one of his better
levels too. He has no trouble keeping up with the stage
should it decide to scroll up, just be careful not to
hurl yourself off the top. Also, please don't get the
Bunny Hoods. You seriously don't need them. This counts
double where you can easily just hurl yourself off the
top of the screen (that's how Falco got the nickname
"Ballerina Rocket" here... got bunny hood, taunted,
jumped and went flying). Since the side boundaries
are small, use side smashes to your heart's content.

JUNGLE JAPES
I don't mind this stage much, it's just boring. The
center platform is really the only place you can jump
down from below and harass your enemy, and spiking is
risky since the cutoff limit before you're KO'd at
the bottom is pretty strict. Very little stops Falco
from sniping with his Blaster (if you want to), so
I guess credit can be given for that. Just not one of
those Falco places.

KINGDOM
Very few characters like this level. Falco is not one
of them. Aside from weighing people on the scales, this
just doesn't compare to the N64 Mushroom Kingdom.
Nostalgia aside, it's hard to knock people anywhere due
to the bricks, and it's even a little more difficult to
pop up from below (Falco's favorite position) because of
them. If the fight takes place on the same layer though,
have a blast with side smashes.

KINGDOM II
Show of hands. Who doesn't wait for their opponent to
try to play at the sides before moving in for a quick
kill? That's just what you'd want to do here as Falco
(or anyone for that matter). You can also deflect those
eggs for fun if you'd like, but they're already weak in
the first place. Since Falco has such a high jump, you
can also try spiking anybody down the two narrow shafts
when they jump towards your side of the field. Lots of
fun cheap stuff to be had here, so you might as well use
them.

KONGO JUNGLE
Ignore the DK Rap. You've got more important things to
cringe about. Namely, you don't get to edge guard with
the Blaster as well as you'd like to due to a rock over
on the right, and that little barrel cannon that will
sometimes catch people on the left. You can use the
side+B to go between the center-level platforms if
you need to, and side smashing proves very effective.
If you're all fighting near the top, go on and try
to send them into the sky with your up smash, or
perhaps a down+A. Feel free to try and spike off the
left side if you want.

KONGO JUNGLE N64
HAL revived all the unpopular SSB stages, probably
as a message that reads "you people haven't had enough
of these yet!" In Falco's case, this isn't really
a bad level. Several platforms allow you to pop up
from below to deliver your fun aerial up and A. If
you get knocked off the platform and you end up
underneath it with your third jump ready, aim your
Fire Bird upward and hope to catch someone off guard.
If someone gets in the barrel, just anticipate where
they'll pop up, and greet them with your aerial up
and A. That'll get 'em.

MUTE CITY
Okay... the battlefield varies where you're fighting,
but you'll spend a great deal of time on a small
platform with little breathing room. Claim one side of
the platform right away, and send people on their way
with side or down smashes. When the platform drops you
off, stick towards the center and do your best to see
to it that when it comes back, your opponents won't be
on it. They'll take some damage while you gloat to
your next destination. The cars aren't much of a
problem unless you're a at a high damage/handicap, so
don't worry. Pretty fun level, just you don't get much
space to do what Falco would normally want to do.

ONETT
Lots of platforms. Plenty of ways for you to sneak in
and out. Veeerrry nice. It's hard to side smash people
out unless you're already near the edges, but that's
okay. This is juggle heaven until the awnings come down.
But they'll magically reappear almost instantly, so you
won't be feeling withdrawal for too long. Watch out for
the cars! You can try spiking people into the line of
danger if you want to, or you can just get outta there.
Don't try to deflect them, 'cause you can't. Not quite
sure what would give anybody that idea, though.

POKéMON STADIUM
Flat, open area until it turns into things. But it's
usually in the "normal" phase, so I'll just cover that.
Basically you get plenty of room to brawl, juggle,
shoot laser fire, and make noise. No complaints there.
Abuse side smashes whenever you can, since the vertical
KO ceiling is pretty high and difficult to utilize
unless someone's already at very high damage. Not much
to it, though in the "Rock" and "Plant" phases you
could conceivably keep bouncing people off the big
wall-like structures for a good time.

POKé FLOATS
I HATE CEL SHADING. Ahem. Even with just two people,
this place gets crowded pretty quickly. Since Falco has
such air dominance, it comes as no surprise that he's
good here. You've got plenty of places to spike, and
later on you also have many areas to jump up and whack
someone silly with your aerial up and A. Makeshift
juggling walls come and go, so abuse them while
they're still there. Blaster abuse isn't really
necessary nor is it totally possible in most cases.
As with all scrolling levels, you can opt to just camp
over to the side and knock people away with your side
smash. Up to you.

PRINCESS PEACH'S CASTLE
This is a great level for Falco. Platforms appear out
of nowhere and often give you means to strike people
from below, in addition to that big pillar in the
center in which you can trap people with and juggle
them. Say, is that a giant bullet bill? If you can
knock someone into it, by all means do! Blaster abuse
can come into play if you're near the edge, but due
to the slopes on either side it's almost strictly
edge-guarding only (like it should be).

RAINBOW CRUISE
Falco takes a break and lets someone else fly a ship.
Then these punks show up. While you're on the ship,
there's not much for Falco to enjoy. Tight spacing makes
for some fun brawls, but there's not much that'd allow
you to work your magic. Then the ship crashes, and you
get to utilize your best. Blaster spamming, spiking,
juggling, it's all there. And when the camera takes a
sharp dive down back to another ship, Falco will often
be the first person back. Take this time to set up
whatever nasty thing you have in mind. Great fun for
anyone. If you're feeling nasty, just get your opponent
to the edges of the level and use your side smash.

TEMPLE
Really big level. Really big and intimidating level.
In free-for-alls, you'll often find yourself trying to
chase after where the action goes (unless you ARE the
said action). Falco's running speed isn't the best, so
sometimes you'll just be playing lots of catch-up.
Once you're a part of the fray, focus exclusively on
knocking people off to the sides. If you're in that
little tunnel, try to pop someone out to the upper
level as opposed to the lower one so you have a better
overall chance of star KOing them (easier to do in a
place this large anyway). Persevere and try not to
let up. You might want to forego blaster abuse due to
all that empty space people have to do as they please.

VENOM
Uneven ground almost completely eliminates any hope of
Blaster abuse, as this seemed to be made with Falco's
poor recoveries in mind. The lower wing is basically
positioned so that if you're knocked up high but can't
make it back to the fight, you still might be able to
grab that lower wing. As such, try to keep the fight
down near the bottom so that people can't easily recover.
If you're fighting on the top wings, you can move to the
center and tag people on the other side of the center fin
with your side smash (but so can many others). All in
all, not too bad a stage.

YOSHI'S ISLAND
Not very good for you... mostly. The slopes make it a
little difficult to side smash people to death, but
easier to send people rocketing into the stratosphere.
Spiking is practically nonexistant as well. Even worse,
it's almost impossible to edge guard with the blaster.
Again, try to keep the fights towards the side so you
can down+A/aerial up+A or upwards smash your foes to
oblivion.

YOSHI'S ISLAND N64
This is not where you want to be. Let's see... sure, you
get room to hit people from below, but the ground is
uneven and edge guarding is almost completely futile due
to the clouds. Try to knock people off to the left, as
the boundaries are pretty small. I guess it's not a
total loss, but you can't use Falco to his full
potential. This stage also seems larger than it was on
the N64.

YOSHI'S STORY
Another standard fare level. Three platforms, (mostly)
flat surface... well, sometimes little cloud platforms
appear off the side and go along a little path barely
visible from the cliffs, which can sometimes foil your
edge guarding evilness. Past that, you know the drill!
Pop up from underneath and abuse the side smashes as
much as possible.

------------------------------------------ STAGE FIGHT .5


6. FALCO VS. RANDOM FRANCHISE 3 -------------------------

Alphabetical order, again. I'm starting with Bowser and
ending with Zelda. Yes, Shiek and Zelda are listed
seperately. Deal with it.


BOWSER
Big and slow. Decent reach and the game's most powerful
smash attack, so you'd want to stay on your toes.
Throwing Blaster fire here and there yields good results,
and when he whips out the fire breath just jump on in and
start abusing your forward+A and down+A. Juggling him is
easy, but beware his Bowser Bomb (down+B), for it'll
hurt and easily outprioritizes a lot of your stuff. Just
sidestep it and continue the punishment when he lands. If
he's not given any breathing room, it's a breeze.

CAPTAIN FALCON (aka Cap'n Eff)
Big on pressure, and I'm quite sure he can outpoke you.
From mid-range, he might instinctively try to Falcon Kick
or Raptor Boost you, so peg him with some Blaster shots.
If he tries to Falcon Punch, just punish the guy. Up
close, try your down+A to see Eff off. He's pretty easy
to edge guard due to a poor third jump; just get your
side smash ready. If he tries to use his up+B to get
back though, you might wanna stay away until he lands
(if he can). It has insane priority and gives him the
opportunity to use it again, almost guaranteeing a
comeback.

DONKEY KONG
You're faster than he is, but he has really good range
and power. A difficult fight. DK isn't really that good
of a jump-in character though. If he tries, you know
he's either going to use a) the Giant Punch, b) the
headbutt, or c) his aerial down+A, a fast meteor strike.
Your jump is higher, so get above him and drill him back
down. On the ground, it's not so simple. Alternate
between Blaster peggings and the Falco Phantasm. When
close enough, down+A. Forward+A can be risky since I've
been constantly grabbed out of it. Juggle freely once
he's launched. Lots of novice DKs like his down + B, but
now he can't combo it unless you mess with the handicap
and/or damage settings, so try not to worry; a blaster
shot will do.

DR. MARIO
I don't have too many problems with him. On the ground,
keep pegging him with forward+As and down+As, as they
have more range than most of the things he does. His
pills aren't a problem, just call up the Deflector to
send them back. Sure, his throws are strong, but if
you keep up the pressure he won't have a chance to do
much. Just be wary that in the air, his uppercut has
a *lot* of priority. He might also sweep the sheet every
now and then (his side and B). If his player is fond of
abusing this, foil it with your down smash, which hits on
both sides. The down+B doesn't have a whole lot of
priority, but if you want to play it safe just shoot him
out of it.

FALCO
Mirror match. Can't say much. May the best Falco win.

FOX
Nasty fight. Fox is faster than you, but you have more
range. Take advantage of this with your forward+A, and
do your damned best to roll like a moron if he's really
on the offensive. Deflect his blaster fire and he'll
take a little bit of much-needed damage. In the case
the fight goes to the air, prepare to land an aerial
down+A - it has pretty good priority almost over
everything Fox does, but don't get cocky. I've yet to
play an expert Fox anyway, so chances are you guys know
something I don't. Mail away.

GANONDORF
Kinda predictable, but don't underestimate him. He's got
a reach advantage over you, and even his quickest,
weakest attack can send you flying. If you feel confident
you can try going into the fray with your forward+A and
down+A, or maybe shoot him once or twice. Many Ganondorfs
are fond of his up+B; try to fake him out by messing with
your jump trajectories. Feint a jump-in, turn around and
do the Falco Phantasm when you think he's gonna try it.
Now he's vulnearable. Get whacking. I'll try and come up
with a better strat later, 'cause a pro Ganondorf is
something for you to worry about.

GIGA BOWSER
I decided to toss him in for good measure. The Event 51
one is pretty wimpy outside of getting backup from
Ganondorf and Mewtwo, but we're not worrying about that.
The Adventure Mode one is the guy I'm covering. Guess
what? He's dumb. You can just keep pegging him with
blaster shots. He won't put up his shield at all, and you
can knock him off whenever you feel it's time to. This
guy is an absolute joke for Falco.

ICE CLIMBERS
Don't bother deflecting the ice shot unless only one
comes at you; otherwise the one you deflect will cancel
out the other one coming in. It's an exercise in
futility. The blizzard's small startup can keep Falco
from just getting in there with the usual forward+A and
down+A stuff, so instead opt to strike with a Falco
Phantasm to start things. Once you're in their range, do
the usual I suggest and don't let up. Their smashes are
strong. However, if you're in their face(s) then they
won't have the room to use it. In the air, just try to
spike them back down with your down+A. Standard fare,
just forego throws unless there's only one left.

JIGGLYPUFF
First thing to know: she can combo the Screw Attack with
her Rest. Either turn the item off, or make sure she
dosn't get it. Past that, you have much higher air
priority. On the ground you can constantly keep her at
bay with your forward+A and down+A. Gotta love those
normals. If she goes on the offensive by jumping in, get
above her and spike her back down. Continue doing that
thang with your smashes and such. She's not a total
pushover, just remember to never let her get clsoe enough
to pull off Rest. Her Pound (side B) may be annoying, but
if you learn to anticipate it... that's all there is.

KIRBY
Can be annoying. Trying to attack him from the front
may prove fruitless, as he can just suck you in. Try it.
Have him suck at the air, and attack with forward + B.
He'll swallow you and gain your Blaster and an insulting
take on your mug. However! If he takes your power, he
won't be able to suck again 'till it's gone. That's key.
Deflect the Blaster shots and/or his Final Cutter beam,
and try to keep moving in with forward+As and down+As if
possible. Try not to juggle too much since Kirby's down+B
can really hurt. Just dodge, pick up, and throw. Better
yet, prepare a side smash for when he reverts. Just play
it safe with him and you'll be okay.

LINK
Argh. Overpowered. His shield probably does protect
him from Blaster fire if he stands still, so try that
only if he's preparing an arrow or moving or whatever.
Now, on the offense it's hard to get inside. If he
abuses the spin slash, jump up and slow your descent with
the deflector so that you land just as he finishes.
Punish from there with your forward+A and down+A. Try not
to juggle him too much; that downwards stab is annoying
and probably will kill you. If he tries his two-part
side smash, try to roll past him so that the second will
miss and thus be left vulnerable. It's more or less a
counter game, and he needs to act first. At least you can
deflect the stuff he tosses at you...

LUIGI
If there's a fan, don't let him get it. It's by far and
wide his favorite item. He can do some evil with the
Screw Attack, but it's inconsistent. If you're unsure,
toss it out of the ring too. Now, with that out of the
way, try to zone him out with forward+As and down+As so
that he can't do his up+B effectively. Keep in mind that
his range is about equal to yours; he might try the
same thing. Yours is faster, but it's hard to stop him
when he gets into the rhythm. If so, start rolling in
hopes of being able to catch him. Try to dodge his Green
Missile if humanly possible, it's a lot stronger than it
looks... ESPECIALLY on a misfire. His fireball is crap
and easily deflected, and you shouldn't have to worry
much about his spin punch thing either.

MARIO
About the same tactics as with Dr. Mario. Sure, they
play differently. Just the method of dealing with them
appears to be about the same, only Mario's swifter.

MARTH
I was a devout Marth player. Let me tell you, he's
harder than Roy for Falco to deal with. Good range AND
speed, nullifying whatever Falco had on him. Tough to
juggle too, with his unofficial meteor strike (the aerial
down + A). Add the long-lasting Counter to his moveset
and you're in for it! Fortunately, it's not hopeless.
Be unpredictable. Try to roll and grab him if you can,
since he's vulnerable to that tactic. Unsavory, but hey.
A good Marth player *will* have that counter ready for
almost anything you do, especially in the air. So, wait
for him to whiff it before you do anything. Fortunately
his horizontal recovery is weak, so you can edge guard
him. He might come back with all those forward+Bs, but
he'll probably have a lot more damage in which to count
against him when you land that side smash.

MEWTWO
I've seen him use his down and B to stop the Falco
Phantasm. If his player is very attentive, then don't
try it or the Blaster. If he likes to abuse the down and
B period, warm up your deflector. Mewtwo will put himself
to sleep. Beat him up. In any other case, you'll have to
beat him in the air or from behind. His aerial forward+A
is strong, but your first jump is faster and gets more
height; spike him back down. On the ground he doesn't
have much for people coming from behind, but his roll is
tops. Just try to call your shots carefully, throwing in
forward+A and down+A for good measure. Difficult match if
the Mewtwo player is really good.

MR. GAME AND WATCH
Not terribly good in the mid-range game, but you can't
really hope to harass him with your Blaster because of
his bucket move. You can't deflect the bucket attack
either, so the best idea would be to forget the Blaster
altogether. Instead, continually harass him with (get
ready for this) forward+As and down+As. If you get him
in the air, beware his rather high-priority aerial
attacks. Juggle him only if you think you can pull it
off without getting whacked. If he does his aerial down+A
he'll have a recovery delay anyway, so that's your
cue to kick his butt. Beware the frying pan, down+A (just
as scary as yours!) and his judgement moves. They're
faster than they look and can easily turn the tide of the
match really quickly.

NESS
Slow, but he'll take to the air a lot. He can absorb your
Blaster fire for health, so that's out of the question.
With strong aerial moves and an excellent side smash,
you've got your work cut out for you. Keep close to him
and he'll be using a lot of PK Fires, side smashes, and
perhaps even some dashing attacks. Deflect the PK Fire if
you're close enough, and try to Falco Phantasm through
the rest if you feel lucky. In the air, you don't have a
whole lot on him. You can try the up+A from underneath
since Ness' spike is slow, but this is assuming the
player doesn't know how to time it correctly.

PEACH
Don't let her poor voice acting make you get the wrong
idea. She learned something through the years. Deflect
the vegetables for one; they'll eventually add up on her.
The CPU does that often without a second thought. I can't
comment on her normals past her stock A since I don't see
her use too much else in that category, and hers is a
good poking tool. Try to use the down+A instead of your
forward+A here. Her exploding hip attack should be slow
and easy to avoid, but it often comes out of nowhere by
CPU and players alike, so you have to be on your toes.
In terms of recovery she's one of the absolute best, so
edge guarding her is almost a guaranteed wasted effort.
Stick to beating her off the old-fashioned way. In other
words, prepare that side smash.

PICHU
A more dangerous Pikachu, with less range. That can work
against him. Your forward+A and down+A should have more
reach than what he has to dish out, but beware getting
into his side smash. It WILL hurt. Maybe not in damage,
but it sends you pretty far if it fully hits. Falco is
lightweight. Avoid it. Match all Skull Bash attempts with
your Blaster, and perhaps throw in a Falco Phantasm here
and there. Deflect any thunder balls coming at you, and
avoid getting above him. Instead, try to knock him up and
keep attacking with aerial up+As to keep juggling the
poor guy. Just remember to back off if he calls the
thunder, as its damage adds up fast. He's the lightest
character in the game, yes, but he's pretty freakin'
strong. So play it safe against the pros.

PIKACHU
He's not as menacing as his infant form, but that doesn't
mean he's helpless. Oh, no. He has annoying long-range
smashes, good comboability and speed, and perhaps one of
the most annoying voices in the game. Right then. You
still have a small range advantage, so get to it with
forward+As and down+As. You can juggle him freely from
below, but don't come at him from above unless you want
to be fried chicken tonight. Mmm, spicy Falco wings.
Tag him with Blaster shots if he's overly fond of the
Skull Bash. His recovery is pretty good, but hopefully
he'll overshoot the edge and you'll be ready to toss him
back off.

ROY
The current scrub favorite, but he's not invincible! Oh
no. His ground game is awesome and thus you shouldn't
really even try from there. Peg him with blaster fire
from about midrange, maybe try a Falco Phantasm every
now and then (no guarantees though). Try jumping in to
lure him into doing his upwards smash or his up+B, then
air dodge. You'll probably land before him. Punish.
Watch out for the Roy players that know their Counters
well though; those guys are the kind you'll want to
resort to throwing with. It's a tough fight against a
pro, but just annoying with a novice.

SAMUS
Bloody wench. Er. Well, if she's being played by the
projectile happy, the deflector's got your back. That's
not why she's difficult. She's got reach over you. I'm
quite sure her down+A is faster than yours, and she likes
to throw you out of your Falco Phantasm (deserverdly so).
You could try to annoy her with the Blaster if you want,
or you can jump in. She'll either do her screw attack or
her weak up smash. For the former, you'll land before her
even if the screw attack hits in full; punish away! For
the latter, just perfect your air dodge for that special
moment. The moment you do have her in pain, don't let
up. At all. You DON'T want her to take back control of
the fight!

SHIEK
She's fast, and she might have a reach advantage over
you. Gulp. Well, worry not. If she likes to sit back and
toss needle things, that's what your Deflector is for!
I see that she loves to abuse her powerful up smash and
the whip, but the latter can be stopped with a simple
Blaster shot. For the former, delay your fall with the
Deflector to throw her off, then come down swinging.
Even with slightly shorter reach, your side smash seems
to outprioritize hers, so throw it out when you think
it's time to deport her back to wherever she needs to be.

YOSHI
Everyone underrates him. I'd know, I'm a Yoshi player
myself. He has an annoying throw combo, an excellent
projectile (deflect it, you might hit him if you're
coming in from above), great power, an excellent second
jump that can shrug off blows... you're in for it. Very
few weaknesses, if any. If he's not tongue-happy, you can
try to Falco Phantasm him as a starter, or delay a
jump-in with the deflector. After he does whatever he's
going to try, drop in and mess him up. It's tough to
juggle him since his butt splash has extreme priority
and pretty good damage. As for his second jump, well...
don't expect to stop him with Blaster fire. You have to
knock him off fair and square. Prepare side smashes
whenever a moment of vulnearability arises, and good
luck. I can't help you much here.

YOUNG LINK
Less range than normal Link makes him less annoying to
approach, but he's still quite difficult in the right
hands. Even then, he's not as large of a threat to Falco.
Same rules generally apply, but he relies more on
projectiles. Fox and Falco are good against that. He's
lighter than Link, so it won't take nearly as much to
get rid of the pest. Just remember he keeps grudges and
will want revenge seven years from now.

ZELDA
She's on the slow side, but her A attacks seem fast
enough. You can't deflect her guided fireball thingy,
and she can deflect your Blaster fire (only if she's
not doing anything else, so fire away). Doing lots of
Falco Phantasms can help. Once you're in the range,
try juggling her with your down+A and aerial up+A.
Jumping at her with your down+A might be trouble, she
keeps exploding me out of it. Can be really easy or
really hard, depending on the skill of the player.


------------------------- FALCO VS. RANDOM FRANCHISE 3 .6


7. FALCO'S BIRTHDAY WISHLIST ----------------------------

Unless you've been arsed to turn them off, you'll find
random toys and trinkets tossed here and there. So, what
should you think about getting Falco? I'll also include
any special tricks I know with it.

FOOD
Recovers a little health. Every little bit helps, you
know! I think it ranges from 3% to 12%, depending on the
food item. Whatever. If you see one, grab it! You can
grab any recovery item even if you're already holding a
weapon.

MAXIM TOMATO
Takes off 50% damage. Nice.

HEART CONTAINER
Be extra-sure to snatch this from the air in case you're
facing people who don't know how to grab items in the
air. Takes off 100% damage.

WARP STAR
..Run for cover. If someone gets this before you, hide
under a platform and you'll be okay. If you get it, keep
in mind that this is unblockable AND you can steer this
a bit to the left or right, but be careful not to go off
the edge. Awesome item overall. Remember, you can grab it
from the air.

RAY GUN
About the same fire rate as Falco's blaster, minus any
startup and a little more damage. I suppose it's good if
you want that. It also gives you something to throw,
which isn't a bad deal in itself.

SUPER SCOPE
Multi-fire annoyance weapon, or a fully-charged piece of
hell. Against pro players you won't land either one much,
so stick to edge guarding with this. Alternately, it also
gives you another thing to throw. Against someone with a
deflecting skill, fire from the opposite side of the
battlefield and prepare your Deflector to catch it.
If the two of you keep bouncing this back and forth, his
reflect move will bust on him first and you'll nail him
for sure when you send it back one more time (which'll
also stun you). Hooray!

FIRE FLOWER
It's not as easy to juggle someone against a wall with
this thing, but every little bit helps with its good
range and rate of fire. If you can sneak in a few hits or
want to edge guard with it, go for it.

LIP'S STICK
Not much range. Just keep hitting people with it to make
the damage climb. Or you can simply throw it. Every
little bit helps in the end, so don't toss this
immediately. If you have nothing else, Falco can do fine
with this.

STAR ROD
A Falco favorite for sure. Powerful, has a projectile
tacked on, and if you toss it the enemy will fall at a
low arc, often killing them if they're at a high enough
damage level. Very good to have. Feel free to deflect
any stars that come your way too.

BEAM SWORD
Falco's beam sword length appears to be one of the longer
ones, but I can't really say. Aside from his poor dash A
thrust, it's all good for range and annoyance. Its power
has been degraded from SSB, but it's not that bad.

HOME RUN BAT
Mediocre weapon until you perform a smash, but still
slow. For Falco, his swing seems pretty mundane. There
can be some edge guarding fun to be had here if you're
good though. On top of that, it's an okay throwing
weapon.

FAN
Fast weapon that's weak, but obliterates shields in a
heartbeat and sends people straight up if hit by it
when it's thrown. Against pros that can't help but
shield, this is awesome. Luigi wants this more than you
do since he can combo it into his up+B, so you might as
well get it before he does.

HAMMER
When you have the Hammer, you only get one jump. Falco's
first jump is awesome. That means it's harder to run from
him since he can jump over lots of obstacles in a single
bound. Just be careful that the head doesn't fall off; if
it does, you're a sitting duck.

GREEN SHELL
You toss it and people go flying. Yeah. You hit it and
it goes flying too. In Falco's case, it's better to let
someone else pick it up and have a deflector ready.
That'll show them.

RED SHELL
You can rig this thing to kill by bouncing it off your
deflector five times. After the fifth time, GET OUT OF
THERE. The next one will break your shield, and then
hit you. It will hurt.

FLIPPER
You can probably rig it with your deflector, but since
it tends to be airborne, it's not easy. Can be a nasty
edge guarding toy.

(Mr.) FREEZIE
Fun toy for Falco. If you hit someone with it, they get
all frozen and you get to beat them up for a while.
At that point, go on and do your worst.

MR. SATURN
It can really mess with shields, but past that all
you can do is just continually bounce this off the
enemy, catch, and do it again. If you have a teammate
and friendly fire on, have him bounce this guy off your
reflector five times, making sure to catch him before
he hits the ground. NOW you will fear Mr. Saturn.

POKéBALL
Mean trick. Let someone else pick it up. If they don't
know any better, they'll throw it at you. Deflect it
with your down+B. The PokéBall then thinks that you,
Falco, threw it and the Pokémon attacks your enemy
instead! Very cheap, and this wasn't the case in the
original SSB if Fox deflected a Pokéball! This only
happens with the deflector based on what I know, so
don't fret if the CPU pulls out that white shield to
reflect your own balls. Chalk that up as one of Fox's
and Falco's greatest advantages.

BOB-OMB
Exploding death. Weaker than in SSB64, but still nothing
you want to get hit by. You can opt to use it for
edge guarding, or you could let someone pick it up and
have them bounce it off your deflector shield. Best
used in free-for-alls where people may not notice you
have one.

MOTION-SENSOR BOMB
You know how these things work. Toss it somewhere and
don't step on it. No real special tricks other than to
throw it up, then turn on your deflector to power it
up a little. But then you lose whatever little subtlety
you had. Oh well. Still does nasty damage.

SUPER MUSHROOM
It's hard to tell this and the other 'shroom apart, but
you want this brighter one. If you do, you grow. More
range on your moves = good. Your down smash becomes a
more viable option, and more importantly the swordsmen
lose their range advantage they used to enjoy. Against
smaller opponents, note that your side smash may pass
over their head. Use your down smash here.

POISON MUSHROOM
Makes Falco tiny. Looks duller than a super 'shroom. You
don't want this. If you do, try to Falco Phantasm out of
harm's way until you grow back up. You're already
lightweight. No need to be even lighter!

STARMAN
Makes you invincible. Why wouldn't anyone want this?

PARASOL
Slows down your fall, decent killing weapon and pretty
good reach. It doesn't go all that far when thrown
(shame...). Falco doesn't have the best recovery, so this
helps.

SCREW ATTACK
Adds a little jump power, and does damage to people
nearby. Better yet, throw it to cause someone to
screw jump (don't get too close!), and they'll fall as
if they used a third jump. Line up your side smash
riiiight there. If you throw this at someone who's
trying to recover, well... they probably won't make it
back. Excellent. The one character you ABSOLUTELY MUST
NOT ALLOW TO GET THIS is Jigglypuff. If she's a part of
the fight, just get rid of the thing.

METAL BOX
At high damage, I avoid this. It makes you harder to
knock off, but for Falco he falls so fast that it's
deadly to be metal in the case you DO get knocked off. If
you're still in the low damage percents, pick it up.
Now, if someone picks this up and they're near a wall,
you can just use the basic A combo to keep 'em stuck
there until they become flesh again.

BUNNY HOOD
Don it to become the Ballerina Rocket. You don't need
this. It's actually dangerous for Falco to have since
you can hurl yourself off the top of the screen on the
scrolling stages. But it's better for him to have it
than, say, Ganondorf as long as you remember to tap the
jump button lightly.

CLAOKING DEVICE
The invisibility thing is useless, but it prevents you
from taking damage (you can still be hit). Falco's a
lightweight, again, so pick it up.

BARREL CANNON
Not many people like this. Toss it and hope someone gets
caught. If caught near the edge, there's a good chance
you'll be sent into the abyss. Pretty cheap. Take it if
you like.

PARTY BALL
Like the crates and capsules, don't throw this down as
this can exlpode. Instead, shoot it from afar until it
rises up into the air. After that, get whatever goodies
are under it. You can throw it at someone, but it's not a
good weapon.

---------------------------- FALCO'S BIRTHDAY WISHLIST .7


8. #1 FURRY PILOT VS. BALLERINA ROCKET ------------------

Fox and Falco. Comparisons between them are inevitable,
As Falco is dubbed a Fox "clone." So... what exactly
ARE the differences aside from the blaster and jump
heights?

There's quite a number of changes, though some come off
as insignificant. Note that these may not be 100%
accurate, as I've been writing this while tired. I'll
make any needed corrections next update, but I'm
confident that this is mostly accurate as is.


GROUND NORMALS
Neutral A Ground: Fox's first punch is 1% stronger.
Past that, identical outside of Falco having a
little more reach.
Side A Ground: Fox's roundhouse kick is 1% stronger.
Same knockback distance, I guess. Falco still reaches
further.
Up A Ground: Falco's seems stronger, and sends people
straight up. But in actual damage, Fox outdoes him by
1%.
Down A Ground: Falco has more range and damage,
and it pops enemies up higher, but at an angle. Fox's
lags behind by 2 or 3%.
Dash A: Fox's is 1% stronger than Falco's, but opponents
still fly in the same arc.


AERIAL NORMALS
Neutral A Air: I saw Fox's do 12% damage, so it's
stronger than Falco's at 10%. The opponent flies in
the same trajectory though.
Back A Air: Fox's is 1% stronger. No real change in
the distance the enemy goes.
Front A Air: No special differences I've noticed.
Up A Air: Fox's sends the opponent straight into the
air (again), and does an extra 1% damage to boot!
Basically better than Falco's, though Falco will rarely
have to use a second jump to reach the opponent again.
Down A Air: Fox's hits multiple times for 3% each, the
last supposedly being a meteor strike (have yet to
actually pull it off). Falco's hits only once, and it's
a meteor strike no matter when it hits.


SMASHES
Side A Smash: Falco's is much stronger than Fox's. I
don't see any reason why Fox'd want to use this one,
even though Fox's does more % damage! The next proves
to be the exact opposite outside of that.
Upwards A Smash: Falco's isn't really that powerful at
all compared to Fox. In fact, Foc's upwards smash is
probably stronger than Falco's side smash at full
charge, but they're still potent. Fox still does more
damage in % than Falco.
Downwards A Smash: Fox's does more damage, again, but
Falco's appears to go at a much lower arc which (in my
eyes) makes it better.


SPECIAL MOVES
B: Falco's has more startup and recovery delay, and a
lower rate of fire but stuns (you knew that). Fox's
is pretty fast and piles on damage fast, but the enemy
doesn't flinch. Believe it or not both do about the
exact same damage per shot, so technically speaking
Fox's does a lot more damage in a shorter amount of
time.

Side B: Falco's is faster than Fox's from the startup,
does more damage, and I think it sends people a little
further than Fox's. On top of that, any midair enemies
hit by it are spiked. Fox's sends people straight up, as
opposed to an angle or downward like Falco's, but I don't
see what difference that would make unless it's a team
match. Fox's take goes a tiny bit further, but it's only
a miniscule difference. Falco wins for less startup and
the spiking ability.

Up B: Fox's is better by far, aside from the distance
it sends foes. Falco's is stronger in that regard, but
he doesn't go nearly as far. Fox also damages nearby
enemies at startup, where Falco's doesnt. Both are
great combo moves, and they have equal startup delay.
Fox's is easily one of the better recovery moves
though, so Falco is at a loss here.

Down B: Both deflect. Whee! However, Falco's is more
damaging when used as an attack, and sends people
straight up for combo goodness. Fox's does less
damage, but is basically a low-powered meteor strike.
Both slow down their falling speeds. I suppose this
one goes to Fox if you're looking to kill someone
with it. The exact same tricks (i.e. - the turncoat
Pokéball thing) will work with both character's down
Bs.


SIZE
Falco is a little taller. It makes it a little more
difficult for him to dodge things, but not by that
much.


WEIGHT
Falco is heavier than Fox, but not by much. Both are
still pretty light. You can expect them to be KO'd by
a strong attack at around 50-60%.


JUMPING
Aside from the first jump (which clearly goes to Falco),
their second leaps are more or less the exact same. If
you're talking in terms of comeback ability, Fox comes
out ahead with a farther-reaching third jump. From the
ground, Falco's high jump and side B combination makes
for a decent escape combination, and it helps him
continue to juggle opponents that would otherwise
require Fox to blow a second jump.


RUNNING SPEEDS
Fox is the faster sprinter. Falco still isn't too bad
though.


CRATE CARRYING
Fox seems to carry crates a bit faster than Falco does.
Still, they're not characters that were made to move
the box around shortly before tossing it.


THROWS
Seems about equal outside of damage, where Falco seems to
do a bit more with his down throw (only 1% more), and
their forward throws seem to have a minor ajustment in
the direction the opponent flies. Falco's seems a little
higher. When they pull out the blasters, the same physics
apply as they'd normally do in their B moves, so Falco's
is probably better for what it does. It's still just a
minute difference.


WEAPON USE
Can't truly say there's a difference yet. Theoretically,
both Fox and Falco swing the exact same way. Since
Falco's arms are longer, perhaps it gives him a tiny bit
more range. I can't really say for sure.


OVERALL
Fox is overall faster, AND stronger it seems. Falco was
given stronger B moves and the ability to play cheap
with one incredible meteor strike, and one impromptu
spike with his forward + B that will send midair enemies
to their doom (try it on Fourside!). Fox may very well be
more comboable because of the fact most of his stuff
sends people straight up instead of at an angle, but
Falco generally gets more reach. If you're a direct
combo fiend, go for Fox. If you want to fight dirty to
an extent, Falco is overall better.

------------------ #1 FURRY PILOT VS. BALLERINA ROCKET .8



9. ODDS, ENDS, AND PENNY ROLLS --------------------------

- Falco's colors aren't very inspiring. However, his one
with the pure white jacket may entice you to call him
the King... of No Pants! I prefer the red one most.

- Falco's blaster suddenly becomes rapid-fire when you
use his down throw. Go into training and set it onto 1/4
speed. Grab someone and use the down throw. Look closely.

- Falco's character just seems... lacking. If you turn
it on the Japanese language you'll notice that Falco says
a lot more stuff (in Japanese, natch) and he just won't
shut up. THAT'S more like the Falco we know. Why'd they
have to take it out?

- Okay, the hidden taunt. Play on Corneria or Venom.
You know the D-Pad you normally use to taunt? Keep
hitting left-right-down or whatever. Eventually you'll
see Falco crouch and look like he's charging up for
something. If he isn't hit, then he'll spring up and
salute. Your fellow Starfox teammates will chat for a
little while. Pointless as far as I can tell, but it's
there. Note that if you get hit, the conversation stuff
stops.

- This is old news, but... no more Falco in Star Fox
Adventures, coming soon from Rare. I suppose SSB:M would
be his unofficial "goodbye" thing.

- His model looks and feels a bit rushed to me too. Lots
of clipping here and there, but you can see that with
a whole lot of models. Even then, the only character in
which it's truly obvious is Bowser, unless you pause
often. Regardless, they're all still pretty well
animated and is a job well done outside of that.

- People seem to have a thing about assuming someone's
preferences based on their behaviors. They've done that
with Luigi and Cap'n Eff, and at one point Falco. What
drives people to think that way anyway? Overanalyzation
is one thing to be avoided in Nintendo games. Otherwise
you just come up with a lot of weird stuff. It's a game,
people. Don't worry about it.

- On that same subject of overanalyzing, isn't Venom's
atmosphere poisonous? Well, I suppose that didn't stop
Fox from fighting on top of the the Great Fox on the
N64...

- My mom plays games too. Guess what? She plays Roy.
Everyone and their ancestors play the freakin' runt.
Oh well, it's better than her not playing. Still, what
does it take to get people to learn that swordsmen aren't
the only characters in Melee?

-------------------------- ODDS, ENDS, AND PENNY ROLLS .9



10. INSERT A QUARTER ------------------------------------

I'll have to give out my thanks, won't I? I'm not an
ungrateful person, y'know. So, without further adieu...

- Glaceau Vitamin Water. Great to wake up to. It needs
bigger bottles.
- 1337 w337z (aka Wheaties Energy Crunch), great cereal.
- HAL for making Super Smash Bros. Melee and inspiring
people to make lots of fake codes.
- GameFAQs and Neoseeker for hosting this.
- GameFAQs message boards for providing even more
amusement.
- Dabid! for his excellent Ness FAQ, gave me a good idea
of a nice FAQ layout.
- Heero (not Gundam boy) for giving me some form of human
competition. Same goes for Tim and Microphile.
- Power Gamer (import store) just kicks ass.
- Nintendo for the fun GameCube console.
- Parental units for getting console.
- Little sister for finally going to bed in her own
room so I could play this during the night hours
freely.
- ColdRain (GameFAQs message boards) for discovering the
Jigglypuff and Screw Attack item trick, and the rather
obvious edge guarding use for said item too.
- LordWyndia for reminding me of the virtues of Falco's
down throw.
- Nintendo of Japan's SSBM site for finally revealing how
to do that stupid secret taunt. It's located here:
(http://www.nintendo.co.jp/smash/)
- You for reading.


If you have any contributions to make, mail me either at
[email protected], or bug me on the GameFAQs message
boards by posting pointless topics with the name
Twelve12Percent on it. There you have it.

------------------------------------ INSERT A QUARTER .10



11. LEGAL MUMBO JUMBO, AGAIN! ---------------------------

This here piece of written work is copyrighted by me,
and as such you're not allowed to reproduce this, in part
or in whole, for profit. If you do, I'll find out and
boot your tush for good measure.

  For those of you that would like to host this on a
site, here's the terms:

  - Please e-mail me first, with a link to your page.
My e-mail addy of the moment is up on the top.
  - Your site may not be one of those "pay to access
all this stuff" site.
  - There must not be any ads or special advertisement
things located on the same piece of .html with the FAQ.
  - This FAQ is to be printed in full without any
modifications (unless you have my permission)


You can currently find these FAQs here:
- GameFAQs.com
- Neoseeker.com

  If you find my FAQ on a site that isn't listed here,
then please let me know.

  This FAQ was made simply for the enjoyment of people
who play Super Smash Bros. Melee for free, and as such
I wish for it to stay that way.

  Falco, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and such are (c) their
respective owners. All rights reserved.

--------------------------- LEGAL MUMBO JUMBO, AGAIN! .11

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