About fifteen other friends and I got this at midnight and played it until 9 this morning (eight hours with daylight savings), here are some thoughts.
- Kirby got MUCH better, and Yoshi has replaced him as the worst character in the game.
- Heavy characters are no longer huge targets.
- Wario is extremely responsive and will probably go far.
- Fox and Falco have been toned down, thank God, but Marth is still running wild.
- Lucas is absolutely everything I've ever wanted in a character.
- Playing Snake is incredibly satisfying.
- Ike has a reputation for being the best new character, but I really don't see it.
- Diddy Kong will likely be high tier if not top.
- As much as I wanted to, I didn't like Olimar. About six other people at the party loved him, though.
- Sonic's moves are puzzling at first.
- Luigi has a Gordon Freeman costume.
- All of the assist trophies are incredibly strong, but Waluigi is by and large the strongest. He's the one you'll be hoping for.
- Some final smashes that I thought were going to be terrible ended up being absolutely fantastic, and PK Starstorm is the biggest surprise.
The game is absolutely phenomenal. I just wish the online worked.