Pawn

The article only states that some characters are more suited towards assist moves, so moves like Solar Flare are probably their most useful. I don't think it's meant to imply that they can't hold their own; just that say Tien won't have as high attack power as Freeza etc. I'm not sure where Krillin is mentioned in the article?

Sonic the Comic's version of Nack/Fang was essentially canon to me. I didn't think of him as the bungling, ridiculous opponent from Triple Trouble, but as the "technical wizard" (as Vector so eloquently put it) with a utility belt full of gadgets. He was as gifted as Eggman, but with a decidedly less ambitious goal: money. This motivation lined up with his original incarnation, as did his choice to roam the "Special Zone". The artists drew him progressively leaner and scruffier looking as time went on, so I eventually forgot about his shorter, more angular design. I acknowledged that the game variant wasn't originally a part of the Chaotix, though, since he wasn't even mentioned in the 32X game.

U2 and U3 interest me the most outside of U11 and U6. The former appears to have titan-like beings on their side (along with a Darkstalkers OC) which could make for some epic scenes, while Universe 3's entire line-up just looks plain awesome. I hope we get to see plenty of them in action. I'm surprised that the Yardrat is from U2... The universes aren't supposed to all share species, so I wonder what they are doing there. I guess it's possible they were moved for some reason. After all, U7 can't be the only ones off on spectacular adventures, right? Meanwhile U9 looks to have resorted to raiding hell for allies. They even resemble standard enemies from a video game and will probably get tossed aside just as easily. It's just as well that the fennec foe is from U4. Going by the intro, they might be a formiddable fighter.

LOL, that was a weird one. I had this poster up on my wall for years as a child. It was free with a magazine and some kid was actually thoughtful enough to give it to me. Oh, and here's one from Sonic the Comic: They were really hot on replicating any piece of official art they could when it came out, including Sonic 3D's rather bizarre looking European box art.

I don't think it'll be a new transformation, but him using that new ability he showcased in his mini-arc. Remember that this tournament is about more than raw power. Super's actually been pretty conservative as far as transformations go (outside of the original golden-haired Super Saiyan, but that's been the case since the Buu saga). EDIT: Little preview for @Lord Liquir (Ogilvie)

I hope Piccolo uses his cool blue and white Super Namek aura at some point: Oh, and his Hellzone Grenade. Anything from his fight with 17 would be smashing.

It was like weeks and weeks ago that I last saw a film set in the X-men universe. I can't even remember the name of that guy with the claws, so this makes perfect sense.

My original assumption with the fennec fox was that he is from Universe 9, but someone the Trio were unwilling to consider because he is a villain. As for Universe 6; there are two silhouettes behind Hit. One ought to be the guy from U6's Yardrat (seen here). Although I do wonder why they would bother obscuring him? Meanwhile the other guy looks like he could be a Namekian with those pointy ears.... which is a long shot given how many species possess them, but then why hide the guy?

I think I was working when this was going on last year, but I should be able to make it this time. =] Here are my picks: Generations 3DS - Boss Battle: Big Arms Sonic Adventure 2 - For True Story Sonic CD JP - You Can Do Anything Congrats on another year, Moto-peeps!

I'd better get my final votes in before I melt from the heat... Sonic Unleashed Sonic Colours Sonic Generations (360/PS3) Sonic Generations (3DS) Sonic Lost World There many stand-outs here, but two particularly special pieces are Jungle Joyride - Day and Boss Battle : Big Arms. Too bad neither have titles to match... The first was an instant favourite the moment I heard it in Unleashed. Its intro has a long build-up, with an almost boss-like intensity to it, before launching into a catchy dance number. Like most of the Unleashed day variety, it both ties well into the level's theme and synchronises beautifully with a perfect run. Generations' Big Arms is another impelling track. This has to be one of the most adrenaline-fuelled themes throughout Sonic's musical history and probably my top pick from the lot. The original was already high on my list, but Cash Cash and Jun Senoue really outdid themselves with this version. Just when you think the song's about loop back around as usual, it pulls something else out of the bag. I love it and am disappointed that it ended up marooned on the 3DS when we could have been jamming to this with its HD brother. Ever since it was released, I've been imagining it used in a cool battle scene involving all of the characters.

I played this for the first time last year and while I enjoyed it far more than Ico, the outdated controls made it a frustrating experience at times. Thankfully, according to Famitsu (via Siliconera), the controls are the one area that the developers will be changing:

Toei may have bungled a few plot points here and there, but they at least have a better grasp of telling a story than Toyotaro. He seems to be over-complicating things at every turn. Unless he's under pressure to deviate significantly from what Toei's doing, I don't really understand why he keeps writing it this way.

Even if it doesn't have the best level design, I would still like to see Ice Cap make it in (with a track inspired by the original). The developers have been making so many changes to previous levels that they easily improve upon it. Having said that, I wouldn't be massively disappointed to see Hydrocity or Launch Base in its place. Sonic 3 has plenty of great stages to choose from, but these two and Ice Cap provide trope variety we've not seen so far in Mania. Given the lack of issues with Hydrocity's music, I wouldn't surprised to see it make the cut.

Key art updated: