For whatever reason, I wasn't too excited for this game before. I've always been a Smash Bros. fan, but the updates this time around seemed minor. I'm glad Sakurai proved me wrong. That's right, JJ and K4K, I'll no longer call this game Brawl 2.0.
The best news for me is how well Sakurai is balancing the game competitively by toning down the OPs and buffing traditionally weaker fighters.
Props for separating character transformations too. I might be in the minority, but I love Zero Suit Sams and Sheik so it puts my mind at rest knowing they have fleshed out kits, and on the flip side of the separation, in Zelda's case, a new move.
As for the new character reveal, I'm surprised I hadn't thought of Greninja as a candidate before. Quick, rapid caster's have always been up my alley so I'm sure he'll be one of my favorites.
Oh yeah, I wanted to add a comment about online play. I like the approach to leader boards because there isn't a feasible way to group online skill with the variety of modes available. This at least provides a more standard measurement.
One thing I wanted more clarification on, however, was the types of matches we'd be able to play online with strangers. My memory from Brawl is fuzzy, but I believe only stock, time, and coin battles were allowed. Players should be able to experiment with crazy stuff with non-series like all mega and metal or super slow mode, etc.