Super Smash Bros.

The next Smash game could make some Melee to Brawl level of changes for veterans now that the major characters have gotten some great potential moves from recent games in their franchises.

No new news, but something interesting.

While we're all waiting for news, I revised/broadened my character wishlist. Here are all the new characters I'd put in the next Smash, if some exec at Nintendo had an aneurysm and decided to put me in charge. I tried to strike a good balance of icons and fresh new blood, see what you guys think:

• King K. Rool (Donkey Kong Country)
• Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong Country 2)
• Ganon (The Legend of Zelda)
• Ridley (Metroid)
• Medusa (Kid Icarus)
• Sceptile (Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire) ^note I picked him over Decidueye, mostly because he's older. Gen III fans have been waiting since 2002 for a rep in Smash. Besides, ORAS, his new Mega Evolution, and Pokken Tournament made him relevant again.
• Rex and Pyra (Xenoblade Chronicles 2)
• Inkling (Splatoon)
• Spring Man (ARMS) ^note + Ribbon Girl alt
• Simon Belmont (Castlevania)

Tentative newcomers (i.e. characters I think might be a good idea but I'm not entirely sold on):

• Miyu (Star Fox 2) ^note Star Fox 2 actually being released is so hilariously unexpected that a commemorative rep feels kind of appropriate. Besides, a female Star Fox rep is a good idea, and (as far as I know) Miyu is more popular than Krystal.
• Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog 2) ^note Sonic definitely prolific enough to deserve a second rep (and thanks to Sonic Mania, everyone loves him again), but people might balk at the idea of Sega having three reps, or any third-party series having more than one.
• An Xbox rep; either Master Chief or Banjo and Kazooie.

What do you guys think?

Miyu can't be more popular than Krystal considering the only game Miyu's ever been in only ever officially came out on a gimmicky peripheral that was released this year.

Krystal is more popular than the majority of the Star Fox cast in general.

Also while I like Rex and Pyra if we get another Xenoblade rep, I'd prefer Elma. Her thing with switching between dual swords and dual guns has the potential for a better moveset than them. Plus, Skell final smash.

The issue with K Rool is that he hasn't made an appearance in forever, nor has Donkey Kong had a game himself. I wouldn't complain if he got in, buuuuut he just isn't a gaming icon anymore, despite what Opinion Myopia might tell you.

Dixie just doesn't have anything that could distinguish her from Diddy.

Ganon would be dope af if he got in

Ridley's proportions just don't work. No, don't post that stupid image again, because it doesn't address the fact that Ridley's arms and legs and tail stretch out way past where Bowser's do, which is the issue at hand. Not that Ridley is too big.

Medusa,,,, eh, Honestly Kid Icarus has got solid representation- the best they could do is diversify dark pit's moveset and give him the equipment he was shown using in his maps as his normal specials.

Sceptile... no more pokemon, please. I love them but they make up over a tenth of the roster.

Rex and Pyra: no opinion other than more xenoblade reps would be nice

Inkling definitely should be and will be in the next smash game. Same for Spring Man probably.

Simon Belmont would be rad

Tails or Shadow tbh. Either one are super iconic to the sonic franchise and both more than deserve to be in the roster.

and xbox rep will never happen

Isaac pls.

Choice defense time!

You sure wouldn't know that from looking at DeviantArt!

Seriously though, I didn't think Krystal was popular. I thought she was a Base-Breaking Character that most people (especially the Star Fox franchise's robust yaoi fandom) disliked.

Tropical Freeze came out on Wii U in 2014, and I'd be surprised if the Switch became the first Nintendo console without a Donkey Kong game. Besides, being iconic is hardly a requirement in Smash, hence relics like the Ice Climbers and ultra modern characters like Wii Fit Trainer.

King K. Rool is a major character with tons of potential from one of Nintendo's longest-running franchises. I have no idea why people poo-poo him.

Smash is full of characters that look like they don't have much to bring to the table but turn out awesome anyway. Take Peach or Ike or Captain Falcon. There's no doubt in my mind Dixie could have a really cool moveset if Sakurai (or whoever) cared enough to give her one. It doesn't even sound that hard.

Besides, Luigi doesn't really have anything to distinguish him from Mario but the game would feel incomplete without him. That's how I feel about Dixie.

Right?! I can't believe there aren't more people clamoring for him.

I don't agree. "Charizard, but skinnier" doesn't sound like an impossible proposition. I get that he's wonky but I'm sure that could be worked around with a little imagination.

I actually think Pit himself is all the representation Kid Icarus needs, but then Sakurai went and added Palutena, and now it feels weird to have Pit and Palutena but not Medusa. That's like having Link and Zelda but not Ganon/dorf.

Besides, Smash's first female villain. That's cool.

But we don't have a fully-evolved Grass-type starter to complement Charizard and Greninja. Also, Sceptile is cool, and that's all I've got to say about that.

Yep.

I had Elma on my roster for a while, but Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is more recent and from the sounds of things it's getting better reviews. (I've never actually played the series, so I have no personal preference. Whichever character fans like most is the one that should get in.)

Glad we agree. The Inkling is especially cool because all their alts would be rocking totally different clothes and hairstyles/colors. There can be four boys and four girls.

It's gotta be tails. He's Sonic's Luigi, and he's been around since the franchise's formative years.

Snake and Bayonetta happened. I'm not too quick to call anything impossible anymore. Besides, Phil Spencer said he'd be happy to let Nintendo play with Xbox IPs if they asked.

edited 3rd Dec '17 9:44:21 PM by ThriceCharming

After Cloud I'm not discrediting anyone or anything being in this game out of hand.

I'd rather they not break the "has to have been on a Nintendo system rule". And no, Cloud didn't break it. His main game was never on one but he's been in plenty of other games that were.

Ridley's size and proportions can work if you crunch him down but the result won't do the character any sort of justice.

I have a gut feeling that they are going to throw a character that is going to blow our minds way more than Cloud...

Even if that means ditching the "must appear on a Nintendo console" rule.

edited 3rd Dec '17 9:58:49 PM by BZL8

Short of Master Chief I don't think that's possible.

Who knows? With Sakurai or Bandai Namco, assuming they are developing the next installment, anything can happen.

Short of bringing an anime character into the game (again, not saying it's impossible, but I really hope they don't go that route)

there really isn't another video game character out there with as much cultural saturation around the world that isn't either a Nintendo character or Cloud Strife.

And Cloud Strife's already in the game.

I can think of a few characters who would surprise me more but they would all pretty much be met with head scratches by most everyone else. As much as I dislike his games, Master Chief is pretty much the most prolific game character who isn't already in.

edited 3rd Dec '17 10:12:50 PM by LordVatek

It's not some "law" they need a Nintendo appearance. At least not for Sakurai. He just realizes that having a previous appearance is something to look at, more for the fact it's easier to get a character in because Nintendo and the other company worked together before. I don't think someone with no Nintendo appearances is all that likely, but it's not a rule holding it back either way. Well, it's a fanrule, but closer to a "definitely needs to be taken into consideration" type of guideline, really.

I'm more worried about the 3rd party company and Nintendo saying no than Sakurai himself, anyway. He's a lot more open to various 3rd party characters, as he's looking for iconic ones. Doesn't mean much if those companies say no, which is going to happen for some characters as is. It's just how it is. A Microsoft character, besides maybe Steve?, doesn't seem all that likely. Halo and Killer Instinct are their killer apps, so advertising them on another system just by the fact it has a character from it might go against what they want. Minecraft is everywhere, so it's no big deal. Not to say someone like Master Chief or Fulgore/Jago are impossible, but there's some stuff riding against them(mostly current competition, but Master Chief and Halo had two chances for Nintendo appearances and were denied/made sure it didn't happen. First was the cancelled Halo DS. Second is that Microsoft isn't allowing the Halo assets on any version of Minecraft that isn't Xbox or Computer, which makes it likely they wouldn't agree to let Master Chief in Smash as well. It's the same issue. Mind you, it's more than just assets and a major character, so who knows. Another thing to consider is how much money Microsoft would want to allow a competing system to use their character. It sounds like it wouldn't work out realistically, no matter how much Sakurai could make it work moveset-wise without losing the character's iconic weapons/personality).

The idea of an anime character (Goku, Luffy, Saber, etc.) joining the fight would definitely send hype and salt through the roof, much more than Cloud. I am personally fine with allocating 1 or 2 slots for such characters in the roster. However, if the developers begin adding more anime characters in DLC or later installments, that is where I would be bothered, as such inclusions would go against the nature of the series itself.

That's just it. Slippery slope. It's one more reason I hate Cloud being in the game.

Flood gates are blasted wide open, now, and if we get something crazy like Goku in that what's to stop literally any character from anything being represented?

Anyway, how does a visual novel-esque story mode sound like? Personally, the idea of having voiced dialogue between characters across numerous video games would be the ultimate form of fanservice.

Eh, Cloud blasted nothing open. The whole point of a 3rd party option was to find very iconic gaming characters. Cloud was that. He didn't do anything beyond fitting the same criteria everybody else did for 3rd parties. Bayonetta actually had a bigger effect on that factor, but she was ballot-specific. Snake didn't get in due to being iconic, but he didn't break that "rule" either(which is a proper rule, mind you). Bar Bayonetta, every 3rd party character is iconic(but mostly importantly, gaming-wise, thus, doesn't matter how popular some anime options are. They aren't a remote option for Smash, as being a game character is a requirement as is for 3rd parties). And it's really hard to see how anyone else would be chosen otherwise beyond some ballot options.

As for Adventure Mode, while I did find the cutscenes fun, they did take up a lot of development time(70%). As long as it doesn't cut into time needed for the meat of the game(balancing characters for play, having a fruitful classic mode, tons of stages/items/options), no issue with me.

Cloud isn't that weird. Final Fantasy's history is very much entwined with Nintendo's and he's the most recognizable Final Fantasy protagonist. It's a natural fit and there was no way Terra or Cecil were making it.

Ridley would definitely be wonky...

But I dunno, I think wonky could work, if you balance with it in mind.

You can use Ridley's size to justify very long-ranged melee attacks, and also use it as a downside of him being really easy to hit.

Re: a visual novel mode

Half the characters in Smash don't even talk. How would Yoshi, Mario, Little Mac, Duck Hunt, etc. participate in a story with actual dialogue?

That was probably one of the reasons Brawl's story mode had almost no voiced lines. I know a lot of the newer characters do speak in their games now and a lot of their games have elaborate story modes, but you have to also consider all the ones that are minimalist and silent and what would be best for them.

And, even in the case of Mario, could you imagine needing to listen to him for longer than the short voice clips he normally has?

You could just have those characters have very little or no dialogue.