All right, now for Ridley, our lovable kawaii moe space exploring dragon that just can't bear to let his best bud Samus leave without him. He's a popular guy, but it looks like his chances for Smash 4 have been shot. Or have they? Most of this stuff comes from the Smashboards Ridley thread.
Let's look at what we know for sure about Ridley in Smash 4. He appears in some capacity on Pyrosphere. He can fly to some extent. He has a big shadow. He can coexist with Pikachu. He has a white tail.
His behavior was erratic and didn't seem very boss-like. He flying in one place for a few seconds not doing anything at all before moving again. Could be due to a number of reasons, such as an incomplete model or unfinished AI. Seems odd, though not that out of the question for a boss.
The context of the Direct makes it look like he's a stage boss, and really that makes perfect sense. It's where he appears in Other M and he's obvious boss material. Still, despite all implications he didn't say Ridley was a boss. He didn't mention Ridley by name. We didn't even get a clear view of him. This is contrary to every other dead character in the Direct. And there was no beating around the bush for Waluigi, Ashley, etc. It doesn't add up.
Now for which Ridley. We saw a brief glimpse of what people have determined is his tail. Specifically, Other M Ridely's tail. Now there are lots of Ridleys out there. Classic Ridley (Zero Mission/Super), Tiny Ridley (Metroid), Mecha Ridley (Zero Mission), Meta Ridley (Prime/Prime 3), Omega Ridley (Prime 3), Clone Ridley (Other M), and Ridley-X (Fusion). Only Classic, Clone, and maybe Meta are relevant here. Clone Ridley is a distinctive Ridley from all the others except sort of X. This is important because of Conductor Link, who is a variation of Toon Link. Clone Ridley was the one seen in the Direct.
My optimistic conclusion in thus, Clone Ridley is the Pyrosphere Stage Boss. There's no way around it. Classic Ridley however, still has a shot. We know from ZSS and Dark Samus that not everything will be taken from Other M. However, why would Sakurai just be teasing a stage boss? Well, thanks to the Direct we've reconfirmed he's a massive troll. We also know that all newcomers are supposed to be introduced in cinematic trailers, which this wasn't. So Ridley couldn't be introduced just yet, as even if they were different Ridleys, they're still Ridley. Conductor Link could be shown because Toon Link wasn't a newcomer.
While the exact situation would be unique, this wouldn't be unprecedented. Previous bosses such as Metal Mario and Giga Bowser have become playable. R.O.B. was both a Subspace enemy and playable. A different Donkey Kong was a stage hazard on 75M. And of course Conductor Link left it to Alfonzo. Does this mean Ridley would be Alfonzoed? Possibly, but less likely. Nightmare and Phantoon are the only reasonable options if that happens. Seeing Classic Rids beat up Clone Rids would be awesome though.
My opinion is that it's a fool's hope. I don't think Ridley will be playable. Sakurai is probably just not realizing what he's doing. However, all these inconsistencies and evidence adds up to him being on life support, with just enough hope left. If he's not playable, I just want Sakurai to rip off the band-aid quickly so we can get it over with. Otherwise he is indeed in for the long troll. To Ridley folks, the one guy who just won't stay dead. I suppose that is appropriate to his character.
edited 9th Apr '14 8:56:09 PM by Sterok
So I fired up Brawl for the first time in forever and my god, have I gotten sucky at it. I could kick major ass in my prime but after so long, I actually lost my first battle (a free-for-all against three Level 3 CP Us. I came in second, but still) and I got reduced to one stock in my second.
Let the joy of love give you an answer! Check out my book!Sakurai not specifically showing Ridley seems suspicious to me.
Honestly if he doesn't include Ridley as playable then I don't know what the hell his problem is. We've already seen that he pays attention to what the community wants based on the Fun/Glory split. Ridley is the most important Nintendo character not yet in the game and he's had a considerable amount of support since Melee. The only one that even comes close is Mewtwo. Unless he's just deliberately ignoring what the fans want he should include Ridley in the game. He included Villager of all people and he seems far harder to incorporate than Ridley when you consider that he can't actually fight.
Being away for a long time can make a person rusty...
Can't actually fight?
edited 9th Apr '14 9:19:06 PM by Randomness4
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.I would practice with Brawl but the physics are probably going to be fairly different and the new characters and moves will probably just lead to Damn You, Muscle Memory! moments. I think I'll wait for 3D and practice on that version.
Villager is not a fighter. Sakurai had to invent his moveset out of thin air. At least Ridley has actual attacks and fighting capabilities that he could use when implementing him.
edited 9th Apr '14 9:20:04 PM by Kostya
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It didn't help that I was using the Wiimote/Nunchuck combo since I was on my Wii U. I always played with the Game Cube controller.
Yeah, as fun as it was, I'll probably just wait till the new one comes out and try to get back to my previous skill level for the tournament.
edited 9th Apr '14 9:20:55 PM by Zelenal
Let the joy of love give you an answer! Check out my book!![]()
And has Nook and his Nooklings as a house building bomb squad.
... So, guys.
A playable character is probably too much to ask at this point, but do you think we might see Alex Rovias or Pius Augustus as Assists in Smash for?
I sure said that!The way the attacks work is not made up...what IS made up is how they would properly function as an actual attack...obviously that would be the same for Ridley, his attacks have an origin, now all you gotta do is program how they'd function as regular or special attacks.
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.Of course Sakurai intentionally trolls us every chance he gets. He feeds off the confusion and negative emotions ("DAMN YOU, SAKURAAAIIII!") of his fans. How else do you think he underwent reverse aging?
Let the joy of love give you an answer! Check out my book!Finally figured out which theme it was in Mega Man's segment of the Nintendo Direct. It's Spark Man
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Also agreed on Sakurai knowing fully well what he was doing. That whole move, stating there would be other "bosses" while simply giving the audience a mere shadow to work with, has to have been done on purpose, because if Sakurai really was that clueless he would've either revealed Ridley outright or not give anything at all. Sakurai was on master-troll mode, and that will be known as his coup de grace, regardless of whether Ridley's ultimately playable or not.
edited 9th Apr '14 10:05:39 PM by Watchtower
You know you're a Master Troll if your fan base is debating exactly how many levels of meta trolling you're doing. Seriously, this is insane and I'm loving every minute of it.
Let the joy of love give you an answer! Check out my book!

Greninja also makes Water Tanto for at least a few attacks, according to the pics on the website.
I sure said that!