Someone's going to regret THAT decision
Ghost here, thanks for joining!
As anyone who reads this blog or knows me personally can tell you, I am an avid fan of the Smash Bros series. It alone has caused me to purchase the Gamecube, Wii, and WiiU system simply to play the next installment of the series. Sure I have other games for these systems but if I only had Smash Bros I would be happy because I love the games so much. They are a fun experience and they are what caused me to learn about these wonderful characters I have grown to love.
This is a bold move by Nintendo because it's one thing to collect a sampling from people of what they think the fans worldwide will want and there's another thing to open it up to everyone with an internet connection. Now whether we get to see the results of this is left to be seen but it's definitely doing a good job in making the fans FEEL good like their opinion matters whether they do anything with the information or not. It's a step in the right direction.
Before I get started though there are a couple of rules that I want to toss in there.
- No Assist Trophies - I'm not going to be including any characters that are currently assist trophies in the games which is honestly a blow to the Legend of Zelda series as most of my desired characters from there got Assist Trophy Zoned. If I didn't have this rule then my list would pretty much consist of Saki Amamiya. Magnus, Midna, Skull Kid, Samurai Goroh, Takamaru, Phosphora, and Shadow.
- Nothing that has practically no chance of getting in - This one's a little more subjective but might explain why certain characters like Geno that everyone loves didn't make my list. I realize anything is possible. Fans were somewhat surprised when Sonic and Snake showed up in brawl and Nintendo likes to throw random characters in the mix but there are just some things that seem highly unlikely. Things like Scorpion from Mortal Kombat, Heihachi from Tekken, or anything owned by Square Enix cause they tend to be very guarded about their property. It's not that these couldn't be included but I'd rather not waste a list on things that have so tiny of a chance.
- Nothing Ridiculous - You know those trolls who put in votes for Goku, and Shrek. For reasons that should be obvious I'm not going to touch anything there in either list because REALLY guys?
Top 10 Wanted DLC for Smash
(Honorable Mention - Shantae from Shantae and the Pirate's Curse cause of hair powers etc)
Originating Game: Shovel Knight
The Video Game industry as a whole has decided that there should be a focus on the indie game market. This is both good and bad as it gives more people a chance to see games not created by the giant corporations but it also means we have to sit through shows and conferences like Nintendo Direct and E3 and watch things we don't care about in the least. However one game has shone above the rest and that is Shovel Knight. It's a "love story" to classic NES type of games that we don't see much of anymore while still keeping things fresh and new. I personally have never seen an indie game with such a fanbase behind it. Shovel Knight has numerous artifacts that he could bring to brawl as well as being a slightly unconventional fighter since he's from the indie market. The developers have already stated that they would love for him to be in Smash Bros. It would be nice to have one DLC character that has been released in the United States and not Japan (yet) for a change. This will give Japan a taste of the confusion we had when Marth and Roy came to the Gamecube.
Originating Game: Splatoon
As of the writing of this, Splatoon has not even been released (not sure when this list will come out.) So why on earth would I include characters from a game that no one has even been able to play? This is honestly very simple. I have never seen a character be debuted before that screamed "Smash Potential" like these two. They fight in their games and use weapons... non-conventional weapons at that. They are kid friendly, and they transform into squids. If that doesn't fit right in with the quirkiness of brawl when we have characters such as Duck Hunt then nothing else does. Nintendo is already planning on making amiibo of these two and since they want all smash characters to have amiibo half of the work is already done. Give them all the different weapons from Splatoon that we have seen in the trailers, make four costumes be the female and four be the male, and call it a day. Easily one of the better choices for Nintendo financially.
Originating Game: Super Mario Bros
I know several people are going to shout foul for including Toad in the mix for multiple reasons. Yes, he is Peach's standard special attack. Yes, we have too many Mario representatives as it is. Yes, he rarely does anything of real value, but I honestly do think it's Toad's time to shine. Toad has been with Mario through it all. He has been a playable character in multiple Mario and Mario Kart games, and he even has his own game now with Captain Toad. I think it's time to go ahead and complete the Mario family and add him in. You could easily pull a strange moveset from powerups or things he collects in Captain Toad. You could have multiple costumes where he is Toad, Toadette, Captain Toad, Captain Toadette, or even a Toasdsworth costume if you wanted to be even more eccentric. It's just time we gave Toad a chance even if he isn't the greatest character ever.
#7: IsaacOriginating Game: Golden Sun
Speaking of things we have too much of, let's talk about a character who wields a sword! Actually that's not entirely fair to say about Isaac because he does carry a sword but more similarly to Robin he also uses magic called Psynergy in the Golden Sun series. Golden Sun is one of those series that doesn't get a lot of love anymore. With things like the Tales Of series being rampant as well as things like Fire Emblem finally getting their act together and doing things properly, there's just no need for Golden Sun and it's a crying shame. Isaac would be a force to be reckoned with if brought in as a full fighter. He was last seen in Super Smash Bros Brawl as an assist trophy using his Move Psynergy to shove people around. As Little Mac has shown us, Assist Trophies can become full characters in the next game so I do hope it's Isaac. He has his sword for basic attacks, his Move psynergy for messing with people and blocking attacks as well as an onslaught of djinni at his command to control the four elements in many numerous ways making his standard and custom moves varying on the level of Megaman and Palutena. He would be an excellent addition to any roster.
#6: Impa OR LanaOriginating Games: The Legend of Zelda/ Hyrule Warriors
I honestly couldn't decide between these two characters. The Legend of Zelda is a wonderful series who needs more representation other than two forms of Link, Two forms of Zelda, and Ganondorf. However, with most of Zelda's best characters being stuck in assist trophy hades, the chance of any of them becoming DLC for this game is laughable. Actually any additional Zelda representatives this time is somewhat laughable even for the simple fact that what they will most likely do is wait until the next game, remove some assist trophies and make them full characters. But that doesn't stop me from wanting an additional one right now and both Impa and Lana would be excellent choices for completely different reasons.
Impa brings in the nostalgia. Although she existed in the first Zelda game most people recognize her from Ocarina of Time as being the master Sheikah and Zelda's protector who taught her the "ninja" ways. If bringing her weapon(s) from Hyrule Warriors she could be an extremely powerful opponent wielding either (or both) her giant sword similar to Magnus from Kid Icarus, or her Naginata, a spear with a sword on the end. She would bring a serious side to the Zelda series as well as old fans of the series.
Lana on the other hand brings something entirely different. She is a brand new character from Hyrule Warriors, a game that has become a smash hit for the Nintendo community. She brings the hype of a current game so new gamers will recognize her. She also brings a lot of fun. Just look up gameplay of her in Hyrule Warriors. She's cheesing for the camera, laughing, and dancing as she attacks people. She could attack with mostly magic as she has a spell tome, but if they wanted, they could include her Deku Spear as a staff like weapon, or her Guardian Gate for use as chakrams, a weapon we haven't yet seen in Smash. And don't tell me you wouldn't love for her final smash to be summoning that giant cucoo. She could bring the fun and something fresh.
Either of these would be welcome additions to the Smash Family.
#5 Solid SnakeOriginating Game :Metal Gear Solid
You knew this one was coming at some point. When Solid Snake was added into Brawl many people were somewhat upset. They were making claims that "Snake doesn't belong in smash he's too different!" To be honest there's a part of that argument I agreed with and still do. Snake's gritty realistic games don't exactly gel the easiest with the likes of Pikachu, Donkey Kong, and Pacman. If he had never been in Brawl I wouldn't have selected him to be included in this list nor would many others. Solid Snake fighting Duck Hunt.... just think about that for a minute. But the fact is, he was included in Brawl and his very different play style made him a unique character that people grew to love. He became accepted into the series and played often. But for some reason his unique moveset was gotten rid of and we got things like Dark Pit and Doctor Mario. This decision baffles me. We shouldn't even be sitting here talking about this because unique characters shouldn't be cut from the game. So hopefully they will fix this and bring him back.
Originating Game: Donkey Kong Country
The Smash Bros series has always been really weak on villain representation. I mean we have Bowser and Dedede who almost as often acts as a hero or just simply not being a villain so they doesn't quite count. We have Bowser Jr and Ganondorf who count as villains but that's about it. A Fire Emblem villain would be a good addition but we already have four Fire Emblem representations so who else could there possibly be? Why King K Rool from Donkey Kong of course. Some may say that he doesn't have enough moveset potential but if they can come up with something for the likes of Captain Falcon they can come up with something for this bruiser. He can make shockwaves, he has a musket that he has used for firing thing as well as boosting him forward, he can toss cannon balls and if all else fails you could pull ideas from his minions and other bosses in the games. You think Ness has all those magic powers? NOPE! Adding King K Rool would bring a massive dose of good nostalgia, as well as add to the Donkey Kong and villain representation in the game.
#3 Popo and NanaOriginating Game: Ice Climber
I'm going to stop you now. Several of you will be saying "But Sakurai said that they were cut because the 3DS couldn't handle having 2 characters like that" Yes that is true, but what I'm suggesting isn't that they magically find a way for the 3DS to handle them. I suggest instead that we, for this game only, separate them. Have ONE ice climber out on stage and that's it. Have 4 Popo costumes and 4 Nana costumes. Beef up their moveset to compensate for there only being one with extra power and range and either change their Up special to incorporate that bird from their game or have the other temporarily appear for the duration of the move. It's a simple fix and it would give our wonderful ice children a way to get back into the party. We miss you all even more than we miss Snake, though not as much as we missed Mewtwo. Take that as you will.
Originating Game: Star Fox Adventures
Furries rejoice, it's Krystal! Krystal is actually someone who I have been wanting in Smash Bros for a while now. I wanted her in Brawl and I still want her now. Star Fox is a series that doesn't get a lot of respect either. I can kind of see why when their games are mostly ship-based combat. That's not exactly my thing but I know people do enjoy that. Slap in the middle of the franchise is a little gem known as Star Fox Adventures which took a normal action game approach to the series. It involved Fox McCloud rescuing Krystal on the Dinosaur Planet with use of her staff. This staff had lots of magical properties to it and allowed Fox to do numerous things. This would lead straight in to the perfect character for smash. Much as I like Fox and Falco, and as much as I played Wolf, for all three representatives of the same franchise to have basically the exact same moveset is stupefying. Adding Krystal would add a unique female character and a unique representative of the Star Fox franchise by making her fight with her staff and magic... and not a blaster.
#1 Banjo KazooieOriginating Game: Banjo Kazooie
If you want quirkiness, a wide moveset, character, and nostalgia then look no further than the Bear and Bird. Banjo Kazooie has a deep seeded fan base that is practically as strong now as it was back in the day even with the Nuts N Bolts debacle. Banjo Kazooie is thought of by many to be one of the greatest Nintendo 64 games of all time. You wouldn't have to make up moves for him either because with the wide variety of things that they do in both the good games (and I assume Nuts N Bolts) you have a move set already created for you. Microsoft's head guy has even said he saw no problems in letting Nintendo use Banjo Kazooie in Smash Bros which may only be a publicity cash in but who knows what might become of it especially with the rumor mill churning out whispers that Rare will probably announce a new game at this year's E3. Most of the Banjo Kazooie fans are Nintendo fans and still have Nintendo systems. I'm certain that they would absolutely love to see their favorite duo dash out some hurt in Smash.
But wait! That's not it. We still have a whole other shorter list to go through. All 10 of the above inclusions would be wonderful if not amazing additions to the Smash series. But with all this open communication to Nintendo there's bound to be people putting in votes for stuff that should never happen or stuff that doesn't need to happen. With that said let's move on to the next list.
Top 6 Character That Don't Need to be DLC
I'm going to attempt to logically explain why each of these characters don't need to be included in Smash brothers. If you enjoy these characters and wish for their return or inclusion then that's perfectly fine, but with the game as-is there are reasons why these shouldn't be on the consideration board.
#6: Any Veterans not mentioned aboveYes this is a lot of characters for one spot on the list but I'd rather not spell out each and every one of these and give the same exact responses. It pains me to put Roy and Wolf on here but logic has overruled love of the characters. The likes of Pichu, Roy, Young Link, and Wolf are completely unneeded. We don't need more clones of characters even if they play slightly differently. We have enough links, we have Marth and Lucina, we have Fox and Falco, and we don't need a pikachu clone. I'd rather have the slots filled with unique characters rather than old ones who play the exact same as stuff we already have. Then we come to Pokemon Trainer, Squirtle, and Ivysaur. I do sort of miss squirtle and ivysaur but with Sakurai making a shift towards wanting people to focus on one character rather than multiple ones I can see why they were cut. They aren't popular enough to earn their way back in since Charizard made it and honestly I would be disappointed if they did. Sorry guys
Don't get me wrong here. Dixie Kong is a cool character and I feel if she was included she could have enough of a unique moveset to be a "Doc Mario" at best. That being said, she honestly just needs to be an alternate costume for Diddy Kong like how they made the koopalings part of Bowser Jr. 'Nuff said.
This is something I never thought I would need to talk about but once again the internet proves me wrong. I think this may have originated on Reddit or Youtube but there has been a massive following to get the Chorus Men in Smash; or at least the placed I end up going looking for Smash discussion. I... don't get it. I understand that there have been various kinds of characters that you wouldn't normally think even had moveset potential or were even things that could be added to the game such as Mr. Game and Watch or Duck Hunt, but these guys... I don't understand the appeal. Maybe if I played Rhythm Heaven I would understand more the fascination with these guys but just looking up their portion of the game on youtube gives me next to nothing. I mean check this out.
#3 BayonettaThis one probably has the weakest argument of my list because Zero Suit Samus and Snake kind of wreck my reasoning but I still stand by this inclusion. I realize these two games are loved by a lot of people I honestly do. But if people are going to have complaints about Solid Snake being in Smash Bros then they should probably have an aneurism over Bayonetta. Sure she's quirky and has a unique character but there's one thing that Bayonetta has that should never be in a Smash Bros game and that's the "mature audience" factor. YES YES I know Solid Snake's games are rated M but they are rated M because of the realistic combat and weaponry. Bayonetta's games are rated M for the violence but also partial nudity and how she embraces her sexuality. That's the kind of stuff that doesn't really belong in a Smash Bros games with stuff like Kirby in there. If you want a fighting game that over serializes the women in it...that's why we have Soul Calibur.
*sigh* This one hurts... it honestly does. I know a lot of people may not like the fact that he's here on this list and not the other but hear me out because I'm not fully happy with that fact either but there's a reason he is. The Paper Mario games are wonderful games filled with jokes and varying types of combat and items. Paper Mario is the PERFECT inclusion for a Smash Bros game but why is he on the no list? Because we already have 9 Mario reps (yes Yoshi and Wario count no matter what logo they put behind them), and two characters in the roster are already Mario himself. There's no need for a 3rd Mario. What we need to do instead is wait till the next game comes out, get rid of Doctor Mario and bring in Paper Mario with a unique moveset. There would be rejoicing through the land if the good people at Nintendo did that. Why they didn't think to do this in the first place and brought back Doc is astounding to me.
Fan boys just need to go ahead and shut up about Ridley... it's never going to happen. Despite the amount of times other fans tell them it's not going to happen, despite the fact that Sakurai himself said it's not going to happen, and despite the times he's shown up as a boss in the game people still keep asking for Ridley. I can understand why. Who wouldn't want a large space dragon to fight with and who wouldn't agree that Metroid is a vastly under-represented franchise in the Smash Bros games but Ridley is not where you need to look. Yes I'm going to use the old argument everyone hates. Ridley is too big. Now I realize Bowser has been a whole lot bigger than Ridley in games like Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario Sunshine but he's a bit of a porker he looks beefy and putting him down to regular size will make him still normal looking. Ridley however is that large and already sort of spindly looking. Can you imagine how he would look if he was comparable size to Samus as in the picture above. He would look awkward and absolutely ridiculous being that small with those already small arms and such. It would be an insult to the character. I know a lot of people want him but he's just not compatible to be in Smash as a playable character.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
So there's my Top 10 Characters I Want and Top 6 Characters I Don't Want. Do you disagree? Do you have your own list? Feel free to comment and let me know what you think. Hopefully we're looking towards over a year of wonderful DLC with Super Smash Bros and even more hopefully some of these characters will make the cut!
This is Ghost, fading into the darkness.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
If you want to see my other Video Game discussions and reviews, click here!
No comments:
Post a Comment