Does SSB4 need a "retro rep"?

[No Control]

I've seen arguments and debates about which "retro" character should be included in SSB4, with suggestions ranging from Takamaru to Lip and Mach Rider to Duck Hunt Dog. Often these discussions carry the assumption that some kind of "retro" representative will be in the next SSB.

The reasoning behind this, of course, is the inclusion of Ice Climbers and Mr. Game & Watch in Melee as well as R.O.B. and Pit (the latter of which is no longer a "retro" due to KI:U, of course) in Brawl.

But what if Sakurai feels as though he's also represented enough "retro" characters in smash? What if he doesn't want to keep adding them? After all, he didn't in Smash 64. Are retro characters inevitable? Interested to hear people's thoughts on this.

 

[Curious Villager]

Eh the closest thing I found is this.

Adam Riley: You have mentioned how you like to breathe new life into forgotten franchises. Now that Kid Icarus has been completed, what other old classic would you like to look at? Ice Climbers, Star Tropics,MoleMania…or something non-Nintendo?

Sakurai-san: I am planning on doing my best to bring old characters back in Smash Bros. From that perspective, I am probably in the most fortunate position in the world.

source: http://www.cubed3.com/news/16920#.UuUwt9LFJdg

He stated that he is planning to bring back older characters in Smash Bros. Of course that could range from being playable to Assist Trophies to other kinds of cameos. But he seems to enjoy bringing back many long and forgotten Nintendo heroes into the Smash Bros series.

So I honestly wouldn't be surprised if we got one or two more playable retro characters again.

 

[Staarih]

Yeah, I was planning on linking to that interview as well... so judging by that, I think we'll definitely get at least one retro rep, not sure what it'll be though. If Little Mac is still counted as retro, then it's him obviously, but outside of him it looks like Takamaru and Lip seem to have the most support. I personally really like the idea of the Duck Hunt Dog haha, or then some more unknown character.

 

[Arcadenik]

The only retro characters I want are:

Duck Hunt Dog
Little Mac (not really retro anymore since the Wii era)
Muddy Mole
Takamaru
Lip

 

[AncientTobacco]

But what if Sakurai feels as though he's also represented enough "retro" characters in smash? What if he doesn't want to keep adding them? After all, he didn't in Smash 64. Are retro characters inevitable? Interested to hear people's thoughts on this.

He has said that he wants to bring old characters back in Smash. So yeah.

There's not really any room for debate.

 

[LF2K]

Of course! Retro characters are always great to see brought back to life. Pit was "retro" in Brawl, and now he's back and better than ever!

 

[Ghirahilda]

I WANT LIP! I'm a big fan of female characters! Lip would be the most interesting "retro" addition for me!

 

[Niko Mar]

Of course! Retro characters are always great to see brought back to life. Pit was "retro" in Brawl, and now he's back and better than ever!

I hope Takamaru gets the same treatment.

 

[Hong]

Absolutely.

Smash Bros is not about what is hot and fresh. It is about Nintendo as a whole, and history is an important element of the company's foundation.

Takamaru, Mach Rider and Lip can all offer completely new gameplay, and pay proper respects to the Nintendo legacy.

Well, Lip does not feel THAT old, to me...

 

[Starcutter]

The poll means something different than the thread title.... Ugh

 

[BluePikmin11]

No there will probably be older series Sakurai would want to revive before he's done with retros, if there's enough potential in moveset and in revival, he's going to add a retro character. Personally for me, the best choices for a retro are Sable, Takamaru, Lip, Mach Rider, Duck Hunt Dog, Muddy Mole, and Urban Champion.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Anything would be great from Nintendo's past in playable form except that horrific Hockey game and Urban Champion to a lesser extent.

 

[Hong]

Anything would be great from Nintendo's past in playable form except that horrific Hockey game and Urban Champion to a lesser extent.

With the addition of R.O.B. and Ice Climbers, I don't think quality of the game they originated from is of any concern.

No offence, of course. :b We are thankful for what the Robotic Operating Buddy did, but the games sucked horribly.

 

[Arteen]

The thread title and poll are asking different questions. Will SSB4 have a retro character? Sure. Does SSB4 need a retro character? Not really.

Smash already has Game & Watch representing the earliest age of Nintendo video games, and has both R.O.B. and Ice Climbers representing the NES era. Smash has Nintendo's older history covered. Age shouldn't be a consideration anymore.

What does the "retro" even mean at this point? At Brawl's release, Kid Icarus and Punch-Out were "retro franchises". Now they're just, "franchises". It's been nearly a decade since the last F-Zero game. When is F-Zero considered "retro"? Even well-represented series like Earthbound and Star Fox are dead or dormant at this point.

Then there are series like Golden Sun and Advance Wars (among others), both of which are recent enough to not be "retro", yet old enough to not be currently relevant. If Sakurai want to bring back Takamaru (like he did with Kid Icarus), then that's one thing, but it'd be a shame for some one-off game like Mach Rider to get on the roster when there are bigger franchises still missing a spot.

 

[dimensionsword64]

The poll means something different than the thread title.... Ugh

Yeah, I accidentally clicked no because I thought the poll was the thread title.

 

[asia_catdog_blue]

Anything would be great from Nintendo's past in playable form except that horrific Hockey game and Urban Champion to a lesser extent.

I disagree. "Hockey" was not only the best sports game Ninty made for the NES, but also one of the best sports games on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

So, take that back!

 

[Dreamking]

I would like to see more retro characters. It's a great method to spark interest in a character that newer gamers may not know of.

My personal wish list retro character is Duck Hunt Dog.

 

[Sabrewulf238]

Eh the closest thing I found is this.

He stated that he is planning to bring back older characters in Smash Bros. Of course that could range from being playable to Assist Trophies to other kinds of cameos. But he seems to enjoy bringing back many long and forgotten Nintendo heroes into the Smash Bros series.

So I honestly wouldn't be surprised if we got one or two more playable retro characters again.

"Older" doesn't necessarily mean "retro" though.

Isaac and K. Rool could be considered "older" because their primary incarnations that would be playable(young isaac, N64 K. Rool) haven't been seen for a fairly long time. (I'd consider 10+ years as old, at least in the world of gaming)

If we do get a true retro (I.e Little Mac doesn't count) I wouldn't mind seeing Lip or Duck Hunt Dog (The latter mainly for kicks though....)

 

[Erotic&Heretic]

I'd like to see some retro characters too.

My personal picks would be the Duck Hunt Dog and Mach Rider. I wouldn't mind Lip either.

 

[No Control]

"Older" doesn't necessarily mean "retro" though.

Isaac and K. Rool could be considered "older" because their primary incarnations that would be playable(young isaac, N64 K. Rool) haven't been seen for a fairly long time. (I'd consider 10+ years as old, at least in the world of gaming)

If we do get a true retro (I.e Little Mac doesn't count) I wouldn't mind seeing Lip or Duck Hunt Dog (The latter mainly for kicks though....)

That's the thing - Sakurai didn't say bringing properly retro characters back was his aim, just old characters. Old characters could mean the likes of K. Rool from established series that haven't been seen in a while, not necessarily Ice Climbers levels of obscurity.

@ Starcutter , @ Arteen and @ D dimensionsword64 - apologies, it appears I messed up the poll question. I would ask if I could get it changed but it seems pointless now.

 

[Smashoperatingbuddy123]

The only retro characters I want are:

Duck Hunt Dog
Little Mac (not really retro anymore since the Wii era)
Muddy Mole
Takamaru
Lip

You forgot mach rider

 

[Arcadenik]

You forgot mach rider

No, I didn't. I purposefully left him out.

 

[Dark Phazon]

I dont think it ''Needs'' one but it sure as hell is cool and unique so yh in that reguard yh it ''should'' have one imo

 

[TCT~Phantom]

I not only predict at least 1 new retro, but can't wait. Lip, Mach Rider, Takumaru, Muddy Mole, and pretty much a good chunk of BluePikmins ideas all would be sick as hell in smash, and could use a revival...

 

[loganhogan]

He has said that he wants to bring old characters back in Smash. So yeah.

There's not really any room for debate.

Exactly this.

 

[Morbi]

I honestly do not want too many retro's saturating the roster. Little Mac is fine in my honest opinion.

 

[Niko Mar]

I honestly do not want too many retro's saturating the roster. Little Mac is fine in my honest opinion.

But he technically isn't a retro rep anymore .

 

[Morbi]

But he technically isn't a retro rep anymore .

You already know that it annoys me when others assert that I am using the term wrong. Luckily you added that troll face, I would have gone all crazy and linked 5 different dictionary sites if you didn't!

 

[PigmaskColonel]

I feel like Smash will never have too many or too little retro reps. Representing old games in general is fun, especially in playable form. I'd say Duck Hunt Dog is my pick for my most wanted retro newcomer due to Duck Hunt being my favorite NES game with Ice Climber trailing close behind.

 

[RomanceDawn]

We got Ice Climbers and Game&Watch in Melee, then Pit ad ROB in Brawl. Sakurai likes reviving characters and even mentioned as much, we are getting at least one. The safe bets are on Takamaru, it would please me greatly if Sukapon was brought in as well.

Do we need one? Need is such a strong word but I'd rather they keep up the tradition of adding retro characters.

 

[Louie G.]

It's really a tradition to bring a classic character back from the dead for each Smash Bros, so I would be very surprised not to see it happen this time around too.
And with such good options, why wouldn't Sakurai take the opportunity to use at least one of them?

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Im going by what the thread title asks.

It does not need Retros but it was benefit from a retro newcomer as a way to span the bridge between old and new and bring a spotlight onto an older franchise. Adding one would not hurt Smash in the slightest and would be a positive effect on the series.

Plus, there are a lot of great retro choices such as Takamaru, Mach Rider, Lip, Mike Jones, Lip, Muddy Mole, Sherrif, Prince Sable, and Duck Hunt Dog.

I wouldn't consider Little Mac a retro because he was revived post-Smash 4. Pit was considered retro and was the first case of a retro franchise being revived because of Smash.

 

[BridgesWithTurtles]

We don't need anything. But I don't see a problem with adding one or two "retro" characters each game. I'm biased, since most of my favorite Nintendo characters haven't had any major appearances in over a decade, but that's what I like about retro characters. They're notable enough to still remember after all that time. I think that SNES and Virtual Boy should probably be considered "retro" now, for the record. Maybe even N64, but I'd give it a few years.

 

[fogbadge]

i would hope so

 

[Vann Accessible]

Personally, I consider Little Mac and Ridley retro characters, even if they have both appeared since the NES. :D

As far as someone we haven't seen in a while, sure. We've had Ice Climbers, Mr. G&W, Pit and R.O.B.

I think Takamaru, Mike Jones, Duck Hunt Dog and Mach Rider would all be cool additions.

 

[Substitution]

Little Mac (not really retro anymore since the Wii era)

Well, technically the Wii has been discontinued (and it's not like Little Mac came back). So, in a technical sense, I would assume so...

 

[Knight Dude]

Does it need one? No. Not at all. Will we get one? Probably, Sakurai likes them. But this is a question of "need" not want. And let's be honest, it's not like the game is going to somehow be hindered with the possible lack of a retro character.

 

[Forcerounds]

In absence of Dr. Mario, there is no confirmed character in Super Smash Bros. 4 that represents any of Nintendo's brilliant puzzle games. Lip happens to be a good candidate, so I support her as the "retro" character.

 

[3Bismyname]

personally i see better potential for strong fighters in the older franchises than a lot of newer ones. partially because some could be considered semi blank slates, partially because Nintendo has far more interesting options within their back catalogs of franchises.

 

[Cobalsh]

Bah! Such standard picks. My personal retro picks are Devil and Saki, because they'd be awesome and have cool playstyles, Saki using a sword and blaster at the same time while being extremely agile and Devil being able to manipulate the environment. Plus, you know you want it: