Hey, I posted this in Capps' other thread, but I'll make a similar post here just to get it out.
I'm an advocate for giving everything a shot and being as fair as possible, without tying my emotions into facts. I haven't played with items in Smash for some time. Never in 1v1s, I believe a few times with 4 player friends or my younger brother, so I definetly don't play with them competitively. So here's my thoughts on the subject.
3DS will from the getgo have a bigger user base playing the game. Don't believe me? You do remember that Smash 4 is on the NINTENDO WII U correct? Now this is just a good induction, but by the end of this year their sales won't skyrocket to the realm of the 3DS (If they did I'd be over the moon though!). So basically, the 3DS will have more people playing the game, at least at first. One can't deny this.
The funny situation is that competitive games on handhelds are a much smaller niche than consoles. But Smash is known to be a competitive game. This situation will garner something we haven't seen before - a bigger user base consisting of even more of casuals and even less competitive players. This is a situation the smash community hasn't really experienced before. Although there is the discrepancy right now of much as small margin of us being competitive players, but on the 3DS that number is sure to diminish. The pros will flock to a console game, if not for the only reason of tradition. I'm not doubting the existence of a competitive 3DS community, and I for one predict Smash 3DS will start a new community of handheld 3DS tournaments far greater than what we know of now. But in the beginning, it's not going to be a pro centered community and will be riddled with casuals.
What can this do for the item argument? Well, it gives let's us experiment something we won't do on the Wii U. This is a rare situation that we may never get the opportunity to do again.
Items are a tricky argument. Many vote against it for it's randomness and the play styles that are a product of their inclusion. Then there's the crowd that wants to give it an honest chance and redefine what a competitive smash could be. Most just say ban them for ease without digging much deeper into the thought.
Of course I have no answer for what is 'right' but what I can say is this: I don't care if we tested items in every smash game already - this is not the other smash games. We should test them out in SMASH 4 and see what the can offer, whether it CAN make a community. People who flat out say it's impossible because of random elements and the usual cabal say they have proof but ultimately just wish to preserve the norm. Change isn't something players want in Smash Bros.
I often hear this thought that adding items will ruin competitively playing smash, as, Items + Play Competitive Smash = No go for the community. Hold on a sec .... Since when were those two separate things? Since when were items seperate from 'Playing Smash' and determining a better player? It's a big part of 'Smash Brothers' and taking them out creates this 'Pseudo-Smash Brothers' that many unfortunately believe is the norm.
My point is, if it's a big part of the actual game, it shouldn't be ejected without the littlest of thought.
How do we do this then? Pick a good, well-tested item list. If it ends up only being a small list, judge whether it's indeed worth having over No-Items. If it's an extensive item list, allow some counter picking when players start the match or series - create a NEW system for THIS type of competetive play.
(i.e. Bowser vs. Little Mac - Bowser bans Bunny Hoods and Ray Gun to stop Mac from easier recoveries and easily getting him stuck in Ray Guns blasts. Mac bans the Hammer and Homerun Bat to make sure he isn't launched off stage early.)
People tend to forget that you CAN indeed fight strategically with items on. I know there are random elements to it, but they do not overshadow actual player skill. It was your fault you lost, not the items.
And this doesn't mean 'No Items' tournaments cannot thrive. Why does that have to mean that to so many people?
Both can exist can't they?
I think people don't want to see a slice in the community of pros. But if pros don't want it anyways, what does it matter to them? And if this exposes more people to competitive smash, why are they complaining? This actually serves no negative effect on competitive smash on the Wii U.
It would indeed create a new genre of smash bros to say the least. It will be interesting to try. I just think exiling items to banned immediately is nonsense. Just because it's random , doesn't mean it can't be played. It's just whether this way of play is fun and competitive. If none of us have played Smash 4, how do we know this isn't the case?
Conclusion: Items deserve to be tested. The community should not stay stagnant with one way to play, and it will benefit from items being used in it's own tournament realm. The current competitive model can stand, but what's the harm in trying to expand with elements of the game that are meant to be played with?
Also Capps, i don't know where to do this, but add me to your support group thing!
